Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, it belongs to JK Rowling, etc, etc. Anyone who thinks I do own Harry Potter is an idiot.

A/N: I'm kinda teasing you guys a little, huh? :P Sorry. I just really love how this chapter works. I hope you guys agree.

Steps Toward Something

Chapter Five

Unlike her first journey to Hogwarts, in which she and Harry had sat silently in the corridor, Hermione actually managed to find a compartment to sit in this time. Her dad had dropped her off at Kings Cross early, in the hopes that she would be able to find an empty compartment. He had walked her to the wall separating the Muggle platforms nine and ten in silence, but once there he knelt and gave her a short hug, which she returned lightly.

'Er,' he stumbled over his words a little, 'have a great year.'

She nodded with a small smile and then separated, pulling her trunk behind her as she walked to the invisible entrance to platform nine and three quarters. Once there, she turned and waved. The last thing she saw of her dad before she vanished through the wall was his hand rising to wave back.

The first compartment she looked into had two students she didn't recognise, and so she passed on that. A few more occupied compartments had her worried she would be spending the whole journey sat in the corridor again, alone this time. Harry had stayed behind at Hogwarts, being given special permission by Headmaster Dumbledore due to his unusual circumstances.

Finally, she came across an empty compartment and quickly stowed her trunk under the seat. She immediately felt the tension in her body loosen. Pulling a book out of her shoulder bag, she sat down to read.

As time passed, she heard the train get busier, as more and more students piled on. They ran up and down the corridors, banging trunks around, talking in what seemed, at least to Hermione, much too loud tones.

A few popped their heads into her compartment, but left quickly, either looking for an empty compartment, or they recognised her and didn't want to sit with the crazy mute girl. She recognised a few fellow Ravenclaw's, some even from her year, but was truthfully glad that they decided to look elsewhere.

Her luck would run out though, when one tiny little girl entered, cast her oddly prominent eyes around the room, and then decided to sit right across from Hermione. She peered at the other girl over the rim of her book, taking in her odd, garishly bright clothing and long dirty blonde hair, which was festooned with several items, such as seashells, acorns, and directly upon her head, a wreath of multicoloured flowers.

'Hullo,' the girl said, her voice bright and cheery, 'I'm Luna Lovegood, what's your name?'

Hermione quickly hid her face behind her book, hoping the odd girl would get the message. She was not so lucky.

'Hello?' She heard Luna get up and come and stand right in front of her, but Hermione kept her eyes focused right on her book and didn't move. Her heart beat like a drum in her chest.

There was silence for several minutes, but Luna kept on standing right in front of her, just staring. Hermione could feel her there, right on the edge of her personal bubble.

Finally, Luna said, 'you are very strange,' and went to sit back down.

Hermione let out a relieved breath, but her reprieve was short lived, as the door to the compartment opened again. She jumped in surprise, causing both Luna, and the new girl, to look at her. She blushed and practically buried her nose between the pages of her book, wishing that Harry were here to make her feel safe.

'Hi Luna,' the new girl said. Hermione heard her slide her trunk under the seat.

'Hullo Ginny,' Luna replied. 'Don't mind her. She is very strange.'

Hermione felt her blush redden and wished the oddly dressed girl would just be silent.

'Why do you think she's strange?' The girl named Ginny asked.

'I said hello to her, and she just ignored me. Either she is strange, or just very rude. I prefer to think that she is strange, though.'

'Oh, I think I know who she is. My brother Ron told me all about her. She's in his year, in Ravenclaw, and he said she doesn't speak to anyone. Her name's… Her-something.'

'She doesn't speak at all?' Luna sounded sympathetic. 'Oh, I wonder if she was bitten by an Osfur bug?'

'A what?'

'An Osfar bug. They steal your voice if they bite you!'

Ginny laughed softly. 'I don't think she was.'

'How do you know?'

'Ron said he's seen her speaking to one of the Professors, so obviously she can speak. She just chooses not to.'

Hermione peeked above the rim of her book again, feeling very uncomfortable that these two girls where discussing her as if she wasn't even in the compartment. She wanted to tell them that they were the rude ones.

Luna was frowning, her pale eyebrows almost meeting. 'I thought you said she doesn't speak to anyone?'

'That's just what Ron said. I guess he meant anyone our age.' Ginny shrugged.

They both turned to look at her again, so Hermione quickly hid behind her book. Just then, the train began to move. Once more, Hermione wished that Harry were here with her, and resigned herself to a very unpleasant ride to Hogwarts.

(-)

In the end, the trip wasn't as bad as Hermione expected. Luna and Ginny quickly lost interest in her and started talking amongst themselves. She actually learnt quite a bit about both girls just from the fact that they seemed to think she was deaf as well as mute.

She learnt that they lived close by one another and had known each other most of their lives, making them pretty good friends. She also learnt that Ginny was part of the Weasley family, that Luna's father owned a newspaper called the Quibbler, and that they both expected to be sorted into specific houses. Ginny wanted to be in Gryffindor with her brothers, and Luna stated quite succinctly that she was certain she would be a Ravenclaw.

Hermione hoped that last part was not true! While she understood why Ginny and Luna would dismiss her as a person worth getting to know, she still wished one, or both of them, had been a little more understanding. She wanted to make friends, like she had with Harry, but she was simply unable to actively do it herself. The fact that Luna had so casually dismissed her as strange (when she herself appeared to be very odd in fact) hurt Hermione a lot.

Of course this was nothing new to her. She had been dismissed and hurt by every young person she had ever met, except for Harry. Harry, who - as the train pulled into Hogsmeade station - she was about to be reunited with. She felt a smile pull at her cheeks as she carefully put her book back into her bag and pulled out her trunk to get her robes.

'Why are you smiling all of a sudden?' The girl called Ginny asked.

Hermione glanced at her briefly, wishing, despite how rude both girls had been, that she could just reply them, but at the same time, being terrified of doing so. Then she ducked her head down to hide her face and went back to finding her robes.

'You can talk right?' Ginny persisted.

Hermione stopped again and looked in Ginny's general direction. She gave her head a small shake. No.

Ginny looked suddenly sad. 'Oh. I guess Ron was wrong,' she said to Luna.

'I told you, she was bitten by an Osfar bug,' Luna commented. 'It's such a shame. There's no cure, you know.'

Ginny shook her head at the nonsense Luna was spouting while Hermione quickly pulled on her robes, closed up her trunk, and left the compartment behind. She followed the crowd to a collection of what appeared to be horseless carriages, making sure to stay just a little behind so as not to get overwhelmed by bodies on all sides. She jumped into the nearest carriage, which was occupied by a group of friends who seemed content to ignore her, a fact she appreciated greatly, and settled back, trying to keep calm as it brought her closer to Harry.

Hermione wondered if he would be waiting for her. She wanted to sit with him, but assumed that wouldn't be allowed as they belonged to separate houses. Nothing in Hogwarts: A History covered such a situation. She felt butterflies in her stomach as the carriage came to a stop, and she couldn't have escaped faster if it had been on fire. They had all come to a stop at the entrance to Hogwarts.

The massive double doors stood open, and standing inside them, alone, but waiting for her, was Harry.

She ran to him.