Chapter One: Boarding the Train for the Last Time

Hermione sighed, as she made a precarious effort to balance Crookshank's cage on top of her suitcase, listening to Ron and Harry bickering about seats on the train. Things hadn't been the same between the three of them since she'd decided to break things off with Ron during the summer holidays at the Burrow – Ron was still nursing a grudge against her, even if he pretended to act fine around everyone else.

The reality was that Ron was too much of a "flaunt what you have" kind of guy, whereas Hermione preferred the quiet intimacy of her own head, hating it when other people knew about her private life. That was probably one of the reasons that she hated Rita Skeeter so much, Hermione mused. The last thing she had needed was to walk down to breakfast one morning at the Burrow and hear Ron describing his sex life in great detail to Fred, George and Harry, who all hadn't shut up about it for a long while afterwards – that had probably been the straw that broke the camel's back. A half smile flitted across her face – at least Mrs Weasley hadn't caught onto the never ending stream of jokes about how Ron had finally convinced Hermione to put out. Now that would have been cringe worthy. But that hadn't been the only problem, with their relationship.

Hermione had found it difficult, during the summer at the Burrow, when Harry and Ginny had talked of themselves in the future tense – married, with kids. She just couldn't see herself as a stay at home house wife, spewing out babies by the bucket load, whilst Ron went to work and put food on the table. That wasn't for her, she had slowly realised. She had aspirations – things she wanted to do, things she wanted to be. A family, or even the idea of it, would only tie her down, and it was because of their conflicting ambitions that she realised her and Ron wouldn't work in the long term. Besides, it didn't help that Ron had an instinctive way of flirting with everything that had two X chromosomes – she had watched as his eyes had followed Fleur Delacour around the room when the newlyweds had visited the Burrow in the summer. She rolled her eyes, the reality was Ron and she had been caught up in the final battle – embarking on a relationship that neither of them had put much consideration into at the time. Sure, the attention had been nice at the time, but now all it had managed to do was create a laceration in their friendship.

Managing a feeble but self-assuring smile, Hermione told herself that this year, as they returned to Hogwarts to finish their NEWTS – something that they'd not had the chance to do, because they were busy hunting Horcruxes in order to defeat Voldemort – she would find time to fix this laceration, and the Golden Trio would be one, once again.

The piercing whistle of the Hogwarts Express jolted Hermione to attention, and in a final flurry of activity, her luggage was loaded onto the train, and she bade Mrs Weasley farewell with a bone crushing hug. The woman's warmth enveloped Hermione in such a way that it made her miss her own parents, who were currently residing in Australia with no idea that they'd ever had a daughter.

Harry smiled at Hermione, as she finally escaped from Molly's embrace, "Just think," he began, getting Ron's attention too, "This is the last time we'll ever board the Hogwarts Express. Kind of sad, don't you think?"

Hermione returned the grin, linking Harry's arm in her own, "Yeah I guess... but at the same time everything has to come to an end sometimes."

"Oh shut up, you two," Ron groaned, a grin splayed across his freckle-spattered face. "You two are always so bloody sentimental – who cares! Let's just get on the train before it leaves without us!"

The trio chuckled, but did as Ron said, and clambered onto the train – which now had an extra carriage in order to accommodate the new "Eighth Years". Professor McGonagall – now Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – had declared that any students that had missed their studies as a consequence of Lord Voldemort were welcome to return to the school and complete their exams. A very generous gesture, Hermione mused, but also rather crucial. People wouldn't get very far in the Wizarding World of work without valid NEWTS, even if they were the golden trio, so it was with enthusiasm Hermione looked forward to resuming her studies.

There was the question, however, of where the extra students would be boarded – after all, whilst there had been many casualties in the Final Battle, there was still the issue of space. It was on this matter that the trio debated as the Hogwarts Express pulled away from the station for the last time.

"Where d'you think we'll be sleeping," Ron asked, biting the head off a Chocolate Frog as he did so. "I can't imagine we'll be in the Gryffindor common rooms – there won't be any space, what with all the First Years."

"Hmm," Hermione wondered. "They could probably turn the Divination tower into living space – it's not as if Divination is going to get anyone anywhere, anyway!" The trio laughed – Hermione's detest for Professor Trelawney's subject was a running joke between the year groups. The one subject Hermione failed to excel at at – with the exception of flying – meant that she had hated the subject from the very beginning.

Once the laughing had subsided, Harry mused pensively. "They could always have converted Myrtle's bathroom – it's not as if it's in use, anyway. Besides, the Chamber of Secrets was cleared out by the Ministry during the summer – I heard your parents talking about it, Ron." Hermione nodded, and Ron seemed too engaged in a box of Bertie Bott's Beans to really pay attention.

"Of course," Hermione agreed, "I bet they've converted Myrtle's bathroom and the Chamber to accommodate us all. I wonder – d'you think they'll be separate areas for all the houses?" Harry shook his head, but Hermione continued anyway. "Who's returning, anyway? There are us three, Neville, Luna, Dean, Padma and Parvati, Lavender –"When she said Lavender's name Ron snapped to attention. Rolling her eyes, Hermione continued. "There's also Cho, Cormac, Lee, Seamus, Susan Katie ... what about the Slytherins?"

Harry shuddered – the very thought of the children of Death Eater's who'd pursued him and his friends still brought a chill to his bones, and he wondered who would dare return to Hogwarts and face the persecution that no doubt would face them. That was the problem, he thought to himself, when your family picked the wrong side to fight for. In answer to Hermione's question, Harry retorted "Well Crabbe's dead, and I heard Malfoy-"

"– the bastard", Ron interjected, earning a reproachful look from both Harry and Hermione.

"Is being sent back against his wishes by his mother... after they gave Lucius the Dementor's kiss, she's beside herself with grief, and wants him to get his NEWTS so he can go about handling the family business." Hermione finished.

Harry and Ron looked at her in stunned silence. "What?" She exclaimed.

"How the hell did you know all that," Ron asked a bemused look on his face.

"It's called reading, guys," Hermione rolled her eyes. "You'd know too if you read the Daily Prophet."

Harry continued, slightly shaken at the interruption. "Anyway, not so many Slytherins are coming back to Hogwarts this year. That's got to be one good thing that came from the Battle," Harry chuckled.

"No Slytherin girls, either, I don't think. Looks like the Slytherins are going to have to come across their blood issues, if any of them want girlfriends," Ron chipped in, his mouth full of a jelly snake. That last comment made Hermione retreat into silence, as she gazed out of the train window; her breath steaming up the glass.

Why did everything boys say always come down to the opposite sex?