"Meow, meow."

What was that noise? Somebody make it stop.

"Meow!" More persistent this time. "MEOW!"

"Fine, you stupid cat!" said Hermione, giving in to the inevitable and getting out of bed to let Crookshanks out. She looked at the clock. It blinked 7: 27. She sighed. "Of course, this couldn't have waited another hour." She said to herself, crawling back in bed. But she couldn't get comfortable again. She cursed Crookshanks under her breath, put on her slippers and bathrobe and went downstairs.

Hermione could smell the coffee brewing the minute she was outside of her room. She could hear her mother bustling around in the kitchen. Hermione smiled. Her mother was such a morning person; she always loved to be up before the sunrise if she had anything to do with it.

"Good morning!" said Hermione cheerily when she got into the kitchen.

"Oh good morning sunshine!" said her mother brightly. "Why are you up so early?"

"Crookshanks." Said Hermione. Mrs. Granger nodded knowingly.

"Yeah, that cat is a pain to sleep in the same room with." She said.

"Tell me about it." Said Hermione. "So do you have any breakfast plans?" she asked.

"Well no, why don't we go out?" her mother said.

Hermione smiled. She missed going out to breakfast with her mom while she was at Hogwarts. "That sounds great! I'll go get dressed." And she went back upstairs. She stared at herself in the mirror. Hermione had grown a little over the summer, and she wore her height with pride. Her hips were a little curvier and her shirts now fit a little tighter. Picking a white blouse to wear with jeans, she didn't bother with make-up and she ran a brush through her hair, and she went back downstairs.

Hermione and Mrs. Granger walked together to a nearby café. It was their usual breakfast spot. Hermione sighed happily. It seemed ages ago that they were here last. They sat down and a waiter brought them menus.

"What are you going to have?" asked Mrs. Granger.

"Probably the usual." Said Hermione. "Cheese omelet with a small side of hash browns. What about you mum?"

"Their breakfast burrito sounds good today. Ham, egg and cheese on a fresh tortilla." The waiter came and asked them if they were ready. They placed their orders; Mrs. Granger got a mocha to go with her breakfast and Hermione a hot chocolate. While they were sitting and waiting her father walked to them.

"Daddy!" said Hermione, and got up and hugged her father.

"Hey sunshine!" he said. "Hey, a letter came for you. An owl again." Hermione smiled apologetically. Her dad pulled out an envelope. "Here you go. I've got to go to work, I just thought I'd bring this too you on the way." He kissed his wife and continued walking. Their dentist office was just down the street.

Mrs. Granger's phone rang. Hermione took this opportunity to read the letter. Her smile increased the further she read. Mrs. Grander hung up. "So what does it say?"

"My friend Ginny is inviting me to her house! Is it alright if I go, I will probably be staying a while." She said. Her mother sighed in a submissive way.

"I guess. But please write, and maybe come say hi before the holiday is out?" she asked. Hermione nodded enthusiastically.

"Definitely, I will!" she said. Their breakfast came, and they ate in happy silence. At least Hermione did. Her mother had a sad air about her, and her daughter could sense it. "Mum, what's the matter?" Mrs. Granger shook her head, and continued eating. But Hermione kept looking at her mother, knowing that something was going on.

"You're just growing up on me, that's all." She said.

"Is that ok?" asked Hermione nervously.

"Oh dear it's just fine. Part of life. I mean goodness you're almost seventeen aren't you? My Hermione, almost all grown up." Hermione shook her head in wonder. Her mother was something of a mystery. "So how will you be getting there?"

"Oh, um, well, actually the letter is a sort of transport thing, as long as I'm holding the envelope it will take me there around three, at least that's what it said." Her mother looked up.

"Oh you're leaving today?" she said in surprise.

"Is that ok?"

"Yes, but your summers here are just getting shorter and shorter." Said Mrs. Granger. Hermione looked at her mother, and suddenly it hit her. Her mother thought that she was trying to get away from the house! She thought Hermione wanted to leave.

"Oh mom I don't have to go if you don't want me to leave!" she said concernedly.

"No honey, it's alright. Have a good time, won't you?" Said Mrs. Granger.

They finished breakfast in silence, and walked back in silence. Hermione walked back upstairs to get packed for leaving. She had lied about going to Ginny's. The letter was from Dumbledore, explaining that she needed to come to Grimmauld place, that it was urgent. However, Hermione had thought it best that her mother not know that. She took out her school trunk and began packing everything in it. Hermione packed her robes, her hat, her wand, her books, her neatly finished homework, and her cauldron and potions supplies.

Hermione looked around the room before she took her trunk downstairs. She glanced at the clock. It was now noon. She went downstairs. While in the kitchen, she spotted a note from her mother.

I've gone to the store; I'll make a nice going away lunch! Be back around 12:30.

Love, Mom.

Hermione packed that in her trunk too.

"This is delicious!" said Hermione, halfway through her gourmet-mother-made Turkey and cheese sandwich, no mayonnaise please.

"Thank you." Said Mrs. Granger.

In truth Hermione was a little sad to be leaving so soon. She now only saw her parents for about two months a year, and she was cutting it short with going to Grimmauld place. But she knew it was alright. She'd been in little fights with her mom all summer, and she supposed that she was getting older.

Hermione and Mrs. Granger popped in a chick flick to kill the remaining time until three while her father went back to the office. They laughed, gasped, and cried together, Hermione felt loved, and she knew that she loved her mum. The movie ended around a quarter to three.

"Well, I better get Crookshanks." Said Hermione.

"What?" said Mrs. Granger. "You're taking him with you?"

"Yeah, why not?" said Hermione.

"I don't think that's a good idea." She said.

"What?" said Hermione. "why not?"

"Hello! You're going to your friend's house. That is rude to impose on their family like that with an animal!"

"Mum, Crookshanks is well-trained and very well behaved."

"I don't want you to take him" said her mother flatly.

"Oh yeah?" challenged Hermione. "He is mine, remember? He was a birthday present. To me, from you."

"Ok, so I paid for him. Look at him, he's getting old! It's not good for him to be carried around like this? What if he doesn't like the transport system? And he hates your train too."

"Mum, why don't you just come out and say you want him because either you're attached to him-"

"That's ridiculous" said Mrs. Granger with an air discomfortingly like Professer Trewlawny.

"-or doyou want me to be miserable because it hurts your feelings that I would want to go to a friend's house rather than be here." Mrs. Granger looked shocked.

"You can have him back when you go to Hogwarts." She said in an even, tone, which nonetheless conveyed her distaste at the idea. All the sense of love Hermione had felt earlier was gone, completely gone.

"Fine, take him. I can't believe you. Taking Crookshanks from me so I won't be completely happy? You are being so selfish!"

"I'm your mother, it is my job to decide what is best--"

"You just want the cat because you've become attached to him and don't want to see everything about me go. This has nothing to do with what is best for me, and you know it." Hermione stormed out, grabbed her letter and her trunk, and waited. Three 'o' clock did not come fast enough.

Ok, this took a million years to get up, and I'm really sorry. I've just been debating about whether or not I should continue writing this since HBP came out. So if anyone wants me to keep going, please let me know... otherwise i'm probably just going to discontinue it or something.