2am
It was dark when Hermione woke up. She lay her head back on the hard wood, shutting her eyes and letting out a long misty breath. How long had she been asleep. She opened her eyes again. Looking up for the moon and there it was, still dancing between the branches of the same tree as before, less that 2 inches from where she had left it for sleep less than an hour previously. Hermione sat up balling her fists into her eyes. Would she ever sleep through the night. Shivering she stretched out her arms and curled back down hoping to get at least another sleep in. As she lay there she thought of the bed she would be lying in, warm, cosy and comfy. No more doorways on the high strret, no more benches in the park, on the side of the road, or outside Kings Cross waiting for the train to take her back to Hogwarts. How much longer before the train arrived? She took another peek at the moon. Had it moved at all? Half an inch maybe? What was it 2am? Give or take. She closed her eyes again.
Harry woke with a start, sitting up, heart racing, swinging his head around erratically, searching for an expected unwanted visitor. There was nothing there. The room was dark, the moon still not shining through the window onto him. He was itchy, surely he had eradicated all the bed bugs by now but he should have known they would still be there after all the hard work he put into the bed yesterday. He swung his legs round out of the hard, scratchy, woollen bed and stood up. He moved over to the window, pushing the ragged, stained lace netting to stare up at the sky. Up to the left there was the moon. Only 2am. Harry shrugged on his newly purchased robe, already dusty, looking as though it were a robe he had been wearing for years. He had bought it not 2 days before in Diagon Alley. As he ran the clean water through the freshly repaired taps in the sink he reflected on the trip. It wasn't easy after the year he'd had. Heads still turned wherever he went. The whispers, the stares. Some younger peers even seemed to make it a game to try and talk to him. It wasn't a game. It was far from a game. As he pulled the plug out avoiding the towel that he had cleaned but yet stayed grubby. What was the point in using a dirty towel after you have washed to get clean? Harry sighed and wondered why it was proving so tricky to lead a normal adult life. He had jumped at the chance to return to Hogwarts this year, back to the life he knew so well, the cleanliness.
Ron looked up at the clock as he quietly stumbled through the front door. Oops. A little bit late. Again. He tripped over the rug as quietly as he could and sniggered silently as he half ran a few steps into the mantle piece. Picking up a cluster of letters from above the fire he fumbled clumsily, dropping a few sheets on the floor, one fluttering into the glowing embers of the fire. He swore under his breath and finally found the one he was looking for. He slid down the wall he thought quite gracefully to stare at the words on the parchment through blurry eyes, telling him at 11am he would be on the train back to Hogwarts. His eyes closed and he slipped into a dreamless sleep.
Ginny Weasley woke with a start. She heard the crashing and banging. She knew her youngest brother had just got home. She slipped her feet into her slippers and pulled on a bed gown before climbing down the stairs to find Ron lying beside the fire snoring gently. When would he grow up she sighed as she half heartedly tried to rouse the sleeping red head to no avail. She grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the fire and into the space she had created by moving the chairs from under the dining table. He grumbled and groaned as she disturbed him but soon settled down again once she had positioned him. Whilst he slept Ginny turned to the washing up from the previous night. She purposefully left it till Ron got in each morning so that she kept herself busy while she kept an eye on him. 2 am was the time. She knew this without looking at the clock as it was the same time her brother seemed to have slipped into the habit of getting in each morning. As she ploughed her way through the list of chores she gave herself of cleaning, tidying and washing and unhappily thought of what might become of her beloved home while she was back at school as of this morning. She would leave the house spick and span but would anyone touch it before she comes home again or would the dirt and grime just build back up. Would her mother even manage to look after herself while she was away. She assumed her father would make sure she ate, but whether she left her bed at all during those months who could tell. As her brother stirred she picked up the glass of water she had poured for him and went to his side to ritually pour it down his neck as he grumbled. Now he was conscious again she felt happier leaving his to dose off again while she packed up both of their belonging into their trunks ready to put into the car when their father returned from work to take them to the station.
Draco watched the second hand tick over the twelve to signify 2am. Lying on the top of his cover. there was no point even getting into bed as he knew he wouldn't sleep. He was nervous. His mother had insisted that he attend Hogwarts once again this year. He wanted more than anything to go back but in a few hours he would be going back and he was dreading it. The attention he would get, the names he would be called, the sneers, the taunts, the abuse. He always wore a neutral face. He didn't like anyone knowing how he felt, but inside he was burning. He hated knowing that others disliked him. He just liked to keep himself to himself but he was eager to learn. He had no choice but to go back, but if the letter had been left in his hands he would never have agreed to go back. He'd never admit it but he was a coward. He would never admit to anything if it put him in a bad light. Draco rolled off his bed and slumped to the window. Staring up at the moon all he could think about was how would everyone react to him being back at the school he tried so hard to destroy. His cowardice had nearly destroyed his only hope for the future. He just wanted to learn. If his mother hadn't signed his letter he would not have been given a second chance. He owed his mother everything. He turned from the window and paced up and down his room wiling away the hours left until he needed to leave for Kings Cross.
Pansy was smiling as she woke from her dream. The smile graced her face again when she remembered that this was the day she was going back to Hogwarts. She glanced at the clock. 2am. Nine hours until she found out if her boyfriend was going back to school as well or not. She hadn't heard from him for five months. She had owled him multiple times but hadn't heard from him. She wasn't disheartened. Maybe he wasn't living with his mother any more. Maybe he didn't have access to an owl. Maybe he had been to busy with a job, a house, anything to have any time to reply to her. She didn't even know if they were still a couple, of course they were, he loved her, they had spend their whole lived together since they were tiny. The next time he saw here he would propose to her, she knew he would. The were destined to be married forever. Pansy was so excited to see him again. Of course he would be there, he would know she'd be going back there. It's where they would find each other again. She loved him she thought as she smiled up at the moon, butterflies gracing her stomach.
Blaise growled at the moon. He hated the way it shone into his eyes at exactly 2 am every morning. He couldn't wait to get on the train this in a few hours. He was looking forward to going back to school where he wouldn't be woken every night by the moon just because the stupid bitch he was sharing his bed with refused to sleep with the curtains closed. It was his flat, they were his curtains, why should he have to put up with what she wanted in his own space. He was very tempted to roll over, wake her up and give her a piece of his, well he would say mind but that had little to do with anything. He knew she hated him waking her up in the middle of the night but she deserved everything she got with her stupid curtain rule waking him up every night. Stupid bitch. The only thing stopping him was the knowledge that she would be gone in the morning and tonight he would have another conquest in his bed at school with his curtains firmly shut. He smirked at the thought of fresh juice little first year meat for the taking. He sat on the edge of the bed, avoiding the moonlight, thinking about just who might be taking that first night in his bed with him. What were they going to be like? What would they know and what would he have to teach them? His underwear twitched as he dreamed and with a evil grin, fuck it, she deserved to be woken up savagely he decided as he spun round back into bed onto the sleeping form beside him.