A/N – Hey guys, welcome to my D/Hr fic! Please read and review, and tell me what you think, so I can improve! All suggestions are extremely welcome, and so are flames, so long as they don't abuse me into oblivion :P.

This is a new, slightly revised version where I have redone some of the newer chapters because I just didn't like them.

Anywho,

Chapter 1- Goodbyes

By misshotness

Dear Miss Granger

It is my pleasure, to welcome you back to another year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The necessary books and equipment for your seventh year at our school are listed below. Also, it is my great pleasure to award you with the honour of being our Head Girl this year, so don't forget to visit the Head carriage on arrival at the train, and please make sure you're keeping up to the standard of the name, as I know you will. Please remember that the Hogwarts Express will leave the platform 9 ¾ in Kings Cross Station at 11:00 sharp. Until then wish you a safe and enjoyable remainder of your holidays and Hogwarts looks forward to seeing the likes of you very soon.

Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress.

The note made a leisurely crackling sound as it remained clenched tightly in her hand. Its edges were ripped and torn after being read too many times.

Hermione Granger lay soundly asleep in her soft, comfortable bed, unaware of anything around her, thinking of nothing but what was in her dreams. Her head was curled gently against her pillow and a large, furry ginger cat lay asleep and the end of her bed.

Outside her window, a small, grey owl flew down from the star-struck night sky and landed clumsily on a small branch protruding from the willow growing in the garden, a letter tied to its tiny leg. As it waddled over to the window sill, it tripped and banged its head on the glass. Looking dazed, it began to peck the window in fast annoying taps, slipping and sliding on the sill from that night's gentle rainfall.

Hermione stirred, and rolled over, still sound asleep. The bird kept tapping persistently, and she stirred again, this time accidentally knocking the furry creature off the bed with her feet. The animal screeched loudly as he hit the ground and Hermione woke with a start.

"Wha-What?" She said groggily, blinking to see what had awoken her from her sleep. Picking up her wand from the table beside her bed, she whispered 'Lumos' before pulling the covers back and crawling to the foot of her bed. In the light from her wand she saw a disgruntled cat picking himself off the ground and jump back onto the bed. He meowed loudly and Hermione rolled her eyes.

'Oh Crookshanks' she said, sighing as he settled himself on her lap, purring. She stroked his back slowly and smiled fondly at him, rubbing her nose in his fur. He purred louder, and she grabbed his mouse toy from across the bed and threw it onto the floor. Crookshanks went tearing after it, his claws raised, ready to pounce. Hermione laughed softly and looked suddenly towards the window. She had noticed a tiny, grey owl pecking furiously at the glass. Getting up, she straightened her pyjama top and went to open up the window. Just as her fingers had forced the glass to slide open, the little ball of fluff whizzed into her room and began fluttering around the ceiling hysterically, evidently ecstatic at being able to deliver the letter sucessfully. Crookshanks took his attention away from the toy mouse and eyes the bird's movements hungrily.

Hermione glared at the cat and shooed him out of the room, before grabbing the owl out of his midair triumph lap and searching through one of her drawers for something to calm it down. As she found the packet of owl treats she broke some up into tinier pieces and held it out for the bird to nibble on. He chirped excitedly at the sign of treats and shoved his beak haphazardly into the pile, long enough for Hermione to pull the letter off his leg and unravel it carefully.

Her eyes travelled down the parchment and she smiled reminiscently.

Dear Hermione,

Hey, it's me! Hope you're having fun on your holidays; you didn't go anywhere this time did you? I didn't, oh well; I guess a quiet time at home is sometimes the best this though eh? Done anything interesting? My aunty Edna came over a week ago. She just left yesterday (thank god). I swear she's like 500 years old, and she smells like old cheese. Ron's being as annoying as ever, but at least Fred and George managed to hit him with a good prank before I lost my mind completely. Never seen his head swell to that size before…he he! Have you got your letter from Hogwarts yet? I have, my mum was so pleased, cause I got Prefect this year too! I'm so happy, now I can get Ron back for giving me that detention back in fifth year! And let me guess, you got Head girl? Wouldn't surprise me, miss smarty pants…anyway, um…oh yeah I did ok in my O.W.L.S, Got a couple of O's, one A, and the rest E's. Not too bad I guess! (Better than Ron anyway). Well, that's about all at the moment, but I'm sure to see you soon. Hey, why don't you meet me on Tuesday in Diagon alley? We can do our shopping there for Hogwarts!

Oh, and sorry if this letter gets to you late, it was supposed to reach you on Monday but I'm sure Pig will get lost, you know how he is with deliveries. I better send this before Ron realises I've stolen him. Send your answer for meeting me with him, and hopefully I'll get it in time!

Love Always,

Ginny

She dropped the letter on her bed before giving her wand a vague flick so that roll of parchment and a quill zoomed towards her lap, and settled herself cross-legged on the bed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

She grabbed the quill quickly and began to scribble across the page in neat, small handwriting.

Dear Gin,

Hey, it's so good to hear from you! Life's good at the moment I suppose, and no I didn't go anywhere. But that doesn't matter, it's still heaps of fun at home. Crookshanks has had a few near death experiences as usual, and my dad's got really bad hay-fever, and keeps sneezing all over the place (mostly on me), but other than that, couldn't be better! That's great to hear you got Prefect! I'm so proud of you! And yes, I did get Head girl. How did you guess? I'm not that predictable am I?? It sounds like you did really well in your O.W.L.S, congratulations! Sure, I'd love to meet you in Diagon alley, and for the record, yes Pig was late, it's Tuesday morning, but that doesn't matter, my parents won't care. Guess I better go now too, see you later today, and say hello to Ron for me, and Harry if he's there, which I guess he would be. Anyway, bye!

Lots of Love,

Hermione

She rolled up the letter carefully and called the little owl to her arm. As he hooted happily, she tied the letter to his leg and gave him one last treat before letting him fly out the window, and into the dark sky. Hermione watched the tiny bird fly away for a moment, before turning back to her room and walking towards her wardrobe. Although it was still early, she felt it would be impossible to get back to sleep, as her mind was far too awake. In any case, the morning breeze was warm and inviting and there we a few people she needed to see. She flicked on the light and opened her wardrobe door. Reaching in to the mass of material, she pulled out some bits and pieces and threw them on carelessly, reaching into the bathroom briefly to splash her face with some cold water. Taking a brief moment to pull her hair out of the jacket's hood, she descended the stairs as quietly as she could and snatched her wallet from the kitchen table, snapping the front door closed swiftly. She strode out into the street, feeling a warm breeze crawling around her exposed neck. Stepping out onto the pavement she walked contentedly down the street, sticking her hands deep into her pockets and admiring the scenery as she passed house after house. She crossed the road and opened the door of a small shop on the other side of the street, the entry bell chiming sweetly as she crossed the threshold. Placing a hand lightly on the service bell at the front counter, she pressed it half a dozen times and yelled loudly towards the back room behind the cash register.

'Hey! What does a girl have to do to get some service around here?!'

An old, white haired man with a cane to support his feeble legs appeared from the rear area, waving his fist wildly in the air and cursing insults at his feet.

"Dim-witted, ungrateful little whippersnappers! Can't an old man get any pea-

He looked up at the person behind his counter and his expression changed from anger to delight as he saw the teen grinning happily at him. "Oh it's you Hermione!! How wonderful it is to see you! And on you're last few days too! Oh what a pleasure! What can I do for a lovely lady such as yourself?"

Hermione laughed and shook her head. "Nice to see you too Sam, it's been a while, I know.' She bit on a fingernail in thought as she examined the glass panel in front of her. 'Give me; hmm let's see…four strawberry liquorice sticks and a big slice of one of those ham blocks.' She pulled out her wallet and placed some change on the counter. The man grabbed some liquorice from a jar on a shelf and bent down to get some ham form underneath the counter. Placing them in a paper bag, he also turned behind him and grabbed a packet of M&Ms, handing it to Hermione with the bag.

'Saved them for you!' He said, smiling.

Hermione took the sachet of sweets and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "You know me too well." She said. "You're the best Sam; I'll miss you again this year"

The short man laughed curtly. "I'm sure you'll have a great time at that boarding school. Until next time Hermione. Now off you go, you little scallywag!"

Hermione gave him one last grin and a wave before walking out of the shop and continuing her stroll down the deserted street. She wandered past little cottages and small open corn fields to a smaller area of town where the houses became scarcer and the sound of her feet tapping on the pavement could be heard even clearly. She suddenly stopped in front of a small square of shops, returning the smile a man gave her who was sedately sweeping the pathway in front of his own shop.

Various little blocks circled her, and she quickly ran towards one in particular, a larger one with a poster hanging above it labelled 'Ben's Café'. Ignoring the closed sign on the glass door, she pushed it open and entered, closing the door quickly behind her. She breathed in the familiar and sweet scent of the shop and looked around.

There were a few people in the place already, and they all looked up as Hermione entered.

"You're early today, bad night?" A boy standing beside a table said interestedly, grinning at the sight of Hermione.

"Nah, cat woke me up again" Hermione replied, smiling at him as she walked further inside.

The boy smirked and shook his head in amusement. He had short, light brown hair, and light olive skin. Being about eighteen he was a year older than her and considerably taller, but his eyes sparkled when he saw her. His smile was annoyingly lopsided but she wouldn't have him any other way. She lifted up her hand and ruffled his hair, and he pushed her playfully, grinning.

"How ya goin Jase" She laughed.

Turning around, she saw a man look up and smile broadly from the back of the counter at her.

"Good to see you Hermione" He said, grabbing a glass from the shelf. "The usual?"

"Course!" Hermione said, jumping up to sit on the counter, her legs swinging back and forth.

He chuckled and placed a drink on the table as Hermione fiddled with the packet of M&Ms, tossing a few into Jason's outstretched hand. The man behind the counter picked up his cloth and went back to his morning clean, calling to a room behind him.

"Leon, guess who's here!"

Hermione laughed as a yell came from the room out the back.

"Mione'mione'mione'mione'mione'MIONE!!!!!!!" A little voice shrieked between several loud barks. A small boy, about the age of six with lanky legs and one shoe on came tearing into view, followed by a large golden retriever. They skidded on the tiled floor and the little boy hugged Hermione's waisted very tightly. The dog circled them both, barking repeatedly.

"Leon, Lucy, you better be a bit louder, I think there was an old lady down in Finland who didn't hear you!" Jason called from the other side of the room. Leon let go of Hermione and stuck his tongue out at Jason, then turned back to Hermione.

I haven't seen you in AGES!" He said, grinning toothily at her. She picked him up and twirled him around.

"You saw me yesterday!"

Leon looked at her with a bemused expression as if she was slightly dense. "But that IS ages!"

Hermione laughed and pulled one the paper bag out of her pocket. "Here you go Leon"

The little boy's eyes lit up as he pulled the candy out of the bag. "Aw yeah!" He said happily, running over to a table and stuffing the liquorice into his mouth. The dog jumped up onto her in impatience and she patted its side happily. "Okay Lucy, OKAY! I got something for you too!" She pulled out the other bag and threw the large ham sausage into the air. The retriever leapt and caught the meat in its mouth before trotting happily to a corner and gnawing on the food enthusiastically.

"You spoil those two too much Hermione!" a voice said behind her, before she felt hands cover her eyes. She squealed and turned around. "Oh, my GOD! Steph!! I thought you weren't coming back till Thursday!!"

"Wanted to surprise you!" Steph said audaciously. "And I already knew you'd be here, as usual!"

They hugged each other tightly and naturally looked each other up and down. Steph looked just the same as before, her blue streaked hair stuck up in odd places as it always did and her bright green eyes were still as bright as ever.

"Looking good 'Mione!' Steph said.

Hermione grinned and flicked the hair while dramatically spinning around like she was on a catwalk, before rolling her eyes and giggling. It was amazing how differently she could act in front of these people, compared to what she was like at Hogwarts. She could always say and do whatever she liked without getting criticised.

Hermione searched around in her near empty packet of chocolate before being handed one almost instantly, as if on reflex. She opened them eagerly. 'Thanks Ben' she said smiling gratefully at him. He rolled his eyes at her knowingly and returned to his cleaning.

"So" She said happily, sitting down at a table with Steph after she grabbed her food. "How have you been?"

The two girls talked about everything and everyone, stopping every so often to retort a snide remark from Jason or to laugh at Leon's feeble attempts to gain their attention. They had a lot to catch up on. Every now and then, Hermione felt a pang of guilt whenever Steph asked her about her boarding school, or about the friends she had met over the years. And every time Hermione smiled and told her happily about the life of a boarder at the prestige school far away from her home. It was always 'oh there is so much work' or 'I miss you guys so much!', the same old routine. Sometimes she never even thought about the words that cascaded from her mouth, the words that were so habitual and repetitive. But, as she kept reminding herself, what else could she do? It wasn't as if she could just jump up from the table suddenly, beaming around at all of them saying cheerfully 'I better be going, and by the way everyone, I'm a witch, and the last six years of my life have been spent at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry!'. It wasn't like in the movies where the main character would tell her friends her most important secret and they would reply back to her 'oh, well don't worry, we knew that all along!'.

She wished she could tell them, she really did. So many times she had tried to find the right moment to blurt it out, but every time she had suppressed the urge. The worst part of it was that they had always told her everything. She knew every little detail of their lives, and they thought they knew hers too. It wasn't as if she didn't want to tell them, she did, but the thought of how they might react was enough to scare her off the idea almost completely. They were calm, happy, ordinary people, and when she was with them she wanted so badly to be like that too.

She wouldn't say in a thousand years that she regretted being a witch, it was the most wondrous thing that had ever happened to her and she wouldn't change it for anything. But it also meant that she was different to everyone else, and not being able to tell them was torture. And if they found out…

It was amazing that she could sit down and recite without fail Jason's favourite song of all time and exactly much Leon had grown over the summer, what day of the week Lucy's ham and gravy dinner was and how many different colours Steph had put in her hair to date. Yet, she couldn't even picture the look on their faces when she told them what she really was, not even one expression. What would they say? What would they do? She had come to rely on them so much, what if they abandoned her as some sort of freak?

She didn't want to take that risk. So it stayed a secret.

Hermione was having such a grand morning that time positively flew past, and before she knew it she was checking the clock to find she only had a couple of hours before she was supposed to meet Ginny. Reluctantly she rose from her chair and gave everyone a long hug, prying herself from Leon's pincer-like grip. It was only until she was making her way to the door did she realise how long it would be until she saw their faces again.

'Until next time' she said, trying to laugh but weakening, listening to the sad silence within the café that was buzzing with cheerfulness moments before. The group of people in front of her smiled sadly at her, and waved to her as she headed out the door, snapping her eyes away from their gaze with disinclination.

Looking back for the last time, she watched as Leon stuck his head out the doorway and wave sweetly at her, the strawberry liquorice hanging loosely from his mouth.

misshotness