Hermione woke up with a start, the events of just a few hours prior fresh on her mind. Looking out of the window, and just starting to see the first light of the day peaking over the horizon, Hermione decided to stay awake, starting to get dressed for the day. No use in going back to sleep now, she thought, dressing in a pair of jeans and a shirt. While getting her day started, Hermione was mindful of the still sleeping Ginny in the same room, walking quietly to the door to avoid waking the girl. Opening the bedroom door, Hermione turned around to close the door, doing her best to not make any noise and mostly succeeded, until she turned around.

"Harry!" Hermione squeaked in shock, her hand flying up to her mouth as part of her remembered to be quiet. She waited a breath, making sure Ginny didn't wake up, before continuing at a lower volume. "Harry, why are you up?"

"Couldn't sleep," Harry replied, dressed in his own jeans and shirt, his hair in its usual messy state. "Here, thanks for letting me borrow these.'' Harry said, handing Hermione's jeans back to her. She could be imagining things, but it almost seemed as if Harry was reluctant to see the jeans given back. Shaking her head, Hermione decided it was too early, and she needed some tea to start the day.

"Thank you, Harry. I wouldn't exactly call them borrowed, though" Hermione said with a smirk as she took her jeans back. "I wasn't exactly going to have you go around in your underwear now, was I?" Hermione let out a slight laugh at the thought. "Let me put these back, and we can go down for some tea?" She asked, not waiting for a reply as she slipped back into the room she was sharing with Ginny.

Harry watched Hermione reenter Ginny's room, his heart racing. Why did I want to keep those for myself?, he wondered, looking at the door a minute longer. Shaking his head, Harry made his way downstairs, getting the kettle ready to make tea for the two of them. After not too long, Harry heard the stair creaking behind him. "Hermione, how do you like your tea?" He asked, before turning around and seeing a slightly surprised Mrs. Weasley standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Oh! Good morning Mrs. Weasley" Harry said, slightly surprised "Sorry if we woke you up, we were trying to be quiet."

"Nonsense," Mrs. Weasley said, walking over and taking over tea duty from harry. "I'm normally up at this time. Is everything okay, dear?" She asked, turning as Hermione entered the room as well. "You as well? I assume you both couldn't sleep after last night's events?" She asked, turning to both Harry and Hermione.

Harry spoke up as Hermione shook her head "Not really, Mrs. Weasley. I couldn't fall back asleep, and felt cooped up. I was actually going to start breakfast, if you wanted any help?" He asked, yawning in the process.

"I can take care of the food myself, Harry, thank you for the offer though. Why don't you two go for a morning walk in the orchard? Fresh air and tea always helps me clear my head" Mrs. Weasley said, handing each of them a cup of tea and ushering them out of the kitchen fondly. "Just be sure to stay within the ward lines, dears" She offered as parting words.

The pair walked around the orchard in a companionable silence for a while, slowly sipping their tea and enjoying each other's company as the wet, dewy grass dampened their shoes. It was Harry that broke the silence first, speaking thoughts that had been rattling around inside his head for a while. "Hermione, I think I need to try harder in school." Harry turned to Hermione, facing her. "I feel like I have been slacking too much, what do you think?" He asked.

Hermione turned as well, surprised at Harry's statement "I won't deny you could study a bit more, but you pass all your classes with mostly E's and O's. What brought this on?" She asked curiously. In her 3 years knowing Harry, Hermione could count on one hand the number of times Harry brought up homework or grades first. She watched him curiously, noting that he seemed to be deep in thought.

"Honestly, I've been thinking about it since that vision I had earlier in the summer, and last night pushed it over the edge I guess you could say. If my vision was a vision, and not just a dream, I need to be ready for whatever type of fighting comes my way." Harry replied, a resolute look in his eyes as he sighed. "I don't suppose you would be willing to tutor me in my weaker subjects, would you?" Harry asked, a hopeful tone in his voice.

Hermione, who loved to study herself, was never going to pass up a chance at review, especially with a friend. Smiling, Hermione replied "Of course I can help you review, Harry." She was rewarded for her answer by a shocking hug from Harry, who seemed to have changed slightly this summer.

"Oh thanks Hermione! You don't know how much that means to me" He said, blushing slightly as he pulled away, turning back towards The Burrow and starting to walk back. "Hermione," he started. "I really am sorry about the jeans. I promise I wasn't wearing them on purpose. Sorry if I ruined them" Harry looked anywhere but at Hermione, a small part of him reminiscing about wearing them.

"It's no problem, Harry. It could have happened to anyone. And they are fine, you didn't even stretch them out." Hermione smiled at Harry, showing there were no hard feelings. Entering the kitchen again, Harry and Hermione were greeted by Percy, who was reading the day's paper, and Mr. Weasley, who was eating a quick breakfast. "Morning everyone" Hermione greeted as the two sat at the table, starting to help themselves to some food.

"Hello Harry, Hermione. You two are up early today, trouble sleeping?" Mr. Weasley asked, glancing over at the pair, who shook their heads "Not surprising given everything that happened yesterday. Well, I must be off. We're going to be busy at the ministry with all that happened yesterday." Mr. Weasley stood, as Percy joined him, off to work as well.

Given the early hour, and the fact the other's were liable to sleep in till mid-morning, Harry and Hermione decide to start studying in the living room. They start with some light potions revision, with Harry stating that he will never get more than an E while Snape is still teaching. Hermione disagrees, but they switch to transfiguration until the twins come down stairs, at which point they join the two menaces at the table.

"And what has ickle Harrykins"

"And the Lovely as always Miss Granger"

"Awake at this ungodly hour?" Fred and George asked, volleying back and forth as they spoke. Mrs. Weasley tutted and served them food.

"If it weren't for what happened last night, I would remind the pair of you that 11am is not 'ungodly' as you put it" Mrs. Weasley said, receiving a nod from each twin as they started in on their breakfast.

"We couldn't sleep," Hermione replied, near the bottom of her tea. "Last night was rather scary." She finished, looking back up at the twins. "I see that neither of you two had that problem, Sleeping until this 'ungodly hour'" Hermione replied, a hint of sarcasm in her voice causing Harry to snort into his cup, just as Ron entered the room.

"We'll have you know, young lady"

"That this time of day is ungodly regardless of the day before"

"Thank you very much." Fred and George replied between bites of food. As they replied to Hermione, and Ron started eating, Mrs. Weasley walked over to the table. "Your school lists came in yesterday while you were gone." She handed out each one to the table's occupants. "Looks to be the standard stuff" Harry took his parchment from Mrs. Weasley, thanking her. As he read over the list, Hermione spoke the question on his mind "What do we need dress robes for?"

Mrs. Weasley smiled, before giving a cryptic response "Oh, you'll find out at Hogwarts dear. Now, everyone up! We have shopping to do!" She hustled everyone to the fireplace. One by one, everyone grabbed their pinch of floo powder, letting the emerald flames whisk them away to Diagon alley. Harry bringing up the rear, there was a relieved smile from Mrs. Weasley as he managed to land at the right grate this time, coming to a tumble inside the Leaky Cauldron. "Oh well done, harry!" She smiled, lifting him up and dusting him off.

"Yeah, Harry, no side tracking for you today" Ron said, laughing lightly at Harry's expense. Everyone, of course, thinking back to Harry's disastrous first trip through the floo before his second year.

Harry stuck his tongue out at Ron as the group made their way to the alley, headed for Gringotts, where they took out the money needed for this year's batch of school supplies. Stepping into Madam Malkins, Harry was soon fitted with his own dress robes, similar in style to the Hogwarts robes, but with a green trim and slightly better quality. As he was leaving, Harry spotted a small selection of jewelry, and stopped. Looking through the selection, Harry's eyes landed on a small pendant of a golden snitch, hanging on a thin silver chain. Picking it up off the shelf, Harry looked at the pendant, almost transfixed as the stoor lighting glinted off the small snitch, its wings fluttering softly as he held it. Harry jumped as Madam Malkin approached him from behind and spoke up "Looking at getting a gift for a special lady?" She asked. Harry swallowed. I wanted it for myself, he thought. Surely no one will know it's women's jewelry. With a start, Harry realized he was lost in thought "Uh, yes actually. Could you add it to my purchase?" He asked, his heart racing.

Leaving the store with his robes and pendant, Harry stepped into the bright daytime light, rejoining the Weasleys and Hermione on their way back to the leaky Cauldron. Satisfied with his robes, Harry's mind kept wandering back to the pendant, and the confusion it caused. Why did it cause his heart to hammer in his chest each time he thought about wearing it, and why didn't that bother him at all? Harry somewhat mechanically returned through the floo to the burrow, doing his best to go about his day.

Later that night, after everyone had fallen asleep, Harry sat in bed awake, turning the small pendant in his hand over and over, deep in thought. He didn't understand why he felt the way he did when he had Hermione's jeans on. Why it felt like the proper thing to do? And he really didn't know why he liked the jewelry so much when he never had been before. It was with these heavy thoughts that Harry went to bed, More confused now than he had been just 2 days ago.

Harry woke up on the first of September with a spring in his step. He would finally be getting back to Hogwarts to start his 4th year of schooling. Getting dressed for the day, Harry grabbed his pendant from its hidden spot in his trunk and clasped it behind his neck. He admired the little snitch again, the odd fluttering feeling in his chest once more, before he let the pendant fall under his shirt. Careful not to wake Ron while doing that, Harry now had no need to be quiet. As Harry took his trunk downstairs, the noise was enough to wake Ron, who bolted upright "Wuzzat?" He asked dumbly, before yawning.

"Wake up, Ron" Harry said, standing in the doorway "Breakfast is ready, and I know you haven't finished packing yet" Harry then started down the stairs, taking his trunk with him carefully. Once at the bottom, Harry smiled when he saw that Hermione's trunk was the only other one ready. Perhaps she is having a good influence on me, He thought to himself, happily sitting at the table and eating a larger breakfast in preparation for the long train journey.

"Good morning, Harry" Hermione said, smiling at him from across the table "It's nice to see you downstairs early for once, instead of waiting for the last moment to pack your trunk"

"I think you may be rubbing off on me" Harry said with a sly half-smirk. Moments later, Fred and George made it down to breakfast, yawning and simply nodding their good mornings, Mrs. Weasley dishing out a plate for each of them.

In an unusual twist, the entire Weasley clan, plus Harry and Hermione, managed to leave the Burrow on time to catch the Express with plenty of time to spare. Despite this, however, they arrived just 5 minutes beforehand, due to bad traffic getting into London. Thus, it was a rushed group of teens that arrived on platform 9 ¾, just minutes before the train departed.

Harry, Ron and Hermione all got a compartment together, near the back of the train as Fred and George went off in search of their own friends. Harry, sitting nearest the window and opposite Hermione, smiled as he watched the platform drift out of sight "I'm so happy to be going back." He said simply, enjoying the view out the window as the train chugged along towards another year at Hogwarts.

AN: I've been working on my chapter length, as I write more of the story. I do not have a beta, so please forgive any spelling or grammar errors you may find. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as always, reviews are welcome