Year of Discovery

Title: Year of Discovery

Chapter: (3) Hermione's Bad Luck

Author: Laen

Editor: Rikke Leonhart

Summary: In the previous chapter, we found out that Harry's got an okay roommate, but what about Hermione? Also, read to find the desperate side of Charlie.

Disclaimer: If I were J.K. Rowling, do you seriously think I'd be writing fan fiction?

*****

“Alright, Nicholas Cliffmore...” Professor Ayotte read off her attendance sheet as Harry got to his feet and approached her.

“They're on the desk, just grab them.”

Harry walked over and picked up the sheets that had his alias name on it, and after checking to make sure he had everything, returned to his room.

*****

At that precise moment, Hermione Granger hated her parents. She knew that `hate' was a very powerful word, but it was the only word she could find in her vocabulary to describe her anger towards her parents.

Besides forcing her to leave her home and life, her parents had also forced her to get glasses. For a while, Hermione had been going to Madame Pomfrey to get month check-ups on her eyes, and to cast a spell over her eyes to help her in her reading so she wouldn't need glasses, but because of the events that occurred near the end of the year, Hermione had completely forgotten to visit Madame Pomfrey.

Only when Hermione returned home from summer did she remember what she had forgotten. But by then it was too late. Her parents found out she needed glasses two days after she returned after she walked into the wall instead of through the door for what seemed like the millionth time.

“Mum, it's nothing... really.” Hermione had pleaded with her parents, but they wouldn't listen to reason.

A week later, Hermione was wearing horrible looking glasses that her parents forced her to wear. Deciding to think of happier topics, Hermione turned her attention to her best friend, Harry. But the thought of Harry caused her to sigh as well.

After all, it had been weeks since she had last heard from Harry; over a month since his birthday. He had sent Hedwig to her asking her to look after the snowy white old and since then, she hadn't heard from him at all.

Had he forgotten all about her?

“No, of course not... he's probably too busy to write... he wouldn't forget me...” Hermione mumbled to herself in barely a whisper.

“Are you talking to yourself?” a high voice asked, starling Hermione suddenly.

“Who're you?” Hermione asked curiously.

“The name's Kristin Parkinson. I'm your roommate.”

Hermione gave the girl a quick look over, surprised at how familiar this girl looked when her head finally registered the girl's name.

`The name's Kristin Parkinson... Parkinson... Parkinson...' the voice echoed in her head, and Hermione shuddered without knowing it.

“What's with you? Shuddering all of a sudden?” Kristin asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Um... nothing,” Hermione said with a weak smile.

She didn't know what kind of Kristin was like, but if she was anything like Pansy, her school year at Scotland High was going to be horrid.

“Uh, sorry but can I have the bed next to the window?” Kristin asked, “I need the fresh air when I sleep.”

Hermione frowned slightly, not knowing how she would explain why she needed to sleep next to the window. The answer to her problem flew through the window a few seconds later though.

“Ahhhh!” Kristin screamed as she pointed at the white snowy owl that had just flown into the room.

“It's a, it's a...” Kristin struggled to find the words to speak.

“An owl.” Hermione finished for her.

“You're one of them aren't you?” Kristin asked, giving Hermione an evil look.

“One of what?” Hermione asked, pretending to not understand what Kristin was saying.

“You're a...” Kristin paused and looked around suddenly, as if she was scared someone would overhear, “...a witch...”

Hermione nodded her head.

“Stay away from me you freak!” Kristin shouted, taking a few steps back and holding her suitcase in front of her in a defending position. “And keep that stupid... stupid thing away from me as well!”

Hedwig hooted in disgust when she heard herself referred as an object, and she was about to begin pecking at Kristin, when Hermione led it back out the window.

“Try to find Harry again Hedwig... and I'm sorry for her being so rude...” Hermione whispered to the owl as it flew out the window.

“Please don't refer to Hedwig as an object, you'll hurt her feelings,” Hermione mumbled to Kristin, who flinched in disgust.

“Whatever. Just... keep that thing away from me...” Kristin snapped angrily, turning away from Hermione and walking to the other bed.

She dropped her suitcase onto it and then turned back to Hermione.

“You and that stupid thing better not be in here tonight.”

“What? Why? This is my room as well... you can't kick me out!” A look of confusion appeared onto Hermione's face.

“My boyfriend is stopping by after dinner. We haven't seen each other all summer. You and that stupid owl will not be in the room.” Kristin hissed, her eyes flashing dangerous.

“But...”

“Go to the library or something freak.” Kristin said when the sound of knocking was heard.

Kristin, who was closest to the door at the time, got up and opened it.

“Chrissy!” Kristin squealed happily, and Hermione flinched at the high pitch of her voice.

“Hey there Kristin, it's been a while,” from the tone of his accent Hermione guessed Kristin's boyfriend was Scottish.

“Oh Chris I missed you so much!” Kristin jumped into the arms of her boyfriend, and Hermione rolled her eyes at the moment.

“You've no idea how much I—who's this?” Chris asked all of a suddenly, looking towards Hermione.

“Oh that... that's... what's your name again?”

“Hermione. Hermione Jane Granger. Pleasure to meet you, Chris.” Hermione got up and held her hand out to shake hands with Chris.

“Um, hi there. Listen, do you mind if you give me and Kristin here some time alone?” Chris asked, not bothering to shake hands with Hermione.

“You mean Kristin and I right? Proper grammar is—”

“Um yeah, whatever. So uh, think you can leave?” Chris asked a second time, this time in a ruder tone.

Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed. Walking over to her desk, she grabbed her notebook and her pencil case.

“I'll be back before curfew. He'd better be gone by then...” Hermione said, giving Chris a look.

“If there's a tie on the doorknob, don't bother knocking or coming in. Just crash at someone's for the night or something.”

Hermione gave Kristin one of her famous `are you kidding me?' looks, that she used to give Ron whenever he suggested that she spent less time in the library.

“School starts tomorrow, how can you be so careless with your actions, don't you know that—”

“Will you just get out already?” Chris snapped in annoyance, finding it hard to believe that there someone like Hermione even existed.

“Fine,” Hermione said, walking to the door and slamming it behind her as she walked into the hallway.

People who were walking through the hall and chatting paused to stare at her, and Hermione groaned to herself.

“It's going to be horrid year...”

Pulling the map of the school out of her notebook, she checked to see where the library was. But she struggled to see where the library was, for her long hair kept falling out from behind her ears, and covering her eyes.

Grabbing an elastic band out of her pocket, Hermione tied her hair up in a quick ponytail. She then returned to her searching. A few minutes later, she found the location at the end of the other side of the school. Checking her watch, she noticed it was only three in the afternoon.

Deciding that she had plenty of time, she began her trip to the library slowly, taking a tour of the campus as she did. Not watching where she was going though, she suddenly collided into someone.

“Oh, I'm so sorry!” Hermione as she nearly toppled over.

The person she collided into grabbed her by the arm before she could fall, and helped her regain her balance.

“Alright there?” a soft voice asked, and Hermione looked up finding herself staring at a shade of deep emerald green eyes.

“Merlin Nick, class hasn't even started and already you're making the girls fall for you?” a teenage boy with messy dark blonde hair laughed in a mocking way.

“I'm sorry,” Hermione apologized once again, taking a step back from the boy who she had crashed into.

She still hadn't looked him straight in the face. She still didn't know what he looked like. But his eyes... the shade of green eyes he had... it reminded her too much of... him.

“I'm sorry, I really am... dreadfully sorry... I... I gotta go,” Hermione turned to leave, but the teenage boy named Nick grabbed her arm.

“Hang on, what's your name?” Nick asked curiously.

“Awww, Nick, trying to her get number eh? Don't think it's gonna happen...” Nick's friend began to laugh, but a loud `oof' was heard shortly, and silence fell on the ground.

“My name's Nick. Nicholas Cliffmore. This here's my roommate and annoying friend, Charlie.”

“Oy!” Charlie sounded like he had been offended by Nick's words.

“I apologize for his rude behavior. We're both new here, and I wasn't really paying attention to where I was walking because I was taking a self-tour of the place... I should be the one apologizing.”

Hermione suddenly noticed that Nick had let go of her arm.

“So um... can I at least know your name? I mean... uh... I'm not trying to hit on you or anything but uh... yeah, um...” from the tone of his voice, Hermione could tell that Nick was having a really hard time spitting his words out.

Not knowing if she should trust the two boys with her real name, she merely shrugged, and answered with her middle name, instead of her first.

“It's Jane. I've got to go. Good bye,” and with that, Hermione walked away from the two boys, not knowing who she had just talked to.

“Hey mate, why'd you ask her for her name? She seems a bit like a geek to me... did you see those glasses? Plus the clothes she's wearing... book-worm written all over...” Charlie said, giving Nick a soft nudge as he tried to gain his roommate's attention.

“She... reminds me of someone...” Nick explained, not knowing how he could word things.

“Really? Hm... well, if you want I could tell you some pick-up lines you could use with her next time you see her... mind you, half the ones I know are off the list now that you two have already talked to each other...” Charlie paused and a thoughtful look appeared onto his face.

“I beg your pardon?” Nick asked, a confused expression lingering on his face.

“Ah! I know, how about this one `I lost my phone number, you think I can have yours?'. How does that sound? Great?” Charlie asked.

“Um... I'm not trying to get her phone number Charlie, I was kind of hoping to be friends with her...”

“Oh come on, friends? You know that deep down inside you don't just want to be friends with plain old Jane there,” Charlie said with a raised eyebrow.

Nick smiled weakly, before shaking his head and beginning to walk away from his roommate.

“Oi, wait a minute now, where're you going?” Charlie followed him.

“You're going to find her, aren't you? You've taken to heart what I told you? You'll use the phone number line?” Charlie tried guessing, but Nick didn't reply.

At last, when the two of them reached their room, and after Nick had locked the door, did the raven-haired boy speak.

“Charlie... if we ever bump into that girl again, you mind just backing off? I know you've got the best intentions in mind for me but... my heart's taken already.” Nick smiled, staring up into the ceiling as he fell back onto his bed.

“Oh really? Who?” Charlie asked curiously, looking down at his roommate who had a goofy smile on his face.

“Just... a friend,” Nick said, his smile widening.

“Oh really? What kind of friend?” Charlie asked on, wanting to know exactly what was on his roommate's mind at the moment.

“Just... a friend...” Nick replied, sighing deeply.

“What? A guy friend or a girl friend?” Charlie questioned.

For a moment, a look of shock appeared onto Nick's face.

“Guy friend? What the bloody...”

“I'm just kidding there Nick, you know I'm just playing right?” Charlie said, smirking back at Nick.

Nick rolled his eyes at his friend, before looking down at his watch.

“It's nearly dinner time. We'd better go line up to grab food from the cafeteria. Come on Charlie,” Nick got up from his bed, and headed towards the door.

As he did, he couldn't help but think back to the incident that occurred mere minutes ago. That girl looked like Hermione so much... but there was no way she could've been Hermione. After all, Hermione didn't wear glasses, and she most definitely never put her hair up in a ponytail. Furthermore, Hermione was currently at Hogwarts.

Nick shouldn't have even presumed that the girl could be Hermione. The facts were all right there. The girl introduced herself as Jane. Not Hermione... why should Nick continue to wonder if she could've been Hermione?

`Just get your mind off the topic or something... think of something else...' he told himself.

But for some reason, he couldn't tear his mind away from `Jane'. She just reminded him too much of Hermione.