The station was full off bustling students, first years trying to find the voice that was booming out across the platform, friends greeting each other and catching up on what each had missed whilst they had been apart. In the middle of it all stood Hermione Granger, stuck to the spot, unmoving and as if invisible to the mass of people that flooded the small area. Draco Malfoy stepped down from the carriage he had previously been occupying but just before his foot touched the floor he caught sight of her, she looked so empty as if she could sense him staring at her she turned and they caught each other's gaze. He looked so alone, Hermione thought to herself, they were both so alone in a sea of people and then the moment was gone they each looked away and time seemed to begin again as they each took off with their respective friends.

"Hermione" Hermione could hear someone calling her name bringing her back from the nothingness to life, before her sat Harry and Ron, when had they arrived in the great hall, she was sure they had just been on the platform but neither the less there they were sat at the Gryffindor table surrounded by food and other people.

"Yes harry," she replied quietly " you called me?"

"Dumbledore's just about to speak; I thought you might want to listen to what he's got to say." He cocked his head to the side as he looked even more closely at her,

"honestly Harry I was listening in the first place and besides you never listen to Dumbledore you only want me too so that if he says anything interesting I can relay it to you," she said matter of factly, Harry looked surprised at the reply she had provided him with, but none the less it was good to actually hear her speak at all no matter what she was saying.

The room went quiet as Dumbledore stood to speak and all attention turned to him.

"Good evening students, I trust you have all enjoyed your time away and are now thoughrally ready for lessons to begin and preparation for exams," there was an audible groan throughout the room as Dumbledore paused for a moment and allowed a shadow of a smile edge onto his face, before he turned back to address the great hall again. "As you all now the deatheaters have been gathering more and more followers over the recent months and our world is now more dangerous than it has been before, for this reason aurors will patrol hogsmeade village whilst on student visits. This year will be tough for many of us and may take a heavy toll on some of you, but please remember that we are here to support each of you…" The speech carried on as Draco let his mind wander, his summer had been stressful to say the least, the deatheaters had taken over his home under voldermorts command and he had been literally held captive in his own home, his father had been beaten to make him compliant to voldermorts wishes and had therefore promised Draco to the cause, to take the mark that Christmas. There had to be some way to get out of it, he had to find a way to escape from his future.