Voicing is in regular
Thoughts are in italics
Parseltongue is in bold


September first arrived quickly for the occupants of 12 Grimmauld Place. The Order had an escort to take Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Ron and the Twins to Kings Cross. Albus didn't want any surprises. Moody, Tonks, Molly and Sirius were escorting them. Sirius was going as a dog though. They took a Portkey to a deserted alleyway near the train station.

They were ushered quickly onto the platform and then into the train.

"You lot be careful!" Molly cried.

Her pleases fell on deaf ears.

"Well, we must…"

"get going to…"

"find Lee." The Twin said right before they scampered off.

"Come on, let's go find a compartment." Hermione said as she started looking for an empty one.

"Hermione, why don't we sit in this one?" Ginny asked, indicating a compartment that only had one occupant.

Hermione smirked, the sole occupant was Luna Lovegood. "Sure, why not?"

As they entered the compartment, Hermione asked, "Luan, is it aright if we sit with you."

"Of course…" Luna almost said, 'my Princess' but thankfully when she saw Ron stopped herself.

"What! Why are we sitting with Loony Lovegood?" Ron hissed.

"She's in Ravenclaw, she can't be that loony." Hermione snapped.

"Besides, she's my friend." Ginny defended her.

"Fine, but I'm not sitting beside her." Ron grumbled as he took the seat closest to the door.

"Hermione would you like the window seat?" Luna asked, dreamily.

"Yes, thank you." Hermione answered smiling.

"Did you hear about the Azkaban break out?" Luna asked in a conspiratorial voice, winking at Hermione and Ginny.

"I heard that all the Death Eaters were released." Ginny whispered.

Both girls looked at Hermione for conformation. "Voldemort must be planning something big if he broke his lieutenants out of prison."

"Who cares, Hermione, I say we kill them all." Ron said nonchalantly.

Both Ginny and Luna had to forcibly restrain Hermione from strangling Ron.

"I wonder who out new DADA professor is." Harry tried to break the tension.

"Well, no matter who it is they will only last a year. So, if the professor is horrible we only have to endure one year. If it is an amazing professor we will make the best of the year we have with them." Hermione informed them.

"And how, exactly, do you know that they will only last one year?" Ron sneered.

Hermione turned and looked at him, "Voldemort jinxed the office." (Duh)

The rest of the train ride and subsequent journey to Hogwarts passed in mostly quite. The silence was only broken by Luna taking about magical creatures that probably didn't exist. The only exciting thing that happened was when Harry saw the Thestrals. He flipped out.

"Don't worry, Harry I can see then too." Luna dreamily stated.

Hermione ran her hand over its snout, "Beautiful creatures, Thestrals. Only those who have seen death can see one. That is why they are so feared."

"Who did you two see die?" Harry asked.

"My mum" Luna said, "She like to experiment with potions and one day it went bad… I was only nine."

Hermione decided the best thing to do was to tell the truth, to a degree "I must have been very small, because I don't remember."

Thankfully they made it the Great Hall without any further incidents. However, little did they know that they had an unpleasant surprise waiting for them inside.


The first thing Hermione noticed was that there was a little woman in pink, whose face resembled a toad sitting at the teachers table.

"Where's Hagrid, he wasn't at the boats and now he's not here." Harry looked rather concerned.

Hermione merely narrowed her eyes.

As Albus got up to give the start of term speech, Harry whispered "That woman was at my hearing. She works for Fudge."

"Well, that's just great!" Hermione acidly spat, "That woman was at your mock trial. Personally I think that Fudge just wanted you out of Hogwarts. Now, he sends his bitch to keep an eye on you."

"I don't think they are sleeping together." Harry smiled.

"With ministry personnel, you never know." Hermione snarled. "She is going to totally fuck up the DADA class!"

Umbridge stood up and in an annoying happy voice said, "Hem, hem, thank you headmaster for those kind words of wisdom."

All the students stared at her in shock, while the professors looked outraged – she had interrupted Albus.

Albus merely sat down and appeared to pay rapt attention to her.

"How lovely it is to be back at Hogwarts, I must say." Madam Undersecretary Professor Dolores Jane Umbridge smiled way too brightly, she went on about the changes that were going to go on at Hogwarts, how wonderful Hogwarts, and that there would be changes. From the tone of her message if you didn't swallow this shit hook line and sinker, you were against the Ministry.

"Well, I for one am not drinking the kool aid." Hermione snarled. "Come on Ron we need to show the first years around."

Ron leaned down to whisper to Harry, "I, for one, am scared for those first years."

"First years, this way!" Hermione yelled, causing all the professor to snap their heads in her direction.

Minerva whispered to Albus, "How did she make prefect?"

"The governors insisted because of her grades."

The first years followed Hermione and Ron; Hermione talked the entire time they were walking about Hogwarts' history. Finally Ron had had enough.

"Hermione, no one cares, except for you. Let them have a peaceful night before lessons start, please, I'm being you." Ron literally got on his knees.

Hermione couldn't help the look of smugness that appeared on her face. "Now, the wonderful thing about our Common Room is that the Fat Lady guards it."

Before anyone could complain, the Fat Lady said "Why thank you dear, no one has ever said something like that to me. Password?"

"Mimbulus mimbletonia." Hermione smirked.

Hermione and Ron only had to wait five minutes for Harry to climb through the hole. He did not receive a welcoming invitation. As a matter of fact, most of the Gryffindors were hostile.

"Just because your families believe the shit that the Daily Prophet spins out doesn't mean it's true. Who else could have planned that mass break out?!" Hermione's eyes turned blood red.

"What is going on here?" Minerva asked, she had only heard Hermione's outburst.

Hermione turned to look Minerva in the eye, "Nothing, children being stupid is all." Hermione quickly swept out of the room.

Minerva was able to make it out of the Common Room before she lost it. Hermione…Hermione looked like Bella…but those eyes… Merlin, please do not let her father be who I think it is, please.

Hermione immediately went to bed to try to calm down. It was going to be a long year, she needed to keep her temper under control.