As Harry walked through Kings Cross on September 1st he felt a sudden relief to be going back to Hogwarts. Prior to leaving Hogwarts last term, all his teachers except for Professor Snape had assured him that he didn't need to finish all his homework if he wasn't up it. Not wanting to be treated differently, he'd finished it all.

It was only a few months later from the events that would change his life forever. The re-birth of Voldemort. It had affected everyone in a different way. Harry felt like he was a shook up soda can ready to sizzle all over. He hadn't had anyone to talk to all summer. The Dursley's had been worse then ever before. He couldn't talk to them, so everything stayed bottled up inside.

For that reason, he wanted to go back to what had become a safe zone for Harry. Hogwarts wasn't just school for him. It was a home. A place where he felt he somewhat belonged. He missed his best friends Hermione and Ron the most. They were the family he never got to know.

As he walked onto platform 9 ¾ he couldn't help but smiling knowing he would see them momentarily. He climbed aboard the train pulling his trunk behind him. He caught a glimpse of red hair, and walked towards it. Then he got the surprise of a lifetime.

"Well if it isn't the great Harry Potter himself!", boomed Ron's voice.

"Hi Ron…something the matter?", Harry asked.

"What are you stupid? It's all your fault you know", Ron stood up showing the definite height difference between the two boys.

"What's all my fault?", Harry said stunned.

"Sure, act like you don't know. You killed her", Ron stared at Harry a tear rolling down his face.

"Ron", Harry grabbed his friend's shoulders, "What is going on?"

"Hermi…Hermione", Ron took a deep breath.

"No…. no your lying!", Harry shouted turning pale.

"Why couldn't you just have died the first time", Ron spat out, "Hermione didn't deserve this, and if it wasn't for you she'd be alive!"

"You…you're right", Harry felt dizzy.

"Of course I am!", Ron said angrily.

"What's going on in here? You two are making a scene", came George Weasley's voice.

"I really don't care", Ron snapped.

The door opened again and this time Fred walked in. He looked up at Harry, and frowned. Anger apparent in his eyes.

"Maybe you should go Harry", George whispered in Harry's ear.

Harry didn't have to be told twice. Already in tears he tore out of the compartment. In a matter of five minutes, he'd lost both of his best friends. He felt hallow, and empty inside. More frightened or scared then he'd ever been, he sat down somewhere and stared out the window as the train began to move.

"Is anyone sitting in here, all the others are full", Harry heard someone say.

He looked up and saw two girls standing in the doorway. They were quite small, he figured first years. Memories suddenly into his brain of his first year at Hogwarts. Meeting Ron and Hermione for the very first time. And now the memory of them on the train before summer was the last one he would ever have of the three of them together.

The two girls stared at him the first half of the trip. Finally they ignored him, and Harry was glad. That was exactly what he wanted right now. To be ignored from the world, and all the people in it.

After arriving in the Great Hall for the Sorting, Harry was met with a site. Instead of the usual festive feeling of the Hall, a depressed feeling floated around in the air like the candles. Dumbledore, along with the other professors (and a new one for DaDa), were sitting at their respective tables, chatting quietly. Only Professor Snape stared at him, a disgusted look upon his face.

"Hey, Potty!" Draco called from the Entrance Hall, "where is Mudblood and Weasel? Oh, wait, Mudblood lost her blood."

Harry shuddered but held back from the temptation of attacking Malfoy. Afterall, it was probably Draco's father who had killed Hermione.

Fresh tears stung his eyes, thinking about his best friend. She shouldn't have died. He shouldn't have told her his secret. Maybe Ron was right in blaming Harry, because if she hadn't known, she wouldn't have died.

"Come on, let's sit down." George whispered to Harry, scaring him slightly, pushing him to the Gryffindor table, "we've got to feed you."

"I don't want to be fed." Harry said back, "I just want your brother's not to hate me for something I had no control over."

"That won't happen for a while, Harry, you know that." George replied, sitting down next to Harry at the large table, "now, come on, I know those Muggles didn't feed you. I can tell by the way your glasses slide off."

"You should've told me, George. You should've told me instead of having me find out here." Harry whispered furiously, staring hard at the plate on the table, "when did it happen? At the beginning of the summer, right when she was out of Dumbledore's hold?"

"No, Harry, it didn't. Now stop it, " George hissed, his tone indicating he didn't want to talk about it yet, "we'll discuss this later."

"I want to discuss it now!" Harry slammed his fist on the table, causing everyone to look up at him for a split second before going back to what they were doing, "just tell me one thing! Were you there?"

George blinked at him, "no, I wasn't." He replied, his voice quiet and full of remorse, "and I'm sorry that I wasn't there that one day."

"And your family wants to blame me for this?" Harry snapped, drinking some pumpkin juice so he didn't say anything he'd regret, then took a deep breath before saying, "I want to know everything later on, George. Everything that you know."

"I'll tell you." George nodded as his twin came over, hitting his shoulder, refusing to look at Harry.

"Why are you over here and not with your family and friends?"

"Because I'm with my friend." George said calmly, "if you don't like it, I suggest you go away."

Fred turned and looked at Harry, his eyes narrowing, "you think you're so smart, don't you? We all know you are on the Dark Side. It was obvious to us when you came back alive last year, and Cedric was dead. Come on, Potter, show us your Dark Mark. At least then I would know that you're planning on killing me too."

"Just go away, Fred." George looked up at his twin brother, "I've already told you that Harry isn't part of You-Know-Who's circle! Will you just stop with it?"

"Why should I?" Fred asked, his hand clenching at his side, his wand sticking out of his pocket, "Harry never liked Hermione anyway."

"I SAID STOP IT, FRED!" George stood up, facing his brother, "Drop it, will you? I'm so sick of this! I've been hearing it for months. Hermione's gone and there's no use in blaming everyone else because they weren't there to help her! Where were you when she died, huh?"

Fred stared at his brother, anger evident in his eyes, "go to hell, George."

"Meet you there, brother."

First years started to file into the Great Hall, and Fred turned on his heel, fuming, walking back to his group. George sat back down next to Harry, glaring at the retreating figure of his brother. The first years were led to the stool, where they waited to be Sorted. They kept glancing at Harry, whispering. He knew it was about Hermione, and probably some were talking about how he had defeated Voldemort. What a bunch of bull, he realized. He never defeated Voldemort. Only became lucky enough to avoid the Killing Curse twice.

After the kids were Sorted and the Sorting Hat was put up, Dumbledore rose from his chair and said his usual welcoming.

"We have lost two great people in this school. The first, Cedric Diggory, who had won the Triwizard Tournament, alongside Harry Potter, " Dumbledore smiled at Harry, though it looked forced, "and Hermione Granger, who was to be a Prefect this year. They were both wonderfully talented in magic. May they both rest in peace."

He gave the signal for the feast to begin and sat down. Harry just stared at the food in front of him. He couldn't bring himself to do much of anything. The words Dumbledore had said rung in his ears. She was to be a Prefect this year. Harry imagined Hermione being burried with her Prefect Badge, and maybe a copy of Hogwarts, A History. It made him feel a little happy, knowing the little information.

"Harry?" Neville asked nervously, and Harry looked up slowly, "I know you had nothing to do with..you know.."

"Thanks." Harry said, lowering his head again to stare at his plate of food.

If only everyone knew the whole story. Harry thought, then they wouldn't hate me.

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Well, that's the first chapter of our story, "Walking Contradiction". Contradiction means denial. It's cool like that.

LadybugInvaders is *our* pen name. Our seperate ones are Ladybug and Pathetic Invader. If you'd like to read our other stuff, you're welcome to!

This story is a kind of 'side project' thing, considering Ladybug and myself (Pathetic Invader) have 3 other stories of our own. We'll try and post quickly, though, if this story gets enough feedback!

Love,

LadybugInvaders