Hey! lol. i'm disapointed in you all. :( i need reviews if i'm going to write this story otherwise i will be very sad. :( plus updates will take a lot longer. you were all lucky with the first three. please make me happy and review. :) I'm working toward the dramione. i know that it can get annoying if there is no interaction, just bear with me. enjoy please! :)


For the first time, in a long time things did look better in the morning. Mrs. Weasley flooed them at eight thirty to tell them that Mr. Lovegood was awake and was going to be allowed to leave in a couple of hours. She was going to stay with Luna there until Mr. Lovegood was allowed to leave.

Very cheered by the news, they all set to work preparing breakfast. Teddy and his grandparents had gone out for breakfast and left a note on the kitchen table so they didn't need to worry about that.

Once they had it all prepared they went outside and set the food up on picnic tables before eating with renewed appetites.

"Oi, Ginny, pass the orange juice," Ron called from beside Hermione. Ginny sat across from Hermione and Harry from Ron.

Ginny handed it over without bothering to look at him.

"So, were all going to be in the same year?" Ginny spoke eagerly.

"I'm actually not sure. We will be in the same classes but I don't know how McGonagall is going to arrange things," Hermione said staring at the sky behind Harry.

"Bloody hell, we've got graduate privilege! That completely trumps 7th year privilege,"

"Ron! I will not allow you to take advantage of other students because of your age! Besides there never even was 7th year privilege, it was all in your head," Hermione said in an annoyed tone, still not looking away from the sky. "Do you lot recognize that owl?" Hermione pointed up above Harry's head at a Barn Owl that zeroing in on their table.

"No, what do you reckon?" Ron asked curiously as the large bird landed on the table knocking over Ron's recently filled glass of orange juice and making Ron moan exasperatedly.

Hermione ignored him and took the letter tied around the bird's leg off easily. She gave the owl the rest of her bread and it flew off back in the direction it had come.

The letter had their names written in large capital letters across the back and she opened it hesitantly.

Hermione read the following contents out loud:

Ms. Hermione Granger and Mr.'s Harry Potter and Ron Wealey,

You have been admitted back into Hogwarts for another year so that you might better your skills and take your N.E.W.Ts. Because your year is of age we are requesting that you return two weeks prior the official start of school. Many things will be different at Hogwarts and we would like a chance to go over rules and decide on new protocol for your age group. This has never before happened at Hogwarts and we should hope that it will never need to happen again for the same reasons but it is necessary to develop rules to govern your behavior while you are at Hogwarts. The Hogwarts express will be at King's Cross at the usual time, two weeks before school starts and you can board it then. Your tickets and supplies list are included in this envelope. We look forward to seeing you back this year.

The Hogwarts Staff

"Two bloody weeks," Ron shouted, "has McGonagall gone mental? That's only in… in… how many days is that?" Ron asked turning to Hermione.

"That's tomorrow, Ron," Hermione said as she reread the letter.

"Well I'm glad that we already got our school supplies," Harry said with a smile. "Diagon alley is about to have a stamped."

Hermione and Ron let out a laugh as the tense atmosphere deteriorated.

"Well I suppose we should start to pack," Hermione said seroulsly.

"We should finish eating first," Ron said quickly.

"Ron, your plate is empty," Hermione said calmly.

Ron glanced down at his empty plate, back up at Hermione and then grabbed all the food in easy reach and covered his plate, turning back to smile up at Hermione.

Hermione smiled back at Ron before grabbing him by his ear and proceeding to drag him back into the house.

"But mione, I'm hungry," Ron moaned, "and that bloody owl knocked over my orange juice!"

Hermione just laughed viciously and pulled him up the stairs.

Harry slowly turned to Ginny trying to keep a straight face. He failed and they both fell off the bench laughing.

"Harry! If you don't get up here now too I'm going to come down there and pull you up by your ear too," Hermione shouted with a smirk from Ron's bedroom window.

"No! Harry, run, save yourself," Ron moaned from somewhere behind Hermione.

Harry and Ginny burst out laughing again.

"Well I had better go. Ron is in terrible danger and I must save him," Harry said with a grin as he stood up off the ground.

"Oh fair knight in shining armor, go save they day or whatever you're supposed to do these days," Ginny said with a smirk.

"Of course my lady," Harry said as pulled Ginny up by her outstretched hand and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

Ginny smiled at him as he walked away and back into the burrow. She glanced back down at the all of the things still lying on the table. She couldn't clean them with magic yet. She was turning seventeen in four days. She would just have to leave the mess for Ron.

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After making completely sure that Ron and Harry were indeed packing Hermione went to her room and made quick work of all her things.

She used a difficult charm to fold all f her clothes neatly before setting them gently into her suitcase. She applied a safety charm on a bag that she could keep all magical items in so that something wouldn't happen to them and pilled everything into her suitcase except for a pair of her school robes, some fun books, and some other purse stuff into her school book bag for the train ride, Ginny was down in the kitchen talking to Molly Weasley.

She yawned and stepped out of her room and walked over to Ron and Harry's room. She raised a hand to knock but hesitated when she their heard voices.

"Harry, it isn't that I don't like her, I do. She just is too smart for me and she doesn't act like a girlfriend," Ron said, trying to make Harry understand.

"What exactly is your definition of girlfriend, a make-out buddy like LavLav? Hermione isn't like that and I thought you knew that," Harry said angrily.

"That's not what I mean! I like having her around and all but she just isn't… right for me. I'm sure she feels it too. Were just too different," Ron said sadly. He really did wish the relationship would work.

"Ron, if you really feel that way you've got to talk to her. I don't want my two best mates fighting," Harry said. He had liked them being together. It had made things easier. They hadn't felt awkward when Harry and Ginny went on dates and now it would just feel weird, especially if Hermione took it badly.

"I know. I'm just nervous. I want to stay friends. It's just for so long I've wanted to be with her and now I just don't feel it anymore," Ron said softly.

Hermione stepped away from the door slowly and walked back into Ginny's room, closing the door silently behind her and locking it. She walked over to the bed she had slept on and lay down, closing her eyes.

Ron was right of course, she had felt the spark slipping away. They had liked each other for years before they got together, maybe that had been the problem. Maybe they had waited too long.

Whatever the reason, it was over. She was back to being the third wheel for Harry and Ginny. Ron would most likely hook up with some girl when the got back to Hogwarts.

Her thoughts were interrupted by pecking at the window. She turned her head slightly to see a large Eagle Owl sitting on the window sill. She walked over to it cautiously and took one of the treats from by Ginny's owl, offering it up as she opened the window. She gave the bird the treat as it hooted softly and hoped in, offering his leg up with the letter.

She took the letter off and opened it. The letter had a few crossings out all over and blots of ink where the writer had been unsure of what to say but all in all it was extremely short. It read 'I'm going back, thanks, Malfoy'.

Hermione stared at it for a couple of seconds trying to figure out what it meant. It was so odd. Finally she folded the letter up and stuffed it into her pocket. She grabbed a few more of the treats from and gave them to the bird that then nipped her knuckle affectionately before heading back out the window.

In a daze with the conversation she had overheard forgotten Hermione went down the stairs and into the kitchen to see Mrs. Weasley.

"Hermione, Ginny just told me that you lot are leaving tomorrow! I haven't had any time to plan a dinner party for you like I said I would. It'll have to be tonight. We can just invite some friends over to congratulate you all and their own kids. It'll be last minute but I'm sure it will be fine," Mrs. Weasley said, already pointing her wand at a stack of blank parchment where the invitations began to make themselves.

"Thank-you very much. Do you need any help," Hermione asked happily.

"Hmm well if it isn't too much trouble you could get the others and set up some tables and decorations outside," Mrs. Weasley said after a while.

"Sure," Hermione said brightly as she went up to Harry and Ron's room. She would just have to not think about what she had heard. It wouldn't do to make everyone feel awkward.

"Harry, Ron, your mum wants us to set stuff up for the dinner party tonight," Hermione called up the stairs.

Ron opened the door slowly. "Dinner?" he asked, almost drooling.

Hermione and Harry laughed as they made their way down the stairs and outside pulling out their wands as they went. Ron hurried after them still in a food daze.

"Do you always think with your stomach, Ron?" Hermione said with a smile.

"Well maybe if I had been able to finish my orange juice this morning I wouldn't be like this," Ron said stubbornly.

"Ron, just let it go," Harry said grinning.

With a flick of her wand Hermione cleared the table from breakfast and stacked the clean dishes in a pile floating a foot above the ground while all of the trash and uneaten food were levitated into a conjured garbage bin.

Ron levitated more tables over and pushed them together to make one long table while Harry set up strings of lights around, confetti and balloons.

"I think that's all," Hermione said looking around, pleased with the changes.

"Yep, that's it. Mum just finished flooing all of the letters. We should be getting replies soon," Ginny said walking out the back door and going to stand by Harry who slipped an arm around her.

"Great! We can eat now," Ron said, his entire face lighting up.

"Ron, calm down. We can probably get a snack but you shouldn't ruin your appetite before dinner," Hermione said with a giggle.

"What do you want to do before we eat then," Ron asked reluctantly.

"I know what I want to do," Ginny said slyly with a look up at Harry who blushed.

"Not in front of me," Ron bellowed.

"We should probably help your mom with cooking, Ron."

"Yah," Harry agreed.

"I suppose," Ron muttered.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Hermione sat in her chair, cold as stone as she stared at Ron and Lavander. They were sharing a chair and Lavender was pressing as much of herself against Ron as possible without their lips touching.

Hermione had the urge to curse Ron but thought better of it. Neville had decided to invite Lavender to come with him to the party and she had happily agreed. Now she was happily perched halfway on Ron's lap.

Lavender's arrival had come with good and bad news. The good news was that Hermione couldn't care less about seeing Ron with another girl, the spark was officially gone. The bad news was that Ron didn't seem to care that he hadn't broken up with Hermione before Lavender flung herself at him and he didn't seem like he would be able to pull away to do so any time soon.

Hermione gagged in disgust as Lavender moved over on the small chair so that her left leg was practically on his. She stood from the table and walked off while everyone else continued to eat. Hermione really had no idea what she had seen in him in the first place. He wasn't the right kind of person for her. His head turned at a pretty girl not an interesting topic of discussion. His brain span of understanding her didn't stretch past friendship.

Deep down she knew what had made her so happy to be with him in the first place. For a time, no matter how short, she had been the one that his attention had never wavered from, the one that he obsessed over. It had felt so good. But of course, she was no match for the beautiful slender Lavender. She glared at a blade of grass as if it was the cause of her anger before giving up and leaving the poor piece of grass alone.

She sighed softly. She just wished Ron would pull his head out of his butt for a minute so that he would have the decency to end it with her before going off with Lavender, but no luck there. He hadn't said a word to her since LavLav arrived.

Well this was certainly a great way to celebrate going back to school for more of this where she couldn't just run away from it. At least Harry and Ron seemed to be having fun. She walked over to a tree in the back yard with low-hanging branches and slowly climbed it until she was almost to the top. She rested her cheek against the cool bark and tried to ignore the sounds from below her.

Hermione had no idea how she would survive this year. She would end it with Ron right after Lavender left. Even after everything she still wanted to be friends. He was a good friend. He would probably always be a better friend than he was a boyfriend.

Hermione closed her eyes and tried to imagine Hogwarts. It would be so different. She pulled Malfoy's letter out of her pocket and reread it again. Could he really be that grateful that she had told him about Hogwarts admitting students back in? Who knew with Malfoy.

Hermione had thought about telling the others that he was going back but decided against it. In all the rush about Luna's dad she had forgotten to tell them that she had ran into him. If she told them now and that she had gotten a letter from him Ron would jump to conclusions and say she had been trying to hide it. Hermione resigned to tell them if something interesting happened.

Hermione laughed. Interesting? This entire year was going to be interesting.


:) YEAH! that took me while. i didn't know exactly how i wanted to do this chapter but i got some help from my only reviewer so props to actwritesing my ONLY reviewer. give u any ideas? :) lol thankx for reading!