A

A.N.-  This is my first fan fiction story ever… I'm really not sure if its any good or not, so please read and review it.  Also, the Grangers do not belong to me.  Harry, Neville… heck, NONE of the characters belong to me.  I am not making money off of it, so don't sue me!

Summary- This is a story about when Hermione gets her Hogwarts letter.  I have always wondered what happens when muggles who know nothing about the magical world find out how to get into Diagon Alley or Platform 9 and ¾.  Again, If it sux, I blame it on my inexperience… Please Read and review!

"Hermione?"

            "Yes, Mum?"  Hermione had just closed her arithmetic book.  She was taking summer classes at the local secondary school so she could skip another grade.

            Her mother walked into the room, looking startled.  "An… um… an owl… brought this."  Her mother said quite shakily.  "It's for you."

            She handed Hermione the envelope made of some sort of heavy parchment.  It was addressed in bright green ink.  Hermione hesitated a moment before opening it, wondering if she should just leave it be.  Who, she thought, would send a letter by an owl? Her curiosity eventually got the better of her, however, and she cautiously opened the envelope. In it were several sheets of the same heavy parchment.  Written in identical green ink was a letter:

Dear Miss H. Granger,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  Please find the enclosed list of supplies and instructions.

            The rest of the letter explained that Hermione had shown magical tendencies and was a Witch, though Hermione couldn't recall any of her so called tendencies.  They gave her instructions how to get her supplies in Diagon Alley and how to get to platform nine-and-three-quarters.  It also said that she was not to tell any muggles ("What's a muggle?" asked Hermione) about her magical side. 

Term starts September 1st.  We will expect your owl no later than July 31st.  Feel free to include any questions you might have.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

            "Mum, this isn't a joke is it?" Hermione asked.

            "No, it isn't." Mrs. Granger replied.  "Why? What is it?"

            Hermione handed the letter to her mother.  She couldn't begin to describe how she felt.  She was a witch?  Her mother finished reading the letter and sighed.

            "Well, dear, what do you think?" She asked Hermione.  Hermione shrugged.

            "I don't know what to think," She began.  The front door opened and a jolly booming voice shouted, "Hi darlings, I'm home!"

            "We're in here, Pop!" called Hermione.

            Mr. Granger walked in to the room with a incredulous expression on his face.  "Is that an owl outside the kitchen window?"

            "Yeah, its waiting for a reply to this." Hermione handed the letter to her father.  He finished reading the letter and looked at his wife for a moment.  Hermione got the impression that they were talking silently.

            "Well, dear, its up to you, "Mrs. Granger said, "But your father and I both think that this might be good for you."  Hermione looked at them in disbelief.

            "You are always saying that school never challenges you enough." Mr. Granger added with a slight smile. "I quite doubt that learning magic will bore you."

            "But what if it's not for real?" Hermione asked.  She was sure that this was some prank the kids at school were playing on her.

            "Herm, honey, think about all the things that make sense with magic." Mr. Granger said.  He had always believed in another, magical world.  Hermione still looked doubtful.  "Tell you what." He said. "Let's send your reply, after letting the little owl rest a bit, and make plans to go to this Diagon Alley next week.  If we can't get to Diagon Alley, we'll abandon the whole idea.  And we'll still keep you registered at the secondary school, incase something goes wrong."

            After thinking about it, Hermione consented.  She realized that she did have a way of getting herself away from her teasing classmates, not knowing how she did it..  By the end of the evening she was actually getting excited about their upcoming trip to London.

_____________________________________

            The morning of their trip to Diagon Alley Hermione was almost sick with nervousness.  When they got to the street where the Leaky Cauldron was supposed to be, she almost gave up.  Her father reminded her that the letter said that she'd have to look extra hard.  "There it is!" she exclaimed.

            Hermione pointed to what she saw as a tiny, dirty pub.  Her parents saw a door to a building that looked like it hadn't been owned in several years.  When they got inside, they realized it wasn't.  When they got inside, Hermione told the bartender that she was a first year Hogwarts student.

            "Ah, a muggle are you? My name's Tom.  I'll show you into Diagon Alley this time, you'll need to remember this."

            As he led them to the back door of the pub, Hermione asked, "If you don't mind, sir… What's a muggle?"

            Tim chuckled.  "'Course you wouldn't know that" He said to him self.  Then to Hermione, "A muggle is someone with no magical blood.  Doesn't really matter much anymore weather a witch is muggle born or pure blooded, but it did during the reign of--"  He stopped short.

            "Reign of whom?" Hermione asked, enthralled.

            "You'll find out soon enough." Tim replied.  "Now, it's three up, two across…" He motioned with his wand and tapped the brick three times.

            All of the Grangers stood in amazement when the brick disappeared.  The hole that was left grew and grew until it was an entryway to a large crowded road.  The Grangers stepped through the entryway, leaving Tim, who bid them goodbye and happy shopping.

            After a few minutes to recover from their surprise, Mrs. Granger asked, "So, where do we go first?"

            "Let's see," replied Hermione, looking at her list. "I need robes.  Lets go into Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions."

            As they walked into the shop, a short plump witch asked, "Hogwarts?

            Hermione nodded.  She was fitted for her robes rather quickly.  She guessed no students were coming in so early in the summer. 

            "That will be two galleons and seven sickles." Madam Malkin said.

            The Grangers looked at each other in shock.  They hadn't even considered that there would be a different currency in the wizarding world.  After hasty explanations and apologies, Madam Malkin pointed them in the direction of Gringotts, the wizard bank, where they exchanged their muggle money for gold galleons, silver sickles and bronze knuts.

After they went back to pay for the robes, they went down the list of supplies.  All of the stores were interesting, but Hermione's favorite was Flourish and Blotts, where she bought all of her school books and some extras for what she called "light reading."  Weird Mr. Ollivander and his wand shop were pretty neat too, in her opinion.

            The day ended too soon.  They had collected all of Hermione's school supplies.  Much to Hermione's dismay, her parents wouldn't rent a room at the Leaky Cauldron for the night, so they set off home.

______________________



            Hermione spent the rest of the summer memorizing her school books.  She was particularly interested in Hogwarts: A History.  She even learned how to perform simple spells.  Her parents were so proud of her.

 When September 1st rolled around, however, she was nervous.  Both her mother and father tried to no avail to get her to talk.  She didn't talk all the way to Kings Cross station. 

            When they got there, the butterflies in her stomach got worse.  When she tried to get through the barrier to platform nine-and-three-quarters the first time, she was so jumpy, she ran right into the wall, creating quite a scene with all the muggles around.  When both the crowd and she had calmed down, Hermione tried again.
            The sensation she felt when she passed through the barrier was amazing.  She felt like she could handle anything this magical world threw at her. She felt like she was at home.

            When the train departed at eleven sharp, Hermione walked through the cars.  She met another first year student named Neville.  He had lost his toad, and asked Hermione to help him look for it. Together they walked through each car, asking people.  In one car, she stopped to talk to a couple more first year boys who were talking about the different houses at Hogwarts.  Hermione at once recognized one of them as Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived.  She found out that he had been raised by Muggles too.  And he cirtenly acted like it. When she tried to impress them with her knowledge of Hogwarts, they acted qute rudely.  Oh well, Hermione thought, Who needs those two as friends.  Little did she know what was to come in the year ahead.