Hermione sat up quickly, breathing heavily and sweating, her shoulders moving with every breath she took. Her eyes widened as she scanned the dark room. Looking down at herself, she realised she was still under the duvet covers. Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she sighed with relief washing over her.

'A nightmare' She thought, furrowing her eyebrows.

Glancing over at the bed across the room, she noticed that Ginny was still out cold.

'Dead to the world' Hermione thought. 'I don't know how she does it.'

She scoffed and threw the covers off of herself, sliding out of bed quietly in order to not wake the younger. Putting her feet into her slippers, she shuffled out of the room, closing the door gently behind her.

She ran a hand through her hair as she tip toed down the hallway and the stairs into the large kitchen. While boiling the kettle, she allowed herself to stare into space.

'It's a blessing really' Hermione's mind wandered, 'Molly was nice enough to let me stay here, since I didn't have the courage to bring my parent's memories back, but I feel like I'm not earning my keep.'

She blinked a few times and sighed.

'Are you going to make a cup of tea or stare at the kettle until it pours one itself?' A voice questioned behind her as a pair of arms snaked round her waist.

Hermione smiled.

'I thought this was the wizarding world? Is it not supposed to do that for me?' She said, laughing quietly as she leant against the person's chest.

'Hermione look at me'

She spun round and locked eyes with a familiar ginger, his blue eyes were sad and serious and bore right through her. She shivered.

'Ron...'

'What was it about this time?'

Her eyes glossed over as she recalled her nightmare, sighing as it replayed in her head. She shook her head and kissed his cheek.

'I don't remember, honestly'

'Then why are you awake so-'

'Ron, it's the first day of our last year at Hogwarts, of course I'm excited to go. That's why I can't sleep.' She insisted.

He scanned her face for any indication that she was lying. When he couldn't find one, his face softened, pushed no further questions, and laughed.

'You're the only bloody person that I know who's excited to go back to school. You're an absolute weirdo.'

She chuckled as he pushed a piece of hair behind her ear.

'Go back to sleep Weasley before I slip you a potion to make you' Hermione's eyes gleamed as she smirked.

He held up his hands in surrender and stepped back slowly towards the door.

'I'm going, I'm going! Fucking hell, Hermione, you're scary sometimes' He turned around and walked out the kitchen door, laughing to himself.

She smiled as she watched him leave, shaking her head in disbelief. Turning her attention back to the kettle, she poured herself a cup of tea, wrapped her cold hands around the mug and tiptoed back upstairs to try and get back to sleep.

—

'FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY'

A shout from downstairs woke Hermione up with a jolt.

'YOU BOTH GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!'

She giggled silently to herself at Molly's angry tone and let her mind wonder on what the twins could've done this time.

She sat up and outstretched her arms, yawning as the sound of her joints clicking echoed through the empty room. She breathed out and looked over at Ginny's bed.

'Empty and made...'

Hermione's eyes widened.

'OH SHIT.'

She leapt out of bed, gathering some clothes and a towel off of a chair and ran to the bathroom. Arriving at the door, she heard music trailing out from behind it.

'RON GET OUT OF THE BATHROOM!' She exclaimed, pounding on the door with a fist.

'WHAT?' Ron yelled over the noise of both his music and the pressured water.

'GET OUT OF THE BATHROOM!' Hermione screamed back. She was panicking now, late was not a word in her vocabulary.

'WHAT?' Ron yelled back again.

She screamed against the door and ran downstairs into the kitchen.

'Mrs Weasley?' Hermione scanned the busy room. Fred and George were discussing business strategies before they headed off to work and Ginny was reading the newspaper while eating her cereal. Her head whipped round to see Molly straightening Percy's tie.

'Yes, Hermione dear?' Molly questioned, handing Percy his suitcase as he disappeared into the fireplace.

'Ron won't get out of the bathroom and I'm running late!' She gulped at the last word and motioned upstairs.

Molly put her hands on her hips as she left the room and only her angry footsteps on the stairs were left to signify her mood. George and Fred looked over at her.

'You know there's another bathroom on the top floor?' Fred narrowed his eyes.

Hermione rolled hers. 'Of course I do, but trust me, this is way funnier.' She smirked.

'I see why we keep you around now' George chuckled as sounds of their shouting mother and screaming brother drifted into the room.

'Sounds like that's my cue to use the bathroom!' Hermione said happily, walking away and humming to herself.

Passing Molly on the stairs, she approached the bathroom and saw Ron leaning against the doorway.

'You're going to pay for that' He threatened with a deadpan look.

Hermione scanned his figure. His lower half was wrapped in a towel and trails of soap were still left on his torso and neck.

'Looks like you already have' She stifled a smile and pushed past him, kissing his cheek and then slamming the bathroom door in his face.

'HURRY UP OR WE'RE LEAVING WITHOUT YOU' Ron shouted through the door.

Hermione laughed out loud and started the shower, hearing his feet stomp away to his bedroom.

She stripped off her pyjamas and stepped into the shower, washing away the images her mind decided to conjure from the night before.

—

'LAST CALL FOR HOGWARTS'

Hermione stood facing the train as Ginny and Ron fumbled with their bags. She brushed her hair out of her face and took a deep breath. She didn't even remember the last time she got onto this train but it didn't give her the best feeling even looking at it now.

'Hermione?' Ron asked, snapping her out of her trance.

She looked at his outstretched hand and took it as he pulled her onto the train.

'Harry's already got a compartment, we're meeting him there.'

She smiled quickly at him. The whistle for departure pierced the air and the train slowly started moving. Ron looked at her, as if trying to read her mind, but in the end just sighed and turned to walk down the aisle. She followed him closely behind, looking at the passengers they passed. She was glad to see all the new faces and even the old ones returning to Hogwarts. It made her feel slightly less nervous.

They approached the compartment with Ginny entering first.

'Harry!' The youngest Weasley exclaimed, leaping on the black haired man who was sat next to the window. They shared a passionate kiss but were soon interrupted by the sound of fake vomiting.

'Pack it in will you, that's my sister.' Ron moaned with a look of disgust. Hermione pushed past him to sit down on the opposite seat, giggling along with Ginny.

Harry raised an eyebrow. 'Would you rather it be you?'

'Yeah go on then, I think I deserve one'

'Okay come here then you sexy man' Harry laughed as he got up and gave his best friend a hug.

'Nice to see you mate, where the fuck have you been all summer' Ron asked as he sat down next to Hermione.

'This and that, nothing important apart from your mum' Harry teased.

'You better fuck off right now before I smack you one' Ron threatened, sending the four of them into fits of laughter.

This was interrupted by their compartment door sliding open abruptly. All four pairs of eyes looked over to meet another four.

There in the doorway stood four people they never would have imagined to see returning to Hogwarts; Theo Nott, Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson and last but certainly not least, Draco Malfoy.

Hermione's eyes settled on Draco almost straight away. He smiled at her and nodded his head.

'Granger.'

Immediately, she lifted two fingers to her neck, just below her jaw. The seven others looked at her, confused.

'Hermione, what on earth are you doing'' Ginny asked, staring at her.

'Oh nothing, just checking if I had an aneurism or not since I swear I just heard Malfoy say my name'

The three Gryffindors covered their mouths to stifle their laughs. Draco looked extremely unamused.

'Feel free to have one, no complaints from me' He sneered.

'No complaints from you?! Wow, I hope your dad's enjoying his day off.' She retorted, staring into his eyes.

She noticed they were grey with little light blue flecks in them. Pansy's laughing outburst snapped her back to reality. Draco looked at the laughing Slytherin who shut up immediately.

'What do you want, Draco?' Hermione sighed.

He stood up straight and fixed his tie. 'I actually came here to have a chat with you all but you can shove it up your arseholes if you're going to act like that again.'

'Didn't ask though, did we?' Ron huffed as he got out of his seat.

'Alright Weasley, calm down. We just wanted to be civil.' Blaise said.

'That's really a shame.' Ron drew out his words sarcastically. 'See you around then' as he shut the door in their faces.

Draco huffed and stared at the closed door.

'That went really well, don't you think?' He asked, spinning around to look at his friends.

'Don't worry, Draco' Theo piped up, 'We'll try again soon'

Draco ran a hand through his hair 'I swore that the day I begged Potter and his little friends for forgiveness was the day I'd kill myself'

Pansy giggled, 'Come on, let's find some seats.' as she started to walk down the aisle with Blaise and Theo behind her. They glanced back to see Draco walking the opposite way.

'Where are you going?!' They shouted.

Draco laughed and rolled his eyes.

'To throw myself off this fucking train'.