Hello, my darling readers!
I was thinking about Lavender Brown and Hermione Granger, and then I started thinking about Hermione's childhood, and then I read a story prompt about a character trying to start fresh, and them knowing someone whose their from their past, and then POOF- a plot bunny wormed its way into my brain...
...so here it is.
"Sweetheart, you're going to have fun, I promise," Ellen Granger attempted to pry her seven year old daughter off of her. Hermione, her thick, absurdly thick, brown hair puffed around her face, and she clung desperately to her mum.
"Darling, its only the first day of school! There's absolutely nothing to be worried about!" George Granger stood next to his wife, frowning slightly. Standing in the front courtyard of St. Adeleide Academy for Girl's (the premier girl's school in the south Winchester area, and a very good place indeed, especially paid for on a dentist's wages, as Mr. Granger was very happy indeed about) with a hysterically sobbing daughter was not where he wanted to be at 10:00 on a fine morning in early September.
"I don' want to gooooo!" Sobbed Hermione, tugging at her blouse and ignoring the tears streaming out of her big brown eyes.
"Oh, is your daughter having some….parting issues?"
The entirety of the Granger family turned to see a woman in a pristine light pink skirt suite with an immaculately coiffed cropped mane of light brown hair standing beside them. At her side, a girl who looked about Hermione's age giggled rather foolishly and played with a lock of her long, glossy light brown hair.
"Err, yes, I suppose…" Mr. Granger turned rather awkwardly back to his daughter, who had begun to wail loudly.
The woman turned right along with him, not taking the hint at all, in Mr. Granger's mind. "Hmm. My Lavender never had those problems- she got in early, you see, so this is her second term. Where've yours been in school?"
"In school? I beg your pardon... This is year 1!" Mrs. Granger detached herself from her daughter and turned to look rather bemusedly at the other woman.
"Oh." The woman paused, and gave the Granger's a rather patronizing look. "Well, I can understand if a child has….special needs-" She looked meaningfully at the sobbing girl clinging to Mrs. Granger, "- It would be the best option, in which case you should speak to Ms. Larker, the Headmistress about special care options."
"Our daughter- special needs- I beg your pardon, Mrs-?" Mrs. Granger crossed her arms furiously.
"That's Brown, by the way. And please, do not think I was insulting your daughter. I'm sure she's….." Mrs. Brown cast a disapproving look at Hermione, whose hair had frizzed up more than usual, puffing out of it's long ponytail, causing the ratty brown hairband to strain. Her face was scrunched up and red from cyring, and her neat little blouse and skirt were both tearstained. Mr. and Mrs. Granger had decided not to go for new shoes to, especially considering thetuition at St. Adeleid's, assuming only that her old pink and blue trainers would work fine. Under the peircing gaze of Mrs. Brown, however, Mrs. Granger was starting to wish that she'd forgone her monthly hair cut, and gotten new shoes for Hermione. "-I'm sure she's lovely," finished Mrs. Brown, smirking just slightly.
"Mummy, we need to go. I'm reading aloud for the year 7's very shortly." The little girl, Lavender, smiled angelically.
"So you do, Lavvy darling. So you do…." Mrs. Brown smirked smugly at the Grangers, before saying. "My Lavender learned to read as a two-year-old. I understand that children can't generally do that, so I'm careful to make sure that she doesn't brag. Not that she does, anyway. "
"I can read, too." Hermione had brushed the tears out of her face, and was glaring at Lavender.
"Can-you-sweetheart?" Asked Mrs. Brown patronizingly, very slowly and clearly too, as if Hermione was hard of hearing.
"Yes. I read Pride and Prejudice last week. And I can hear fine, Missus. There's no need to talk to me that way. And stop infantilizing me, too." Hermione glared up at Mrs. Brown, from her grand, total height of four feet.
"My Hermione learned to think for herself when she was born. I understand that children can't generally do that," quipped Mrs. Granger, returning Mrs. Brown's smug look with one of her own.
"Well-Well-" Mrs. Brown swept Lavender around, turned to glare at the Granger's, and flounced away.
"Now, my darling girl, shall we go see about the school?" Mr. Granger smiled, taking his daughter by the hand.
"Ok, daddy," Said Hermione cheerfully, skipping along, all of her tears forgotten.
Mrs. Granger followed, smiling, although she felt slightly nervous about sending her daughter to school with that Lavender Brown girl. She'd seemed a right pest. And after that nasty experience at St. Alabansburry Primary. . . Mrs. Granger shook her head to clear away pessimistic thoughts. The incident with the supposed 'flying, stabbing' pencils was obviously a made up story, a spiteful tale made up by the girls that bullied her Hermione. But all the same, a new beginning was just what they all needed.
So, Lavender Brown or no Lavender Brown, St. Adeleid's would be perfect.
After all, they needed it to be, for Hermione.
Aloha, my dears.
I'll try to update in the next week- we are looking at about 5 chapter, really. Not much, and spanning a few years.
Whad'ja think?
If you hated it, loved it, didn't get it, thought it was a waste of your time...
Lemme know in a... [...drumroll please...] ... REVIEW!
They are LOVE, people.
And you all love, me, right? :D
Until next time,
Lady G
