At 10:45 am, Ron and Harry sat on their trunks on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Hedwig was in her cage, her head tucked beneath her wings trying to sleep (but not succeeding). Pigwidgeon was next to her, screeching and flying around, crashing into his cage every revolution. Ron slapped his palm against the side of the cage and Pig fell silent for about a minute, then started up again. Giving up, Ron took out his wand and muttered "Silencio." Pig's screeching muted.
"That's better," Harry mumbled. He sighed and leaned back onto his trunk. His emerald eyes watched people appear through the portal. Suddenly he jumped up; in surprise, Ron tumbled off his trunk.
"Harry what the…" Ron mumbled, looking up, interrupted by Harry's jubilant: "Hermione!"
She ran toward them, hair flying behind her and a huge smile on her face. When she got close enough she launched into their arms. They collapsed on the ground in a heap, laughing hysterically.
"It's great to see you both" Hermione gasped as she tried to untangle herself. As she stood up, she got a good look at Harry and Ron; she was not disappointed in what she saw. Harry's hair was slightly longer and unruly as ever. He had grown taller—now just about six feet tall—and very muscular, obviously all the quidditch training had been good to him. Ron had also grown taller and his gangliness had been replaced by muscles, also from quidditch. Obviously they had been practicing over the summer while she had been in Italy, and had become very good looking. She shook her head; there would be girls swarming all over them this year, she knew, and was sad to admit that she would spend more time in the library when that happened.
Hearing footsteps she turned around and saw the rest of the Weasly's approaching. Mr. and Mrs. Weasly hugged Hermione as Fred and George (now one of the most successful duos of pranksters that ever lived) shook hands with Harry. Harry had been using Dudley as a guinea pig over the summer to great success. Ginny, now seventeen, had grown into quite a beauty. Her hair was strawberry blond and her eyes shone like sparkling crystals. She went over to Harry, who hugged her with enthusiasm, but Hermione plainly saw that whatever romance had budded before the war was now firmly embedded in friendship. She wondered, though, about her other friend.
"And you Ron," she asked, "anything I need to know about?"
"Uh, well, Pavarti and I hooked up at the end off last term…"
"Oh," she mock whined, "and are you going to forget me now?"
"Of course not," Harry smiled and picked her up and swung her around. Hermione laughed and then gave a gasp as she was tossed to Ron.
"You know we love you," he said as he gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek and put her down. Suddenly a loud blast tore through the platform. Upon hearing it, the four grabbed their trunks and raced towards the train. Harry and Ron took Hermione's trunk as she pulled herself onto the train. Yet as she walked down the corridor to the compartment, she suddenly looked over her shoulder. She couldn't place it, but she felt as if someone was watching her. Someone was.