"Ron! Harry! I missed you guys so much!" Hermione yelled across the train station toward Platform 9 ¾. She tried her best to run over to them, but her luggage was weighing her down. Instead, Ron and Harry ran over to her and took her luggage for her. "Thanks!" she smiled brightly at both of them. They were both amazingly tall. Ron had been all the previous year, but Harry had grown a lot over the summer! Hermione was amazed.
"It's so good to see you!" Ron yelled hugging Hermione as best he could.
"Yeah! I've been stuck with the Dursleys all summer," Harry crinkled his nose in disgust. A Muggle woman passed him, bumping into him lightly. "Sorry!" Harry said faintly as she passed him.
Harry glimpsed at the big clock on the pillar of Platform 12 that was ahead of them. The clock was just about to strike 9:00 when Harry yelled, "We have to hurry!" running toward the platform pillar at amazing speed. He grabbed his luggage and Hedwig all while running toward the platform. He was there in no time, all thanks to his newly found long legs.
"He's right...," Ron and Hermione's eyes met. He smiled brightly, happy to see her. Hermione smiled back, wondering why he'd smiled at her so much. She tried to hold back an anticipating giggle. It worked. Ron cleared his throat with a grunt and looked away awkwardly. He grabbed his luggage in his free hand, and left Pig sitting in his cage.
"Could you--?" he asked, making a gesture toward Pig's cage, turning around abruptly to stare at her again. He smiled brightly, she looked much different... better than before. Was it something about the way she was holding herself? No, her posture was the same as ever. But, she was looking down, and looked quite sad.
"Sure!" she smiled and nodded, lifting up her head and picking up the owl's cage with grace. It was so much lighter than Crookshanks's cage. She smiled at the back of the disappearing Ron's head, he was carrying very heavy luggage. A full-grown Crookshanks and his own trunk was not light! Hermione knew that first-hand!
She shook her head and giggled, setting off through the barrier from the Muggle world into the wizarding world. It was a wonderful feeling like a rush of a warm breeze blowing over her. She was so happy to have her friends with her, and she was happy to be out of the Muggle world and the dentists' office.
Hermione met Ron who was waiting for her on the Platform.
"We'd better get on the train! Of course, we won't be able to sit with Harry because of Prefect duties...." He curled his nose, disgusted. He had had one year of it last year, and didn't want to be a prefect again!
"Yeah.... Oh, shoot! I forgot to ask Harry if I could use Hedwig. I've got to send a message to my mother.... She was really out of it this morning!"
"You can use Pig. I've trained him all summer and I'm sure he'll get to your mom all right. He's been sending you letters all summer from me, so he knows exactly where to go!" The small owl shifted in the cage and fell asleep.
"All right! I'll try it, but if it doesn't work Ro--" she got cut off by Ron walking away from her.
Hermione sighed. "C'mon Hermione!" Ron yelled from the Train staircase. He went up them and Hermione just thought she ought to follow. She rolled her eyes and entered the Train. She couldn't wait to be back with her friends in the castle, and what more, one of her friends was a prefect like her! The one she was most drawn to....