Disclaimer: Sorry I forgot in chapter one to tell everyone that no, I am not J. K. Rowling, therefore I own none of her amazing characters or places or creations.
Two weeks later. . .
Hermione is startled from sleep by her alarm clock, Like a Virgin is playing very loudly and refusing to let her drift back into unconsciousness.
Sighing she untangles herself from the lavender sheets and rolls onto the lime green crocheted carped in front of her bed that she had made the year before.
As she listens to the lyrics a smile plays on her lips and she mumbles, "I really relate to you Madonna, I too feel like a virgin; except I'm not being touched- at all."
Turning the radio off, Hermione walks from her bedroom into the bathroom for a quick shower with her good friends Mr. Loofa and Mrs. Aveeno Radiance shower gel, with a side of shampoo and conditioner.
This is the start of any good day to her, especially if she is stuck in muggleland for a few weeks before heading to the Burrow.
But her parents need this time with her since they barely ever see her and Hermione actually enjoys coming back for a while to visit a few old friends and spend 'bonding' time with her mum and dad.
Though she hates leaving the comfortable, steamy shower, Hermione turns off the water and grabs the terry cloth towel to dry off with before trudging back to her bedroom to get dressed in some boring jeans and an old KEY club tee.
There is nothing to do in Brighton during the summer holidays except go to the beaches (and Hermione doesn't like bathing suits), go to museums (and Hermione had already been to them all- many times), and basically do nothing (which Hermione hates).
So, driven by necessity, and fear that if she doesn't do it her old friends would mob her house, Hermione picks up the phone and calls them.
It may not seem like it but she really likes her old friends, but they just have this way of always trying to find out what she did at Hogwarts all year and it was tiring.
It isn't thirty minutes before CJ, Laura, and Chaarity are at the door exited to see their once BFF again.
They are definitely an interesting group; CJ is a gay field commander for the marching band with absolutely no self-esteem issues, Laura is a dramatic Jesus freak who cares very deeply about people in need, and Chaarity is. . . independent, sure, and open- always the one to tell things to if you don't want to be judged.
Hermione still liked them, sure, its' just that she didn't feel that close to them anymore. There was no common ground on which their relationships could relate so they just didn't know each other anymore.
"Oh my god!!!!!!" Shrieked the overexcited CJ, jumping right into her house to hug her, showing no shame in open affection.
That was something she had missed, Harry and Ron just didn't do PDA (public displays of affection) unless it was with someone they were dating.
But Hermione turner her thoughts back to these three wonderful people surrounding her that she hadn't seen in so long.
Laura was next to jump her and held the hug so long Hermione thought she may have been praying. And finally Chaarity walked over slowly, looked at her, and asked how she was.
It wasn't one of those fake questions that's most people ask out of necessity though, Chaarity meant what she said when she talked. These were the reasons Hermione missed them so much, the rare qualities that each of her friends possessed really drew her in.
Sadly Hermione couldn't engage Chaarity in all the reasons why she wasn't fine- and that was why they were no longer good friends.
They decided to go to the mall, at the urging of course from CJ. Hermione went along with it, taking booth pictures and trying on countless odd outfits that they all picked out for her, but truth be told she hated shopping, with a passion really, and this was becoming torture. All different colored clothing was coming at her: red, blue, gold, green, orange, some color that slightly-but-not-really-resembled puce. . . Merlin! She couldn't take it anymore!
Finally she had enough and turned to Laura, the most gullible one, and sighed, "Ohhhhhh, my period is acting up. I don't know why but it's been really nasty lately. I think I'm gonna go home and take a nap, is that alright?" Hermione gave this great moan and her efforts were rewarded with a sympathetic hug from Laura who promised to tell the others what had happened and ordered Hermione to feel better soon.
Feeling almost guilty, Hermione headed home but had lost the guilt halfway there, being so relieved at her freedom. She knew she shouldn't feel this way towards her friends but the way they lived was just so normal- too normal for Hermione who was used to being mature and making life threatening decisions. She couldn't go back to this tame lifestyle and just always be so carefree. She needed action, she needed something to happen.
The rest of her walk home was a blur of happy memories with Harry and Ron; at the burrow, at Hogwarts, in Hogsmeade, their adventures, their other friends like Hagrid and Neville , Luna and Seamus, Fred and George and Ginny! Her life was so wonderful and full of loving people, and Hermione felt so peaceful. . .
As she gets close to her house she begins to plan activities for the them at the burrow, which would include trying to get them to peek at their school books sometime- which usually never happened. The meals at Mrs. Weasleys huge table and ----
Gods no! she thought, horrorstruck, The Dark Mark, above my house!
It wasn't happening, it couldn't be- who was dead?
She ran to the door, it had been torn off its hinges, little chips of wood were lying all over the floor. "MUM! DAD!?" Hermione looked around, noticing the chared look of her couches and completely destroyed kitchen, pots mangled and black, the fridge toppled over, the table broken in half.
"What happened, where are they?" she whispered to herself.
But wait- they were at work, said they would be there all day, maybe they hadn't been harmed!
"Who me?" A sinister voice snarled, "Why, I'm right here!"
Hermione turned slowly to come face to face with a rugged looking Fenrir Greyback who had, apparently, been looking for her.
"Oh little giiirrrlllllll, why are you sooooooo upset?" The deranged monster growled and like his chops seeing her skin and drawing ever nearer.
"Where are my parents? What have you done with them?" Hermione shrieked, "Where are my parents?" The Wolf man grinned a predatory smile and kept advancing. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about your parents, I would be more concerned with myself if I were you."
Hermione jumped away from his oncoming path and ran to the back door, trying to get away. He howled and pushed through the debris chasing her to the yard. She had made it to the gate but her hands were shaking so bad she couldn't get it open and she was forced to run to the other side of the yard and was halfway out the gate when a heavy paw knocked hard into her skull and she fell onto the concrete path, unconscious.