Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any part of it's franchise. It all belongs to the wonderful mind of J.K. Rowling. Thank you for creating a world we all have so much fun playing in.

A slight breeze blew through the room and across Hermione's back as she lay on her stomach across her bed. Autumn was coming early this year which meant warmer clothes needed to be packed for her return trip to Hogwarts. Hermione was headed into her seventh year at Hogwarts and despite her bookworm-like reputation, she was ready for it to be over.

Hermione rolled over and slowly sat up. Her hair, which hadn't changed much in the last seven years, stuck out around her head creating the look of a bee-hive. Her long, slender arms reached out above her as she stretched out her stiff muscles. She was typically a morning person but had spent the previous evening reading one of her many new school books, causing her to stay up way past the point of time that would give her good sleep. After feeling the tension leave her body, Hermione swung her legs over the side of her bed, slipped her feet into her slippers and moved quickly to shut the double doors to her balcony. After a quick shiver, she glided into her bathroom, squinting as the bright lights reflected off the yellow walls.

She gently turned the shower handle as hot as she could stand it against her skin, letting her fingers linger under the almost-burning water as she reflected on the past year and the year to come. Things had calmed down considerably. Voldemort was dead and the remaining death eaters were forced to spend the rest of their lives in Azkaban. Hermione was grateful that the nature of the dementors was not at all forgiving. No mercy would be shown to any of Voldemort's faithful followers.

Hermione finally snapped out of her reflection, undressed herself and slipped into the shower under the warm water and steam. She took a deep breath in, allowing the steam to break up the congestion that had formed from the cool night. She spent the next twenty minutes, washing herself and her hair, shaving and contemplating whether she wanted to brave the cold air she would surely run into once she opened the shower door. After finally deciding that she had wasted enough water, she opened the door, grabbed her large, fluffy white towel and wrapped herself in it. She grabbed another smaller towel and wrapped up her hair before she stepped out of the shower. After doing her daily routine of facial products and brushing her teeth, she made her way back into her room to get dressed.

From her drawer she pulled out a pair of dark blue, low-waist boot cut jeans, a plain black t-shirt and her socks, bra and underwear. Her wardrobe had become increasingly simple the last few years. She didn't have enough time to go out shopping for the latest fashions. But now that Voldemort was gone, she made a mental note to herself to take a shopping trip on one of their Hogsmeade days. After slipping on her clothes, she removed the towel from her hair and went back into her bathroom to try and tame it before it had a chance to get dry and frizzy. She carefully ran the blow dryer through her hair with a paddle brush to make it as straight as she could while drying it. After it was dry, she grabbed the straightening iron and attempted to flatten any pieces that weren't conforming. Her hair was still brown but had taken on a bit of a darker tone and, when straightened, reached the center of her back. She took a few moments to throw on a bit of eyeliner and mascara before returning to her room to put on her converse sneakers.

She was now finished and ready to go. She grabbed her satchel and trunk and made her way out into the living room. Upon entering the kitchen, she noticed that breakfast was already finished, with the exception of a few pieces of toast and bacon that were left for her. She grabbed one of each and munched them down and a normal pace. Her father sat motionless in front of his newspaper while her mother stood at the sink, cleaning the morning dishes. Finally, her mother noticed Hermione's entrance.

"Hello dear," she said without turning from her scrubbing. "Sorry there wasn't much left. Your father seemed to be extremely hungry today."

"It's alright," Hermione said with a shrug. "I wasn't that hungry anyway."

"Are you excited for your last year at Hogwarts?" Her father suddenly spoke up.

Hermione smiled, "Yeah. Now that everything has calmed down it should be a lot easier for me to concentrate."

"Not that getting good grades was ever a problem for you, dear." Her mother spoke up.

"True." Hermione said with a sigh. She looked up at the clock on the wall. "Mum, we should probably get going. I haven't spoken to Harry or Ron all summer and want to get to the platform a bit early."

Hermione's mother nodded and placed the last dish onto the drying rack before drying her own hands and removing her apron. Hermione placed a kiss on her father as she passed back into the living room to gather her things and take them to the car. Hermione's mother followed soon after.

The car ride was uneventful, as usual. Hermione spoke of her plans for studying and what courses she was particularly excited for. Truth was, now that Voldemort was gone and there was no sign of anything particularly dangerous, things seemed rather boring. Every year, she always had something to look forward to; some kind of adventure. This year, there was nothing. She didn't like the bad things that had happened but missed the anticipation and excitement of each year. Still, she was excited to see her friends whom she hadn't spoken to all summer.

Hermione and her mother made their way through the barrier onto Platform 9 ¾ and Hermione immediately placed her trunk with all the others that were being loaded up. The platform was packed with first years, who had arrived early as a result of panic and excitement. Hermione smiled. She remembered how cool and collected she was that year; such a know-it-all. Hermione kissed her mother and made her way onto the train to her favorite compartment, stopping on her way at the trolley to load up on Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and Lemon Drops for her and her best friends. After no communication all summer, she was excited to see what they were up to exactly.

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Okay, I know this first chapter was slightly boring and I apologize. I haven't written any fanfics since I was in high school and am a bit rusty. I really just needed to get the fact that Hermione's life has been pretty mundane since Voldemort's death. I promise it will get better once Draco comes into the story. Read and review, please!

Song of the Day: "Somebody to Love" by Queen