Unofficial Portkey Archive

Summary: This story will be the Hermione Granger version of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." You get to see everything that she is thinking and get a different point of view of Hermione than you did seeing everything from Harry's eyes. Plus since I totally feel that Harry and Hermione should be the ones getting together, I've worked that aspect into my plot as well. This is the first of a Hermione Granger Series I will be writing to parallel all of the original Harry Potter books. This story was taken down at one point but now is back up. Please don't feel obligated to submit reviews if you've already done so before. I keep all my reviews in my e-mail and that's all that matters to me.

Disclaimer: Following the standard disclaimers I've seen all over the place I'd like to point out the obvious: I don't own these characters as I'm not J. K. Rowling. If I was, I'd be rich and probably wouldn't be working 40 hours a week and spending my free time unwinding by writing fan fiction. In some cases, I did have to 'repeat' some of the dialogue in the original story. This was necessary to satisfy the scenes I was creating. I won't do it that often so please bear with it.

Chapter Summary: This covers Hermione's summer before her first year including a little about her life at her former school, how she got accepted into Hogwarts, and her first trip to Diagon Alley. This chapter was actually added at the request of a reviewer.

--- Begin Fic Here ---

"Ooo look, it's Goodie Goodie Granger!" a blonde-haired boy in braces taunted as a girl with bushy brown hair and brown eyes rushed passed him, books clasped to her chest.

Her real name was Hermione Granger, but all of the students in her class called her by this ridiculous nick name. It was bad enough that at age ten she was already a complete outcast at school, but now kids were going out of her way to torment her. Why? Well it had all started five days ago.

Every year, the students who would be leaving for secondary school at the end of term performed a huge practical joke on the last day of school. It was something like a school tradition except the staff never condoned it because it was usually something very dangerous or stupid. This year Hermione and her classmates would be the ones to keep this tradition alive as they were all leaving for secondary school.

Hermione had no intentions in participating in the practical joke though. She thought the whole idea was ridiculous and childish. She also knew no one would miss her because most of the students regarded her as a brainy, know-it-all who wouldn't know fun if walked up to her and kicked her in the shin.

She was half expecting the practical joke to have something to do with humiliating her but she found out this wasn't the case. Outside of school she overheard one of the girls in her class, Sara Millington, talking about what the boys had come up with for this year's practical joke. They were all planning on bringing paint filled balloons and even a few bb guns on the last day of school and causing a little chaos by tormenting the younger students and blasting out a few windows. From what Hermione had gathered one of their main targets would be a younger student, Melvin Cartwright, who was often picked on for being short and scrawny and having a funny lisp.

When she overheard these plans, she knew that she couldn't sit idly by and watch the boys in her class torment Melvin, so she told the assistant principle, Dr. Minigin about what the students had been planning. The last day of school, the staff made a point to search the suspected students and confiscate their concealed paint bombs and bb guns before letting them into the building.

It didn't take long for word to get out that it was Hermione Granger who had foiled their plans. They hadn't gotten in any real trouble. Since it was the last day of school, Dr. Minigin let them off with just a day sitting in the detention room. Still, they were mad that their tradition had been broken and Hermione was definitely feeling their wrath. She was just glad that they wouldn't have a chance to retaliate aside from hurling insults at her as she passed.

"Geez Hermione, were you just trying to see how unpopular you could be before you left," a girl had come up to walk beside her. It was Sara Millington.

"No," Hermione said shortly, "I was just trying to keep your stupid friends from going too far. They were going to torture Melvin. It wasn't right. I can't believe you even thought it was funny."

"Well at least I have friends," Sara said huffily.

Hermione shook her head as she hurried away from Sara. "As if having idiots for friends is something to be proud of," she thought to herself.

She walked into a nearby classroom. Her last class of the day and then she was free. Since it was the last day and they'd already finished all their tests, the teacher was just letting the students do whatever they wanted. Everyone sat around and talked cheerily about their summer plans. Hermione reached in her bag and pulled out a book.

"Hey Granger," a boy behind her called. Hermione felt a wad of paper hit her on the back of the head. She turned around to face Steve Porkinson. "I just figured out the perfect job for you; you could be a librarian. After all, they're all old ugly hags who have no friends and no lives."

Hermione rolled eyes. "Right then; well I guess you'll be cleaning out toilets for the rest of your life then. I mean after all you're scum, so you'll be used to being around other scum." She returned to her reading.

It was ironic how much she hated school considering the fact that she loved reading and studying and learning. She always earned top marks in all of her school subjects, which was one of the main reasons why her classmates hated her.

The other major reason was that she talked too much. She just couldn't help it. She always talked when she was nervous and though she'd never admit it to them, the other students intimidated her. She just wasn't much of a social person so she never knew how to act around other kids her age. They didn't like the same things she liked, and so she never knew what to talk about. Whenever she opened her mouth she ended up making a fool of herself or making them hate her even more.

Because of this, she had no friends. She spent most of her free time in the library a few blocks away from her house or in her room reading. It had been that way for as long as she could remember. Hermione desperately wanted at least one friend she could talk to, someone who could understand her, but she knew she wouldn't find it at this school. Her only hope was that in secondary school, things would be different. She was going to Landmarks Academy, a secondary school that focused on students who were geared for academic excellence. Of course, the school was very prestigious and she had to apply but that was the easy part. She had found out a few weeks ago that she'd been accepted. Perhaps at a school like Landmark she'd be able to fit in better, at least that's what she hoped.

There was a loud buzz in the background, signaling the end of class and the end of school. Everyone in the class cheered as they rushed out the door. Hermione waited for the stampede to stop before she left herself, saying a hurried "goodbye" to her teacher.

Hermione stepped outside and basked in the afternoon sunlight. She saw her mom waiting for her a ways away in front of their car. Her parents took turns picking her up from school. They were both dentists and practiced together in an office in the city nearby. Ironically, Hermione had rather large front teeth, but her parents didn't seem to think there was anything wrong that warranted dental surgery no matter how often she complained about it.

She was glad it was her mom picking her up today. She could tell her about everything that had happened at school.

She adjusted her bag and then rushed to meet her mother. But before she made it even halfway to the car, she heard a boy shout her name. "Hey Granger!"

Hermione turned and saw Steve glaring at her. He had a bb gim in his hands. Apparently it had been missed in the search that morning. He was pointing it at her. Hermione froze for a moment. She knew that the bb gun pellet wouldn't kill her, it was too small for that, but she was willing to bet that it would hurt a great deal. She took a few tentative steps backwards and looked wildly around for signs of a staff member.

"Put that down, you little hooligan!" her mother shouted. Hermione could hear her approaching from behind.

Pop! Steve shot the bb gun and Hermione saw the small speedy pellet racing towards her, as if in slow motion. She was about to dodge when suddenly, the projectile stopped, only inches away from her, and dropped to the ground. Hermione looked down in awe. What had stopped the pellet? She felt a hand on her shoulder. It was her mother, who also looked flabbergasted by what had just happened.

"Come on, let's go," she whispered before shouting up at Steve who also looked perplexed, "You'd better bet you're mother will be hearing from me, young man!"

Hermione climbed into the passenger seat of the car and threw her bag in the back.

"So you want to tell me what that was all about," Mrs. Granger asked as she started the car.

"I don't know; it just stopped. I didn't do anything," Hermione answered earnestly.

"I don't mean that," Mrs. Granger said. "I mean, why was Steve Porkinson firing a bb gun at you?"

"Oh that!" Hermione sighed. "Well…" and she began to explain the day's events to her.

"I see," Mrs. Granger smiled down at her daughter as they pulled into the driveway of their two story house. "Well Hermione, I'm proud of you. You did the right thing and I'm sure Melvin appreciates you sticking up for him."

"Yeah well he'd be the only one," Hermione muttered.

"I know it's rough, Hermione, but being popular isn't as important as being a good person. I'm sure you'll make some really good friends when you get to Landmark next year. You've just grown up a bit faster than other kids. Don't worry; they'll catch up to you and then they'll learn to appreciate your unique personality." Mrs. Granger grinned at these last words.

Hermione, however, still wasn't smiling. "Yeah; unique personality. Mom, what about the… well you know."

They both took a seat on the couch. Mrs. Granger stopped smiling. "I don't know. Hermione, you're a unique individual, that's all I can tell you."

"But Mum, it just dropped on the ground. Somehow I know I was the one who did that. It's just like last year when I fell off that hill and it was like I floated to the bottom and didn't get a scratch on me. What's happening to me mom?"

"I don't know," Mrs. Granger said again. "I really don't know, Hun. But don't worry about it. Everything in this world has a logical explanation. We'll figure it out soon enough, I promise. Until then, don't worry about it okay?"

Hermione nodded but in her mind she was still replaying the scene in her head.

-----

Summer went by very slowly and Hermione was glad for it. She spent most of her time either relaxing around the house or walking down to the library. Fortunately none of her classmates lived close by so she never ran into them. All in all she was glad to have a break from worrying about school, though in the back of her mind, she was already beginning to worry about what would happen when she started going to Landmark. Would the students treat her the same? Would she be happier there? Would she finally be able to make a friend, someone who would just accept her for who she was? These and other questions constantly bombarded her mind.

Her father was of course utterly pleased that she would be going off to Landmark. "My little gifted Granger," he'd say to her whenever the opportunity arose. Hermione was glad he was happy but he didn't understand what kind of pressure she had at school, after all when he was at school he had a ton of friends who were almost all like him. Often times some of his old schoolmates would come over and Hermione would listen to them as they sat around the sitting room reliving old memories or talking about politics and world economics.

However when Hermione would complain about how miserable she was at school because most of the students hated her for being so smart he'd just say "You're not there to win a popularity contest dear, school is for education. They'll be plenty of time to make friends later," or something along those lines. Hermione hated to admit it but in a way she agreed with him. What did it matter if she was popular if she comprised herself to do so? Still, she didn't necessarily want popularity, just a few good friends but that was impossible with the students at her now former school. They just didn't understand her, and never really even tried.

"Well who care's about them," she thought to herself one morning as she headed down the stairs to eat breakfast. "I'll never have to seem them again. So why am I worrying?"

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Hermione saw a pile of mail sitting just beneath the mail flap of their front door. She grabbed it on her way to the kitchen. It was almost 10 AM and her parents of course had left several hours earlier. She only got to see them in the evenings after work so during the day she had to fend for herself. Of course, they never worried about her and she hadn't had a babysitter since she turned eight.

She sorted absentmindedly through the mail and then threw it on the table before opening the refrigerator and pulling out a jug of orange juice and some cheese. She laid these items next to the sink and was about open the juice when she noticed a large envelope lying on the counter right beside her. She turned to the table where she had put the mail earlier. The stack was still there. Where had this stray letter come from? She picked it up to examine it. The envelope was a thick, coarse parchment. She read the emerald green ink and realized that it was addressed to her.

"How odd," she muttered to herself as she carried the envelope over to the kitchen table, completely forgetting her breakfast. She didn't recognize the handwriting at all, and then she realized the envelope wasn't stamped. How had it even gotten there without proper postage? She thought perhaps her parents had left it for her, but then it wasn't either of their writing and besides, they wouldn't have bothered with putting the full address on the envelope. Brimming with curiosity, she opened the envelope and pulled out the first letter.

"Dear Ms. Granger,

We are pleased to inform you that your magical prowess is sufficient to allow acceptance into one of the many schools of witchcraft and wizardry. You are on your way to becoming a fully qualified witch. As you are a muggle-born, we expect that this will all be very new and exciting to you. No doubt you have already begun to notice your magical powers becoming more potent over the years.

Please find enclosed an invitation to the Annual New Witches and Wizards Summer Seminar along with brochures to several prominent schools. Please make plans to attend the session before deciding on a school as many questions will be answered there. We hope you look forward to starting your education in the magical arts.

Sincerely,

Ernestina Godwright

Department of Magical Assessment; Ministry of Magic"

Hermione was flabbergasted. She turned the letter over to see if it was kind of joke. She looked out the window to see if someone had somehow slipped it inside without her looking. But who would do something like that? Perhaps one of her former schoolmates decided this would be a fun prank to get her back for how she ruined the end of term practical joke. She reached inside the envelope and pulled out several small brochures and another letter. Hermione let out an audible gasp as her eyes fell on the first of the colorful brochures. The pictures were animated. All the people in them were moving, walking around, or waiving up at her.

Her eyes flicked to the top of the brochure where gold letters spelled "Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry: One Thousand Years of Wizarding Excellence." The pictures showed children her age in long black robes doing all manner of things from stirring odd looking liquids in large caldrons to flying through the air on broomsticks.

Hermione almost fell into one of the chairs at the kitchen table as she flipped through the brochure in her hand. This couldn't be a practical joke. It was too real. Hermione's thoughts floated back to the last day of school, when the bb gun pellet suddenly stopped right in front of her and dropped to the ground just like… magic.

-----

"Hermione what are you talking about?" Mr. Granger asked as he and his wife tried to settle in for the evening after returning home from work. Hermione had launched into an explanation about the letter and brochures the moment they hit the door.

Hermione shoved the letter in his face. "Here read; see for yourself."

Mr. Granger took the letter from her and adjusted his eyes to the small emerald green writing. "Oh Hermione," he said after skimming it. "I'm in no mood for jokes. I've had a long day." He absentmindedly handed the letter to his wife.

"Dad! Hello!" Hermione said heatedly, stepping in his path. "This is your daughter you're talking to? I wouldn't make something like this up."

Mrs. Granger put her hand over her mouth in shock. She had just finished reading the letter. "Did you read this?"

"It's some sort of gag; they're trying to sell something," Mr. Granger said dismissively.

"No it's not; look," Hermione shoved the Hogwarts' brochure in his face.

His eyes widened. "What in the…" he took the pamphlet timidly.

"See!" Hermione said. She handed another to her mother who was still trying to recover from the letter. They both seemed to automatically steer themselves to the couch as they examined the animated brochures.

"I… I don't understand." Mr. Granger said finally. "How can this be?"

Hermione took a seat between her parents. "Magic," she answered simply. "It's magic and I'm a witch."

"That's not possible. There's no such thing," Mr. Granger admonished.

"Don't deny with your mouth what you see with your eyes," Mrs. Granger told him. "If this isn't proof then think about all of the things that have happened to Hermione over the years. What about the time she fell in the lake when she was three. She should have drowned after being down there for 20 whole minutes but she climbed out and just grinned at us like it was all a game. Don't forget the time when she was hit by that car on Jefferson Ave; not a scratch on her. Our child had more fatal accidents then we could count when she was young."

Mr. Granger gulped. "Okay, you're right. We can't deny it and Hermione's smart as a whip I'll give you that. Maybe it isn't just genes. But still, sending her off to," he pointed at the brochure, "some no name school to study magic. It still sounds a bit far fetched. What gain can there be to that? She's got to get a real education."

"What if this is better than Landmark?" Hermione said with a plea in her voice. "I mean if I do have powers, I should learn what they are and how to use them, shouldn't I? Besides, maybe this is why I didn't fit in at my old school. Maybe this is the reason why I've always felt so out of place. Maybe if I go to a school like Hogwarts I'll be happier."

Mr. Granger shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know…"

Mrs. Granger reached over her daughter to put a hand on her husbands arm. "Dear, we should at least go learn more about it."

He nodded. "I suppose. It's good to consider all options."

Mrs. Granger grinned. "Now that's the rational man I married." She looked down at her daughter. "Now how do we get to this 'Annual New Witches and Wizards Summer Seminar?"

-----

The invitation to the Annual New Witches and Wizards Summer Seminar did not have directions to the event's location. It did however have a date and time: July 14 starting at 11 AM. Three tickets were enclosed along with instructions telling them to make sure they each had their ticket by 10:50 AM and that they would be picked up at 10:55 to be taken to the session.

"It must be nearby if they only need 5 minutes to take us there," Mr. Granger said as they all prepared to leave that morning.

Hermione examined her small read ticket. "Something tells me that these tickets are more than they seem. Just make sure you guys have them on you, or I think you might be left behind."

Mrs. Granger nodded, "I had that same feeling myself?"

They all sat down on the sitting room couch half expecting the doorbell to ring and half expecting a magic carpet to appear at their window. Neither happened. At exactly 10:55 AM they were suddenly and unexpectedly whisked away.

-----

"That was amazing!" Hermione said as she picked herself off the ground. Her parents had also been knocked to the floor. She quickly assessed her surroundings and realized they were in the lobby of a large elegant hotel. They had landed right at the front desk. A tall man in a red robe was behind the counter.

He smiled at them. "Welcome to the Celestina Hotel."

Mr. Granger had recovered from his undignified landing. "Where are we?"

"The Celestina Hotel in downtown London," the man repeated himself.

"Celestina Hotel? I've never heard of it," Mr. Granger mused.

He smiled again. "No, I don't suppose you have. I take it you're here for the Ministry's annual new witch and wizard seminar?"

Hermione showed him the invitation excitedly. "Yes we are."

"Well Ms. Granger, we're glad to have you here. It's always nice to see the birth of a new witch or wizard, especially one from muggle decent."

"There's that word again," Hermione said in frustration. "What does it mean?"

He grinned. "You'll find out soon enough. This conference is just for new wizards and witches like you who don't know anything about our world. By the time 6 o'clock comes you'll have a whole new understanding of things." He pointed behind her. "The conference is right behind those doors."

Hermione whirled around and saw a set of purple double doors. Her excitement was mounting. She tried to keep herself from racing to the door.

Mrs. Granger was smoothing down her dress. "Are you ready, dear?" she asked her daughter.

Hermione nodded fervently.

Mr. Granger started for the door. "Let's go then."

-----

The conference turned out to be very well organized and focused on all the questions they could possibly have. It was perfect for someone like Mr. Granger who was prone to interrupting with thoughts, opinions, or questions of his own. They welcomed all comments and usually answered his questions before he had a chance to ask them. Hermione counted approximately 30 families in the conference. All of the kids were about her age, ten or eleven, and were from muggle families which she learned referred to non-magical people. Apparently it wasn't completely unusual for a child to be born with magic even if it wasn't anywhere in their bloodline. She was glad that everyone else in the conference was in the same boat.

The first session was called "How Do I know My Child is a Witch or Wizard?" This happened to be the first question on both Mr. and Mrs. Granger's agenda. Though they admitted their daughter was unique, they wanted more discernable proof that she was magical.

"My name is Ollivander," said the aged man who stepped in front of the podium. "I am a maker of wands in Diagon Alley and I hope to see some of you in my shop when it comes time to buy school supplies." He cleared his throat as he held out a long thick black rod. Hermione wondered if this was a wand.

"This is a realizer," Mr. Ollivander explained. "It is a special device used to bring out the true nature of a witch or wizard's power for a brief period of time, usually a minute. It only really works for undeveloped witches and wizards who only have raw power. For those of you who need a little more proof that your children have magical blood, this should be all you need. You there," he pointed to one of the parents in the audience. "Come up here and take a hold of the realizer."

The man shot out of his seat obediently and walked up to the stage. He took the realizer from Ollivander. "I don't feel anything," he said.

"Exactly," said Ollivander snatching the realizer from him. "And so you shouldn't. Is that your daughter down there? Come up here young lady and take the realizer."

A young red-headed girl clamored up to the stage. She timidly reached out her hand and took the realizer. It immediately began to glow bright green and before she knew what was happening a blast of wind knocked everyone in the room out of their seats. Her father and Ollivander were also pushed to the ground.

"Woah," Hermione said as she crawled back into her seat.

"I trust that you can see the true potential of your daughter now, sir." Ollivander said to the red-head's father as he dusted himself off. "Would anyone else like to try?"

There was an immediate rush for the stage as every potential witch and wizard pushed their way to be first to touch the realizer. As Hermione waited patiently in line she wondered what would happen when she touched it. The realizer seemed to do something different with each child. One boy started floating, another young girl caused the room to fill with orchestra music, and one even turned everyone in the room a vivid shade of blue. Ollivander had to pull out his own wand to reverse this strange affect.

Finally it was Hermione's turn. She stepped timidly up on the stage and took the long rod that Ollivander offered her. She felt a tingly feeling all over her body but when she looked around nothing seemed to have happened. Hermione began to panic. What did this mean; was she not really a witch?

"I don't understand…" she started sheepishly. She saw her mom clap her hand over her mouth in shock. "What? What is it Mum? What's wrong?"

Mrs. Granger stood and stepped up to the stage. "Hermione, can't you hear yourself? You're speaking fluent Spanish."

"I am?" Hermione listened to her own voice and finally realized the words she thought she was saying weren't the words that were coming out. She turned to her father. "Isn't this the most amazing thing," but now he was looking at her like she was an alien.

"You're… speaking Japanese now, dear." Her father said breathlessly.

Hermione let the realizer fall to the floor. "Well," she said in English finally, "I guess I really am a witch."

Both of her parents nodded numbly in agreement.

The next session answered another one of Mr. Granger's main questions. It was titled "What are the Benefits of Wizard Schooling?" Two people, a fully qualified witch and wizard from the Ministry of Magic headed this. They learned all about the various courses they could take in wizard's school from Astronomy to Defense Against the Dark Arts. There were literally thousands of jobs that a fully trained witch or wizard could have, even in the muggle world. Hermione was especially interested in becoming a doctor of magical ailments, a researcher of new charms and magical devices, a magic detective or even just a professor. So many of the magical job fields interested her and she could tell they intrigued her father as well.

The third session was "An Introduction to the Wizarding World." It focused primarily on wizarding terms they needed to know like "muggle", the different types of wizarding money, and quidditch, a type of wizard's sport. They talked about different types of magic such as charms, jinxes, potions, and divination. They learned about wizard communication, the primary one being "owl post," a method of mail that used highly intelligent owls to send letters back and forth. Hermione learned that this was how she got her letter, though she didn't remember seeing an owl.

Then they received a map of Britain that marked all of the magical places and how to access them. Hermione noticed that the Celestina Hotel was one of the spots indicated on the map which explained why they'd never heard of it. The wizard who was conducting this section was careful to give them detailed instructions of how to reach a spot known as Diagon Alley which was basically like a large wizard's shopping mall and the best place to go in Britain to prepare for the upcoming school year.

"So are there any additional questions?" the wizard asked the group as this final session came to a close.

Hermione's hand shot up. "Excuse me, but what about the different wizarding schools. No one has really talked about them. There are a lot to choose from."

"Yes there are many, my dear," the wizard agreed. "However, we like to let our young witches and wizards and their families decide on the best school for them. The Ministry of Magic does not want to endorse one school over another. However, there is still an hour before our seminar is done. During the dinner that follows this session, feel free to talk to any of the older witches and wizards here and get their personal opinion. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to give it to you. There are scrolls for most of the major schools in Europe in the lobby. To apply, simply write your name on the appropriate scroll and the school will send you a response as soon as possible. Please fill free to sign up for multiple schools. Children in wizarding families are automatically applied to most of their nearby schools but because you're from muggle families you have the opportunity to pick and choose so take advantage of it."

-----

The conference dinner was phenomenal. Hermione had never seen so much food in her entire life, and it seemed to just appear from nowhere as they sat down at the tables in the dinning hall. After she had had her fill of the delicious food, Hermione made her way around to other tables where she talked to some of the ministry wizards. Most of them talked favorably of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This was the school she was the most interested in. It seemed to have a very rich history and she was intrigued by the house structure. All of the students were divided into four school houses, named after the four founders of the school. Also she learned that the school was headed by Albus Dumbledore, one of the greatest wizards of the modern era and well respected by everyone it seemed. This definitely sounded like the school for her.

She checked the time, only 10 minutes left before the conference was over. She made her way to the lobby where several scrolls were lined out on a table. She found the one for Hogwarts and signed her name on it. She looked around at the other scrolls, debating whether or not to sign up for others even if she wasn't particularly interested.

Another girl came up beside her. Hermione recognized her as the same red-headed girl who was first to try to realizer. "Hi, what schools are you signing up for?"

"Oh, uh… just Hogwarts now. I was thinking about whether or not I wanted to sign up for any others but I'm really not interested in any others. You know, Hogwarts just seems like the best school and I want to go to the best. I mean if I'm going to be a witch then I should at least learn as much as I can. Of course the idea of living away from home to go to school is a bit disconcerting but if I want to go I have to make that sacrifice."

Hermione realized all too late that she was rambling. Whenever she got around people she didn't know, she became nervous and whenever she became nervous, she started rambling, usually about random uninteresting facts or topics that made her sound like more of a know-it-all than she already was. It was trademark of her personality and it usually turned people off.

This girl didn't seem to be at all bothered by it though. "Wow, I think it's really amazing that you have that much confidence to only sign up for one school. I don't think I could be nearly as brave as you but you seem really smart anyway. I bet you'll definitely get into Hogwarts. I'm going to apply too I think, but I'm going to sign up for some other schools as well. It's mostly because I don't want to get rejected from one and not have a fallback but also because I'm not sure where I want to go. I mean you're right, Hogwarts sounds like a great school but I was thinking about one closer to where I lived and a little smaller. I definitely think a smaller school would be better for me, but I'm not sure, you know. I've always been in a small school and I think I'm just used to it. My name's Anne Pennygale by the way. Sorry if I'm talking your ear off. I just get nervous when I meet new people and then I start rambling."

Hermione beamed. "Oh it's okay, I know exactly how you feel. My name's Hermione Granger."

"Hi," Anne said again. "Maybe we'll end up in the same school together. That would be so neat."

Hermione let out a giggle as Anne started signing her name to various scrolls. No one had ever told her it would be "neat" to be in the same school with her. "Yeah, that would be great. I don't have that many friends where I'm from." "More like no friends," she thought to herself.

"Oh I can't believe that, you seem so smart and interesting. When you were up there speaking all those different languages when you had the realizer, the wizard next to me said that was a sign of very high potential and aptitude or something like that. You're probably going to be a really powerful witch when you grow up. Hey I have an idea," she said as she straightened up after signing the last of her chosen scrolls. "Why don't we exchange addresses? That way we can write to each other just in case I don't get into Hogwarts with you."

Hermione nodded readily. "That would be great!" she shoved her hands in her pocket. "I don't have any paper." She looked at the scrolls, "I don't suppose it'd be a good idea to tear a spare bit off these."

"No probably not," Anne agreed, "Hold on; I'll go grab a bit from my folks." She ran off towards the dining hall.

Hermione's parents came up behind her. "It's almost time to go dear. Who was that spirited young girl," Mrs. Granger asked.

"That's Anne; she's my new friend… I think."

"Well that's great! Making friends already?" Mrs. Granger said.

"I was a little leery of this whole thing," Mr. Granger admitted. "But now I can see the benefits of a wizarding education. These wizard chaps are very logical and organized. You'd do well to learn from them Hermione. You've got a rare gift and I want to make sure you use it to your full potential. Landmark is a good school, but you're going to need a special type of education."

Hermione smiled to herself. She knew it would be easy to convince her father to let her go to Hogwarts. All she needed to tell him was that it was run by one of the most prestigious wizards in the world and he would be onboard. It wouldn't matter even if the school was in Australia.

"So are you ready to go dear?" Mrs. Granger asked. "We were going to ask one of the wizards how we get back home."

"Well I want to wait for Anne to come back. We were going to exchange addresses. Do you have a bit of paper with you?"

Mrs. Granger reached in her purse but at that moment the clock on the wall chimed. It was 6 PM. Before they knew what happened, they were being whisked away again. A few seconds later they were back on their couch in their sitting room.

Mr. Granger shook his head. "I'm never going to get used to that."

Hermione frowned as she pulled the ticket out of her pocket. It must have been the cause of their instant transport. She really wanted to exchange addresses with Anne. She was the first person that she'd ever met that she really got along with. She hoped she and Anne would be in the same school. She wondered if it really was a good idea to only apply to Hogwarts. Only time would tell.

-----

"Hermione, I believe this letter is for you," Mrs. Granger called from the kitchen when she heard her daughter descending the stairs.

"Letter?" Hermione repeated. "But it's Sunday, there's no post."

Hermione walked into the kitchen and saw a large barn owl sitting on the kitchen counter, near the window. Apparently owl post did run on Sunday. Mrs. Granger was giving the owl furtive looks as if she didn't know whether or not it was appropriate to take a letter from an owl that wasn't addressed to her. So Hermione rushed forward and took the envelope from the owl's beak. It hooted happily, obviously glad to be relieved of its burden.

"Can I get you something before you leave?" Hermione asked the owl cordially. The owl hooted excitedly.

"Here," Mrs. Granger handed her daughter a piece of toast.

Hermione tore a bit off and gave it to the owl who accepted it with an appreciative hoot before taking off out the window.

"Friendly mail carriers those owls," Mrs. Granger commented casually as Hermione sat down at the kitchen table. "Wish our postman was nearly as nice."

"Uh huh." Hermione was busy examining the envelope. She knew instinctively where it was from, Hogwarts. It had been a little more than two weeks since the New Witches and Wizards Summer Session. This must have been the answer she was waiting for.

She opened the envelope tentatively and removed one of the pieces of parchment from inside.

Mrs. Granger finally noticed what she was reading and came up behind her daughter, curious for the verdict. "Well…" she asked finally.

Hermione's face was white with shock. "Here, see for yourself," she handed the letter up to her mom.

Mrs. Granger started reading allowed, "Dear Ms. Granger, we are pleased to inform you that you've been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…." her voice trailed off. "You got in!" she said excitedly.

Hermione jumped out of her chair in excitement. "That's right!"

"What's all the hubbub?" Mr. Granger entered the room now in a green house robe.

"Hermione made it into Hogwarts!" Mrs. Granger answered excitedly

"As if we had any doubt." Mr. Granger said hugging his daughter proudly. "She's a Granger and Grangers can do anything!"

"So you're not mad then that it's so far away," Hermione asked timidly.

"Not at all," her father said jovially. "If it's the best school for your wizarding education then that's where you'll be going. No questions asked. In fact," he said with a rare twinkle in his eyes. "I've already called Landmark and told them you won't be attending next year."

"Really? Thanks dad!" Hermione said hugging him again.

"You can thank me by doing your best. I want to hear that you're studying hard and becoming the best witch you can be. This will be the first time you've been away from home to go to school. I trust you'll be the mature young lady we raised you to be and that you'll stay focused."

"I will, dad," Hermione promised sincerely.

Mrs. Granger was reading the second sheet of parchment in the envelope now. "Oh… we're going to have a time finding these school supplies."

-----

The Grangers decided to go into London the next weekend to get Hermione's school supplies. They took the train in instead of driving, since they didn't know exactly where they would be going. Hermione made sure to bring along the wizard's map of London which turned out to be very helpful as it kept pointing out the correct directions to go. It told them to take the underground to the Tottenham Court Rd. station. Then from here it was a short walk down Charing Cross Road to reach the entrance to Diagon Alley which the map called the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione walked down the street, her parents in tow, studying the map closely. She stopped suddenly and looked up.

"Ah, we're here." She pointed to a shabby looking building.

Mrs. Granger gave her daughter a puzzled look. "Hermione, there's nothing here but a boarded up old building."

"You don't see the sign?" Hermione asked them. "It says 'Leaky Caldron.'" Both adults shook their heads.

"Hmm," Hermione looked down at the map again. Another caption had appeared above the dot that symbolized the Leaky Caldron.

It read: "Those with muggle guests should note that the Leaky Caldron is not completely muggle-proof to allow limited access for muggle friends and family of wizards to gain access to Diagon Alley. Muggles need only to be touching a witch, wizard, or other creature of magic to be able to see the entrance."

Hermione folded the map again and shoved it in her bag. "Here, take my hands, both of you."

Her parents complied. Mrs. Granger gasped. Mr. Granger gave a snorting noise. "I think I liked the boarded up building better. Hermione are you sure this is the place? It's just a pub."

"I'm positive." she confirmed as she dragged them into the Leaky Caldron.

The pub seemed almost completely deserted. T