Disclaimer: Most of the characters as well as some of the quotations belong to JKR (one of the greatest magicians in the world), I'm just playing with them and promise to take them back to the Harry Potter universe unharmed.
Trying to Fly Like an Owl
Chapter 1
Witchcraft and Owls
Hermione was hiding on the tree thinking about her previous lesson. Why did everything go wrong again?
*** Flashback ***
"Before we start today's class I'd like someone to tell me what we read in the first chapter of the Crucible during last week." said Miss Powel smiling brightly at the class. "Well, TJ?"
Hermione's hand shot in the air.
"I don't remember" said TJ staring blankly at their English teacher.
"What a surprise" thought Hermione. She couldn't understand how her classmates were passing. They were just so so so stupid. She started to go through the summary of the first chapter in her head "Reverend Parris is kneeling on the floor praying next to Betty's bed. Tituba, Parris' slave, comes in and asks if Betty is going to be all right. Parris hurries her out of the room. Parris' seventeen-year-old niece, Abigail comes in. She says that Susanna Walcott is here with news from the doctor. Susanna enters and says that the doctor can be of no help. Parris tells her that he sent for Reverend Hale of Beverly. Susanna leaves and Abigail has a long talk with her uncle. He tries to make Abigail admit that she and the other girls were performing witchcraft in the woods. Parris says that when he caught them dancing in the woods…
"But I think Owl Girl knows the answer, why don't you try her?" added TJ sneering at Hermione.
Hermione blushed. Her classmates called her names since the first day she started school. She was Straight A Girl, Miss Perfect, Know-It-All and lately Owl Girl.
"Who?" asked Miss Powel, looking down at her seating chart confused.
The class was trying to hide their laughter while Hermione was blushing even deeper and dropping her hand. For the rest of the lesson she sat quietly and she hurried out when the lunch break bell rang but not fast enough. She could here the class laughing loudly once the teacher left the classroom.
"Owl Girl is the real witch not the characters in the book." yelled TJ after her nastily.
She ran out through the closest door of the building though they weren't supposed to leave the school and climbed up to her favorite old tree as the first tears arrived.
*** End Flashback ***
Finally her tears stopped and she felt only anger. Who were they to talk of her like that? They should be ashamed of themselves.
"Stupid, lazy gits!" she thought. At that moment the leaves of the tree moved, though there was no wind at all. An owl flew through the leaves and landed on a small branch in front of her. She just wanted to scream. She was patient but that was more than what she could stand. She was going home and she was never going back to school. It was useless. She knew more than any of her classmates. She could be a private student and learn everything from books.
She jumped down from the tree not paying attention to the fact that she was 5 meters high from the ground, landed gracefully on her feet and started to run home. She didn't see the owl following her.
Later when she was sitting at dinner with her family her mum gave her a letter.
"Look, Hermione! You've got a letter. I wonder why it didn't arrive with the other post this morning."
She took it without looking at her mum. She was still angry. Her parents didn't want to hear about her being a private student.
It was a yellowish envelope addressed in emerald green to Miss H. Granger, Dining-room, 245 Southgate Ave Crawley West Sussex United Kingdom.
She was surprised. Noone ever wrote her letters since her grandma died half a year ago. She opened the envelope and read excitedly.
"HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Miss Granger,
we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment
Term begins on September 1. Since your parents are Muggles (non-magicians) a staff member will contact you on the 30 July for further explanation. Please owl us if you are not free on the given date.
Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress"
The words witchcraft and owl made Hermione even angrier than she already was. She was not going back for sure. That was more than enough.
She tore the letter into little pieces and ran up to her room and shut the door. She went to bed hiding under her blanket waiting for her parents to rush into her room. She just wanted to be left alone. She just wanted to lock the world out for a few minutes or hours or forever. She was sure that she only has seconds till her parents start banging on her door, but all was quiet and after a long time she fall into an uneasy sleep.
"Helen, I can't open the door!" yelled Robert panicked. His daughter was acting strange all day since she arrived from school. Her idea about being a private student was shocking. Where did that come from? And now this. She gets a letter and runs up to her room, locking them out. Something was seriously wrong. He just couldn't understand it.
"Robert, come down." he heard her wife's voice but it sounded so strange. He gave up trying to open his daughter's door for the moment and ran down to his wife.
She was standing next to the table staring at small pieces of paper.
"Ah, the letter." He realized suddenly "What does it say?"
"It's so unbelievable but it all makes sense." Helen said still in that strange voice "Hermione is a witch."
"A what?" he spat angrily "Don't you dare…"
"No, Robert, look at this! I'm serious. Do you remember when Hermione didn't like her new pink T-shirts, and the next day they were all blue. She never admitted painting them. Or when she was 5 and fall out through the window on the second floor, she didn't even have a scratch, or the fact that she could read at the age of three. Robert, it all makes perfect sense now! Our Hermione is a witch."
After Robert read through the letter he came to the same conclusion. There were too many incidents around Hermione without an explanation now that he started to think about it.
"You know, we should clean the house a bit. We are expecting a visitor after all." he said.
"Who is coming?" Asked Helen surprised.
"One of Hermione's future professors probably, after all tomorrow is the 30 July."