Platform Nine and Three Quarters – London. 1st September.

Platform Nine and Three Quarters was bustling with activity as the students said a final goodbye to their parents and boarded the bright red Hogwarts Express. It was the first school year since Voldemort's downfall nearly four months ago and despite recent events there were still plenty of people returning to school.

Among those returning was Hermione Granger, who along with her best friends was now a celebrity and a war hero according to the press. Despite being offered any job she wanted at the Ministry of Magic, Hermione had decided she would rather return to Hogwarts to finish her education properly. While Hermione was returning to school her two best friends Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were not, both had instead opted to begin training to be an Auror.

Both boys were present to at the platform along with Molly and Arthur Weasley to see Hermione and Ginny Weasley safely off to school for one final time.

Hermione looked to where Harry and Ginny were talking quietly, their heads mere inches apart, and quickly turned away at the sight of the happy couple. A few days ago she thought that her and Ron would have been the same as after their kiss in the middle of the final battle they had finally started dating and had been a couple throughout the summer. But the previous night Ron had taken Hermione to one side during the farewell dinner at The Burrow and told Hermione that it was best they put their relationship on hold until she had finished school.

Hermione had been unsure why Ron wanted to end their relationship and when pressed Ron admitted he wanted to be sure it was Hermione he really wanted to be with before he committed to anything. Hermione had been hurt by Ron's revelations as she took it to mean that she wasn't enough for the redhead now that he was famous and had girls throwing themselves at him. The break-up had led to a massive argument between the pair and they hadn't spoken to each other since.

"'Mione." Ron said unsurely as he hovered beside Hermione.

Hermione turned to stare at her ex before she spoke with a clipped tone. "What?"

"I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you." Ron said. He knew he hadn't dealt with their break-up well and he had hurt Hermione more than he had meant to. "I only want to take a break and make sure this is what we both want."

"No, Ronald." Hermione snapped. "You want an excuse to sleep with some of those tarty girls who throw themselves at you without feeling guilty."

"That's not true." Ron protested, even though there was a small voice in the back of his head telling him that Hermione was spot on with her accusations.

"I don't care, Ron. You can do what you want." Hermione said. "One day you'll regret throwing our relationship away without giving us a proper chance."

Hermione then turned on her heel and walked away from Ron. After saying her goodbyes to Harry, Molly and Arthur she boarded the train to Hogwarts one final time without looking back at Ron who was still watching her. A few minutes after Hermione had boarded the train it blew it's whistle and it slowly started to move out of the station.

"Are you okay, mate?" Harry came to stand beside Ron as they watched the train starting to pull out of the station.

"I'm fine." Ron said with a smile. Hermione's final words were echoing in his head and he only hoped for once that the brainy muggle born witch was wrong about something and he wouldn't end up regretting ending their relationship.

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Platform Nine and Three Quarters - London. Nine Months Later.

Unfortunately for Ron Hermione was, as usual, right. For the first few months Ron loved the freedom of being single and being able to go home with whichever girl caught his eye that particular night. But after a while the novelty of bedding a different girl every few nights wore off and he started to miss the love and support he had received from Hermione. While Ron and Hermione weren't together long enough for their relationship to become more physical it was still easy for Ron to compare each girl he slept with to his former girlfriend, making him regret his decision to give her up.

For the past couple of months Ron had stopped sleeping around and had decided he would get back together with Hermione. After nine months without having Hermione in his life Ron had finally realised it was the bossy brunette he wanted to spend his entire life with. He had bought a diamond engagement ring and planned on proposing to her the moment she returned from Hogwarts.

"Ron will you stop pacing." Harry said, grabbing Ron's arm to stop the redhead in his tracks.

"Sorry, I'm just nervous." Ron said. Harry was the only person that Ron had told about his plan to propose to Hermione. "What if she says no?"

"I'm sure she won't." Harry reassured his friend. "She's loved you for years."

"Yes, but we didn't exactly part on good terms." Ron fretted. Last month he had wrote to Hermione apologising for his behaviour and asking to remain friends, he was thrilled when he got a positive response from her a few days later.

"That's in the past, Ron." Harry told his friend. "According to Ginny she's forgiven you. Gin also said that's she's been in a really good mood lately."

"I hope she's in a good mood today." Ron muttered.

Harry chuckled at his best friends nerves and together the two carried on waiting for the Hogwarts Express to return to London. When the train started to appear at the end of the platform, Ron visibly paled as he thought of what he was about to do.

As The Hogwarts Express pulled into the station and students started to disembark it was mayhem and completely crowded. Harry and Ron looked about frantically each hoping to get a glimpse of the girl they loved. Harry was the first to get lucky as a flash of red caught his eye, just before Ginny launched herself at him.

"Harry, I've missed you." Ginny exclaimed, hugging Harry tightly.

"I've missed you too, Gin." Harry said, as he embraced his girlfriend.

"Where's Hermione?" Ron asked his sister once she had let go of Harry.

"I don't know, she wasn't sitting with us." Ginny said with a shrug.

"Why not?" Ron questioned as his eyes scanned the crowds looking for a head of bushy brunette hair.

"I don't know, Ron. I was sitting with Luna and you know that Hermione sometimes finds it hard not to contradict some of Luna's wackier theories, maybe she didn't fancy spending the entire journey biting her tongue." Ginny said.

Ron nodded at Ginny's theory and continued to look around the rapidly emptying platform for Hermione. As the platform got emptier and there was still no sign of Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny started to panic about their friend.

"Was she definitely on the train?" Harry asked, as an empty Hogwarts Express started to leave the station.

"I don't know." Ginny said, trying to remember if she had seen Hermione on the train. "The last time I can remember seeing her was this morning at breakfast, Hermione only stayed a few minutes before she left, saying she wanted to visit the library one last time."

"Sounds like Hermione." Ron snorted at the brunette's bookworm ways.

"That still doesn't answer whether she was on the train." Harry said. "We need to speak to a few people and see if anyone saw her."

"You don't think anything's happened to her do you?" Ginny asked, worried by Harry's serious tone.

"I'm not sure. But with the war only just over it's a chance I'm not willing to take." Harry said. "Come one, we need to try and find Hermione."

Harry picked up Ginny's trunk and the three friends apparated back to The Burrow to work out their next move regarding Hermione and her whereabouts.

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The Palace de Luxe Hotel - Paris.

Hermione finished tying the large letter to the owl's leg and released it out of the window. Inside the envelope destined for The Burrow were several letters to her friends and the family she loved as her own, each one telling them not to worry about her and she would be in contact with them soon.

After watching the owl fly out of sight Hermione turned around to face the manager of the small wizarding hotel on the outskirts of Paris in which she was staying for the night.

"Merci." Hermione said to the manager, thanking him for the use of two of his owls.

The manager told Hermione she was welcome and after checking there was nothing else she needed he went back to his duties around the hotel. Hermione followed the manager out of the small room where the hotels owls resided on the top floor and headed back to her room.

Swiping the magical key card in the door to the penthouse suite, Hermione entered the large room to find her boyfriend, Draco Malfoy, relaxing on the large king size bed with his eyes shut.

"Did you send the letters?" He asked, opening his grey eyes.

"Yes." Hermione said, perching on the end of the bed. "Are you sure we're doing the right thing?" She asked.

Draco sat up and looked at Hermione closely, wondering if she was having second thoughts about their plan. "Yes, but we don't have to do it if you don't want to." He finally said, hoping his girlfriend wasn't about to abandon their plan.

"I do want to, I want to do it more than anything." Hermione said, reassuring Draco. "But you could potentially lose your entire family."

"We've talked about this, Granger." Draco said, pulling Hermione onto the bed to sit next to him. "You're more important than my father, besides I'm fairly confident he'll come round eventually."

"Really." Hermione snorted, she was having a hard time believing Draco's formidable father would ever accept their relationship.

"Really." Draco nodded. "He may not be the nicest person or the best father but he does love me in his own way, once he sees how happy we are he'll accept us."

Hermione looked at her boyfriend sceptically but decided not to say anything, he did after all know Lucius much better than she did. Hermione also knew that Draco was telling himself that Lucius would accept them as he didn't want to face the possibility of losing his family.

"It'll help that he won't be able to do anything about it." Draco added, noticing Hermione's scepticism. "Once we're married tomorrow, there's nothing father or anyone else can do about it."

Hermione smiled widely at the mention of their small wedding the following day. Most people would think she was mad for marrying someone she had only been dating for a few months but Hermione knew she loved Draco and all she wanted was to be with him.

"Do you want something to eat?" Draco asked, now he was convinced that Hermione had stopped worrying about his father.

"Yes, let's just go down to the restaurant." Hermione said, hopping off the bed.

As Hermione and Draco headed down to dinner, Hermione couldn't help but think that Ron breaking up with her before the start of the new school year was the best thing that had happened to her. If she had still being dating her friend when she went back to Hogwarts she would never have fallen for the blond Slytherin who was now the most important person in her life.

A/N - The next chapter goes back to the beginning of the school year and the story really begins. The story is quite fluffy, although there will probably be some drama when Draco and Hermione's romance is revealed. I'm not sure how far after everyone finds out I will go, it will depend on how people are enjoying the story and what I'm feeling like but at the minute I'm loving writing this story and have lots of plans for it. Enjoy!