Hermione woke up on September the first with a weight on her heart. She wasn't feeling one hundred percent better but she did notice that the weight lessened some. She knew that was in thanks to Harry and Ron distracting her the last month of summer vacation and not leaving her to her grief. Ginny even made sure to help out when she could. She glanced out the window of her room in The Burrow, noticing that Fall was on its way. She smiled slightly to herself, movements feeling less stiff. She was still traumatized by her parents' deaths, hating the fact that she saw them, but she would rise above them and preserve regardless.
She sighed softly into her quilt as the sunlight streamed in. She was tired, incredibly so and she still had so much stuff to get done. She could hear the other inhabitants of the house moving around and picked up her wand. "Silenco." She wasn't in any huge rush to hear people on their morning endeavors and wanted a few more minutes of uninterrupted quiet. She leaned back into her pillows and stared up at her ceiling ahead of her, wondering how she was supposed to do in the upcoming year as she trained for her N.E.W.T.s. Hermione knew better than to assume the studying would be something easy but she hoped it wasn't too strenuous this year; she didn't know if she had quite the amount of patience to focus on her studies like she had years of the past.
A few more minutes under the blissful silencing charm and Hermione lifted it. She swung her legs out of her bed and headed down the hall and into the bathroom, deciding to wash her face and get ready for the journey to Kings Cross station. She knew that as a Prefect, her and Ron had to sit with all the other Prefects and then they could patrol the corridors on the train. She wondered if she'd be able to keep it together long enough to not start breaking down and crying. Even though the summer had come and gone and they were in Fall, Hermione still missed her parents greatly. Things didn't always change with seasons. Coming out of the bathroom, she bumped into Harry on the landing and her best friend offered her a smile. "Morning, Hermione."
"Morning Harry," she smiled back as much as she could. She had so many things on her mind that she was wondering where first to begin. She knew she was entirely packed up; had been the night before – and she also knew she needed to help Mrs. Weasley with the rest of their things and make sure they all arrived at the train station on time. She smiled once more at Harry, who had just ended up standing there and looking her over. She knew what he was doing: perusing her to make sure she was alright. She nodded her head once at him and went on her way back to the room she shared with Ginny.
Changing into her jeans and jumper, Hermione brushed out her curls that had lessened over the years due to the magic she used on them and let them lay over her shoulder. She stared at her reflection for a minute before making her way out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen so she could help Mrs. Weasley with breakfast. Walking into the kitchen, she spotted the redhead woman at the stove, wand utilized as she cooked, and Hermione smiled. "Where can I help, Mrs. Weasley?"
Mrs. Weasley smiled at her and scooched around to the other side of the stove, giving Hermione some room to work, and she told her what she needed done. Together, the two witches got a breakfast cooked for everyone and Hermione found herself not as sad as she thought she might have been. She was doing okay right now and that was all that mattered to her. After everyone came downstairs for breakfast, they ate together before Arthur Weasley called taxi drivers for them again. Hermione helped where she could, what with being muggle-born, and then she, Harry, Ron, and Ginny all sat in a cab while Arthur and Mrs. Weasley sat in the other one. Then they were on their way.
XXX
On the Hogwarts Express, Hermione and Ron did their Prefects duties and then patrolled the corridors. She had heard back from Dumbledore later on in the summer – after part of her stay at The Burrow and he had assured her that she didn't need to do too much towards her Prefects duties if she wasn't feeling up to it. But Hermione was an overachiever and she worked hard; she wasn't about to let down her Headmaster. When they were through patrolling the train, she and Ron made their way to the compartment Harry and Ginny saved for them and walked in, sitting down on the benches the next second.
"Lunch trolly gone by yet?" Ron asked as he massaged his stomach. Harry shook his head, looking at Hermione briefly but she turned her gaze elsewhere. She didn't need her best friend to be pitying her right now; that's what he did all summer. He and Ron had taken it in turns to be with her and while she appreciated their kindness, she did feel a bit suffocated between the two of them. She was looking forward to having her own space once more once at the castle. As the train rattled along the train tracks, rain falling down in a dreary mannerism, the witch who pushed the lunch trolley came by and Hermione ordered her a stack of Cauldron Cakes as Harry and Ron loaded up. She was always amused by their never-ending appetites, even though she knew Harry's was from malnourishment. That hurt her to think about and she wondered what else the Dursley's had subjected him to.
Hermione narrowed her eyes in contemplation as she faced away from Harry and Ron, thinking about all the negativity the Dursley's had brought him into. Couldn't Dumbledore do something more about it? The other man knew that Harry's relatives were abusive; that they mistreated him. She didn't understand why her Headmaster insisted on sending him back there every summer. Harry didn't owe the Dursley's anything and she wondered if he'd send him back there the summer before their seventh year. If he did, Hermione would just have to find a way to get him out of there a hell of a lot sooner.
The train ride continued for a few hours and then they pulled up to the Hogsmeade station, getting out of the train and heading to the Thestrals where Hermione wondered…yes, she could now see them. She had the wind knocked out of her lungs as she stared at the great, skeletal-like creatures. She hadn't ever seen them before and she stood stock-still as she looked at them. "Wow."
"What is it Hermione?" Ron asked but Harry was staring at her with an understanding and somewhat sad smile.
"I wondered when you'd be able to see them," he murmured, squeezing her hand gently. "I am so sorry."
Hermione blinked back the tears that obscured her vision as her throat grew tight, squeezing Harry's hand back. "I know." It was a gentle murmur as Ron squeezed her shoulder and then the three of them climbed aboard one of the carriages and Hermione spotted Luna Lovegood sitting in one. She smiled as much as she could at the blonde, who was watching her in something akin to sympathy.
"You see them now too," Luna said. It wasn't a question. "I'm sorry Hermione."
She wiped underneath her eyes discretely as she nodded her head, the Thestrals pulling the carriages up to the castle the next moment. She wondered when the pain in her heart would dissipate. "Thank you, Luna."
They rode up to the castle in silence and Hermione wondered if it'd ever get any easier.
XXX
The Great Hall was decked out in the back-to-school decorations for the new year along with a feast that was surely to be on it's way and supreme. Hermione knew she needed to eat something, even if it was small. Harry had been monitoring what she ate, making sure she didn't neglect to take care of herself, and she didn't want to give him a reason to worry. She knew better than that. So once she sat down at the Gryffindor table with her fellow Gryffindors, she looked up at the High Table expectantly, waiting to see if Dumbledore would give a speech. When the aged wizard stood to his feet, she noticed his blackened hand for the first time and gasped softly. By the sounds of it, she wasn't the only one to have noticed it. He offered up a smile and shook the sleeve of his robe over his hand – was it dead, my god – and continued speaking a moment later. "Nothing to worry about, pupils! Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts. I'll save my speech for after the meal. I only have two words for you right now: tuck in."
Hermione laughed gently at Ron's enthusiasm when he picked up his fork and knife and the meal the house elves prepared emerged on the table. Her heart gave a little twinge for S.P.E.W. and she vowed to start sewing that night but other than that, she felt good to be back home. Now that her parents were gone – Hogwarts was her home.