Where am I? That's the first question that I think when I wake up. Then, seconds later, it's 'Who am I?' that bugs me most. I don't remember what happened. Or who I am. That's scary…
I look around the room, finding that it's small, and I'm on a bed under a quilt with many stains on it. Across from me, there is a mirror. I sit up in bed and eye myself. I know the girl in the reflection…But I don't. Before me, I see a rounded nose, with large eyes and hair that comes down to my shoulders. My hair is brown and wavy, and I quickly look around for a hairpin. Surprisingly, there is one on the table, and I pin it out of my eyes. My lips are rich and red, and I'm wearing a nightgown. Who am I? I ask myself that question again. Her—Herm—My brain nags at me, but I don't know who I am. I climb out of bed and look out the window. Outside there are woods. I'm high up, in a stack-stone house that must be very old. On a chair by the bed, I find ropes that have a crest on them that reads Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Under that, a name is printed in fine cursive writing. Hermione Granger. Hermione Granger. Is that me? It must be. Inside the robes there is a book, Hogwarts a History. I love books. Wait, how do I know that? At least something has come back to me. I flip through the pages and find pictures of a castle, legends, architecture history. I know that place…From somewhere. I don't remember how. On the back of the book there is a short Biography of the woman who wrote it,Bathilda Bagshot. But the strange thing is that her picture is moving. The picture smiles at me, and then turns the other way, looking all around and smiling at the audience. Why doesn't it surprise me? Moving pictures aren't normal…They are for you, says my brain. I don't understand. Who was I? What did I like to do, who were my friends and foes, and why have I forgotten all of this in the first place? Amnesia. I think that's what it's called, a disease where you forget everything. Maybe that's what I have. Obliviate, Obliviate, Obliviate. The word nags in my head but I don't know what it means. I go closer to the mirror and put my hair in a ponytail, wiping sleep from my eyes and brushing off dirt from my arms and legs. What is this place? I go back and sit on the bed. Outside I can hear footsteps. Suddenly the door opens, and I see a woman come in. She's got paler skin than I've ever seen, almost white as snow. Her lips are redder than mine, and she has her black hair in a bun.
"Hello, Hermione." she says.
Hermione. So that is my name.
"Who are you? Who am I? Why am I here?"
The woman pauses and puts tea on the table. I stare intently at her, expecting an answer.
"I am Nelly. I'm a—err—Vampire. And you…You're Hermione Granger. You used to be a witch, a sixteen-year-old girl training in magic at Hogwarts School. But one of your spells, Obliviate, went wrong and your memory was wiped out completely."
Completely? It scares me.
"You are here because we want to start a new life for you. Since you have forgotten everything, it would be best not to go back to your old life, but to start a new one…as a Vampire."
A Vampire? I rack my brains, trying to remember what that is, and then it comes back. Pale-skinned beings that suck other's blood. A Vampire? Why me?
"But—I don't want to be a Vampire! Tell me what I was before this and let me go back to my old life!"
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. Plus, your transformation has already begun."
Already begun? No! I have to find out what I was, who I used to be! What if I had a boyfriend who's out there waiting for me now?
"No. I'm not going to let you do anything to me. Where's this-err-Hogwarts?" I say.
"I'm not telling you, Miss Granger."
"Fine then!"
My voices rises higher and I grab the robes from the chair, the book with them. I slip them over my body and walk down the hall. The woman, Nelly, comes running after me, but I don't stop. I have to get away and find out who I was. What happened that made me forget all of this? Who was I? Inside a pocket of my robe is a stick, nearly a foot long, with ivory markings on it. It's a wand. That's what my subconscious says. A wand? So I was some sort of magic person. The woman was telling the truth! I point the wand behind me and say...err...What can I say? I don't remember anything of how to use the wand! "Abracadabra!" I yell, and keep running. Isn't that what magicians say when they use magic?
Sparks spew out from the wand though, blinding the woman for a moment and I keep running. There are long stairs leading down to a huge magnificent wooden door in the mansion. Two pale-skinned men stand at the door.
"I'm sorry Miss Granger, but you can't leave. We have-"
"ABRACADABRA!" I yell, and the sparks come again, a little stronger since I yelled.
The men step backwards and I wrench the door open, running into the woods. I'd forgotten it was winter. Snow covers the trees and I run into the dense forest blindly, just trying to get away and hoping I'll find some sort of city. Can I fly? Maybe the magic can make me fly!
"Flyio! Flight! Fly! Fly! Err...Abracadabra!"
A few sparks come but nothing else happens. I feel stupid. I used to know all about this, I was interested in it! Right? I have another weird feeling of something I used to be. Maybe if I can find this Hogwarts they can bring my memories back. Where are my parents? Are they magic too?
What has happened to me? I slow my pace when I realize no one is chasing me. That's good. The robes are my only bit of warmth, and I'm glad I grabbed them. Then I remember the book, Hogwarts a History. I read it as I walk, looking up every so often so as not to run into trees but so enthralled that I wouldn't care if I did. I love reading. Another hint of who I was. Hermione Granger. What sort of name is that? Where in the world did my parents get Hermione? Maybe magical people name their children strangely. Does the book I have tell me where Hogwarts is? I flip through the book eager to find the way to the castle, but all I can see is that there is a train that takes you there. A train. Oh, right, a train. One of those. For a moment I'd forgotten what they were.