Chapter Two

Hermione tried to stumble as gracefully as she could out of the fireplace and onto the cobbled street of Diagon Alley. The floo-network might be the more comfortable way to travel, but you certainly did not look your best when you arrived.

When she was sure that she had regained her balance, she quickly moved out of the way to leave the path free for Harry, Ginny and Ron. Looking around the alley she felt positively giddy inside. It felt just like it did the day she went here with her parents for her first year at Hogwarts.

During the war the entire alley got demolished. Every shop had been ransacked before it was burnt down to the ground. Some shopkeepers had even been captured by Death Eaters and tortured for information, like Mr Ollivander. Now though, it was back in full swing and restored to it's former glory. The stores had all been rebuilt and the place was swarming with good spirited people. First years were running in and out of Ollivander's showing off their new wands to their friends and families and a large, mixed crowd had gathered outside the Quidditch shop, pressed up close against the glass, swooning over the newest broom.

The happy music, the kind you would hear at a circus or a fare, that streamed out of the speakers on tops of the colorful building that housed Weasley's Wizard Wheezes matched the sunny summer day. The sight actually managed to put the real first smile on her face in what felt like forever, or at least since before the beginning of the war.

Ginny came up next to her and put her arm through Hermione's. The red haired witch was as entranced by the sight as she was. It was absolutely beautiful.

"Incredible, huh?" the red haired girl sighed softly.

"It's amazing!"

Hermione could hear Ron an Harry's agreement coming from behind them, but her attention was solely on the most amazing store of them all. Flourish and Blotts. The golden sign hanging outside the door glinted in the sunlight and the beautiful window filled with all kinds of books drew her in.

"Uh oh, we have lost her already!" Ron teased.

"Oh stop it Ron! Like you won't be over by the Quidditch shop, drooling like every other blokes within five minutes." At Ginny's comeback Ron grew quiet for a change.

Hermione lead the group across the street to bookstore without another word. As the door closed behind them, she came to a complete stop. The store had her in awe and made her all warm and giddy inside. Every wall of the shop was lined up with bookshelf after bookshelf filled to the brim with a mix of new and old books. It was definitely her version of heaven.

Harry noticed her joy and let her walk around on her own and get lost in the world of books. Many things might have changed for her over the last couple of months but not her love for books. Hermione made her way deeper and deeper into the shop, picking up books as she went. There was every kind of book you could imagine. From large tombs to small pocket books, from brand new directly from the printers to old ones dating back several centuries, from house holding spells and romance novells to the darkest magic that had ever existed. A lot of the books were ones she had already read, but there were a lot that she had never seen before. Most importantly though, it had the newest edition of Hogwarts - a history.

She was so wrapped up in her own world that she did not even bother to look up to see where she was going. Suddenly she walked into something solid and would have landed on her are if it had not been for the two strong arms that caught her and helped her regain her balance.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed before bending down to pick up the books she had dropped in the collision. Another pair of hands joined her on the floor and handed her the remaining books.

"It's alright. No harm done." startled Hermione looked up at the owner of the masculine voice, but accepted his offered his hand to help her up. The person she had run into was no one other than Blaise Zabini, the Slytherin prince Draco Malfoy's best friend.

While Malfoy had done nothing but torture her the entire time they were at school, teasing her and throwing nasty comments her way at every chance he got, Blaise had actually been alright. When she thought about it, he had never really done anything towards her. He just stood in the back, looking bored as he waited for his friends to be done so that they could get to class. Whenever she had run into him alone he would even say hello and smirk. No snide remarks, no shoving, no nothing.

Despite that, Hermione couldn't stop herself from taking a step back and hug her books close to her chest. It was a natural reaction, an instinct, and something she had come to do after the war as a way to shield herself.

"Wow, that's a lot of books!" he said as he looked her up and down. "Are you trying to build your own library?"

"Just a bit of light reading to keep me busy" she said bashfully and looked up at him sheepishly, only then noticing his own stack of books. "You seem to have your own collection there as well."

"True!" he laughed, a genuine and carefree laughter.

It was a strange sight, she had never seen a Slytherin act so carefree in all her time at Hogwarts. He might not have taken the dark mark, Blaise was actually one of the few Slytherins in their year that didn't, but he still had the burden of the dark side on his shoulders. He was living amongst the people who followed the darkest wizard of all time, they had been moving in his social circles. It was a fine line to walk.

"Hermione!" rang through the shop and found her ears among the bookshelves.

A look down at her wristwatch told her that she had been in there for over an hour already and that her friends were most likely bored out of their minds.

"It was good seeing you Hermione."

"You too." she smiled politely at Blaise and turned around to search for her friends.

After everyone payed for their schoolbooks and Hermione for her load, they all left the shop together. The next stop was Madam Malkin's. All four of them were in need of both school and dress robes.

Even Ron and Ginny were buying brand new ones that were tailored for their measurements. That had all received a large sum of money from the Ministry for their efforts during the war and the Weasley's were now what you would call rich. But despite now being well off, they didn't flaunt it. They still lived the same simple life they always had, but enjoyed being able to buy things they couldn't before, like new robes. Though Ron could get carried away at times. Especially when he entered the Quidditch shop.

They were all pinched and probed to the inch of their sanity by the witches that were running around them, chattering madly to each other about this and that. Within half an hour the four of them walked out of the store with a bag of robes. As Ron and Harry made their way, Hermione dragged Ginny with her in the opposite direction.

Crookshanks had been killed when the Death Eaters attacked the Burrow during Bill and Fleur's wedding almost more than a year ago now and Hermione thought that it was time she got herself a new familiar.

The windows of Magical Menagerie were full of cages that held different types of animals. Cats in different colors, owls with beady eyes and toads in all different sizes. Hermione however had her eyes on another cat, a buddy to cuddle with as she lay on the couch in front of the fireplace and read a book or just to make her feel a little better when she was sad. And out of all the little kittens the store owner showed her, there was one particular little fellow that caught her eye.

In the furthest corner of the cage sat a small, white kitten with a patch of black at the top of its head and that covered one of its ear and moved down to its eye. It was the most adorable creature Hermione had seen in a really long time. With a big goofy smile she pointed at the kitten.

"That one, in the corner." The old store owner smiled kindly at her and lifted the kitten out of the cage and handed it over.

"This little fellow is the last of his siblings. He could definitely need someone to look after him."

Hermione took the kitten into her arms and let it make it self comfortable in her embrace, placing its paws on her chest and buffing its head under her chin. It was love at first sight. She and Ginny were positively gushing over her new little friend as they met up with Harry and Ron, who were both carrying a packet under their arms.

"Are you done?" Ron asked. "Mom's putting on a big spread at home for our last night at home and I am starving!"

"Of course you are!" laughed Harry as he grabbed Ginny's hand and started to walk towards the floo.

And true to her word, Molly had put on a real spread for their last night at home before they returned to school. She had cooked every person's favorite and than some. Shepards pie, grilled chicken, mashed potatoes and several very good looking deserts were just the naming a few.

For the first time in a long time Hermione actually felt like she could enjoy it and join in on the fun, maybe going back to Hogwarts is exactly what she needed.