Hey, sorry it took so long, Went away over Christmas and New Year, you know the deal. Plus it was my B-day and i still haven't quite recovered from it....

I admit, the first chapter was a bit confusing, so for all you confunded people, Snape was looking at Harry, he was familiar because he looks so much like James. He didn't see Hermione, just heard her name. He couldn't bring himself to look at her. (i guess i should have made that clear) oh yeah, and there is another fic out there that has just started, i forgot to take note of the title or author though and i think it will turn out to be rather similar to mine at some point, but i like to think at least some of my ideas are original.

Hermione Granger sighed as she stepped onto the Hogwarts Express. It was one of the last times she would make this trip as a student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, it being her 7th year and all.

She hadn't spotted Ron or Harry yet, but she knew they couldn't be far away, the train was scheduled to depart in 10 minutes. She dragged her trunk along the carriages until she found an empty compartment and then sat down to wait for them. Stretching her long legs out in front of her, she admired the tan that she had got that Summer in France. It was becoming quite a tradition for the Grangers to go to France during the break between years at Hogwarts, and this year was no exception. *Probably 'cos I always end up looking as pale as Moaning Myrtle after spending 10 months of the year in the Scottish Highlands sans sun* she thought wryly to herself. It had been especially good this Summer as she had gotten an owl to say that she was Head Girl just before they left for France.

It was like a fresh start, an opportunity to put the events of the past 5 years behind her. After helping to stop Voldemort from acquiring the Philosophers Stone (A/N I'm in New Zealand so it's British versions all the way) in her first year, she went on to face a giant spider and was Petrified by a basilisk in her second. In her third helped Sirius escape and freed a condemned Hippogriff , went through the death of a schoolmate - Cedric Diggory - in her fourth, a run in with The Order of The Phoenix (a splinter group of the Death Eaters which formed after Voldemort returned to signify his 'rise from the ashes') and a long distance relationship with a Quidditch champion in her 5th, and the death of another schoolmate - Colin Creevy (a horrible broomstick accident) and last year, the spectacular breakout of the Lestranges from Azkaban who then went on to come and terrorise Harry . (A/N I know it's really long winded, but I had to give some sort of explanation as to what went on in 5th and 6th years, and I couldn't really do that without 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th...)

"MIAW" Hermione jumped and looked down at her feet. "Sorry Crookshanks!" Her parents had made her put him in a pet carrier to go through Kings Cross Station as it was easier to carry everything that way. She bent down and undid the clasp, and Crookshanks sauntered out with his nose and tail in the air. Hermione reached out to pick him up, but he side stepped her and leapt onto the opposite seat and sat as far away from her as possible. "Fine then, be that way" the last thing she wanted to deal with right now was a temperamental kitty cat.

Just then the door slid open and Ron and Harry were standing there looking very red and gasping for air. There was a whistle and a jolt as the train moved off and they both fell forwards into a tangled heap on the floor. "Cutting it a bit fine, aren't we boys?" smirked Hermione.

"P-Percy - the - b-bloody - prat!" wheezed Ron, trying to disentangle himself from Harry.

"What did he do this time?" queried Hermione with one eyebrow raised as Harry and Ron hoisted themselves onto the seat opposite her.

It was Harry - still breathing rather heavily - who spoke next, as Ron, instead of regaining his composure, turned redder and redder. "Percy, as you know from our owls, has been made Vice Head - under Mr Weasley in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office at the Ministry. Well, Mr Weasley got his hands on another muggle car and - um - 'altered' it a bit - but it couldn't fly or anything this time" he added hastily as Hermione's eyes widened.

"He just made it roomier and put more storage space in it and stuff, you know, so he could fit everyone and everything in, and then Percy caught wind of it and went and confronted Mr Weasley about it -"
"HE WAS GOING TO ARREST HIS OWN FATHER!" bellowed Ron "Him and dad had a huge argument about it and in the end dad threatened to suspend Percy or to transfer him to the Office for House-Elf Relocation" "That quickly shut him up - but it made us really late" finished Harry.

Hermione sat there and looked at the two of them for a while. * Haha they look so cute when they are angry* It was then she noticed how much Ron and Harry had changed over the Summer. Oh sure they had changed a lot in the past 2 years, but it was now she noticed that they were young men. (as opposed to teenagers)

They had both gotten taller, Ron was now about 6'4" while Harry was around 6'2". She looked at Ron and noticed that his features had evened out a bit and his nose was now in perfect proportion to his face. His hair had lightened a bit and was now a dark strawberry blonde, however freckles still covered his face. She turned her attention to Harry. His hair hadn't changed at all, it still stuck out all over the place, but there was something different about him. There was a sadness in his emerald eyes. *Hardly surprising after what he's gone through in the past 6 years, what we've all been through*

She snapped out of her reverie and found Ron and Harry staring at her. Suddenly self conscious, and blushed. *Hmmm, guess they noticed my new look then*

Hermione, that summer, had decided to 'improve' her look and to start loosening up a little. She had gone shopping in muggle London with her mother and bought some new clothes - a present for being appointed Head Girl of Hogwarts this year. She had also gone to one of London's top salons where they had given her a few tips on how to apply makeup and do her hair and stuff.

That morning she had decided to wear her favourite outfit. A Carolina blue (here ya go Deb!) one shoulder tank top with a knee length denim skirt. Her auburn hair, instead of being frizzy and bushy fell lightly to her shoulders in soft waves, her blue rimmed chocolate eyes sparkled, and a few sun induced freckles dotted the bridge of her nose. She knew it was a tad dressy for school, but it was the last time she would be wearing muggle clothes for a while, and it was the only time she could show off her tan as it would be hidden under long black robes all year. She felt like a million dollars, and by the way Ron and Harry were staring, she knew she must have looked it.

"Gawk much" she said, trying to suppress a giggle.

Both Ron and Harry flushed a deep red and looked at the floor.

"Look guys, I know I've changed a little on the outside, but you know, I'm still old boring bookworm Hermione on the inside."

Harry was the first to look up, peering uncertainly from under his fringe.

Hermione stuck her tongue out at him. He grinned and elbowed Ron who also looked up with a wide grin on his face.

"What's up with Crookshanks?" Ron asked, noticing that the feline was sitting opposite Hermione glaring at her as opposed to curled up on her lap as usual. He was obviously still angry that she had forgotten about him.

"Here Crookshanks," she cooed, "he's just a bit upset with me for forgetting to take him out of his carrier." He ignored her again, and shifted his position so that he was facing the wall.

"Finally, the cat has realised what a waste of space Mudbloods are."

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Hey all, thanks heaps to those who reviewed. Mary, Gil, QuizzicalSphinx, Johnny, Christina Hilt, and Phaya.

I don't know when the next chapter will be up cos i haven't written it yet, but rest assured it will be ASAP