Standing on Platform 9 3/4 just felt wrong to Hermione when she knew Harry and Ron wouldn't be getting on the train too. It's wasn't like it hadn't happened before, though, and Hermione laughed a little to herself, thinking about the boys' late entrance to Hogwarts in second their year, but they came back to Hogwarts eventually that year.
Not like this year. Harry and Ron had already started their jobs as aurors, not bothering with the rest of their schooling. She had expected this to happen, but she couldn't say she was happy with their decision, and she wanted all of her education. So she was going back to Hogwarts, but for the first time without her best friends.
She caught a flash of red hair in the corner of her eye, and her heart leapt forward for a moment, but her logical mind didn't even give her a second to believe it was Ron. She was right, it wasn't Ron, but someone else she was very glad to see. She smiled at her friend, who was peering out of a window on the train, and waved.
"Ginny! I almost forgot you still had a year left!" Hermione exclaimed. Ginny laughed and motioned for Hermione to join her compartment. Hermione rushed into the train and bumped into several people, finally getting to Ginny and throwing her arms around her.
"It's great to see you, Hermione How'd the summer with your parents go?"
"Oh, it was great, just great! I was so scared there would be side effects from the spell, but they seem to be exactly the same, not including a slight accent from living in Australia for a year." At this, Hermione giggled and Ginny let out a rippling laugh.
"But that's expected. So, did you hear the news from Ron, or shall I tell you now?"
"Does this have to do with Harry?" Hermione thought for a second that Harry had already asked Ginny to marry him, even though he told Hermione he was going to wait for her to finish school.
"No, no, nothing about us. It's just, I've been made head girl!" Hermione smiled back at Ginny, but she couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach.
"That's wonderful Ginny! Congratulations!" After all, Hermione thought to herself, Ginny was an excellent choice. Smart, good at quidditch, popular, and every teacher's favorite, everything you want in a head girl, the best out of the choices provided. Still, she couldn't help but feel bitter she had not been one of the possible choices. Her chance for Head girl had been last year, and she had missed it. You were saying the world she thought, but she still wished she could've had the experience, or maybe just the shiny badge. She sighed a little as they continued talking, but brightened considerably as the trolley pulled up.
"Now this I've missed!" Hermione told Ginny, and the latter laughed as Hermione pulled out some money and headed for the door. As she examined her choices, she heard the last voice she ever wanted to hear on the Hogwarts Express, alone. Malfoy.
"A chocolate frog please. And a cauldron cake. Thank you." Malfoy hadn't even seemed to notice her. She slowly backed away towards her compartment, when Draco looked up and met her eye.
"Granger! You're back this year too?" Malfoy wasn't full of his old cockiness, more than anything he sounded nervous, and a little afraid.
"Well, yeah Malfoy. I'm back. Just... Just me, Ron and Harry aren't here." she assumed he was afraid Harry or Ron would pop out from some hiding place and hex him. She wasn't quite sure if it was a smart thing to tell him she was without her friends. He might take it as an opportunity to mess with her. But he just nodded curtly and walked away.
"Anything for you dear?" the trolley lady wanted to know, but Hermione had rather lost her appetite.
Draco sat in his compartment alone, the chocolate frog and cauldron cake discarded to the side. He knew he shouldn't have come back. He didn't belong here anymore, didn't really belong anywhere anymore. It was a stupid idea, really. He just wanted to get things without help from his parents, and getting a decent education seemed important. Last year he hadn't really learned anything. He had come back to the school, but he never really stayed there. He was gone so much he missed more classes than he attended. It had been a horrible year.
He finally looked at his cauldron cake again, and realizing even though he didn't feel like it, he had to eat eventually, as he hadn't all day. He bit into the cake, but he didn't really taste it. Why did she have to come back to Hogwarts? This was dangerous.
He wanted this year to go smoothly. He wanted to sit in the back of every class and just get through it all, without bothering or being bothered by anyone. Just to go through the motions. Sadly, everyone seemed to be against that goal. Granger back, this is a dream come true he thought darkly to himself. He should have realized that Granger would come back, of course. How could he have not thought that she, the witch most focused on school work, wouldn't come back to Hogwarts? How could he have been so stupid? He clenched his fist and brought it down to his side.
Draco looked down and saw the squashed cauldron cake in his hand. Well, he thought to himself, there goes hope of me eating.