Miles Away From Perfect

Hermione stood alone on the Platform with her trunk at her side and Crookshanks in her arms. Ireland had been wonderful to her over the summer and she'd arrived back into England with the faintest of glows on her skin and the fragrance of the ocean still held in her hair.

She'd been standing for quite some time, watching the other families pass and go. Everyone was so lively and yet, Hermione stood still. She felt like a statue awaiting her turn to be loud and boisterous and happy to see her friends once again.

The sun was out and not at all bashful. It stood out strong all morning, and never once hid behind the clouds. The September breeze teased the free strands of Hermione's bushy hair leaving little friendly knots that she'd have to work out once they all got situated on the train.

It seemed rather strange to her that she hadn't yet seen any of her friends arrive. After six years of practice, Harry and Ron should know how to get to a train on time by now. She looked around at the people closest to her and she realized that they all seemed like first years. Each of them had that ecstatic look on their faces, mixed with curiosity and even a touch of worry. The poor dears had no idea what to expect.

She turned around and dumped Crookshanks gingerly into his wire cage. If they weren't going to come to her, then she would just have to go and find them. She stood her trunk on its end and had just secured her wand in her jean pocket when she heard someone call her name.

She turned around startled, but then all of her fears went away when she saw the one and only Harry Potter standing before her. "Harry! I'm so glad to see you."

Harry looked wonderful in his red sports jacket and his blue jeans. He was one of those wizards who looked good in muggle clothing, too, but that was probably because he'd been raised by muggles. His hair was as messy as ever and still as black as night. His round glasses that made him look so sophisticated circled around his emerald eyes.

He had distanced himself from her and stood close to the train. The space didn't matter to her though; she embraced him in a heart beat. She wrapped her arms around his trim waist and pulled him so close to her that they pressed against each other. She buried her face in his neck and let out a little yell as Harry picked her up and jerked her around until the two of them were hidden away from the sidewalks and the crowds, in between two of the train cars.

"I hoped you've missed me as much as I missed you," Hermione breathed. She threw her arms around his neck in an act of desperation.

"Hermione," Harry said, bracing himself by grabbing at her hips. She didn't let him finish anything that he had to say.

Hermione put her lips to his passionately in a much needed kiss, but his lips were still, almost like stone. He turned his face away from her, so being confused; she went on and kissed his neck.

"Hermione, we can't do this anymore," he told her. He pushed her away at the hips and quickly stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He stepped away from her and back onto the sidewalk so that he was in the view of other Hogwarts students.

"Harry what are you talking about? I haven't seen you in three months." She put her hands on her hips and took a step toward him. He stepped backward away from her.

"We were good for each other, while it lasted Hermione," Harry said taking her hands, "but you and I both agreed that it was never meant to last. I've found someone."

"But Harry-"

"It wasn't like we were a couple, Hermione. We were just helping each other out, one friend to another and I've never thanked you for being there for me," he said. He put his hand through his hair in relief and then pointed back to the bench. "Is that your trunk, Hermione?"

"Of course it is, but I'll get it myself," she snapped. She was amazed that she could even speak.

"I was sent to come and find you. We've already got a compartment all to ourselves. How long have you been waiting here?" he asked her as they set off along down the train.

"Quite awhile actually," she told him while looking down at the pavement. She couldn't bring herself to look at him directly in the eye. She'd just been knocked on her ass, and Harry was pretending like nothing had happened.

"How was your summer?" Harry asked her, but she could tell he felt the tension. He suddenly seemed nervous around her. Had he really changed so much over one summer?

"I could do less of the small talk just right now, Harry," she told him.

"Okay," he said quickly. They made the rest of the way down the platform in silence.

Harry was right; they had never been a couple. She'd only assumed that after everything they'd done together they had hit that stage, but she was a foolish girl and she had been wrong. He had someone now too, and she was just being selfish. By being there for him in his time of need last year, she'd been a part of his happiness. Just not the part that she'd always thought of.

"It's this one," Harry said pointing to the train car just ahead. His steps grew quicker once he'd told her and her heart fell to realize that he wanted to join up with the others as soon as possible. He couldn't even be alone with her anymore.

They climbed onto the train and Hermione followed Harry to the compartment just to the left. She stopped still in her tracks just before their compartment and grabbed his wrist pulling him to a stop. His pulse made her stomach flip, but she held tight until he turned around to face her.

She hadn't been able to look into his eyes but now she found she couldn't look anywhere else. She squeezed his wrist and asked, "Who is she?" He looked surprised for a second, but he didn't answer.

"Tell me," she whispered. He turned and opened the compartment, prying her hand off of his wrist in one try, and left her out in the hall. She couldn't do anything but follow him inside.

The first person she saw was Ron. He looked as adorable as ever with his auburn hair grown out around his ears. He had gotten a handful of freckles on his cheeks and he looked one less shade paler than usual. Even with all of these new changes, she hardly noticed them.

"Hi Ron," she said. She tried to make herself sound excited, but it was a pretty pathetic excuse. She could see Harry moving toward someone else in the compartment, but Ron was standing right in the way and he looked eager to talk to her.

Suddenly she grabbed him up just as she'd done to Harry and wrapped him in a bear hug. She had to stand on her tip toes to see over Ron's shoulder, but her plan had worked and she watched Harry sit down softly next to Ginny and then wrap his arm tenderly around her. He took her hand and squeezed it in a comforting way and then brought it to his lips.

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut tight and gave herself a moment before she pulled away from Ron with an easy smile.

"Hermione how was Ireland? Mum wanted you to come to the Burrow but there wasn't enough time. She baked you these because she didn't get to see you," Ron told her, handing her a plate of oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies.

"Thank you, Ron. Will you tell your mum I said thanks?" she asked.

"Of course," he nodded, but his eyes never came off of the plate of cookies.

"Do you want one?" she laughed, or at least attempted to laugh. She was trying to stall as long as possible before she and Ron would have to join the lovebirds sitting over on the seat.

"Sure," he said. "I think we'd better give one to Gin too, if you don't mind."

"Why?" Hermione asked. Damn it, she'd spoke too soon.

"Harry didn't tell you? She's in the pits on account of her friend Sierra who's gone back to Beaux batons," Ron said.

"Really," Hermione tried at a frown, "that's terrible." Harry, it seemed, wasn't telling Hermione very much at all these days.

* * *

Draco sat around his fellow Slytherins and he was already in a bitter mood. Normally he could always find something worth talking about, something that would take his mind off of everything else he was always brooding over. Nothing and no one seemed interesting today however, and so Draco sat in silence amidst his peers.

He listened to Pansy's conversation with one of the other Slytherin girls sitting next to him. Pansy was telling her all about this boy who had come to work on her manor over the summer and how much they had done together.

Draco sighed, Slytherin girls were so tactless. Pansy knew that everyone could hear about all of the naughty things she'd done over the summer. She thought it made her seem more grown up and adult like, but actually it had quite the opposite effect. He thought about asking her which STD she'd gotten from him and whether she'd handpicked it or just gotten stuck with it at random, but something stopped him.

Across from him, Theodore Nott, and some fifth year he didn't know were talking in low voices and throwing Draco curious glances every few seconds. It was so obvious that they were talking about him. He didn't care what they were saying, up until he heard the fifth year with dark hair mutter something about Lucius Malfoy.

Both boys looked a little anxious and even nervous talking about Draco's father and Draco couldn't blame them in the least bit. He'd seen it coming for years, so much inactivity with the Dark Lord and Draco still without the dark mark. Sometimes Lucius could hardly contain the rage and impatience he felt. No, he took it out on mum instead, Draco thought bitterly.

He swallowed hard and forced himself to forget the summer that had just passed and think about the coming school year instead.

* * *

Her mother's cookies always had a special way of cheering her up. She was surprised when Hermione offered one, and even more when she discovered that her mother had given Hermione a full plate of them. Normally she helped her mother bake them, but apparently not this time.

Maybe she'd made them when Ginny had been out with Harry. They'd made a point to take a walk everyday over the summer so that they could be alone. Still, she would have loved to help with the cookies.

"Feeling better Gin?" Ron asked her just like he'd done probably a half hour ago.

"It's not a big deal Ron, I'll just have to get over my loneliness," she told Ron, but mostly she said it to convince herself.

"You won't be alone and you know that," Harry told her, but he didn't take his eyes off the scenery out the window when he said it. At least he squeezed her hand to reassure her, though.

"So you're the prefect in her place then?" Hermione asked her.

"Yes, I got a letter over the summer from Dumbledore to take her place," Ginny nodded to Hermione. Hermione was acting strangely and hardly ever let herself look Ginny in the eye. At the moment, this little thing that was bothering Hermione would have to wait for another day.

"Well then, we need to head up to the prefect meeting. It's nearly time now," Hermione told Ginny and Ron.

"Let's go Gin, it won't be the end of the world," Ron said slapping her rather hard on the back.

"I didn't exactly need that, you know," she huffed. She squeezed Harry's hand, more for herself than for him, and followed Ron out of the compartment.

There were others making their way toward the front of the train, but not very many. Ginny was curious about finally being on the inside, but then her guilt held her back. She wished Sierra was still here with her and attending the prefect duties instead, then she could be back with Harry in their compartment all alone.

It wasn't fair that Sierra had to return to Beaux batons. They had gotten really close last year, practically best friends, and actually she was the only good friend that was in Ginny's same year. Oh well, she would adapt, wouldn't she? She'd done it before and she'd do it again.

Hadn't it always been like that at home too? She was always on the outside, always spending time with herself in her room. Not this past summer though, she'd spent every moment possible with Harry, and because of it, she realized, for once she'd spent more time with her family instead of spending it alone in her room.

She had to admit, life was more pleasurable that way. Maybe now that she'd felt like she belonged somewhere for once, it hurt more to go back to being an outsider.

Ron and Ginny took seats in the middle of everyone else. Ron began talking with some seventh year girl that Ginny didn't know and Ginny decided to keep to herself. She watched as the students poured in, coming by twos and threes, until the car was full. Finally Hermione spoke up to begin the meeting.

Really it seemed pointless to have this meeting. Ginny was almost positive the Head Girl recited the same things over and over again each year. Everyone else had probably heard Hermione's speech before and Ginny who was experiencing it for the first time, was already bored.

There really wasn't much to pay attention to, so instead, Ginny decided to pay attention to Ron. He seemed much more interesting. He kept fidgeting in his seat and then he would randomly jerk to his side in the direction of the seventh year he'd been talking to before.

Was he having spasms? Merlin, he was like a five year old. She tuned back into Hermione, who was switching up her words more often than usual. She paused to clear her throat too often, and every time, Ron did his little jerky think again.

Finally Ginny realized the moment Ron had been waiting for. Hermione had asked everyone to pair up for their midnight patrol, the only real duty of the prefect. Ron darted in toward the seventh year and asked her to be his partner, as quick as that. She nodded that she would and Ginny sat in astonishment.

It wasn't until a moment later that Ginny realized that her brother had just traded her in for the seventh year blonde. That bastard, who was she going to be partnered with? Ginny got up from her seat and went to find Hermione.

"Do you have a partner Hermione? Ron's just blew me off for some stupid blonde," Ginny told Hermione, who looked slightly surprised.

"Oh Ginny, Head Girl is always partners with the Head Boy," Hermione said and shook her head. Then Hermione turned around right there and walked in the other direction, toward some fifth year boys who seemed to be having an argument, leaving Ginny completely alone to find a partner.

"Okay," Ginny said to herself, as she moseyed through the people in search of someone else who didn't have a partner.

Then she saw the last person she really ever wanted to see on a day like this. Draco Malfoy stood tall and lean in the corner with his face cast slightly into shadow. It was so melodramatic that it almost made Ginny laugh.

He was alone, of course, so Ginny made her way over to him with dread. He had been watching her, so she was already annoyed when she approached him and he pretended like she wasn't there.

"Do you have a partner Malfoy?" She didn't want any bullshit.

"Don't you already have a partner, or does no one like you?" he asked as though he was bored. Now that he'd moved forward from the shadow, she saw that his face was void of expression.

"Do you need a damn partner or not?" She was getting edgy now. All she wanted to do was get to Hogwarts and fast forward through all the annoying details. And the last thing she wanted was to have to be tied with Draco Malfoy in any way, shape, or form.

"Why would I agree to be your partner, Weasley?" Malfoy asked her. This was about the point where she'd decided that Malfoy could fuck off, but just then Ron came striding over acting like the hero.

"What are you doing with Ginny, Malfoy?" He was taller than Draco by an inch, but Draco in no way backed down because of it.

"Nothing yet, but just wait 'til midnight some time this week," Malfoy sneered.

"Oh, shut up, you pig," Ginny cut in.

"She wouldn't be partnered with the likes of you," Ron sneered at Malfoy expecting it to be a blow, but Ginny wasn't surprised that it did nothing to upset him at all. Instead she took this opportunity to round on Ron.

"Excuse you, but I don't think you have any say in whomever my partner is, Ronald. If you hadn't ditched me, and picked someone else, then maybe you would. There isn't any one else to be partnered with, I'm stuck with the ferret!"

"As my partner, I'll have none of that kind of talk if you don't mind," Draco butted in.

"Fine," Ginny hissed.

"Fine," Draco nodded, and then he strode out of the compartment. Apparently the meeting was over.

Hermione wandered over after everyone had settled down. Ron was sitting with his new partner pretending that Ginny didn't exist. Maybe Ginny had been too hard on him.

"Where is your partner?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"Malfoy's just left," Ginny told her, exasperated.

"The oaf," Hermione rolled her eyes, annoyed, "he didn't pick up his schedule for the patrolling."

Ginny didn't know what to say. She held out her hand to take her own schedule, since she was smart enough not to leave before everything was said and done, but Hermione handed both of them to her.

"You'll just have to give it to him then, if you're his partner."

Damn.