scattered feelings - i hope you'll like the fanfiction, and I have to excuse if the english seemes a bit 'boring' sometimes, as it is not my birth language; but I also wrote this in a hurry. enjoy.
The sun was rising of the last day of the sixth summer vacation for the three youths; lying in their beds in the home of the Weasleys' family house, called the burrow. The first one to wake up was the girl of the group, she drew a hand through her tangled hair and lifted her had and looked out the window with sleepy eyes, and sighed. She stepped out of bed and stumbled over to the bed next to her to wake Ron up from his slumber, but she saw that he was already awake.
"Good mornin'..." he said yawning.
"Good morning yourself, since when do you wake up before me?" she said sitting down on his bed, to rest her still sleepy body.
"… Since you started snoring even louder than me." He said with a cough of giggles, and Hermione answered by lounging one of the pillows at him, apparently hard enough for him to wake up properly, to take a part in the pillow-fight himself. Which resulted in waking Harry up as well, who happily defended his male friend by tickling Hermione into fits.
This may sound dull, and childish. But as the three hadn't really had the time to enjoy their summer vacation properly, because of the years' events that had shifted their lives to such a decree, it all had almost fallen apart. So, this little moment of childish play was something to hold on to. 'You – know – who's' re-appearing in the wizarding world had caused mass-panic. And as Harry, Ron and Hermione had a big part in the whole mess, they had been stuck at 'the Order of the Phoenix' all summer; until the day before.
Even though they now were grown ups, at least Hermione thought so, she enjoyed those simple childish moments with her two friends, because the thought it might as well be the last time she sees them alive, whatever they did; they always seemed to be in danger.
But now, their 6th year at Hogwarts were drawing nearer; and took some dark thoughts out of their mind as they now could behave as they usually did before the departure. – hastily checking that they had everything packed, checking their school supplies etc. – Harry and Ron discussing the future Quidditch matches the upcoming year, and Hermione trying to read a newly bought book in all the commotion. – but, Harry and Ron's favourite conversation involved an event that had happen when they were at the order; that the Ministry had officially stated in the Daily Prophet that they had caught several death eaters, including the name of Lucius Malfoy. Ron's face was filled of glee every time he pictured Draco Malfoy, (son of Malfoy senior), when they would see him at Hogwarts.
"Think his face when I put up copies of the article all over the school; wonder if he will cry or pee in his pants first?" Ron said and joined the laughter of the twins and Harry, but winced when he saw though that Hermione didn't.
"Oh, come on Hermione! You don't pity him do you?!" He said grimacing.
"Of course I don't, but I do have some humanity in me." She said not lifting her eyes from the book on her knee.
"And I don't?" Ron said, now louder.
She was about to reply when Harry made everybody conscious about that they had to get moving if they wouldn't want to miss the train, and Harry really didn't want to be in the middle of one of Ron's and Hermione's fits, which a number of led to that they wouldn't speak to one another for days; making Harry the peace holder.
"Welcome everyone, to another year at Hogwarts!" The headmaster said with a broad smile on his face, while all the students and teachers clapped. – After his, this time abnormally long speech they had the feast to fill their empty stomachs with.
"I'm starving!" Ron said stuffing his moth full of fried potatoes, not even bothering to chew.
"Ron, that's disgusting!" Hermione said who was taking some pie unto her plate, and turning around to look at Harry, who to her surprise was stuffing himself as well.
"God, I'm so glad I'm a girl."
"Wha'? You' jus' jealous!" Harry said through his full mouth, not hearing a word he or Ron was saying through the food, she looked accidentally over at the Slytherins table; her eyes sticking to a blonde spot at the middle of it all. The face she recognised as Draco Malfoy wasn't laughing or sniggering as he used to, he was just sitting there looking at his plate; sometimes nodding to Crabbe and Goyle.
She couldn't help but notice that he had changed a lot through this summer; he seemed more… mature in some way; his hair was still very blonde as it always had been, but he looked more; to use the word, handsome.
"Ha, look at the little prat; 'my dad is in prison, I'm all alone! Boohoo!"
"Wonder if the dementors has sucked out his soul yet." Harry said, joining Ron's starring.
"Harry! How can you say something like that, that's awful!" Hermione said outraged slapping him on the arm.
"What! If it was me who'd said it you would have said nothing!" Ron said very offended.
"That's because Harry hasn't got that big of a mouth, until he'd spent a summer with you…"
Ron opened his mouth but closed it again, then he smiled and said "Yeah, you're right. I do have a big mouth" Harry just laughed as Hermione shook her head at her friends' stupidity. Turning her head she glanced over at Malfoy again, now seeing his own eyes starring over where they sat; and met his gaze for a second and then she looked away as she had been caught with the hand in the cookie-jar.
Ron, Harry and Hermione huddled through the crowd to get to the dormitories, talking about how they would spend the first evening when she felt someone breathing down her neck behind her.
"Hey! Keep your filthy hair out of my face Granger." The blonde boy spat out when she turned her head to look at him. "My hair has got nothing to do with your face." Hermione said through gritted teeth.
"Oy! Corpse face, why don't you just die so we can be left in peace." Ron said coming down the stairs to where Hermione and Malfoy stood, with a fuming Harry behind him.
"Just if you put out that fire on top of your head Weasel, you are about to burn up the whole school. Wouldn't that be a pity", at that Ron's cheeks turned as red as his hair, leaving Harry to continue the verbal assault.
"So, how's your dad? Insane yet?" Hermione's body stiffened at those words and looked at Malfoy, who was stiffened as well; the gleeful smile wiped out from his face.
Hermione closed her eyes and turned away because she thought she did not want to see what was going to happen next, but she heard nothing like a cast spell or the sound of struggle, so Harry wheeled her around. "What happened?" She asked as she saw Malfoy sprinting up the stairs.
"Nothing, he just saw you close your eyes and left."
"Coward." Said Ron, apparently gaining the gift of speech. Though this was weird, she appreciated that she hadn't had to see her friend end up in the hospital wing the first day of school.