"Hermione? Honey, will you come down here?"
"Coming, Mum!" came the high pitched voice from upstairs. Hermione raced out of her room and ran down to the living room. It had been raining for weeks, and the six year old had quite a bit of pent up energy. Her mum laughed as Hermione landed on the couch with a flop.
"I have something for you," she said, reaching into her bag from work. She pulled out a small book that was well worn and torn in some places. Hermione scrunched her face in confusion. She got books all the time, what was so special about this one?
"This was my favorite book when I was a little girl," her mom explained, "it's been at my old room in Nan's house for a long time, but I want to give it to you now, okay?"
"But it's yours!" Hermione said, and shook her head. Her mom gestured Hermione forward and the small girl sat on her lap.
"I haven't read this book in years, Mia. I want to give it to you. It's a present, for your good grades last year." She said, and Hermione beamed at her, taking the book carefully before jumping up and bouncing with excitement.
"I'm going to read it now!" she exclaimed, and took off up the stairs with her new book.
A few hours later, Hermione flipped the last few pages of the book, and then set the finished book down. She thought about what she had just read. The main character, Matilda, read books just as much as Hermione did; only her mummy and daddy weren't very nice to her. They sent her to a school with mean teachers, but Matilda got her revenge by making objects fly around the room. At the end, Hermione- oops, Matilda (Hermione thought of herself as the heroine in this story) - lived happily ever after with a very nice teacher, and she only used her powers for little things, like getting books off the shelf.
Hermione hopped down off her bed and looked at the small bookshelf across the room. Maybe she had powers too! Wouldn't it be amazing if she did! Maybe then those kids at school wouldn't make fun of her anymore. Hermione scrunched up her face in concentration, almost comically. She focused on her favorite book and tried to pull it toward her without using her hands. She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut tight with the effort. When she opened them, she gasped to see the book floating in front of her, and she took a step back, making the book hit the floor with a thud.
"Hermione? Is everything alright up there?"
"Yes, Mum!" Hermione called, staring at the book. Very slowly, a grin crept up on her face as she picked the book up off the floor. So she was special! The book moved without her touching it! Hermione let out a giggle and hugged her mother's copy of Matilda. If she had the same powers as the character from the book, that must mean there were other people like her! Hermione smiled all through dinner with her parents, thanking her mum over and over for the book.
Hermione went to bed that night with the thought that there was somewhere she belonged, and she knew that she would find it someday.