Chapter One

Hermione awoke at 6 o'clock as she did everyday.Oddly enough, she had an internal clock-when someone gave her a time, she woke up at that time. Hermione didn't even bother to glance at the clock as she drew the curtains back from her window opening up to a slightly groggy street in Paris. With a quick glance around her room she walked over to the door and turned on the light. Hoping that her Mother wouldn't wake up she turned to the white vanity by her closet. She examined herself in the mirror closley. She pused the button that would turn her straightening iron on and walked into the hall.

She silently opened the closet door and pulled out a fluffy blue towel.She continued walking to the other side of the flatt. Once she reached her bathroom she turned on the light and started the shower. Pulling her nightclothes off and tossing them hap-hazardly into the hamper she turned and stepped into the hot water. Once she had washed her hair , body , and face she cautiously stepped out careful to step on the rug so she didn't slip like yesterday. She repressed the momory with a shudder and ran a hand gingerly over the small lump on the back of her head.

Wrapping a towel around her body she crept softly to her bedroom again. Once safely inside she dressed in her favorite jeans,which hugged her legs nicely showing her delicate curves. She also grabbed a light blue shirt that said something or other on it. Still praying her Mother wouldn't wake up she tip-toed back to the bathroom and starting drying her hair. Once her hair was completly dry and much straighter than it is when she let it dry itself, she proceded to leave the bathroom turning the light off as she went.

Hurridly closing the door behind her she picked up her iron and not ten minutes later had perfectly straight hair that fell far past her sholders. She grabbed her eyeliner and delicatly lined her eyes, also applying her powder foundation. Still not satisfied with the look she cast an alert eye around for her mascara which she couldn't find. She looked in all the drawers in the vanity and even in her bag supposing she might have left it in there from the night before. When it was no where to be found she bent down on her hands and knees and looked around on the floor. She located it right on the floor just off the left side of her vanity. Silently cursing herself for not looking there to start with. She unscrewed the lid.

Once she had her mascara on as well she look criticisingly at the young woman staring back out of the mirror. Something still didn't seem right so Hermione finally decided to do the unfathomable to her. She opened the top drawer on the righthand side and pulled out her makeup bag for eyeshadow. She selected a sparkely blue to match her shirt and delicately pulled the brush across her eyelids. Once finished she looked into the mirror once more and satisfied with what she saw turned away.

She picked up her bag from where it was hanging on the back of the chair seated in front of her desk and walked out of her room only pausing at the door to stop and flick off the light. she made her way throuh the flatt so quietly she seemed to be a shadow. Once she was at the far end of the kitchen she grabbed the coffee pot and filled it with water. Also pulling a filter from a ditant cabenet. She slowely poured the water into the top of the pot and filled the filter with coffeegrinds. She went to the sink and rinsed her hands.

Once she looked back at the kitchen to make sure she didn't leave a mess she walked into her Mother's office and pulled a piece of paper from the printer. The last piece,she bent over to check for more in the space underneath but alas, none. Making a mental note to buy more later she begain scribbling her usual note in the morning telling her Mother that the coffee was already going and to call her later when she wanted her home. She tacked the note to her mothers door with the little ball of stickey tack that was already there waiting.

Once she had slipped into her black, glitter covered, flip-flops at the door she unlocked it and opened it as quietly as she could. She stepped out into the warm summers air and dug around into her bag for her cell phone. Once the airy music that always greeted her when she turned her phone on died off she noted with disgust that she had once missed call. Her Grandmother. As though her phone knew she wasn't looking foward to what she knew was comming from it it delyed to message telling Hermione she had a new voice mail as long as it could. When it knew it could wait no longer it seemed it rang a little Asian tune Hermione had programmed it to ring when she had a vioce mail.

Hermione was deciding weather or not she wanted to listen to it when her neighbor emerged from his flatt two doors down.

"Why hello Hermione!Long time no see!"He shouted with a slight giggle.As he did every morning.

"Hello Victor."Replied Hermione with a little less air then usual.

"Nice to see that you aren't late today."Victor said wagging a finger in Hermione's direction. She was unpleasently reminded of her Grandmother.

"Yes,I am indeed on time. But that won't last long if I don't get going. Sorry to run but well, you know."Hermione died off with the last bit and stole away down the staircase on the side of the building away from Victor.

Once she reached the street she glanced back to make sure Victor hadnt followed her as he did some mornings. Once she was absolutly sure he wasn't there she turned the phone over in her had so she was looking at the back of it silently contemplating wether or not to just drop it off a bridge she was walking on. No then she would have to buy a new one. So with utter reluctance she turned the phone back over and pressed the six magc buttons that would lead her to her doom.

"Hermione Jane Granger I have never been so outraged in my life! I waited for you for at least two hours!"Hermione let out something that sounded to passers-by like ,"Yeah sure you did you cow" Before returning to her Grandmother's voice projecting itself outward from her phone."But what did I find out when I called your house to see where the bloody hell you were? I found out that you were bloody shopping! You had better start stepping up to the plate missy or I think we might have some seroius issues! I will not be inprofessional though so I do expect better! Honestly what your Father would say if he knew what you had done..."Sarah's vioce died off to just above a wisper as she stated her last few words all emotion out of her vioce. "You really should think of the concequences before you start you actions."With that last disturbing statement she clicked off the other line and Hermione proceeded to erase the voice mail. A fresh sence of dread creeping in on her.

Now any person who didn't know who and what Hermione was would just look at her and see a frightened girl who had too much on her mind. Anyone who knew what she was would think she was dreading her N.E.W.T. year at her school. Anyone who knew who Hermione was, and I mean really knew her would know that the reason she had that look on her face was her Father. As these thoughts crept into Hermione's mind she had a sudden revolation which cause her to shudder. No one really does know me. No one would know it was my Father. Not Ron. Not Harry. No not even Ginny. Whom Hermione had grow extremely close to over the end of the school year. No, no one knew Hermione's secrets which she kept locked away in the back of her mind. No one. Not even Hermione's Father knew the terror he caused to run through her everytime the subject was brought up. Or even the name.

Hermione's relationship with her Father growing up had been an amazing one. Just like you would think a father and daughter's should be. He gave her five dollars for every A she brought home on her report cards at school. He loved her so much. Well loved is really the key word there isn't it. He loved everything about his daughter untill the summer of her eleventh birthday. Sometimes Hermione wished she had slept in on August 11th the summer of her eleventh birthday. But no she hadn't her Father had told her that she needed to be up by seven so they could get a head start on her special day's plans. So Hermione had woken up and gotten out of bed at six thirty.

F-L-A-S-B-A-C-K

Hermione jerked awake at six thirty in the morning she couldn't remember why just then she remembered her Father telling her she needed to be up by seven. Why did I get up at six thirty then? Hermione thought as she pulled her quilt off of her body and hopped up sliding her feet into her slippers. She stood and went silently down the stairs to get the mail like she did everymorning. She looked through all the mail just to see. Unusal as this may be for her something even more out of the ordinary happened she found a letter adressed to her. The letter she noted was in an envelope of thick yellowish parchment. She took out the letter and placed the rest on the kitchen table which was not at all unsual. No where near concidering how unsual the letter Hermione had in her hands was.

On the front of the envelope was her address only underneath her address it said," third bedroom on the left upstairs." She also saw that there was no stamp or post mark. Wait a minute! There isn't even a return address! Hermionie was extremely curious to see who had writtin the letter. She turned it over and noticed a purple wax seal with a crest of some sort on it. It looked very much like a lion, a snake, a badger, and a bird all united around a letter H. Hermione was so caught up in the letter she didn't even notice a figure enter the kitchen and sit opposite her.

"Are you going to open my mail young lady?"Her Father asked rather groggily.

"Umm, no actually it's mine."Hermionie wispered turning rather pink.

"What!"Her Father spluttered and snatched the letter from her.

"Oh my so it is. Well open it then."He muttered rather rudely tossing the letter back to her.

Hermione grabbed the letter and stood up to go to her room. Still not quite noticing anything she just let her feet carry her up the stairs, three doors down on the left, and into her room were she plopped down on her unmade bed. She didn't think she could stand it any longer. She slit the wax seal appart and pulled out a sheet of the same heavy parchment.

Dear Miss Granger,

I am delighted to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Whitchcraft and Wizardry. You will find a list of supplies enclosed. The Howarts Express will leave Kings Cross Station at eleven o' clock A.M. on September the second. Your ticket is also enclosed. I must stress upon you how important it is that you stick to your ticket. You will notice that there is a brick wall inbetween platforms nine and ten. You must walk straight at it with all of you school things and you will find that it is not solid. Well not to you. Please do this when no one is watching so as not to attract attention. You will also note that since you are not from the wizarding world you will also find enclosed directions of where to go to buy all of your school things. I do hope to see you at school.

Professor M. McGonnogal

Deputy Headmistriss

Hermione sat there stunned. Way too stuned to move. Who was this Professor M. McGonnogal person anyway? Wow this is the stupidst letter ever. I can't even believe that for one second. Yeah lean against the brick wall and it won't be solid my arse.

"So Hermione who was the letter from?" Her Father asked her starteling her out of her thoughts.

"Some person named Professor M. McGonnogal inviting me to some made up school."Hermione said unable to hide the look of disgust in her eyes as she looked at the letter.How thick would you have to be really?

"What are you talking about? What is the school for?"Her Father asked apperently intrested.

"Whichcraft and wizardry."Hermione stated dully handing the letter to her Father who took it and began to read it his eyes narroing with ever line.

"Well this is balderdash."He mannaged through gritted teeth. Crumpling up the letter as her said it. Almost immediatly there was a soft tap tap on the window.

Hermione almost fainted with what she saw. An owl was there clutching a scarlet letter in it's beek. Hermione walked over to the window and opened it taking the letter from the owl before her Father could say anything. She looked at it. This letter was almost exactly the same, same odd address, same odd seal, same no stamp, and same no return address. The only thing differnt was that it was red. Hermione started as it began to smoke and then catch on fire Hermione promptly dropped it out of supprise.

This is Professor McGonnogal I assure you this is no hoax if you will proceed to uncrumple the letter and follow that instructions to Diagon Alley then you will see. Good day.

Professor McGonnogal's voice was extremely loud but it wasn't angry just there. Kind of bored in a way. Hermione was so amazed at what had happened she actually walked over a took the crumpled up letter off the floor and un crumpled it getting out the other piece of paper labled Diagon Alley. She read the instructions and told her Father perfectly serious.

"I want to go here today instead of wherever else we were going. Just to be sure. I'm pretty certain it isn't but I mean I just want to see."Hermione said all of this barely above a wisper.

E-N-D-O-F-L-A-S-H-B-A-C-K

Hermione silently cursed herself for being so stupid back then. She contined to walk down the street she was on when she reached into her bag and pulled out a pack of ciggarettes and a lighter. She pulled a ciggarette out and stuck the end of it into her mouth. She lit the other end with a flick of her lighter. She took a long drag and inhaled deeply. Wow Hogwarts had really Fued her life up. Well at least at home it had.

Once she got to the corner of a different street she tuned left down it and almost immediatly into the small coffee shop she went to every day. She ordered her coffee and flicked open her cell phone to check on the time she noticed she still had a half an hour to kill before work so she sat down at one of the tables and pulled out a book. Silently she snuggled up and let her coffee slowly drain itself into her. She lit a few more ciggarettes as the end of her precious half hour came. At the end of her half hour she snapped her book shut with a sigh and dumped her coffee cup into a nearby trash can. She slowly walked out of the shop and made her way accross the street looking at the now fully awake people of Paris.

She stopped just short of the front door of the building she was about to enter bracing herself. She raised her left foot and put out her ciggarette. She walked in and met the womans gaze who was there waiting.

"Goodmorning Grandmother."Hermione said slightly dismissivly.

"Goodmorning my dear."Hermione's Grandmother replied with a sneer to rival Draco Malfoy's.

Hermione inclined her head slightly and walked into the back room quickly grabbing the smock she was required to wear. She hastily tied it around her waist and grabbed a box of books she was supposed to put on their sleves. She set off taking the books carefully out of the box and placing them one in front of the other where they belonged. She continued to do this untill nine o' clock when she walked to the front door and unlocked it openeing it she switched the closed sign to open and walked back in.