Winters Eve 

Chapter One: The Questionable Blame

Year Seven  

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Hermione sat in her room jotting down answers to her self examination she made. Summer was close to being over and she'd soon reunite with her friends at Hogwarts. As she answered her last question a knock came to her door. Unable to finish reading she walked over to greet who ever it may be. She expected it be her mum informing her that tea was ready and would be hoping she'd come down to join the rest of the family before her departure to Hogwarts in only a week. But Hermione received a surprise, not one you'd receive on your birthday but one most would hope to never live through. The room in which Hermione kept lively and full of happiness soon filled with terror and shock as it glowed bright green, she tried to flee but couldn't escape as the darkness enclosed her small body…

***

Hermione peered out from the fogged window of the train compartment in which she sat in. Her hot breath frosted the windows whilst her nose turned red from being pressed against the cold glass. The train slowly moved around the corner in which Hermione could now see her beloved home, Hogwarts. She jumped as the compartment door slid open interrupting her silence abruptly. In walked two of her favorite faces, Harry and Ron.

            Ron tossed a quaffle in the air catching it then tossing it back up while chewing a chocolate frog. Harry on the other hand quickly marched to Hermione's side to talk; he hadn't gotten any letters over the summer and found her silence rather odd. "Hermione? I haven't spoken to you all summer, is their something wrong?" He pulled her hair back, tucking it behind her ears. As he did this he noticed her eyes were full of tears. "Hermione?" his voice broke as he jumped, while the ginger haired cat scratched at his leg.

            "Come here Crookshanks," Hermione knelt down to the floor pulling her cat close to her for comfort. Still, she said nothing to either one of them. Ron began to notice something was wrong and stopped tossing the quaffle. He then walked over to where Hermione and Harry were and sat across from them. Ron looked to both of his mates as he rested his elbows upon his knees.

            Hermione finally began to talk, "Um hello," but it wasn't much that was heard from her mouth. Both Ron and Harry eyed each other confused. Each knew that this was very unlike her, usually she'd be telling them both how summer was, new spells, or bragging off anything she knew that the other two didn't. "Why must you both stare at me?" She asked in an upset tone. At once both Ron and Harry looked away pretending to stare into space, but within a matter of minutes both were fixed upon her once again.

            Hermione growled in disbelief. She jumped up throwing her hands into the air, "I've had it; you two are breaking my concentration with those blank pitiful looks!" Hermione tried to make her way between both Ron and Harry but couldn't. Ron grabbed a hold of her by the wrist jerking her back into her seat. 

Ron looked directly into her glistening eyes. "Hermione, what's the matter?" He asked calmly hoping she'd answer. "There must be something wrong, I mean, we can help. We've always helped… well, actually you helped us… but this is our chance to repay you, wouldn't you agree?"

            Hermione looked up to her friend Ron, his eyes twinkled thinking he may have struck gold. "You two couldn't help me if your lives depended on it and I'd advise you both to leave me be!" Ron slumped; this wasn't the answer he had hoped for. Slowly Hermione turned to stare out the window as she had done before, the train began to stop where all student would soon be gathering outside and the first years would part away while the other stupid road on carriages to the school. "If you must know what's wrong with me, you should ask him," she said pointing towards Harry. She quickly stood up and marched out the door pushing her way out from the train. Both Ron and Harry traded glances; Harry raised his eye brow confused by what had been said. Within no time they both jumped up to their feet and rushed to catch up with her.

            Once Harry and Ron were out from the crowed of rollicking first years, they looked around for Hermione. They both spotted her huddled in a corner dampened with tears. The two rushed to her side as Ron whipped her face dry. She sniffled folding her knees to her chest where she planted her face hidden from the concerned looks.

Harry pulled Hermione's chin up staring into her, "What do you mean ask me, what do I know that I don't know?" He asked holding back his anger. 

"Sure the famous Harry Potter wouldn't know! He doesn't know much about his past." Ron looked to Hermione as though she were some kind of deformed mutant. "Didn't know by you living that night Voldemort killed your parents that somebody else's life was put in danger, did you? Sure you lived and by that, made he-who-must-not-be-named fall weak, but this summer is one I will never be able to forget." Her words drowned out as she sobbed loudly out of control. Ron pulled her into his arms as she swung her arm around his neck tightly holding him in a hug; slowly he rocked her.

Harry stepped back from them both as he stood up, "what do you mean; by me living, I put others in danger?" He himself now looked as though he could use someone to cuddle with as his eyes filled with tears from both sadness and the rage he kept captive within himself. His knuckles turned ghost whit as he clenched them tightly burying his fingernails within the palm of his hands. "Speak up, if theirs something wrong with me, tell me!" Ron, who was very confused felt as though he were the third wheel, he never was caught up on the Friends Weekly and often felt as though no one cared if he knew what was being spoken about or not.

"It's nothing, forget I said it." She stood up and quickly ran to one of the carriages aligned with fifteen others awaiting Hogwarts students. Some had already left, and apparently the others were about to be departing as well. Ron and Harry both ran to keep with her but couldn't keep up. Hermione swung the carriage door open and slammed it shut before the others could pile in as well. Harry shrugged allowing Ron to pass and climb in. He thought twice to follow Hermione and climbed into the carriage behind.

            Slowly he shut the door behind him and sat in the empty seat. "Well, well, well," sneered Malfoy, "for it isn't the famous-" he spat, "Harry Potter." Harry rolled his eyes as he grabbed onto he handle of the door hoping he'd be able to go somewhere else. He had been too late, the carriage had already started moving and he'd soon be at school in which Harry had hoped to stay forever, but this year, he wished it hadn't come so soon.