The Pain of Loss

Dedication: I dedicate this chapter to another one of my very close friends – Calypso! Rock on kitty you'll get that Australian holiday soon! xox

Reviewers: There aren't many reviews for this Fanfiction. Perhaps if I add more and make the story juicier it will get more reviews?


Recap
It had been five days since Lukas's death and all Hermione had done was cry her heart out. She couldn't help it; Lukas meant the world to her, they had grown up hand in hand, done everything together and when she went away to Hogwarts, he supported her and encouraged her to go when she had been thinking about declining their offer. In her heart Hermione had loved Lukas more than words could explain and something in her snapped when she found out he had died. The Hermione Jane Granger everybody had known and loved was dead.


Chapter Two

Hermione sulked her way through the rest of the school holidays, never replying or even bothering to read the many letters Harry and Ron and even Ginny had sent her. She spent most of her time awake cooped up in her bedroom, barely talking, barely eating, barely living. Instead of the usual anticipation of getting her Hogwarts things from Diagon Alley, Hermione wanted nothing more than to stay in the muggle world and morn the loss of her best friend. Instead of acquiring her own things, her parents had sent a letter to Remus Lupin explaining the situation and had asked him to do it for her. A reply from Remus had stated that all her Hogwarts things would be cared for and sent to her rooms at Hogwarts by the time she arrived.

Her parents had begged her to see a counselor of some sort over the previous weeks, but Hermione just wouldn't hear of it. She would just sulk even more and lock herself in her bedroom for longer periods of time going on without food and water. It seemed that the only company she kept was her pet cat Crookshanks who barely left her side.

Sooner than she realized, Hermione was to be going back to Hogwarts the following morning and for once in her lifetime, she wished she wasn't. She slumped into the ready warm bubble bath her mother had prepared moments earlier and rested her head on her knees as her long curly brown hair, began sticking to her back.

"God Lukas, how I miss you," she sighed, as salty tears fell down her pale cheeks once more. She sat there crying in the bathtub long after her fingers had become prune like. By the time she moodily got out of the bath, she seemed to be all out of tears. Her eyes were sore again; mind you it was something that she had become used too.

She found her self wrapped in her favorite forest green nightgown, incidentally the one that Lukas had bought her the day before his death. She settled down quietly in a comfortable spot on her double bed and pulled out her photo album from beneath one of her silver pillows. Flipping through the pages she relived her happy memories of the past before slowly drifting into a dreamless sleep.


The next morning Hermione woke up at 10am, she knew she had little time to get ready, but still she moved like a turtle on a slow day. "Hermione dear, hurry, we're leaving in 10 minutes," her mother called from down the stairs as Hermione pulled on a casual pair of black jeans and a shirt. Grabbing a comfortable black hoodie, Hermione slumped down the stairs and into the kitchen where both her parents were waiting for her.

"Are you ready dear?" Her father asked her, carrying out her almost empty Hogwarts trunk. She merely nodded and clambered out the front door, not even bothering to take notice of the breakfast of chocolate pancakes that her parents had made especially for her.

The whole ride to Kings Cross Station was silent, her parents shared an occasional glance at each other, but that was it. Once they had reached the station, her parents unloaded her Hogwarts things and her mother handed her Crookshank's basket, then kissed and hugged her goodbye before leaving with worried looks plastered to their faces.

"I'm going to be fine, I'm going to be fine," she whispered, taking in a deep breath and holding her head high before stalking off to Platform 9 ¾ . She pulled her satchel over one of her shoulders as she loaded her things on to the Hogwarts Express and got on it, carrying Crookshanks with her. She found an empty compartment and placed Crookshanks basket down and pulled off her satchel, placing it in the empty seat next to her. She sat cross legged on the tartan seat closest to the window, gazing out it, dreaming of the times she and Lukas would pillow fight and have long talks about everything all throughout the night. She was so enticed in her thoughts and memories that she didn't hear the compartment door slide open.

"Hey Hermione, we've been looking all over the place for you, how come you haven't replied to our letters?" asked Harry, his green eyes glimmering in the light. Hermione jumped, "sorry?" she asked as her faced glazed over with confusion.

"Are you alright Hermione?" Ron asked, sitting down opposite her. She licked her lips nervously before plastering a fake smile onto her face.

"Perfectly fine," she said, opening Crookshank's cage and pulling him onto her lap. She looked up at them, smiling, smiling her fake smile as the train whistle blew and the train began its long journey to Hogwarts.


A/N: This chapter has been re-written today. I hope that it is slightly better than what it used to be. I think that you should review.

Kandy