Disclaimer: He's mine, all mine....hehehehehehe.....not really. He's still JK Rowling's.

A/N: Thank you to Lexi, CharmedLeoLvr, Angelzeus, Super, SnapeSeraphin, MiSSxMELON, andstargazer starluver for reviewing. I would do my usual ramble but I don't have time. I just wanted to get this chapter up quickly.I've been lazy.....AGAIN......I haven't checked my spelling or grammar (I really should be appalled with myself, oh well.). Right, this chapter is a little boring, just Hermione being introduced back into the world of Hogwarts but the juicy stuff is coming back again in the next chapter which I will try to get on here tomorrow.;-). Enjoy.

Chapter Thirteen

Hermione was the first one to wake up. She heard a stern voice coming from the entrance.

"No, Miss Granger is not having any visitors yet. Now go to breakfast." Madam Pomfrey slammed the door shut on the last note.

"Who was that?" Hermione asked sitting up.

"Some of your housemates." She informed her as she bustled over to her. "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm ok. A little achy and sore but fine really. The feeling of happiness just keeps taking over. I can't believe I'm really here." Madam Pomfrey patted her hand and gave her a quick smile.

"I know you're a Gryffindor, but you don't have to be brave all the time." Hermione smiled.

"I'm not being brave. It's just that only two days ago I was getting use to the fact that I didn't have very long to live. And now I'm not. It's like Christmas has come early for me."

"You certainly are a wonderful girl. No wonder Professor McGonagall is so proud to have you in her house." Hermione blushed at the compliment. "I'll get you some breakfast."

"Actually, I was hoping that I could go down to the Great Hall."

"Don't be silly, that's an absurd idea." Harry immediately sat up after listening to the conversation while pretending to be asleep.

"I'll look after her. I promise." He pleaded. Madam Pomfrey looked from Harry to Hermione.

"Me too." Ron added, slowly crawling off the bed, still half asleep. Hermione gave Madam Pomfrey her best pleading look.

"You may as well let them go, Poppy. They'll never give you any peace if you don't." Lupin was now sitting up, watching the scene with a smile. The three friends nodded in agreement.

"Fine, but you are to come straight back once you have eaten and spoken with your friends." She threw her hands up in the air as Hermione jumped out of bed. "Your clothes are in the cupboard." She stormed back down the hospital wing, mumbling something about Gryffindor bravery.

"So remind me, why do we have to get up so early on a weekend?" Ron asked through a yawn. Hermione threw a pillow at him.

Fifteen minutes later, a very shaky Hermione was walking down the stairs into the Entrance Hall with Ron and Harry.

"Are you sure?" Ron asked for the fifth time as they reached the Great Hall entrance.

"Yes." She took a deep breath and walked in with her head held high. She gave Dumbledore a nervous smile as he gave her a quick wink.

"Should she be here?" McGonagall whispered into his ear.

"This is her way of healing, Minerva. Friends are what will help her, not potions." He chuckled.

Hermione began to get more nervous as the Great Hall became quiet. She suddenly saw two pairs of arms waving at her from the Gryffindor table. It was Lavender and Parvati. Harry put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. As soon as she reached the two girls, they jumped up and pulled her into a hug.

"We're so happy to see you." Parvati squealed as she let her go. Everyone began to talk at once, bringing back the Great Hall's natural noise.

"Really?"

"Of course, silly. We may not be the best of friends but we're still friends and we still care." Lavender assured her. They hugged once more before being shoved out of the way by a beaming Ginny.

"Don't you ever do that again. I thought I would never see you again." She whispered into Hermione's ear. Hugs were soon been given to her like they were about to run out. Nearly everyone (except the Slytherins) from her year wanted to give her a hug and see how she was, then the odd couple from the other years wanted to say hello. She eventually got to eat her breakfast after Ron decided to threaten the next person who wanted to hug her would get a pair of bat ears.

She made it quite clear that she wasn't ready to answer any questions about anything just yet, and her friends firmly respected that. Hermione was ecstatic to be sat there, just eating breakfast with her friends. Everything was fine until he decided to speak to her.

"Did you have a nice holiday, Granger?" Malfoy sneered. She instantly tensed without turning round.

"What's it to you, Malfoy?" Harry spat without looking round to him.

"I was only being polite." His two lapdogs, Crabbe and Goyle, laughed. Hermione slowly turned around to look at him. Her heart raced as she looked into his familiar grey eyes. 'He is not his father.' A little voice shouted in the back of her mind.

"Go away." Her voice was barely above a whisper. Dumbledore leant forward, watching her reaction. It was then that his suspicions had been confirmed right. Sadly, he could not do anything to help her unless she asked.

"What was that, Granger? Not scared are you?" Harry, Ron, Seamus, Neville and Dean stood up and moved towards Malfoy. A couple of boys from the Ravenclaw table, who had been listening to the conversation, followed suit. If she hadn't been so terrified, Hermione would have been touched by everyone's actions. The hall's noise slowly dimmed, everyone turning to see what was going on.

"Mr Malfoy, go back to your house table. The rest of you sit down." Hermione looked down the table to see Snape coming towards them from the entrance.

"I just want to welcome Miss Granger back." He sneered.

"Well it will do you well to stay away from Miss Granger." The potions master scowled, coming to a halt in front of Hermione. The hall instantly burst into whispers, was Snape actually protecting a Gryffindor?

"What so sp-"

"Twenty points from Slytherin. Now back to your table." The whispering stopped. Had he just taken points from his own house? Malfoy opened his mouth to protest. "Say one more word and its detention with Filch."

Malfoy scowled as he stormed back to his house table with Crabbe and Goyle. Hermione was visibly shaking as she turned back round to the table, avoiding eye contact with Snape. Harry and Ron instantly put arms round her.

"Miss Granger, I will escort you back to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey would like you back now." Having just sat back down, Harry and Ron made to stand up again. "SIT!" He barked at them. Ron was ready to argue but Hermione stopped him.

"It's fine. I'll see you when you've finished breakfast." She told them quietly as she got up. Dumbledore smiled as he watched Snape lead Hermione out of the unusually quiet Great Hall. People were always full of surprises in the most trying of times.