I must have been the most distraught person on Earth at that moment. I had just replaced my parents' memories with Wendell and Monica Wilkins' memories. They had just gone off to Australia.

I sat down on my couch, my face in my hands, weeping. I remembered that time before Hogwarts, when I would never have had to do something like this.

FLASHBACK

I sat at my desk at school, staring intently at the teacher. I had a pad of paper out, along with a pen and pencil. I suddenly started to take notes, scribbling furiously.

The teacher handed out tests. I was almost finished. Then…

…Millie Caroga, the bully of our school (who happened to sit right behind me), tapped me on the head with her pencil. She had actually hit me quite hard, and I could feel a bump rising out of my head.

I turned around. "What do you want, Millie?" I asked through my gritted teeth.

"What are the answers for the test?" Millie replied.

"Like I would tell you!" I hissed. I turned my head back to my paper. Millie's face was still near mine, so my hair whipped her face. I faced her again. "You know, that hurt when you hit me on the head."

"Do you think I care? I'm only on Question 2." Millie frowned.

"I will not help you. Now, stop talking! I have to finish the test," I said, and finished the last question.

Our teacher came around and took our papers. The bell rang for recess.

Everyone rushed out, including me. I grabbed a book I had brought from home and sat under a tree. I began reading "The Little White Horse". Millie always sat around where I did, trying to annoy me. Or maybe it was because she had no friends…

But anyway, our teacher came over to where we were and glared angrily at Millie. I started to just pretend to read, while actually looking at the two out of the corner of my eye.

"Miss Caroga, would you please explain to me why exactly you only answered one question on the test this morning?" he asked.

Millie answered, looking pitiful, "It was because Hermione was distracting me, sir! She kept talking to me after she finished the test, and I couldn't concentrate!" Millie smirked at me.

At this point I slammed down the book and glared at Millie. How dare she accuse me of something she did?

"Excuse me, Mr. Gergo, but it was the other way around. You see, she hit me on the head with a pencil, forming a bump. Then she asked me for the answers, and I wouldn't give them to her. So it was really all her-"

"Miss Granger, please be quiet. I do believe that this was not Millie's fault. See, she was the one who wasn't finished, and you tend to be a little chatty," said Mr. Gergo.

I could feel myself steaming up. I was so angry. I never let myself get this mad. It mad bad things happen. But at this moment, right now, I didn't even care.

For no apparent reason at all, Millie started to break out in pimples. After five minutes, the pimples formed the word "LIAR" across her forehead.

"Hermione Jean Granger, to the office this instant!" shouted Mr. Gergo.

"Fine!" I screamed, and took off toward the Front Office. I didn't even realize that I had forgotten my book.

END OF FLASHBACK

The day after that I had gotten my letter. My parents had thought it a joke, a scam. Well, until Professor McGonagall had showed up at our doorstep.

She had explained everything. That I was a witch, that I would go to Hogwarts… I had fallen in love with magic even then. After I had gotten my textbooks and everything, I had started to read every one of them.

I even performed some magic with my wand. Very small, insignificant spells, but they worked. I was overjoyed that I wasn't a freak.

Oh, I wish I had known then that I would have to sacrifice so much.