Contrary to popular belief, she doesn't board the train alone, looking for somewhere to sit, nor does she watch the people going past who don't seem to spare a second glance at her plain clothes, or her ridiculously frizzy hair. She doesn't count the minutes, sitting in a cabin alone, waiting for the train to start moving so she can draw the curtains closed and forget all about the people that hadn't wanted to sit with her.
Instead, it goes more like this:
"What time did they say they would be here?"
Hermione tugged her hair, tucking it behind her ears as she scanned the platform, looking for the distinctive color of bright green that always seemed to be around them in one way or another. When she couldn't find anything she took a step back and looked up at her parents, a thin smile stretching across her face.
"The letter said they would be here as soon as the platform opened."
"Not to worry. They do have to travel from overseas, maybe the timezones got a bit muddled up."
She opens her mouth to answer, the tell-tale burning beginning behind her eyes, when a flurry of sound makes her jump and she snaps her head up. Looking around wildly, offendingly bright in the sunlight due to the bright green hoodie with a strange, purple target on the front, is Hayley. She's accompanied by a whole crowd of people, none of which look alike but they all look around in wonder.
"Is that her, dear?"
Hayley sees her in the next second, a smile spreading across her face, and she darts through the crowd to meet Hermione half way, their families following behind.
"I thought you were late!"
"Are you kidding, I wouldn't miss this for the world!"
They'd been communicating via letters for the past three years now, sending pictures back and forth. Hayley had been the first to drop hints about getting her Hogwarts letter, nothing concrete, and she had been beyond excited when Hermione had revealed that she got one too. They'd never met each other face to face until today.
"It's great to finally meet you. And you, Mr. and Mrs. Granger."
"It's nice to meet you too, dear. We're so glad Hermione won't be alone."
Hayley grinned, her hair falling down her back and shoulders in haphazard curls as she rocked back on her heels, "She's stuck with me for life. So, this is my family."
She opens her arms wide, gesturing to the group behind her. Even with all their letters and how much they'd confided in each other, Hayley had never been open or talkative about her family, and Hermione hadn't wanted to pry.
"These is my mama, Toni, and this is my dad Bruce." The tall man with the glasses waved, awkward next to the languid grace of the brown haired woman that stood at his side, their arms linked together as she smiled with no small hint of pride at the two young girls.
She introduced the rest of the group, a muddle of aunts and uncles that weren't strictly blood family but family nonetheless, with ease that came from years of repetition. Hermione chanted the names in her mind, trying to commit them all to memory; Toni, Bruce, Darcy, Bucky, Pepper, Frank.
Toni, Bruce, Darcy, Bucky, Pepper, Frank.
"I think it's time to board, dear." She turned to look at the train, then looked back at her parents and started to say her goodbyes. Behind her, Hayley was doing the same thing, although rather differently.
"Did you get everything?"
"Yes, I double checked."
"Remember to be careful, there's always trouble around, and we don't want you to get hurt chasing it."
She opened her mouth, but Darcy interrupted before she could say that she would find a way to keep up.
"Come on, Bruce, lighten up a bit."
As her father turns to glare at the archer, Frank and Bucky step forward, almost but not-outright vying for her attention. "I'm going to miss you. Promise you'll write back to me?"
"Promise, kid."
"Of course, Hayley."
She stood next to Hermione, grabbing her best friend's hand and gripping it as tight as she could in excitement, listening as the woman calling the names got through the As and into the Bs.
"Hayley Banner?"
She dropped Hermione's hand and made her way through the crowd of waiting children, pausing at the foot of the stairs to take a deep breath, Natasha's voice echoing in her head. 'Keep your head high. Never show them you're afraid.' She climbed the stairs and took her seat on the stool, freezing as the wrinkled hat was placed low on her head.
'Ah, Ms Banner. Interesting. It's been a long time since one of your kind has been in our halls.'
'My kind?'
'The mutants.'