~~ Hello darling. I have decided to make something more... fun, I suppose. This Chapter is not in I.M. form yet. That will not appear until next Chapter, when Hermione finally decides to try the new I.M. Now, just remember, I do not own Harry Potter or anyone else in this story. Also remember that the websites and such are not real, just figments of my imagination. ~~
Children crowed the dining area of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. All dressed in the approved of school uniform for the first day back, but will eventually be discarded as the long year proceeds. The new first years bubbled and bounced about, making new friends and even a few enemies here and there. Their large eyes wide and alert as older years tried to spook them with horrid tails of punishments or happenings that they would (supposedly) run into. Ah, the memories of being young.
Hermione Granger unglued her big brown eyes from a small gossiping group of first years and continued to push the food around on her fancy china plate once more. She wished she could be as excited and happy about the new year as the younger kids. But, alas, no. Hermione was actually unhappy about being back at her beloved school (for once in her life). It wasn't that she didn't like being here and seeing all her friends again. It was just… it was boring! This school never seemed to change. Yes, at first it was fun, getting to be all "old fashioned" with quill pens and dusty old handwritten books, but now that she had been around technology all summer… It just didn't seem like much fun anymore.
The muggle world where Hermione had spent her summer with her family and friends from years before she'd been here (or even knew about the magical world) had been extremely populated with technologies. Cell phones, laptop computers, flat-screen television… all the stuff that made one a lazy couch potato was actually nice to have around sometimes. But here, you didn't have anything around at all! Most students didn't even know what a video game, or computer was! Sometimes it was so annoying having to explain every little thing about the muggle world to everybody. It didn't help that she had some sort of weird "contraption" in the inside pocket of her robes that she couldn't take out even though it kept vibrating every two seconds!
"There it is again! Hermione, what on Earth is that horrible noise coming from your side of that table?" a certain red-haired and blue-eyed boy that sat across the table, asked.
Cover blown. Time to explain.
"Oh Ronald, it's just something that my parents gave me from the muggle world!" Hermione groaned and the contraption announced itself to her friends with its unnerving noise again. "Oh, this thing! Who, the bugger is trying to contact me?" Hermione mused mostly to herself and started to rummage through the under part of her robes. Searching with her hands for the carefully sewn in pocket.
After some time Hermione Granger produced a small, flat, black device out from under the dark crevasses of her robe and into the light and eyes of everyone around her. Everyone made "oh" shapes with their pink lips and looked as if they wanted to poke the specimen Hermione had produced.
Ignoring them for a moment, Hermione expertly, flipped the top with her thumb and scanned the owner of a new message that had popped urgently on the screen. It was her thirteen-year-old cousin again and again and again…
"What the bloody hell is that?" the same male voice piqued up again.
"Honestly Ronald! Doesn't your father work with muggles?" Hermione scathed and hit the red "END" button to the side of the contraption to turn the stupid buzzing thing off. "It's a cell phone."
A chuckle illuminated the air and Hermione looked up to see Harry with his head back and laughing. She smiled and started giggling with him. Nobody else understood what a cell phone was, but Harry, was also part of the muggle world for most of his life. He must know what a cell phone was. Almost all the teenagers (and even sometimes children) carried them around in their pockets.
"That's a pretty nice phone," Harry mused and confiscated it from his friend's fingertips. He examined it for a moment, then passed it back to Hermione with a satisfied nod. As soon as the cool metal touched the palm of her hand, Albus Dumbledore rose from his large chair, and shuffled his way to the front. Suppose, it was time for a few announcements.
How fun, nothing changes!
"I am pleased to welcome all of you to the Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For those of you who have been here before, welcome back for another year," Dumbledore began. He's eyes shining like a young lad, yet his voice as formal as ever. "But, I am also happy to announce, your year here will be different from your last one or one's. This particular magical part of our world has been placed with a special experiment." He paused for a moment, and the students murmured in wonder. "An experiment, to try a new type of technology. Muggle technology." An uproar from the Syltherin table interrupted Dumbledore's speech. "Silence! Now, now, we are replacing some of the trinkets the motivate the muggle technology to run, with magic. It won't be so bad, just an experiment. Some people around here believe, for lack of a better term, that it is time to 'upgrade' Hogwarts. Your new possessions will be in your dormitories. Good night, and good luck. You may try whatever you please. There will be instructions to help you with your new 'muggle works'."
When Dumbledore had finished, Hermione couldn't believe it. It seemed as though, Professor Dumbledore had read her mind. Maybe this year wouldn't be so boring after all.
~~ I do thank you for reading this the whole way through. Hopefully you will consider reading the rest of my little story. Farwell, I wave my black-laced glove to you... ~~