Submitted for The Houses Competition Forum - Round 1

House: Ravenclaw

Subject: Transfiguration

Category: Drabble

Prompt: 1. [Action] Buying Sweets

Word count: 780

Warnings: AU Canon Divergence

The start of something new

Hermione Granger was excited to start Hogwarts. She had never had any friends while she was growing up because the other kids always said that she was weird, but now she knew why the kids wouldn't befriend her: it's because she was a witch and she was going to learn magic!

She was so anxious to start her new school that Hermione made her parents drive to King's Cross Station at nine in the morning just so she wasn't going to be late, and maybe she could even make a friend...

"All right, pumpkin, are you sure that you're ready? We can always turn back and talk with your old headmistress and make sure you can go back to your old school," Henry Granger said, watching his daughter looking around with a smile on her face. "You don't need to go all the way to Scotland to study."

"I'm sure, Daddy, this is what I really want and I can't wait to start learning all the things that Professor McGonagall said I would," Hermione replied with a smile that was so bright it could've been visible from the moon. "It's like a dream coming true."

"Well then, we can't stop your dream, can we?" Emily Granger winked at her husband, a sign that Hermione knew meant that her mother would back her up. "It's just hard for us, Hermione, to see you going away for such a long time."

Hermione's heart clenched when she heard her mother's explanation; she was going to miss her parents, but at the same time, she was so glad to be going somewhere where she would find other children just like her.

Saying goodbye to her parents was hard, but she was determined to start her new school, and that's why she held her head high, and walked towards the barrier and got onto the train. The train was mostly empty, and she hoped that she could make some friends.

Hermione was feeling very lucky that she had already befriended Neville Longbottom while they were searching for his toad, and they also had befriended Theodore Nott—even though the other boy didn't seem to be too happy with being their friend. It was mostly Hermione's fault for annoying him by rambling, but she had managed to make Theo reluctantly talk to her about the book he was reading.

The trio were talking when the trolley lady came up and asked if they wanted something from the trolley.

"Yes, please," Theo stood up and looked the trolley up and down before deciding what he was going to take. "I would like a chocolate frog and a box of Fizzing Whizzbees." He said, standing up and giving the lady the money.

"I would like some pumpkin pasties, please." Neville's voice was almost too timid to hear, but the lady just smiled at him and gave him the pasties before she looked at Hermione, like she was expecting her to say something

"You want something, darling?" the lady asked, and Hermione was torn between asking a question or just answering.

"My parents are dentists and I don't know what that is, but I figured that they should be sweets, and they told me to refrain from eating sweets, so I don't know if I should," Hermione said everything really fast, almost without stopping to breathe, making the two wizards look at her with widened eyes.

"What are dentists?" Neville and Theo asked at the same time, while the trolley lady just walked away.

"You don't know what dentists are?" Hermione asked, widening her eyes. "They take care of your teeth, so you get a better smile!""

"Never heard of, but these," Theo said, holding up the Fizzing Whizzbees, "are one of the best sweets the Wizarding World ever invented."

"Your parents take care of other people's teeth? Why?" Neville asked shyly, giving Hermione one of his pasties.

"Yes, and they wanted me to be a dentist someday too, but since I discovered that I'm a witch, I don't think I'm going to go to the same university they went to." Hermione shrugged and bit into the pasty Neville had handed to her. "Oh my! This is good."

Neville smiled shyly and continued eating his pasty, and Theo continued to talk about how much he loved Fizzing Whizzbees. Hermione smiled to herself, realising that she had managed to make friends—no matter what Theo said, they were friends—just after she had gotten onto the train. Hogwarts hadn't even started yet, and things were already looking better for the little witch. It was the start of a new friendship, one that she hoped would last all of their lives.