"This is going to be a great year," Hermione Granger said sarcastically to Ron and Harry as they sat together in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express. After getting caught in the rain on her way to catch the train, getting her shoe's heel caught (and consequently broke off) in the steps to the train, and having to chase her backpack's contents across the ground after dropping it, Hermione gladly collapsed onto the seat across from the boys after sliding the door tightly shut behind her.

"Nah it won't 'Mione," Ron started, "after all, we're 7th years! Nothing can screw that up." Hermione was glad that she and Ron had been able to get past their experimental relationship; despite some awkward initial encounters after the split, they'd managed to remain best friends. The breakup was mutual; they just both agreed that it was too much like dating a sibling.

"Ya," Harry added, "We're going to make this a year that we'll never forget."

"As if that hasn't been the case every year?" Hermione quipped.

"Here, here!" Ron said, toasting with an imaginary glass. Hermione rolled her eyes, but a smile crossed her face. She really didn't know what she would do without these two. Feeling much better, she kicked off her shoes and laid full length across her seat.

"So, what did you two do this summer?" she asked.

"Well, I decided to spend most of the summer with Ron, but not after spending a couple weeks with the Dursleys. It's so funny; they're scared to even look at me! I'm going to miss that." Harry said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "What about you?"

"Well I…" she started.

"What, am I not in the room anymore?" Ron interjected. After they stopped laughing at the expression on his face, he filled them in on his summer. "Well Harry, before you came over," he said, throwing a wink in Harry's direction, "one night I was alone at home. Yup, the Burrow was empty except for me, which was eerie enough. But it was a dark and stormy night," he paused at his use of cliché, then shook his head and continued. "I went to the kitchen to find something to eat, and no I'm NOT completely helpless Hermione. I made myself a peanut butter sandwich that could compete with Mum's." Again, he paused for their laughter. "When I looked out through the window in the kitchen, I could have sworn I saw a set of eyes glowering at me." Harry stifled another laugh at the concern on Hermione's face. Ron ignored him, and continued on.

"Yeah, it was right scary. So, being the brave man that I am, I pulled my wand outand prepared to fight whatever or whoever was out there. As soon as I had drawn my wand, I heard it. A scratching on the window. Not like a tree branch, but a deliberate scratching, as if it were trying to grate on my nerves. I waited, and it stopped. Now, I hardly believed that it was gone, so I settled into a chair. It must have been an hour I waited, but then I heard it. A knock on the door." A bolt of lightning shot through the sky outside as if on cue. "It was soft at first, but then the pounding grew more, and more, and more fierce and loud. It got to a point that I thought it was going to knock the bloody door down. So, I decided to confront it. Wand at the ready, I put my hand on the door knob, and…" he gulped for dramatic substance. Hermione was leaned as far forward as she could be and remain in her seat.

"Yes, what happened?" she all but squealed in worry, her brow deeply furrowed.

"And then….."

"Rroooooaaaarrrrrrr!" Something burst through the door of their compartment screaming.

Hermione jumped a mile high and screamed in turn at the top of her lungs. Something swooped her up, and she was completely disoriented. She heard Harry and Ron laughing though, and decided to face her captor.

"Professor Lupin?"

He managed to croak out a "Sorry!" in between fits of laughter. He sat her back down. By this point, all three boys were in hysterics. "But you should have seen the look on your face, or heard your scream. Classic!"

After only a couple seconds, her mind put 2 and 2 together. "You mean you were in on this…. this trick?" she was trying to give the impression of being annoyed, but was failing miserably. After a moment, she was laughing just as hard as they were.

Lupin caught his breath and turned towards the door. "Well, I'm supposed to be sitting in on the kickoff meeting for the prefects, Head Girl, and Head Boy and I think I'm late, so…" Lupin started.

"OH NO! I forgot all about it!" Hermione gasped. While it surprised no one that Hermione was Head Girl, her forgetfulness on this day was very out of character. "Come on, we've got to go!" And with that, she grabbed Lupin by the arm and dragged him out the door and down the hall. After all the time that she spent with him, Sirius, Ron, Harry, and Ginny at Sirius's place over the years, she didn't feel awkward at all in touching him this way (though with any other professor it would be out of the question). This was the first summer that they hadn't spent with Sirius actually, but Dumbledore thought it would be best if they returned to their own homes for their last summer before school. This had proven to be a bit depressing for all involved, and so they group had already vowed to spend all of their school breaks together at Grimmauld Place.

Arriving at the door to the conference room cabin, she dropped Lupin's arm and attempted to catch her breath. He opened the door for her, and she walked in as all of the prefects stood. She nodded at Draco across the compartment. They had come to an understanding last year after they were told they would be Head Boy and Head Girl that they would do everything they could to try and get along. So far it had been working (although with the year only beginning, they'd not been forced to interact very much). They weren't best chums, but they could tolerate each other and treat each other civilly, at least in front of people. Remus took a seat just inside the door, and the meeting began.

After about 30 minutes of filling the prefects in on their duties and becoming adjusted to the authority of being Head Girl, the meeting was adjourned. She stayed behind to gather her things, and Professor Lupin waited on her. She smiled at him, and without thinking twice about it, she hugged him. She turned quickly and headed back to her compartment. "Now that's odd," she thought to herself as she felt a slight blush crawl across her cheeks. "Why am I blushing? It's only Remus." Remus. That's what she called him in her head, but she had yet to out loud. By the time she had reached Harry and Ron, they were scurrying to gather their things; Hogwarts was in sight. Pushing all other thoughts out of her mind for the time being, she gathered her belongings as well and joined the conversation about who would win the annual "First-nigh- back Wizard's Chess Tournament" that night that all of the Gryffindor boys looked forward to all summer long.

X

Remus still stood where Hermione had left him, deep in thought. Something felt different between them then it used to feel. Hell, it had felt like this for almost a year though. What was it? He couldn't place his finger on it, but he knew something for sure. When her arms were around him, he never wanted her to let go. "What am I talking about?" Remus mused, "She's a student, I'm a teacher. She's young, and I'm…. older. It's just my imagination, I'm sure. It's probably just because I missed not seeing her and all of the other kids this summer. Kids. Yeah, that's it." He reassured himself with a smirk, "Nothing to worry about." The whistle blew, signaling that they had finally arrived. He scurried back to the compartment he had previously been sharing with Severus Snape. Merlin, he loved pestering that man! With a more confident smile, he mind shifted to planning how he could best annoy Severus in the next 5 minutes.

Ch 2 coming soon, please R&R!