Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of its' characters, names, or settings.
Chapter 6- September The First
"Beep, beep! Beep, beep! Beep, beep! Beep, beep!"
"Augh!" groaned Hermione, as she rolled over to the other side of her bed and slammed her fist down onto the loud, beeping alarm clock.
She tried to shut her eyes again, but the bright sunlight streaming through her large window kept her from falling back asleep.
'Well... I might as well...' she thought in defeat, as she yawned and finally jumped out of her bed. 'I better hurry up though, or I'll miss the Hogwarts Express.'
And with that thought, Hermione hopped into the steaming hot shower where she washed herself up for about 30 minutes, before coming back out.
Finally feeling awake and refreshed, but dripping wet, she dried herself up with a soft fluffy towel before changing into beige cargo capris and a small brown tee. Then, after brushing her teeth and blow-drying, she combed out her straight, shiny, light brown hair. As a final touch, she applied a little bit of mascara and some lip-gloss before she was completely ready.
Grabbing her already packed trunk, Hermione dragged it down the stairs after her, creating loud, thumping noises as the luggage bounced off each hard-wood step.
As soon as she reached the bottom step, Anne's voice called out from in the kitchen, "Hermione, are you up yet? It's time for breakfast!"
"Coming!" Hermione hollered back, as she made her way into the sweet-smelling kitchen.
The loud echoing and clattering sounds of voices, footsteps, trolleys and trains pulling in could be heard all around Hermione, as she pushed the rattling trolley in front of her. It was already loaded with her Hogwarts trunk and her cat Crookshanks.
She had just finished saying goodbye to her parents before they drove off, leaving her alone to live independently for another school year. Every time she had to say goodbye to them, Hermione would got a sinking feeling in her stomach. This time, however, it felt much worse. But, she thought that it was probably only because this was the time when she needed them the most. So, Hermione just shook her head and tried not to worry too much about it, for the thought reassured her a bit.
"3... 4... 5..." Hermione counted as she passed each of the train platforms.
Kings Cross was unusually busy and crowded with people at this time of year. Hermione passed many fast-moving people who had some kind of luggage trailing behind them. She passed many of the train conductors, and many benches with people reading newspapers or drinking coffee.
"8... 9... 9 & ¾," she finished, as she stopped walking and stood facing the large pillar that divided platforms 9 and 10.
Glancing cautiously around her to make sure that no muggle was watching, Hermione casually pushed the trolley in front of her through the pillar. She kept her eyes closed until she heard the sounds of the Hogwarts Express in front of her.
Opening her eyes, she was greeted with the sight of a large scarlet train that stood majestically over the tracks. Many Hogwarts students were moving around as they loaded their luggages onto the train and said farewell to their parents. As Hermione finished loading her trunk onto the train, she looked around her and found that she recognized many of the students as some of her friends or classmates. But, it seemed like no one recognized her just yet
'It must be because my hair isn't a bushy and tangled mess anymore,' she thought to herself, as she boarded the train.
After a couple of minutes of walking down the train in search for an empty compartment, she muttered to herself, "Thank goodness I didn't run into either Ron or Harry so far."
But as Hermione turned a right corner and bumped into a tall, broad figure, she knew that she had spoken too soon.
