Title: Dear Diary, the Story of a Pre-Witch
Rating: G
Summary: This is a oneshot that was submitted for a fiction challenge at Unspeakable Challenges and won second place. It it a diary entry of Hermonie when she starts to show... unusual... talents in her daily life.
Dear Diary,
(Pre-Hogwarts Years)
Want to know what happened to me today? You won't believe it... but then again... no one else does either. So really... this isn't anything new, I'll just tell it like it happened. So brace yourself.
I was in history class today and, as usual, I knew all the answers to the questions Ms. Smith asked and Elizabeth Irratle didn't. (I've already told you about her) She's prissy...stupid...stubborn... and she's always making fun of my hair. (I don't know why... I rather like it.) ... (Besides... her blonde curls look... fake.) Anyway... I was sitting in the front in my usual spot when Ms. Smith asked us a question about... um... it was something about when people accused of being witches were burned at the stake- can't quite remember now. And, well, of course I knew, but when I raised my hand to answer I heard Elizabeth giggling with her little friends and I politely tried to ignore them. But then someone behind me tugged my hair... hard, and when I whirled round yo look, there was Elizabeth. Sitting nice as you please, innocent as a serpent and smiling at me as she batted those disgustingly long eyelashes. And then she did it again.
This time it hurt so much that I cried out. I was so mad! I turned to glare at her, ignoring Ms. Smith's questions and then I heard a loud POP. Suddenly, Elizabeth's ears were getting longer... and longer... and longer... and they were still growing as the rest of the class gaped in astonishment while Elizabeth frantically tried to stuff her ever-lengthening earlobes back where they belonged. Then she started crying. But I hadn't even touched her! Then everybody else started laughing except for Ms. Smith who nervously dragged Elizabeth forcibly from her chair, all the while Elizabeth was pointing at me with one hand while one earlobe, now past her waist, swung in a rather amusing way about her side. She screamed, "WITCH! HERMONIE GRANGER IS A WITCH!! WITCH!" Her voice was really high-pitched and squeaky and rather reminded me of nails scratching a chalkboard. The others were still laughing... but I wasn't. I didn't understand... and I still don't understand.
Apparently Elizabeth is at Hospital right now with earlobes that drag the floor... but Ms. Smith phoned my parents today and told them what happened... and they talked to me during supper. They weren't really concerned... said it couldn't possibly have been my fault. But that's not what Elizabeth's mum thinks. (I think she wants to sue us.) Mrs. Irratle is nearly as obnoxious as her only daughter... and she insists I must have had something to do with it. But how is that possible? I'll admit... it did feel good to see Elizabeth scream when her ears started to grow. And I found I was only slightly surprised when it actually happened... like I had imagined the whole thing ahead of time and now it was coming true. Was that wrong?
Is something the matter with me? Things like that don't happen... even when 'witches' really were around (sort of) they couldn't do stuff like that. So what does it mean then? Elizabeth seems to think I'm a witch... but I'm not. I didn't make her ears grow... did I? I can't be a witch. There's no such thing as magic... people don't fly on broomsticks. But people don't grow impossibly long earlobes either. So if I'm not a normal girl... then what am I?
FINIS