Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters/places/ or anything else. These are property of J.K. Rowling, and the other nice people who helped her with it. Joshua Bell, and various other characters shall be my ideas, or the ideas I got from friends. Please ask me to use them. Thank You.

The Boy and the Beauty

By Joshua T. Bell

The next few weeks went by fast. Josh had known nothing of Hogwarts before the day the owl came to him. He studied furiously, hoping to get some information inside of him before he started school. His mind was rampaged with his foster parents, and the chance to know his real parents. It was all so different now, as if he knew his real parents.

The Leaky Cauldron was his new home, and the bartender, Tom, was the only person he cared to know. July was soon over, and August began a new term for him. Josh began to study more and more, working on charms and potions. Both were quite complex to him, he just didn't understand the concepts or mixing ingredients together, or waving the wand in the special way to make the charm work. It was complex, yet interesting at the same time, spellbinding in a way.

Students from all over Britain were now coming to the small ally of wizarding shops. They were all different kinds of students, and each had their own way about them. Josh had made a special task within himself to meet someone new. He wanted to learn what he could from another witch or wizard, and maybe make a friend, something he hadn't even thought of since he left his foster family.

Josh easily made his way through the brick wall into the ally. He had learned the small brick pattern that made the entrance to Diagon Ally. He got himself a set of black robes that would later be used at Hogwarts, but for now he just wore them to look a little more convincing as a wizard. A young woman with frizzy brown hair moved down the ally. She seemed a bit older than Josh, but only by a few years.

Josh made his way towards her, his short stature looking almost mortified as he touched her shoulder. She spun around and smiled at him, "Yes?" "I.I." Josh stuttered as he talked, "Are you a Hogwarts student?"

"Yes, I am, and you would be?" Her voice was soft, yet had a little bit annoyance mixed in.

Josh looked at her and sighed, "Do you mind if I be blunt?"

She raised a brow at this, but nodded in silence. "I am Joshua Bell, I have had a very lot of problems, and I need some help with my charms, and potions. If possible do you think you could help me?" He bit his bottom lip, hoping she would give him the decency to say yes or no.

She smiled at this, "Well, I am Hermione Granger. I would need to ask my parents, but I believe I could arrange it."

"Thank you, Hermione." Josh stated smiling, his voice somewhat joyful, yet sad. "You should really ask your parents also, Joshua," She stated as she turned away.

Josh let out a small sob-like sigh, "Miss Granger," He said tapping her shoulder once more, "My parents are dead, and my foster parents, they are gone also."

Hermione was shocked. She turned and looked at him, "Where are you staying at?"

"My foster parents had the decency to give me a little bit of money, but I have been here over a month, and well, it is dwindling down. My ticket to Platform nine and three quarters, will take up most of the money I have left." He looked at her, "Well, Miss Granger, when you find an answer, just find me up in my room, it is number 15."

Hermione just nodded in approval, and walked away. Josh made his way back to the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, and guided himself back to his room. He sat down on the bed, and quickly grabbed a piece of parchment to begin writing up information about a History of Magic, but he soon put it away, the rebellions of Goblins just not really interesting him. He needed something more. He grabbed a book called "Hogwarts; A History" and began to read it furiously. Hogwarts was a lot more interesting reading about it, than the History of Magic. He didn't know about some of the charms, or anything like apparating. Overall, the information held within it was quite interesting.

He read for what seemed like hours, until a small knock was heard at the door. A yawn escaped his mouth as he stood up. He opened the door, and Hermione Granger stood in front of him, with her two parents behind her, "Hello," Josh stated looking at them with a smile.

"Hello again, Joshua." Hermione stated with her beautiful voice.

"Josh, please," He stated with a smile, "And you two are?" He stated to what seemed to be her parents.

"I'm Angela Granger," The woman stated, her hair a straight brown, matching color perfectly to Hermione's, but her eyes a blue.

"I'm Gregory Granger," The man stated. His hair curly but cut short, while his eyes matching his daughters in perfect sync.

"I'm Joshua Bell, but you may both call me Josh." He stated with a smile lighting his face.

"Well," Hermione said with her own smile across her face, "I am going to do one of two things, if you do not mind?"

Josh looked at her uneasily, "What are you going to do?"

"Well, my parents want me to be a little cautious about you, but I made a deal with them. If you prove to us you are who you say you are, we will let you accompany us home for the remainder of the summer, and I will tutor you in the things you asked about." Her voice was stern, and serious, but in some way she was giddy, and happy also.

"How are you going to do that?" Josh stated once again in an uneasy tone.

"With a truth serum," She stated as she pulled a small vile out of her hand, "But I will ask that you have nothing you do not want to reveal to me before hand. I will ask a variety of questions, all may reveal secrets that are inside of you."

"I will do it," He stated before thinking, he grabbed the vial of weird colored liquid and drank it down quickly.

Hermione smiled at his yearning to learn and then asked her first question, "Do you have muggle parents or wizard parents?"

"I have wizard parents. They were killed, and then I was kidnapped by muggles who raised me as their own." His voice seemed to be somewhat somber when speaking.

"And why are you staying at the Leaky Cauldron rather than with your foster parents?" Her voice was of amazement.

"My foster parents gave me a choice between being with them, or becoming a wizard. They gave me only $1,000 dollars, and left me here. I bought books for first year, and with my robes cauldrons, ingredients, and wand, I am almost out of money."

"And how long have you been here?"

"1 month, 3 days, and 4 hours." He stated with a sigh. His tone began changing slowly.

"The potion is wearing off, but I believe one more question is in order. Do you believe that you made the right choice?" Her voice was interested, yet concerned.

"I made the right choice, now I can live as my parents did." Josh stated as his voice returned to the normal tone.

Hermione laughed, "See, I told you he was telling the truth!" The two parents smiled and Gregory just laughed, "We will get a room together for you, but until then I hope you don't mind you sleep on the couch?"

"Nah, I don't mind." He stated his tone completely back to what it was when they started. A smile across his face, "But what will I do after the year of school?"

"We will figure that out as it comes," Hermione stated with a smile.

"Well, let us be off!" said Angela, "Help him back Greg, and then we can go home."

"Home…" Josh stated with a smile. It was the first time the word had meaning after the month he had been away.