A/N- Such amazing feedback on thr last chapter, thank you. I know this is starting out slow, but stay patient! To everyone who has read and reviewed, you're the bomb. A million thanks. Enough for now, on we travel...

Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter and Company belongs to J.K.R. I own the twist on this plot, but not sure this kind of story hasn't been done before.

Chapter 4

July 25, 1995

Hermione had given up hope. It had been a long five days in the home of George and Janine Albright. She hadn't heard from Harry since she had been there. Honestly though, that was probably a good thing. She hadn't heard from Dumbledore and she had had no further contact whatsoever with the wizarding world or anyone in it.

The Gryffindor had resigned herself to living out the summer with these people that had taken over her care. She couldn't say that George and Janine were terrible people because they weren't. It was just quite clear that the pair were only foster parents for the money they were paid from the city.

They didn't beat anyone or starve them. There was most certainly the feeling that they couldn't give two shits about the children they had under their roof though. After coming from her parents and the wonderful life they had shared together, it was a rough transition. Hermione completely understood why all four children in their care had an air of neglect, hardness, and maturity that she hadn't seen in anyone else her age. Hermione thought it was one of the saddest things she had ever seen.

Kammy and Tandy had laughed at her constantly during the five days she had been there because of her trusting ways. Hermione knew she wasn't cut out for a life in foster care and she didn't try to act like she was. She felt like this was probably the real reason that the two laughed at her.

The two girls had actually turned out to not be that bad. Sure, they were rough around the edges and were a bit uncouth at times, but nothing that Hermione couldn't overlook. They seemed to be close despite the age difference between them. The Gryffindor figured that when you have no adult allies, you chose your own among your peers.

Kammy had been in the system since she was seven years old. Her father had been abusive to her mother and older sister so she had witnessed plenty of violence before tragedy struck. In a drunken rage, her father had come home and shot her mother and then shot himself. Her sister had only been eleven at the time so she had been unable to care for Kammy. Both had been sent away to foster care. Her older sister Kimberly had been brutally murdered just five years later. Kammy truly was alone.

Tandy had a story similar to Hermione's. She had been just a baby when a teenaged driver high on drugs had struck their family car. Tandy had survived, but her parents were both killed on impact. The Albright's were her fourth home because nobody could truly control Tandy except for Kammy.

Even though both their stories were tragic and equal parts horrible, Hermione could see the good in these girls. Kammy had become a protector for Tandy, just as her older sister had done for her. She was carrying on the legacy even though common sense told her that she would get further just worrying about herself.

Tandy had been in the system for as long as she could remember. She had learned to navigate it early and made it her modus operandi to not allow anyone too close for fear they would send her away. Everyone except Kammy, that is. The girls were good for each other no matter what anyone else said.

After they had shared their stories with Hermione, she had decided to share her own. She told them the wonderful stories and memories of her parents and how much she would miss them. Both girls had bawled like babies when she told them of her last moments with her mother before she died.

Yes, as rough as the girls were around the edges, Hermione could bear to live with them until September.

The boys, on the other hand, Hermione didn't know much about. She had tried to question Dillon on which subjects he liked best in school during one of the few dinners she had actually attended. He had sneered in her face and told her that school was a complete waste of time. She had wanted to tell him just how wrong he was, but she decided that he wouldn't listen to her even if she did.

Heeding Kammy's advice, Hermione had not spoken a single word to Terrance or even so much as glanced in his direction. She could feel his eyes on her every time they passed in the corridor, but she never gave him an opening to so much as speak to her. If he could try to assault Tandy who was only eight years old, Hermione knew he wouldn't hesitate to assault her either.

This was proven just the night before.

Hermione had been in the bathroom taking a shower, only the second one she had taken thus far since she was scared of Terrance catching her alone in the corridor. She had toweled off and combed out her wild curls. Dressed in a pair of night shorts and an old tee shirt of Harry's, she had opened the door so she could go back to the room she shared with Kammy and Tandy.

Terrance had been waiting for her. As soon as she opened the door, he shoved in through the doorway and slammed the door shut behind him, trapping her inside. He had rushed her before she even realized what was happening to her.

His hand closed around her throat and he slammed her head against the wall just once. His hand began traveling over the expanse of her curves, his breath hot and fetid in her face. When she had finally gathered her wits, she brought her knee into his groin. He hadn't released her completely, but he was stunned and doubled over.

Hermione balled up her fist, reminding her of Draco Malfoy of all people, and had punched him as hard as she could. When he fell to the floor, she had bolted out of the bathroom and tried to make it to the bedroom.

Terrance was impossibly fast, however, and had reached out and wrapped his hand in her long curls. She twisted a certain way (she could never tell you just how) and Terrance had released her just in time to fall down the eight stairs to the bottom floor. When Janine and George had found him at the bottom of the stair, they had demanded answers from Hermione.

The young girl had told them what they wanted to know. This, however, didn't work out for her quite like she had hoped. George had backhanded Hermione right across the cheekbone so hard she saw stars for what they considered "snitching". It apparently didn't matter if you were asked what had happened, it seemed to be a test that they gave you to make sure that you kept quiet. She supposed the Albrights figured that ignorance was bliss.

Hermione couldn't help but wonder just how many girls had remained quiet about Terrance's actions. Not everyone had a Kammy in their corner that cared.

This morning she had woken up to find that the side of her face was bruised from the older man's hand and she had bruises around her throat from Terrance. When she saw exactly what she looked like, she vowed that if he tried to assault her again, she was going to use magic and stun him. Someone would report the underage magic and send an official. Terrance would be dealt with and she would be back in touch with the world of magic. Two birds, one stone.

Hermione had just started for the stairs again after their meager lunch when the doorbell rang. Hermione wondered if it was another unfortunate child being brought to live with them. When she normally would have just continued on her way up the stairs, not wanting to be any bother to anyone else, she decided that she would be nice to the next child. Kammy and Tandy had been life savers in this home.

Janine opened the door and she could hear the woman beginning to screech. Surprised she would speak to the bobbies this way, Hermione took another step further into the living room so she could overhear what was being said.

"I don't know where you got your faulty information. There's nobody here by that name." Hermione wanted to sob in relief when she heard Remus answer.

"I assure you, Mrs. Albright, I know she's in there. You're either going to fetch her for me or I'm going to break down this door and fetch her myself before calling the law. I'm sure they would be interested in why you're lying to a person coming to pick up one of your wards by behest of her caretaker." Janine huffed and Hermione didn't wait for her to open the door any further.

Completely aware that everyone in the house was watching her carefully, she shoved Janine unceremoniously out of the way so she could leap into Remus' arms. A few tears slid down her cheeks when she realized that she was finally saved from this hell on earth. Remus buried one hand in her hair and kept the other around her waist so he could keep her close.

"Sshhh, I'm not going to let anything else happen to you, Mina. No tears now, I've come to take you away from here." She nodded into his shoulder and brought herself back under control. He whispered again, not wanting the muggles behind him to hear him she was sure.

"Dumbledore has been out of the country for well over a week. We had to wait until he had returned to file the paperwork for you to be able to come with me." She nodded again before taking a deep breath. She stepped back from one of her dearest friends and he gasped.

His hands went up and cupped her cheeks, turning her face side to side so he could inspect it. Hermione belatedly realized that he could see the bruises on her face and throat.

"What in the bloody fuck has happened to you? Who bruised you like this?" She didn't get a chance to respond because Janine spoke.

"The hateful little wench earned herself a backhand from my husband for not obeying the rules." Remus clenched his teeth and turned to the Albrights. Hermione knew that this could end badly so she put her hand on Remus' wrist.

"Please, Remus, can we just go?" He turned his stony expression to Hermione again and she watched it soften.

"Sure. Go get your things, Mina. I'll wait right here for you." She nodded and started for the stairs. At the bottom of them, she turned around to make sure that he was actually going to wait for her. He seemed to understand what she was doing because he smiled at her reassuringly and nodded for her to go.

Hermione packed her bag far quicker than she had unpacked it, that was for sure. She was startled when the door opened and Kammy and Tandy entered. Neither said anything, but both enveloped her in a three way hug. They held to her tightly and she held them back just as tight. Kammy spoke first.

"Take care of yourself, Granger. Don't let the pricks in this world get you down." She smiled before Tandy spoke.

"Make sure you have a good life. Not like here." Hermione's heart broke for these girls, even for Terrance and Dillon. No child deserved an existence like this. She nodded and hugged them once more. When they pulled apart, she spoke.

"Don't you two worry about me. Make sure you take care of each other and always believe that you can escape this life, you just have to be strong enough to do so. Thank you for taking me in and being nice to me. I appreciate it more than you know." Both girls nodded and stepped back so Hermione could gather her bag up on her shoulder. With one last smile, she left them in their room and went back down the stairs.

Remus was exactly where she had left him. He stood there, his large mass taking up the whole doorway. Being a werewolf really did make him a larger than normal human. When he saw her descend the stairs, he held out his hand for her to take. Hermione was all too happy to reach out and take her friend's hand so he could take her away from this hell. He looked down at her face so he could meet her eyes.

"Ready, Mina?" She nodded. Without a backward glance, Hermione let Remus lead her out of the crackerbox house and down the street.

Neither said a word until the reached the end of the street where a bus stop was located. They stepped inside it, out of the view of the public, and Remus held out an old watch.

"It's a portkey. It's going to take us back to your house so we can get your things. Get everything you need for the school year. After that, we have to go get Harry." Hermione's heart leapt at his words. Without a second thought, she reached out and grasped the other end of the watch while Remus tapped it with his wand to activate it.

It felt just like it had when she had traveled by portkey with Harry and the Weasleys to the Quidditch World Cup. The pair landed in the living room of her childhood home. Remus reached out and caught her before she could fall to the ground. With a grateful smile, she spoke.

"Do I need to do anything else in regards to the house?" Remus shook his head.

"No, I'm going to place wards on it while you pack your things. Dumbledore already has someone lined up for the yard, and once I'm done, nobody will be able to enter, muggle or magical, without quite a bit of effort." Hermione nodded.

"What about the pool?" Remus nodded. The lawn man is going to care for the pool, don't you worry." She nodded slightly before she started down the hallway she had travelled just five days earlier.

This time, however, she stopped and took her time choosing a couple pictures to take with her and serve as a keepsake of her parents. She decided on two, one of her and her parents at a beach in France when she was around ten years old and one of their many wedding photos.

Once in her bedroom, she felt a wave of magic come down around her. She knew it was the wards that Remus was adding, but it was still disconcerting.

She threw all the clothes that currently fit her in her school trunk, along with all her school books from the last four had no idea how long it would be before she could visit her home again so she took everything that might serve a purpose.

Her toiletries came next, along with all her notes from her last school years. She would need them for O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. All her personal photos went on top of her belongings, making sure her trunk was good and full.

Hermione hadn't seen Crookshanks since her parents had died and she assumed he had been locked outside, running off when nobody had come to let him in. However, he strolled in her room at that exact moment as if he had never even been gone.

Hermione gave him a soft smile and bent down to scratch him behind his ears. The half-kneazle rubbed on her long enough that Hermione felt she had done her duty in giving him affection. She pointed to his carry case and he had no qualms about going right inside.

With one last look around her room, Hermione sighed and gathered her trunk in one hand and Crookshank's carrying case in the other. It was definitely heavy and awkward as all hell, but Hermione managed it until she reached the end of the rushed forward, wand extended, and shrank her trunk. She flashed him a grateful smile before she cast one last glance around her family home. Remus laid an arm around her shoulder.

"I know we'll never replace them, Mina, but I promise you that there will be people that love you just as much as your parents did. You aren't alone." She leaned into his side, but remained silent.

These were the words of comfort that she had been searching for in the crowds of people that had offered their condolences.

The pair was silent for several minutes before Remus squeezed her shoulder and stepped back. He was holding out the same watch from before so she didn't bother to ask what it was. Remus reached down and took Crookshanks for her. She was impressed. As a werewolf, she knew he wasn't fond of cats in the least.

Once Remus tapped the watch with his wand, the pair and Crookshanks spun away. They landed in an alley in what appeared to be a suburb. It was more along the lines of what Hermione had grown up knowing, but she knew that Harry had not led the wonderful life that she had. Remus snaked an arm around her shoulder again and started to lead her to the end of the alley.

The pair walked for several minutes. Hermione was convinced that Remus wasn't sure exactly where he was going. This was confirmed when Hermione pointed out the home labeled "4 Privet Drive" and Remus had sighed in relief. He gave her an embarrassed look.

"Sorry, I've never been here before. Dumbledore had always forbade me from visiting when Harry was younger." Hermione shook her head, the familiar lick of anger rising within her once again at how her best friend had been and still was treated. However, she remained silent.

Hermiome held her hand out for her cat, sure that Remus was going to need both of his hands. She cast a look around the neighborhood, noting that there weren't any neighbors out in their yards. However, if it was anything like her neighborhood, they wouldn't need to be outside to see exactly what was going on in their neighbor's yard. This guaranteed that they would at least be granted admittance into the home.

Hermione allowed Remus to lead her up to the door and she watched as he knocked three times on the door. There was shouting inside and Hermione imagined that they were yelling for Harry to get it. However, it wasn't Harry that opened the door, it was a portly teenager that could only pass as Harry's cousin Dudley. Remus broke the silence that fell between them. By the look on Dudley's face, it was clear that he knew exactly who Remus was.

"We're here for Harry. Can we come in?" Dudley gave a jerky nod and remained silent while he moved back. Remus stepped over the threshhold and Hermione followed after him. As soon as she and Remus were spotted by the walrus-like man, the bellowing began.

"Dudley, what the bloody hell?! We don't let freaks in the house!" The man heaved himself off of the couch and started towards Remus and Hermione. She shrank into her friend's side, hoping she would know how to handle him if he got violent. This seemed to spur Remus into action. He shoved Hermione completely behind him and he drew himself to his considerable height. His chest puffed out and he looked every bit the part of a dangerous werewolf. She was glad that she knew better.

"We're here for Harry. The quicker you can get him around and ready, the quicker we'll be gone." The Dursley in front of her huffed and puffed, but remained silent. Finally, he cast a glance over to the long-faced woman standing in the doorway and nodded. Harry's aunt disappeared before she heard shrill screaming up the stairs.

"Potter, you freak! Get your things together, you're leaving." Hermione heard him yell back down the stairs, but his family didn't acknowledge that they had heard him.

The room remained silent while they waited for Harry. His uncle lumbered his way back over to the couch and flopped back down. His aunt remained in the doorway as if she was too scared to stay, but too nervous to leave. Dudley stood off to the side and remained silent until he caught a good look at Hermione.

"What happened to your face?" She didn't want to answer any questions from the likes of Dudley so she just kept quiet. Non-plussed, he tried again.

"You're really pretty. You aren't a freak like Harry, are you?" Hermione had been determined to keep quiet so they could get in and out just as fast they could, but she hadn't expected his cousin to outright insult herself and her best friend in the same sentence. She glared at him as she stepped forward from behind Remus.

"Harry isn't a freak and neither am I. If you're asking if I'm magical, the answer is yes. If anyone in this house is a freak, it's you and your twisted parents for not realizing what a wonderful person your cousin is. Your life would only be richer if you welcomed him into it." Dudley just got angrier at the fact that she wasn't scared of him she was sure. Harry had told her that he was a huge bully.

Hermione stepped forward also, determined to not back down. She had faced down Terrance and won, she could definetely take on Dudley. Remus seemed to realize that this was something she needed to do so he stepped further back. Dudley entered her personal space, but she refused to give an inch.

"You think you can get away with calling me and my parents freaks?" Hermione put her hands on her hips and didn't back down.

"Why not? You called me a freak. Same difference. Besides, what are you going to do about it?" She never got to hear Dudley's response because there was sudden thundering on the stairs before Harry appeared with his trunk and owl cage clanging behind him. His eyes widened when he saw Hermione and the state that her face and neck were in.

Harry seemed to realize just then that she was toe to toe with his extremely large cousin. He dropped his owl cage (empty, thank goodness) and trunk so he could rush forward and pull Hermione back behind him.

"Leave her alone, Dudley. You may get to bully me, but you don't get to bully my friends." Remus stepped forward and laid a hand on both their shoulders. Hermione wrapped an arm around Harry's waist when he laid an arm across her shoulders.

"We'll be going now. Don't expect Harry for Christmas or Easter holidays." Nobody else said anything as Remus waved his wand at Harry's trunk so he could shrink it. Once it was only a fraction of the size it had been, Remus stuffed it in his pocket along with Hermione's.

Hermione couldn't believe how amazing it felt to be with people that cared about her. She knew that Isobel had cared for her, but nowhere near the way that Remus, Harry, and Sirius did.

Remus led them back out the door and through the yard until they were back in the alley that Hermione and Remus had arrived in. Once they stopped, Remus didn't give either of them a chance to speak. He dug in his pocket and dragged out a slip of parchment to hand them. Hermione took it and Harry read over her shoulder.

"The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is located at 12 Grimmauld Place." Harry looked up at Remus confused, but Hermione understood instantly. She handed the parchment back and Remus set it aflame. She turned to Harry.

"It's under the fidelius charm, just like your parent's house was. Nobody can tell anyone where we're located unless it's the Secret Keeper, in this case, Professor Dumbledore." Harry gave her an astounded look as did Remus. Remus cleared his throat.

"How did you know it was Albus?" She grinned at him, the first real one she had had since her parents had died.

"Only the Secret Keeper can write it down and that was quite obviously Professor Dumbledore's handwriting." Remus stared at her for a moment before he burst out in laughter.

"Merlin, I've missed the Brightest Witch of her Age." Hermione smiled again as Remus extended his hands to each of them.

"To go to Headquarters, we'll apparate. Much easier than a portkey. You'll both have to take my hands and hold on to your pet cages in your free hands." Hermione released Harry and took one of Remus' hands while Crookshanks swayed in her other. Harry took his other hand and both young Gryffindor's nodded their heads that they were ready.

With the feeling of squeezing through a small tube, Hermione, Harry, and Remus disappeared from suburbian hell and reappeared in a room that neither one of them recognized. Remus released their hands and put a hand on each of their shoulders to steady them in case they became sick. Hermione could admit that she most definitely felt a little nauseous. Once she had regained her stomach, she smiled at Remus. He took that as his cue.

"This is Headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix. It's Sirius' family home." As if he had summoned the older Gryffindor, Sirius walked into the room. His eyes lit up at the sight of Hermione and Harry. He rushed forward and gathered both teens into an embrace.

Hermione snuggled into his arms and breathed in the comforting scent that was just Sirius. Harry seemed to be holding onto his godfather just as tightly as she was. When she pulled away, Sirius seemed to notice her face. Before he could comment on it, she asked the question that had been burning in her gut for the last ten minutes.

"What's the Order of the Phoenix?" Sirius and Remus both chuckled though it was Sirius that answered.

"The Order of the Phoenix is the bad arse name of the people that fight against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Dumbledore founded it during the first war." Hermione nodded as she watched Remus draw her and Harry's trunks out of his pocket, enlarge them, and banish them into what she assumed would be their bedrooms.

There was a loud bang from what Hermione assumed was the kitchen followed by screeching that no doubt belonged the Molly Weasley. She groaned to herself. She was about to be harrangued and hounded by Molly, determined that she was being supportive. Merlin love the woman, but she was overbearing and took everything way too far.

Ron and the twins, followed closely by Ginny, came rushing out of one of the doorways and Hermione assumed that Molly lay on the other side of the door. Everyone's eyes widened at the sight of her and suddenly, everything bad in her life came rushing back. Harry seemed to see that she visibly sagged and he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his side. She allowed the action and everyone in the room noticed.

Harry started to guide her towards the couch in what he now recognized as a library. He sat down on the couch next to her and Sirius took the seat on the other side of her. She laid her head on Harry's shoulder while Sirius threaded his fingers with hers. Ron, Ginny, and the twins watched on in silence as if they weren't really sure what to do. Finally, Fred (or was it George?) broke the silence.

"Gin, why don't you come with George and I? We have a product we want to try on Ronnikins and we need your help." Ginny wasn't stupid. She knew that the twins were trying to get her to give Hermione some privacy. She gave Hermione a smile before she turned to her twin brothers and nodded. Hermione waa grateful. As much as she adored the Weasleys, they wouldn't have understood just where her grief was coming from.

Remus and Ron took seats in the arm chairs across from the couch and everyone seemed to wait for someone else to break the silence. Finally, Sirius took it upon himself.

"Would you like me to heal your face, Poppet?" She turned to meet his eyes as she nodded. The room watched as Sirius produced his wand and muttered the incantation to heal the bruises marring the skin on her face and throat. Once they were gone, Sirius pocketed his wand again and Hermione relaxed. Harry shifted underneath her just enough for her to slide a smidgen closer.

"What happened to your face, 'Mi?" Harry's voice, while soft and seemingly sweet, had steel unlying his tone. She was embarrassed by what had happened to her so she turned her face just a little further into his chest so she didn't have to meet anyone's eyes.

"The oldest boy at that horrid house pinned me in the bathroom. He held me by the throat and felt on me. I was able to knee him in the groin and punch him in the face. He caught my hair as I ran past, but I managed to throw him down the stairs. The couple who ran the house asked me what happened and when I told them, George backhanded me for snitching." Harry fisted his hand in her curls so he could make her look him in the eyes.

"Did that boy do anything to you? Do we need to get Madam Pomfrey?" The rest of the room was silent as Hermione looked in Harry's eyes.

"No, he just felt me over my clothes. Nothing else happened." The rest of the room was quiet until Sirius chuckled. Everyone looked at him like he was crazy save Hermione. He held up his hands in surrender.

"I'm sorry, maybe it's bad form to laugh, but I just can't get the picture out of my head of tiny little Poppet here knocking some big bloke down the stairs after she punched him in the face. Bet he thinks twice before he tries that again." Hermione couldn't believe that she was about to laugh about something so serious, but she was. This is why Sirius would have been wonderful to have with her through her ordeal with her parents.

The room watched in surprise as she laughed alongside Sirius. It was several minutes before they quieted and Hermione laid her head back down on Harry's shoulder. Remus gave her a knowing look.

"Want to talk about it?" Her breath hitched involuntarily at his words. Tears started to trickle down her cheeks, the first she had cried aside from the two she had cried when she had first seen Remus. Sirius reached out and rubbed a hand on her knee in support. Before she realized what was happening, she was sobbing and trying to talk at the same time.

"It was so terrible. I was sitting by my pool in my bikini and the next I knew I was throwing on clothes and rushing to the hospital. My dad was already dead when I got there, but I got to see my mum. I tried to donate a kidney to her, but I wasn't a match. We had a short talk before she died in my arms." Hermione couldn't stop once she had started.

"It was so terrible and lonely at the same time. I had Isobel with me, but she barely knows me. I was so fucking sad and so fucking lonely. I wanted one of you there with me so bad. I never realized how fucking difficult it was to conceal the fact that I was magical when I couldn't even do magic. I had so many people ask me why I had a stick stuck in my hair." Harry wrapped his arms completely around her now so he could rock her softly.

"I had given up on you all. The day I wrote Harry, the London bobbies showed up and told me that I had to go into foster care until Dumbledore could be reached. It was so bloody terrible there, the couple felt nothing for those kids. I had resigned myself to staying there until September. I had been so sure that I wouldn't be there long at all. As thrilled as I am that I got to leave, I feel guilty for leaving the others. I just feel so much right now that I think I may explode."

Hermione felt Harry lift her fully into his lap and she buried her face in his neck. Nobody said a word, they simply listened to her sob and cry to the point where she was almost sick. She felt Sirius' hand tangle in her hair as he bent over to kiss the back of her head. She had almost calmed down when she finally spoke again.

"What's going to happen to me now? I have nowhere to go and who knows what Professor Dumbledore has planned for me. I mean, he sends Harry back to those horrid relatives of his every fucking summer, he'll probably send me off somewhere just as terrible." Even over her sobs, she heard someone stand and leave the room. She could only assume that it was Ron, and for the life of her, she didn't know why. Maybe the show of emotion had finally become too much for him.

Remus stood and knelt at her knees while Sirius leaned over. Sirius spoke, but Remus nodded his agreement.

"You're going to come right back here, Poppet. Dumbledore may be using it as Headquarters, but it's my home. Don't think that we'll let him send you back to a terrible place such as that." Harry nodded above her.

"If he tries to, I'll tell him I'll just run away from my aunt's house to save you. He won't want me to take that big of a risk." Hermione instantly sat up and glared at her best friend.

"Don't you dare, Harry. Your safety is more important than my happiness over the holidays." He gave her a smile before answering.

"Not to me. I'll do what I have to." She was saved from answering by Ron returning with a glass of water. He bent down and handed it to her. She took it with a smile before she took a long drink. When she finished it, she gave Ron a smile.

"Thanks, Ron. I didn't even realize how thirsty I was." His cheeks tinged red, but he remained quiet.

Hermione finally relaxed completely against Harry and tried to listen to the chatter going on around her. Everyone knew she was embarrassed about her breakdown and they were doing their best not to draw attention to it.

She was in a light doze when she felt Harry shift her out of his lap so she could lay on the couch between himself and Sirius. He laid her head in his lap and he stroked her curls softly. Sirius reached out and pulled her shoes off so he could softly rub her instep.

Finally, she was surrounded by people who loved her and for the first time in two weeks, she felt like things just might be alright. Her heavy thoughts all but disappeared as she felt full sleep take her under.

A/N- Another one bites the dust! Hermione is finally back with her friends in the wizarding world. Yay! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. For those holding on to the hope of a fic where Ron is not a bag of dicks, this is not your fic. He's gonna be a huge prick in this fic. Maybe next time around...anyways, leave me a message after the beep.

Next up, Harry's birthday and Hermione's plans in regards to the information she learned in the hospital with her mother.

Love,

Alicia