Hi Everyone! As is standard I would just like to say that I do not own any of the familiar Harry Potter characters in this story, those all belong to J.K. Rowling.

This story has been floating around in my head for a while, starts off a little slow but I promise there is an actual plan and the action will pick up. This story is definitely a Dramione with a healthy dose of Blaise (friendship) thrown in. There's some Ron-bashing and some of the characters are definitely a bit OOC. It is not compliant with HBP or DH, and assumes that Voldemort was defeated near the end of their 6th year after a big battle at the school, though nothing like what happened in the books.

This is my first time writing, something that is both nerve-wracking and exciting, so your reviews are very welcome.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

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The movement of the train speeding along the tracks created a gentle rocking sensation, providing a comforting lull for the young woman curled up against the window, gazing at the passing countryside. Her breaths were coming slow and steady, each exhalation resulting in a mushroom of condensation against the cool glass and briefly obscuring her view of the rolling hills and occasional livestock.

1…2…3…4…5…breath in

6…7…8…9…10…breath out

The regular cadence of her breaths was comforting, a recent technique she had learned to help her clear her mind and let go of any unwanted thoughts. And let's face it, these days Hermione Granger had a lot of unwanted thoughts.

Sitting in an empty compartment aboard the Hogwarts Express, Hermione was on her way to start her 7th and final year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As the train moved steadily forward, she couldn't help thinking back to the events of the year before. The past year at school had been full of excitement and danger, with the Order finally defeating Lord Voldemort just a few short weeks before the end of year exams in a heated battle on the grounds of Hogwarts. The Deatheaters' ranks had been compromised thanks to some craftily placed spies, but Hermione had still had to fight fiercely alongside the Order, some older students, and her best friends, Harry and Ron, to eek out a victory. Well, ex-best friends now, she supposed.

With a sigh, Hermione turned away from the window and began rifling through her bag, pulling out a parchment pad and her Muggle pencils. Placing the pad on her lap, she twirled a pencil around her fingers absentmindedly, admonishing herself yet again for letting her thoughts wander back to a certain duo. Despite their triumph over Voldemort, the summer had brought new challenges to the Golden Trio, resulting in Hermione sitting alone on the train while Harry and Ron were off consorting with their fellow Gryffindors. She had caught a glimpse of them when boarding the train, raising her hand tentatively to wave at Ginny, ensconced in Harry's arms, but the glare she received in return was enough motivation to slip quickly to the back of the train, quietly avoiding any further encounters with the fiery redhead.

It was painful thinking back to a year ago, remembering how she and Harry and Ron had spent the journey happily catching up on school gossip, gently teasing Neville and Luna for their fledgling relationship and racing chocolate frogs around the compartment. The two boys had been the foundation of her Hogwarts experience since the beginning of first year, and it was with a sharp pain in her chest that her thoughts leapt forward to what this year would bring without them by her side. If the look on Ginny's face earlier had been any indication, it would seem that she had also lost the support of her best female friend. With increasing anxiety, Hermione wondered what the reaction of her fellow housemates would be, knowing with certainty that the rumors were already spreading around the train like wildfire.

Gripping the pencil firmly in her hand, she set the fine tip against the middle of her parchment and began to lightly trace the outline of a sleeping Crookshanks curled up on the seat across from her. It was hard with the bumping motion of the train, but the distraction was worth the extra effort. Drawing had always been a special passion of hers, something that she picked up as a child spending countless hours in the waiting room of her parents' dental practice. Growing easily bored of the simple children's magazines she instead created small "masterpieces" using a box of crayons and whatever scrap paper she could find in the recycling bin, covering the walls of the small practice with her youthful renditions of zoo animals and the characters from her story books. Now, at 17 years old, what was once a hobby had blossomed into full-blown skill backed by a natural talent. Drawing helped to stabilize her natural inclinations, balancing her voracious ingestion of knowledge with an equal outpouring of artistry, allowing her to keep her sanity over the past six years at Hogwarts. Her favorite style was portraiture, though the ability to perfectly capture a person's face required a lot of practice. Over the years it had been hard to convince her friends to remain still long enough for her to complete a sketch, as her classmates tended to favor more rambunctious ways of letting off steam after a long day of classes. Of course, this year it would be a stroke of luck if any of her classmates agreed to spend any significant amount of time in her presence.

Despite the silence of the compartment, Hermione could practically hear the rumors flying back and forth across the train. The same rumors that had a few weeks earlier led to Ginny's continued anger and silent treatment and Harry's reluctant hiatus of their friendship, taking a cue from his girlfriend. If they would only let me explain, thought Hermione, feeling frustrated tears begin to build behind her eyes. Not wanting to ruin her expensive drawing parchment with splotches of water, she roughly shoved the paper aside and went to lean once more against the window, taking in the slowly setting sun. Unconsciously, she began her slow breathing exercises once again in an attempt to reclaim her feeling of calm.

If she was being honest with herself, she could understand where they were coming from. In the aftermath of that horrible August afternoon, the information that immediately surfaced certainly did not paint her in the best of lights. But for the love of Merlin, she thought in frustration, why did they insist on taking that sodding git's word over hers, not even giving her a chance to share her side of the story? With a sharp movement she banged her head lightly against the glass, relishing the small amount of discomfort as an outlet for her rising ire. It was still too painful to think directly about Ron, about what he had done, about what he had said...

Unbidden, her mind flashed back to that fateful day, remembering the soft, comforting sounds of the Burrow as she climbed the stairs, the shock on her face after she had opened the door, and the stabbing pain in her heart that she felt even now, four weeks later.

Shaking her head she got to her feet, determined to stop reliving the painful memories. The landscape outside her window had grown steadily darker, and she knew it was time to change into her school robes before they arrived at the Hogwarts train station. Returning from the nearby bathroom she quickly folded her Muggle clothes, tucking them neatly into her bag and pulling out a small envelope that she had slipped away against her Advanced Charms for Seventh Year book. Flipping over the envelope, a small gold badge spilled out into her palm, the two letters that so happened to match her own initials glinting briefly in the fading light. As she felt the train beginning to slow, Hermione quickly affixed the badge to her robes and with a deep breath began to gather her things and head towards the exit to the train.

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Hope you enjoyed this little teaser - please let me know what you think!