Thursday morning before class started, Hermione began throwing together a quick bag of clothes and objects she might need. She loved going home, but hated it at the same time. She couldn't use magic there and it drove her insane to revert back to her old Muggle ways. It took her half the time she was home just to remember how to use everything.

Rushing, not used to be so disorganized, she managed to cram everything she wanted to bring into one small bag. A little moderation spell and the bag had shrunk noticeably in size. She tossed it on her bed for easy access when the day was done.

Her morning classes passed quickly and when she joined Ron and Harry in the Great Hall for lunch, she found that her appetite had decreased rapidly over the morning. When she sat down, she felt utterly revolted at the food in front of her.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, his mouth full of shepherd's pie.

"Nothing, I don't think," Hermione replied, clutching her stomach. "I just have a really bad feeling about something."

"You were fine this morning. It's too early to begin worrying about exams," Ron said soothingly but Hermione shook her head. "Is it about your family thing that you have to go to?"

"I don't know," Hermione replied as the clenching her in stomach passed. "I honestly don't know what it is. But it's gone now, so I'm not going to dwell on it."

Throughout the entire discussion, Harry had been somewhat quiet. Upon looking at him, Hermione noticed that he had cast his eyes downwards and was poking at his food with his fork. He looked thoughtful, yet concerned, but Hermione wasn't going to push him into saying anything.

"So the guy comes into Fred and George's store and asks if they have any prank jokes!" Ron crowed. He had been telling a story about his brothers' joke shop in Diagon Alley, but upon looking at his friends, he noticed that neither of them was listening. "Sorry if I'm boring you!" he sniffed.

Hermione snapped to attention. "You're not boring us!" she cried. "I'm just thinking."

It looked like it was on the tip of Ron's tongue to ask what was going on, but he kept silent, noticing that Harry was still in deep thought. He continued eating, watching his friends over his plate.

After lunch, Hermione stood up and began to walk away. Then she remembered that she wouldn't see her friends until after she came back so she turned into hallway to wave to them. "I'll see you on Monday!" she cried over the heads of people that were filing out of the Hall.
"Have fun!" Ron called back, smiling, but Harry simply waved. Ron noticed the hesitation and as Hermione left, he asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Harry said, watching Hermione's departing back. "Just a bad feeling."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Great! My two best friends are both crazy!" And with that, he and Harry left the Great Hall for class.

After Hermione's last lesson of the day, she flew upstairs to grab her bag and after one more moderation spell to make the bag even lighter, she left for the front entrance of the school where she was surprised to see Professor Dumbledore waiting for her.

"Just wanted to see you off," he said, but she knew he just wanted to see if she would change her mind about how she was getting to Hogsmeade.

"Thank you, Professor," she said, grinning. "I'll be fine. I'll see you Sunday." And then she began walking across the grounds to the pathway that led into Hogsmeade. She was aware that Professor Dumbledore was still watching her as she walked out of sight and she fought every temptation to turn and run back to him. Her fear increased as she walked along the path, especially during the dark, forestry area, but she soon emerged into the sunshine, thankful for the sensation of relief. She was in the centre of the Hogsmeade village and she began walking happily to the train station.

The ride home was fairly uneventful. She wrote a letter to Ron and Harry on the way, just to pass time. The train was littered with other witches and wizards eager to get into London via train and Hermione was lucky to get a compartment to herself. She sat quietly, looking out the window at the passing hills, unsure of what to write to her friends, whom she had seen a few hours previous.

"I never realized how beautiful the scenery really was on the train ride," she wrote, speaking aloud to herself. "You two are usually here annoying me to no end, but today, as I write this alone, I wish I had your company." She paused to reflect on what she had written so far and eventually decided that was enough. "See you in a few days, all my love, Hermione." She put it safely in her bag so she could send it with the owl she kept at home as soon as she arrived. Pulling out her Astronomy work, she began studying the placement of planetary moons and how it reflected with the Earth. She got so lost in her work that the next time she looked up, they were pulling into King's Cross.

In groups of three or four, they began to fall through the brick wall that separated the wizarding world from the Muggle one. Her parents greeted her as soon as she fell through and she had to admit she was extremely happy to see them.

"You certainly packed light," her father said, picking up her bag and holding it tentatively. He looked at her quizzically and she just smiled knowingly. They left King's Cross then, heading for the family car.

"Grandma's so excited to see you!" her mother told her as they drove towards their home on the other side of London. "As you know, she's getting on in age, but please don't forget, we told her you attended an all- girls' school in London."

"I know, Mum," Hermione said, a little irritated at the fact her mother found it necessary to remind her, but also annoying that they were keeping up with the façade. What would happen if Hermione decided to move to the wizarding world when she finished school? How would they explain her absence then?

Hermione didn't let it bother her for the rest of the week as her grandmother's party approached. She met cousins she didn't even know existed and while talking to them kept receiving pleading looks from her mother. She could practically read her mother's thoughts: Please, Hermione, don't let on what school you've been at. Please!

The rest of the weekend passed quickly and Hermione found her cousins' attendance to be a thrill during the party. Her two cousins, Megan and Rhea, were around her age and extremely funny. The three girls spent the majority of the party laughing and joking in Hermione's parents' bedroom, watching television.

I miss this, Hermione thought to herself as she ate popcorn and watched funny movies. I love Hogwarts, but I miss this. The party seemed to end sooner than it had in previous years and before Hermione knew it, the guests had all left, including her cousins, and she was getting ready for bed. The following morning her parents would take her to King's Cross again and she would venture, once more, to Hogwarts, her second home.