Around one month later, on 2 September 1995.
Choo choo
A warning whistle sounded, and the students still on the platform started hurrying onto the train.
"Quick, quick," said Mrs. Weasley distractedly.
Fred, George, Ginny, and Ron turned toward their mother. She hugged them at random and caught Ginny twice.
"Write... Be good... If you've forgotten anything, we'll send it on... Onto the train, now, hurry..."
Molly watched with teary eyes as her children and Hermione hopped onto the train.
"Do you think they'll be alright, Arthur?" she asked, concerned, as she addressed her husband, Arthur Weasley, who was next to her. "After Harry..." She found it hard to continue. The dark turn of events still felt so unreal. It had been a month since Harry was put in Azkaban.
Arthur Weasley gently took Molly's hand in his.
He squeezed it softly, offering a small comfort against the uncertainty and fear that clouded their lives. "They've been affected deeply, Molly," he said, trying his best to remain calm. "We all have. Even Fred and George have stopped their pranks." But the sadness was automatic whenever the topic of Harry surged.
"But we'll have to be strong for them," Arthur held her hand more firmly, "They're going to need us more than ever."
Molly nodded, and the tears were already forming in her eyes. "I just wish..." Her voice faltered as she thought about Harry, the boy who had become like another son to her. "I just wish things could be different."
Arthur also wished the same thing, but there was nothing he could do to change the course of events. They had to accept and move on.
"Now come on then. Look, the train is moving. Don't let them see you like this," said Arthur.
Molly nodded, blinking back the tears.
The Hogwarts Express slowly began to pull away from the platform. As the train gained speed, Molly raised her hand to wave at her children one last time. She caught a glimpse of Ginny's anxious face pressed against the window, her eyes searching for her mother's reassuring smile. Ron stood behind her, trying to look brave, but the strain was evident in his tight expression.
Arthur slipped an arm around Molly's shoulders, gently guiding her away from the platform. "Come on, let's get home," he said as gently as possible, trying to reassure his wife. "We've got a lot to take care of."
Inside the train, Fred and George immediately disappeared down the corridor to the right in silence. A second later, Ron gave Ginny a slight push on her back, making her move. Her mother had told Ron to look after Ginny.
"Ron," as Ron took a step, he heard Hermione's voice. Looking behind, he saw that she was still standing there. "Our letters said we have to meet the Head Boy and Girl."
Ron remembered, in his Hogwarts letter, that he had been informed that he had been made a Prefect. The same was true for Hermione.
"Right, let's go then," Ron replied.
He turned to Ginny, who stood with a blank expression. "Why don't you find Neville or one of your classmates? They should be around here somewhere."
She just gave a nod and walked away. Hermione and Ron dragged their trunks, Crookshanks, and a caged Pigwidgeon off toward the engine end of the train, where the meeting was supposed to take place.
As they reached the prefects' compartment, the door slid open, revealing a group of students already gathered inside.
"Bollock, as if our day could not get worse," Ron murmured as he spotted Draco Malfoy sitting there. Bizarrely, Draco just looked at both of them and then returned to look outside.
Hermione and Ron exchanged a quick glance, their eyes wide with surprise. They had expected Draco Malfoy to be the same sneering, arrogant presence he always was, but the Malfoy sitting before them seemed... different.
Their thoughts were interrupted by the only boy who was standing. "Don't just stand there. We have already been waiting for you two for a few minutes."
Hermione's cheeks flushed with embarrassment at being late; her first instance as Prefect did not seem... perfect. She got inside and took a seat, and Ron followed just behind her.
Beside the boy who had just spoken stood a girl whom Hermione recognized. She, seeing that everyone was present, began speaking.
"I'm Angelina Johnson, the Head Girl, and next to me is Adrian Pucey, the Head Boy." Angelina Johnson smiled at the gathered prefects.
Hermione recognized her as the Gryffindor Quidditch captain. She also remembered her as the one who accompanied Fred Weasley last year to the Yule Ball.
"As you know, being a Prefect is both an honor and a responsibility. We are here to set an example for the other students, to maintain order, and to represent the best of Hogwarts. Now, before we get into the specifics of our roles and duties, let's do a quick round of introductions."
One by one, the prefects introduced themselves, each adding a little about their house and year. There was a boy and a girl from each house.
From Gryffindor, there were obviously Hermione and Ron.
Then for Slytherin, there was Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson.
For Hufflepuff, there was Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott, and as Boy Prefect and Girl Prefect, there were Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil from Ravenclaw.
After the introductions, Adrian Pucey, the Slytherin Head Boy, stepped forward, with all of the arrogance Ron and Hermione expected from a Slytherin prefect. "Right," he said, clearing his throat.
"As prefects, you will have to patrol the corridors every so often. You will also be able to give punishment to students who are misbehaving. After we arrive at Hogwarts, you will have to ensure everyone else hops off the train and no luggage is left behind."
The meeting wrapped up with a few additional instructions about their schedules and duties during the train ride. As the prefects dispersed, Angelina approached Hermione and Ron. "I know things have been tense lately," she said, causing the mood to get down. "But I hope we can work together to make this year as smooth as possible. If you have any concerns, don't hesitate to come to me."
Hermione nodded, forcing a polite smile. "Thank you, Angelina. We'll do our best."