The platform flooded with students getting off the train and heading for carriages. Hermione was barely hiding her anxiety at this point as she peered around for any of the four Slytherins that could have pilfered her bag. She glimpsed Blaise getting into a carriage and started heading over when Harry hailed her.

"Hermione, we're getting into this one."

Growling in frustration, she joined her friends. As there was nothing she could do for the moment, she settled down into the seats and finally paid attention to her friends' conversation.

"I hear Theodore Nott's become Head Boy," Neville said. Ron snorted.

"How did that happen? After his involvement with Voldemort-"

"The pardons cleared all their records," Luna clarified, nose-deep in a Quibbler. "The academic records are still around and Nott is top of the class in Slytherin."

"How do you even know that?" Ron muttered and she glanced up at him.

"Why else would Theodore Nott become Head Boy?"

Ears red, he looked away from her. "Yeah, well. He's still a git. Fancy siding with Voldemort and then running back to the Ministry when his side bottoms out."

Nott's appearance in the luggage car came to her mind's eye. He was not incredibly attractive, but from the glint in his eye, he was more intelligent than he let on. The way he had looked at her was a matter of some consternation, but she dismissed it, instead choosing to mull over his presence in the luggage car. The curious exchange between Nott and Culler puzzled her, especially their interest in the lock.

"Zoning out again?"

Hermione glanced at Ron. "Ronald, I'm not in the mood."

"Leave her alone, Ron," Ginny snapped when Ron opened his mouth for a retort. "Gosh, can't you both just let it go?"

Taking a deep breath, Hermione nodded. "I'm fine. I'm sorry for how I behaved earlier. I've just been stressed about the new school year, that's all."

"It's okay, Hermione." Luna patted Hermione's arm without looking at the girl. "We understand. Things will go back to normal once school starts."

They all lapsed into silence until the carriage reached the castle. Students piled into the Great Hall, taking seats and looking around for old friends. Hermione finally managed to catch sight of all four Slytherins. Draco and Blaise were sitting towards the end of the table near the doors while Nott was at the front the table with most of the upperclassmen. Judging by visible rift within the students, there seemed to be a basic understanding amongst the Slytherins that Draco Malfoy was not someone to be associated with, and thus Blaise by association.

She watched all of them carefully, barely absorbing McGonagall's welcome back speech or the Sorting Ceremony. There was something, however, that brought her out of her reverie.

"I would like to announce our Heads for this year. Our Head Boy for the year will be Theodore Nott of the Slytherin House."

Nott stood with a smirk to a mixed reception. Most of Gryffindor was silent, but the other houses managed some applause. McGonagall waited for Nott to sit before continuing.

"Our Head Girl for the year will be Celeste Gibbons of the Ravenclaw House."

Hermione's stomach lurched painfully as Celeste, a beautiful petite strawberry blonde, stood and waved as the Great Hall filled with applause.

"I don't know her," Hermione muttered. Ginny shrugged.

"I think Luna knows her."

"She's cute."

Everyone turned to Neville, who blushed violently. "I'm just saying."

Hermione huffed and folded her arms over her chest. People were glancing over at her, some of them with pity, some of them with amusement. Celeste cast a superior look towards Hermione that probably made Draco Malfoy proud, then sat down.

"You don't like her, do you?" Ron inquired and she scowled.

"She's a bit stuck up, isn't she?"

At the disbelieving snorts from her friends, Hermione huffed some more and looked down at her plate in resignation. McGonagall spoke some more and then people started eating. Appetite gone, Hermione returned to watching the Slytherins. Draco and Blaise were in closed conversation, watching their fellow students in general distrust. Hermione wondered why so many of the Slytherins separated themselves from Draco. None of them had fought in the war and many of them had kept quiet on which side they supported. Perhaps it was that Draco had left the country all together, meaning he had needed no pardon from the Ministry. Harry had said very little about how the surviving Death Eaters had reacted to Draco's disappearance.

She looked over to where Nott was. He was regaling some students with a story but she could tell he was glancing at her every now and again. Frowning, she looked down at her plate. It was going to be a nightmare figuring out which one of them took the bag. Her eyes widened.

What if he's not in the bag? she thought frantically and she looked around the hall. If it got out, then it could be anywhere! Oh no, the train! Hogsmeade!

Groaning, she let her forehead hit the table edge. "I can't believe this is happening to me!"

"God, Hermione!" Ron rolled his eyes. "Are you starting again?"

"Oh, go jump off a tower," she hissed. She strode out of the Great Hall, looking into every dark corner as she made her way towards Gryffindor Tower. "Easter!" she called softly. "He's probably not even in here…Easter!"

She gave up, knowing the creature probably was not anywhere near Hogwarts by now. Her trek to the portrait hole was made that much more depressing by the fact that she did not know the password, which forced her to sit there until a crowd of Gryffindors showed up. Hermione said nothing to her friends and, as soon as the portrait was opened, she went straight up to her room. She was safely tucked behind her curtains and under her sheets when the other girls wandered in.

"Is she asleep?" she heard Lavender ask.

"I can't imagine she'd want to be awake right now," Parvati said. "Poor Hermione."

"Oh, well at least we don't have to go through the rest of the year with her being all snobby. This way, she'll just be a barely sufferable know-it-all instead of an insufferable Head Girl. Did you see Celeste?"

"Of course I did. She looks as if she will be insufferable, too."

"She isn't so bad. She's smart, but she's not like Hermione. She's pretty social, you know."

"Hermione can be social."

"Hermione can be tolerable. Celeste is great to be around all the time. Oh, did you see Harry? Oh my goodness, he's gotten so handsome!"

"So has Ron! Come to think of it, all of the boys have gotten so fit!"

Hermione covered her ears and closed her eyes to the tears coming.

Please let it be tomorrow, she prayed earnestly. Please just let it be tomorrow.

As soon as dawn broke, Hermione was out of Gryffindor Tower. A restless sleep had done nothing to ease her anxiety over Easter's disappearance and, with classes looming, she knew she had little time before the day would be swept away from her.

The search about Hogwarts was fruitless and she ended up in the Great Hall just as students were filtering in for breakfast. Hermione kept her eye out for Slytherins, wondering to herself why she was working so hard to retrieve this creature. Then she remembered the melted lock and the wondering vanished.

Harry and Ron walked in after a while, discussing Quidditch. She scowled at Ron.

"Ronald," she greeted coldly.

"Hermione."

"Oh, knock it off," Harry grumbled, sitting down across from Hermione. "Ron, stop being such a git. Hermione's got every right to be upset about not being Head since we both know that she deserves it more than anyone. Hermione, we're all sorry about you not getting Head Girl, but that's no reason to get so depressed. You're still the best witch in Hogwarts, so don't let Celeste get to you."

Harry took a deep breath and nodded. "Yep. That sounds good." Then he started piling his plate with food. Hermione and Ron stared at him for a minute before looking at each other.

"Sorry, Hermione," Ron muttered. She nodded.

"I'm sorry, too."

He smiled that smile she always liked and things were right between them.

Taking some bread, she started buttering it when Draco came striding in and went straight up to Nott.

"Stand up, you prat," he snapped. "Where the hell is it?"

Nott smirked. "What seems to be the problem, Malfoy?"

"Where is it?"

The agitation in Draco's voice attracted attention from other students. Nott stood, facing Draco.

"I have thirty minutes before I am officially Head Boy, Malfoy," he said. "I will seriously make your life hell before that and then penalize you for it afterwards."

"Tell me where it is, Nott!"

"Well, seeing as it was never yours, I don't see how you can claim it."

"Screw you, Nott, it's mine."

"Well, when you find it, you can have it."

McGonagall approached with a stern look. "Return to your seat, Mr. Nott. Mr. Malfoy, you, too. The first day of class does not need to be stained by a fight."

Malfoy scowled but returned to his side of the table just as Blaise had come in. Hermione could see how amused Nott was about the turn of events, but she was more interested in the conversation. She could only imagine they were discussing her shoulder bag. Her stomach knotted. If they had her bag, then did they know about Easter? Somehow, she doubted it. Easter disappeared the last time someone had gone through her bag, replaced by potions' supplies. This thought gave her some comfort, but it did mean that, if Easter was no longer in the bag, then he was very much lost.

Assuming that's what Malfoy was talking about in the first place, she thought pitifully, losing her appetite again and getting up.

"Hermione, we have thirty minutes before class," Harry pointed out. She sighed, sitting back down. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"I'm not hungry."

"You didn't eat anything last night."

"I'm not hungry."

Ginny pushed some bread towards her. "You should eat something."

Hermione rolled her eyes and stood. "I'm not hungry! Look, I need to get to the Library. I'll see you all later."

Luckily, the Library was pretty empty so she prowled the aisles, searching for the area on magical creatures. She had already scoured the Care of Magical Creatures book with no results. With only thirty minutes, she did not find too many but checked out what she did and headed to her first class with Binns. Blocking out the drone, she started flipping through a couple of the books she got, looking for anything about cats. There was plenty on felines in magic, but the pictures accompanying the text did not resemble the creature she had found.

The rest of the day continued on in such a fashion, with Hermoine skipping lunch in favor of the Library. By dinner, she had gone through five large tomes and gotten no nearer figuring out what it was that she was looking for. She checked out two more books before starting for the Great Hall, knowing that Harry and Ron would be looking for her. A sudden headache, however, sent her up the stairs instead of into the Great Hall, as she was in no mood to listen to Ron's unavoidable anecdotes with her head in such condition. In her weak state, however, she slid to the ground on the next floor and leaned against the wall as she tried to gather enough strength to hoist herself to her feet.

"What are you doing, Mudblood?"

She groaned, not even bothering to look up at her blond inquirer. "Go away, Malfoy. I don't have time for you."

"You look awful."

"You're very observant. Go away."

When no footsteps echoed off the halls, she lifted her head off her chest to look at him wearily. "Look, why don't you get whatever insult you have prepared out and then continue on to dinner because right now I am…" Her head spun and she groaned once more, holding her head in her hands at the pulsating pain.

"This is what happens when you neglect to eat all day," came Malfoy's uncommonly loud drawl. "A constant hunger to know everything useless in the world is not going to keep you from keeling over, Mudblood."

She couldn't even answer him, her head was throbbing so much. The clicking of his shoes as he walked away was the last thing she remembered before collapsing in a faint.