The letter from Ron was dropped onto Hermione's lap at the very end of breakfast.

It's been two weeks since she left. The third day of school Hermione had received a very long letter complaining about his new auror mission. Every not was a little different each day.
Today, it was funny.

Crookshanks appeared outside my window this morning. Should I be worried?
All my love,
Ron

Laughing she folded the letter and placed it the front pocket of her bag. Professor McGonagall gave Hermione a raised eyebrow look and handed Hermione a copy of the daily prophet.

"I noticed you no longer have a subscription, Ms. Granger. I thought you might want to see this." Professor McGonagall handed her a copy of the Daily Prophet.

The front page had a picture of the boys inside the ministry.

The moving picture shows them trying to leave, answering one question, becoming annoyed, Ron turning red, and Harry rushing him out before he can blow his top.

They asked about Fred.

Hermione states in her head. She skims the article and it just talks about the war heroes still going out and fighting for their people, partners in crime. Hermione rolls her eyes as she folds the paper and sticks it under her arm.

Hogwarts isn't the same. Without Ron and Harry joining her in the halls being loud and bonkers, there seems to be a lack of people.
It's the same amount of kids, the same amount of students. More students in her year than usual. At least half of the students her actual age came back to Hogwarts to complete their final year. There wasn't too much learning with all the discipline. The final exams never happened so many came back to receive the proper qualifications.

Sighing she enters her History of Magic class, one of the few things that happen to be the very same. Mostly because of the fact that the professor is dead.

For the last few classes, Professor Bins had been talking about the dark days and the first wizarding war. He has covered topics such as Grindelwald, and the depression of Voldemort's first rule and rein. He drones on and on about the effect and warning signs to people that any well-educated person would already know because of what happened the last two years. Being fed up with everything that everyone had brought to light last year Hermione raises her hand.
Not being used to students interrupting his class he snaps his head towards Hermione.

"Yes, " he says slowly "Miss-"

"Granger, sir." She tells him.

"Ah yes, the one who asked about the Chamber of Secrets all those years ago. What is it?"

"I was just wondering if we were going to talk about um, more recent history? From the last year or so."

"Why would we? Nothing new happened that time around."

"Did they torture people last time? Did they overcome the ministry, the school, did they cause million of fatalities of students when the waged war in what was supposedly the safest building of all wizarding world?"

"Well, most of the students in this room were there when the battle happened."

"Most? No no no. You had to be of age, discluding the people that were in my year her probably only a fourth of the students here were of age, and about half of them either left or died. So maybe not, and what about the younger years, they sure were never in this castle when the attack happened."

"Calm down Miss, okay, you may have a point about that. And to my knowledge, anyone who was tortured was murdered afterward, so they are no way to know if they did or know of what a victim would have experienced at the hands or, you-know-who."

"Are you positive that no one would be able to tell you?" Hermione asked with fire in her eyes. "And if I told you that someone in this room was tortured would you believe me?"

"I uh, -"

"Yeah right! Like that ever happened." A younger Ravenclaw shouts from the back of the room.

"You want proof?" Hermione shouts whipping around.

"Like you could give it."

"How's this for proof." Hermione lifts her uniform sleeve and puts her mudblood scar on display. "Remember Bellatrix Lestrange? She gave this to me. She carved it into my arm with a dagger when were held, hostage in her sister's house. She then used the same dagger to kill an innocent-"

"OUT OUT! GET OUT OF MY CLASS!" Professor Binns bellows being fed up with his class being led by a fugitive.

Hermione yanks down her sleeve throw her things into her bag, and storms from the room.
She trudges with her arms crossed towards the 6th floor and sits down right inground of the Griffin waiting from the Headmistress to return from her lesson.
Fuming Hermione breaths heavily and give one of the paintings a death glare until the dinner party leaves its frame.

When the bell rings for the next class, the Headmistress sweeps around the corner to visit her office before her next lesson.
She stops suddenly when she sees Hermione sitting on her wall.

"This is unexpected." She says her lips drawing into a straight line

"Professor Binns kicked me out."

"Of class?"

"Possibly," Hermione says meekly

"That's even more unexpected," McGonagall says, "Come inside. Ribbon." The gargoyle begins to spin and Hermione steps behind her superior losing her anger and more nervousness and the feeling of impending doom overcome her.

"Sit," McGonagall instructs when they reach the desk.

"Ms. Granger, what has happened? You get sent from class to my office, girls in your dormitory room have reported you waking up screaming then digging through your belongings in hysterics never calming till you exhaust yourself. You have also been receiving letters every morning. Granger of this behavior keeps up there will be severe consequences. You better explain. Now."

"Well, um, I mean-"

"Before you begin how much of this is coming from the war?"

"Almost everything."

"And the battle?"

"The rest of everything."

"All right, continue."

"Well, the notes are from people back home. They have protection issues a little bit and want to keep in touch. The reason I got kicked out of class today is that I wanted to talk about real stuff about the war and I may have brought up torture hoping to talk about the wandmaker Ollivander, but Professor Binns shut me down very quickly so I went off and told them about my scar. That's also where the hys-"

"Excuse me, scar?"

"Oh, " Hermione's voice gets very small. "Well, we got captured by some snatchers and taken to the Malfoy Manner. And, Bellatrix Lestrange realized who I was and carved, " Hermione gulped and took a shaky breath. "Mudblood into my arm."

"Oh, Ms. Granger. I'm so sorry. Is it rude to ask to see?"

Shaking her head with tears running down her cheeks silently. She lifts her sleeve once more. Staring at her lap not looking at the Headmistress.

Professor McGonagall's chair scrapes across the floor and she ties her quickly scribbled a note to a castle owl and sends it put the window.

"Sorry, Ms. Granger, why do you scream at night."

"Nightmares. What happened in that house haunts me. She used the Cruico curse on me multiple time. They had Harry and Ron locked in the cellar. I could hear him yelling. Ron's the only person who seems to be able to calm me down. So I look for his notes. They help. I usually open a window in the common room and stay on that bench until sunrise."

"Oh, Hermione. I'm so sorry. No one should ever have to experience that."

A soft knock sound sat the door and Madam Pompery rushes in and in hushed voices.

"Ms. Granger?" She whispers "wound it be ok if I removed this?"

Nodding her head not saying a word Hermione holds her arm up for Poppy to care for. The scar tissue begins to ebb away as Hermione stares at her lap. Once finished with her arm Madam Pomfrey leaves the office.

"Go, Mrs. Granger, take the rest of the day to yourself. You need it."

She leaves the office quickly and sprints to the common room once rounded the corner. She sobs the entire way.

==============================================================================================

"Hermione?" Ginny says tentatively toeing open their dormitory door. "Are you in here?" The sobs muffled by a pillow are answer enough.

Walking over to her bed Ginny sits on the edge and touches her shoulder.

"'Mione? What happened after History of Magic? You left and weren't at lunch or any other classes."

"I went to McGonagall's, " she sobs, "I told her everything, about my scar and the notes and the screaming. She told me to take the day off. So I did." Hermione barely breathes out the last sentence before she falls into sobs again.

"Oh God Hermione. Have you been here all day? You must be starving. I'm going to go get you some food from the great hall. There's probably some food left. I will be back in a second."

Ginny paused after every sentence giving Hermione a chance to respond, but she only got shaky breathing and stifled sobs as an answer.

Walking towards the great hall funny grabs two rolls, some carrot, potato, broccoli, charred vegetables, and some roasted chicken. Along with a large glass of water.

Walking back towards the marble staircase food in hand a figure comes around the bend and yells,

"Boo." At the sounds Ginny. She jumps at least a foot but doesn't drop the food.

"Would it kill you to leave us alone for a change?" Ginny askes glaring at Malfoy.

"I wouldn't know, I've never tried." He smiles back.

"Well, you can start." She bites back over her shoulder as she walks away.

"Ah ah ah! Not so fast little weasel. Without Potter and you're prat brother here to save you, this won't be that hard."

Dropping the food Ginny frantically grasps for her wand tucked in the back of her skirt.

"Expelliarmus!" Draco whisper yells causing Ginny's wand to fly up into the air and fall behind him.

Looking around for a place to escape Ginny slowly backs up against the wall in a crook of the marble stairs.of the stairs as Malfoy slowly creeps forward his sneer growing ever more vicious. Wand pointed directly at her Malfoy steps even closer when her heel hits the wall she loses her balance, running her hand along the wall in search for a way out.

Cheese heaving Ginny looks back at Malfoy who is inches away from her face and she breathes petrified. He gets even closer, so she turned her head away and could feel his hot breath against her ear and cheek.

"You know Weasley, I never wanted to do the things I did. I never wanted that thing to invite me over to his side, the things he does are wrong, so I'll make you an offer. Friends?"