Hogwarts is a dangerous place. Of course, hundreds of untrained and half-trained wizards and witches living together nine consecutive months is bound to cause some accidents, but that's why some of the most competent wizards alive are teachers at such a place. After that there are the new dangers that will be faced in the coming years, but hardly anyone knew Voldemort would return and target Hogwarts directly. That just left the hormones.
Parents know what they are sending their children into. They know the changes that happen in fourth year, and how no student – particularly no female student – leaves unchanged (or is it unscathed?). It is, alas, the price of magic.
For Hermione Granger, the hidden nature of the later years was glimpsed very early – on her first ride aboard the Hogwarts Express. After asking two boys her age – who would later become her closest and in some ways only friends – about another boy's missing toad and repairing a set of glasses, an errant spell tapped in her the back. She never discovered who cast the spell or who it was truly meant for – but she did notice many students suddenly laughing. It took another moment for poor Granger to realize that she was naked in the middle of a crowded train. She put one hand between her legs and another awkwardly across her buttocks and ran to her compartment, which she reached unmolested. She put on a new set of robes from her trunk and resolved to never think of it again.
Around Halloween, in Charms class, her class was learning a levitation charm, which she mastered immediately, much to the chagrin of Ronald Weasley. Just as she was flush in her success at showing the insufferable boy up, Seamus Finnegan attempted the spell himself – and blew poor Granger's skirt right off. She left Charms class in a hurry, giving the prepubescent students a look at her pink panties and hearing the Weasley boy say, "Girl deserved it. Nightmare, she is."
After replacing her skirt, she went to find a bathroom to have a nice, private cry in. At least, that was the plan, but an irritable tug at the skirt, as though the garment were to blame, started her on a different path. She thought about the stirring she felt when class had all turned their eyes on her. Embarrassment, yet, but also … enjoyment? Perhaps it was because it happened as she received praised, and it all got mixed up with liking attention. Still she was old enough to understand more mature impulses. Perhaps …
The night was her first experiment with herself. After the confusing ending, she was a pair of giant, motley grey feet in front of her stall. She pulled up her panties and heard a boy, Harry Potter, yell at her to move. We know how that story goes.
These were the only two "events" of the first year, although the rest passed in a remarkably action-packed way. Hermione had only dipped a toe into the deep waters of Hogwarts' dark side.
Author's Notes: First chapter is a tad short partially because this is just to get the concept out there, but mostly because I don't want to do too much before she's older. Year Three might have a longer post, with Year Four starting the multi-chapter arcs, but I'm playing it by ear so we'll see. Hope you'll enjoy later chapters more than this one – and don't forget to R&R!
