AU in which there is no Hermione. This is the reason why. An OC and Hermione meet up in Preschool. Song Fic to Alyssa Lies.
Little Hermione Granger sat quietly in the backseat of her father's sedan, hands folded meekly in her lap, head bowed in contemplation. She was deciding who she wanted to be that day. You see, she'd decided on her very first day of primary school that she didn't want to always be stupid little Hermione Granger who cried at the smallest thing. So she made a promise to herself that every day she went to primary school, she'd be someone different.
Ah! She had it. Today, she'd be Alyssa. It was a pretty name, like a ballerina, or a movie star. She almost smiled at the idea. Yes… Today, she would be Alyssa.
My little girl met a new friend,
Just the other day,
On the playground at school
Between the tires and the swings
Teacher Lady gave them all crayons and let them draw during quite time. Afterwards, she told the children to write their names on the back of their drawings. Hermione flipped hers over (a small depiction of a tall, fat man standing behind a little girl, gripping her shoulders and smiling, but the little girl was crying) and used her extensive knowledge of the English alphabet, lower case and upper case, to write out A-l-y-s-s-a in her awkward, childlike scrawl.
When Teacher Lady came to collect their drawings and check they all had their names on the back, she stopped at Hermione.
"Hermione, baby, you're name's not Alyssa." She said kindly, smiling at the little girl.
"Yes, it is." The five-year-old said, eyes wide and innocent. Teacher Lady smiled indulgently and collected her drawing anyway.
It was recess and Hermione went to the place she always went during recess. The little tree planted in the grass between the tires and the swings, and she sat staring at the woods for five minutes, before she was interrupted.
"Hi, Herminny!" It was a four-year-old blonde girl named Avery. Avery sat down next to Hermione under the little tree and smiled at her. "I'm Avery!"
Hermione tried to smile at her, but she just couldn't.
"I'm Alyssa."
But she came home with tear-filled eyes,
And she said to me "Daddy, Alyssa lies"
"No, you're name is Her-MY-o-nee." Avery stated, pronouncing her name very slowly, scrunching up her little face with the effort to get it right. She grinned and poked her new friend in the arm teasingly, and Hermione winced more than the action called for. "You don't have to lie to me, Hermione."
"Children! Come inside, we're going swimming!" Teacher Lady called. Avery jumped up with an excited squeal, but Hermione's eyes were wide.
Oh no…Well I just brushed it off at first,
'Cause I didn't know how much my little girl had been hurt
Or the things she had seen.
I wasn't ready when I said, "You can tell me"
The pool was in another building, so the children gathered their swimming gear and marched in single file lines to the Natatorium.
They divided themselves by gender (though they didn't quite know why) and changed into their swimsuits, then ran barefoot on the slippery tile to perform sloppy cannonballs into the shallow end. Hermione tiptoed out of the girl's bathroom last, stepped into the pool cautiously and sat on the scratchy steps while the others splashed around her. For the entire hour they were at the Natatorium, she didn't move or make a sound, let alone join the other children.
The teachers just assumed she was shy.
And she said...
"Alyssa lies to the classroom,
Alyssa lies everyday at school,
Alyssa lies to the teachers
As she tries to cover every bruise"
When the hour was up, the children evacuated the pool, but Hermione was not fast enough.
"Hermione! You're skin's all purple!" Avery practically yelled, aghast, and instantly there were three Teacher Ladies squatting around Hermione inspecting her bruised arms and legs and the ten purplish dots that ringed her throat.
"No! No no NO! I'm cl-clumsy is all! And I-I-I tripped!" Hermione practically screamed, pulling back and trying to cover herself, but to no avail. The damage was done.
My little girl laid her head down that night to go to sleep.
As I stepped out the room, I heard her say a prayer so soft and sweet
"God bless my mom and my Dad
And my new friend, Alyssa
Oh I know she needs you bad
It was five o'clock at last, and the parents came to pick their kids up. Hermione slipped out without the teachers seeing her father, and they were off in the huge black sedan. Her hands folded meekly in her lap, her head bowed in contemplation.
Some of you might understand the courage it took for her to say, "Daddy, we-we went swimming today…"
The brakes screeched and the car came to an immediate halt. Hermione's head bashed into the passenger seat before her. Regaining his normally unflappable calm, her father restarted the engine and continued driving to their house, where he took her hand gently and led her into the house, her head spinning and her tears rolling freely down her face.
She knew exactly what would happen to her.
Because Alyssa lies to the classroom,
Alyssa lies everyday at school,
Alyssa lies to the teachers
As she tries to cover every bruise"
That night, a neighboring family called the police and asked them to stop by the Granger's residence because of the screams erupting from the house.
Mr. Granger opened the door with a politely curious face. "Hello, officers. How may I help you?"
"The neighbors reported hearing screams coming from this address."
Mr. Granger was ready with an indisputable answer. "Oh, we were just watching a scary movie. Little Hermione doesn't seem to like horror films."
'Little Hermione' came to stand next to her father, her large eyes filled with tears, silently pleading with the nice policemen to take her away from this place. Her father noticed the men staring at her, trying to decipher her expression, and glanced down. Instantly her face was a mask of smiling, five-year-old innocence. When he looked away, she began silently begging again.
Sad to say, this sufficiently convinced the officers that they were seeing things, and left Mr. Granger and his lovely daughter to their business.
A single tear rolled down the little girl's cheek as the door closed on her last chance at life.
I had the worst night of sleep in years
As I tried to think of a way to calm her fears
I knew exactly what I had to do I knew exactly what I had to do
But when we got to school on Monday I heard the news
Sunday morning, Mr. Granger called the primary school to inform the faculty that graceful little Hermione had fallen out of a tree the day before and broken her neck.
She would not be returning to school.
Ever.
My little girl asked me why everybody looked so sad
The lump in my throat grew bigger
With every question that she asked.
Until I felt the tears run down my face
And I told her that Alyssa wouldn't be at school today
Hermione's spirit, gleaming in her innocence, sat upon a cloud in front of the gates of Heaven and smiled down at her primary school classmates, teachers, and her only friend.
Avery was tugging at her father's sleeve asking endless questions, her small face a mask of confusion and sadness.
'Cause she doesn't lie in the classroom
She doesn't lie anymore at school
Alyssa lies with Jesus
Because there's nothin' anyone would do
Later that night, little Hermione visited Avery's bedroom, tucked a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear, and whispered to her only friend, "I'm sorry I lied, but I'm happy now, and you don't have to worry anymore. I love you…"
Tears filled my eyes when my little girl asked me why
Alyssa lies
Oh Daddy, oh Daddy tell me why
Alyssa lies
Please tell me what you think! I could really use the constructive criticism!