It wasn't long before Hermione had all her schoolbooks and supplies. She
insisted on getting them as soon as possible so she could begin discovering
this new world that had opened up to her. The school's book list was
dreadfully short, and had little information about the wizarding world as
she wanted to know it, so she got a few extra books.
Hermione didn't want to let her parents down. They knew she could succeed in anything she wanted in the muggle world, but she had to prove herself in the wizard world. She entertained her mother with simple bubble-making charms and received much praise from her father when she found, and managed to perform, a floss-creating charm (although she could only make about a foot of it at a time, and it wasn't waxed...).
Soon, September 1st had nearly arrived and Hermione received a letter from Hogwarts. It contained her ticket for Kings Cross Station, and directions on how to get to platform 9 3/4.
Hermione and her parents arrived at the platform nearly an hour before the train was scheduled to leave, but they weren't the only ones there. Many children and their families had arrived already.
Butterflies began to flutter in Hermione's stomach as she absorbed the scene in front of her. Hogwarts was going to be so much different than what she was used to... she had never spent more than a couple weeks away from home and now she was gone until Christmas holidays. At her old school, she was able to at least go home in the late afternoon and spend some time alone with her books, which was exactly how she liked it.
At Hogwarts, there was no home to go to.
What if she got called names, like in her old school? What if she couldn't manage to make any friends? What if she could never catch up to the kids from wizarding families?
'Calm down, Hermione!' she told herself as she loaded her belongings on board. 'You get to start a new life today...'
Soon, it was ten minutes before the train was to depart. Hermione hugged her parents goodbye and watched as they cautiously walked through the brick wall and out of sight.
Hermione turned around and was surprised to see that so many more people had arrived. Owls hooted here and there, a toad hopped around her feet, and she thought she saw a boy with a tarantula. She boarded, and chose a compartment around the middle of the train.
Hermione sat alone for quite awhile. Her nervousness quickly translated into fear. 'Great,' she thought, 'what a way to spend my first day... alone.' She slouched in her seat and sighed a great sigh as the train's whistle signaled the departure.
A while later the door to the compartment opened slowly, and Hermione sat up with a jolt.
A short, round boy peeked around the door. "May I sit here?" His eyes were so sad, Hermione almost felt like crying herself, but instead answered "Of course," and cleared the seat across from her.
"I'm Hermione Granger," She started, attempting to make eye contact with the boy, which was difficult since he stared at the floor sadly, as if the floor just told him his dog had died.
"I'm Neville," the boy said and glanced up at Hermione with those dreadful eyes. "I've lost my toad, Trevor."
Hermione couldn't imagine how someone could be so sad over, of all things, a missing toad. Still, she smiled and told him that Trevor was bound to show up sooner or later. Neville sighed and stared out the window.
"I can't stand traveling," he explained as the rolling hills went by. "I'm going to miss Gran..."
"Oh, you live with your grandmother?"
"Yeah, I've lived with her forever." His mood seemed to lift slightly. "But I'm glad I made it into Hogwarts, Gran was afraid I might not have been accepted."
"So you come from a wizarding family, I mean, since you obviously knew about Hogwarts before the letter came?"
"Yup, my whole family are wizards and witches," Neville said as he fidgeted to get something out of his pocket.
"Must be nice," Hermione said, half talking to Neville, half thinking aloud, "Nice not to have this whole world thrown on you instantaneously like it happened to me..." She looked up and saw what Neville had produced from his pocket. It was a small box labeled "Chocolate Frog." Neville looked at it sadly.
"Trevor..." he sighed.
Hermione couldn't really handle another unhappy conversation with anyone, so she stood up with determination. "I'll help you find him, Neville. He's got to be on the train somewhere."
Hermione began to leave the compartment, but looked at her watch. She wasn't positive how long the journey would take, so she unfolded her school robes, fitted them on over her head, and made her way to the front of the train, to ask how much longer.
"Not too long," a man in a red suit answered her, "an hour, maybe a little more." So Hermione began a search for the toad, asking everyone she could if they had seen a toad. She got strange looks from most everyone, so she tried to explain that it wasn't HER toad she'd lost, but a friend's.
She made her way slowly towards the back of the train, unknowing that she would soon be meeting one of the most famous wizards of her time...
Hermione didn't want to let her parents down. They knew she could succeed in anything she wanted in the muggle world, but she had to prove herself in the wizard world. She entertained her mother with simple bubble-making charms and received much praise from her father when she found, and managed to perform, a floss-creating charm (although she could only make about a foot of it at a time, and it wasn't waxed...).
Soon, September 1st had nearly arrived and Hermione received a letter from Hogwarts. It contained her ticket for Kings Cross Station, and directions on how to get to platform 9 3/4.
Hermione and her parents arrived at the platform nearly an hour before the train was scheduled to leave, but they weren't the only ones there. Many children and their families had arrived already.
Butterflies began to flutter in Hermione's stomach as she absorbed the scene in front of her. Hogwarts was going to be so much different than what she was used to... she had never spent more than a couple weeks away from home and now she was gone until Christmas holidays. At her old school, she was able to at least go home in the late afternoon and spend some time alone with her books, which was exactly how she liked it.
At Hogwarts, there was no home to go to.
What if she got called names, like in her old school? What if she couldn't manage to make any friends? What if she could never catch up to the kids from wizarding families?
'Calm down, Hermione!' she told herself as she loaded her belongings on board. 'You get to start a new life today...'
Soon, it was ten minutes before the train was to depart. Hermione hugged her parents goodbye and watched as they cautiously walked through the brick wall and out of sight.
Hermione turned around and was surprised to see that so many more people had arrived. Owls hooted here and there, a toad hopped around her feet, and she thought she saw a boy with a tarantula. She boarded, and chose a compartment around the middle of the train.
Hermione sat alone for quite awhile. Her nervousness quickly translated into fear. 'Great,' she thought, 'what a way to spend my first day... alone.' She slouched in her seat and sighed a great sigh as the train's whistle signaled the departure.
A while later the door to the compartment opened slowly, and Hermione sat up with a jolt.
A short, round boy peeked around the door. "May I sit here?" His eyes were so sad, Hermione almost felt like crying herself, but instead answered "Of course," and cleared the seat across from her.
"I'm Hermione Granger," She started, attempting to make eye contact with the boy, which was difficult since he stared at the floor sadly, as if the floor just told him his dog had died.
"I'm Neville," the boy said and glanced up at Hermione with those dreadful eyes. "I've lost my toad, Trevor."
Hermione couldn't imagine how someone could be so sad over, of all things, a missing toad. Still, she smiled and told him that Trevor was bound to show up sooner or later. Neville sighed and stared out the window.
"I can't stand traveling," he explained as the rolling hills went by. "I'm going to miss Gran..."
"Oh, you live with your grandmother?"
"Yeah, I've lived with her forever." His mood seemed to lift slightly. "But I'm glad I made it into Hogwarts, Gran was afraid I might not have been accepted."
"So you come from a wizarding family, I mean, since you obviously knew about Hogwarts before the letter came?"
"Yup, my whole family are wizards and witches," Neville said as he fidgeted to get something out of his pocket.
"Must be nice," Hermione said, half talking to Neville, half thinking aloud, "Nice not to have this whole world thrown on you instantaneously like it happened to me..." She looked up and saw what Neville had produced from his pocket. It was a small box labeled "Chocolate Frog." Neville looked at it sadly.
"Trevor..." he sighed.
Hermione couldn't really handle another unhappy conversation with anyone, so she stood up with determination. "I'll help you find him, Neville. He's got to be on the train somewhere."
Hermione began to leave the compartment, but looked at her watch. She wasn't positive how long the journey would take, so she unfolded her school robes, fitted them on over her head, and made her way to the front of the train, to ask how much longer.
"Not too long," a man in a red suit answered her, "an hour, maybe a little more." So Hermione began a search for the toad, asking everyone she could if they had seen a toad. She got strange looks from most everyone, so she tried to explain that it wasn't HER toad she'd lost, but a friend's.
She made her way slowly towards the back of the train, unknowing that she would soon be meeting one of the most famous wizards of her time...