When Hermione first stepped through the portal and onto the platform she was struck by how little the wizarding world felt like home now. She glanced around at the children and other students and relished in their joy. Sure, she could appreciate their happiness, but somehow she felt isolated. Tall heat at her back made her glance upwards into the warm blue eyes of Jin.

"I could come along on this here train ride with you." He offered with her trunk slung over his shoulder. Sure people stared, but she didn't mind it quite as much now as she used to. With Jin's help she was more free now than she had ever been before. She could ride the wind.

Hermione shook her head with a smile. "You've done more than enough, and I think that Koenma wants you keeping as low a head as possible."

"Aye." Jin agreed and they ambled down the track together. She fiddled with a braid absently and thought back to when she first thought that the braids were ugly. Through tender love and care Jin had gotten her to understand that those braids meant that she was powerful. And, after all power was just as sexually appealing to a demon as a great physical figure. Jin was quick to assure her that she had both of these traits in droves.

They placed her in a car near the middle the train length and she exited back onto the platform. "I'll miss you." She murmured to him. And in that statement she was saying so much more. She would miss him, she would miss their home, and she would miss their life with their friends. She had written Harry and Ron periodically over the summer, however they didn't take her at quite the same face value as Yusuke, Kurama, and the others did. Well, maybe not Hiei- but she knew that there was some grudging respect there.

Jin hugged her tightly to him and placed a tender kiss on her brow. "I'll not really be gone. Just you wait my pretty lass, you'll not be lonesome for me too often."

Hermione laughed and gave him a slight push. This was the woman that she always envisioned herself to be, strong and confident. She hadn't needed a man to have these traits, he just happened to have been a catalyst to bring them to the surface quicker.

The ten-minute warning whistle sounded and Hermione gave him one more sweet goodbye before getting onto the locomotive and heading back to her compartment.

It wasn't too long after the train set off on its course than two heads peaked into her space. Harry and Ron first blinked and then blinked again before tumbling in and setting their stuff about.

She addressed them with friendly manners, but nothing like she normally would have had they treated her better at the end of the last term. A hand appeared in her vision about halfway through the journey. So far the ride had been taken in silence.

It was Harry's hand Hermione noted upon glancing upwards. She quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Yes?"

"We're sorry." He started and Hermione snorted.

"I didn't realize your name was now 'we', I'll make a note of that for the future." She tucked back into her book. There was a sound of a slight scuffle before two hands entered her vision. She looked up at Harry and Ron.

"Sorry, 'Mione." Said first with Ron only a fraction of a second behind him.

"We were prats." Harry continued.

"And we," Ron paused and looked away before meeting her eyes. "I should have believed you."

Hermione shook both hands. "You should have." She informed them, though the air in the room seemed to lighten.

It wasn't long of regular conversation before Ron dared to ask. "So, what happened to your hair?" He quickly followed it up by, "Not that the braids aren't nice."

Hermione genuinely laughed. Same old Ron. "A friend did them for me over the summer." She paused, unwilling to tell of her new skills just yet. "They've value to me so I think that I'll keep them for a while longer."

The two nodded, seemingly satisfied. Harry was the first of the two to ask about Jin and she silently applauded him for his bravery. "So, how is your boyfriend?"

Hermione smiled. "Good, not entirely pleased that I am gone for the school year, but he understands."

"Is he a muggle?" Ron wanted to know and Hermione shook her head slowly.

"Definitely not a muggle. He's the most magical person I've ever met." Definitely not a lie there- just not the whole truth and nothing but the truth. She could live with that.

"He doesn't go to any of the other schools, does he?" Harry wanted to know and Hermione paused before answering.

"He's older, so he's no longer in school."

This went on for a while, with the boys witling little pieces of information out of her about her summer, and she doing the same. It was the most normal conversation that she'd had with them for a very long time. She had missed her boys.

When the end of the feast rolled around Hermione stared up at the head table when Dumbledore stood to make his speech. "Hello, and welcome all to a new year." There was a round of applause. "I would like to take a few minutes to share with how much I've come to love all of your faces. Seeing you here each fall gives me much joy. And," his eyes twinkled, "I believe that this might be one of the most eventful years of all Hogwarts history."

The golden trio exchanged a glance, that never proved well for them.

"I would like to end the evening by introducing our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." There was a murmur of conversation before he was able to calm the room again. "It is my pleasure to introduce from Japan our very own Professor Shuichi Minamino." From the small antechamber on the side Hermione watched in shocked and delighted awe as Kurama came out in all of his glory to take his place at the table. He truly was a wonderful sight to behold.

The school was dismissed and as curfew fell, Hermione tore out of her room as Head Girl to speak with her new professor.