Author's note: Okay, everyone, I hope you all enjoyed my little fluffy goodness in my last chapter-consider that to be the first crack in Draco's armor. :) Okay, for everyone who's asked, The baby is indeed coming in September, so be ready for that coming up. This chapter is relatively short and is meant really as a filler, so no complaints about nothing really being done, this chapter is essential in its own way. I'll post the next chapter pretty quickly after this one.

This one is for DawnaMalfoy who went so far as to inquire about the state of YouKnowWho-a close personal friend of mine. So kudos to you girl, This chapter and the one where the baby comes are both yours!

Chapter 31 – The Relief of Being Back at Hogwarts

Returning to Hogwarts castle was a relief for everyone.

Ron was glad to be back with his friends, glad that Hermione was among them again. He was glad that she was talking to him, glad that they had survived a year without being killed. Harry was just glad to be at Hogwarts again and well, not dead. He was glad that Voldemort had not struck against him last year. Ginny was glad that she was closer than ever to getting Harry just where she wanted him so she could use her wily woman wiles on him. He had opened up to her more over this summer than he had ever.

Hermione, however, was glad for a lot of things, she was glad that her baby was okay, she was glad she was back at Hogwarts, she was glad her pregnancy was almost over and someday soon she was going to have a little baby to show for everything, and lastly, she was glad that she didn't have to do this all alone. She had Dumbledore, and Mc Gonagall and a few others. She also had Draco. Well, maybe she was not so glad about the last part.

The Great Hall was lit and Hermione prepared for yet another Grand beginning of the Year feast. The sorting ceremony was always a cause of a celebration. She eagerly watched as one by one the first years got put into the different houses.

She was about ready to tuck into some food, when she realized that food had not appeared. She glanced around wondering if the other tables were the same.

"Harry," she said, "What's going on?"

Harry's green eyes looked clouded and confused. He looked around as well and then up to look at the teacher's table, Dumbledore was still standing.

"This is curious." he said. "Something weird is going on."

"What?"

"A transfer student." Ron pitched in.

Hermione's eyebrows shot up and she looked at the stage. It seemed she was too wrapped up in her own little thoughts, to realize that Dumbledore was still talking.

"He was talking about an attempt on-" Harry had begun explaining what Dumbledore had said when he suddenly trailed off.

Hermione looked up to see a pale petite girl with long, straight dark brown hair and pale blue eyes. She walked with hesitant grace up to the tripod stool she picked up the sorting hat. She barely placed it on her head before it yelled out RAVENCLAW.

"Harry?" asked Hermione, she waved her hand in front of his face. "Harry?"

Harry snapped to.

"What?"

Hermione glanced from Harry to the girl and smirked.

Harry stared at her.

"If I didn't know any better," he said scowling at Hermione. "I would say you looked a hell of a lot like Malfoy in that second."

Hermione froze.

At once Harry blanched, instantly contrite at calling his friend one of the ultimate-in their eyes-insults. He had no idea why that had popped out. But the teasing smirk on Hermione's face had just so reminded him of their Slytherin nemesis.

"Oh, god, sorry." he sputtered, as Hermione relaxed but still looked a little troubled. "That was probably the worst thing I could say I have no idea why I said that, I swear!"

She could have replied but at the precise moment, the food appeared and Hermione dove into it like Ron would after starving himself for weeks. Ginny, Ron and Harry all stared at her.

"Is it me or did Ron and Hermione exchange bodies or something?" Ginny said, her gaze going straight for Harry as usual. She watched a Hermione piled her exorbitant amounts of food on her plate.

"Or at least stomachs." Harry added watching her with wide eyes.

"Is that what I look like?" Ron asked, looking a little bit disgusted.

Hermione ate on not even paying attention that they were talking about her. As far as she was concerned, there was food and she was ravenous.

"Something like that." Harry said amusedly, he turned away from Hermione and grinned at Ron. "But worse at least Hermione chews with her mouth closed."

Ron scowled.

"That's pretty gross."

"Really gross more like."

"Hermione, what is up with you?" Ron asked turning to Hermione.

She shrugged, chewing everything delicately with her mouth closed and refusing to talk while she had food in her mouth. At least those two things separated her from Ron, he didn't chew with his mouth closed and he usually spayed everybody in whatever he was eating in an attempt to talk. a second later she realized just what she was doing and how much she was eating in front of her friends that had no idea she was pregnant and shook her head vigorously. She hurriedly forced everything in her mouth down and barely took time enough to take a deep breathe before saying,

"I just really missed the food here." she said. "That's all."

"Whoa." Ginny said, still quite amazed her friend's food consumption. "It looks like you missed it a lot."

"Somehow this place became like home." she said. "I miss the food, the people, everyone and everything."

"Yeah, come back here to schoolwork and crushing responsibility from the carefreeness of summer." Ron shook his head. "Only Hermione would feel bad about sitting around and not doing anything productive."

Hermione chocked on a caper at this point. Over the entire summer she had been massively productive. (Let's ignore the fact that her 'productivity' got her in this mess in the first place.) Even when she was sitting around doing nothing she was making life! Can anything BE more productive than that?

"She must feel great now." Harry said laughing.

That got another minor choke and then a sudden bright brilliant grin because she just realized that she did feel great now. She had gotten over the summer of her pregnancy, what she had supposed was going to be the hardest part. She was back at Hogwarts where everyone was going to protect her. She was here with her friends, and they were laughing together, she was going to be fine.

"What can I say?" she asked polishing off the last of the roasted chicken on her plate and grinning like the Cheshire cat. "It's such a relief."