A/N; Thanks to HAM005 and Hippielover459 for your reviews, this chapter goes to you two!
The rest of the train ride seemed to be very entertaining to everyone but Harry, who still couldn't get the feel of hugging something so horridly thin, but Hermione never noticed how his eyes never left her. How he seemed to now scan and try to see through the sweat shirt on how thin she'd actually gotten. He couldn't bring himself to speak, afraid he'd say the wrong thing. Hermione was practically his sister, how was he supposed to act? Should he tell her he noticed? 'No' he thought. 'She might not even have noticed herself,' but this was a poor excuse. He knew that what she'd gotten so upset about earlier. Why was he the only one now seeing how sickly she was? Now, he was on a quest. He would find out whoever did this to her, and if they were still alive when he found them, they wouldn't be when he left them.
About the time he had started thinking that a blonde-haired, slightly built, but still arrogant boy made his way into their compartment. "Ah, Granger. I see you're back, sadly, still of the living." Draco said slyly, a smirk playing across his lips. Hermione shot an evil look at Malfoy. Quickly the only thing Ginny, Neville, Ron, or Harry saw was a form shooting across the compartment, before they knew what was happening Hermione had Draco pinned against the wall, taking angry blows at his head. It took Ron, Harry, and Neville to pull Hermione off of Draco just long enough for him to spit out blood from his mouth. His nose was clearly broken, and his jaw looked disconnected, but she wasn't through with him. As soon as the three boys set her down she jumped for Draco again, this time (lucky for him) Ginny grabbed her in mid-flight and pinned her down to the ground, shortly joined by Neville and Harry. Ron studied Draco, who seemed to be in utter shock considering he wouldn't take his eyes of Hermione, but wouldn't move either. "Malfoy I'd get your slimy face out of here! Otherwise we might just let her up!" Harry yelled at him. Draco nodded and slid out of the compartment.
Only then did Ginny, Neville, and Harry let Hermione up. She shook her head and looked up at them all apologetically, but they all brushed it off. No one blamed her for going after him, but no one knew her reasoning either. After that Hermione sunk into a seat and looked out of the window the remaining trip until Ginny and herself shooed the boys out of the room so they could change into robes. Hermione, stubbornly, slipped off the sweat shirt and pants and slipped on a uniformed shirt and her skirt, then her robes. All seemed to be very big, and sadly, shown the stains of dirt and blood she'd been unable to clean off her body. Hermione's form seemed to get Ginny's attention, as before she called the boys back in she had asked Hermione how long it'd been since she had eaten. Hermione told the truth, only that morning had she eaten. Though, she might not have told the full truth about what.
Before Ginny could ask Hermione gave a big smile and hugged her. "Ginny, I'll regain my weight as time goes on. I just...wasn't..really..allowed to eat a lot during my-" Hermione thought of a good word to say, she knew what she'd been through was headline news, but Ginny didn't need to be scared or worried.."During my absence, but I promise. I'm going to eat like Ron tonight!" Hermione said smiling, this caused Ginny to laugh and she nodded, calling the boys back in.
As they walked back in, Neville and Ron finally seemed to notice what Harry had. They're eyes were practically bulging out as they looked at Hermione, but while she was turned around Ginny motioned a cutthroat signal not to mention it. So they didn't, instead the boys sent the girls out so they could put their robes on. Which seemingly annoyed Ginny considering she'd been at the burrow with Harry and Ron all summer and had already seem some unpleasant things. Sighing she rapped her knuckles on the door after about thirty minutes. "C'mon guys! Do I need to dress you myself!"
"Ginny stop being such a b- AHH GINEVRA WEASLEY!" Ron yelled as Ginny opened the door anyway. Hermione was standing right behind her and immediately erupted in a fit of laughter as well as Ginny as they slammed the door shut on three blushing..NUDE boys. "Oh that is not very..it's just wrong!" Hermione yelled giggling so hard she fell against the door which slid open again and she fell through. Erupting in another fit of giggles as she looked at Ron who was only wearing his shirt.
"Oy! Get out!" He yelled pushing Hermione out of the door as Susan Bones and Padma Patil walked by, who, bluntly looked at Ron and gave a loud "Ooh". The next thing anyone knew they were running away giggling just as hard as Ginny and Hermione, just louder. "Bloody Hell! What's with you damned woman!"
"Oh get your clothes on!" Ginny yelled shutting the door again. She looked at Hermione and once again a fit of giggles silently erupted from them. It was about another twenty-minutes until the boys let them back in.
Unfortunately for Ron anytime Hermione or Ginny looked at each other another fit of giggles would shortly followed, and of course, Hermione wasn't about to let it go unmentioned. This is what she was hopping would happen, well, not that she would see Ron's privates, but that something would happen to make her skinny figure the last thing on people's mind.
"So, Ginny..how come you never mentioned how.."cough""..decently sized it is?" Hermione managed through the giggles, but Ginny suddenly stopped and had a truly disgusted look on her face. "You expect me to know these things! I had always thought he was little!" Ginny said insulted. "Hey, what about us!" Harry yelled, most likely not on purpose, it seemed to be something he'd be thinking more then actually wanted to say. "You..were..oh dear, Harry I can't think of you like that! It's like Ginny thinking of Ron!" Hermione said now disgusted herself. "But I can!" Ginny giggled. Neville seemed to be blushing horribly. "Don't worry, Neville. Trust me, we haven't forgotten about you. But you're more like our little brother then..well.."
Neville smiled, pleased. "Oh I know, just awkward converstation." he said lightly. Happy with the fact someone considered him to be family.
A few minutes before the train was due to stop Malfoy walked back in, obvious to all he had done a few healing charms considering his face was back to the idiotic smirk. "Granger, we have duty." He said slyly, Hermione nodded and waved good-bye to the others and followed Malfoy out. "You know, I could have you expelled.." He started slowly.
Hermione turned to him, her face unseenly evil looking. Her eyes had suddenly become increasingly dark, the brown looked as if it turned to a black. Her eyes were sharply narrow and her expression was pure evil. "After what you're father did to me! You're lucky I don't kill you now. No one would miss you!" She yelled, her expression lightened as she said that and she kept walking, but Malfoy wasn't finished with her.
"What do you mean?" He asked, now seeming interested. Hermione swung around and crossed her arms. "I was you're father's special little project while I was gone." She said morbidly, but turned back around.
Now Draco got it...his father had been killed by ministry workers while rescuing the Muggleborns...he.. Suddenly Draco felt like being sick. He might hate her, but if she went through what he's seen others go through..she didn't need him to make her life miserable. It probably already was...but he couldn't go soft. It took a few minutes then he noticed she was far ahead. "Wait up, Mud-" he stopped himself before he could say the whole word. "WAIT UP GRANGER!" He yelled running to catch up with her.