Chapter 2

'Hermione! Get down here right now! It's time to leave!'. My mother always gets particularly rowdy the closer it gets to the start of the school year. As if even the reminder of Hogwarts disgusts her. The last day of Summer is always the worst. She can't wait to get rid of me. My fater, if he did speak to me at all, would probably be the same.

'I'm coming! One minute!' I grab my trunk and my cat and run down the stairs. I'm just as excited to leave this house as they are to be rid of me. If only they knew I had no plans of coming back next year. The only thing keeping them from kicking me out in the first place is the government check they receive every month. Unfortunately for them, they wont be receiving anymore checks after next year when I turn 18. Might as well get out while I can on my own terms.

The ride to the train station is silent, like it is every year, until my mother decides to break it 'Hermione, don't get into any more trouble this year. I don't want any more letters in the door from Headmaster Dumbledore telling us that you and your weird friends are in the infirmary again or have gotten into more trouble.' She doesn't like going to the castle, especially if its because of something I did. My father mumbles his agreement and that's the end of our conversation.

When we reach the train station or goodbye is short and I'm sent on my way. I wont hear from them during the school year, and they wont hear from me either.

The platform is crowded, as it usually is. I can see all the new first years nervous faces. I was like them once. I was so eager to please all the professors and upper class men. Now I realise how stupid I was. The professors don't care about the students unless their rich pureblood donators or wickedly smart and perfect students. Lucky for me I'm the latter. I leave them alone and they leave me alone.

'Oof! Watch where your going Granger.' I stumble into a broad chest and look up into cold grey eyes. 'Malfoy?' 'Yes Granger, surely your Summer spent with muggles hasn't rendered you completely idiotic'. He looks at me and I can see him eye me up and down discreetly. He thinks I don't notice but I do.

I was always a bushy haired know it all not afraid to pick a fight with Malfoy before, but over the Summer I decided to put a little more effort into how I look. I discovered hair products actually meant for curls and fixed my skin with some makeup charms. I've always had a slim figure but I've come into my curves, and started wearing clothes to enhance this. Mu uniform actually fits my body for once, and if I do say so myself, I look good.

Malfoy has improved over the years also. Speaking objectively of course, he's grown taller and more muscular. His platinum hair is always parted in that deliberately messy 'just shagged' look and he was always quite attractive. He'll have all the girls drooling after him this year for sure.

'Whatever', he says after I don't answer him. 'I'll see you around Granger'. And with that he goes to find his seat, as should I.

I find Harry, Ron and Ginny in a compartment towards the back of the train. They don't even acknowledge when I sit down, except for Ginny who looks like I just killed her cat or something. 'Hey guys', I try to get their attention. Harry looks up. 'Oh, Hey Mione, how was your Summer.' Terrible. 'It was good, I caught up on some reading', I hear Ginny mumble 'swat' under her breath but choose to ignore her. 'How was yours?'. 'It was alright, I spent the summer at the burrow'. Thanks for the invite guys. I look to Ron who's avoiding my stare. Of course he's too cowardly to even look at me.

'Did you hear?' Ginny interrupts. 'You know who has been spotted even more frequently over the last few months. He's been gathering troops and plundering villages killing off mud-muggleborns. Oh well I suppose not since you don't have access to the prophet in your muggle village. You should watch our back', she smirks, as if I missed her little slip up and her backhanded threat. I smile sweetly at her 'Thanks for letting me know'.

Harry and Ron snicker and then turn to me. 'So mione',Ron smiles, 'I had a bit of trouble with that Summer assignment snape gave us, do you think you could help me?'. Of course. He probably didn't even start it. 'Oh and I didn't get around to doing the DADA assignment either', Harry adds. 'I was too busy helping Dumbledore with some secret Hogwarts business. I hide my snort. He thinks I'm buying this? Well like I've said, this year will be different.

'Sorry boys, I'm just not up for doing all your work for you this year. Maybe you should have done the work yourselves for once'. I get up to leave as they stare at me as if I've just announced I'm Voldemort himself. 'Wha- bu- Hermione!?' Ron looks outraged. His face is the same colour as his hair. 'What do you mean, you always do our work for us. How is this any different?'.

Inside I'm fuming. How can he think that I would just sit around all the time waiting to do his dirty work. I'm sick of it. I would rather be alone for the rest of my life than let them walk all over me. I ignore their please and storm out, looking for another compartment when I run into something hard and land smack on the floor.

'We need to stop meeting like this', I look up and see the same calculating grey eyes I saw earlier. Perfect.