Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
A/N: Since this is a product of my imagination, some characters might be portrayed differently than you'd imagine. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy reading this. If you do, please review and feel free to leave constructive criticism.
WARNING: This story will possible contain triggering content, such as mental illness, eating disorders, and physical and mental abuse.
A cool breeze blew over the tall grass, making it roll like waves in a sea of green. One of the first signs that the warm summer nights were coming to an end. Soon enough the crisp, green landscape would turn into a warm palette of yellow, orange and brown. Hermione took a deep breath, the deepest she has taken all day, and took in the smells of the evening. Smells of clean air and grass filled her nose along with that of dinner. She sighed as she stepped back from the window, Mrs. Weasley had probably prepared a feast for them once again.
"Are you ready, Hermione?" The voice unmistakingly belonged to one of her best friends. "Yes Ron, coming." She replied as she turned towards him. Upon doing so, she couldn't help but laugh. "What?" Hermione motioned towards his hair. "You might want to get rid of that bird's nest." Ron looked at her rather offended. "I can't help it my hair gets a bit wild." He moved his hand towards his hair to get it in order, but soon realized upon touching it that Hermione had literally meant it. Atop his head sat an actual bird's nest. "Bloody," he cursed as he ran downstairs, most likely to look for Fred and George.
Ahh, the Weasleys. Hermione thought to herself. It's good to be back. Hermione grabbed a sweater and pulled it over her head as she made her way down the stairs. Though she loved being outside, especially at The Burrow, it was a bit too chilly to be comfortable in a T-shirt.
Mrs. Weasley did indeed prepare a feast, the large picnic table was filled to the brim with a variety of pasties, stews, vegetables and more. Hermione spotter Harry and Ron, whose hair was now back to normal, sitting opposite each other, deep in a conversation. "Their seeker's alright, but the rest of the team is just a mess, really." Stated Ron as he piled some mashed potatoes on his plate. Harry was about to object when he saw Hermione. The boy got up from his seat and gave her a hug. "I see you've made it in time for dinner." Hermione said as she sat down next to him. "Wouldn't miss it for a thing." Replied Harry. "Have you been here for long?" Hermione shook her head as she spoonful of mashed potatoes to her plate before handing them over to Harry. "A few days, mom and dad decided on a last-minute trip to France, so I figured I'd come here for a bit." She explained. It felt a bit weird, knowing that her parents went on a trip without her, as they usually went together. But then again, Hermione was almost sixteen right now and she didn't know if she'd enjoyed the trip like she used to.
"Guess what, Harry." Said Ron, "Hermione's been playing Quidditch the past couple of days." Harry looked at her rather surprised and she felt her cheeks growing warmer. "What?" She said a tad defensively. "I can do more than just read." Did they literally think I have zero athletic abilities? "Sorry. It's just, I never thought it really interested you." Harry explained. Fair enough, after all, she had only started to develop real interest in the sport over the summer. "Are you gonna try-out for the team then?" Asked Harry. Hermione shrugged. "I don't know, I'm not that go-" Ron rolled his eyes. "Oh stop it will you? I'd be the first to point out if you suck at something." He said bluntly. "But turns out, you're a damn good flyer, Mione." The blush on her cheeks only intensified and she reached for a bowl of roasted vegetables. "Veggies?" She asked as she passed the bowl along to Harry, making clear that she wanted to drop the subject. The boys exchanged looks, but didn't bring it up again. Soon, everyone had filled their plates to the brim and started eating, chatting casually in between bitefuls of delicious food.
"Come on, through you go." Sounded Mrs. Weasley's voice as the group of children stood in front of the entrance to platform 93/4. Ginny was the first to go through, followed by Hermione, Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Mrs. Weasley herself. "Mom, seriously, I can take care of myself." Ginny complained as Mrs. Weasley insisted on loading her stuff onto the train. "She's free to help me." Muttered Ron as he struggled with his suitcase.
Once all the suitcases were loaded onto the train Mrs. Weasley made it a point to envelop each and every one of them in a tight hug before letting them board the train. She had always been very involved as a mother, but after last year this attitude had only increased. Though the Weasley kids were still embarrassed at this, they allowed her to smother them. After all, they knew it was fear that made her act this way, fear that her kids would meet the same fate as poor Cedric Diggory. And frankly, her kids shared this fear even though they would never dare to admit it. "Now, you watch out for each other, alright?" Mrs. Weasley swallowed away a lump in her throat. "Yes, mom." The kids sounded, almost in unison. Ginny grabbed her mother's hand and squeezed it. "We'll be alright," she said before giving her mother a kiss on the cheek. "Don't you worry." She let go of her mother, who seemed to be fighting back tears. "Go on now," Mrs. Weasley waved her hand towards the train "Don't want them leaving without you." She said. But as her kids and their friends boarded the train she wished that the train to Hogwarts would've left without them.
Hermione, Ron and Harry sat quietly in the train. Ron had fallen asleep, Harry was lost in thought as he stared out the window and Hermione seemed to be focused on a spellbook. But as she tried to make her way through it, the girl found herself having to start at the top of the same page over and over again. Where had her focus gone? She sighed as she closed the book and lay it beside her. Maybe I should go check up on Ginny. Hermione thought. She was sure this year's departure had been harder than any before for the girl.
"Granger!" She had barely made her way down the carriage when an all too familiar voice called for her.
"What?" Hermione snapped, slightly taken aback at the tone of her own voice. She turned around to face the boy who had called her. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" He asked while he let his hand slip through his almost white hair, his grey eyes not breaking contact with hers. Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Malfoy," she started, a certain attitude in her voice. "If you think I'm going to just stand around for you to insult me, you're even dumber than I thought." She crossed her arms in front of her chest and turned around, ready to walk away. "I'm sorry," this stopped her dead in her tracks. Whilst Hermione would be sure Draco was being sarcastic, his voice didn't sound like it. It almost sounded… genuine. "Hermione," he continued. She turned around in disbelief. Had he just called her Hermione? He'd never done that. It was always 'Granger' or 'Mudblood' or something of the sorts. "I really am sorry, my-" Hermione stepped towards Draco. "What's the sudden change of heart?" She interrupted him. "And why would I believe this act of yours?" Though she knew that she was already starting to believe it. "Last year, Cedric..." Draco paused for a second, looking down. "It really got to me. All this bullying, it's been straight up childish and there are more important things in life." Hermione felt her gaze soften, was he being honest? Or was this another crude joke he played on her? "Well," Hermione said as she dropped her arms, no longer shielding herself with crossed arms. "I guess we'll see if your words hold truth, Draco." She then walked past him, back to the carriage where Ron and Harry sat. She had completely forgotten about Ginny.
"Are you okay?" Said Ron, having never seen Hermione seem so confused in his life. "Yeah, all good." She said as she picked up her spellbook again. She couldn't focus on it any better, all she could think about was her weird encounter with Malfoy just know.