-1Disclaimer: I own none of these wonderful characters, they belong to J.K. Rowling. The plot is mine though.
Hermione woke up panting from a dream. She had been having these mysterious dreams about herself and a man whose face she could never see all summer long. He had the palest skin and a perfectly formed muscular body. Every time she had one of the dreams she would wake up sweaty and panting. Hermione had had erotic dreams in the past, but most of them had been about Ron. She had really thought for a long time that she might be in love with him. Now she knew that she would never like him as more than a friend he had become more like a brother to her after staying with him for the past two summers. Hermione looked at her wand which she had bewitched to show the time. It was almost time for everyone to get up and catch the train for Hogwarts. She threw the covers off and sat up, stretching and yawning in the process. She was glad she was the first one up because that meant the bathroom was free for her to take a nice cold shower.
Hermione stumbled across the hall to the bathroom, she was staying at the Burrow because if she had gone back to stay with her parents she would be putting them in danger with Voldemort back and all of the Death Eaters on the loose. Arthur and Molly had given her Fred and George's old room since they now lived in Diagon Alley in an apartment above their joke shop. Harry was staying at the Burrow as well, he was in Percy's old bedroom. Hermione hurriedly finished her shower and cast a drying spell and a straightening spell on her hair. She then wrapped the towel around herself and hurried back to her room to get dressed and finish packing her things for school.
It wasn't long before Hermione could hear the sounds of the others stirring throughout the house. She decided to go and check with Harry and Ron and see if they needed any help packing. When she walked out into the hall though she was stopped by Ginny. "Hey Hermione have a good night?" Ginny asked wearing a knowing smile.
"Oh Merlin, Gin. Did I say something out loud again last night?" Hermione had told Ginny about her dreams after Ginny had heard her mumbling one night in her sleep.
"Nothing intelligible." Ginny assured her. "Was it the same as always, or did you finally get to see the hunks face?"
"Same, I never get to see his face, all I know is that he is gorgeous, he has the softest hands, and this incredible body. I really wish that this man really existed. Why doesn't he have a face?"
"Maybe he doesn't have a face because it is someone you know. Maybe you just have to find the person based on what you know. Or, he's just some dream guy that is perfection and you can't think up the perfect face to give him, so he has none. Besides any guy is better than my brother, right?"
"What do you mean any guy is better than your brother? You better not be talking about me." Ron said grumpily walking down the stairs. He had just woken and his hair was all tousled and his eyes were full of sleep.
"Oh please, nobody is better than you Ronnikins." Ginny stated sarcastically mussing up his hair even more.
"Ha ha ha, very funny. 'Mione you haven't happened to see my Potions book, or my Transfiguration book, or come to think of it any of my books have you? I need to find them so I can start packing." Ron asked trying to flatten his hair.
"I'm assuming your books are all buried somewhere in that pit that you call a room Ron. I'll help you look for them, but first you need a shower and a toothbrush. I can't believe you haven't started packing yet. I thought that by 7th year you would have grown up a little bit." Hermione shook her head and headed for the staircase that would lead her up towards Ron's room.
"Thanks 'Mione you're the best." Ron patted her on the head and headed for the bathroom for a shower.
"You know one of these days your not going to be around Hermione and my brother is going to fall flat on his face without you." Ginny followed Hermione up to third floor. "I'm going to go in and make sure Harry is up and about. Good luck finding anything up there, Ron is a pig."
Hermione thanked her and headed up the next flight of stairs to Ron's room. She stepped over a pile of clothes and started shifting things around on the floor trying not to get lost in the clutter. After a fruitless search she decided that it would be a lot easier to just use her wand. She pulled it out, "Accio books." Several books worked their way out of the piles and flew into Hermione's outstretched arms. She tossed them all into the haphazardly packed trunk at the foot of Ron's bed and then started chucking in the rest of his clothes. She checked to make sure everything was packed and then slammed the trunk lid and latched it. She then levitated the trunk and followed it down the stairs to the kitchen where she placed it gently on top of her own and sat down for some breakfast. "Good morning Mrs. Weasley."
"Good morning Hermione dear. I see you did Ron's packing again. That boy is so impossible I swear he is going to be the death of me, if Fred and George don't kill me first." Mrs. Weasley was sitting at the table reading the Daily Prophet and drinking a cup of coffee. "Were Harry and Ginny up yet dear?"
"Yes, Ginny was, and she was on her way in to wake Harry. I'm sure they will be down soon." Hermione helped herself to some porridge, and toast.
"Morning mum, I'm all packed. Harry's almost finished he's just polishing his broom, again." Ginny sat down next to Hermione and stole a piece of her toast.
"Gin there is plenty of toast on the table you know, you don't have to nick mine." Hermione shoved her lightly and pushed the plate of toast in her direction.
"I'm not that hungry, besides you had already put jam on yours." Ginny laughed and ate the toast.
Harry and Ron came down the store a few minutes later. Harry with his own trunk and Ron with Ginny's. "Morning 'Mione, Mrs. Weasley." Harry greeted dragging his trunk to the door.
"Morning mum, Gin. What's for breakfast? I'm starving." Ron set Ginny's trunk next to Harry's and started helping himself to the porridge, toast, and bacon, digging in hungrily.
"Honestly Ron, if you ever came down in the morning and weren't starving I would die of shock." Gin said with disgust. Watching her brother shovel food into his mouth.
"I worked up an appetite lugging your heavy trunk down the stairs. What do you have in there a troll?" Ron defended himself.
"Ron you do realize that you are of age and could have easily brought the trunk down here with magic?" Hermione asked.
"Oh yeah, what am I supposed to do think of everything? I just woke up. Harry didn't use his magic either." Ron retorted.
"Well you have wasted so much time in getting up and getting ready that we are going to have to hurry to make the train on time once again Ronald Weasley." Mrs. Weasley scolded. "Come on we've got to take your father's new car to the train station and you know how I hate that thing. Come along Ginny dear, I'll get your trunk." Mrs. Weasley rose from the table and cast a spell to cause the breakfast dishes to fly to the sink. She then levitated Ginny's trunk out to the car. Hermione and the boys followed quickly after her with their own trunks.
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They arrived on Platform 9 ¾ with 10 minutes to say their good byes and get on the train. Hermione hugged Mrs. Weasley and thanked for letting her stay with them over the summer holiday, and then hurried onto the train. She was Head Girl this year and she had to go to the prefects compartment for the start of term announcements. Ron and Ginny said good bye to their mother and followed her since they were both prefects and were required to attend as well.
When they walked into the compartment they saw that all of the other prefects had already arrived. "It's good of the Head Girl to finally arrive. Now if the Weasels will just take a seat we can get down to business." Draco Malfoy announced.
"How did you manage to become Head Boy? Did the ministry and McGonagall decide to look past the fact that you allowed Death Eaters into the school last year and attempted to kill Professor Dumbledore? I knew that they were letting you come back, I didn't think that they were going to act as if nothing happened though." Ron confronted Draco with his fists clenched.
Hermione grabbed Ron's arm and pulled him aside. "Ron, you know as well as I do that Malfoy was cleared of all charges and you know why. This is precisely why I didn't tell you sooner that Malfoy had been chosen I knew that you would react like this. I don't like him anymore than you do, but started a fight with him on the train in front of all of the other prefects is not going to change anything. It would be better if you just sat down so that we can get this meeting over with so we don't have to spend anymore time with him than necessary." Hermione then turned her attention back to the room at large. "Hello everybody. For any of you that don't already know me, I'm Hermione Granger your Head Girl. I think it would be best if we all went around the room first, and said our name, house, and year. That way everyone will get a chance to meet who they will be working with for the remainder of the year. Like I said my name is Hermione and I'm a 7th year, Gryffindor." She looked expectantly at Malfoy.
"Draco Malfoy, Head Boy, 7th year, Slytherin. Granger when we're all done introducing ourselves are we going to hold hands and sing the school song, or can we get down to the matters that need to be discussed so that we can all go back with our friends?" All of the Slytherin prefects clapped and cheered.
"Fine Malfoy, I see your point. Forget the introductions, I'm sure you'll all get to know each other during the meetings. We're here to give you an overview of what is expected of you and to pass out your patrolling schedules. You will each be paired with a person from a house other than your own. If you have any trouble with your patrol partner we'll discuss it at the first official meeting. Your partner was selected for you by the Head Mistress, not us, but if there is a conflict we have the authority to assign you a new partner." Hermione handed the stack of patrol assignments to Hannah Abbot. "If you would all find yours and then pass them on to the next person we can save the trouble of passing them all out."
"Most of you have done this before, for new prefects the job is pretty simple. It's our responsibility to help the staff keep order in the school. We are given the ability to give punishments and detentions for rule breakers. The Head Boy and Girl also have the right to remove house points for these offenses. We also help in the planning and executing of all special events. We also get the privilege of the prefects bathroom. There is also a private study room in the library reserved for prefects and of course the prefect common room the password to all of these is niffler nose. I think that pretty much covers everything that you need to know. Did I leave anything out Granger?" Draco asked with a smirk.
"No I think you covered everything. I would just like to remind all of you not to abuse your privileges, they can and will be taken away from you if we see this being done. Other than that, I guess we'll see you all at the first prefects meeting which is scheduled for the second Wednesday of the term at 7:00 in the prefect common room. You're all free to go." Hermione smiled and went over to talk to Ron and Ginny, while everyone bustled out of the room to see their friends.
"I can't believe that you think Draco has a right to be back here after what he's done 'Mione. Dumbledore is dead because of him. He's a rotten murderer, just like his father. He should be in Azkaban." Ron hissed through gritted teeth.
"I don't think that he deserves to be here Ronald, but he can't be held responsible for Dumbledore's death. He didn't kill him Ron. Snape did, because of the unbreakable vow he made with Malfoy's mother. You know as well as I do that Dumbledore explained all of this to McGonagall before he died. I'm not saying that what Malfoy did, letting in those Death Eaters was ok, but he didn't have a choice. When it came down to it, he didn't kill Dumbledore, that's got to stand for something. I don't like him anymore than you do, but that has to stand for something." Hermione replied exasperatedly. "Come on let's just get out of here and go find Harry." Hermione turned and left the compartment leaving Ron standing there looking dumbfounded.
"You know she's right Ron. As much as we all hate Malfoy, he didn't kill Dumbledore. I don't know why, I don't know what went through his head, but he didn't kill him. Whether you want to admit it or not, that shows that Malfoy is not a murderer, and not like his father. Lucius would have killed Dumbledore without batting an eye. He's still a loathsome ferret, but he doesn't deserve to be kicked out of school and sent to Azkaban." Ginny patted her brother on the back and followed Hermione. Ron following right behind her.
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A/N: Hope you liked it, if you did let me know, if you didn't tell me what I could do to improve it.