A/N: The last chapter was boring…but this one gets more into the story, which, as I'm writing ahead because I hate people who never finish stories (looks innocently at very old first chapter of Tiniwiel) has a lot of twists and turns and a very weird ending, haven't got that far yet though. So keep reading!

Chapter Two - Diagon alley

Hermione put her sunglasses over her eyes as she entered Diagon Alley. Her parents were very busy, a new kind of sweet had become very popular and her parents were rushed off their feet with fillings and cavities. So Hermione had got the train into London and had gone shopping alone.

In a way it was nice, she hadn't seen her parents much over the last six years, what with school, and delighted in their company. But the whole magic part of her life didn't really involve them at all, and although they were supportive, then didn't really understand the way it worked.

She wandered down the street, taking in the smell of the apothecary, the sounds of the animals and, most of all, the people going up and down the street. Many were Hogwarts students, walking and talking with their friends, buying their supplies. She had arranged to meet up with Harry and Ron outside Gringotts in about ten minutes. So she had time to wander around the stalls and gaze at all the magical things.

She didn't really need to get any money out, her parents had arranged for a vast amount of muggle money to be changed to wizard gold for her, as a present for being Head Girl. She smiled as she pictured the look of pride on her parent's faces when she had shown them her badge.

She saw Harry and Ron coming out of the sports shop, talking animatedly about some broomstick or other, and she ducked into a shop. She got out her compact and checked her make-up; she wanted to look perfect when she surprised them. She was wearing some pink Capri pants and a black spaghetti strap top. She smoothed her hair down, and then casually walked out of the shop, right in front of them.

They walked straight past her. They didn't even notice her. She puffed up with anger, of all the ways she'd imagined their reaction, ignoring her was not one. She called with casual surprise, "Hi!" They stopped and looked at her oddly.

"Hi," said Ron, an odd look on his face, as is trying to remember from where he remembered her. Then his face lit up with surprise and joy and she beamed, he'd recognised her. Harry's expression was identical. They rushed towards her…and past her. She whirled around to see Parvati and Ron kissing and Lavender and Harry embracing. The boys wrapped their arms around their respective girlfriends and headed down the street, leaving Hermione standing there, unwanted.

She stood there awkwardly for a second, wanting to cry, but didn't. This would only make the surprise even more delightful when they met her at Gringotts. She went there immediately; it was almost time to meet with them anyway.

An hour of bored waiting later, Hermione wandered down the streets tired, hungry and alone. They hadn't turned up, she would have to go and get her supplies alone. First she needed a chocolate fix to pick herself out of her slump. She ambled down the streets to her favourite little café, only to find her four friends drinking milkshakes and talking quietly. Ron looked up at her as she passed their table, and her heart leapt, maybe he recognised her. But no, he merely gave her that odd smile he had given her before and turned back to Parvati.

She bought a hot chocolate with extra cream and sat in the table furthest away from her friends. She felt like going over there and telling them who she was, but she only hid behind her sunglasses and cried. They didn't recognise her, she didn't look that different, she was just slightly slimmer and her hair was straight. She doubted whether they would recognise her anyway.

She went into the Robe store, and bought some black robes for lessons. Then she went into the dress robe's section. She needed a variety of dress robes because it was in the duties of the Head Girl and Boy to welcome guests to the school and open the balls. She chose a baby blue one; a rich red one and a velvet green one. She also, after careful consideration, got a shimmering purple one. She went to try them on, and found Ron and Harry sitting outside the dressing rooms, looking bored.

She smiled at them and they merely nodded. She pulled back the curtain and went inside, finding a cubicle and changing into the blue one. She liked the way it hung on her, and she went out of the cubicle to see how it looked how in a better light. Ron was acting like an idiot, pretending to drool all over Parvati, who was in a shocking pink dress robe, and Harry was looking adoringly at Lavender, who was in a purple one.

She sighed and picked up all the dresses, changing back into her original clothes, bought them all, and left the shop. Going outside, she suddenly got knocked over by someone moving very fast. "Oh, sorry," drawled a familiar voice, as she was helped onto her feet again. She looked Malfoy straight in the eyes and he was giving her an odd look. At first she thought he didn't recognise her, and she started to walk away, when he said, "you scrub up good for a Mud blood."

She looked at him quizzically, and at that moment the four lovers came out of the shop, totally blanking Hermione and giggling uncontrollably. Malfoy gave her a sympathetic look; "looks like your friends don't think so."

"Shut up, Malfoy." She pushed past him and looked at her list, she had everything she needed now, except books. Flourish and Blotts wasn't far away so she went there to buy them. Whilst she was there, she ran into Mrs Weasley, who was helping Ginny find her books. When she saw Hermione she embraced her heartily.

"Hermione! How are you? I was hoping I'd see you here. We've all missed you at the Burrow. Where are your parents?" Hermione explained about the new sweets. "Oh dear, that's a shame. Have you seen Ron and Harry yet?" Hermione replied that she hadn't. "Well, here they are now, and there's Parvati and Lavender with them, such nice girls." Before Hermione could get away, Mrs Weasley had called the others over and was talking to them all about how much she'd changed over the summer, and complimenting her streaked hair.

Ron and Harry looked guiltily at each other, and agreed with her. Hermione smiled and excused herself, buying all the books she needed quickly and leaving the shop. Ron followed her out, "Hermione!" She stopped and turned round, unable to hold back the tears that were now flowing freely down her face. He smiled at her and looked at her properly. "I wouldn't have recognised you."

"I noticed," she gave him a cold look and then started to walk away again.

"What's your problem?" Ron grabbed her arm.

She slapped his arm away. "What's my problem? I'll tell you what my problem is. My problem is that my two best friends in the whole world have been blanking me all day because they were so absorbed in their girlfriends."

Ron looked hurt. "When did I blank you?"

Hermione laughed hysterically, "How about when I said hello to you by the sports shop? Or when you saw me at the café? But the time it really hurt was when you didn't even bother to show up at Gringotts at twelve." She wiped away her tears and stared at him.

His face was a mask of grief and desolation. "Hermione I'm so sorry, it was just that I was really busy with…"

"You're girlfriends? Yeah I saw. You and Harry were having chocolate milkshakes with them at our café. I can't believe you forgot me, I've been looking forward to meeting up with you for weeks." She turned away; she couldn't face him anymore she walked in the opposite direction as fast as she could.

"Wait, Hermione, we could still…"

She turned to face him but still walking backwards. "Go shopping? Don't worry I got all I needed on my own." With that she left Diagon Alley and went home.