She remembered a time when her life was carefree.

When she was five years old, she started school. She met a girl named Anna, and decided to make friends with her. She and Anna spent every free moment together. They laughed and told jokes, they giggled and shared their crushes on the boys, and they sat next to each other in class.

One day, Anna came in with a large group of girls. They were the group that Anna had always wanted to be a part of. There was Mary, who had long blonde hair that was always done in pigtails, and bright blue eyes. She always wore the prettiest skirts, and all the boys liked to chase her about, as a sign that they liked her. Then there was Jane and Elizabeth, the twins. They both had short brown hair that was tied back with pink ribbons, and squinty brown eyes that glared at anyone who dared question their leader, Mary. Finally there was Wendy, who was more on the quiet side, but was the prettiest of all of them. She had shoulder-length blonder hair that was always done up into a ponytail, and big green eyes. She wore jeans and a T-shirt everyday, but that didn't lessen the amounts of boys who chased her. Now, Anna stood by their side, looking sadly at her old friend.

Her old friend sat to the side, not meeting Anna's gaze, for fear that she would start crying and never be able to stop. Anna turned away, and started giggling with Mary and Jane. The little girl had lost her only friend.

That was when she decided to devote her time to books. They would never betray her for popularity.

     Now this little girl was a seventh year Gryffindor  at Hogwarts, Head Girl, and the school brain. This little girl had grown to be a young woman, and this girl had learned to look past her lonely past and into the bright future. This girl had made many friends at Hogwarts, including her best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. This girl who had once been 'the Loner' had grown into who she was,  Hermione Granger.  

      It was only the third day of classes, but the teachers wasted no time. They didn't hesitate to assign horrendous amounts of homework, and the professors were as determined as ever to prepare the seventh years for NEWTS. Hermione had been stressing since OWLS were over, even though Harry and Ron were constantly reassuring her. "You're the smartest student to ever enter Hogwarts, 'Mione, you'll do great!", they would say. Hermione would nod absently, and go back to poring over her textbooks.

       In fact, she was in the library right now, studying a book on the Goblin wars. She was just about to close it and get another textbook out of her over-flowing bag when her frenzied state was interrupted.

    "Granger, have you ever heard of a break?"

        Hermione looked up at the sound of the familiar drawl. It was Draco Malfoy. Making his annual rounds, insulting Hermione and her friends whenever the occasion came up.

     "What do you want, Malfoy? I'm busy."

        Draco smirked.

      "I'm not here to pick a fight, much as I'd like to. McGonagall wanted me to fetch you. She's holding an emergency meeting."

          Hermione groaned. She was Head Girl, and Draco was Head Boy. Despite her happiness at making Head Girl, she had originally planned on studying the whole year.

       "You didn't plan on studying the whole year, did you?"

           When Hermione didn't reply, Draco laughed.

      "You really planned on studying the whole year? And what do Pothead and Weasel have to say about that?"

        Hermione glared at Draco, willing him to back off. But of course, he didn't. So she looked down, silently counting to ten before answering.

        "They won't let me study in their presence, so I come here to study. It was supposed to be my secret space," she muttered.

         Draco snickered. "Granger, this is the library. Not your private sanctuary!"

         Hermione  continued glaring at him. "Bugger off, Malfoy."

         Draco shrugged. "Sorry, can't. We have a bloody meeting to attend to. But I'm free after…"

          Hermione was compelled to throw all her books at him. But then she'd have to spend precious time repairing them.

            Draco laughed at her expression. "You've changed, Granger. Now come on. Or else McGonagall will have my head. Can't let that happen. Thousands of girls would be driven to insanity."

           Hermione snorted, but gathered her books up and walked out through the doors, leaving a smirking Draco behind.

            But she couldn't help thinking… What did he mean when he said, "You've changed, Granger."

        And why did she care?