To Gain You Have to Lose

Chapter 1: Stupid Little Girl

Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or settings. They all belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling.

Also, this does take place after DH but the epilogue never happened after the war she and Ron split up. That may help in the reading.

A stupid, little girl?!

What audacity her parents had, calling Hermione Granger a stupid, little girl!

Have they lost their damn minds! She thought bitterly.

Flashback

Hermione sat in the dining room at the Granger house looking through the Daily Prophet for any sign of a new book or even a job opening at a bookstore, only to be taken part time of course as she was now one step away from becoming the first woman minister of magic. A little cough bought her eyes from the paper and towards her father standing in the doorway. He and her mother hated magic ever since they had found out about the war in which she played a major role in but never told her parents. Their patience with her and the magical world was growing thinner and thinner by the day. She knew the day they finally broke was soon to come.

"Yes father," she answered, knowing fully well that he reached his breaking point as she calmly put folded the Daily Prophet and set it on the table giving her parents her full attention.

"I, well we, have decided that its time for you to quit playing magic, as you might call it, or as we do a bunch of nonsense in waving a stick and believing that you see something happening. Then bring yourself back to reality, get a real job, and find a nice, normal man to marry," her father calmly spoke as he tried to contain his rising anger.

Hermione smiled, "What do you mean by pretending about magic and coming back to reality?" She knew that as long as he was going to attempt to remain calm she would keep asking.

"You know EXACTLY what we mean Hermione Jane Granger!" her father all but screamed at her. "We let you go to that school with good intentions for you and you come back with nonsense!"

"Oh yeah? What nonsense would that be?"

"Well let's start, at eleven you come home and tell us about a life-sized chess game and a stone that makes people immortal. At twelve, you tell us about a snake that petrifies and kills people. At thirteen, you decide that you would like us to know that you went back in time and saved a convicted killer and a monstrous bird. Do I really need to continue? Because it didn't end there."

"But all of it happened, I can give you proof of it!"

"Shut up you stupid, little girl!"

End Flashback

Stupid, little girl.

Did they know that she had made 100 percent on all twelve NEWTs in seventh year? Did they understand that she and her two best friends killed a mass murder and his followers? Did they get that at age 21 she was next in line to become Minister of Magic? She was far from a stupid little girl.

Hermione flung herself onto her bed and thought of possible places to move to. Harry and Ginny? No, they were getting ready for Ginny to have her baby. Ron? No, to awkward after the breakup with him plus he was now engaged to Lavender Brown. Fred and George? They had offered her a room above the shop anytime she needed it but then again who knows what they would do to her.

Sighing, Hermione got out of bed and pulled her old school trunk out of the closet. With a flick of her wand, all of her belonging had placed themselves in the trunk. She shrunk the trunk and placed it inside of her purse.

"Well I'm packed and that's all good and well but I just really need to decide where to go. I cannot stay here forever," she said to herself.

Then it hit her. Molly gave her Ginny's her at the Burrow. Molly had been sending her all sorts of hints and invitations that she would love for her to come to the Burrow. Crossing the room to her desk, she grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill that were still left and began to write to Mrs. Weasley.

Mrs. Weasley,

I was thinking about the offer that you gave to live in Ginny's old room. After a rather large fight with my parents, I need a place to stay. If you would not mind the company, I will do anything you need me to. Please send me a reply as soon as you can.

Hermione

She sent the letter with a golden brown owl that Harry bought her for her nineteenth birthday and only had to wait 15 minutes for the owl to come back with a reply.

Hermione,

Dear, we would love for you to stay at with us you may come as soon as you're ready. We will be waiting.

Molly

Hermione took that as her cue and ran downstairs to find her parents in the kitchen making lunch for themselves. They both turned when she walked into the kitchen.

"Just in case the two of you would like to know I'm moving to my, how did you put it, pretend world. Don't worry about trying to contact me. I'm no longer considering myself your daughter. Good bye," she turned and walked out of the room before she let her parents had a chance to speak. She walked back up the stairs, made one final sweep of the room. She told her owl to fly to the Burrow and then she grabbed her purse and wand then with a pop she landed in the kitchen of the Burrow in front of someone she didn't recognize. But from the look of the red hair she knew it was a Weasley boy.

A/N: So it was boring and a little longer than I expected. I hope to update this week. Reviews are wonderful. Just please no flames. Have a Happy New Year.

Elliff