Disclaimer: I don't own any Harry Potter characters.

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A CINDERELLA STORY

Chapter 2

Getting to Hogwarts

As sunshine poured through the only window in the whole attic, Hermione shifted in her sleep. Then, a voice shattered her dreams and her eyes flew open.

"Hermione!" Francine yelled.

Hermione groaned then swiftly got out of bed. Then she remembered...she was going to Hogwarts today!

"YAY!" Hermione yelled then started jumping around. "I'm going to Hogwarts! I'm going to Hogwarts!" She chanted and danced around the room.

"Hermione!" Francine screamed.

Hermione snatched her purple housecoat off her desk chair then opened the door to the attic so she could get downstairs. CREEEEEEEEEEAK! The door made an ear shattering sound that would make your hair stand on end. Yikes! Hermione thought. Francine's probably going to make me fix that to!

"HERMIONE!" Francine hollered.

"I'm coming!" Hermione yelled back.

Hermione frantically ran down the winding staircase then hung a left into the hallway.

"Hermione!" Francine yelled again, "Get your but down here young lady, or I-"

Hermione opened the door when Francine was in mid-sentence.

"Oh...you're here," Francine commented.

Francine's room was like a royal bedchamber compared to Hermione's room. The carpet was a deep blood red color with gold designs woven into it. Francine's bed was so big it looked as if it could have held ten people at the most. With a rusty red duvet and about a dozen fluffy pillows that were the same color as the duvet and had golden tassels to match the floor designs. The bed looked like nothing you could buy in the store. An 83" T.V was on the wall in front of the bed. Francine was sitting in the middle of the bed, remote in hand, watching Hermione impatiently.

"Hermione, get your but over here," Francine complained.

Hermione shuffled over beside her stepmother's bed.

"How are you this morning?" Francine asked.

"I-"

"I hope your feeling well," Francine cut in, "because you've got a lot of work to do today!"

"But I'm going to school today," Hermione protested.

"Well then you'd better do the work before you go to school then, huh!" Francine said rudely.

"Okay," Hermione sighed.

The door to Francine's room opened and in stepped Anne, followed by Mary. Anne's blonde hair stood out in all directions from being slept on. Her velvety pink nightgown was crinkled up. Mary's fuzzy light brown hair was done in messy looking pigtails and her light green pajamas fell limply over her body.

"Mom!" They both whined.

"What is it my baby pumpkins?" Francine cooed.

"Hermione woke me up," Mary complained.

"Me too," Anne agreed.

"Aw! My poor baby's," Francine said, "Come to mommy." Mary and Anne climbed onto their mother's bed.

"Now," Francine said snapping her head back to Hermione, "I want you to sweep the floors, mop the floors, clean the glass, trim the hedges, sweep the driveway, help Mary and Anne get ready, and...fix that door!"

Hermione sighed then walked out of her step mom's bedroom to begin her chores.

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Three hours later a dirty, mad Hermione stomped into the house. She had just finished sweeping the floors, mopping the floors, clipping the hedges and sweeping the driveway. She walked into the laundry room and grabbed the Windex. As she cleaned the glass, she imagined that her stepmothers face was there. She would spray the imaginary face and say, "Take that!" under her breath. She finished cleaning the glass in about fifteen minutes.

"I guess I should go and help Mary and Anne get ready," Hermione sighed.

Hermione stomped off towards Mary's room. When she got there she knocked.

"Come in!" Mary sang.

Hermione opened the door and stepped inside. Mary's room was very beautiful. It had white wicker furniture and the bedspread and walls were yellow.

"Oh...it you Hermione," Mary said.

"Yes, its just me," Hermione said without any emotion. She walked over to Mary's closet, grabbed the suitcase and sat it on the bed, then began packing Mary's clothing.

"I can't wait to get back to Hogwarts," Mary said.

"Mmmhhhmmm," Hermione said absentmindedly.

"I'll get to see all my friends again!" Mary chirped. "I wonder what Lavender, Seamus, Ginny, Draco, and...Harry!" Lavender was with Seamus, Anne was with Draco and Mary was with Harry. They were all popular. The girls were beautiful and skinny and the guys were handsome and muscular. They all teased Hermione and made fun of her.

"That's nice," Hermione said trying to be nice.

"Yes, I can't wait to see Harry! It's been ages since I last saw him!" Mary exclaimed.

"Ages," Hermione repeated dully.

"You know Hermione, you should really do your make-up better, and pick different clothes. The clothes you have make you look so...geeky! And your face...it, it just doesn't...well, you know what I mean!" Mary said.

"Oh!" Hermione sighed.

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Hermione was in her room now, packing up to go to Hogwarts. The last two hours had been not fun. After she had endured all the insults from Mary, she had gone on and received some more from Anne, then she had done the rest of the chores.

Hermione stood up and went over to stand in front of the mirror. Am I really that bad? Am I ugly? A single tear fell down her cheek, but she hastily wiped it away. Hermione wondered if she really was ugly. She had always thought that looks didn't count, and that it was what was on the inside really did count. Her daddy had always told her so...

FlAsHbAcK

"And they lived happily ever after," Daddy finished the story, "Isn't that a great story Hermione?"

"It my new favorite," Hermione readily agreed.

There was a comfortable silence as they soaked in the sun coming from Hermione's bedroom window.

"Hey daddy?" Hermione asked.

"Yes baby," Daddy answered.

"Are fairytales real?" Hermione questioned.

"There are storybooks, but I do believe that you could create your own fairytale," Daddy answered.

"Really?" replied an eager Hermione, "How? Would I be a princess? Would I meet Prince Charming? Would I live happily ever after?"

"Yes you can create your own fairytale. But, I don't think it would be exactly like that," Daddy said laughing a bit.

"How would it be then?" Hermione asked.

"You're going to have to find out on your own," Daddy replied mysteriously.

All of a suddenly there was a tremor. Then things started falling from the shelves and smashing on the ground.

"EARTHQUAKE!" Hermione yelled.

"Hide under your desk Hermione, and don't come out until I come to get you!" Daddy exclaimed.

They heard a scream followed by, "Help!"

"I have to go get your step mother," Daddy said getting up.

"Don't leave me daddy!" Hermione said and started crying.

"Its okay baby, just stay there," Daddy answered. Then he ran out into the hall.

EnD oF fLaShBaCk

Hermione sniffled as she thought about this. Her daddy had never come back to her. And he never would. Hermione was eight when her dad had died, leaving her alone with her stepmother and stepsisters. Hermione turned back to the mirror and glared at herself. She had long, wavy bbrown hair and brown eyes that seemed to have died out when her daddy had died. Her figure wasn't that bad, it was just that she wore baggy clothes. She could wear tighter cloths but Hermione was unsure of herself so she preferred baggy. Hermione turned back to her suitcase and started stuffing random things in it.

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Time to go Hermione," Francine yelled.

Hermione lugged her suitcase down the stairs and placed it in the car. Everyone was waiting for her. As soon as she sat down, they sped away. The ride was uneventful; all that really happened was a load of uncomfortable silence. When they got to Platform 9 ¾ they all rushed through the barrier. Finally! Hermione thought looking up at the Hogwarts Express.

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Hey guys. Sorry for the long delay. I'm not going to make a bunch of excuses; I'm just going to say that I was making it perfect.