Due to the strange, unforeseen popularity of this story, I have decided to continue it. Or rather, change it. The first chapter was written pretty much canon, but this and later chapters will be AU, describing what possibly could have happened if Harry had been brave enough to talk to Hermione before they met on the Hogwarts Express. You can thank the two readers (Trakrat and Primus 2021) who put it on story alert after I'd labeled it a one-shot and the three reviewers who requested more for this extension. And if the extension fails miserably, you are welcome to blame them as well :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Hermione Granger though...no, I don't own her either :( I did change her location...does that count? No, guess not.

Chapter 2

Harry, hiding in the bushes, watched the brown-haired girl, who was herself hiding, behind the school. He'd found lately that he was watching her more and more often. It was peaceful, he realized. And, if she was successfully reading, as she was now, it meant Dudley did not know where she was and this increased Harry's own safety.

But it was March, their final year of primary school. In a few months, it was possible that he would never see her again – if he was going to approach her, it was now or never.

Harry suddenly felt braver than he had in years. "Hey!" he impulsively left his hiding spot and sat down next to her. The girl recoiled slightly, closing her book and hugging it to her chest protectively. Whether the protection was for the book or for herself, Harry couldn't tell.

"I'm Harry Potter." He said, trying to sound friendly.

"Hermione Granger." She whispered, barely audible. "What do you want?"

What did he want? "To be your friend." He answered truthfully. The girl – Hermione Granger – stared at him, obviously startled. "What? Is that so wrong? Just because one group of kids – a small group, at that! – has decided they don't like us, that means we can't be friends with anyone? I think we have as much right to friends as anyone else!"

"We?" Hermione raised her eyebrows.

Harry nodded. "Dudley's…my cousin. He doesn't like me – at all."

"I'm sorry." Was her automatic response – automatic, but sincere as well. "Dudley's gang – nobody likes to cross them…I just assumed…" she trailed off. "I could use a friend."

"Good. Me too. So, er…friends?" he held out his hand awkwardly.

For the first time since he'd started watching her, Hermione genuinely smiled. "Friends." She took his hand and shook it.

After a pause during which silence reigned, Dudley's unmistakable voice floated around the building. "Oh, Granger! Are you back there?"

"Oh no!" Hermione gasped and both she and Harry jumped to their feet. "This way!" Without letting go of his hand, Hermione ran away from the voice and Harry was dragged along behind her. Unlike Dudley and his friend's, they were small and easily outran the gang.

It was not long before pursuit was abandoned, but Harry and Hermione kept running, laughing at their victory. Eventually, they began to slow. "Where are we?" Harry asked, breathing heavily and looking around curiously.

"This – is my neighborhood." Hermione, too, was out of breath. There's my house, up there. Come on!" she urged him toward a large, gray house up the street.

"Are you sure your parents won't mind?" Harry asked hesitantly, pulling back.

His new friend smiled again. "You've got to be joking – my parents have been begging me to invite some friends over for years." Her smile faltered. "I haven't told them about Dudley, you know. They just think I'm shy…but this will prove otherwise, right?" she brightened once more, and Harry gave in.

They arrived at Hermione's house and it became immediately apparent that she was right. Her father was very excited that his daughter had made a new friend. "Would you like something to eat, Harry? I think we have some sugar-free cookies, if you want any."

"He's a dentist," Hermione explained in a whisper. "Both my parents are – mum's at the office now."

"No, uh…I'm fine," Harry answered somewhat bewildered. He wasn't used to adults being nice to him – or anyone at all being nice to him, and he'd never expected being friends with Hermione would change that.

But it had. Befriending Hermione changed everything, for both of them. They new spent as much time together as possible. They soon found that working as a team turned 'bully-escaping' into a marvelous game, and one that they normally won.

Harry found that he really enjoyed Hermione's company, and according to Mrs. Granger (talking to Mr. Granger while the kids were listening as the keyhole), "Hermione hasn't laughed this much in years. I really like that Potter boy."

The ensuing months were the best Harry had ever had. For the first time in his life he was happy – and doing well in school, thanks to Hermione's help.

Then school ended.

At first, summer was even better than school had been. They were able to spend every waking minute together – the Dursleys didn't really care what Harry did with his time and the Grangers were thrilled that Hermione was spending her time with anyone. During this time, they were able to do whatever they felt like doing. Time passed only too quickly.

Near the end of July, however, things changed. That morning when Harry went over to see her, Hermione didn't seem to be herself. "Is something wrong?" Harry asked as he sat down on her couch. "Are you all right?"

She smiled, a tight, rather forced smile. "Yes – I mean, I'm fine. It's just…" she hesitated. "Where are you going to school next year?"

"Same as you – Stonewall High. And Dudley's going to some private school, Smeltings. Won't it be great – school without Dudley."

"Yes, wonderful," Hermione answered quietly. "Harry, my parents have decided they don't like Stonewall. They want to send me somewhere else. A boarding school in the country."

The words took a few seconds to sink in. "Boarding?" Harry repeated slowly. He was suddenly breathing heavily and he stood up quickly. "But that means – you'll be…leaving."

Hermione nodded. "I leave at the end of August. I'm sorry Harry, I don't want to go…only…" she bit her lip. "Only, I sort of do. It's a special school, you see, it's for –"

Harry cut her off. "It's for geniuses, I suppose!" He knew his anger was irrational, but she had said it! She wanted to leave.

"Genii." Hermione corrected automatically. "No. Please, Harry –"

"Well, have fun there! I'm sure there'll be plenty of kids there that are more worth to be your friend than I am!"

"Harry!" she cried, and Harry thought he could see tears in her eyes, but he ignored them and ran out of the room, out of the house, and back to the Dursleys (mostly because there wasn't really anywhere else for him to go).

Upon arriving, he nearly tripped over the mail that no one had bothered to pick up. Grumbling, he reached down and began looking through it. He frowned, argument with Hermione temporarily forgotten when he found an envelope made of thick, yellowish paper.

"'Mr. H. Potter, The Cupboard Under the Stairs, 4 Privet Drive…'" He began reading the address, but got no further, because Dudley had come over and grabbed the letter from his hands. "Hey!" Harry yelled, trying to get it back.

Dudley, laughing, held it out of reach. "Who's writing to you, huh?" His cousin taunted. "Is it you girlfriend? What's the point, really -?"

"What's that you have there, Dudley?" Mr. Dursley interrupted, appearing over his son's shoulder. He accepted the letter from Dudley and he, too, began reading the address out loud. "Mr. H. Potter…" then her ripped the letter open and read it too, silently.

His eyes widened and he hurried back to the kitchen crying, "P-P-Petunia!"

(Insert here: pgs 36 (beginning where Harry and Dudley fight over the keyhole)-61, chapters 3-4, volume 1 of the Harry Potter series here, along with some random thoughts about Hermione)

Please review!

P.S.: Please tell me that out of the 7500+ visitors (not hits, visitors!) to this story since I posted it, my father was not the only one to catch the Chronicles of Narnia reference (he caught it immediately). I had originally expected a whole bunch of people pointing it out, but no one did. Maybe not everyone is as C.S. Lewis obsessed as my family - we have two sets of the Chronicles of Narnia because both my parents owned them before they married, and we frequently quote them without even realizing - but...but...but out of 7,500 visitors...! Rekindle my hope in Narnia, please. I'll give you a hint - it's from 'The Silver Chair'.