Woohoo another update! Tom and Hermione get to be in the same room finally in this one!

Thank you to everyone who has read, favorited, followed, and commented! It means so much to me!

Enjoy!

August 2nd, 2014

Hermione wakes to the clanging of pans and the smell of bacon. Slowly blinking awake, she stretches out her body that's tense from sleep. She jumps out of bed, making her way down to the kitchen. Her mother, Jean Granger, is making breakfast while her father, Richard Granger, is reading the newspaper at the kitchen table. It's a welcoming sight, and Hermione smiles wide. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, dear," her parents reply with answering smiles.

"Are you hungry? I'm making bacon and eggs," her mother asks.

"Famished! That sounds delicious. Would you like any help?"

"That would be lovely, dear. Come over and help me scramble up the eggs." As Hermione walks over to help her mother, a knock sounds at the door. Jean turns her head over her shoulder. "Richard, be a dear and answer the door, please," Jean smiles sweetly at her husband.

Richard hums and sets down his newspaper. "Of course, sweetheart." He ruffles Hermione's hair as he walks by, and she slaps his hand away with a giggle.

Hermione perks up her ears to listen to her father at the door while she begins to scramble the eggs. She hears murmuring and what sounds like a woman's voice. They're speaking too quietly, and she can't quite make out what they're saying.

"Jean. Hermione. Would you come in here, please?" Richard calls out to them. Jean and Hermione give each other a questioning look, then shrug and head towards the living room where the woman and her father must have moved to. As Hermione steps into view, she sees a tall, older woman. She squints her eyes as she takes in the most peculiar set of clothes. She's wearing a long black dress with what looks like a green coat over it; however, the coat reaches all the way to the floor and has wide flowing sleeves that hang down her sides. Hermione's never seen anything like it before. She continues to walk up to the strange woman and her father. The woman's stare moves to her and her strict looking face relaxes into a small, knowing smile.

"Hello," the woman says in a thick Scottish accent. "My name is Minerva McGonagall. I have something important to discuss with all of you. It might be best to sit down." Confused, Hermione sits on the couch with her parents, and Ms. McGonagall sits in the chair across from them. "Let's get right to it, then. Usually best to rip it off like a band aid." She clasps her hands together and sits up straight. "I'm a professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hermione here is a witch, and she's been invited to attend school with us." She smiles at Hermione again.

"A witch?!" Hermione's parents both gasp.

"That doesn't make any sense! Magic doesn't exist." Hermione turns to her mother as she voices her incredulity. Her father seems to be speechless.

"Magic does exist," McGonagall says. "Has Hermione ever done anything that you couldn't explain? Maybe when she was angry or sad?" McGonagall could tell by the looks on their faces that she had. "That was magic. Young magical children cannot yet control their powers, so they have magical outbursts in times of great emotion."

"There has to be some explanation besides magic. That's just outrageous! Magic can't possibly exist." Her father finally finds his voice, her mother nodding along in agreement.

"Let me prove it to you." McGonagall pulls out a long wooden stick from her sleeve. "Lumos." Hermione and her parents gasp as a bright light shines from the end of the stick. She says Nox and the light disappears. "This is just a small example of what Hermione can do with proper training. She must go to Hogwarts and learn magic. It's dangerous for magical children to never learn how to control their powers."

Jean just stares, speechless, but Richard turns to Hermione. "Hermione dear, you haven't said anything. Are you okay?"

Hermione is shocked. While all children secretly hope that magic is real, they never expect it to actually be real. She's known all her life that there was something different about her. Sometimes when she's mad, or sad, things she can't explain happen. Like one time when she was young, her mother told her she couldn't eat a cookie before dinner and a glass exploded when she started to cry. Once, she heard a group of girls making fun of her hair at school, and they all tripped and fell when they turned to walk away. As she gives herself a minute to reflect on this news, her shock turns to elation. Finally, there's a reason for why she's so different, and why she can never seem to make friends at school. She has magic. She turns to answer her father, "We all knew there was something different about me. It makes sense now." She smiles wide. "I'm a witch."

Her parents turn to look at each other. After what feels like forever to Hermione, her mother sighs and nods. Her father turns back to Professor McGonagall. "Tell us more about this school. Hogwarts, you said?"

McGonagall reaches into her pocket and pulls out a letter. "Here is Hermione's official Hogwarts letter. Inside, you'll find all the information you'll need, including a list of school supplies. I'll be back in two weeks to take you to Diagon Alley and help you pick up everything you'll need." McGonagall hands the letter off to Richard. They all stand and head back to the front door. Before she leaves, McGonagall turns back to Hermione. "I very much look forward to having you in class, Miss Granger. If you have any questions, or you need anything, please come to me." Hermione nods in understanding and they all say their farewells.

As Hermione goes to bed later that night, she can't contain her excitement. Only four more weeks until she gets to go to Hogwarts. She can't wait to meet other magical children, and to finally be able to make friends with people like her. And there's so much more to learn. She can't wait to buy magical books and read all she can of this new world. She snuggles down into bed with a smile, excited for the weeks to come.

September 1st, 2014

Hermione steps onto Platform 9 ¾, her smile as wide as it could possibly go. She ushers her parents towards the train, anxious to finally board and be on her way to Hogwarts.

Two weeks ago, Professor McGonagall came back to their house and took them to Diagon Alley. Their first stop was a magical bank called Gringotts, so that her parents could convert their Muggle money over to wizarding money. Professor McGonagall told them the workers there were goblins. The first magical creature she's seen! She tried to take in all the sights and sounds she could while they were there, but there was simply too much to see in such a short period of time.

They passed by a shop called Magical Menagerie during their visit, and Professor McGonagall told them that each student was allowed one familiar in the school if they wished. Hermione begged her parents to let her look, and they easily agreed. She ran in and as soon as she stepped through the door, she saw a cat with the cutest scrunched face. She walked up to him and he instantly started rubbing against her hand and purring. The saleswoman told her that he had been in the shop for a long time because nobody wanted him. Well, I'll just have to fix that, won't I? After picking out some supplies for him, she left the shop with her new half-Kneazle, Crookshanks. Her favorite store, of course, had to be Flourish and Blotts, a bookstore. She bought all of her required school books, plus some. Her parents smiled at the sight of her rounding the corner with books piled higher than she could carry. The shopkeeper suggested she buy Hogwarts: A History – a book all about the school. Of course, she's read it cover to cover three times now in the last two weeks.

"Now, I want you to write at least once a week, but absolutely feel free to write more! Oh, I can't believe my baby is going off to school all alone." Her mother pulls her into her arms and squeezes her tight as she starts to sniffle.

"Mum, I'll be fine! I'll write as often as I can. I have to go, or I'm going to miss the train!" She hugs her mother quickly, then gently pushes against her when she refuses to let go.

"Come now, Jean. The girl's got to go." Her father helps untangle her from her mother's arms. "Have fun, sweetie. We'll see you at Christmas, alright?" He bends down to place a quick kiss on the top of her head. As he steps back, he wraps his arms around Jean to keep her from grabbing at Hermione again.

Hermione agrees and quickly says her goodbyes and I love you's to her parents and boards the Hogwarts Express. She's walking down the narrow aisle in search of an empty compartment when a boy that looks about her age comes barreling out of one. She gasps and jumps back so he doesn't run into her.

"So sorry!" The boy says. He's breathing heavily and looking around frantically. "You wouldn't have happened to see a toad around here, would you?"

"A toad?" Hermione questions.

"His name's Trevor and I can't find him! Oh, I don't know what I'm going to do. I hope he's not hurt. I knew I shouldn't have brought him along. Nan was right, I should've left him at home." He continues to ramble on in distress, hands pulling tight on the ends of his hair. Hermione's worried he's going to send himself into a panic attack.

She holds her hands up in front of him. "Slow down," Hermione interrupts. "I'll help you look for him. Where was the last place you saw him?" All wizards better not be this nervous, she hopes.

"Thank you so much! He looked so cooped up and lonely, so I let him out of his cage in my compartment to jump around, but someone opened the door and he got out. I thought I saw him go this way." He points down the aisle and they start heading in that direction. "Name's Neville, by the way. Neville Longbottom. What's yours?"

"Hermione Granger. Nice to meet you." She holds out her hand and he reaches forward to shake it. "Now, let's go find this toad."

Together they walk throughout the train, searching every corner and compartment for Neville's toad, Trevor. Hermione just shut one compartment door with no luck and skips over to the next one. Inside, she sees two other boys around her age: one with black hair and glasses, and the other with bright red hair. "Hello, have either of you seen a toad?" Both boys give her a confused look. "A boy called Neville lost his toad. I'm helping him look for it. Have you seen one around here?"

Both boys shake their head no. Hermione sighs and turns to leave, but turns back to the red haired boy. "Do you know you have a bit of dirt on your nose?" She taps the side of her own nose. "Just right there." The boy lifts his hand up to his nose as Hermione continues on to the next compartment.

Three compartments later, Neville comes bounding in from the next car, missing toad in his hands. "I found him!" He cheers. "He was hiding under a bench just through there." He points back in the direction he just came from.

Hermione grins. "Oh, good! I'm so happy you found him!"

"Thank you so much for helping me, Hermione. No one else cared, but you were really nice." Neville looks down bashfully.

"Absolutely. I'm happy to help, Neville." She rests her hand on his shoulder and gives him a big smile. "We should probably go change into our uniforms now. I expect we'll be arriving soon." Neville agrees and they both run off to quickly change.

As the train finally stops, Hermione and Neville step off the train with the rest of the students. They stare on in awe at the breathtaking castle off in the distance. It's bigger than Hermione imagined. Tall columns and colossal towers. The castle looks like it's built straight into the side of the cliff. It's magnificent and more amazing than Hermione could have ever dreamed it could be.

"Alright then, first years! This way, please! Come on, then. First years on the side! First years, come on!" Hermione gapes as the biggest man she's ever seen calls out for all the first years to line up. "Alright, this way to the boats. Follow me." She follows along with the group of first years and they all start loading into boats along the water. Once everyone is settled, the boats start moving on their own towards the castle.

When they reach land, everyone is ushered out of the boats and through an entrance way. They're led up a set of stairs, where Professor McGonagall is waiting at the top. "Welcome to Hogwarts. In just a moment, you'll walk through those doors and join your fellow classmates. However, you must be sorted before you can take your seats." She glances between all the students. "The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now while you're here, your house will be like your family. When you're good, you'll be awarded points. Break the rules, and you'll lose points. The house with the most points by the end of the year will win the House Cup. The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily."

As Professor McGonagall walks away, the students around her start to talk amongst themselves. Hermione can see that some of the students clearly know each other already. The large group starts to separate into smaller groups of people. She turns to Neville to talk with him while they wait.

A few minutes pass, and then the doors open and they're steered into what Hermione knows is the Great Hall. Reading about this room, she knew that it would be grand and beautiful, but actually seeing it in person is amazing. She gasps as she sets her eyes on the enchanted ceiling that's showing the beautiful night sky. Then, her eyes get wide as she finally takes in all there is around her: four grand tables, hundreds of students, floating candles, and a large table at the front that's for the professors. As they start lining up near the platform the staff table is on, a group of tall boys step in front of her, blocking her view. She harrumphs and bends down so she can see between them.

McGonagall steps onto the platform and turns to address them. "The sorting will start in just a moment. Headmaster Dumbledore would like to say a few words first." Hermione looks towards the center of the table as an imposing older man with a long gray beard stands up to speak.

"Welcome all new and returning students to Hogwarts. I'd like to make a start of term reminder: the dark forest is forbidden for all students to enter. Anyone caught doing so, will be punished accordingly." He looks around the hall and his eyes seem to land intently on a pair of redheaded twins before he continues to look on. "Thank you." He settles back into his seat, resting his hands across his stomach.

They all turn back to McGonagall as she lifts a scroll and begins to speak. "When I call your name, you will come forth, I shall place the Sorting Hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses." She holds up the Sorting Hat and starts reading off from the scroll. "Hannah Abbot." A girl near the front of the line nervously walks up to the platform and sits on the stool. McGonagall places the Hat on her head and immediately a face forms from the wrinkles in the leather. "Hmmm, okay. Alright. Yes. HUFFLEPUFF!" The Hufflepuff table cheers while Hannah jumps off the stool and walks over to sit with her new housemates. "Susan Bones."

As McGonagall continues to call out each student's name to be sorted, Hermione takes the time to look over her new professors. As she glances along the table, she sees an assortment of characters. A tall woman with poufy hair and glasses that make her eyes look almost cartoonish. A small man who looks like the goblins that she met at Gringotts. Oh, a ghost! A greasy and mean looking man with a cat seated next to him. A dark-haired man with a hooked nose wearing all black and sporting a scowl on his face. A darkly beautiful man next to him that sat with an elegant pose, had a sharp jawline, full brown hair that looked soft to touch, and deep green eyes. Her chest tightens as her eyes land on him. She feels a pull to this stranger that she doesn't understand, like something inside of her is telling her that she needs to go to him and to trust him.

She shakes her head, ridding herself of this nonsense. He's just cute. That doesn't mean you need to run up to him, Hermione, she berates herself. She tries to focus back on the sorting, but she can't help but to keep glancing back at him. She notices that he's looking over all of the first years, but unlike the other professors who are staring in polite curiosity, he seems to be searching for someone. She starts to wonder if he's looking for someone he knows when she hears her name being called. "Hermione Granger!"

Suddenly nervous, she drops her head and begins whispering to herself, "Oh no. Okay. Relax." She slowly walks up to the platform and sits on the stool. McGonagall places the Sorting Hat on her head, and she jumps as she hears the Hat start to whisper in her mind. Let's see what we have here. Ah, a brilliant mind. A little bit of courage there, too. Ohhh, it seems as if fate has great things in store for you, girl. In due time, in due time. Looks like it's got to be "GRYFFINDOR!" Hermione beams as the Hat is removed and she leaps off the stool. She turns to head off the platform towards the cheering Gryffindor table when her eyes unexpectantly lock onto the mysterious professor's gaze. He's staring intently at her with a heated emotion that she can't decipher. Hermione gasps and drops his gaze, staggering over to sit with the other first year Gryffindors. She sits next to the twins from earlier and smiles distractedly as they introduce themselves as Fred and George Weasley. She tries to not look the man's way, but she finds herself doing so unconsciously. Every time her eyes meet his, he's staring right back.

The rest of the first years are quickly sorted, many ending up in Gryffindor: Neville and the boys she met on the train, who she learns are called Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, included. Once everyone is seated, Headmaster Dumbledore stands and announces, "Let the feast begin!" An assortment of food magically appears on the tables amid gasps of surprise and delight.

As everyone starts to eat, the people around her begin to introduce themselves to each other. Hermione sits quietly and listens to everyone around her talk, trying to avoid looking towards the staff table again. She turns towards the twins as she hears them start giving advice about the professors to the other first years around her.

"You've gotta watch out for good ole Filch now." Fred starts.

"He gets off on punishing students. Watch out for his cat, Mrs. Norris, too. She looks cuddly, but she'll rat you out to him if she catches you out after curfew." George finishes. She notices that they seem to constantly finish each other's sentences. She has to pay close attention so she can catch everything they're saying. "See that greasy git with the big nose up there?" George points up to the head table, right to the man in black beside the professor who's still staring at her, she notices. She blushes and quickly turns back to Fred, who speaks next.

"That there's Snape. Potions professor. He's a right git, that one is. He's Slytherin's Head of House, and he only likes them. He especially hates Gryffindors. He'll take points just for breathing too loud."

The perky blonde girl beside her, who introduced herself as Lavender Brown earlier, turns away from taking in Professor Snape and asks the twins, "What about the man next to him? Who's he? He's so cute!" All the other girls giggle and announce their agreement. Hermione rolls her eyes at their girlish squeals but leans in closer to hear about the man who's still staring at her.

"Oi, that's Professor Riddle. He teaches Defense Against the Darks Arts."

"Been here for years, he has. He started back in 1947."

"1947?" Parvati Patil gasps. Hermione remembers that she has a twin sister, but she was sorted into Ravenclaw. "But he looks like he's young enough to be a student."

"He doesn't age. Been 20 years old for years now. Story goes that after he was here for about 10 years and students started noticing he wasn't aging, there were rumors that he was a vampire. This put all the students on edge…"

"Rightfully so, of course."

"… So, some students told their parents, and their parents came in to complain and demanded he be fired because it was too dangerous to have a vampire teaching their children."

"But they were wrong, yeah? He wasn't a vampire. So that he could keep his job, Riddle finally told all the parents the truth. He's actually a Veela, and he doesn't age because his mate hasn't been born yet."

"Rumor is that he teaches here because he's waiting for his mate to show up."

"Oh, how absolutely sweet!" Lavender and the other girls all had hearts in their eyes while Hermione was looking on in confusion.

"What's a Veela?" Hermione asks.

"What's a Veela? Only the most beautiful creatures alive!" Lavender gasps out her shock that Hermione doesn't know this clearly very important information. Hermione internally rolls her eyes. "They're usually only females, so a male Veela is very rare. They look like humans, but they can morph into bird-like creatures with talons and wings and beaks, especially when they're angry. Each Veela has a soulmate that's destined for them, and their purpose in life is to love and protect their mate. It's so romantic." Lavender and the other girls sigh dreamily.

Hermione scoffs and ignores the rest of the conversation. What a waste of time. It sounds like a fairytale for children. She glances back up Professor Riddle's way and catches his eyes again. She quickly looks away and furrows her brow. Why is he staring at me? Have I done something wrong? As she tries to think of what she could have possibly done to earn his attention, Professor McGonagall stands and taps on her glass. "Prefects, please show your first years to the dorms. Goodnight everyone, and we'll see you tomorrow morning for your first day of classes."

One of the Gryffindor prefects, Percy Weasley – how many Weasleys are there? –, starts to usher the Gryffindor first years out of the Great Hall. As she stands with the rest of her peers, she chances one more glance back towards Professor Riddle and meets his eye yet again. He looks as if he's about to stand, but Professor Snape puts a hand on his shoulder and pushes him back down. Hermione continues to stare at what appears to be a heated conversation and sees Professor Riddle look her way one more time before she passes through the doors into the entrance hall and out of his sight.

Thank you for reading! Sorry if the bit with McGonagall and Hermione's letter wasn't very interesting. I have absolutely no idea how they would break that news to a muggleborn and their parents, so I tried as best as I could. I'll try to get the next update out as soon as I can!