A/N: Thank you Spin for working through the idea with me and making sure all of this makes sense! I can't remember which one of us decided this is what we were going to do but I kinda like how we got here. I'm going to mostly leave off the Author's notes unless there's a warning or something for the chapter.

This story is cross-posted to AO3. Same username.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Hermione placed her bag beside her bed and nodded, mentally checking off her list; books packed, essays for Defence Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration complete. They'd been the only fun thing she'd managed all holiday.

The rest had been tantamount to a never-ending nightmare.

"Yo," Ginny said, coming in and dropping onto the bed. "Ron was asking if you'd lend him your Transfiguration textbook. He's not done his essay. And honestly, neither has Harry or anyone else."

"How does your brother even tie his shoes in the morning?" she groaned.

"With magic," Lavender Brown simpered, interrupting them. "Like the rest of us who are properly magical."

"God, you're on form Lav. On the first day back too," Ginny rolled her eyes. "And I'm pretty sure that insult only works on witches who are not smarter and better than you by about two hundred thousand miles."

Hermione smiled in thanks to Ginny and put her books away in her trunk. Lavender wasn't a nice person, but she generally didn't bother Hermione like she did a few of the others.

"Yeah well," Lavender said, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "I'd rather be pretty. Who's going to go out with a frumpy thing like her."

Hermione nodded to the door, grabbing her Transfiguration textbook and leaving in silence with Ginny beside her.

"Was she this bad, this early, last year?" Hermione asked as they descended the stairs.

"I heard she got some sort of modelling job over the summer," Ginny scoffed. "I didn't know magazines needed trolls anyway."

Hermione giggled and hugged Harry when he came to greet them properly.

"You alright?" she asked.

"Sure," he shrugged, nodding to Ron. "Good luck."

"'MIONE! 'Mione! Please, can I borrow your textbook?" He looked at his sister. "Did you not tell her?"

"Of course she told me, Ronald," Hermione uttered. "Where's yours?"

"No clue," he shrugged. "I think someone took it."

"Ron," Ginny groaned. "Why would they do that? You all have the same book! You probably left it at home 'cos you didn't pack it when Mum told you to."

"Shut up Ginny," he muttered, looking back at Hermione. "So I'll write to Mum. Please? Just for the night?" He put his hands together and knelt on the ground. "I'll give it back during class tomorrow?"

She considered saying no. She had a policy not to loan out her textbooks, but then she remembered she was essentially alone in the world. She needed all the friends she could keep.

"Get up," she shook her head, pulling it from behind her back. "I'm not kidding when I say this," he nodded. "If you lose this, I'll kill you."

"Thanks!" Ron grinned, grabbing the book from her hands and running out of the portrait hole.

"Hey!"

The portrait closed with a bang, leaving Hermione gaping at Harry.

"Was he that bad last year?" she asked, incredulously. "Was he that bad last week? Has everyone lost their mind?"

"No," Ginny groaned. "He's reached a whole new level of ass-holery today."

Harry laughed and passed Hermione and Ginny their cloaks, clipping his to his neck and taking a deep breath.

"Ready for tomorrow?" he asked, breaking the mood.

"Absolutely," she smiled. And she meant it. "I did six feet for Transfiguration."

"Overachieving as usual," he joked. "Hey, but did you see McGonagall when we came in?" Harry asked quietly. "She didn't look too hot."

"She'll still be recovering," Hermione mused. "Nobody is supposed to survive four stunners and it's not been that long you know."

She realised as she said it, he would, of course, know that. Sirius had died in front of him the very next day.

"Sorry Harry," she whispered, wrapping her arm around his and leaning into his shoulder.

"Ooh," Lavender shrieked, drawing the attention of most of the people in the common room."Got your claws in Harry Potter now!" she said nastily. "Anything to get ahead!"

"Shove off Lavender," Harry said loudly, raising his eyebrow as if daring her to say anything else.

Hermione squeezed his hand in thanks and they left, catching up with each other and Ginny until they entered the Great Hall, the three of them ready to start the year right.