The final weeks of the holiday moved quickly after the conclusion of Harry's trial. The daily routine of cleaning Grimmauld Place persisted despite the complaints from everyone who was going to Hogwarts. Mrs. Weasley had all of them working constantly destroying any possibility for any free time. Even though she never expressed so verbally, Harry had a feeling that it was because of his relationship with Fleur, especially since he had heard one night that Ginny's continued distance was due to "her heart being broken."

On that subject, the youngest Weasley still avoided Harry, despite his attempts to try and talk to her. When he asked Remus why she didn't act like that around the older werewolf, he claimed that it was probably due to the fact that she'd never seen him transform, allowing her to justify that Remus wouldn't hurt anyone. Seeing Harry almost transform had made his affliction real and made her irrationally afraid. The fact that her mental image of Harry being a warrior of light being shattered also might have had something to do with it.

Besides her, his relationship with everyone else had remained the same for the most part. If anyone else felt uncomfortable around him, they hid it very well. The only exceptions to this was his interactions with Fleur and Hermione.

Fleur was an easier question to answer. Ever since their kiss after his trial, the two became boyfriend and girlfriend. Their interactions didn't change too much since then, just that they were more affectionate. They tried to spend as much free time as they had, which granted was very little, together.

Hermione had been very supported of Harry and Fleur's relationship. She had congratulated them when they got together, but as she pulled away Harry noticed that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Her behavior didn't seem to change too much, she began to hang out with Ron and Ginny more in order to give Harry and Fleur alone time but he couldn't shake the feeling that she was trying to avoid them. When they were around each other she didn't act any different but he suspected that there was more to it than that.

Ever since the incident with the locket, Harry's mind would drift back to it repeatedly. Dumbledore had taken the locket in order to figure out what kind of magic it contained. The fact that it had a potentially violent effect on him, he wanted to know why it affected him so.

He hoped he would finally get answers when Dumbledore strolled into the sitting room that day.

"Hello Professor!"

"Ah Harry, I hope you are enjoying the last few weeks of your holiday."

"Yes sir." As Dumbledore began to make his exit, Harry couldn't take it anymore.

"Sir?" When the Professor turned towards him, he decided to take his chance. "Did you ever find out what was up with the locket?"

Harry thought he saw a brief look of shock cross his face but he quickly schooled his features. "I haven't been able to determine what kind of magic the locket contains, but I assure you that I'm still searching."

After he asked his question, Harry decided to focus his hearing on the Headmaster and noticed the slight rise in Dumbledore's heartbeat after he asked his question before it steadied out again. He could tell that the Professor wasn't telling the whole truth if not outright lying, but he decided to not call him out on it, at least until he had more evidence.

As he started to leave, Harry could no longer hold himself back. His frustration at being isolated all summer, especially because of the large responsibility Dumbledore had thrust upon him at the end of term had worn his patience thin. How was he supposed to defeat Voldemort if he was kept at arms distance?

"Why sir?" The question stopped Dumbledore in his tracks. He turned back towards Harry, the confusion clear on his face. The sight he was met with was a look of utter frustration on Harry's face.

"Why tell me about the Prophecy sir?" The words hit Dumbledore hard, as he began to formulate his response to the accusation that was clearly hidden behind Harry's words. He was about to respond when Harry decided to continue. "Was your promise to help me just lies to justify your conscience? Was it because you felt sorry for me?" His words hung in the room like a thick fog weighing down on the two of them. The look in the older man's eyes as well as a slight jump in his heart rate told Harry that it was at least somewhat true. "Do you not trust me sir?"

"What on earth makes you think that I don't trust you Harry?"

"Your actions speak clearly enough Headmaster. If you must know, my senses have gotten stronger over the summer. I could hear your heart rate rise while we were talking."

Dumbledore's eyes widened in shock. This had happened just this summer? His mind raced to process this information. If this change had suddenly happened this summer, then it stood to reason that it could have possibly been caused by the Dark Lord's return. This only added further evidence to what he had already suspected, Harry was a Horcrux. Harry briefly noticed the look of sadness in Dumbledore's eyes, but interpreted it as regret over Dumbledore's actions.

"It's not that I don't trust you Harry, it's that you're not ready for some of the realities of this conflict yet. If Voldemort were to discover anything that would help him in this conflict through your connection…" he let the statement linger between them instead of continuing onward. Harry huffed out a frustrated breath and decided that he needed to try a different approach instead of simply attacking the Professor.

"I get that his connection with me could be used against us, but you're the one who told me about the prophecy and its significance. Don't expect me to just sit around and do nothing when I now know how important I'm supposed to be in this war."

Dumbledore flinched slightly at his words. He understood that he was asking a lot of Harry when he told him of the prophecy and though he felt that it was right to hold off on explaining his suspicion about Harry's scar, he understood that he was being unfair to the young man in front of him.

"I just wanted you to have a chance at a normal life."

"I understand that sir, and the quicker that I can be ready to face him, the sooner I can have that normal life." The resolve in Harry's eyes was the last bit that told Dumbledore that Harry was right, he needed to be ready. "Teach me everything I need to know so that we can end all of this."

Dumbledore sighed as he was forced to reevaluate the man stood before him. He understood that Harry was forced to grow up much faster than a child had any right to and resigned himself to the fact that he had been wrong. He shouldn't have just assumed that Harry couldn't handle the burden that was placed upon him. Instead, he decided that he would help Harry to eventually bare the responsibilities that he would eventually have to shoulder.

"Alright Harry. Once term begins, we will begin training you for the battles that will inevitably be coming. I hope that with time, you will find the strength to forgive an old man for his mistakes."

"Thank you Headmaster. All I ask is that you give me a chance."

-HP-

A week or two before everyone was supposed to board the train to school, and Hermione was a nervous wreck. When Professor Dumbledore had visited the previous day, he had alluded to the fact that their letters would be coming that day and Hermione nerves were rattled. One of her hopes and dreams could possibly come true today and it all hinged on her receiving a badge in her envelope.

As soon as she woke up, she quietly got dressed so as to not wake up Ginny, and made her way down to the dining room. She was met as usual at the table by both Sirius and Mrs. Weasley.

"Morning Hermione," said Sirius as he continued to drink his coffee. As school began drifting closer and closer, Sirius was getting more and more withdrawn. She figured that he enjoyed all the company that he had over the summer holiday, even the Weasleys who were all either going to school or going back to the Burrow once the new term had started. It didn't take a lot of intelligence to figure that Harry's presence the last couple of weeks had brightened him up the most. He was finally getting the chance to connect with his godson.

"Morning Sirius. Has either Professor Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall been through yet?"

"Not yet," replied Sirius with a smirk. He along with every other person who knew Hermione well, understood that her academic performance was one of the most important things to her. She sat down as Molly hustled over to give her breakfast before the three began eating in silence.

It was several minutes before the other occupants of Grimmauld Place made their way down for breakfast. The atmosphere was slightly more subdued than usual, but this was mostly because Mrs. Weasley had informed everyone that the teens wouldn't be going to Diagon Alley later that day. Instead, a few Order members were tasked with acquiring everyone's school supplies.

It wasn't until a few hours later once everyone had moved to the sitting room that Professor McGonagall arrived carrying everyone's Hogwarts letters. Hermione graciously accepted her letter, and by the weight of it, she could tell that there was something extra in her envelope. She was about to open it when a voice behind her caught her attention.

"You're going to Hogwarts with us?" she heard Ron's voice say from behind her. Turning around, she noticed that Fleur had received a Hogwarts letter as well. Glancing at Harry, she could tell that he was just as surprised as everyone else as Fleur's cheeks began to redden.

"I didn't mean to keep it from everyone this long, but I wanted it to be a surprise." Hermione turned her head when she saw Harry moving forward to embrace his girlfriend with a goofy grin on his face. She felt the ever familiar and confusing pang in her heart that she could not exactly place before returning to her letter. She quickly opened it and was elated to see that inside was a badge embroiled with the letter 'P' on it.

"I knew you'd get the badge," said Ron as he walked up to her and gave her a one-armed hug. She was so ecstatic that she quickly retuned the awkward hug.

"I can't believe I made Prefect!"

"Come off it. Who else in Gryffindor was going to get it besides you?"

She was inclined to agree, but his words caused her to wonder who the other 5th year Prefect would be.

"Did you also make Prefect Ron?" If she was honest with herself, she hoped that it was Ron. Not that anyone else would be a problem, but she wanted to work with someone that wouldn't be awkward.

"No, not me. Makes sense though, doesn't it?"

She heard a gasp from the other side of the room, and turned to see Harry also holding a Prefect badge. Hermione was both happy and a little disappointed by Harry's appointment as Prefect. Though she agreed that there probably wasn't anyone in Gryffindor who was a better choice, but her confusing feelings as of late would only help to make the situation more awkward.

Instead she decided that she would be happy for her best friend. "Harry, this is wonderful. We'll be able to do our patrols together, use the Prefect's Bathroom, and…" Her ramblings were silenced when Harry unexpectedly initiated a hug with her before reminding her that she had to breathe. She blushed as she pulled away and the conversation around the room turned towards a new year at Hogwarts.

Later that night, Hermione decided to head to bed early, despite the celebration over her and Harry becoming Prefects was still going on. Party's weren't really her thing so she decided to try and go to sleep at a decent hour, despite the protests of everyone else. Once she was in her room, she opened up the novel that she had started reading a few days ago and tried to get engrossed in the story.

Try being the operative word. Her mind kept returning to the fact that Harry was her fellow Prefect. She repeatedly tried to reassure herself that everything would be fine, but she couldn't help the nagging feeling that the situation would be awkward despite her best efforts.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at her door. Confused, since it was obvious that whoever knocked wasn't Ginny, she called for the person to come in. The door opened to reveal a lightly concerned looking Harry.

"Hey."

"Hey."

An awkward silence descended on the room and she couldn't help but worry that this was what their relationship would be doomed to be from now on.

"I just want to say –""I wanted to make sure-"

They both stared at each other before they both burst out laughing at their own behavior. After they regained control of their breathing, Harry was the one to break the ice.

"I wanted to make sure that we were okay. I figured since we're going to be spending even more time together, I didn't want there to be some kind of rift between us." He appeared thoughtful for a minute, as if trying to find the right words to say. "I've noticed that you've been a little…off, ever since Fleur and I have gotten together. I want you to know that even though I have a girlfriend now, no one could ever to take your place Hermione."

Her eyes began to involuntarily water up at his statement. Of course he noticed her slight change in behavior. His concern was very touching to her, strengthening her resolve to try and get along with Harry as normally as possible.

"Oh Harry, it's not that. It's just that…I wanted you too to have time to yourselves since your dating now. I know that you'd never throw away my friendship but," she paused her speech, realizing that she also needed to choose her words carefully, "I couldn't help but feel we would have as much time together from now on."

Harry moved from his standing position to it next to her on the bed, draping his arms across her shoulders once he got settled. "I know that I'll need to spend more of my time with Fleur, but don't start to think for one second that you can get rid of me that easily," he stated with a cheeky grin. Hermione's only response was to chuckle, glad that her relationship with Harry hopefully wouldn't be changing.

-HP-

Fleur sat nervous during her first trip aboard the Hogwarts Express. The trip to King's Cross station had been quite the adventure, the hustle and bustle of all the Weasleys trying to pack at the last minute added to the already energy filled atmosphere. She was surprised to find out that the station was within walking distance from headquarters. The group walked in multiple pairs; Harry and Hermione were with Remus while Sirius tagged along as Padfoot, Fleur was with her family, Ginny and Ron walked with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, while the twins were lastly accompanied by Mad-Eye and Tonks.

The walk there was a tense was as Sirius insisted on seeing Harry off despite the fact that he still had a Kiss on Sight order still hanging over his head. On top of that, Mr. and Mrs. Delacour were as withdrawn as they had been their whole stay at Grimmauld Place, choosing to quietly grumble over the fact that their daughter was going to a British school.

They all entered the station, covertly maneuvered through barrier between platforms 9 and 10, and Fleur was looking for a compartment on the train with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Once they all got situated, they began idly chatting until the train got underway. Her mind drifted towards the conversation that took place as the train started to make its way.

Flashback

"You okay Fleur? You seem a little nervous."

"It is nothing 'Arry. It's just zat zis is my first time going to Hogwarts as a student."

A smile quickly crossed Harry's face as a thought crossed his mind. "You're right. Since this is your first year as a Hogwarts student, I think you should see the school properly." She was confused by his words as a knowing smile crossed Hermione's features.

"Harry that's a wonderful idea!"

"What do you mean by see it properly?"

Harry smile only continued grow as he began to speak, "Well it's tradition for first years to take a boat ride to the castle and see the view of Hogwarts from the lake. Seeing as it is your first year…" She couldn't believe that his grin was continuing to get even bigger and bigger.

"I don't know. I'm not a huge fan of ze water."

"Oh come one Fleur. It'll be wonderful. I swear you won't regret it."

"Oh alright fine!"

The Conversation continued until Ron excused himself to try and find his brother's while Hermione informed Harry that they had a Prefect's meeting to get to. Fleur couldn't stop a slight look of disappointment on her face as the two of them got up to go. Before leaving, Harry looked back at her briefly before telling Hermione to go on ahead. He sat down next to her, an expression of concern on his face.

"Is everything okay Fleur?"

She tried her best to give him a reassuring smile, even though she knew she failed. How was she supposed to bring up the idea that she was uncomfortable with her boyfriend spending a lot of his time with another girl? She had repeatedly reminded herself that Harry and Hermione were just friends and that she should be happy for them, but she could never write shake the doubt.

"It's nothing." She could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't buying it, so she resigned herself to taking the direct approach. "Actually…I was wondering one thing," she turned herself towards him, wishing to see his face as she asked, "What exactly are your feelings towards Hermione?"

Harry's brows scrunched up as he pondered her question. It was true that he felt differently for Hermione than he did for most girls, even Fleur, but at the same time he couldn't help but notice the similarities between his thoughts on Fleur and Hermione. There were some similarities between the two but they were different enough. As he thought about this, he came to the conclusion that since he felt that he had romantic feeling for Fleur, that his feelings towards Hermione were similar to that of one's siblings.

"She's like a sister to me," he said as he noticed the subtle relived look on Fleur's face, "we've always been close, but my feelings towards her are different to my feelings towards you." As a final show, he leaned forward and place a light kiss on her lips, hoping to convey that she had nothing to worry about through his actions.

As they pulled a part, Fleur could only smile as she ushered him away so that he wouldn't get in trouble.

Flashback Ends

Fleur was shaken from her thoughts as the train roared to a halt. Harry, Ron, and Hermione returned from their activities, so they could all exit the train together. As they made their way through Hogsmeade Station, Harry directed her over to Hagrid, who would help her find the boats.

Once sat in a boat that she managed to get all to herself, she drifted along the Black Lake with all the first years, before her eyes were assailed by the wondrous sight of Hogwarts. She decided that Harry was in fact right about how this view was like any other that she'd seen. As the castle came closer, Fleur felt a feeling of hope that she hadn't felt in a long time, and began to imagine an amazing year at Hogwarts.

Little did she know of the trial and tribulations that lay ahead for them all.