Hermione stepped onto Platform 9 3/4, her curly, brown hair floating in the slight September breeze. She handed her trolley to a loading man and proceeded onto the Hogwarts Express, a feeling of sorrow filling her heart as the realization that she'd only step foot on the train one more time after this. She wiped at her eyes, being careful to look around and make sure no one had seen her silent tears. She walked along the corridor of the train, stopping at each compartment door and listening for her friends voices. She found the right compartment at last, and upon opening the door, she was immediately welcomed by Ginny, who practically attacked her. Hermione hugged the girl back and gave the same embrace to Harry and Ron before sitting in the empty space next to Ron. After a small moment of silence, the compartment was filled with the noise of conversation. Hermione listened much more than she spoke. She'd been in a sort of trance when the door of the compartment opened, which is why it took her a moment to realize that Draco Malfoy had interrupted the conversation her friends had been having. He wore his signature smirk and appeared to have given apalling news.

"What?" Hermione was clueless.

"I said, Granger, that I'm Head Boy this year. Don't you ever clean out your ears, mudblood?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at the same name that he'd been calling her since her second year at Hogwarts. She'd been hoping for a bit more originality from the boy who'd been trying hard to rival her own grades at school, but apparently he wasn't as brilliant as he tried so hard to be. She stood up and reached into her pocket and withdrew her hand and flashed her Head Girl badge at him.Draco only laughed at her. "Did you really think that I was that naive, Granger?"

Hermione glared at him. "Do you really think I'm that stupid, ferret?"

Draco glared back. They stood there for a moment, he staring into her brown eyes, she staring into his grey ones. Ginny coughed, breaking the silence and the glare. Draco smirked at Hermione once more before turning around and leaving the compartment. Hermione threw her badge at the door in frustration. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to find Ron. She'd known him for so long, and the hand on her shoulder was a simple gesture of the fact that he understood how she felt. She knew these things, but it didn't stop her from suddenly feeling self conscious. Suddenly it felt as if her blue button up shirt was too tight and the black jeans she wore made her too hot. Ron released her shoulder and sat back down, completely unaware of the internal struggle Hermione was having. Hermione couldn't do anything about how she felt, couldn't even fathom why one simple touch could make her feel that way.

She attempted to shrug the thoughts away, but it didn't work. She excused herself from the company of her friends to ook for an empty compartment so she could change and sort out her thoughts by herself. She walked up the train corridor listening at the doors. She finaly found one that sounded quiet and empty. Pulling open the compartment door, she found she'd been wrong. She stood in the doorway watching as Draco Malfoy snogged with Pansy Parkinson. She was dumbfounded and embarrassed. Nothing could have prepared her for what happened next.

Pansy had opened her eyes. She moved her head slightly and saw a shocked Hermione. She stopped Draco and pointed up at Hermione.

"Looks like someone wants to join in." Draco turned to look at Hermione.

She blushed. "No, I ... excuse me."

She turned to leave, but Draco grabbed her wrist. She turned and slapped him on impulse, the smack of flesh on flesh seemed to echo in the quiet compartment. Draco rubbed his cheek, which had become crimson and stood out blazingly on his pale skin. His grey eyes were amused. "Not bad, Granger. Have you been practicing?"

Hermione opened her mouth to counter him, but he cut her off.

"It's not good enough though, I'm afraid."

He motioned for Pansy to leave them. She gave him a look of protest, but said nothing as she stood up and left the compartment. Draco flung Hermione to the floor of the compartment and closed the door that he was sure Pansy had left open purposely. Hermione stood up and picked up the clothes had flung from her arm when Draco had thrown her. He looked at her bundle of clothing and then at her.

"Get changed and let me know when you're finished."

He left the compartment, leaving her to do as she was told. She reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out the Head Girl badge. She hadn't remembered picking it up, she only knew that it had found its way back into her pocket. She began to sob. In one day it had seemed that everything had come crashing down. She couldn't make sense of her thoughts and it frightened her.

"Looks like someone wants to join in."

Pansy's words came floating back into her head, causing her to blush and become furious at herself. She undid the pin on the back of the badge and slashed it across her left forearm. The red blood oozing from her calmed her a bit, but not enough. She did it again. Harder, faster, deeper she sank the metal into her skin. Malfoy knocked on the door.

"You done in there yet?"

Hermione glanced at the puddle of blood that was forming on the floor. She'd left her wand back in the compartment with her friends, ther was no way to cover it up. Draco would find out.

"Just a minute," she whispered.

Pain shot through her arm as she moved to change. By the time she'd changed into her white blouse, her skirt, and her Gryffindor robe, blood was seeping through everything. She was pulling on one of her shoes when Draco burst into the room.

"I couldn't wait any long-"

His eyes fell to the puddle of blood on the floor.

"Bloody Hell, mudblood, what have you done?"

Hermione said nothing, just finished putting on her shoes and pinned her badge to the front of her robe.

"Didn't you hear me?"

Hermione glanced up at Draco then at the blood on the floor. She grasped her left arm defensively, the blood in the fabric bubbling slightly at her touch.

"What do you want me to say?"

The question was more to herself than to Draco, her voice emotionless.

"It would seem," he began. "That I have nothing to do here, you've already taught yourself a lesson."

Hermione grabbed her clothes and ran from the compartment, unaware that blood continued to seep from her arm and was now soaking everything she held. Tears streamed down her face as she made her way back to the compartment her friends were in. She flung open the door, startling Harry, Ron, Ginny, and now Neville. Harry was the first to react.

"Hermione?" he asked, uncertain of how to continue. His eyes fell on the blood soaked clothing she clutched tightly.

She attempted to ignore him and grabbed her wand from the space next to Ron. He reached out to touch her, but she stepped away from him.

"Don't touch me," she breathed.

"Hermione, wai-"

She ran from the compartment and slammed the door shut. She ran down the corridor, with one thing on her mind, and one thing only: an empty compartment. What she got was completely different. She smacked into Draco Malfoy with such a force that she not only dropped everything she clutched, but caused a sickening thwack to be created as her bloody arm made contact with his and her bellies.

He grabbed her arm and forced her to lift her chin and look at him. He studied her face with a steady gaze that caused a shudder to go through her body, a shudder that she did involuntarily in his clutches. Then she blacked out.