A/N: Sorry about the major wait, if you read Serpents and Muggle-Borns, you would know that my computer deleted all my stories and I had to start all over on this chapter. Thanks for all the reviews!!!!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

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Chapter XI

They headed out of the house, Harry being the last to leave as he gave his regards toward Grimmauld Place (by nodding), almost as if he was saying goodbye to Sirius once again.

Hermione watched her former friend for only a minute before she turned away and climbed onto the Knight Bus after Tonks. They all assembled into their seats, Hermione was sent up to the top to sit with Moody, Remus, Fred, George, and Ginny. While the others sat at the bottom.

Ginny stared at Hermione as the young woman approached the nearest chair and seated herself. There was still a twinge of happiness left from the holidays for Hermione, yet there was that feeling of sadness as her return to Hogwarts approached.

Fred sat beside her and rested his arms around her shoulders playfully, yet almost possessively. She managed a weak grin his way before focusing her dull eyes on the window that had rain already beating down on it. Some drops catching onto the glass and rolling down like tears.

"If you have any troubles, 'Mione, you can always owl George and I and we'll send them some irreversible canary creams," Fred suggested, smiling.

"Thanks," Hermione retorted, lowering her head so that her onyx hair covered her face.

They both grew silent as Ernie got ready to put the bus into drive. Suddenly, the seats were flying everywhere as the bus passed through twists and turns, flying over speedbumps and such.

"Remind me, Alastor," Remus shouted over the cries of surprise, "as to why we had to take the Knight Bus?"

"Don't know, really," Moody replied, looking thoughtful.

As the bus made another jump in the air, Hermione yelped and immediately covered her mouth in embarassment. Fred laughed and pulled her closer to him.

Both Ginny and George watched this from the back of the bus, both clutching onto the rail bars, as they raised inquisitive eyebrows.

Suddenly the bus stop, throwing the seats forward and back into their proper positions. The six dazedly stood up, hands reaching out for some kind of support as they exited the bus.

The others were already standing out in the rain, some looking nauseous, and others looking quite happy for reasons Hermione was unable to explain.

"Okay, let's all get on the platform," Molly shouted over the thunder. "Quickly!"

They all ran down through the station, grouping together, and pulling their coats closer around themselves. Hermione's cropped ebony hair clung to her pale face as she waited for each person to enter the platform.

"Your trunk, Hermione."

Hermione turned around and smiled at Remus, who still looked incredibly uncomfortable. She took the handle and gave him a quick hug of goodbye, then followed that by embracing Molly, then Arthur, and managing to get through practically all the adults as she savoured each warm paternal hug she received. Fred was the last person waiting, and she gave him the longest embrace she could muster, barely noticing the inconspicuous kiss he placed on her cheek.

With a sorrowful wave, Hermione ran through the brick wall.

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"Who is that?"

"She looks a tad familiar."

"No she doesn't."

Voices followed Hermione. Yet she continued searching for a compartment, eyes narrowed determinedly as she ignored the whispers.

"Hermione."

She turned around to find that Ginny was standing behind her, a frown clear on the girl's face.

"Do you want to sit with us? You don't have to-"

"I'm sorry, Ginny, but not now," Hermione replied with downcast eyes.

"Alright," Ginny nodded and walked away, leaving Hermione to think by herself.

With a sigh, Hermione threw open the door to the nearest empty compartment and seated herself solemnly, closing the curtains on the door window as she did so.

The ride was quiet, due to the silencing charm she had placed on her compartment, and she spent most of the time either reading her napping.

Toward the end of the ride, there was a knock on her compartment door.

Without any response, the door slid open to reveal Draco Malfoy, looking around her compartment with a frown.

His eyes slowly lowered upon her sleeping figure and he bit him bottom lip. He wasn't entirely sure if it was Hermione, yet he managed to recognize her open brown eyes.

Wait.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" she asked, sitting up.

"Nothing," he answered pathetically backing out of her compartment.

"Are you afraid of me?" she inquired, getting out of her seat and facing him, thin straight black her falling in her eyes.

"What happened to you?" he uttered, staring at her hair and the makeup she wore. "Gothic, eh?"

"If I were gothic I would be wearing spikes around my neck and other such stereotypes that I obviously don't fill. Is that all you wished to say to me?"

"No, it's not," Malfoy replied, attempting to straighten his posture as he spoke.

"Then what?"

"I'm extremely sorry for what I did to you, I was a complete arsehole and I deserved that bloody good slap you delivered to me. But I really care about you..."

Hermione stared at him as he trailed off, then, slowly, a scowl began to appear on her face.

"Guilt's annoying, isn't it?" she asked, sardonically.

"It's not just guilt, Hermione!" Draco exclaimed, then sighed. "I think I love you."

"What?" Hermione backed away from him, eyes narrowed in suspicion and anger.

"I think I have fallen in love with you... well, I had always been in-"

Before he could finish, a completely angry Hermione pushed past him and stormed into the corridor of the train, attracting stares as she pushed past people and soon found herself in a completely empty compartment in the back.

She growled under her breath, sneered, and threw herself down onto the seat, using her wand to slam the door shut, and then to repare the glass that she had unintentionally broken.

She was incredibly enraged, mad that Malfoy had ruined the peace she had formerly been in, and had then chose that moment to declare his undying devotion to her. Were these people bloody insane?

Honestly, if someone had told her last year that this was all going to occur, she would have laughed and not believed it, returning to her books as usual. But no matter what she did now, she was not the old Hermione Granger. And she had liked the old Hermione Granger, too.

What could she possibly do? She felt too paranoid and frightened to trust anyone that could be counted as a friend except for the Order members, but they didn't visit Hogwarts (and it would have been amusing to watch Fred and George threaten people in her defense)...

Hermione sighed and leaned her head against the window. It was all just a series of unfortunate events for her. She was surprised that she hadn't even been sent to a mental institution, but apparently she was too strong for that.

"Damn," she cursed at her own notion and gave the seat across from her a good kick.

Suddenly, her thoughts drifted to that very morning, remembering when that bloody mirror had told her that she had been drunk the night before and that Lupin had carried her in.

Her eyes widened. According to what she had read, she should have remembered at least tidbits of what had happened that night... But it was all still fuzzy to her disappointment.

With no other way to occupy herself, Hermione ran over her memories of that last night in Grimmauld Place, remembering that she had filled herself up with loads of punch (which she later presumed to have been filled with alcohol) and then when she had passed out...

That was all she could remember. Her thoughts flashed everywhere trying to figure things out, no one had treated her differently so she couldn't have made that a big a fool of herself.

What about Lupin? He seemed a bit uncomfortable this morning, a demonic type voice hissed into her ear, but Hermione shook her head.

"He was in Sirius' old house, of course he would be uneasy,"

Hermione told herself, not even paying attention to the fact that she sounded like a complete mental case.

He was only easeless this morning, do you not remember everything that had occurred last night?

Hermione bit her bottom lip, this was it. She was such a moron! She had done something to that poor old man!

'He's not old,' she chided herself quickly.

Closing her eyes, Hermione ran over all the spells she knew that could help her. Then, when she had finally recovered it in the deep recesses of her mind, she cast the spell with much hesitation and waited numbly as the memories flowed back to her.

She gasped, choked, and leaned forward, clutching the pane of the window as she discovered just what she had been up to last night.

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A/N: Yes, it was short, but blame my writer's block. You all better be pleased.