A/N: This is my first fanfiction so please read and review! I am a big fan of Dramione so this will eventually lead there, but I've always been fascinated with Theo and Hermione friendship stories. Let me know if the dialog is too stuffy! I've never been much of a writer but I spend all of my time on FF so I decided to try it out. This is an AU, and I hope you like it!

To Be Yourself

Chapter 1: A Strange New Friend

Hermione Granger believed that everyone who said that leaving the place you grew up in is easy was lying. To say that she was nervous to leave her parents and the world she knew for the first time is an understatement. At the same time, however; she was elated to know the reason behind her weirdness. When the stranger who showed up on her porch telling Hermione that she knew about her being different, Hermione first felt unnerved. Were that going to take her away? Did they want to experiment on her for being able to move objects with only her mind? But then the lady, who was named Minerva McGonagall, pulled out a wand and showed Hermione that she was just like her. McGonagall reassured her that no one wanted to experiment on her, but simply extend an invitation to learn the magic she was capable of.

Hermione's parents, Jean and Richard Granger, felt both relieved and weary to hear the news about their daughter magic. On one hand it explained many of the strange occurrences that have happened since Hermione was a toddler. However, to send her to boarding school eight months out of the year when she had never gone away from home longer than a week was nerve racking to them. They quickly changed their tune when they saw their daughters face light up at the thought of being able to do magic and learn new skills. They also chuckled under their breath when Hermione asked immediately for books on this new magical world. When Minerva gave their daughter a large book titled Hogwarts: A History, they knew the right thing to do was to give their daughter a chance to grow into her unique abilities.

Minerva left shortly after the Granger family made their decision to send Hermione to Hogwarts. They all had similar worries about Hermione jumping straight into a world she knew absolutely nothing about. But Hermione reassured them that there will be other kids just like her, so maybe she would be able to finally fit in and make friends for the first time. Minerva had promised Hermione to take her to a place called Diagon Alley where she can find everything she needs to start her life in the Magical World.

The week following the strange visit flew by for Hermione. She spent almost every second reading her new favorite book Hogwarts: A History. She read it front to back two times in the span of the first week. She was fascinated to read about subjects she would learn about in school, such as Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Arithmancy and many more. She learned about the four different houses of Hogwarts: the brave and daring Gryffindors, the loyal and fair Hufflepuffs, the intelligent and witty Ravenclaws, and the cunning and ambitious Slytherins. While she saw values of all four houses in herself, she wished that she would find her home in either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor.

Saturday approached and Hermione was ready to go to Diagon Alley with Minerva by 9:00 am, even though they were not leaving until noon. She paced her room up and down hoping to settle her nerves about being around other magical humans for the first time. When Minerva came, her nerves finally settled into excitement. They were able to access Diagon Alley from what Minerva called Muggle London. The first thing she noticed was that she was near a pub called the Leaky Cauldron. While Hermione wanted to immediately go to the bookstore, Flourish and Blotts, Minerva pulled her away from the store.

"You'll have plenty of time in there later dear, but for now we must find you your want." At the thought of having her own arm, a possession that will allow her to finally control her magic, she squealed and hurriedly walked with Minerva.

They walked into a shop called Ollivanders, where Hermione immediately noticed the small store was filled to the brim of narrow boxes. "Well hello there dearie, my name is Ollivander and I am here to help you find your wand." A older gentleman told her as she quickly shut the lid of the box she was peaking in. "Can"t I just pick out any wand?" Hermione asked.

"The wonderful thing about wands is that the wand chooses the witch or wizard. Your own magical core will be compatible to specific wand cores, allowing for the best possible combination for your magic to develop. We will try out several wands until we find the right one; and trust me dear you will know when you find 'the one'." He smiled gently at Hermione's enthusiasm about getting started.

After trying about 15 different wands, Hermione finally felt a connection with a wand that produced beautiful sparks out of the tip. "Ah, a 10 ¾ vine wood and dragon heartstring wand. A fine choice that suits you very well. You will be doing great things my dearie." Hermione clutched her wand in her hand knowing it was made for her. She paid with some Galleons that Minerva had helped her exchange from Muggle cash and thanked the nice gentleman before leaving the store.

Minerva dragged her to Madam Malkin's to pick up her school uniforms and a couple other Wizard Robes so she didn't just have Muggle clothing. They stopped briefly at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour to grab a treat before they head to do the bulk of their shopping at Flourish and Blotts.

When they finally entered the bookstore, Hermione immediately fell in love. She had never seen so many books before. Not only that, but every book was new to her. Minerva leaned over and said "Go on Hermione, I'll be over in the Transfiguration section reading. Come and get me when you are ready to leave. Take as long as you need, and have fun!" Hermione thanked the professor and walked away. She stroked the covers of the books on the shelves as she walked by. She slowly started to accumulate a pile of books, both for classes and for pleasure.

She was in the far corner looking at the Potions books when she accidently ran into someone she couldn't see over her tall stack of books. Her books went flying and she fell flat on her bum.

"I'm so sorry! Clumsy me. I should really be more careful," she exclaimed at the person she bumped into without looking at them in the face.

She immediately was crawling on the ground groaning as she picked up all of the books that fell. "It's alright, it happens to everyone," she heard a boy say. She looked up and noticed a boy about her age on the ground helping her pick up her books. He had fluffy brown hair, and deep blue eyes. He had a couple freckles on his nose, and she noticed he was pretty scrawny.

"Thanks for helping me, even though I bumped into you. I'm Hermione. Hermione Granger."

She said as the boy stood back up and handed her the books he collected. "It's not a problem. I'm Theodore Nott, but people mostly call me Theo. I haven't heard of your name before, are you new?" She looked down at her folded hands, "Well technically I am. I just found out I am a witch. Both my parents are muggles and today is my first day in the magically world." He gave her an odd look, and just as she was starting to leave he grabbed her wrist. "No, stay," he said, "I've just never met a mud… muggleborn before. Can you tell me more about where you come from?"

The two sat down in the store and started talking about everything they could think of. She told him of her Dentist parents, which she had to explain that they tend to peoples' teeth. She told him of her grade school she had gone to up until now, and how she never felt like she truly fit in. She told him she loved sunflowers, the smell of lavender and honey, her favorite color was green. She told him of her excitement and fears of going to a new school far from home. He listened to her intently, and even laughed when she attempted to tell a joke. When she asked him about his life, he grew suddenly quiet.

"Remember how I said I have never talked to a Muggleborn before?" She nodded. "Well that's because I am from a long line of Pureblood wizards. My parents, my father mostly, have been telling me since I can first remember that your kind shouldn't be a part of our world. That you are filth that doesn't deserve to be alive," he paused as he saw her horrified look, "Well when you ran into me I just thought you were another normal witch. You look just like my friends, well, except for the muggle clothes. You didn't look dirty, filthy, or like you were anything but ordinary. I decided that maybe I should learn more about muggles. Maybe I will tell you more about my father one day, but for now you should know that he has been terribly cruel to me growing up. I decided that I need to be my own person and make my own decisions. I would love to be your friend." He smiled at her.

Hermione thought briefly, smiled and said "Theo that would be lovely. I will teach you everything you want to know about the Muggle World, but you must also teach me about the Wizarding World. I know next to nothing, other than what I have already read, and I'm nervous about not fitting in at this school either."

He gave her a brief side hug, "I think you will do just fine. There is one more important thing I need to talk to you about before I go. No one can know about us being friends." He said seriously. Her face fell. Did he not want others to know about them being friends? Is he worried about being associated with so called filth?

Noticing her change in demeanor he quickly added, "It's not that I don't want people to know us being friends Hermione. Specifically, my father. There are a lot of people in Slytherin that still fully believe in blood purity because of there parents. If those kids told their parents about me talking with you and my father finds out, it could potentially be dangerous for you. I wouldn't want him to go after you just for being my friend, no don't give me that look like you don't believe me. My father would hurt you if he found out. He has even hurt me in the past."

His face fell as memories flowed through his head. Hermione immediately sobered up and realized that her new friend just told her that his father abuses him. 'Maybe now is not the time to ask him about this,' she thought. She did agree she would try to get him to open up later on in their friendship. Hopefully he will be comfortable telling her more intimate details.

"Okay," she said. "I understand. We will keep our friendship a secret. Promise me though that we will not keep secrets from each other. If you think I am in danger, please don't sugar coat it."

He gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you, and I promise. Sadly, I think its time for me to go. I came here with my father and I don't want him to come looking for me once he's done with his shopping in Knockturn Alley. That place always creeps me out, so I sneak in here to read. Also, do you mind if I call you Mia?" She shook her head but gave a curious look. "Okay, I will send an owl your way addressing you by that. I just want to make sure my father doesn't find a letter I've written for you and figure out who you are. Don't worry, my owl will find you and wait for you to reply."

She smiled brightly at him. "Thank you Theo. I look forward to hearing from you. Well I will see you in about a month at Hogwarts!" She gave him a quick hug before he walked out of the store. She gathered her books and found Minerva exactly where she said she would be. "Do you have everything you need dear? Or maybe even a bit more than you need?" She chuckled. Hermione laughed. "Yes I have everything I need. Thank you so much for taking me here today."

Later on, Hermione was sitting at home thinking back on her first day in the Magical World, 'Well,' she thought, "Maybe the transition into living a new life will be easier than I thought.' Hermione knew that no matter what happens, she at least has one friend by her side she can talk to, and at that she smiled to herself before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

Hermione woke up to a soft pecking noise at her window. She had never received mail by owl before, but she found it incredible that the bird knew not only where she lived, but also which bedroom was hers. She would have to ask Theo at some point to understand how it works. She looked at the owl who was staring at her. He had soft grey and black feathers and his posture seemed aristocratic. She slowly took the letter from its beak with one hand while slightly scratching his head with her other hand. He nuzzled into her touch and then gave her a look as if he was waiting for her to open the letter then.

She looked at the beautiful script writing on the outside of a letter and noticed it was addressed to Mia. She knew immediately that Theo had sent her a letter just as he promised. She carefully opened to letter and read his writing.

Dear Mia,

I wanted to let you know that I am so happy to have met you the other day in Flourish and Blotts. Thank you for helping opening my eyes to the lies my Father have thrown at me for years. I already know that if I never met with you that day then I never would have talked to a Muggleborn in Hogwarts. Like you, I also have always felt different from the other boys I've grown up with. The only two who have really understood me are Draco and Blaise.

They are my close friends, but they have never been different from others a day in their lives. They've grown up living to their families' expectations. They know about my secret and have helped me hide who I am from my Father. I will tell you some day, but it will take more than one day in a book shop for me to digress my darkest secrets. I just wanted you to understand the real reason why I decided to talk to you. If anyone would understand who I am, and what it means to be different while surrounded by people who are supposedly normal, it would be you.

I look forward to going to our first year of Hogwarts. How do you feel about being around peers while you are almost a year older than everyone else? Do you have any questions about expectations? I don't necessarily know what you would need to know. For me, I have grown up surrounded by magic so I don't know how to explain our customs without specific questions.

By the way, my owls name is Argus. He is very faithful to me and knows to wait for your reply. I know you won't have owl treats to feed him, but he also likes blueberries if you have them. I look forward to your response.

Theo

As she finished the letter she agreed that she would understand being different. She has always known about her ability and knew that she was different. Instead of being in awe of her, any classmates who accidentally witnessed what she could do told her she was a freak. She was ostracized for most of her childhood. She found the one thing that helped her loneliness was books. Fiction books allowed her imagination to run free and thought of herself as a character in the book. Textbooks quenched her thirst for knowledge.

She ran downstairs to grab a few blueberries to feed the owl. She placed them on her desk and allowed Argus to peck at them while she came up with a reply.

Theo,

I understand what it means to be different. I hope eventually you'll be able to feel comfortable around me to be who you are. I look forward to seeing Hogwarts for the first time. I know I won't be able to sit with you on the train but I'm nervous about who I'll meet.

How do I get to the train station? It says to arrive at platform 9 ¾ but I've never seen that at Kings Cross before? Do other students normally know basics of classes? Should I read the textbooks beforehand? There is so much to learn1

Well that is all for now. I look forward to getting another letter from you.

Take care,

Mia

The weeks passed as the two got to know each other better through correspondence. While they never talked about Theo's past, she learned how similar she really was to the dark-haired boy. They both had a thirst for knowledge and always wanted to be prepared. They both loved the fall and preferred to stay in and read then go out and play sports. Theo explained to her his favorite sport, Quidditch, and she couldn't help but feel terrified at the though of being high up on a broom.

She signed her last letter of the summer and sent it off with Argus. This is it, she is finally leaving her home. She finished packing her truck and looked around her room one last time. She declared to herself that she was going to try hard to make some friends so she never felt like she did in Primary school. She grabbed her truck and her wand, and closed her bedroom door for the last time until the holidays.