The Hogwarts Express made its way into the station that was bustling with eager parents, small children, and the overall excitement of the start of summer. Some students departed from the train and scattered towards their waiting families, while others stopped to say goodbye to magical friends and classmates. Promises to visit each other and to stay in contact were whispered amongst these students as the station cleared. All but three students and a large red headed family vacated the room.
"Do promise to owl me at least once a week, even though I know you won't. Just like you don't every year. It's not fair that you two will be together all summer without me. I have to know that I won't be bailing you out of jail or something!"
"You're such a worry-wart, Hermione! We won't do anything too bad." The voice of a certain dark haired boy reassured the girl, hugging her. "See you next year, Hermione." With a wave of hands, the station was deserted, leaving only a train to remember what once was.
Hermione, the worrying girl, promptly left the station to be welcomed home by her boyfriend, Alex. He took her bags after giving her a quick peck on the lips and a warm welcome home. "How have you been, love?" He asked her. He always seemed to be precautious of her as if she was his child.
"I have never been better! I learned so many new things in my po- chemistry class!" Alex looked at her as if she had two heads. Luckily Hermione was able to catch her slip up before she revealed anything. Before Alex could question her about it, she was already in the car and ready to leave.
"So who did you say your friends were? You don't talk much about them." He asked, once the engine started.
"Oh they don't live around here. This is not a school for just anyone."
"I need names, 'Mione."
"Harry and Ron. Happy?" She glared. If there is one thing to know about Hermione, it's that she doesn't like to be pestered. Alex caught on and stopped asking her questions as she looked outside the car window.
Getting home was easy, but unpacking everything and doing what she needed to do was not. Alex helped her bring the trunk inside while Hermione grabbed her other bags. "Alright! Now I just need to do some laundry so shoo!" Hermione motioned with her hands to her boyfriend as he left the house laughing. Alex knew Hermione always got like this when she came home. First she would unpack and do her laundry, then she would do her homework, and finally, she would rest. A small piece of wood caught his attention as he entered the car. It had a delicate carving on the wider end that resembled vines. The wood got smaller and smaller as Alex pinched the wood. Hermione must have left it in his car. Knowing how busy she must be, he decided to keep the wand until he was reunited with his girlfriend, when she was in a better mood. This stick only made him more curious about what his girlfriend was doing at her school.
That's when his cell phone rang. "Hello? Jess?" He only heard the sound of someone really upset, causing him to rush over to her house. "Jess? Open up!" He banged on her door only for it to be opened by Hermione's mother.
"Alex, please come in. We need to have a talk. It's about Hermione." She ushered him in and closed the door quickly in case Hermione for some reason decided to show up. Inside, Alex saw Mr. Granger consoling Jessica, Hermione's best friend, on the couch.
"What's going on? Is she okay?" Alex began to panic. Surely nothing happened between the time he left Hermione and got in the car and she seemed okay to him before he left.
"She's not okay. She hasn't been okay for a while. We hoped that this may just have been some kind of phase for her and that she'll come to her senses. But that doesn't seem like the case. Instead of getting better, she got worse. Her stories of school get more intense as she tells them." Mrs. Granger explained. This caused Alex to panic more. "She is seeing and doing things that are not really there. I'm sure she has told you of her friends Harry and Ron."
"Of course. We were just talking about them in the car. Although, she wouldn't tell me about them." Alex replied without hesitation, just wanting Mrs. Granger to get to the chase.
"They don't exist. I have been searching for years for anyone under the names 'Harry Potter' and 'Ron Weasley' but there is no one that I could find. I even hired a private investigator to search but nothing came up. And that's not the worst of it. She says that she owls these friends. Not once has any of her friends 'owled' her back. She constantly talks about needing things for her 'herbology', 'potions', and 'transfiguration' classes. She even has a 'wand'!"
Alex held up the stick that he has kept in his hand since he found it. "This?"
"Yes dear! That's her 'wand'! We think she has gone off the deep end and needs special attention. She needs someone to help her get the idea that magic is not real into her head."
"So what are you saying, Mrs. G?" Alex did not like where this was going at all.
"Hermione will not be attending school next year as we will be enlisting her in St. Hubb's Mental Institution."