Man I feel wrathful. I want to make the world feel how I feel. I want the leaves to shake on trees as I pass, and for people to look up and see me, and know. Know that I'm doing it.

'Baby steps, Hermy darling. Soon enough…'

Hermione looked up from that which she'd written. A week or so had passed since she'd been dumped (Dare she call it that? It sounded so…dramatic), and since that day she'd been writing much of what went through her head or out of her mouth.

Tomorrow she was boarding the big train to go to school, and would then be able to swoon (most subtly, of course) over the real Harry Potter, as opposed to the dreamed up Harry's she'd been living off of.

One more day until school started. How exciting. 'Exciting?'

"Yes, actually. I'm rather fond of school, and learning…and…all that good stuff. You know…professors, er…school…" Hermione thought of her beloved Hogwarts, chock-full of new things to learn, only to be violently startled by her mother opening her door.

"Were you saying something, dear?"

"No, mother, just…you know..." Hermione gave her mother a wave of her hand, as if that explained everything.

"What?"

"What, what?" Hermione asked back. Her mother was giving her a concerned look.

Her daughter had been acting strange recently, her mother couldn't help but think. She blamed it all on hormones. Hermione's father blamed it all on too many sweets and that damn magic. He never was very supportive of their daughter's 'special talents'… Hermione's mother sighed and walked out, her mind plagued by slightly negative thoughts.

"Is it late," Hermione asked the room. "Because I feel tired."

'It doesn't matter.'

"Yes…" Hermione yawned. She got into bed, not caring about the fact that she was still wearing the clothes she'd worn through the day, or the fact that the sun was still out. Expressing yourself on paper when there are no guidelines takes a lot out of you. "Yes…" Hermione repeated, already falling asleep. "And now the world is full of happy things," she whispered. She should write that down.

'Yes, well… The world will very soon be full of happy things, indeed…'

That night, Hermione had a dream unlike many others she usually had the few nights before school started. There was nothing really school related, but instead an attractive-looking boy. "What are you doing here," Hermione asked the boy coldly. "Why aren't you with that other girl? Amy, or whatever you said her name was." Hermione hated this other girl that he'd gone camping with. She had a list of reasons:

She's surely more attractive.

Her hair surely isn't bushy.

She didn't have to lie about her life to non-magical people.

She's outdoorsy.

She has the boy Hermione wanted.

Hermione had never met this girl that was chosen over her. "What other chick," the boy asked, smiling.

"The chick you left to go camping with. The chick you left me for. The chick that is so much better"-

'Shut up, Hermy darling.' Hermione looked to her side. There stood a girl no older than herself, with hair down to her shoulders. She had a smirk on her face, and dark green eyes that were shining as if she were remembering a good joke.

"What?"

'Well, really now, what good will come of hating on yourself?' This girl glanced pointedly at the boy still standing in front of Hermione.

"Are you…the chick?"

This girl jammed a thumb in the boy's direction. 'The chick? As in the one this guy left you for? Ick.'

Hermione stared at the boy. He was still smiling. It was a stupid smile. "My, you have a stupid smile. It's all crooked. And NOT in an attractive way." Hermione giggled. She stepped forward. "Why did I ever want to kiss you on that stupid mouth?" She pushed the boy. He wasn't smiling anymore. She pushed him again. He fell over. The girl was giggling with Hermione.

Hermione smiled and woke up, the giggling still in her mind. 'Now, can you do that in real life?' Hermione opened her eyes, still slightly cloudy with sleep. The sun was barely rising; Hermione got out of bed, remembering that today she left for Hogwarts. This year… This year was most definitely going to be different.

'Ah, she catches on…'

"Could you take any longer," Ron demanded absently of whomever was holding up the line of students waiting to board the train. Him and Harry had been standing in the same spot for longer than their patience really wanted to hold out. Ron stood on tiptoes, trying to see who was holding up the line. "Probably some first-year," he muttered as the line finally started moving.

Harry and Ron walked through the train, looking for an empty spot or Hermione; whichever came first. 'Twas the latter. "Ron! Harry!" Hermione was extremely giddy, but felt she hid it quite well.

She received waves and smiles from them both. "Were you waiting long? Somebody held up the line when we were trying to board."

Hermione smothered a giggle and shrugged. She hadn't meant to take so long to write down the poem that had entered her mind right as she was boarding the train. 'You should have kept the parchment and quill somewhere more accessible.'

"Ah, well, who cares? How was your summer, Hermione," Harry asked of his friend.

Hermione stared at Harry for a moment before processing the question. This wasn't like one of her daydreams. It was BETTER. "It was great, Harry," Hermione replied, holding more meaning in her response than she thought Harry would actually pick up.

'Damn straight. Males never look for hidden meanings.'

"Disappointment," Hermione cried out dismally. Ron and Harry glanced at each other. "Ah, well, enough about me, tell me about your summer, Harry. And, er, yours too, Ron." Great. Can you be more obvious, Hermione?

"Well, actually, something quite interesting happened this summer," Ron started. Hermione tuned out the rest of his story, only smiling or giving a chuckle when Harry did the same. Then Harry started talking, and Hermione decided it was time to pay attention.

Hermione tried to listen; she really did. It's just that…they were being such boys. 'You need to find yourself some girlfriends, Hermy darling.'

"Heh. Indeed," Hermione replied.

"What?" Harry and Ron asked simultaneously.

"Oh, pay no attention to me," Hermione said sweetly, standing up.

'Bog knows she's been doing the same to you two.'

Hermione chuckled weakly and walked out, leaving Harry and Ron quite confused. She walked down the aisle, trying to think of something to do. "But I do have girlfriends. There's Ginny…" Hermione trailed off. Where was that girl?

"Hermione," somebody called from behind her. Turning around, Hermione found the very girl she was just thinking about.

"Ginny! How have you been," Hermione asked, smiling at the girl that was one year her minor.

"Great! Over the summer, who should I run into but Terry Boot?! Oh, you know, he's in your year, a Ravenclaw… We-ell, I ran into him one day, and we got to talking, and mrack mrack mrack mrack…" Hermione once again tuned out what somebody was telling her.

'Where has your mind gone?'

"It's just not interesting enough," Hermione explained.

"What?" Ginny looked confused and slightly hurt. She was just about to tell Hermione about how they'd gone for sundaes on Saturday.

"Oh, not you, Ginny darling. Life." With that, Hermione started on her stroll down the train once again.

"Did you just insult the Weasel girl, Granger? If I wasn't worried about how you might soil my wand hand, I might actually pat you on the back," a sneering voice said from beside Hermione.

"Heh. You know, if this was a story, I might look over in your direction right now and proceed to describe you, Malfoy. But…eh. I believe everybody's already acquainted with your characteristics. Slight drawl, cooold, cold silver eyes…" Hermione kept walking, not looking over in Malfoy's direction.

She continued on her slight rant. "Pale skin…" She quickly stopped and wheeled around to face Malfoy. "Actually, why are you never any darker? I mean, do you not go out over the summer? Most people come back from summer vacation with a tan. And what's with this last name thing? Draco just sounds too… intimate I suppose… ooh, and goodness knows we can't handle that… a Slytherin and Gryffindor…" Hermione trailed off, walking away once again.

'That's a nice-sounding guy.'

"Extremely," Hermione replied, smiling. Only close to twenty minutes had passed, and already she had left four people confused on three different occasions (That's not counting Crabbe and Goyle…the brutes. Sheesh.)

She ran into Ron, going the opposite directions, only moments later. "Er, we've got to go to the prefect's compartment, Hermione," Ron reminded her.

Hermione felt slightly confused for a second, and then embarrassed for some reason. "Why of course, Ron. Did you think I'd forget?" With that she turned and started walking in the same direction as Ron. She hadn't forgotten that she was a prefect. That was absurd. Hermione inconspicuously shook her head, and realized that she was ever closer to entering the big castle that was Hogwarts. More intelligence was almost within her grasp…

She turned and beamed up at Ron, who'd grown taller over the summer, expecting him to share in her excitement. He gave her an uncertain smile in return, and then stared straight forward. He looked as if he were walking to his execution. Something must have happened, Hermione thought, for how could he not be excited about school?

They walked into the prefect's compartment, one in front of the other, joining the others in the slightly crowded area. Almost there, somebody mumbled.

'Yes, almost there.'