A/N - I know it's been a while, and I'm sorry for that. I've been so busy lately, and it's been hard to find time to type up what I've got written down. Thank you for even more reviews. I'm trying my hardest to keep everyone in character, but I realize they'll probably slip out every now and then. It happens to the best fics I've read. Anyway, sweetbabe-101 and fleria, thank you for reviewing me again. It means a lot to have people want to read more.
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The first month of school felt like all of the others. Hermione overtaxed herself as usual. Her first few weeks were spent getting back in to the usual groove of things. Harry and Ron tried as hard as they could to pull her away from the library and the common room, but they failed. When Ron or Harry weren't persuading her to abandon her books, Ginny and the other female Gryffindors were trying to persuade her to go in depth about the time she spent with Viktor. She ended up lying through her teeth, making up stories of a huge family with loving parents. There hadn't really been any loving parents.

On the third week of classes, everyone around her seemed to slow down. Even the more studious Ravenclaw students fell back in to a calm pattern of procrastination. Hermione charged ahead, leaving the rest in the dust. On her way to Potions with her friends, she felt a familiar uneasiness settle in her chest.

"Neville, calm down. It's only our 6th class so far. By the end of the year you'll have worked yourself up to the point where your head will explode with the mere though of a potion!" Harry said. He patted Neville on the back as they came to stop outside the door to the classroom. Neville tried to smile but ended up grimacing.

"Potty is right there. You better watch yourself, Longbottom. You might end up right where your mother is-" Malfoy's voice was as unwelcome as ever. Ron, Harry, Dean and Seamus grabbed Neville instinctively. It wasn't enough, because just as they thought they had a grip on him, Neville flung himself forward at Malfoy. Ron and the others were flung to the ground. Neville waved his fists madly, eyes shut tight. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle moved out of the way, laughing viciously.

"Neville, stop it!" Hermione cried. She took out her wand and searched for something - anything she could do. When she finally had the idea, it was too late. Neville had found something soft and was sinking his fists in to it repeatedly. His eyes were still shut tightly, but he could heard the rest of the class let out a gasp of horror.

A pair of strong hands gripped one of Neville's and yanked them above his head, causing the boy to stumble. When he tripped and landed on the ground, he opened his eyes. The class fell silent, waiting for Neville's reaction.

"P-P-P-Prof.. P-P-Prof-f-fes-fessor S-S-Snape. I.. I.." Neville's eyes were now opened widely, glazed over with shock and fear. He looked like he'd just been petrified.

Professor Snape stared at him with intense anger, his eyes narrowed critically. "Mr. Longbottom, dare I ask what it is you were attempting to do by flapping your arms like that?"

Malfoy sniggered and stood forward with a mock hurt expression on his face. "Sir, he was trying to hit me, Sir. I just commented on how much like his mother he was and-"

"You liar!" Ron yelled. He stepped forward angrily, yanking out his wand. "You little-"

"Mr. Weasley, stop trying to make a fool of yourself." Snape said fluidly. He stared down at Neville with contempt. "You haven't learned yet, have you?" he stopped and raised his eyebrows. "Clearly not... Twenty points from Gryffindor for trying to assault another student. Also, ten points from Gryffindor for Mr. Weasley's attempt to get attention." He jerked away, his robes smacking Neville in the face. Malfoy turned to Neville and tipped back his head to laugh. He just shook his head and lead his minions in to Snape's classroom, laughing gently.

Ron was sputtering angrily - and quite loudly, while helping Neville up with Dean and Seamus. Harry brushed Neville off and put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

"It's all right, Neville. Do you remember what I told you in our first year?" Harry's voice was low and friendly. Hermione stared at them blankly.

"No..." Neville sounded hesitant, as if he was afraid of Harry's response.

"You're worth twelve of him," Harry said as he pushed Neville in to the classroom. Neville's face brightened a little as he took a seat as close to the trio as possible.

Hermione was sitting already, her body poised as if ready to do anything anyone asked of her. Snape lectured on about weight-defying potions and their dangers, his voice staying at a soft monotone. Hermione took notes, trying to silently encourage Ron and Harry to do the same. They were busy looking over a piece of parchment that was covered in numbers. Across the room, Malfoy shot Hermione a parlous look.

Ignore him, ignore them, focus focus, Hermione thought. She chanted it in her head while she listened to Snape talking. She wouldn't let Malfoy or anyone else break her or her spirit. As she dove deeper in to thought and self-assurance her surroundings became distant. It was only when Snape stood inches in front of her desk that she snapped back to life.

"Amazing," Snape said. He loomed over the trio and snatched the paper out of Ron's hands. "I take it that whatever's on this paper is much more important than knowing the proper way to boil weight-defying potions?"

Ron turned red and looked away, shaking his head slowly. "No, sir."

Snape smirked. "Then you wont mind my taking it and doing away with it, then." It was a statement, not a question. At this, Ron opened his mouth. Before he could speak, Hermione saw Harry kick him under the table. She rolled her eyes and looked down at what she had just finished writing. Snape returned to the front of the class and banged his fist against a moldy board.

"Ingredients are here, instructions are here. You have until the end of the class. Get to work." huffing, Snape sat down at his desk and almost immediately started writing.

Hermione watched him for a minute, a cold sensation creeping up her back. Once she shuddered, Ron put a hand on her shoulder.

"It was just a bunch of scores from the last few house championships," he said.

"I wasn't worried about that, Ron. You and I both know that you'll only end up asking me for my notes and whatever else in the end. I try not to pay attention to what it is you do in the meantime." she set her scales down harder than she meant to and drew the attention of portions of the class. Annoyed, she looked up to the board and started setting everything up in perfect order. To her left, Neville had his brow furrowed and his sleeves up around his elbows. He mouthed the words on the board several times and started to work with shaky hands.

As she waited for what was in her cauldron to come to the specified boil and held a bottle in her hand, Hermione watched the people around her. Harry was sloppy as usual, Lavender seemed in another world, Parvati was twirling her plait around her finger while she worked, and Ron was feeding himself candy under the desk. When he unwrapped a piece of caramel and placed it in his mouth, Hermione felt herself being sucked in to her memory.

It was 4 o'clock. She knew because she had been watching the time forever. In five minutes, she would be able to step out of the transport and in his arms. She would thank him over and over for letting her come this time. She would have so much fun with him - it would be wonderful out here.
When the transport did stop, she was swallowed by a sea of at least one hundred people. Even so, she found the giant fountain that Viktor had described to her in his last letter. A group of tired-looking, bored people stood looking around for someone or something.

Her voice was started to give out, but she still managed to call his name loud enough for him to hear. He turned around and shouted out to her.

"Herm-own-ninny!" he sounded more excited than he looked. He looked bad. He had to have suffered at least twenty more accidents on that broom of his, but he some how managed to hide most of it. After they looked each other over for a moment, he embraced her - a little too tightly. When he let go, he turned to two of the other bored-looking individuals.

"Ivan, Svetlin take her things." he barked, pointing to the trunk she had dragged along with her. The two jumped up.

"I can take those," she protested quietly. Viktor shot her a cold look, causing her to bite her lip.

"They vill take your things and ve vill vait here for them to return. Vile ve are here, you can tell Milena and I about your trip."

She smiled again, reassured by his warming tones. She didn't even bother with the strangeness of them waiting for the others to return. As she sat down on the fountain's edge, she took a look at the woman next to Viktor. She was tall and thin, in her late 40s. Her eyes were heavy-lidded and puffy while her hair hung limply from her head. A sour expression on her face seemed to stick.

"It was kind of fun," she said softly, looking at her hands. "There were all kinds of people hanging around everywhere. The man who sat next to me knew an awful lot about sponges." with that, she laughed gently. He forced a laugh that came out too nervously. It took only minutes for the two boys to return, both looking bothered. They nodded at the woman and stood stiffly.

He stood quickly and looked around. He brushed a piece of hair from his eyes and reached in to his pocket. She looked with interest.

He pulled out something small and rectangular, wrapped in some crinkly gold paper. As he unwrapped it, she recognized it as caramel. They were found everywhere at Hogwarts - almost as much as the Every Flavour Beans that were used as currency. He took the candy from the wrapper and offered her one. She took it and smiled at him sweetly, the taste coating her tongue.

"Take a good look around, Herm-own-ninny." his voice had changed. "You vont be here for a vile." a foreboding smile curled on his lips. One moment later, he twirled another caramel around his fingers and placed it in his mouth. Hermione began to feel light and airy.

"It was the caramel!" Hermione cried. She dropped the bottle that she'd been holding on to the desk. It landed with a clatter, and everyone who hadn't heard her outburst turned at this. Ron and Harry exchanged a glance and looked at her curiously.

"Miss Granger, stop calling attention to yourself. Pick up the bottle and get back to work." Snape said from the front. Hermione looked up and saw him glaring at her. As soon as their eyes met, she snapped her head back down. She felt her cheeks burning hot as she stared down at the bottle. When a hand touched her shoulder, she jumped forward and yelped.

"Hermione, calm down!" it was Harry, who had quickly taken his hand away. He bent to pick up her bottle and looked up at her even more curiously. "Are you all right?" he whispered nervously. Hermione bit her lip and nodded.

By that time, Snape had given up on trying to return to the peace of grading papers. He strode to the same desk he'd been at only minutes before and stared at them.

"Is there a problem?" he spoke softly.

"No, Sir." Harry said. He went back to work quickly, leaving Hermione to stare at her hands.

"Miss Granger," Snape said. Hermione flinched and ducked her head even further down, as if she were trying to hide from him. Snape took a step back and looked the girl over. Hermione felt his eyes burning on her and she tried to shrink as small as she could to avoid it. Instead of speaking again, Snape turned and walked away. He began to look at the progress of the other students in the class.

Harry and Ron continued to stare at Hermione with expressions of confusion and curiosity. Hermione looked up at them carefully and forced a cheery smile. She absently picked something off of the front of her robes.

"I was looking for that," she said hurriedly. Looking at her cauldron, she realized that it was done boiling away. Switching back in to golden student mode, she launched herself back in to the task at hand, leaving everyone in the dust.