Hermione's Story by Rachlan
Summary: A look at Hermione's POV of the books, starting with the day she gets her Hogwarts letter. Written in a 'Dear Diary' format.
Rating: K+
Pairings: later on in the story-- slight HG/VK, HG/?
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters in them. That privilege belongs to JK Rowling. No infringement is intended.
A/n: I usually don't write about Hermione but I think that her and I are pretty similar, so I decided to try my hand at writing from her point of view. Hope it's close-ish to canon. I'm getting some help and hints from the HP Lexicon: #family. This plot bunny hit me New Year's Eve, so Happy 2009 everyone.
Part 1: Beginnings
Hermione Jean Granger was a normal, happy, carefree child. Life for her was good, if a bit boring. Her life was completely and utterly lame; that is, until her 11th birthday.
19 Sept 1990, Wed
8:24 am
Dear Diary,
Today is my eleventh birthday. Mum says that being eleven means being more grown up. I don't feel grown up. Everyone treats me like I'm five and I hate it! I'm such a loser! I hardly have any friends and nobody at school likes me. It's not my fault I like to read and am smarter than all the other kids! It's just the way I am. Daddy says that being smart makes me special. But he doesn't understand because he's a boy. Speaking of boys, did I tell you about Kyan Peters? He's a year older than me but he's so cute. I could just drown in his baby blue eyes. *sigh* He's gorgeous and nice and smart but he'll never notice me. He probably thinks I'm ugly and a geek just like everyone else. Ugh. Sometimes I wish I could just disappear. I have to go now. Mum's yelling at me about something. I'll be back later.
1:56 pm
OH MY GOSH DIARY! YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED! So right after lunch, this owl- and I mean this huge grey and brown bird flies up to me while I'm sitting on the front steps after lunch and lands on the ground next to me and sticks out its leg. I was kind of creeped out because I'd never seen a bird get so close to someone and it had a letter attached to its leg! I couldn't believe it! I was scared to get the letter (what if it pecked me? It's beak looked reallly sharp) but you know how curious I am. I nervously pulled the letter off the bird's leg. My hands were shaking so badly, diary. My heart was beating like a thousand kilometers per hour. It was a really thick envelope, old-fashioned looking. I ran with it into the kitchen and showed it to my mum. I told her an OWL had delivered it (she looked like she didn't believe me but she looked at the letter anyways) and read it aloud. It was like whoever it was from was watching me because it said:
Hermione Granger
Front Step
and then it said my address on it! The back of the letter had this big fancy wax seal that said Hogwarts on it (which I thought was a kinda funny name, I mean, Hog Warts? Gross.) Mum gave the letter back to me and I opened it (after Mum slit it open with the letter opener- I told you she treats me like I'm five) and pulled out three sheets of heavy paper. Mum said it was called parchment. The first sheet was a letter (addressed to me!), the second a list of supplies, and the third was another letter addressed to my parents. I handed the third to my mother and began to eagerly read the first.
And diary, it said that I had been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! I looked at the second piece of paper, thinking it was going to say how this was all a big joke (it wasn't very funny at all, I didn't think), but all that sheet had on it was school supplies. (And not the normal supplies, either. It said I had to get things like robes, a pointed hat, a cauldron, and a WAND! A wand, diary! Like they have in the movies! Did this mean that I was, what, a witch? Weren't they supposed to be ugly and scary with big hairy warts on their noses? If that was what being a witch meant, then I sure wasn't going to go to this school, even if it did sound very interesting.
Mum and I had been sitting at the kitchen table this whole time, you see, and at that point, I put my two pieces of paper- excuse me, parchment- on the table and looked at Mum to see what her letter said. Her eyes were wide with shock and her mouth was hanging open. If the situation hadn't been so serious and confusing, I would have laughed. I asked her what it said. She handed me the letter, and it said,
Dear Mr. And Mrs. Granger,
We are pleased to inform you that your daughter, Hermione Granger, has been accepted into the prestigious Wizarding school, Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. We at Hogwarts understand that prior to this letter, you had no inkling that the world of magic exists. It does, indeed, and believe us when we say that this is no joke. I realize that this is all a bit frightening and unreal and I am sure that you have many questions. If it is convenient for you, I will visit your home at 9 am this coming Saturday. If this is not a convenient time for you, we can set up another appointment on Saturday. Thank you for your time and I will see you in three days' time.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress*
I didn't know who this 'Deputy Headmistress' person was, or what she was like, but I couldn't wait until she arrived! Saturday can't come quickly enough!
22 Sept 1990, Sat
7:30 am
In the three days since the letters got here, I've reread them at least ten times. I totally wanted to ring Susie, my one good friend, but Mum said I probably shouldn't but that we would ask the Headmistress when she got there. For these last days, it's been 'the Headmistress this' and 'the Headmistress that'. "What should we bake for the Deputy Headmistress, Mione? What kind of tea do you think the Deputy Headmistress would like, Mione?" I'm excited for her to come too, but for God's sake, woman. I love my mother, don't get me wrong, but she drives me crazy sometimes. No offense, Mum. (Not that you had ever better be reading these or I will so be peeved at you!!) It's early yet, haven't even had breakfast, but I've been up since six. Is it nine yet?
10:09 am
The Deputy Headmistress, or Professor McGonagall, as she insisted I call her, just left. She seems nice, if a bit strict. When she first got her, she asked to speak to Mum and Dad alone. I was pretty mad, to tell you the truth. This concerned me after all, didn't it? Didn't I deserve to hear what they were talking about? I tried listening at the door, but couldn't hear a thing. After what seemed like forever, they finally opened the parlor door and invited me in. I sat next to Mum on the sofa and waited for the Headmistress' explanations. She told me that there was such a thing as magic and that there was a whole world that Muggles (non-magic people, she explained) didn't know about. She said that I was a witch (and not the bad kind either, she joked) and that I could do magic.
I tried to tell her that she must be mistaken, that I had never done magic in my life, but she interrupted me and asked if I had ever done something unusual, something I couldn't explain. I looked at Mum, scared, because I had never told her about the 'incidents' as I called them. They always happened at school or when I was in my bedroom alone. One time at school, when I was 8, a girl who didn't like me was making fun of me about my hair. I remember wishing she would shut up, and suddenly she did! Do you remember when I told you about that, diary? And then another time, I was in my room sitting on my bed wishing I had a book when suddenly one flew into my hands. I couldn't explain what had happened but I didn't want to think about it because that would make me even more of a weirdo. I think the Deputy Headmistress somehow knew that because she said that being a witch makes me special and that it's really rare to have magic.
After that, she explained more about Hogwarts to us, and told my parents where to go shopping for the supplies, but not to worry because we had almost a whole year before I could start at Hogwarts. I was really, really, really bummed about that, diary, because I want to go learn about magic RIGHT NOW! But to wait a whole year! I could just scream that I missed the start of this school year by less than three weeks. I guess I can wait til next September, but it will be hard. I'm gonna try to talk Mom into going shopping tomorrow so I can get some real magic books.
Oh yeah, and before she left, the Professor told us that we were sworn to absolute secrecy about magic and being a witch and everything like that. She waved her wand and said some words and then explained that we wouldn't be able to say anything about it. She said it wasn't that she didn't trust us, but it was required by what she called the 'Ministry of Magic'. Dad was fascinated by that and would have asked her loads more questions, but she said she had to go because she was a very busy lady, being Deputy Headmistress and all.
I'm going to go ask Mum about shopping tomorrow in London, at this 'Diagon Alley' place. Cross your fingers, diary!
TBC
A/n: Yes, yes, a new story instead of an update on my previous ones. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Plot bunnies keep hopping about in my head and I must let them out! Forgive me, readers. I will work on getting a new 'Miss Potter' chapter out soon! Thanks for reading this new fic! Review please!
*Hermione's parents are getting a letter like this because they are Muggles who would have no concept or idea of the Wizarding world as a whole. As for Harry, in my world, they are assuming that the Dursleys have knowledge of the Wizarding world because of Lily and thus do not send a similar letter.