A/N – The quote in the summary contains lyrics from "In For The Kill" by La Roux.
Being a muggle-born truly does have its advantages, Hermione thought, as she felt the slight jolt shake through the aircraft as the landing gear of the Boeing 777 that she was aboard made a smooth touch-down on the long runway. The sky outside was long dark and she could barely see the lights of the busy airport in the distance as the plane began the long taxi towards the gate.
"Welcome to New York City!" the captain called enthusiastically to the passengers over the airplane's intercom system. "We here at British Airways would like to thank you for flying with us today, and we wish you a safe and happy journey in your travels ahead in the United States." The young witch took a deep, grounding breath and exhaled slowly, closing her eyes and sighing happily at the thought of the brand new start that she was about to begin. Here, in her new home, she would just be Hermione Jean, apprentice of transfiguration, rather than the Hermione Granger, best friend to Harry Potter, assistant in the defeat of Voldemort, brains of the Golden Trio, Order of Merlin first class.
If she was honest with herself, she had never minded the attention before the final battle. Once a lonely and misunderstood child during her muggle schooling, she had found herself to be just as lonesome at the start of her education in the wizarding world. It was the troll that had changed that for her, that and the dramatic appearance of one Harry Potter and one Ron Weasley as they "came to her rescue". Since that fateful day, her life had become a whirlwind of adventure and bravery, all endeavors carried out in the name of maintaining the safety of Harry Potter and protecting the fate of the wizarding world. The friendships she had made as a result of these adventures she treasured dearly, but after the final battle, everything had spiraled out of control.
The front page of the Daily Prophet for weeks after the Battle for Hogwarts contained pictures of the famous Golden Trio, and even once they had been bumped from the front page, every step they took was documented in detail in the Golden Trio Update – a daily column by none other than the vile Rita Skeeter. Hermione had found herself unable to step out of the spotlight, despite her best efforts. She had moved back into her parents' home and disappeared from public eye, and still they had found her at her muggle university. In the end, she had simply had enough, and at her wits end had written to the University for Magical Education (UME) in New York City in a desperate plea for a transfer, with the hopes that she could begin a transfiguration apprenticeship at the school while going by the name of Hermione Jean.
When Mistress Taylor has received her request, she had been all too ecstatic to oblige. She had heard of Hermione's record-breaking N.E.W.T. scores from a colleague in England and knew that it would be a one-of-a-kind opportunity for her to work with an unusually dedicated and remarkably talented apprentice. Mistress Taylor had easily acquiesced to her request to handle her registration with discretion, and as a result, Hermione Jean would begin studying at the UME full time next week. She would remain with the UME under the tutelage of Mistress Taylor for at least the next two years, as she completed her first two levels of mastery in transfiguration. Beyond that, Hermione had yet to decide where her path would take her.
Lost in thought about the new challenges that awaited her, Hermione slipped gracefully into a taxi just missing the driver's question regarding her destination. The woman turned around and snapped her fingers, grabbing the witch's attention before asking where she was headed. Brown eyes met an emerald green that reminded her so much of another's eyes as she clearly stated the address of the university housing that she had chosen. As the cab pulled away into the night, Hermione's chest bubbled with excitement, while in the back of her mind she felt but a single regret - that of having had to leave her brilliant mentor behind.
A/N - Many can attest to the fact that I have a long history of abandoning my writing. I make no promises.
(I know I have been horrible about updating my existing stories, but university has been demanding all of my time and when this popped into my head I could not help but put the start of it to "paper".)