Her feet ached as she walked, the pebbles crunching beneath her dark running shoes. With every single step she could feel her new shoes rubbing against her heel, causing more blisters. Still, she trudged on, never breaking her perfect rhythym. Her brown hair was tied down by two braids, with a hoodie covering it. Regardless of the overcast sky, due to the past few days of constant walking, she was much more tanned than she had ever been. Delicate freckles speckled her nose, and her usually dark hair was lighter due to the sun. As the hours passed by, she continued walking, stopping only for a small meal of apples and trail mix. Slowly darker clouds filled the sky, and rain began to fall in heavy droplets, soaking her hoodie within minutes. With a light groan, she pulled her hoodie tighter to her, in an attempt to at least block the wind that was howling through the trees on either side of the road.
Finally with a agitated growl, the girl stopped and shook off her backpack, where it flopped to her feet. Wiping wet tendrils of hair off of her face, she knelt down, and unzipped the bag. She stared at it for a moment, contemplating how to go about finding something in the overstuffed; magically charmed bag. With one last look, she finally shoved her hand into the bag, and groped around, searching for the familiar wood of her wand. Just as she was about to pull it out, headlights swept over the road behind her, causing her to immediately close the bag, and heaved it over her shoulders. Blushing with embarrassment, she hissed a mumbled curse.
"I must keep it together. No magic, no potions, and no owls. I can do this. I'm the brightest witch of my age. I must not break down."
And with that, Hermione Granger continued walking slowly, aware of the oncoming vehicle. As it approached it visibly slowed down, and Hermiones heart began to hammer with worry.
Finally she stopped walking, and turned towards the truck, just as it came to a standstill beside her. Frowning, Hermione realized three things. One, that she did not recognize this vehicle at all. Two, that no one she knew of could drive a muggle contraption such as this truck. And three, the person sitting behind the wheel was much too petite to be Ron, Harry or any one who would be trying to follow her.
As rain continued to drench the twenty year old witch, the door of the truck opened from the inside, revealing a small girl who seemed to be slowly righting herself. The mysterious girls hair was colored, and her blue eyes were wide with surprise.
"Excuse me miss, I'm not trying to be rude, or a bother... But would you like a ride? It seems to be incredibly nasty out there, and we seem to be going in the same direction." The girl flashed a quick smile, her dimples evident.
Hermione, dizzy with relief, felt herself smile back hesitantly, before wiping her wet hair off of her face. Pausing to look at the soaked road, a shiver ran over her and she quickly nodded. "It is quite horrid out here. I would love a lift, although I may get your seat wet..."
"It would definitely be warmer for you! And here, I think I have a blanket back here somewhere..." After a moment of digging the rainbow haired girl handed Hermione a heavy comforter, just as she climbed into the truck. "I'm Brandon, by the way- although everyone calls me Brandi! Where are we off to? I'm just headed about two hours north to my house, but I could drop you off anywhere."
"Nice to meet you as well... And as far as you would like to take me. My name is Violet, but you can call me whatever you would like." With that, Hermione turned to look out the window, watching as she left her old life behind her.
