The sun was shining, it was another beautiful day, Hermione thought as she sunk back into her seat, allowing the familiar sounds of the Hogwarts Express to relax her as they continued their journey to school. It was her sixth year attending Hogwarts and she had never been more excited. Earlier in the holidays she had received a letter from Professor Dumbledore himself, congratulating her on being selected for an extra-curricular program that was being trialled for the first time at Hogwarts.
She allowed herself a moment to consider the program, she had received very little information about it, only that she was requested to meet with her Head of House, Professor McGonagall prior to the welcoming ceremony, and that she had needed to get a form signed by her parents, allowing for a temporary change in her accommodation. She secretly hoped the new room would be closer to the library, while she shouldn't really complain about the exercise after five years of travelling up and down seven flights of stairs she felt a break was finally in order.
Neither of her two closest friends Harry Potter or Ronald Weasley appeared to be a part, and no one in the Weasley household seemed to know what the program was about, that or they weren't telling her, though everyone was rather busy these days. They had spent a great deal of the summer continuing to clean up Sirius' house, Harry having left it to the Order allowed them to do more, as they no longer needed permission to destroy things or throw them away.
Hermione was not fussed though, while she was no rule breaker or rebel, she had grown braver over the years, and was not afraid of the unknown, or giving things a go. She could not wait.
Her thoughts were interrupted by her two best friends loudly arriving back in their train compartment, they had allowed her the room to change into her uniform while they went and changed in the bathroom. Hermione had been pleasantly surprised by this, the boys had rarely been mean to her, but they occasionally thought of her as "one of the guys" and privacy and tact was usually lacking, particularly with Ron.
Conversation was dominated by one particular topic, Harry had become almost obsessed with Professor Slughorn, the new teacher who would begin this year. By Harry's account the man seemed rather timid and not what they had expected from a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, though they were sure he couldn't be any worse than Umbridge the year before. Truth be told, they never did find out if she ever made her way out of the forest. Everyone in the wizarding community had become rather secretive after discovering "You-Know-Who" was indeed back. While this terrified Hermione, and she worried for her parents, she knew that she was safe at Hogwarts, as long as Professor Dumbledore was there, the students could not be harmed.
Before long the students arrived at their destination, and Hermione was off to meet her Head of House, she wondered who else would be participating in the program, what it would entail, what she could learn, what opportunities it would lead to. She walked through the familiar corridors, reminiscing about the previous years, how she had first became friends with Harry and Ron, and all their adventures together. She had never thought she would make such great friends in her time here, having always been a bit of a loner in her hometown.
Arriving at Professor McGonagall's office she was surprised to see another friend, Neville Longbottom. He was never the smartest boy, apart from herbology, Hermione had spent many hours over the years helping him to ensure he at least got decent grades and passed his OWL's. Smiling briefly at him she turned her attention to her teacher, who was sitting at her desk and splitting a stack of parchment into two, which she in turn handed a stack each to Hermione and Neville.
Professor McGonagall glanced at the pair and cleared her throat.
"I would first like to congratulate the two of you in being selected for this programme, and also to thank you for your participation. The main goal is to increase the unity between the houses, we are nearing the end of your years at Hogwarts, and we feel that it is important to branch out from your houses, and connect with others" she began. She went on to inform them that two students had been selected from each house, and between the eight students chosen they would all be paired with someone from another house. They would then be required to share residence with their partner, and work together as often as possible in classes.
Hermione was buzzing with excitement, she herself had wished the houses weren't so separate, mostly anyway, she wasn't fussed with the Slytherins, but she would have liked to get to know the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws more before they were all thrown out into the world. Connections are important in the muggle world, and she was smart enough to know it wasn't always about what you know, but who you know that could get you ahead in the world.
"Tonight you shall spend the night in your dormitories, however in the morning you will be required to pack your things and meet by Hagrids hut for further information, I trust you know where that is" Professor McGonagall said by way of dismissal.
"I'm surprised I got selected" Neville confided as the pair walked back to the common room, "I'm not that special, I don't have your brains, Ron's bravery, Harry's skill.. I'm not even that popular" he said.
"You're special in your own ways Neville, I think you're a perfect choice, you are one of the nicest of Gryffindors, you stand up for your friends, tell me that is loyalty, you came to the Ministry with us! You faced Death Eaters and survived! Tell me that doesn't take bravery or courage! The most important characteristics of a true Gryffindor Neville, I honestly don't think there's anyone better than you to be representing us" Hermione said with a smile and a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
It was true, Harry and Ron were rather hot headed and definitely not always up for change. Hermione was glad Neville was getting some recognition and being an active member of the house, she quietly bid him goodnight and went to bed early, unable to wait for the next day to begin.