A/N: This is the first chapter of this story. Please favorite, follow and review, it would be much appreciated, thank you! Please be kind.

Warning: This story is rated M

ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS STORY IS RATED M FOR LATER CHAPTERS

This chapter is rated T

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters associated, credit to J.K Rowling

Chapter 1: Belonging

September 1st couldn't come around quickly enough for Hermione. Her holiday was spent burying her nose in the newest and oldest books, some covers of which had begun to fall apart. The war hadn't dampened her joy and passion for books, her heart would still race every time she bought one or discovered something new. Her eyes scanning the many pages, drinking in the information that lay before her. She would forever thank her mother for introducing her to books, she still remembered the first time she read a book by herself, making her mother cry with joy. But a newfound joy had also wormed its way into Hermione's conscious. A boy, no, a man. The very man she had adored since her first year, a man who made her angry, excited, and happy. This was the man she wanted to spend her life with, to hold and cherish as they grew old together. She desperately wanted this boy to be hers, I mean, they had kissed for goodness sake, why was it so difficult to just…be together. She missed him so much. He had recently set off to France with Harry in the start of their pursuit to become fully trained Aurors. She remembered his face the night they left; he had looked her dead in the eye after giving her a bone crushing hug before whispering the words "Stay safe, little dove". She was never given the chance to respond as he had merely turned away from her, grabbed his suitcase and bolted out the door after Harry, ready to catch their portkey. She blushed a little at the memory of his sweet endearment, he had never called anyone that before, so what made her so special to be the first one to receive such affection? Her heart, however, gave a sad thud in the realization that they would not see each other again for 6 months. 6 months of uncertainty, uncertainty of what they were, how they felt about each other. Hermione could only sit and wait and pray the man she loved dearly would replicate such feelings.

She remembered the weeks that led up to their hasty goodbye, they had avoided being with each other alone, didn't always look at each other in the eye. Things weren't...awkward, by any means, but in Hermione's view, things were starting to get uncomfortable. There were points during this time that Hermione began to believe that Ron hated her, that she had somehow hurt him disgusted him by what she had done. But her worries usually disappeared when he would sometimes look her dead in the eye and give her his trademark heartwarming smile, making her knees tremble and her body turn to jelly. She would occasionally catch him staring at her, with an impression she couldn't quite figure out, he would usually realize he had been caught and would blush while apologizing. It was at moments like that, that she would have small glimmers of hope that he felt something for her, more than a friendship.

Hermione was brought out of her trance by a sharp elbow digging into her ribs. She turned her body slightly to reveal an expectant looking Ginny, who held out a chocolate frog to her. It was only then that Hermione remembered that they were currently on the train to Hogwarts, ready for their final year. Four other girls in their carriage stared at her too, Pavarti, Padma, Luna and Lavender, all returning to complete their final year at Hogwarts. Hermione had no issues hanging around them during other years, she would happily spend time with them in the girl's dormitories, laughing about silly things. But this year was difference, everything had changed. They had all grown older, more judgmental; everything was about appearance, in Hermione's mind. The very thought of which brought memories of harsh judgement from the muggle girls who lived down her street, silently judging her the days where she would return home to her parents for the holidays, whispering just loud enough to hear their harsh words. The thought of dealing with such events again was terrifying, she couldn't bear the pain, especially if it meant not have Ron around to protect her. Though, if Hermione had taken more time than a simple glance to look at them, she would have seen the sympathetic expressions on their faces, Ginny had told them about Ron, with Parvati herself knowing the feeling longing and long-distance relationships.

"Are you okay Hermione?" Ginny whispered as she grasped Hermione's hand in hers, "Tell us what's wrong," Although she knew all too well what Hermione was thinking about. She felt the same. Herself and Harry still hadn't discussed their relationship either, sending him off the France without any hint of reconciliation.

"Oh, n-nothing," Hermione whispered, turning her face away from the girls and concentrating her focus out of the window, trying to enjoy the pleasant mountains views, dreaming of running her hands across the grass and she walked through the meadows. Her eyes drifted to the sky, watching the clouds roll by quickly as the train sped along. She spotted rabbits, foxes and deer running across the hillside, running free towards the beautiful crystal lake at the mountain summit.

Turning her attention back to her thoughts of Ron, she sighed. She wanted to be happy for him, happy that he was finally able to prove to everyone what he was capable of. But to do it without her was both painful and disheartening, and yes, he looked distraught to have to leave her, but did that really mean he loved her? It was all too confusing, she just hoped he would be given at least one holiday to come and visit them, just seeing his face would enough to calm her.

A week later, Hermione found herself in the same frame of mind, sat alone in her special place in the Hogwarts library, the floor covered with discarded books and parchment. She hadn't been able to focus on her studies and she hated herself for it. Stupid Ron for being caught up in her head. Even her dreams were about him, his eyes, his hair, his face closing into hers as they made love. Hermione almost snorted out loud before remembering where she was, she blushed, quickly looking around to check she was still alone. Her thoughts were immediately brought back to Ron, she sighed sadly, starting to become irritated with herself for letting him invade her mind. The sound of muffled voices and the shuffle of footsteps from the corridor outside suggested that classes were starting soon. She hastily packed her bags, before stacking some of the borrowed books back onto the shelf above her desk and took off towards her charms lesson. Nothing, however, could have prepared her for the sight she was met with when she opened the door of the classroom.

Empty.

"Miss Granger," A high pitch voice came from behind her, causing her to spin around in fright, "I'm sure you are aware that this week is study week, therefore…" Professor McGonagall paused with her eyebrows raised.

"No classes," Hermione whispered, cursing herself for once again being distracted.

"Is there an issue, Miss Granger?" McGonagall pressed as she noticed the distressed look on Hermione's face. She was met with silence.

"Hermione," She whispered softly, and Hermione's face shot up to look at her, surprised by the use of her first name, "If I am not mistaken, a certain young man is keeping you from being yourself," McGonagall continued as she gave Hermione a knowing look. Hermione blushed furiously as she continued to stay silent for a few moments.

"I miss him Professor," She eventually whispered, feeling the tears start to build up in her eyes. They weren't even together for goodness sake, why was she getting so emotional? Before McGonagall could respond, Hermione had already taken off down the corridor, wiping her tears away in frustration as she made her way back to her secret spot in the library. She angrily yanked out her parchment and books before scribbling down notes messily. After two lines of unreadable mess, she gave up and slumped in her chair, desperate for her tears to disappear.

"Hermione?" A soft voice called from the door. Hermione looked up to see Pavarti standing there, looking incredibly awkward and uncomfortable after seeing her tears.

"Hi, sorry am I in your way?" Hermione said as she began to hastily pack up her things.

"No, no, I just wanted to see if you were okay, I saw you crying and…well we don't each other that well since we haven't spoken that much recently and…" Pavarti paused, furrowing her eyebrows as if in deep thought, "I wanted to see if we could study together," She finally finished as she looked up at Hermione again. Hermione felt her body relax and a genuine smile spread across her face. Someone was willing to study with her, for the first time, as if she was going to turn that offer down.

"Yeah sure…here, there's a spare desk," She pointed vaguely over to the spare desk. Pavarti smiled and closed the door behind her as she made her way further into the room.

"I love this room," The girl said as she started getting her books out of her bag, "I don't come here much but I think i'll enjoy it, it's so peaceful, you must love it," She gave a small chuckle before starting to get frustrated with her bag. Hermione was shocked, Pavarti had never held this long of a coversation with her before, maybe things weren't so bad after a year of next to no socialization. Taking pity on her, Hermione grabbed her spare quill and tossed it at Pavarti.

"Keep it, these ones last a long time, I've had mine since 2nd year,".

Pavarti picked up the quill and smiled.

"Thank you, I swear I had one this morning, mum always sends me with a new every year,".

The two then sat in silence, scribbling away at their parchment, occasionally strolling to other parts of the room to search for books. It was a comfortable silence, it almost made Hermione tear up, realizing this was the first time she had had a study partner. It gave her a sense of acceptance, something that normal girls had when they studied. Hermione was grateful that she had a few hours before she would start thinking about Ron again. She glanced up at the window, Slytherin boys filled the narrow path down towards the Quidditch pitch, lugging their brooms carelessly behind them. Hermione couldn't help but notice that many of them had gotten quite attractive since the summer, but shook her head, only one person had the full attention of her. Her eyes wandered away from the boys to the Whomping Willow, its branches still as the wind blew away the remaining leaves dotted on it. She smiled at the memory of Ron enthusiastically recounting the story of himself and Harry crashing his dad's car in 2nd year, dramatically waving his arms about in the process. She remembered herself smiling inside, pretending to be irritated with him on the outside, but she secretly loved the adorableness of his story telling skills.

Three hours into their study session, Pavarti began to pack up her things.

"Thanks for today Hermione, it's been nice having someone there for company, fancy joining us later for a girl's night?" She asked as she flung her bag over her shoulder, heading towards the door. Hermione hesitated for a moment, before shaking her head.

"I can't, sorry, I'm so behind," She wasn't, "Maybe some other time, thank you for the offer though," She whispered, feeling a sudden need for Pavarti to leave her alone. With a final smile and a polite nod, Pavarti left the room and made her way out towards the Gryffindor common room. Hermione sighed in relief, she hated how socially awkward she was, even around other girls. She desperately wanted to be part of big girl group, always laughing, being there for each other, but at the same time, she preferred her independence, or to be around one or two people at a time. Feeling the stress leave her body, Hermione grabbed a book from the pile and settled herself down on one of the room's many sofas, choosing one that gave her a view of the snowy mountains in the distance. She adored Hogwarts, it reminded her of the many holidays she and her parents went on to Norway. Spending hours trekking up the mountains, taking muggle photos of the view from the peak before hastily making their way down and back to their luxurious hotel. She felt her emotions rise thinking about them. The most important people in her life were currently away from her, her parents, Harry, Ron. Wiping her eyes with her robe she shook her head to clear it before settling back down to read her book.

The next day, Hermione awoke from the most beautiful dream she had ever had. Ron had kissed her; told her she was gorgeous and amazing. She blushed, berating herself for being so pathetic. A girl could only dream. She slowly raised herself up in bed, stretching her limbs as she did so. Today was a big step in Hermione's social life, Ginny had invited her to join the girls in the courtyard for lunch, something anyone would do with next to no thought whatsoever. But for Hermione, this was big. She had never had many friends anyway, let alone friends who were girls, always feeling awkward and unwanted or feeling too self-conscious look any of them in the eye for the fear of harsh judgement. Regardless of these thoughts, Hermione lifted her chin up high and got dressed, attempting to distract herself from the upcoming event by thinking about the nice weather outside. Despite her last-minute attempts to stay calm, Hermione became more and more anxious as they day progressed, wishing 12' O clock would hurry up. Eventually, time took mercy on her and soon herself and Ginny were making their way to the courtyard, arm in arm as they spotted the girls. Hermione felt her body relax as Pavarti waved at her before running over and embracing her in a bone-crushing hug.

"We thought you guys had bailed," She laughed as she released Hermione and quickly hugged Ginny before the three of them joined the circle.

"As if, Hermione just decided to take twice as long to get ready," Ginny grinned, nudging Hermione with her elbow.

Padma quickly started the gossip about the latest news from the girl's dormitory from Ravenclaw, not that Hermione cared, but she listened in non the less, losing interest as the conversation turned into discussing, or rather giggling about, the boys they liked. Hermione was grateful when Ginny turned to her and started ranting about the lack of interest this year for the Quidditch trials, not liking the fact that only a select few even bothered to show up after putting their names down for a practice run. Luna, on the other hand, stared intently at the sky, not bothering to look at the girls when they addressed her. Her eyes darting every so often, as she had spotted the most amazing magical creature ever discovered. After trying to explain to the girls what she was 'seeing', they left her to it, remembering that after all, this was Luna Lovegood. Hermione didn't mind though, she had never been so happy to be in her presence, it almost felt like an escape from the real world, just sitting and staring at the clouds all day, watching shooting stars at night, wishing upon them for a better tomorrow. Lavender, however, merely remained silent, but throughout the whole afternoon, she stared at Hermione, as if she was trying to calculate something, not that Hermione noticed. She still had feelings for Ron, but knew she had serious competition whilst Hermione was still hanging around with him. She wasn't the petty girl from 6th year by all means, but she certainly would not give up a fight for a boy she wanted for herself. As the sun began to set over the courtyard, creating the most beautiful sunset, the girls began to pack up and head towards the Gryffindor tower, ready to turn in for the night. The corridors were full to the brim of students, shoving each other into walls as they desperately wanted to be the first up the stairs. Hermione smiled at the scenes ahead of her, she missed the chaos, the noise, the laughter, it felt like home, it was a sense of belonging. She belonged here.

"I can't believe we are actually back," Padma whispered as she walked alongside Hermione, seeming completely bewildered by the sight of the common room ahead of them as they climbed the stairs.

"I know, It's weird how fast time flies," Hermione replied as they settled on one of the empty sofas. Glancing around the room, she noticed how full it was, groups of first years learning to play exploding snap for the first time. Groups of boys gathered around numerous chest boards, shouting at every move made and every game won. The noise was too great to study, but Hermione didn't mind for once, for the first time since she had arrived, she felt happy. Feeling a sudden wave of tiredness, she yawned and wished goodnight to her friends before trudging up to the girl's dormitory. Before she could reach there, she found a note on the door addressed to her. She quickly read it, gasping in disbelief and joy.

Miss Hermione Granger,

I am delighted to inform you that you have been selected as Gryffindor Head Girl. Please take this letter and come to my office to collect you codes and instructions.

McGonagall

Without any further hesitation, Hermione bolted down the stairs, out of the common room and straight towards Professor McGonagall's office, where she banged on the door.

"Enter," A stern voice echoed from behind the door. Hermione entered the room to face Professor McGonagall at her desk. Spying the note crumpled in Hermione's fist, McGonagall smiled slightly, before indicating Hermione to take a seat. Taking off her glasses, McGonagall eyed her for a second before launching into an explanation.

"Before you say anything, Miss Granger, yes, that note is from me, and yes, I want you to be Head Girl," She began, her heart warming at the sight of Hermione's face lighting up at the news, "You have worked so hard over these past few years and I feel that you are the most deserving of such position, a position of which I know you will take seriously," She finished, watching Hermione grin like the Cheshire Cat.

"Absolutely, Professor, I promise to take this responsibility and not let you down," She replied, almost bouncing in her seat in excitement.

"Very well Miss Granger, here," McGonagall grabbed a piece of parchment from her desk and handed it to Hermione, "These are the codes you can use to open the Head Girl's bedroom, don't lose them, they will not be replaced," She finished in a stern voice, but cracked a small smile all the same.

"Thank you so much Professor, goodnight," And with that, Hermione bolted out the door and down the private corridor to the Head Girl's bedroom before halting outside the door. Looking down at the piece of parchment, she studied the words.

Love

Angel

Dove

She furrowed her brows at the choice of words, wondering why these had been selected for such a simple task. Shrugging her shoulders, she muttered "Love", before the door swung open, revealing the most amazing bedroom Hermione had ever seen. The king-size bed didn't even take up half of the floor space available, a giant window allowed the moonlight to pour in, scattering the room with pools of light and shadows. The hanging curtains around the bed slipped through Hermione's fingers as she traced them delicately before turning her attention to the rows of bookshelves that reached up to the ceiling. Her eyes then darted over to the big desk that stood proudly in the corner of the room, almost taking as much space as the bed. She then noticed that her belongings had already been brought in from her dormitory bed, most likely by the house elves. She cringed; she would pay them later for their service. Her eyes continued to dart around the room, occasionally resting on objects or pieces of furniture that took her fancy. Hermione had never thought about her taste in interior design, but this room was certainly giving her ideas for when she bought a house of her own. Speaking of which, she hoped a certain someone would be joining her, spending his days quietly working while she brought him coffee, spending hours sitting together of the sofa, watching the world go by. Smiling to herself she got dressed for bed, slipping on her nightgown, and snuggled down in her enormous new bed, enjoying the peace and quiet of the still evening. It was a pleasant evening, grey sky but no storm threatening to lash out at any moment, the temperature of the room had dropped considerably during the time she had been wandering about, but regardless, she felt warm inside as she turned to face on her side, facing away from the window. She allowed her eyes to wander up and down the wall in front of her, paintings of meadows and flowers seemed to be a theme nowadays in the castle, though anything is better than some whiny witches complaining about students making too much noise. The room was homely, that was no doubt in Hermione's mind, but was it was far too spacious for just one inhabitant. Deciding not to dwell too much on this, Hermione closed her eyes, ready for her pleasant dreams to await her. Suddenly, the sound of tapping filled the room. Hermione looked over to the window to see Pig pecking at the glass. Hermione rolled her eyes before turning back over.

Wait.

PIG.

Hermione all but threw herself out of bed and ran to the window to let Ron's owl in, regretting it immediately as he flew into the bookshelf, knocking himself out cold.

"Awe Pig, c'mere buddy," She muttered, gently picking the owl off the floor, and placing him softly on one of the cushions on her sofa. She then, with shaking hands, took the letter that was attached to his feet and walked back over to her bed before tearing open the envelop and beginning to read the contents.

Dear Hermione,

I'm so sorry I didn't write sooner, the postal service is really, really slow in France, Harry's been trying to do the same for Ginny. Anyways, I just wanted to write to you to tell you that I miss you so much. I know we didn't get the greatest send off, and I've been worried that you got a bad impression, but seriously Hermione, I can't wait to see you again.

I hope your first few weeks have been good, hopefully you haven't been too stuck in your studies and had some fun. I'm sorry Harry and I aren't there with you, you know we would have loved too. Mum told me that you were a bit upset at King's Cross before you got on the train, is everything alright? I don't have to beat anyone up do I?

Anyways so yeah, I miss you and I can't wait to see you again, as soon as you get this, please reply to me, I want to know that you are okay and so I can stop panicking.

See you soon,

Yours, Ron.

Hermione let out a little squeal of delight and held the letter close to her chest, her eyes filled with happy tears. He had thought about her, worried about her so much that he needed to write to her. She dropped the letter in her lap, cupping her cheeks with her hands, blushing adorably as she shook her head in disbelief. Without further hesitation, Hermione picked up the letter and made her way over to her new desk, grabbing a piece of parchment as she went. She grabbed one of the new quills provided and began scribbling neatly. She determinedly tried not to sound too eager, but she couldn't help it, he hadn't written to anyone else, just her.

Dear Ron,

Thank you for writing, I was so pleased to hear from you. Please don't apologize for our goodbye, I was going to be upset anyway leaving you behind. I know you'll do amazing and so will Harry. I'm so glad you are both okay and safe. I can't wait to see you too.

I've missed you so much Ron, I really have, It's been so difficult being here without you, it doesn't feel the same. I hope to see you again soon. I was upset at King's Cross because I miss you both so much, it didn't feel right, but we'll get through it.

Can't wait to see you soon.

Yours, Hermione – P.s. Pig knocked himself out again, you really need to have a word with that bird.

She giggled slightly before wrapping the letter up in an envelope before turning around to see that Pig had awoken, desperately trying to take off again. She quickly made her way over to him before attaching her letter to his feet.

"Be careful," She warned him, "This is for Ron, and be safe for goodness sake," She laughed before throwing him out the window and watched him soar into the distance. Feeling satisfied that Pig hadn't caused himself any injuries, Hermione returned to bed and fell into a deep sleep, one that she had been very much starved of.

The soft hooting of the owls outside her window awoke Hermione from her deep sleep. She lowly turned her head towards the window, slowly opening her eyes, squinting as the sunlight burst through the gaps in the curtains. A smile started to spread across her face as she remembered where she was, she loved her room so much, it was so homely. She turned her gaze up to the ceiling and gasped. Vast scenes of angels and figures covered the ceiling, reminding her of decorations of tapestries she used to see in museums with her parents. She took in every detail, scanning her eyes over the angel's faces, wondering the story behind each scene. Her attention suddenly turned towards the door as she heard a heavy knock from the other side. Grabbing her dressing gown and wand, she made her way over to the door, opening it to reveal Ginny. Her face was bright red, her cheeks stained from tears, but her eyes were sparkling.

"They're coming home," She squealed before launching herself into Hermione's unsuspecting arms. Hermione suddenly realized what this meant. Ron was coming home. Home. She began to squeal with Ginny, holding her closer to her, spinning her around.

"When will they be here?" Hermione questioned as she let go of Ginny to look her in the face.

"Tomorrow!" Ginny squealed. Before Hermione could respond, Ginny hugged her again before turning around and running down the corridor back to the dormitory.

Hermione smiled, feeling like she was about to explode with happiness as she closed the door behind her and sighed, wishing tomorrow would hurry up.

A/N: NEXT CHAPTER COMING SOON - I AM AIMING FOR 25 CHAPTERS FOR THIS STORY