Chapter 1

It's a funny world we live in. My whole life I had always thought I would grow up to be a lawyer or doctor or writer. Or maybe even a detective. My father always told me from the moment I started to walk I was always picking things up and trying to figure out what they were, or where they came from. I never thought I would become a witch. I mean, I had never believed in witches in the first place. I had read loads of books on them, grown up watching movies like the Wizard of Oz and The Witches, but they had always been something from fairy tales and stories. They were just as real as unicorns and or werewolves in my mind. Ludicrous fantasies made for children who were ignorant about the world. I am a very practical child, you see. The moment I could read I was absorbing everything I could get my hands on. Books became my whole life. I figured out pretty early the Easter Bunny was actually my parents. When I entered primary school people automatically designated me as the school know–it-all and I was left alone mostly. I didn't mind though. I had whole worlds filled with people and characters that were frankly much nicer then the people at school. I did become friends with one boy, named Richard, who was a few years older then me. During lunch while all the other children were playing he would come sit next to me and ask me what I was reading.

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." I'd say or " To Kill A Mockingbird."

Richard would smile at me. "I haven't heard of either."

This appalled me, of course. What person in their right mind hasn't heard of Mark Twain, or Harper Lee? But then I remembered I wasn't like most nine year olds, but Richard was ten-almost-eleven. Maybe ten year olds didn't read classic literature either. Richard didn't seem to mind my broad reading level though. Everyday he would come sit next to me. Sometimes I would read aloud to him, sometimes he would bring his own books, with weird titles I had never heard of before. Once, I could have sworn the picture on the cover of one of his books had moved. I just shook my head and ignored it; I thought my mind was just playing tricks on me. We would just sit together and read, not saying a word. I laughed enjoying the all the girls at school would make fun of me because the only person I hanged out with was a boy. I told them all to stuff it.

One day, Richard and I were sitting and reading quietly, and I wondered something. Why was Richard choosing to be with me, anyway? He never played with the other boys, who would run around playing football or chasing girls with lizards they found in the water fountain near the lavatory.

"Richard?" I asked, putting down my book.

"What?" He replied.

"Well, I was just wondering… Of all the things you could be doing during lunch…why do you choose to spend it with me?"

He thought for a second, putting his comic on the dusty ground. I noticed it was titled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. He looked at me with bright brown eyes and he smiled.

"I don't know Hermione," He said. "There's just something magical about you."

For some reason that made me feel pretty good about myself.

I was sad when the school year finished; I wouldn't be seeing Richard anymore. He told me he had been accepted to a special school in Scotland, and that he probably wouldn't be back for a while. I was happy for him of course. I hugged him goodbye on the last day of school and as my parents came to pick me up, I realized I might never see Richard again. As I watched him from the rear mirror of our car, and suddenly, I felt a something I hadn't felt in a long time. It swelled through me and, and my throat tightened to where it hurt to swallow. I had never felt this feeling so strongly before. Loneliness… I hadn't felt lonely since I had met Richard. I used to tell myself that I didn't need a friend that that was what books were for but maybe I did. I tried my best to hold in my tears. But slowly the tears began to roll down my face and as that happened, the sky, which had been previously sunny and the sky had been bright and clear, began to grow dark and big gray clouds slid in from out of nowhere. It began to rain.

"That's strange." My mother said from the back seat.

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