Hermione hung her head low and she walked onto Platform Nine and Three- Quarters. People talked excitedly around her, but she didn't feel excited. Not at all. Her mother had disappeared a few weeks ago. A week later, her body was found mangled and tortured three cities away. Hermione hadn't spoken to her father or owled her friends since.
She got on the train, looking for a secluded and empty compartment. It didn't take her long to find one; it was still early, twenty to eleven. Her father had dropped her off and kissed her goodbye, and nothing was said between them. Usual "goodbyes" were what took up the extra time. Hermione simply walked away, into the station.
Hermione put her trunk away and shut the compartment door and locked it. She sat on the seat, pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and cried.