Disclaimer: I never have and never will own any of the HP characters nor anything you recognize. I do own Jazz, Luke, the teachers at JIM, JIM, and the plot. So there...
Chapter 2: The Show That Never Ends…
"Harry!" The seventeen year old boy barely had time to turn around before he was swept into a hug from one of his best friends, Hermione Granger. A grin slowly spread across as he hugged her back. In the background, he could hear the normal sounds of students saying goodbye to their families and calling out greetings to friends. He pulled out of the hug to see Hermione smiling back at him before dragging him onto the train.
"Ron, Ginny, and I already have a compartment. We were only waiting on you. How was headquarters? Dumbledore didn't want me to come there. Rather, he wanted me to stay with Mum and Dad. It was hard answering their questions about the war and everything. But, Dad has been teaching me to fence. And Professor Dumbledore said that I'll be able to continue training at Hogwarts." She said all of this in one breath and was gasping when she finished. Harry was laughing at her as they entered the compartment that Ron and Ginny were in playing chess.
"What are you laughing at, mate?" Ron barely looked up as he searched for his next move. Ginny, on the other hand, looked up with a huge smile.
"Hello, Harry. Did you have a good summer? Mum and Dad sent me and Ron to stay with Fred and George right before you came to HQ. While we wanted to see you, we got to work with the shop and hang out in Diagon Alley a bunch."
"Checkmate!" Ron cried triumphantly. Ginny gasped and turned to search the board. "When did you get here, Harry?" Ron seemed very confused. Hermione, Ginny, and Harry laughed at Ron's confusion.
"I've been here for about five minutes. You do realize that we've left already, right?" Harry looked at Ron calmly. He was like that often when he played chess. It saved their lives before. Harry drifted into his memories, going back to that chess game and the way everything perfectly played out. He was brought back to reality by Ron cursing the fact that he left some stuff on the platform.
"Ronald Weasley! There is no need for language like that! If you had been paying attention, not only would you have noticed that we were leaving, you would have seen that I brought them in and sat them right next to you. Honestly, Ron, pay closer attention. We are having N.E.W.T.S. this year and you need to be prepared for them. They are supposed to be some of the hardest tests we'll take, harder than O.W.L.S. And knowing you, you probably still have to do your summer homework." Hermione was lecturing Ron. Again. You would think he'd realize to head her off before she got steam up.
"But Hermione, I was trying to beat Ginny. She almost beat me twice this summer because I wasn't paying attention to the game. Besides, I already did my homework." Hermione gaped at him. Ron muttered to Harry, "Now, that's only because Mum took away my broom until I did it." Harry laughed. He missed them this summer. Hermione and her lecturing and smarts. Ron and his jokes. Ginny and her sarcasm, and her eyes, and her smile, and her… Whoa! Don't go there right now, pal. Harry shook his head to clear the thoughts. He looked as the door opened to their compartment.
"Well, well. Look at who we've got here. Scarhead, Weasel, Weaselette, and my esteemed colleague." Draco Malfoy gave a tiny bow to Ginny and a deeper one to Hermione. Ron grew red in the face as Harry pulled out his wand. Ginny raised her eyebrow gracefully, but otherwise didn't move. Hermione just calmly asked, "Is it already time for the meeting? If you'll go ahead, I'll be there in a moment." Draco nodded at her and glanced at Ron and Harry before walking away.
"Did I miss something?" Harry asked tentatively. He was surprised that Malfoy didn't insult Hermione and was not as mean as usual to the rest of them.
"Malfoy is Head boy. Since we have to work together a bunch this year, we worked out a truce. Ginny can attest that he has been nicer as of late. The only way that this will work is if you two," here she glanced pointedly at Harry and Ron, "don't provoke him. I'm not asking that you be best of buddies, but not attacking for any reason. He'll uphold his end of the bargain. I expect you to help me uphold mine. Do I make myself clear?" Harry and Ron exchanged a glance before nodding. "Good. I have to go to that meeting. I hope to see you guys before the feast, but no guarantees." With that, she stood up and headed for the door.
"Congratulations Hermione" Harry's voice drifted to her ears as she shut the door. She prayed that this tentative truce would strengthen and hold throughout the rest of the year. She thought back to lunch with Malfoy. When he suggested lunch, she was floored. She agreed and told only Ginny. The lunch was tense at first with neither one really comfortable around the other. Finally, Hermione brought up the idea of a compromise. They would each draw up a list of things they wanted to accomplish in a truce, if there were to be one. They met the next day for ice cream to go over the requirements that they could agree on. It took two and half hours of arguing, sulking, pouting, and insults before they reached a truce. A formal written agreement was written and signed by both. They met at various times during the summer to work on the whole friendship/truce thing and were slowly making it work.
She got through the Head and Prefect meetings without trouble. Dean and Parvati had taken over for Ron and Hermione as Seventh year prefects, Hermione because she was Head Girl and Ron because he wasn't a very good prefect. Ginny was also a prefect and left the train with Hermione. They hadn't noticed the rain while on the train, and hurried to a carriage. As they got out of the carriage, they hurried inside to avoid the raindrops. The feast was going to be starting soon. They were anxious like several others for the new year to begin.
AN: Please Review and tell me what you think. No one has reviewed so I don't know whether I should continue.