Chapter 1:
Beeping. More beeping. Even more beeping.
The bushy haired girl sprawled across the mattress groaned and raised her head, opening one eye and glancing at the clock. Her mind, still trying to grasp its normal state from sleeping finally registered the time. She had fifteen minutes to get ready. Sitting up abruptly, she stumbled out of bed, struggling with her covers and tripping over her feet. Another groan came from the girl's mouth as she quickly got up and grabbed her robe.
Looking up at her cabinet, she grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste and started brushing her teeth quickly. She rinsed her mouth and put her toiletries back in the cabinet. Then she hurried outside, grabbing her school robes and hurriedly put them on. She paused, looked at the full-length mirror in her room. She sighed, trying to comb through her mop of hair. She only succeeded in getting her fingers tangled in her locks.
"Well, that's all I can manage," she said to no one in particular.
She stepped away from the mirror, picked up her bag and wand – of course, you can't survive in a school for witches and wizards with no wand – and hurried to her first class: Transfiguration.
"Harry," the girl greeted, flashing her best friend a smile.
"Hermione," Harry nodded back. "What kept you?"
"I had to catch up on the Ancient Runes essay," she explained to which Harry and her other friend, Ron, rolled their eyes at.
"You need to catch up on your sleeping schedule, Hermione," Ron said.
Before Hermione could respond, Professor McGonagall strode in the classroom. Hermione diverted her attention to the front of the room where the professor would be teaching. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Professor McGonagall looking at her with a curious expression.
"Professor?" Hermione asked, quite startled at the odd gesture.
"You'll have to go up to Dumbledore's office, Miss Granger. You have a visitor waiting for you," was all McGonagall said before snapping her fingers and making Hermione's bag and things disappear.
Aware of the curious glances her classmates were throwing her, Hermione threw one last look at McGonagall who nodded encouragingly before stepping out of the classroom. Once out, her eyebrows knit together in confusion and frustration. Confusion because she had no idea who would be visiting her at a time like this and why it was so important it couldn't wait until lunch or her free period came. She felt frustration because she didn't know who would come here and interrupt her time in class and why they couldn't wait until she was free.
She rounded the corner and came to a halt in front of the gargoyle, which thankfully just stepped aside upon seeing her. Hermione forgot that she didn't know the password and didn't bother to ask it from McGonagall. Still, she stepped onto the winding staircase and waited. When she reached the door to Dumbledore's office, she knocked and waited until she got a reply from the Headmaster.
"Ah, Miss Granger, you've got quite some visitors here," and just like McGonagall, he gave her a curious look.
"Good morning, Professor," Hermione said politely.
"Come in, they've been waiting," Dumbledore said, stepping out of the door frame and letting Hermione pass.
Hermione's mum was there and an elegant-looking woman was seated next to them. The atmosphere felt tense as she looked at her parents' faces. Whatever the reason they were here for, it was important.
"Hermione, sweetheart," her mother spoke first, rising to hug her daughter tightly. "Mum," Hermione greeted. "What are you doing here?"
Her mum hesitated before answering. "We've got some news to tell you, hun."
She nodded, looking around her mother and glancing at the stranger seated there. Hermione took in her features, there was something familiar about her, but she couldn't quite put her finger around it. Slowly, Hermione let a shy smile grace her features. Better to be kind to the person rather than ignore them, she thought.
"Who's this?" Hermione asked her parents.
Hermione mum looked down and sighed. "She's… well, she's your grandmother."
At this, Hermione's gaze snapped up to the woman there, looking at her with interest. Hermione didn't know how she felt. In the 17 years she's existed, this woman had nothing to do with her at all. She didn't even visit or call or write to her to even just introduce herself. So Hermione felt annoyed. Annoyed that this woman would just suddenly have the audacity to show up unnoticed. Annoyed because Hermione figured that she had demanded her mother to come here just to, what, introduce herself? And finally, she was annoyed because from the minute Hermione stepped into the office she made no move to even acknowledge her.
"Why is she here?" Hermione asked, looking at her mother sharply.
"She wanted to talk, sweetheart," her mother said, putting a hand on Hermione's arm.
"Talk?" Hermione laughed without humor. "I've lived and breathed on this planet for 17 years, mum, and now she just shows up here, pulls me out of my class because she wanted to talk?"
Her mother cringed. "Calm down, Hermione."
Dumbledore had eased Hermione onto a chair where Hermione's shoulders slumped as she took in deep calming breaths. Then she looked at her grandmother. Who also seemed to be taking deep breaths.
"Hermione," she started speaking, "it really wasn't of my intentions to leave you feeling unwanted by me. Truly, it wasn't one of my intentions. But what your mother said was right, I came here to talk."
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "I'm listening. So, what is it?"
Her grandmother smiled. "I believe I haven't introduced myself, my name is Katherine, I'm your father's mother. Before I am to tell you, please remember to deal with this situation with maturity and logic," she paused, looking at Hermione expectantly. Hermione nodded. "Now, I haven't told you my full name. It is Katherine Jane Vellecreaux Granger, Queen of Dallbrooke. And your father was, Prince Andrew Peter Vellecreaux Granger. Now you, you are not just Hermione Granger now. You're Hermione Antoinette Downton Granger, Princess of Dallbrooke."
Hermione's eyes widened before she smiled weakly.
Then she fainted.
A/N: As you have observed, I got the idea out of Princess Diaries. But I won't be taking the whole plot. Just the whole finding out she was a princess thing and stealing the throne thing, that is all. The dialogue and the actual plot and the characters NOT from Harry Potter are completely mine. Promise, cross my heart hope to die. I even made up places and names for this thing. You'll see MY original ideas later on. For now, I hope you enjoyed Chapter One.