Unofficial Portkey Archive

A/N: Ok so here is my first fanfic! I hope you like it, but if you don't, you know that's cool too! I'm American, and I just feel silly trying to sound British, but I did my best! I understand that most of you reading this would say that HE is dead, but I am sorry, I refuse to believe he is dead, and if you will bear with me, it will explain why he is back in coming chapters. R & R! Thanks!

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Normal everyday kids would love summer and absolutely dread going to school. Normal kids would opt to stay away from school as long as they could, and make up excuses for wanting to delay the thought of going to school. But, we're not normal kids!

At a glance any one would think the 16-year-old boy with unruly black hair and bright green eyes placing his trunk onto a pushing cart was just heading to a normal train taking him to a normal place. But anyone who knew this boy would see his lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead and immediately recognize him as Harry Potter, the `boy-who-lived'.

"Hey Harry, over here!" yelled Ron Weasley, his best friend, standing next to a blond headed girl.

"Hey Ron," Harry said approaching them, "hey Lavender!" he said acknowledging the blond girl next to Ron.

"Hey Harry!" she smiled, "Where's Hermione?" she asked. Harry immediately smiled inwardly, he couldn't wait to see her, over the summer he'd had some time to think about her, and he did, but once he started, he couldn't stop. Since seeing her last year, he knew his feelings for her had changed, but unfortunately she was with Viktor Krum, and didn't return his feelings.

"HARRY!?!" Ron yelled, snapping him out of his trance, "Where were you?" he asked.

"No where, just excited about this year!" he said quickly, too quickly. "C'mon, let's get on the train." He said pushing his cart towards platform nine and three-quarters. Ron and Lavender shared a knowing glance before following behind.

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Once she pried her parents away from her, Hermione Granger started heading towards the Hogwarts Express her head full of thoughts all circling around one boy sitting on that train. Over the summer she had certainly changed, last year had influenced all of them. They realized how close they were to losing their lives and even though they lost one life, they gained experience that nothing could ever take away.

Over the summer Hermione had a lot of time to herself when her parents went on holiday to France, and she had decided to stay home and work on `homework'. Yeah right! Homework was the last thing on her mind, she hadn't heard from Harry all summer and she was starting to get worried. She knew she shouldn't be but she couldn't help it, he seemed to always be on her mind these days, she knew that her feelings for him were changing, but into what, she didn't know.

Walking onto the train she knew that she hadn't only changed mentally, but physically also. Her body was developing more into what a sixteen-year-old's body should look like. Her hair had relaxed into a soft wave and she had grown a little over the summer. Now, she was not dense she knew that she was pretty, but up until recently she hadn't thought of herself as beautiful until her week in Bulgaria with Viktor Krum.

Instantly her eyes darkened, Krum, she hoped she never saw him again, and she could care less about him after what he did. As quickly as her anger came, it was gone when she turned and came face to face with a pair of familiar green eyes.

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Hermione stopped abruptly once she saw Harry, `oh he's so gorgeous' she thought. She smiled at him and made her way inside the compartment.

"Hey guys!" she said sitting down next to Lavender, "Lavender, I didn't expect to see you here!" she said trying to sound friendly.

"Well..." she said eyeing Ron.

"We're dating!" Ron said not looking up at the magazine, "I asked her to go out with me, she said yes end of story!" he said turning to page of his magazine. Hermione saw Lavender kick him across the compartment. "What?" he asked.

"It better be more than that!" she said with a dangerous look in her eyes, she turned her eyes away from him and lowered her voice so the guys couldn't hear. "We started dating a little after school ended and haven't looked back since. Just between you and me..." she said glancing at the guys who were engrossed in a conversation, "I think whatever is between us may be more than what we give it credit for." She said with a twinkle in her eye.

"You mean…really!?!" Hermione said excited, Lavender and she had never been good friends but she extended the olive branch and obviously Hermione took it, "That's great, I'm happy for you, I didn't know you and Ron even liked each other but I'm glad you found each other." she didn't want to say it out loud but Ron always felt like he was in Harry's shadow so it was good to have something that Harry didn't. Without thinking my eyes turned to Harry, and Lavender noticed the second it happened.

"You really like him don't you!" more as a statement than a question.

"Who, Harry? No way we're friends, nothing more!" Hermione said confidently. She laughed.

"Who do you think you're fooling, but that was good you almost had me fooled!" she said picking up her book and starting to read. Hermione smiled, she had no idea what Lavender was talking about; she didn't like Harry, did she?

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As the girls turned to each other to talk, Harry's eyes lingered on Hermione, and immediately Ron called him on it.

"Why don't you just ask her out instead of watching her all the time?" Ron said not looking up.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked looking at Ron. "You aren't actually serious, are you?" he asked eyeing Harry, "Okay, you are! And they call me the dense one." He said sitting forward and lowering his voice, "It's so obvious that you feel something more than friendship for Hermione, so why not just act on it?"

"Listen I don't know who told you I liked Hermione but I..."

"Oh come off it," Ron said cutting him off, "I know you like her, Lavender knows you like her, and you know what I bet Malfoy knows you like her yet you cannot admit it to yourself?" Harry paused, he knew that Ron was right, but he also knew that Hermione didn't feel the same way about him; she had Krum, she couldn't like him. Could she?

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Before they knew it they arrived at Hogwarts and once the four of them stepped off the train they saw Hagrid gathering the first years up. Hermione scanned the scene, something was missing, and she could sense it. Then she felt eyes on her so she spun around and came face to face with Harry, she smiled instantly.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Me, oh nothing, I was just looking for someone." She said.

"Who?" he asked

"Well not so much someone but more like something, well maybe someone, I don't know, something just seems like its missing!" she said

"The insults!" he said helping Hermione pick up her trunk.

"Insults?" she asked

"Malfoy, you know, his usual insults!" he said laughing, "but that's okay he was probably just tormenting the first years." He helped her into the carriage where they were greeted by Ron and Lavender. After a few moments of silence Lavender suddenly perked up and said two words that they would regret, "Game, anyone?"

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"Sure!" Harry and Ron said together, and as soon as they said it Hermione noticed the glint in Lavender's eyes, then she turned to Hermione, "So what do you say?" she asked

Hermione hesitated, "I don't know!" she said. Lavender leaned towards Hermione,

"I promise, trust me!" she said and turned to Harry, "Truth or Dare?"

He glanced at Hermione, then at Ron, and said "Truth!" Lavender smiled

"Who do you like, and don't even think about saying no one because I know you like someone; I can see it in your eyes!" Lavender said

Harry looked deep in thought for a long time, during that time Hermione glanced out the window and noticed we were almost to school, she was about to announce it when Harry began talking. "Okay, I like this girl that you all know, and I think that she is really great and I hope you guys will accept her!" he said looking at Hermione.

"Well why wouldn't we accept her we're already friends with Her..." she stopped when elbowed by Hermione, "I mean, who is she?"

"Well...it's..." he looked a little scared, "It's...ummm...Cho!" he said quickly. When he said this the carriage pulled to a stop, and in one swift motion Hermione was out of the carriage and Lavender had hit him

"Nice going smart one!" she said before jumping out after Hermione.

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As Hermione ran away she couldn't believe what Harry had said `Cho, CHO?'

"Oh, that stupid git, why does he do this to me?" she said exasperatingly

"Her...mi...one...slow...down!" said an out of breath Lavender. As she caught her breath Hermione looked at her, why had she chased after her? They had only been friends for five minutes. Lavender seemed to be reading her mind, "I came after you because if we're going to be friends, you have to start trusting me! Now, if you don't like Harry what was that about?" she said.

Hermione sighed, "I don't know anymore, I always suspected that there was something more between us than we were letting on, I mean, I always knew how I felt, and you know, I thought I knew how he felt, but I guess I don't." she said looking out into the sky, it was getting darker, the feast would start soon.

"Well, if you feel so strongly about him, it's time you act on it!" Lavender said coming up next to Hermione. "Otherwise you'll just end up regretting it!" she said putting her hand on her shoulder, "Now, let's head to the feast!" she said smiling at her, Hermione couldn't help but breaking out into a smile too.

"Okay," Hermione began, they started walking towards the Great Hall, "but I am NOT sitting by that stupid git..." she said but was interrupted when she ran into a man, and fell to the ground, "Oh my, I'm soo sorry!" she said down on the ground, when she heard Lavender gasp she looked up and saw who she ran into, "Oh my!" she said

"Hello Hermione!" he said helping her to her feet.

"Hello Sirius!"

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