Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

This story is now my most popular -it has more hits, alerts, and favorites than any of my others, and more reviews than all but two. So - thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, added to story alert, or favorited-way too many to list here! You all rule! Thank you thank you!

Note: In answer to a question posed by Tealeavz, the 'insert here' part of the last chapter was intentional. It was supposed to mean that I do not intend to change anything that happened when Harry learned about Hogwarts and went to Diagon Alley, so I don't plan on writing them either. Assume that they still happened.

Hermione watched Harry leave, silent tears running down her face. She had hoped he'd understand – but how could he, she realized now, when he didn't even know what her new school was and how she could be so excited to go to it.

"Hermione? Honey, what's wrong?" Her mother enter the living room where Hermione was crying.

"Nothing," she tried to turn away, hide the tears, but Mrs. Granger wasn't fooled. She sat down on the couch next to her daughter and put an arm around her. At this, Hermione broke down completely and began sobbing without restraint into her mum's shoulder. "It's Harry. I was trying to tell him about H-Hogwarts, but he…he thought –" She burst into fresh tears.

"But, I thought you weren't supposed to tell anyone about Hogwarts – there's some sort of law against it."

Hermione nodded, sitting up. "The – the International Statute of Secrecy. But I wasn't telling him what it was, just that I was going there instead of Stonewall." It was a lie, she knew. She had, upon seeing Harry's reaction to her leaving, almost let it slip that her new school taught magic. "He wouldn't believe me anyway, he'd say I was mad."

"Oh, he wouldn't say that!"

Hermione didn't answer – she didn't trust herself. Harry hadn't called her mad, but he had said that she didn't deserve his friendship. Or that he didn't deserve hers or something like that – at the time, she'd been too upset to listen properly. Whatever he'd said, it wasn't something she liked to hear and she now couldn't decided whether she would've rather been called mad.

"I'm – going up to my room." Hermione said once she calmed down, a few minutes later. "The letter gave directions to – er…Diagon Alley, I think it was called. Where I'm supposed to get school supplies?" Mrs. Granger nodded. "Do you think we could go tomorrow, instead of this afternoon? I don't think I'm up to it today."

"Of course." Mrs. Granger kissed her on her forehead and Hermione went upstairs, where she spent the rest of the day, trying to read and thinking of ways she could make up with Harry. Several times, she contemplated taking Harry to Hogwarts with her, whether he was a wizard or not, but knew that was impossible. Eventually, she fell asleep.

When she woke up the next morning, Hermione couldn't help but feel excited. They were going to Diagon Alley…to get school supplies…for a school of magic…Her grin faded slightly as she remembered Harry, but she determinedly put it back. Harry's ignorance was not going to ruin her day.

"Mum, it's right there!" Hermione cried exasperatedly. "Right in front of you!"

Mrs. Granger looked at the bookshop on one side of the Leaky Cauldron and the record store on the other without stopping on the pub in between. "Here – close your eyes." Her mother seemed unconvinced, but she closed her eyes and allowed herself to be led through the door that – according to the letter – would lead them to the shopping district of the Wizarding World.

Once inside, Mrs. Granger opened her eyes and murmured, "Well…it's obvious that you are the witch in the family, not me." Hermione laughed.

They got directions to Diagon Alley from the bartender of the Leaky Cauldron, who introduced himself as Tom. He also exchanged their money – which he called 'Muggle Money'- for a bag of large golden, silver, and bronze coins. "These are called Galleons." He told them, picking up a gold one. "The sickles are silver, and the Knuts are bronze. Seventeen Sickles in a Galleon and 29 Knuts in a Sickle."

"What a strange system!" Hermione cried. "I suppose I get used to it, but those numbers – it's as though someone pulled them out of a hat!"

After that, they went on to Diagon Alley itself. Hermione marveled at all the different shops and stores. Normally, she wasn't one who liked to shop very much, but this! Anyone would want to shop here. She excitedly bought her potion supplies, her school robes and her wand.

But she saved the best for last. Finally, after she'd gotten everything else on the list, Hermione walked slowly – almost reverently – toward the bookstore, Flourish and Blotts.

"Mum, I've changed my mind about going to Hogwarts." Hermione said seriously, as she opened the front door. "I want to live here this school year."

She spent a full five minutes staring at the books that filled the store – she couldn't seem to make herself touch them, worried that if she did, they might melt away.

"Can I help you find something?" The manager had noticed her.

"Umm…well – how much would it cost to buy everything?"

"What?"

Hermione snapped out of her reverie. "Oh! I mean, I need…" she hurriedly checked her book-list and read off their names.

"Ah, a new Hogwarts student. I see." He soon helped her find what she needed, along with a (large) number of books that weren't on the list.

Hermione probably would've stayed in the bookstore until…well, until she'd died of thirst, but Mrs. Granger forced her to leave before then. "Come on, honey – if we want to get home before dark, we have to get on the road soon."

"Who says we want to get home before dark?" Hermione grumbled, as she said good-bye to the manager. He seemed quite sad to see her go.

Back in the car, on their way home, Hermione remembered Harry again. She hugged a book called Hogwarts: A History to her chest and wished that Harry could've come to Diagon Alley with her, gotten his own wand and robes, seen that magnificent bookstore. She smiled, remembering Flourish and Blotts. "Mum..." Hermione murmured. "I think I'm going to like Hogwarts – if it's anything like Diagon Alley, anyway." She laughed quietly. "I just wish Harry could come too."

Hermione spent the next week reading – for that week, she was never without a book on magic. Harry had stopped coming to her house, and she read partly to try and forget that. The other reason she read was because the books were even more fascinating than she'd expected them to be – and her expectations had been high.

Hogwarts, A History was quickly becoming her favorite book ever – her new school had a long and interesting history, starting over a thousand years before. Her schoolbooks, too, captivated her interest and she had read them – all of them – all the way through by the end of the week.

Finally, she turned to modern history – it would be necessary, she decided, to know something about the world she was about to enter. Hermione smiled and picked up a book called The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts.

"It is widely known that the Darkest wizard of our time was the man who christened himself 'Lord Voldemort' and his name will not be written here again." Read the introduction. "You-Know-Who, as he is commonly referred to, was the individual who began the Wizarding War, in the Dark Days not so long ago. He was defeated only ten years ago, when he tried and failed to kill one-year-old Harry Potter. This downfall, along with a number of possible reasons for it, will be discussed at length in this book."

Hermione nearly dropped the book, then quickly reread the last sentence out loud. "'Failed to kill one-year-old Harry Potter.' That's not possible." Her first thought was that it had to be another Harry Potter. Surely if her best friend had defeated a Dark wizard, he would've told her so! She hurriedly flipped through the book and it soon fell open at a picture. A hand-drawn picture of a baby with a thin, lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.

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