A/N: Hey everyone! This is my first fanfic, and I've had the idea in my head for a while now. So here we go! This is a SnapeXHermione fic, so if you don't like that, better just to leave now. It is rated M for future chapters, but I will warn you all ahead of time in each chapter that contains grown-up scenes. I will be updating often, so make sure to give it a fave/watch if you like it. And as always, I would LOVE any feedback! Comment or pm me and tell me what you think :)

Oh, and of course Harry Potter belongs to the lovely and talented J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing around with her characters a bit ;) On with the show!

"Will you marry me?" Her mouth agape, she blinked slowly down at his form in front of her. His wide, blue eyes stared directly at her, waiting, hoping. The small black box in his freckled hand seemed to be mocking her as the shine and glare from the small diamond bothered her in the bright lamp light.

"Hermione?" Ron prodded softly, his eyes nervously flicking around. Hermione was well aware that the entire Weasely family, including Harry, were awaiting her answer with baited breath. In fact, Mrs. Weasely seemed to be nearly out of her seat as she inched closer and closer to the couple at the head of the small kitchen table. Wringing her hands, she tore her gaze from her boyfriend's, who was still kneeling on the carpeted floor in front of her, and looked around at each of the faces seated at the dinner table. First to Ginny and George, who both gave her rather encouraging and understanding smiles; next to Author, who looked as if someone had just told him that he would have to work a double at the Ministry; then Molly, who was smiling brightly at her and unconsciously giving her head a constant stream of little nods; and finally to Harry, who just bit his lip and shrugged at her. Not entirely helpful.

"Ron..." The redhead's posture straightened, his grip on the ring box tightening. Hermione looked down at her boyfriend, the man she had been best friends with since coming to Hogwarts. The man who had saved her from herself after the ending of the second wizarding war, only a year ago. The man who, she had thought, was her true love. But looking into his eyes, she realized that she could not become his wife.

"I can't, I'm sorry." She turned towards the table full of shocked people. "I'm sorry everyone... I'm sorry." Hermione fled the Burrow, already feeling the hot tears building up in her eyes. What had she just done?...

A knock forced Hermione out of her memories and back down to reality, where a content looking Luna was waving at her from the open door of her train compartment. Neville appeared a moment later, wrapping an arm around Luna's thin waist.

"Luna, Neville! Come in, come in!" She shooed Crookshanks off of the empty seats where he was stretched out on, and got up to hug her two very good friends. "It's such a pleasure to see you both!" she said, giving them each a tight squeeze and motioning for them to sit down. "Tell me everything that has been going on in your lives!" Luna gave Neville a secretive smile, to which he blushed and cleared his throat before answering.

"Things have been great, actually. After we did our part in the reconstruction and clean-up of the school, we went to spend some time with Gran. She just adores Luna, doesn't she babe?" Neville addressed his girlfriend, to which she smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

"I quite like Neville's gran. She doesn't have any Nargles in her garden, and that's a good sign in itself," Luna explained airily. Hermione chuckled. Even after the horrors of the war, it was both refreshing and joyful to see that it had not changed some people for worse, Luna included. Not only had the war not damaged Luna's eccentric spirit, but it had pushed Neville to tell her what he had been feeling for years. The instant he had confessed his love to her, Luna had pulled him in for a very passionate and very public kiss. The two had been together, going strong, since then.

"Hermione," Neville began, turning his eyes to the floor and clenching his hands. "I just want to tell you that I'm sorry about what hap-"

"Don't." The brunette put up her small hand and shook her head. "I really appreciate it Neville, but I'm fine." She mustered up a small smile. "Really," she added at the look of pity on her friend's face.

"So Luna, tell me about your summer?" The three comrades chatted lightly about their individual summers for the next few hours, being joined half way through by Padma and Parvati, Dean, and Ginny. It wasn't until the train's whistle blew telling them that they would be arriving in Hogwarts in ten minutes time did the crew of friends part to change into their Hogwarts robes. As Hermione pulled her sweater over her curled hair, she thought of what her final year of school would bring for her. Her final thought as the Hogwarts Express pulled into the platform was that it couldn't be any worse then what she had already been through.

Next chapter will be up soon, and it will be longer. This is just the intro :)