The next day, Hermione stayed in her room under the excuse of, "I have to rewrite my potions essay! I forgot to put something in it! That's 3 feet of parchment to rewrite!" She was actually just pretending though. She really did not want to be near Will.

Hedwig arrived on her window sill with two letters tied to her. Hermione fetched her some owl treats and water, then sat down to read the letters. The first one was her supply list, and the other was a letter from Harry and Ron.

Hermione,
We have been writing you all month, but our letters kept coming back unopened! What is going on? Why haven't you been writing to us? If we do not get a reply by 5 tonight, Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Fred & George, Ginny, Percy, Ron, Sirius, and I are going to come get you and raise hell! SO YOU BETTER REPLY!

We miss you! Please write back, we are worried!

Harry

Hermione rolled her eyes and flipped the parchment over.

Harry,

I am fine! Do not gather up the troops to come fetch me! I never got any letters from you this month, and I was otherwise detained anyway. I will see you tomorrow at Kings Cross. Give everyone my love!

Hermione

She tied the letter to Hedwig's leg, gave her one more owl treat, and sent her off with a, "better hurry, Hedwig, before they send an army after me." She finished up "redoing her potions essay" and triple-checked her trunk to be sure everything was there for the journey to Hogwarts the next day. She finished at 8:30. Hedwig was back at her window with another letter. She strode over to the owl and took the letter. Hedwig seemed to give her a once-over before nipping affectionately at the hand that was stroking her feathers as she read the letter. "Such a beautiful owl," Hermione muttered, giving her another treat and water. When the owl was finished, she flew off. Hermione closed the window and went downstairs to pack a lunch for the journey.

Hermione awoke at 8:30 the next morning. She got up, got dressed, pocketed her wand, locked her trunk, and dragged it down the stairs. She ate breakfast. She left for Kings Cross with her mother and Will and made it to the station at 10:30. She kissed her mother on the cheek, said goodbye to Will, and entered Platform 9 ¾. As soon as she entered the platform, Harry, Snuffles, and the Weasleys made their way over to her. She was glad she remembered to put on foundation that morning, because they were all crowded around her. She forced a smile and greeted them, allowing them to lead her to a private room for all of them.

Snuffles came over to her and started to sniff suspiciously. She reached down and scratched him behind the ears as she observed everyone else chattering excitedly. Sirius nudged her hand. She looked down at him. "What is it, Sirius?" He nudged her hand and jerked his head over towards an empty hallway. He started to move, and Hermione followed him. He transformed when they were in the hallway.

"Hermione, you are hiding something from us. I smell the bruises - some smell about 3 weeks old, while others smell about two days old. What is it, darling girl? Who hurt you?" he said. Hermione sighed and refused to look him in the eyes. She shook her head. "I really have no clue what you are talking about, Sirius…" she trailed off. He reached towards her and gently lifted her chin and looked in her eyes. "Hermione, please tell me. I want to help you. What happened?" he said softly. Tears gathered in her eyes. "I- I-" she was cut off by the whistle of the train. She hastily wiped her eyes and said softly, "I have to go, Sirius…" She moved to flee, but he grabbed her wrist. She winced when he hit one of the bruises. He turned her and enveloped her into his warm, loving arms. "You know I am here for you if you ever need me, Hermione. I will talk to you about this soon. Please take care of yourself," he said softly, releasing her from his grip. He transformed back into a dog, nudged her hand, and led her back to the platform. He watched as she went into the train, found Harry and Ron's compartment, and waved out at him as the train left the station.

"I will kill the bastard who hurt her," he thought with a menacing growl. Molly and Arthur came over to him and they left together to return to Grimmauld Place to start to prepare the house for Christmas break. One thing was for certain though, he would not let Hermione return home for Christmas if he could stop it.

Harry and Ron

The second they saw Hermione, they knew something was different. She looked older, like she had the world on her shoulders weighing her down. They exchanged looks before swamping on her.

"Hermione! We were so worried!"

"We missed you!"

Hermione smiled at them, but it didn't reach her eyes. They knew something was wrong. When Sirius led her off to the hallway, they followed under the invisibility cloak. They heard all that was said, and took off at a run to the train when Hermione was held back by Sirius - but not before they saw her wince in pain. They sat in their compartment, exchanged looks that said, "Did you see that?" to each other, nodded in affirmation, and tried their best to look normal when Hermione entered. "Hello boys," she said quietly, sitting down at the window and taking out a book - as per bloody usual. "Hello Hermione" they said in unison.

"How was your summer, Hermione?" Ron, the ever-tactful ::cough, cough, NOT:: one, asked. Hermione gave a noncommittal grunt and said, "Fine, Ronald. How about you guys?" They both said fine, and she returned to her reading.

Harry took out a Muggle pen and a piece of parchment paper. Something is not right. he scrawled. Ron took the pen and wrote I know. What the bloody hell do you think is wrong? Harry shook his head and replied I don't know Ron. Although I have my suspicions… Keep a watch on her really quick, I am going to say I am going to the bathroom and leave the compartment. I'll keep the door open, slip under the invisibility cloak, come back in, and cast a spell on her to reveal any bruises she might have. Just act like nothing is different. Take out your A Wizard's Chess Strategy Guide and pretend to read it. OK?

Ron nodded slightly, pulled out his book, and started to "read" it. Harry rose and said, "I'll be right back. I need to use the loo." Hermione nodded slightly and returned to her reading. Harry left the compartment, checked to make sure nobody was looking, slipped on his invisibility cloak, and returned to the compartment quietly. From the door he quietly muttered, "Revealis bruises" as he pointed his wand at her. The spell took a minute to act fully, and he had to clamp his hand over his mouth to keep from making noise at the amount of bruises that covered her body. He looked at Ron, who was looking down at his book trying to keep a straight face and an even temper. Harry quickly left the compartment, took off the cloak, and walked back into the compartment casually, taking his seat next to Ron.

He looked over at Hermione and gasped. "Hermione, what the hell happened to you?!" Hermione looked up confused. He gestured to her bruises as he stood. "Hermione, how did you get those?" he asked softly. Hermione's eyes widened as she realized what he was talking about. She rose quickly, dropping her book, and quickly darted past him with tears streaking down her face. He reached out to grab her, but she darted past too quickly. He looked at Ron. "I'm going after her. You stay here and keep an eye on everything." He ran out of the compartment to find Hermione to try to help her.