Author's Note: Chapter 3. Please r/r, it keeps me writing.

Chapter 3

Catching Up (Hermione)

After term had ended Hermione had gone back home to her parents who had "missed her dearly". She hadn't come home for the Christmas holidays the previous year so there was a lot of catching up to do.

She spent four hours telling her parents about the last ten months she'd spent at Hogwarts. She told them about the professor, the tests, her friends and briefly, very briefly about the battle against Lord Voldemort.

Her parents agreed almost instantly that she should get a special break this year. They thought a typical summer (which encompassed staying at home and cleaning or reading) wasn't enough of a treat after how hard she had worked. So her parents arranged a family trip to Italy that would last from mid-July to mid-August giving her an entire month in paradise as well as time to prepare for her 7th and final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

It was now getting close to the end of the summer, Hermione had returned from Italy only to find herself in complete and utter chaos. She'd had a great time but now she realized that she would have to rush to get everything done. Her homework she had completed immediately upon returning from school and she'd already gone shopping for Muggle clothes and the like, in Italy. so with that she was set. But she still had not purchased new school robes or much else. Hermione was excited and saddened at the thought of going back to school. She was hoping that she had gotten the Head Girl position, which she had dreamed of since she had been a first year. And she knew that seventh year would be the most fun she would ever have, at least that's what she had heard.

But Hermione was discouraged by the fact that she and Harry were still not on speaking terms (she'd sent him a birthday present with an apology but to no avail). She also knew that she would be sad to leave Hogwarts; it had been her home away from home for a great deal of time. She was also regretting that fact that she had to leave her newfound Muggle friends behind. She had befriended two girls about her age that lived nearby. They'd helped to erase some of the sorrow she'd felt after the argument with Harry. They'd done her hair and makeup and rearranged her wardrobe. Hermione, who know they were trying to be good natured, humored them, thinking she just change everything back before returning to school. But her new look had grown on her, and had provoked a lot of reactions from the Italian boys, as well, so she kept it.

Her hair, no de-frizzed, lay straight (the girls had shown her many ways to style it but since it was summer Hermione decided to be lazy), there was makeup on her face, very little but it made a great deal of difference ("Less is more."). And Hermione's clothes fit her better now, namely they were tighter, but they accentuated her figure instead of flaunting it. Hermione was now more confident in the way she looked, and she had proved that by asking a boy out during her vacation. He'd said yes but it wasn't that big a deal.

Hermione sat in a day dream on her bed thinking about everything that had gone on recently. She must have dozed off since she was awoken by a silvery owl pecking her cheek. It dropped a letter on her stomach and departed rather quickly. Hermione sat bolt upright, it was a letter from Hogwarts! This was the moment of truth...

She tore it open and let the contents fall upon her bed. Along with two pieces of parchment was a silver Head Girl badge! She picked up one piece of parchment and read it:

Dear Ms. Granger,

I am proud to inform you that you have been chosen as this year's Head Girl. You have proved yourself to be one of the top students at Hogwarts and for this you will be rewarded. As you may already know you now have your own common room, shared with you by the Head Boy, and you each have your own separate bedrooms and a bathroom to share. Please remember that along with this title comes great responsibility, I ask that you be in the Prefects compartment of the train no later than 11:30 am on September 1 to inform the prefects of their duties. You will set up patrol arrangements (two people) at that time and answer any questions they have. After the feast Headmaster Dumbledore will show you to your dormitories.

Sincerely,

Professor M. McGonagall

Head of Gryffindor House

Deputy Headmistress

Hermione read the letter over several times to make sure there had been no mistake. This was going to be the best year ever! She wondered who the new Head Boy was. It couldn't be Harry, he wasn't a Prefect. It most likely wasn't Ron, his grades were...uhmm....lacking.

Then it hit her.....