Disclaimer: As usual I don't own anything. But this plot bunny has been plaguing me for a while until I put it on paper during a class where I should have really been paying attention.
Chapter 1:
When Hermione wondered about life after death, she never envisioned being reborn in a world filled with gravity defying individuals, strange hair colors, food and language derived from the Japanese culture.
But then, as Harry used to say when he was in a teasing mood and that blasted Trelawney too, she never had much imagination. As it was, Hermione found herself an inhabitant of the so-called land of fire in a world where ninjas (well shinobi) run amuck.
She supposed she could not really fault them for their weirdness. After all, in her previous life, she was a witch, flying on brooms, petting unicorns and battling a dark lord and his army of minions (it never failed to amuse her to think of Bellatrix or Lucius's faces at being called minions).
Mind you, her memories did not come back all at once. At most and throughout her childhood, they were strange dreams and half drawn movements as if she still had her wand in hand. Things settled down as she grew up. Her second set of memories seemed to integrate with those from her new life.
It however did not mean that she was the same. This time around, her parents had different professions: her mother owned a pastry shop while her father was a construction worker.
This alone meant a different kind of childhood. Indeed, she was taught quite early on how to care for the shop and its customers. Her mother also insisted on her knowing how to make the various pastries sold in the modest shop. She had reluctantly agreed but had been surprised at her proficiency. She likened it to the fact that pastry making strangely resembled potion making.
Her father was a tall, strong man who had a passion for gardening. He was extremely knowledgeable about plants and when he would settle her in his lap and tell her about whatever plant caught his interest that week, her mind would go to another boy with a green thumb and a kind smile.
She had a quiet childhood with loving parents but she could not seem to shake off the sadness that would engulf her from time to time when she thought of her best friends and family and what had become of them in this world.
This turned her from the assertive and somewhat obnoxious Hermione she used to be to a lonely observant child, clinging to the family she had in an unspoken fear of losing them too.
Some things however stayed the same. She was still so very curious and intent on knowing everything about her new home. Indeed, this new world was the most fascinating enigma and she was intent on unraveling it. This meant she still spent quite some time in the library pouring over scrolls learning about the history of her new home.
There were obviously drawbacks to her situation. At 8 years old, she had the mind and experiences of a grown woman. Talk about having an old soul!
She remembered quite clearly being a mother, a wife and an independent individual which made it hard letting go of Hermione Granger and accepting being Hana Honda, brown-haired daughter (quite a dull color in the land of fire for which she was quite thankful) of civilians Sakumo and Raya Honda. She was one of a thousand faces in the crowd. Well at least until she set foot in Konoha.