Hermione's Special Bookmark
Disclaimer: I do not own the amazing world that is Harry Potter.
Warning: Randomness up ahead!
Hermione Granger's father had taught her how to read at age three. Therefore, by the time she was five, she was already losing herself in mini-chapter books for third graders.
It was because of that very reason every child on the block thought she was crazy, and every teacher in the community thought she was a tiny genius. (They we're right, too.)
One day in kindergarten, her teacher Miss Anders noticed her sitting at the table, all alone, reading while all the other kids played house in the toy area.
"Hermione," irked the young teacher kindly. "Do you want to go play with the other children?"
The aspiring nerd shook her frizzy head.
"No thank you, Miss Anders." She replied politely. "I'm right at the climax!"
Miss Anders raised a thin eyebrow.
"Climax?"
"My daddy says it means 'the best part of the story'."
"Oh, really?" She smiled. "You seem to like big words."
The someday-Gryffindor-War-Heroine nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes, yes! Daddy even gave me a dictionary so I learn more words! I already learned lots of neat words like 'mystifying' and 'curiosity'!"
Miss Anders blinked. A five-year-old with a dictionary? Not something you see everyday.
"You certainly seem like quite the bookworm, my dear." She told her.
"Bookworm? I haven't read about that word in my dictionary, yet."
"It means 'someone who likes to read a lot'." The educator supplied.
"Oh, yes! I love reading very much! I'm an enormous bookworm!"
How very true that was.
Miss Anders thought for a moment, then walked over to her desk, opened it up, and pulled out what appeared to be a thin strip of bright orange paper.
"Here you go, darling." She said, handing it to her.
"Now you have a bookmark for when you read; it's for marking your place."
"Thank you, Miss Anders!" Hermione gushed as she observed it; it had a picture of a tiger (the school's mascot was a tiger) and their football team name, The Raging Tigers on it.
"This is just what I need!"
Hermione was very proud of her "Special bookmark". She showed it to all of her classmates with a big grin. They thought it was just a silly piece of paper! It was not! They didn't understand, though. None of them had a bookmark! It was so great; Hermione wished they could see that.
"Ron! Hurry up, we're going to be late!"
"Coming, mum." muttered five-year-old Ron Weasley bitterly.
Ron's big brother, Charlie, was participating in some stupid muggle-sports game called "football". Ron didn't see why he was so excited, it seemed boring, especially compared to Quidditch. Ron's own bedroom was totally painted bright orange after his favourite team, the Chudley Cannons.
Nor, did Ron understand why they had to drag the whole family to cheer him on; Ron really didn't want to go.
"Come on, sleepy head!" Yelled Ron's little sister, Ginny, in his ear, making Ron fall right out of bed. "We have to go cheer for Team Charlie!"
"Gin." Ron's other older brother, Fred, replied smiling.
"The name of the team is the Raging Tigers." Ginny's eyes widened at the name.
"The Raging Tigers! That's scary! I think it should be called Team Charlie."
Laughing, Fred disappeared from the doorway.
Ron really didn't like football.
First off, not only was it an incredibly dull sport, it was also freezing out. Now, Ron would have braved the cold any day for Quidditch, but football? No. Way.
Next to him, Ginny got up onto her seat and screamed "GO TEAM CHARLIE!"
People stared.
Charlie scored a goal.
"WOO! TEAM CHARLIE IS WINNING! MY BROTHER CHARLIE SCORED THE GOAL! HE HAS A TEAM NAMED AFTER HIM! IT'S TEAM CHARLIE!"
In a seat about two rows away, a boy about Ron's age with black hair and glasses turned around and yelled over the crowd,
"IT'S NOT TEAM CHARLIE! IT'S THE RAGING TIGERS!"
"I DON'T CARE! I CALL IT TEAM CHARLIE!"
"RAGING TIGERS!"
"TEAM CHARLIE!"
"RAGING TIGERS!"
"TEAM CHARLIE!"
"RAGING-"
"GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!"
Charlie's team had scored again.
Harry and Ginny, who had both been cheering for the same team, (whether the team name be The Raging Tigers or Team Charlie), both got up and screamed,
"GO TEAM!"
Ron smacked his forehead with his palm.
"Mum, can I get out of here? I have a headache."
"Sure, honey. Just don't go further than the playground."
"Okay, mum." replied Ron.
Ron was walking through the park, kicking at stones as he went. At first he thought he was alone, and then he noticed a girl sitting under a tree, her face covered with a book.
"Hello," he said, breaking the silence.
The girl stiffened, as if she just realized he was there.
"Hello," She replied, tearing her attention away from the page. Her eyes were much older than her face, and were a bright honey color. She looked very smart, Ron didn't know why, but he could just tell she was smart.
"How old are you?" He blurted, although she bared the appearance of a child.
"Five." She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"You're reading." He pointed to her book. "I don't know a lot of five-year-olds who can read."
"Neither do I," She told him, beaming.
"But daddy says that's a good thing!" She went on to excitedly tell him all about the dictionary he got her, and her "special bookmark".
Ron shifted awkwardly. He wished he could tell her all about the cool toy his parents had gotten for him. But he couldn't, because all the stuff he owned had not been given to him as a "special" gift, but as a hand-me-down.
When she finally asked him if he owned anything special and Ron didn't respond, her forehead scrunched together.
"Don't you have any belonging you're proud of?" She asked him with concern.
"Not really." He admitted. "All my stuff was once my brothers'."
Hermione looked at him up and down. His clothes were much too big on him, and they were worn. His shoes also looked like they had been worn several times; they were full of holes.
Suddenly she knew what she should do.
"Here," She said, handing him the bookmark.
"Now you have your very own special bookmark, I bet none of your brothers have one of those."
"They don't!" exclaimed Ron, grinning from ear to ear.
"Wow, this is great! Thank you!" Rather hesitantly, he walked over and hugged her.
"Hey," he said when he pulled away, his face a little pink.
"What's your name?"
Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but she was cut off.
"Ron, Ron!" called Ginny, jumping up and down.
"Mum sent me to get you! The game's over-Team Charlie won!"
From out in the distance, a boy's voice yelled,
"The Raging Tigers!"
"Whatever!"
Later that day, Ron showed his new special bookmark to Ginny.
"It's okay." She said. "But they got the team name wrong! Percy!"
"What?" Percy Weasley's head popped in the door.
"Can you X out The Raging Tigers and put Team Charlie?"
"Sure, Gin." Percy laughed, grabbed a quill and re-wrote Team Charlie on the bookmark.
Eleven Years Later
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were talking in Ron's room when Harry noticed Ron's special bookmark sitting on the dresser.
"The team name is not Team Charlie!" He exclaimed, exasperated.
"It's The Raging Tigers!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Is not!"
Ron rolled his eyes, and Hermione just looked confused.
THE END!
Read and Review! Which team are you, Team Charlie, or Team The Raging Tigers?