"Hey bushy!"
Hermione rolled her eyes and held her head up high as she heard the familiar voice of Billy Pearsons. Would he never quit? It's the last day of school. Can't he leave me alone? She thought to herself.
Billy was soon joined by some of his friends. Hermione didn't know all of their names, she preferred not to think about them if she could help it.
"Hey Bucktooth! Read any good books lately?"
This voice she recognized as Sean Philips'. They lived fairly close to each other and they had been friends when they were younger, but when 6th grade started he had realized that it was "uncool" to hang out with a girl. Especially if that girl had large front teeth, bushy brown hair, and was named Hermione Granger.
Hermione usually ignored them (which consequently only goaded them on), but today she decided to stand up for herself. She turned around and saw Billy jumping up down, pushing his front teeth out. She gave him a disgusted look.
"Hey Granger, know what I am?" Billy asked, still demonstrating his dreadful impersonating skills.
" Yeah, I know what you are." She replied. " You're a bully! And a bully is just 'A person who is habitually cruel to small or weaker people. They are usually very insecure about their place in life.'" She had found that definition in one of her Psychology books.
Billy, Sean, and the rest of the boys burst into hysterical laughter. Billy started imitating her again. Hermione gave him a death glare, and somehow a book hurled directly at his head. Oh no! She thought, not again! The same thing had happened a few weeks ago and she supposed that she had unconsciously picked up a book and threw it at him, but this time she wasn't holding any books, they were all in her bag. The boys stared in horror at her, and then turned to help their friend regain his balance. Hermione turned on her heels and ran the rest of the way home with tears glistening in her eyes. Why did that have to happen today? She was glad it was summer break. Now she could have more time to read and study things that she didn't have time for during school. And when summer break was over, her parents were going to send her to the Oxford Prepatory school where there would be kids just like her, or so she thought.
She finally reached her house. Her house was very quaint and beautiful. The house was white with light blue shutters and trimming. There were some flowers in front of the house, and rose bushes along the side. Her house was set a little ways from the road and had a white picket fence around it. Hermione had never understood why they had to have a fence. There were no dogs in the neighborhood, and the boys at school would never dream of actually coming to her house to torture her, so she did not need pretection from them. Still, her parents insisted on keeping the fence and humiliating themselves every spring trying to white wash it. Her parents were dentists and not very outdoorsy people. She usually got stuck with most of the yard work, but she didn't mind. She like trying out her theory that if you study something enough, you will be able to do it. Her theory was right about most things, but for the life of her she just couldn't master cooking. It did not matter how many cookbooks she read, she simply could not make anything above the level of burnt toast. Her parents had finally banned her from using any of the cooking instruments in the kitchen.
She walked through the front door and put her book bag in a corner by the archway to the living room, just as she did every afternoon. She walked down the hallway to the stairs, looked in her parents bedroom located right beside the stair case, said hello to them, and proceeded to her bedroom.
Her room was the 2nd on the right, just after the picture of her parents riding an elephant, and her reading on the side of circus ring, apparently oblivious that there was a monkey sitting on her shoulder. Now, if you were a stranger, and did not know Hermione, you would walk into her room and think that you had heard the directions wrong and accidently stumbled upon the family library. There are 3 enormous book shelves, 2 smaller book shelves, books in piles on the floor along the 3 enormous book shelves, books lying willy-nilly all over the floor, and more books on her dresser, her window sill, and a decent collection of books under her bed. Any normal person would get rid of these books after reading them through once, because why on earth would they want to read them again? But not Hermione. She kept every single book that she had bought since she was 3. She always wanted to be prepared for when she had to research something.
Her room was not filled with just books of course. There were 2 work tables littered with small gadgets, and various inventions that she had come up with over the years. Also there was a computer and a television. She did not use the television much. When it was on, it would be turned to the news, the geographic channel, or the discovery channel.
As she walked in she picked up a book about Silver-backed African Gorillas, flopped down on her bed, and started reading. She soon realized that she was far too excited to read. I can't believe I'm actually out of that blasted school! It has been a complete night mare, and now I am free!. She continued to think about her freedom and about the day when she would leave her parents and attend the Oxford Prepatory School until she was interupted by a knock on her door.
" Come in." She called. It was her mother.
" Hello dear, did you have a good day at school? Was everyone nice today?"
" Yes, everything was fine." Hermione answered coolly. She had never revealed to her parents that her days spent at school had been agonizing. She did not want her parents to talk to the principal or any of her teachers because she knew that would have just made it worse.
" Well," her mother continued, " I just came up to give you this letter I found in the mail. It was odd. It didn't come with the regular mail, and there's no stamp or return address." She held it up and examined it, flipping it back and forth in her hands with a confused look on her face. Hermione wondered why her mother was so fascinated by it. It was just a letter after all.
" Thanks mum." Said Hermione as she reached out to take the letter.
" Your welcome hunnie. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. We're having chicken and peas. Come down when you're ready alright?"
" Yes mum." What else was she supposed to say?
Her mother walked out of the room, and Hermione gazed at the strange letter she held in her hands. It was rather peculiar. The envelope was made from heavy parchment and by the thickness of its contents, she judged that the letter inside was made from the same material. She looked at the strange seal on it. There was a badger, a lion, a snake, and a raven surrounding a large H. She looked curiously at this because she had though that by its formal-looking appearance it was from Oxford prep, but this was not a seal that she was familiar with. She flipped the envelope over to the back and saw her address in strange green lettering.
Miss Hermione Granger
226 Leisure Ave
2nd door on the right, England
No wonder mum had been examining it so closely. She stared at it for awhile, but her curiosity got the better of her and ripped it opened to fill her mind with its contents.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Miss Granger,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,Deputy Headmistress
They await my owl? Witchcraft? Wizardry? Mugwump? What does it mean? Is this a prank? I'm not a witch. There's no such thing as magic! I can't be a witch. What about Oxford Prep? I'm not a witch, I'm not witch…. It was just a book…. Coming from nowhere. I didn't do that. I couldn't have... could I?