Chapter Text
The train whistle sounded and students were warned to bid their last goodbyes and final hugs before finding their place on the Hogwarts Express.
“I’m going to miss you,” Hermione gave Harry a hug; “it won’t be the same without you.”
“You’ll probably be bored solid and console yourself with lots of studying.”
“As if I would let that happen,” Ginny said. “Let me have a piece of him.”
“That is my cue to leave. You write often do you hear me Auror Potter?”
“Of course Head Girl Granger,” Harry replied.
“And what about me?” Ginny demanded.
“Of course, Captain Weasley.”
Hermione smirked, picking up her carrier with Crookshanks and found her way into the train.
It was so strange without Ron there to see her off; actually, all of the Weasley’s being gone was disturbing.
Hermione thought one of them would be here to see Ginny off for her last year of Hogwarts.
After Molly and George, Ron had taken Fred’s death the hardest, he had guilt over leaving his family and later leaving Harry and Hermione. None of them could bring themselves to see Ginny off.
With so many deaths close to the group, the trio separated somewhat needing to deal with their grief in various ways. Hermione buried herself in books and helping Headmistress McGonagall with preparations for the new school year.
It came as no surprise when she was named Head Girl. She didn’t know if she really had it in her this year, but McGonagall had promised them a light workload of extra duties.
Harry had thrown himself into working on the Aurors in training program which took a lot of studying that Hermione refused to help him on because as she put it, he needed to know what to do when she wasn’t there.
Ginny spent her free time making Grimauld less miserable and brightened it up as best she could. It was good for her to have a project to work on.
They had seen very little of the other Weasley’s over the summer, despite visiting often it just wasn’t the same buzzing place it had been.
Of course, all of the children of the war seemed perfectly normal on the outside. And of course they were sad but they were moving on with their lives.
They were all liars.
Hermione went to the front of the train where students didn’t tend to sit finding several empty compartments. She was determined to enjoy the few moments of peace she’d have before the new school year began.
She opened up Crooks bag and he leisurely stretched and climbed up on the seat next to her, flopping his orange fluffy tail back and forth.
She pulled a book from her back and began reading.
Hermione didn’t notice the sounds of the train leaving the station or the other compartments filling up.
When the door slid open she finally looked up at the figure frozen before her.
“Malfoy,” she said in surprise.
“Sorry I thought it was empty, everywhere else is full. I’ll just-
Hermione interrupted, “You can stay if you want.” Hermione didn’t know what made her say that but she couldn’t very well take it back now.
“You sure?”
She nodded and he took a seat at the far end of the compartment on the other side.
He pulled out a book from his own bag and silently began reading.
Hermione returned to her book. They passed the time is silence; the only noises were the turning of pages and Crooks occasional purrs.
A noise outside of their compartment startled Draco from his book but Hermione didn’t notice. She possessed an uncanny ability to block out the entire world and read. He watched her eyes darting across the lines of her books, devouring each word.
Draco had never had the opportunity to study her in the close of proximity, at least with her guard down.
There was a soothing hypnotic note in watching her zoned out completely absorbed in the written word. He went back to his own book for a while.
He had flashbacks so often, imagining her screaming on the floor in his home, tortured by his own aunt. Imagining, he chastised himself. He didn’t need to imagine it, he watched every bit of it horrified yet frozen. While he did nothing.
The cat inched his way over at some point of the journey. Draco hadn’t noticed.
The train jerked and Hermione looked up startled. She looked around the compartment and saw Draco was reading but absentmindedly petting Crooks who had taken up a place by his hip.
It was bloody adora- Hermione stopped that train of thought right there. That didn’t stop her from taking the time he was distracted to assess him. There was something startling about his appearance. He was normally smug and full of life, now he was hollow looking. Cheeks a bit gaunt, and shadows under his eyes. Maybe it was the lighting, but she also thought a little deeper that no one got out of their battles unscathed.