"HERMIONE JANE GRANGER! GET DOWN HERE IMMEDIATELY!"

I opened my eyes, then shut them almost instantly after being blinded by the sunlight peeking through my curtains. Another day to go to waste. I hadn't done anything productive this summer: I made a slight dent in the homework department, but gave up within minutes; I had let my room get messy for the first time since my enrollment at Hogwarts; I had even skipped bathing some days! My mother was beginning to become worried because I had not been myself lately. If only she knew.

How can she expect me to be myself after I gave myself to Ronald Weasley? She doesn't even suspect that I would do such a thing before marriage! It was the most degrading thing I had ever experienced. I remembered the night so vividly in my mind. It was his birthday: bMarch 1/b. We went out to dinner at Hogsmeade, only because I had protested the whole House Elf thing (Ron tried convincing me that we could get a meal prepared at school). It was the most horrible meal I had eaten in the longest time, and there was a great consumption of butterbeer.

I'm not sure what led me back to his dormitory. I had no desire to, but I guess he used his fancy words again to bring me up there. Everything was if he had planned it all out: his bed was made (for once), all of his belongings were placed ever-so-carefully beside his bed, he had a candle lit, burning the smell of vanilla, and, unfortunately, a condom was sitting there. How he got his hands on one of the Muggle ideas, I've no clue. Probably from his father, because I'm sure he heard Ronald blabbing out how he and I were going to be together for the rest of our lives.

The next thing I knew, I was just laying there, looking up at the canopy hanging over his bed. They were crimson, just like the specks of blood laying spattered on the bedsheets. It hurt. When he pushed in, it was so much pain, I nearly yelled. Instead, I sank my teeth into my left hand. There were still tooth marks there when it was all done. I remember, my soft and bouncy curls had turned into little tangles and knots. And my skin became blotchy because after two minutes he wore himself out and had me do all of the work for him.

Within ten minutes of his climax, I was down in my room, crying. I always wanted to wait, but I never got that opportunity. I wished I was able to talk to someone at that exact moment, but who? I had always had a feeling that Harry would be so angered with what Ron did, and I couldn't talk to Ginny! It was her own brother, for Merlin's sake!

I stretched. No, I didn't want to be awake yet, but I was. I rolled myself out of bed (literally), and jumped into a steamy shower. It felt so good: the warmth, the wetness, the steam. After nearly fifteen minutes of scrubbing, I got out and put on long dark navy shorts and a horizontally-striped navy-white tee shirt. My hair beginning to curl intensely, I walked downstairs.

"What took you so long?" My mother called from the kitchen. I walked in to the smell of sausage. That particular aroma got to me: it was my favourite thing to have for breakfast as a child, and my senses simply go wild. "Well, Hermione, go into the parlour. I'll bring you breakfast in a moment, all right?" She seemed just too nice today. I nodded and walked into the other room.

As soon as my bottom hit the sofa, somebody buzzed the bell. "I'll get it!" I stood up, bunching my hair up into more curls. I opened the door expecting a delivery for a shipment my parents were expecting, but when the door was fully open, I was left standing there with a package. A very large package. I picked it up, assuming it was that delivery for my parents, and brought it into the house. After my mother looked at it, she said, "Well, Hermione, this is for you. See? It has your name on it." Sure enough, it did. And in a strange type too, as if it were done by an old typewriter. I took it up to my room to see what could possibly be in it.

There was a note, inside about seven boxes filled with packing peanuts. I knew that I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up for anything spectacular. It read:

To Miss Hermione Granger,
Walk into your back yard and sit on the bench you've placed out near the birdbath. Look until the bench and you will find a surprise.
Signed, the Raven

I honestly thought that was the dumbest thing. But I wanted to please "the Raven" of course. I ventured out there, my wand in my back pocket, just in case it was a trap. I found a second note under the bench, and that led me to back to the parlour. Except when I entered this time, Harry was sitting there. I was a bit embarrassed though, with my hair still damp, and looking rather dull. But he looked good. He was wearing a pair of jeans, slightly faded because, of course, they were worked in. Harry was also wearing a navy polo. It was so strange that we matched in colours.

"Did you like the surprise?" Harry said, his voice sounding lower than any other time I had heard him. He stood up from the sofa and embraced me in a welcoming hug. iOh, he smells good too/i I've got something planned for us today, if that's all right with you."

I nodded, and decided maybe this summer will be different after all.