It was only the first day of Hermione Granger's seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and she already felt the need to escape. Not escape the school, mind you, but rather, her best friends, Harry Potter (The Boy Who Lived to be Silent and Stare Off Into Space with a Haunted Look in His Eyes), and Ron Weasley. Under normal circumstances she would have loved to sit and chat with her best friends in the Great Hall, the boys that had made her first six years of school so full of adventure and amazing (but terrifying) experiences, but right now she just couldn't handle looking at their faces.

She knew this year was going to change everything between them, what with Dumbledore's death at the hands of Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy at the end of the last year, and with Harry's impending search for the Horcruxes. Just the thought of Harry out there alone (he insisted that Hermione and Ron would NOT be going with him, but whether they would REALLY let him go alone was doubtful) chilled Hermione to her bones. She shivered involuntarily.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Ron's baritone voice asked from the seat next to her.

"Hmm..? Oh. Nothing, Ron." She made a pathetic attempt at a smile, but Ron saw straight through that. His eyes narrowed but all he said was, "Oh. Okay then." He went back to pushing his food around his plate.

The fact that he wasn't eating at all shocked her out of her thoughts. It took Hell freezing over to keep Ronald Weasley from eating everything within grabbing range. She gaped at him but he seemed lost in his own thoughts and took no notice.

Her eyes wandered over to Harry. His beautiful emerald eyes were sunken in and surrounded by deep, bruise-like circles. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. Come to think of it, she doubted he HAD slept in weeks. Her heart ached for Harry. He had grown from boy to man in such a short time and it had been against his will. She hated that he had been forced to live this life without having any say in the matter. She just wished she could take all of his pains and worries onto herself so he could have just one moment of peace. The fact that he felt like he needed to go through it all alone grated on her nerves. It made it hard for her to be around him. She just wished he would turn back into the old, fun-loving Harry that she missed so much. But that wouldn't happen until he destroyed the Horcruxes and killed Voldemort.

The Great Hall was unusually quiet, still in shock from having their beloved Professor Dumbledore ripped from them by someone who was supposed to be his friend. There was very little conversation, so when the Hall doors creaked open, every eye turned to look. The relative silence quickly turned to complete silence and then the voices rose to a level almost akin to a roar. When Hermione looked up and saw platinum blonde hair and grey eyes, she went into shock.

How? How could he possibly be here? How could he show his face again after everything he's done?

She was shocked out of her reverie by two angry snarls coming from her right. Ron had turned bright red and was lunging out of his seat and Harry was doing the same.

Oh my god, they'll KILL Malfoy if they get to him. I have to do something.

Hermione jumped out of her chair and lunged after the boys. She finally reached them when they were about ten feet away from the blonde. She latched a hand on the backs of each of the boys' robes and held on with all of her might. Ron was colossal so she had the biggest trouble holding him back from murdering Malfoy. The blonde just stared at the two advancing dangers warily. He knew what was coming and part of him wanted them to reach him. Hermione could tell this just by looking into his stormy, grey eyes.

"Run, Malfoy! Go! I can't hold them back much longer, and TRUST ME, you do NOT want them to reach you right now! Go!"

Malfoy suddenly seemed to notice Hermione behind the two snarling Gryffindors and saw how hard she was struggling. He gave her one curt nod, spun on his heel, and left the Great Hall.

"What the HELL did you do that for Hermione?!," snarled Ron. He was so angry he looked like smoke was going to come out of his ears at any moment. His eyes looked like they could kill her on the spot.

"Do you really think I would let you KILL someone, Ron? Even that slimy ferret, Malfoy? You must be mental. I will not have you two ruining your lives just to get vengeance on Malfoy. I WON'T!" She jabbed her finger into the redhead's chest for punctuation and to express her frustration, not just with this situation, but with everything that was going on in their lives.

The Great Hall's occupants were all staring and taking in the scene in front of them. Ron seemed to notice it finally, which meant his temper was cooling. He grabbed Hermione and Harry (who had just stared after Draco Malfoy with a look of venom on his face) and rushed them out of the Hall.

Ron enveloped Hermione in an awkward hug with his massive body. "I'm so sorry, 'Mione. I know you were always the level-headed one. But how the HELL did he get here?! And what made that rat think he could show his face in this school again after everything he's done? He's the reason Dumbledore's dead!"

"I know, Ron. I understand your anger and trust me, I feel it too. I would like nothing more than to wrap my hands around that slimy git's throat and squeeze the life out of him, but I can't. And I can't let you two kill him either. And don't try to tell me you wouldn't have. I know you too well."

Ron looked sheepish. "Well… yea. You're probably right."

The two finally seemed to notice the other occupant standing, staring off into space next to them.

"Harry?" Ron's voice asked timidly. Harry didn't seem to hear him. Hermione stepped closer to Harry and gently placed a hand on his forearm. He snatched it away with such force he almost took her arm with it. She gave him a wounded look. He had been on his guard so much lately he couldn't stand for ANYONE, not even his friends, to touch him. His empty gaze fixed on her.

"Goodnight, Hermione. Ron. I'll see you two in the morning."

With that he stalked off and headed toward the Gryffindor common room.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other and Hermione felt the frustrated tears well up in her chocolate eyes. Ron comforted her in the hallway while she wept.

"I don't know what to do anymore, Ron. He's so defensive and alone and he doesn't seem to want anything to do with us anymore. What should we do?" she sniffled into his shoulder.

"I don't know if there's anything we really CAN do. He needs to figure this out on his own and I think all we can do is be there for him."

"I don't know if that'll be good enough. Can you try talking to him, Ron? Can you try to see what we can do for him? He'll listen to you a lot faster than he'll listen to me."

The corner of Ron's mouth tipped down in a half-frown. "Yea. I'll try. We'll see if he listens this time."

"Thank you, Ron." Hermione was so grateful to have a best friend like Ron.

Hermione unlatched herself from Ron's iron grip and they headed toward the common room together, neither of them saying a word.

When they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Hermione mumbled the password (Godric's Sword) and the portrait swung open to reveal the red and gold common room.

Some students lazed around the fireplace on the many large plush sofas surrounding it, while others sat at the tables around the edges of the room, either reading or just chatting and catching up with friends they hadn't seen over the summer holidays. Hermione had no interest in doing either. She just wanted to go upstairs, lay down on her bed, and sleep.

She tiredly climbed the staircase leading to the girls' dorms and reached her room. When she got inside she realized that one of her roommates was already there. Ginny Weasley.

Hermione smiled half-heartedly at Ginny, her best girlfriend. "Hello."

"Hi… So that episode in the Great Hall was interesting. I'm glad you grabbed Ron and… the both of them in time."

Hermione noticed how Ginny had intentionally left out Harry's name. So Ginny was still in love with Harry, and their break-up still hurt. Poor Ginny. Maybe that was just one of the reasons Harry was so… tense lately. Maybe he missed Ginny a lot too. That got her thinking about ways to get the two back together.

"Yea. Me too. I'm glad they didn't reach him. Your brother would've torn his head off."

Ginny grinned. "Maybe you should've let them go then. Not like the bastard doesn't deserve it."

Hermione laughed. "I know he does. But we don't want Ron and…" She decided that it was okay for her to say his name. "…Harry spending the rest of their lives in Azkaban."

"Hmm… I guess you're right."

Hermione opened her case and pulled out her nightgown. It was made of a flowing red silk material and clung to her curves in just the right places. She quickly changed into it and saw Ginny's eyes widen.

"Wow Hermione. Since when did you start wearing stuff like that? If any of the boys saw you he'd have a heart attack."

Hermione flushed."That's why none of the boys are going to see me. "

"When Parvati and Lavender get here you're never going to hear the end of it you know. The looks on their faces will be priceless." Ginny laughed.

"I guess you're right." Hermione could feel her cheeks heat up again and considered changing into her usual sweatpants and old t-shirt, but changed her mind. Who cares what Parvati and Lavender think anyway? Hermione just drifted off to sleep.