They arrived at Platform 9 and 3/4s at quarter to 11:00 and raced to the train. Hermione had found out that she and Fred had to sit with the rest of the Heads on a compartment. Fred followed her down the aisle to the Heads compartment when they saw Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, Hannah Abbott and Justin Finchfletchy, and Luna Lovegood and Tyler Jacobs. They sat down across from Luna and Tyler and started talking vividly. Luna was talking about Knargles like her life depended on it. Hermione feeling that a boring topic was looming pulled the book out of her bag and opened to the bookmarked page. She was reading the beginning chapter of her History of Magic textbook again because knowing Professor Binns he will give an exam on the material the first week.
Her mind kept drifting back to the first couple weeks of summer they had been really rough. Her birth mother had sent her a letter her first week back. She had it folded up in her bag and was trying to forget it although it seemed burned into her brain. It said:
Hermione,
The first thing I would like to say is we are sorry. We do love you we just couldn't handle having another magically endowed child. Especially with our condition. Also we didn't want the same thing to happen to you that had happened to your sister. Just remember we do love you. Sorry we haven't contacted you until now but we couldn't stand the pain we felt after the separation. Please forgive us for our wrongdoings. I know you took the muggle couples' last name. I don't blame you for doing so. I wouldn't have wanted to keep our last name either. Please contact us if you feel the need.
Mother
Hermione when she read it couldn't help crying. The first time that her parents have contacted her in years and all her mother could do was lay a humongous guilt trip on her about taking the Grangers' last name. She was ashamed to even think that they are her parents. Like the saying goes "You can pick your friends but you can't pick your relatives" Hermione is so engrossed in her book she doesn't even notice that they are almost there until Fred shakes her shoulder and she looks up in alarm. "Hermione you should probably get changed we are almost there." Hermione nods at him without answering gathers her things and walks out. Without noticing when she shuts the door the letter from her mother falls out of her bag and hits the floor.