Thank you so much for all the reviews and alerts! I'm sorry for the delay, I haven't been home this weekend and I got hit with a bit of writer's block. It's all sorted out now and I hope you enjoy the chapter. Tell me what you think of it =].

Chapter Six – When It All Comes Crashing Down

Hermione ran into the common room as fast as she could before she once again collapsed on the ground. Sobs wracked through her body and it hurt her so bad to know that Ron could be this insensitive. Seeing them together, that he had moved on so fast, made her feel like her heart had been ripped out and stopped on. Where was the Ron from this summer? The one that had promised never to hurt her and to be there whenever she needed him? It felt like her entire world had been torn apart and left for her to piece back together.

The adoption, Emma, Ron, her best friends and, oh god, she had sex with Malfoy. What had she been thinking? That went against everything she believed in and it disgusted her that it was with Malfoy. It had been good, she admitted disgusted, but she hated herself for doing it. If it ever came out, that would be the last straw before everything crumbled. That night she had just been so lonely, tired, angry and hurt. Hermione felt so unwanted in that moment that she needed to be proven otherwise. How could she be so stupid? If Malfoy hadn't performed a contraceptive charm, she would really be freaking out. She felt like screaming in frustration and sadness. Was this what she deserved?

Pansy saw that Draco and Blaise were in the common room when Hermione entered and they were looking at her in shock. Well, Draco still looked indifferent, but Blaise looked surprised to see Hermione in this kind of state. It actually surprised everyone in this room, because she was usually so strong but it was finally becoming too much for her. It brought tears to her eyes when she saw how Hermione was reacting to everything.

Blaise walked over to Hermione cautiously and held her while she cried. Pansy smiled at how kind and gentle Blaise could be. Pansy walked to Draco and gave him a long sisterly hug. No one deserved what Hermione was going through. It was in that moment that Pansy swore that she would protect Hermione at all costs. She still couldn't get over how her friends refused to be there for her. They had been through everything, but yet they couldn't even listen to Hermione.

Hermione felt herself being held by someone and just cried harder. She didn't know who it was, but it comforted her. It reminded her of Harry. Whenever she was crying he had always been there for her. Where was he now? Having fun with Ginny, Emma and Ron? Hermione was so mad at herself for crying over Ron so much. It wasn't necessary at all. After awhile, she finally cried herself to sleep in Blaise's arms.

Pansy looked at them, "Look guys, I don't understand how you guys can be friends with Emma, but Hermione is going to be hanging out with us from now on okay? I'm not leaving her alone."

"That's fine, I just can't believe that she fell apart. This is Hermione Granger one of the strongest people that I've ever seen," Blaise said in disbelief.

"No, she's not hanging out with us. This is mudblood Granger! I refuse to be in the same room as her and have the same friends. You guys are my friends!" Draco exclaimed angrily.

"Calm down Draco! She doesn't have anyone and she's been a good friend to me okay? You're standing in the same room right now! We'll still be your friends," she replied back, "Look, I know what it's like to be in her situation and it's hard. She needs friends right now and hers left her. If she doesn't have us, she alone. I know she's a Gryffindor and a muggleborn, but she's loyal. Draco, this could help your reputation," Pansy tried as a bargain chip.

"Fine, if you want to be her pathetic friend then do it! I refuse to be nice to her. I hate her and there's nothing that's going to stop it. Who cares if it helps my reputation, this is Hermione Granger we're talking about!" Draco said as he stormed out of the common room.

Blaise sighed, "Don't worry about him. You know how he's like. He'll come around eventually."

"Thanks for being here for me Blaise. It's not easy looking out for her. I just hope that nothing else happens to her," Pansy smiled sadly.

"Yeah, Ron's an asshole and the Gryffindors are cowards once again. I'm always here for you Pansy. Never forget that. I may not be as close to you as Draco is, but I'm still your friend. Why do you care about what happens to her so much?" he asked as he gently set Hermione on the couch.

"I honestly don't know Blaise. I'm just used to seeing her so confident, you know how much I hated her. She's the only one that hates Emma as much as I do, well now she probably hates her a lot more than I do. I found her in the library so upset and her friends weren't there for her. I don't think they've been there for her for awhile. What kind are they?" Pansy asked rhetorically.

Blaise walked over to Pansy and engulfed her in a hug. They stayed like that for awhile and they were both content. This hug was extremely different from the one that she had given Draco and she couldn't help but feel safe in his arms. Pansy pulled away reluctantly and went to go grab Hermione a blanket from a closet in the room.

"I'm going to go get some tea and some banana bread for you guys. It's what my mother does when something's bothering me," Blaise told her.

Pansy smiled, "Thank you for sticking around. I appreciate you helping us."

Blaise smiled back and quietly walked out of the room. Pansy sat beside Hermione on the couch thinking of ways to help her and thinking about the new type of relationship Blaise and her seemed to have developed.

A warm banana smell drifted to Hermione as she slowly opened her eyes. She looked around the room and tried to remember how it was that she got here and why she was under a blanket. Then it all came flooding back to her, but she blinked the tears away furiously. There was no way she was going to cry again. She had cried so much in the past few days that it didn't seem real. Before this year started, she couldn't remember the last time she cried. Actually, it was when Ron and Lavender were dating. Ron had been the cause of most of her tears she realized and she wondered why she had even loved him in the first place.

"I see you're finally getting up sleeping beauty," Pansy said from in front of her, "You just missed Blaise, but he brought you this. He says it's what makes him feel better when he's upset."

Hermione looked at her confused, "Zabini was here?"

"I think after he held you when you cried that he deserves to be called Blaise, don't you think?" she asked Hermione.

"I didn't know who it was to be honest. I'll have to thank him," Hermione said as she reached for the cup of tea.

"Are you okay?" Pansy asked as she helped Hermione grab the banana bread.

"Not really, but I think I got it all out before I fell asleep," she laughed, "Thank you again. I feel terrible that I constantly have to thank you for doing this. I'm not used to having someone help me so much."

"You mean that no one's looked out for you?" Pansy wondered aloud.

"It's not exactly like that. This summer Ron and Harry had been amazing, but usually I don't really have any problems. I'm the one that helps them and Ginny. They are just too focused helping Ron right now," she admitted as she looked at her cup.

"I don't understand how you could live like that. I would be a complete mess if Blaise and Draco hadn't been there for me. It's alright though, Blaise and I will be here for you," Pansy smiled.

Hermione laughed, "Thanks. So I'm guessing this was too much for Malfoy."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that but he has to be one of the most stubborn people that I've met, including you. You guys have too much of a strong history to try to fix," she told Hermione sadly.

"That's okay, I really really don't like Malfoy. He really bothers me," Hermione admitted.

"Personally, I think if you guys made out or something it wouldn't be so bad. I swear that you guys have the worse sexual tension I've ever seen," Pansy exclaimed.

When Hermione didn't answer, Pansy's eyes widened, "Wait... did something happen between you guys?"

Hermione once again chose not to answer. She couldn't lie to Pansy after all she had done to help her and she really didn't want to think about what happened last night.

"Something did! You didn't sleep with him did you?" Pansy's jaw dropped, "You did! When did this happen?"

"Last night," Hermione mumbled.

Pansy thought for a minute, "Wait, is that why everyone thinks you cheated on Ron?"

"No, like I told you he was cheating on me with Emma. I couldn't stay in the dorm because Emma sleeps there too and I couldn't stand to look at her face. I ran here crying after I told Ron it was over and I pretty much collapsed in here like I did yesterday. Malfoy was there and he started insulting me. I insulted him back and we were yelling at each other. I released all my pent up anger actually. One minute we were ready to kill each other and the next, we were..." Hermione trailed off.

"Wow. That was definitely not something I expected and with Draco?" Pansy said shocked.

"It didn't mean anything though and it won't happen again trust me. I hate him and he hates me too thank god. I feel disgusting and stupid for doing that though. I just wasn't thinking," she admitted.

"I guess I was wrong then. I wouldn't worry about it though. No one's perfect and you made a mistake. No one knows about it, so just move on and forget about it. Draco's a good guy believe it or not and I'm not saying it meant something, but he'll come around and he'll be your friend. It'll just take some time," Pansy explained.

"I somehow doubt that, but thank you for not hating me for doing that," Hermione smiled.

"Who knew that Hermione Granger would have sex before I did," Pansy laughed.

"Wait... you haven't had sex at all?" Hermione asked shocked, "I thought you did because of what everyone was saying."

"Those are just rumours I promise. No, I actually want to fall in love before I have sex. Everyone that thinks of me as a slut is wrong and I don't care to prove them wrong. If they think that of me then I know who my friends are and who aren't. Anyways, we should go to bed, it's past curfew," she stated.

Hermione quickly jumped up, "It's past curfew? I didn't even get a start on my homework! I'm going to fall behind now."

"Don't worry about it, it's due in a couple of days. You can work on it tomorrow, but you needed the rest. You haven't really changed one bit," Pansy laughed.

Hermione mock glared at her and they left the common room quickly and quietly. Pansy said goodbye because the Slytherin dorms were so close by and Hermione was left to her own devices to get back to her common room. She then shook her head at her dumbness. She was the Head Girl and they had later curfews than everyone else. Technically her curfew was in twenty minutes. Smiling in relief, she walked to the dorms slowly just thinking about everything.

At this time of night, the castle felt cold with the stone walls. Hermione shivered as she got a cold breeze. The torches lit the way to her dorm and she was happy she didn't have to use her wand. Hermione was glad that Pansy had let her sleep, because now her mind was a lot clearer. She still couldn't believe what the whole school thought of her. Hermione had helped many people with their homework, tutoring them or giving them advice and this was how they repayed her. She knew that if anyone approached her because they needed help, she would still help them. That was who she was and a little fight or drama wasn't going to change that.

It hurt so bad to hear what Ron thought of her and what he did. She knew she was not better than him, but it still hurt her deeply to know that he was about to break up with her. Hermione felt childish to have thought that she was going to marry Ron. Everyone expected them to get married as well as Harry and Ginny, but now those dreams were shattered. What did she do now? It felt like she was at a crossroad in her life and the next decision she would make would determine the path she took in this life. When Hermione entered her dorm, she did what any girl her age would do.

She grabbed a quill and some parchment and wrote a letter to her mother. If she had learnt anything, it was that her mum could help her with everything. She already had the life experiences and had made mistakes that could prevent her daughter from making the same ones. Obviously she would leave out the part about Malfoy, well she would say that they kissed. Thinking for a little bit, she finally decided what to write.

Hey mum,

I'm sorry it's been a week since I replied to your last letter, but I've been overwhelmed with Head duties, studies and dealing with a few problems. I need your help and right now I wish I was at home with you, because I know you wouldn't hesitate to help me. Ron and I broke up and I'm completely devastated. We had been going through a few problems and we had a fight about it. He was accusing me of ditching him to hang out with a Slytherin and not being around enough and I accused him of flirting with Emma in front of me and never noticing when I was upset.

I stormed away, but after I thought about it, I realized that he was a little right. I had been too wrapped up in my studies and Head duties and I hadn't made enough time for Harry, Ron and Ginny. I realized that I was jealous of Emma like he told me. I went to apologize to him, but I overheard him talking to Emma. He was saying that it was my fault, but then he felt bad. He was going to apologize, but Emma convinced him he had nothing to apologize for. With her help, he realized that maybe it was better if we broke up. Next thing I knew, they were making out! I was so upset, hurt and angry that I stormed in there and broke up with him. I left the common room and went to the Head common room and kissed Malfoy. It wasn't intentional, one minute we were ready to kill each other and you know what happened the next minute.

I went to go sit with Harry, Ron, Ginny and Neville the next day, but they were mad at me. Emma was sitting with them and they accused me of cheating on Ron! I didn't and I don't even know who I supposedly cheated on him with. He was the one that cheated on me, but everyone in the whole school hates me because they think I did. I know it was Emma's idea, but I don't know what to do. My friends deserted me and the people I thought were my enemies became my friends. You remember me talking about Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini and Malfoy. Well, Malfoy isn't my friend, but Pansy has been there for me so much. I honestly wouldn't have handled this as well as I have without her. Blaise and her are the only people that believe that I didn't cheat on Ron. I'm thankful that I've been there to see this side of them.

I just don't know what to do anymore. No one is talking to me and I just don't know how to handle it. Part of me wants to go and curse Ron for what he did and for lying to everyone, but part of me is kind of happy that happened. They haven't been good friends lately and they've ditched me constantly. I'm happy that I've had the opportunity to be friends with Pansy and Blaise but I'm a bit scared that Emma's going to ruin that. What do I do Mum?

I miss you and Dad so much,

Hermione

xxx

Putting her letter away for tomorrow, Hermione pulled the curtains around her bed and let herself fall back onto the bed. Tears once again overwhelmed her eyes and she cast a shaky silencing spell around her. What had she done to deserve this? She couldn't get him out of her mind and she hated it. He had betrayed her yet she was still in love with him. They had been best friends for so long, didn't that fact count? Couldn't he have just broken up with her? She knew that it hurt either way, but at least she could have still respected him. Why was it so easy for him to throw everything away? Sure they hadn't been going for that long, but they had been dancing around each other for years. Suddenly it was all over.

Harry wasn't even around this time to help her through this. It was all on her to go through this. Pansy had been so great these past couple of days, but just because they had been friends for that long didn't mean that she completely trusted her. It was like Ron had made it hard for her to trust people.

What did Emma have against her? It was like since the first day that she got here, she had singled out Hermione and wanted to make her life miserable. Emma was okay with everyone else and seemed really nice. Was it because Hermione didn't trust her? Hermione hated that she couldn't understand Emma at all. At least she knew why Malfoy hated her in the first place, but as far as she knew Emma had no reason at all.

When did Ginny decide not to be her friend anymore? Hermione remembered having helped her get Harry and how excited she was when he finally asked her out. All that work that Ginny did had paid off. Ginny was the one that helped her get ready for the Yule Ball when Viktor Krum had asked her to go. They had been so giddy because even though Hermione didn't care too much about status, an international quidditch player had asked her out of everyone at Hogwarts to be his date. Even though she had desperately wanted to go with Ron, it made her feel happy to have someone be interested in you like Viktor was. Hermione finally drifted into a restless sleep where she was faced with dreams of Malfoy, Ron and Emma. To say she were lovely dreams would be a lie.

The next day came way too quickly for Hermione and it took all her strength to get out of bed. Looking around the room, she noticed that half the girls were still in bed. Hermione picked up her robes and set out for the shower, washing off all the remains of her crying yesterday. Hermione sighed as the water hit her back. Why was she letting Ron get to her? If she kept letting him get to her, Emma and Ron won while she lost. Yesterday she had a good cry about it all, but that would be the last time she cried for Ron. Like she said yesterday, she cried over him too much.

She left the shower and once again brushed like crazy through her hair. When that was done, she left the common room with her books. Hermione wouldn't need Lavender's foundation today. Walking at a fast pace to the Great Hall, she wondered where she would sit. Probably at the end of the Gryffindor table alone like she had done when her, Ron and Harry got into a fight. Sighing, she started walking to her table when a voice yelling her name stopped her. Confused, she looked around to find the source and smiled when she saw Pansy waving her over to sit with her, Blaise and Malfoy. She wasn't excited to sit beside him, but she would have to live with it. Harry and Ron were looking at her and she just smiled and joined Pansy. It wasn't a friendly smile, it was more like saying see, someone here still likes me.

Hermione walked towards Pansy and noticed the shocked expressions that the rest of the Slytherins were wearing. Hermione felt a bit self conscious, but shook it off. She sat down gracefully beside Malfoy as that was the only place left.

"Have a good sleep?" Pansy asked her.

"It was okay, you?" Hermione replied.

Pansy smiled, "Fine."

A girl with light brown hair and blue eyes leaned over to Pansy, "What is she doing here?"

"Daphne, mind your manners. If you hadn't been asleep again through this morning's meeting, you would know. Hermione is one of us now. Don't cross her or you cross me," Pansy told Daphne Greengrass in a threatening tone.

Daphne huffed and returned to her conversation with other Slytherin girls.

"What meeting?" Hermione curiously asked.

"Draco and Pansy have meetings every few weeks telling them what's new in Slytherin and to remind them of the rules," Blaise explained while eating his eggs.

"Oh okay," Hermione replied even though she thought that was strange.

Pansy laughed, "Don't worry about it. Anyways, you can now help me with the Halloween party!"

"What the hell Pansy? That's between you, me and Blaise! She could go off telling the Gryffindors. I can't sit here anymore with her here," Malfoy angrily said before he stormed out.

"Don't mind him, he's just having mood swings again," Pansy replied indifferently, "Anyways, are you in?"

Hermione looked cautious, before finally agree, "Yeah, I'll help out."

The rest of breakfast continued quietly with a couple glares or sneers from the Slytherins. Hermione left a little early so she could sent her mother that letter that she had added to her book bag. Luckily Ancient Runes was close to the Owlery so she wouldn't be late for class. The walk was a little far for her, but it was the only exercise she did, so she should be happy that it would be a little bit of a walk. Someone bumped into her shoulder hard and she bit her lip to keep back that cry of pain. Looking at who did it, she was surprised that it was Harry.

"What the hell Harry?" she almost yelled at him while she stood in her books that had been falling.

"No, I should be asking you that. Since when do you sit with the Slytherins? Are you that much of a traitor? I can't believe you were ever my friend," he spat at her.

"Since they were the only ones that believe me and are nice to me. Isn't that sad Harry? No one but the Slytherins believe me. None of my so called friends do! I can't believe that you believe Ron. I was your friend too. Who was there for you this summer when you had those dreams about Voldemort? Who convinced you that you weren't evil when you thought that you were exactly like him? Remember all those times I stood by you when no one dared to, even Ron! I've never left you, but I guess I can't ask for your respect in trusting my judgement. I never lied to you and this just proves that you guys haven't really been my friends for awhile. Ron and I got into a fight and I left. I came back to apologize and Emma convinced him that our relationship wasn't worth fixing. Then they made out. I didn't cheat on him," Hermione determinately told him.

Green eyes hesitated for a minute, before laughing, "You almost had me fooled there. You're just as good as Malfoy. I know you cheated on Ron with Theodore Nott, Granger."

He said her last name like it disgusted him before walking away, leaving her in her pile of books. All the sadness she had over this situation then disappeared. Hermione was angry that her friends could not believe her. Picking up her books and putting them back in her bag, she quickly ran into the owlery. She sent the letter to her mother and ran to class. Luckily, she was still early and she took a seat a little near the back. Someone joined her.

"So you and Theodore?" Blaise asked her amused.

Hermione groaned, "Apparently. How can anyone believe that? I don't even remember the last time I saw him!"

"That's because he prefers to not to talk to the other houses," he told her.

"Oh okay. So why did you sit here?" she asked him.

Blaise pointed at his old spot, "Draco decided to sit with Emma today and I heard you tell off Potter and wanted to congratulate you."

"Thanks, I guess," Hermione said while busying herself by taking her stuff out.

"What's wrong?" he asked confused.

"It just feels completely wrong to fight with Harry and Ron. Harry's been the brother I've never had since I got here at Hogwarts. Don't worry about it though. How are you and Pansy doing?" she replied quickly.

"I get it a little bit. I don't know what you're talking about," Blaise said as he looked to see if the teacher arrived yet.

Pushing her hair out of her face, Hermione smiled, "Right. I know there's something between you. I think you should go for it."

"We'll see," Blaise smirked as the professor entered the classroom and started the class.

The rest of the day went by without any incidents. She still felt that pang of sadness whenever she walked past Ron, but furiously pushed it down. Harry and Ginny still refused to look at her after believing the rumour about her and Nott. Hermione couldn't even see how that was believable. Ron could have done a lot better than that in her opinion, but the school did believe it. That was fact enough to prove how intelligent the students really were.

Malfoy still refused to talk to her, especially since she had started to hang out with him and his friends. He didn't even bother insulting her anymore. Instead, he would glare and sneer at her whenever their paths crossed, which, believe it or not, was often. They both used the Heads common room to study and do their course work. What distracted her the most was that she had to sit in a desk that faced him. Hermione really had to get off his bad side because he could seriously do some damage to her. Too bad that a truce could never be made, because of how much they hated each other.

Soon hours turned into days and the school work got harder and multiplied by the day. Hermione had to juggle her school work, head duties and now Pansy's Halloween party. Even though Malfoy refused to let her participate, Pansy and Blaise both overruled him. It was interesting how they were planning it. They had to find an empty classroom that had been deserted for awhile so that the teachers wouldn't be able to find them, create wards to keep out the unwanted guests, charms so that the music didn't blare through the walls and a way to smuggle the alcohol in. Hermione had never gotten drunk before so she didn't plan on drinking at the party.

Only the people that Pansy, Blaise and Malfoy deemed worthy enough were invited. Surprisingly there were a lot of people from Ravenclaw invited as well as the Slytherins. There was an obvious reason according to them why they didn't invite Hufflepuffs when Hermione asked why they couldn't come. No Gryffindors were invited so there wouldn't be as much drama for her that night. Merlin knew that she had enough drama on Halloween in the past years to last her a lifetime.

She was actually kind of looking forward to this party. Hermione would prove Malfoy wrong and show that Pansy was right in including her in the plans. She knew so many charms for decorating and for wards that it'll be the best one they've hosted so far. It was fitting since it was their last year at Hogwarts. Hermione still hadn't changed her mind about not telling Malfoy that she wasn't a muggleborn. She was considering telling Pansy that she was adopted. Maybe with her help, she could figure out what to do with the situation. Part of her still felt like she was letting her adoptive parents down if she did that.

Currently, she was pouring over a Potions essay that Professor Snape had given them. It was due by the end of the week and she was trying hard to work, but it was hard. Hermione's mind kept wandering to every subject that she could think of except for Potions and it was frustrating. Glancing across the room, she noticed that Malfoy was working hard on an assignment of his own. His blonde hair was actually messy for once because he ran his hand through his hair when he was frustrated. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows so he wouldn't stain his white sleeves. It was probably expensive, Hermione thought as she inwardly rolled her eyes.

Hermione was annoyed lately. Every time she entered a room, her eyes searched for another person first without her permission. They automatically looked to see if he was in the room. She still didn't think Malfoy was that attractive and she knew that the only reason she seeked him out in a room was so that she could avoid his glares and insults. It was still annoying to look at him though. Finally, her thoughts drifted back to Potions and she was able to quickly finish her essay that was due. She could start her History of Magic essay, but that was due next week and she didn't feel like doing it yet. Yawning, she noticed that Malfoy was done too.

"What are you looking at mudblood?" he said annoyed when he noticed her gaze on him.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Don't worry about it."

"Awe... does the mudblood like me?" Malfoy asked as he approached her desk.

"Yeah, just because someone looks at someone means that they like them. Our desks are across from each other if you haven't noticed," Hermione said as she stood up to him.

Malfoy laughed, "Don't think that I haven't noticed that you've been looking at me lately. I know you want me, admit it. The last time wasn't enough for you."

"Are you serious? The last time was one time too many. For your information, I think you're up to something. That's why I've been looking at you, not because I like you. Sorry to disappoint you," she replied while she grabbed her stuff.

"That isn't what Emma's been telling me," Malfoy smirked.

"Ew. You believe Emma? She's so full of bullshit it's not even funny. I wouldn't trust a word she says," Hermione said angrily.

"That's too bad, because I trust her word more than I trust yours. Did you know that Blaise still likes her and that he only pretends to hate her for you?" Malfoy asked her.

"I never asked him to do that and if it's true, it doesn't matter. I don't care if you don't trust me, just don't insult me by thinking that I like you. Guess what? I hate you," Hermione said as she walked out, tired of dealing with Malfoy and his crazy ideas/loyalties.

Hermione walked down the hallway and noticing that it was a nice cool night, she decided to go sit by the lake. Her mother had sent her reply earlier today, so she thought this would be the perfect chance to read it. Nightfall was about to fall, so when Hermione got to the lake, the reflection off the lake was beautiful. Remembering to come to this spot more often, Hermione opened up her letter.

Hermione,

I'm so sorry to hear about you and Ron. That was a terrible thing that he did. I thought that he would have been completely different, but you can never tell who the bad and the good guys are. I'm surprised at this Emma girl for doing that to you. It seems completely out of the blue. I think that Harry, Ginny and Neville should have listened to your side of the story before choosing a side, but there's nothing that can be done now. Breakups are messy and tend to destroy friendships, but it can create new ones. I'm happy that you've decided to trust Pansy, because she sounds like like she could be a good friend. I'm sorry but I can't tell you what to do. You have to keep your head held high and ignore the whispers. It'll die down eventually when something else happens and then when everyone realizes the truth, you didn't do anything bad and they can ask for forgiveness. I know that forgiving them is probably the furthest thing from your mind, but you can't stay mad at them forever. They are or at least were your best friends and best friends forgive each other when they act stupid. All you can do is move on, my dear. Everything will sort itself out, you'll see.

Your dad and I miss you too and love you.

Mum

Hermione put the letter back with her things and shut her eyes. She remembered being a kid and wishing to be a teenager so badly thinking that it wasn't coming fast enough. Back then, she was a muggle and a kid. That innocence was lost long ago when she joined Harry on his adventures. Hermione remembered the Daily Prophet this morning and there was still another death that was reported. Everyone knew that Voldemort was back and it was only time that people started fighting. That was a reason why she didn't want to leave school. Here, you were safe to be a kid and to worry about little things like homework and tests instead of worrying if your house was the next house to get broken into by Death Eaters. Now that this year had started, Hermione had been excluded from talking about it with Harry and Ron. Harry had told them about the prophecy and about the horcruxes earlier this summer. She was positive that Emma had taken her place in the Golden Trio as the smart one.

Part of her was happy to not have to worry about the war quite yet, but she also wanted to play her part in it. She would just have to find another way to play her part if she wasn't on good terms with Harry and Ron. Contrary to what everyone though, she didn't care about the fame it brought. It would be safer for her this way, because people wouldn't know who she was that much anymore. Hermione was scared for the Weasleys though. They openly supported Harry and she knew that there would be consequences. It wasn't that she didn't want them to support Harry, she just wanted them to be safe too. If it was up to her, Harry wouldn't have this burden at all.

Yawning, Hermione finally realized what time it was and she decided to head to bed. Walking into the castle, she noticed Harry and Ginny walking around happily. Even though they weren't her friends anymore, she thought they were extremely cute. Hermione was right near the Gryffindor portrait when she saw Malfoy and Emma talking quietly to each other. She thought that they were perfect for each other in every way, but she was a little worried to what they were up to. Hopefully, he wasn't telling her about that night or Hermione would have to kill him. Deciding to worry about it tomorrow, she quickly fell asleep as soon as she laid in her bed waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Please Review =].