"Bloody trunk…. What made this thing so heavy? I could've sworn that I put that levitation spell on it right…"
With a grunt of frustration the trunk slid into the compartment and flew to the back making a loud crashing sound. Harry winced as he realized that the spell had somehow worked, just at the wrong time. Well, nothing should break. He straightened abruptly and promptly slammed his head into the door of the storage compartment.
"Bugger!" he hissed as he rubbed his sore scalp.
Soft laughter from behind turned his pain into annoyance and he whirled to his jovial victim.
"Oh, so you think that's funny, do you? How would you like to have you head slammed into a…" he trailed off as he came face to face with a perfect pair of chocolate brown eyes.
A gentle hand came out to smooth the forming bump on his head and those eyes filled with concern.
"Sorry Harry. I didn't realize that you'd banged it so hard. Are you okay?" the girl asked.
"It's okay… Um, have we met? You look very familiar, but…"
"Harry Potter! Are you saying that you don't know who I am? Well, you'd think after six years of getting into all sorts of trouble and breaking more than a hundred rules with you and Ron that you'd remember."
"Her- Hermione?" he asked incredulously.
She looked him over shrewdly. Well, it had been a long summer. And she did go through a lot of changes. But had she really changed so much? It seemed she had. But she wasn't alone.
Harry had easily grown about half a foot over the summer. His wild hair had only gotten wilder and longer. His green eyes were as sharp as ever and he had tanned a bit. He looked good. Very good. But then Harry had always had promise to be a hunk. Quidditch had only improved on that by adding a very nice build. So she wasn't the only one that decided to go hottie. She could hardly wait to see all the attention he'd get this year. As if being the 'boy that lived' wasn't enough. Now he was the 'gorgeous guy that lived'. Well bad pun, but accurate.
She embraced her friend warmly.
"It's been a long time Harry. How've you been?" she asked.
"It doesn't matter now that I've seen you again. Ron and I were worried sick. But your parents said that you were fine. Now I see what you were up to all summer. You look so grown up."
"That's a nice way of putting it," she laughed.
"Well some things you can say to a lady and some you can't. Ginny taught us all about that over the summer. She's on the train with Ron already, by the way. Help you with your trunk?" he asked.
"Sure."
After about two minutes her trunk was loaded and the two set off to look for Ron and Ginny.
"Whoa! Potter's picked up some new ass. A good piece of it too," Goyle said enviously.
"She is hot. I wonder why she's with Potter," Crabbe wondered aloud.
"What's she wearing?" Blaise asked with slight interest.
"Why are you encouraging them?" Draco asked disdainfully.
"Sorry, Draco old boy. But I'm interested. You see I thought that Potter was out to lay that little Weasley. They wouldn't be talking about her, would they?" he asked.
"I suppose. But I don't understand your reasoning."
"Draco, I have to keep some mystery or I'll get about as boring as that Parkinson whore that you've been toying around with."
Draco rolled his eyes and went back to his book. Normally Blaise was the one that most inspired and intelligent thought in him, but today he was far too busy nosing about in Potter's business. Who gave a rat's ass what the 'Golden Boy' was about with some gold-digging tramp. It irritated him to no end. He knew that would be yet another similarity between he and his rival this year. Draco hadn't spent the last two years cultivating his body for no reason. Sleek and refined, still pale but powerful he was impressed by his body. He stood a good six foot three and had let his hair get even longer than his father's. His eyes had taken on a subtle bluish tint when ever he was very angry or very horny. Otherwise he was still sporting eyes as silver as the castle ghosts. He didn't take offense to the other young man calling Pansy a whore. She was. And after he finished with her over the summer he moved on to beautiful and better. Of course she did have her uses, but he had never needed her again. He wanted a challenge. Something more than a quickie. Draco found that good sex was even better when it was earned. And as of yet he had found no true challenge. In that it seemed that Blaise had all the luck. He could and would work on a woman for weeks, even months. He always said that 'the colder she is, the hotter she can be'. Draco was looking for a cause to believe that, but had no opportunities as yet. He wasn't really big on the games either. Why couldn't he just find a woman with a brain for some good conversation and some mind-blowing sex? Was that really too much to ask for?
"She's wearing this jean skirt, one of those peasant-top-thingies, and I never thought army boots could look so good," Crabbe finally responded.
"What's she looking like?" Blaise asked.
"Pretty cute for a brunette. Long hair big brown eyes. Hot bod…"
"That's all? You really need to read the dictionary. Too many small words. For all we know you could be looking at any girl at Hogwarts."
"I'll show her to you when we get to the feast," Goyle suggested.
"She really is hot…"
"Put your eyes back in, Goyle. If she's all you say, she's not looking at you," Blaise laughed.
"Train'll be going soon. I want to check something out. I'll be back later," Draco said as he stood and ventured out into he corridors.
"Suit yourself, man. I'm catching some sleep. Had a very long night," Blaise called after him with a wry chuckle.
"So Harry, how's Cho?" Hermione asked.
"Who cares? She's been driving me crazy all the time. One owl after another. And all she wants is to start dating. She ruined that in fifth year. I just want her to leave me alone," he said moodily.
"She still wants to talk about Cedric?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Are you okay? About Cedric, I mean?"
"Well, not to cheapen what happened or anything Hermione, but what happened, well- it just happened. Both of us were trying to be decent about that cup. We made it to the center of the maze at the same time. I didn't let a giant spider rip him to shreds and he saved my life right after I saved his. We just wanted to be sports about the whole thing. You know? Let both houses share the glory. I was tied to a headstone Hermione. I couldn't have done anything even if I'd had my wand. I couldn't walk on account of that poisoned and paralyzed leg at the time. And I was in shock. Besides when we got dropped there it was only about half a second before that unforgivable curse was chucked at him. Wormtail killed him. It had taken me two years of my life to realize that. And it took me almost a year to realize that you were right. I was to blame, but I had no idea what could've come from me not having Snape teach me. I've learned my lessons. One, just trust Dumbledore. Two, just trust you. If I had listened to you, then maybe Sirius would still be alive. Maybe he would've lost his cool or been set on by Death Eaters and it still would've happened. But I'm tired of blaming myself, Hermione. And I'm not doing it anymore. And I'm not letting anyone drag me through the muck to feel better about their regrets. That includes Cho," he said solemnly.
Hermione just stood there for a moment gazing at him. She threw her arms about his neck and hugged him closely. He had grown up so much! It was like listening to a man speak of a troubling past and survive. Everything he said she felt was more painful than it had been to live through. He was like a different person. Not a happy person to be sure, but a person that was ready to deal with and not run from his life. She felt no sympathy for Harry. Not any more. All she felt now was pride. He would be alright. When all was said and done, when the war was over: he would be okay, he would make it. She had felt him stiffen but he quickly relaxed and returned the tender embrace. Resting his cheek on the crown of her head he sighed.
"Thanks for listening," he whispered.
"Thanks for sharing. I'm proud of you Harry Potter. Voldemort will fail. And you will put things to rights. But just remember that you'll never be alone in this. You will always have friends at you side and watching your back."
"I know that now. And I've been a prat not to notice before."
They stood there in each others arms for long moments in comfortable silence. This was what both had coveted Ron for, for so long. Both only children, they had spent the majority of their lives alone. The brother-sister relationship that they developed was the answer to years worth of loneliness. Harry loved Hermione as she loved him. It was just like that they both shared with Ron, who seemed to have had his fill of siblings.
"Ron and Ginny are waiting," he said.
Hermione just nodded and they turned to come face to face with…