Chapter One- One Long Summer
It was an unpleasant day, the once topaz blue sky was now drowned out of view by a silver grey mist that cloaked the entire sky, like a vast blanket as far as the eye could see. Raindrops could be heard colliding with the stone ground below.
Hermione sat up to look out of the rain spattered window to the deserted cul-de-sac, not a living soul dared venture beyond the warmth of their homes on a day like this. She lay back down once again and stared up at the ceiling observing the few lined cracks that had formed over the years. Letting out a sigh of boredom, Hermione resumed her viewing of the raindrops that raced from one side to the other of her window, every now and then joining a smaller raindrop to gain speed.
This truly had to be one of the most dull summer holidays ever, having finished her holiday homework within the first two weeks after 6th year, something she believed to have been one of her most stupid ideas to date as she had to endure six weeks of absolute boredom; she really had to space homework out in future. Oh well, Hermione only had less than a week left which was good because that meant she would be receiving an owl from Hogwarts soon enough, informing her of the books and various supplies she would require for her 7th year.
Getting off the sofa, Hermione began to pace round the house, nobody was there because her parents were off in France to see a lecture from "one of the most outstanding dentists of this age". They decided that Hermione was now of an age to stay at home and look after the house, just after they had set their rules: No guests, no leaving the house for more than a day or two and strictly no magic. Though it wasn't as if she'd actually been invited to the Weasley's this summer so where would she go? "Don't they trust me or something?" Hermione questioned to no-one in particular.
They also mentioned that they probably wouldn't be back before she went to school, which was a shame in Hermione's view; it was no hidden truth that they were never really that close but these days the family seemed to drift further apart...
Hermione stopped before her bedroom and looked at the full length mirror viewing her own appearance; she may not have noticed but she had indeed changed a great deal over the summer, her hair no longer resembled that of a lion's mane but was now long and sleek with a few ringlets, her large owl like eyes were the same chocolate, honey brown, but age had brought on a gold and green crown of flecks round the pupil, her lashes were always long and her high cheekbones were more pronounced giving her the perfect bone structure. Her teeth were white and perfectly straight, lips were full and pouty.
It was also no secret that Hermione had always been a slim girl, verging on skinny but now she had grown into a woman with a body that could put the top-most supermodels to shame; she had ivory skin, perfectly clear despite being a teenager, and long delicate limbs. All this however was taken with a pinch of salt in Hermione's case as she never wore make-up.
Becoming bored with her appearance, she resumed her prowling of the house, when she heard the flap of wings, a sound she had been longing to hear all summer, her little godsend.
With a speed that would challenge even the famous Harry Potter, she ran into the sitting room and found a barn owl with a letter attached to its leg. Unravelling the piece of parchment, Hermione felt something fall out. Stepping back, eyes down to the ground she gasped. What she saw was nothing other than a Head Girls badge with the Hogwarts emblem of the four houses with the letters H.G written in gold ink.
At this moment in time the world seem to freeze until the silence was broken with a cry of happiness. Relaxing a little and trying to catch up to her heartbeat, Hermione started reading the letter:
Dear Miss Granger,
I am proud to inform you that because of your outstanding results and constant hard work throughout last year, I and the other members of the senior staff have agreed to give you the position of Head Girl for this coming year.
We need not remind you of the duties expected of you in this position and that the younger members of the school will be looking up to you and the Head Boy for guidance.
We have enclosed with this letter a list of the books you will require. Once again I want to congratulate you for this achievement, good luck
Yours sincerely
Professor Albus Dumbledore,
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Allowing the letter to slip from her long delicate fingers, Hermione just stood there letting it all sink in. Pinching herself to make sure this wasn't just a dream and indeed it wasn't because it really hurt, she sat down on the leather couch.
Indeed it had been a long summer, too long. However things were starting to look up. Looking outside once again, Hermione let out a sigh, the weather would pick up tomorrow, and that's when she'd go to Diagon Alley. There was also a good chance that she would see Harry, Ron and the rest of the Weasly clan. With a small smile and another sigh, Hermione lay back down and drifted off to sleep unaware that she still had the Head Girls badge in her hand