It was September the first. Hermione Granger was standing on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, happy at the fact that she would be going back to Hogwarts soon. Her friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, were also excited.
"It's good to be going back home," Harry sighed as he looked up and down the station.
Ron nodded in agreement. "Yeah. But I don't think we'll have too much fun. We've got the O.W.L.s this year," he groaned.
"Well, I think that the exam will be quite enjoyable," chimed Hermione.
"That's because you're the smartest in our year. You just can't resist holding up your hand," Ron retorted.
Hermione scowled and stomped away. She hugged Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and boarded the Hogwarts Express, carrying her heavy luggage. She headed for the prefect's carriage and cursed Ron every step of the way.
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Neville was on the Hogwarts Express, sitting in the last empty compartment. He was looking out the window, staring at various people. Occasionally he saw someone he knew. There was Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. Further down was Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood. Near his compartment was Harry, Ron and Hermione.
He leaned forward, not knowing why he was so interested in her. She's even more prettier this year, he thought. Then he shook himself. What was he thinking?
As he glanced at her, she stomped onto the train in high dudgeon. He moaned and sat back into his seat. He wished that she had stayed just where she was.
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Hermione was sitting in the prefect's carriage, receiving instructions from the Head Girl, Cecila Burgman. She talked about patrolling the hallways and confiscating banned objects.
Hermione tried to pay attention as she looked at the new prefects. Ron was there, but she ignored him pointedly. There was Ernie Macmillian and Hannah Abbott of Hufflepuff. Padma Patil and Anthony Goldstein of Ravenclaw. And Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson of Slytherin. She could not believe it.
"....and if you catch a rule-breaker or a find a confiscated object, report to your head of house. You may go," Cecila concluded.
Hermione started and left the room. She searched for Harry and found him sitting in the last compartment. Neville and Ginny were with him.
"Hi Hermione," Ginny greeted brightly.
"Hi Ginny. Hi Neville," beamed Hermione, sitting next to Harry.
Neville nodded jerkily and looked away, blushing. Hermione gazed at him lingeringly.
Was it just her imagination, or did Neville look a bit thinner? He looked nothing like the chubby, awkward boy he used to be. In fact, he looked even more handsome then before. True, she never considered him unattractive, but he just wasn't as cute as he was in the past years.
Reddening suddenly, she opened her trunk and grabbed a book. She read until she heard the trolley lady. She stood up and bought some Pumpkin Pasties and Cauldron Cakes.
Then she read some more as the rest talked on.
"We should put on our robes. We're nearly there," Harry announced, standing up.
Hermione stood up, stretched, and extracted her robe from her trunk. After checking to make sure that her prefect badge was on neatly, she walked into the corridor to make sure the kids did not misbehave.
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Neville was staring out of the window when Harry pointed out that they should put their robes on. He jumped, forgetting that his friends were there. He pulled out his robes from his trunk with difficulty and put them on.
As he looked up, he saw that Hermione was checking out her prefect badge. He thought that she looked beautiful and was about to tell her so. However, she turned and left. Ron followed behind her.
Darn, he thought as he walked into the crowded corridor with Harry and Ginny.
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Hermione stepped onto the cool and misty platform, searching for troublemakers. With a smile, she gazed at Hogwarts, happy that she was back at last.
"Move out of the way," someone sneered. It was Malfoy. He was pushing through a crowd of second years.
Frowning, Hermione noted to herself that she would report him when Ron joined her. "Hey, Hermione," he panted.
Hermione glanced at him. "Hi Ronald," she huffed, still angry about his insulting remark.
"I'm sorry about what I said," Ron mumbled.
Hermione nodded. "That's alright, Ron. Come on. Let's go find Harry and Ginny," she said.
They walked down the lane towards the carriages. Finally, they found Harry and Ron with Neville in the second to last one.
Ron stepped into the carriage and Hermione followed, perching on the seat next to him. The door closed and the carriage rolled towards Hogwarts.
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"Where's Ron and Hermione?" Ginny wondered aloud.
Harry shrugged. "Probably doing prefect duties," he sighed. He looked at Neville. "Are you okay, Neville?"
Neville nodded. "Yeah," he murmured, looking away from him. He knew why Harry asked him. He must have noticed that his face had crimsoned.
They sat in silence for about five minutes. Finally, Hermione and Ron clambered into the carriage. Neville moved over so that she could sit next to him. However, she did not notice and sat next to Ron, which made Neville feel jealous. He did not know why, but said nothing as the carriage doors closed.
They were heading back to school.