Disclaimer: If I owned this, would I really be sitting here at my computer typing it? OR would I be out partying with big celebrities? You tell me.
Chapter 1
Boom! Crash!
Thunder roared and lightning flashed outside Hermione's window. Her room, the refurnished attic, shook with each clap, and illuminated its inhabitant with each flash. Hermione did have one weakness-besides a failing grade-thunderstorms. When she was little, she would curl up with her mom in her parents' room (her dad would get kicked out). At Hogwarts, she would simply perform a Silencing Charm and wear an eyemask thing (A/N: what is that called?). But now, she was at home, too old to sleep with her mother, and not allowed to do magic. So, now, if one paid attention when the lightning flashed, one would spot a bush of hair peeking out from under the covers.
When it finally died down, Hermione crawled back out of bed. She took out her diary and made her first entry.
Dear –
She got stuck here. What was she to refer to her collection of innermost thoughts as? Bob? Ophelia? Mandy? Or maybe just Journal or Diary? But Hermione didn't really like any of these names. A human name for an inanimate object seemed a bit inane, and referring to the object by its own name, journal or diary, seemed too boring. Perhaps an acronym would do? How about Confessions of A Muggleborn Witch Living In the Post-Voldemort Era and Pre-Second War Age-CAMWLIPVEPSWA? Even that was a mouthful for Hermione. How about A Witch, Her Friends, Their Enemies, and Her Cat-AWTFHC? Nuh-uh. Maybe HGW-PMW2-This would have a double meaning-one where HGW stood for Hogwarts, and PMW2 stood for Pre-Magic War II (A/N: like World War II-Magic War II-okay, you gotta work with me here!) and the secret one where HGW stood for Hermione Granger-Weasley and PMW2 stood for Part Muggle and Witch 2 (the 2 in this meaning simply means diary #2, the first she kept at the age of 7 and filled with meaningless garbage).
"Argh" she groaned aloud, 'I've got an awesome title, but that's not what I'm going to refer to my diary as! All right-Enough-I'm calling you-Mack! Why? I have no idea! But That is your name and That is what I will call you. And now, for my first entry'.
June 17, 2005
Dear Mack,
You are my diary, and it is into you I will pour out my angst, my anxiety, my fears, my hopes, my dreams, in short, my heart. I hope to write eloquently in your pages.
Yours truly and forevermore,
Hermione Granger Weasley
'Well' she thought, 'It sounds dignified…but does it sound like me...'
But it didn't matter, because it was 2:38 a.m. and Hermione never got a chance to complete that discussion with herself, because she dropped dead asleep, right then and there.
When she woke up, six hours later, she had to douse herself in cold water before she believed that she had read the clock correctly. She trudged downstairs and found a note from her parents which read:
Sweetie,
I think this is the first time you've overslept since the last thunderstorm you roughed out in your room! Your father and I have left for work, we thought it best not to wake you. There's oatmeal for breakfast, and sandwich stuff for lunch. We'll be back for an early dinner, because we have to leave at 6 for the Burrow, so don't forget to pack! You'll be there for the remainder of the summer, so pack accordingly!
Love XOXO,
Mum and Dad
'Oh dear god' was the first thought she had upon reading the note, 'I have to spend the entire summer with Ron!' Her stomach tied itself into knots, while her heart leapt at the thought. 'Well at least this will give you a chance to work on your goals.' an evil voice snickered at her in her mind. 'Yeah, but not like this.' she thought back weakly.
Hermione decided this would be a good time to put Gozmack to use.
Dear Mack,
I can't believe this is happening! Ron- I- My parents are sending me to the Burrow for the rest of the summer and it's only mid-June! I have to spend 2 and a half months with a boy I- a boy I- who I-promise not to tell? I fancy him. Ew, I sound like a scarlet woman, as Mrs. Weasley would call it. AHH! And notice, my eloquent English is not making an appearance in this entry! But back to Ron! I have to spend 2 and a half months with Ginny relaying stories in which Ron is gross, immature, or just plain wrong,and I am expected to nod in disgust, when really, I find it unsurprising, or cute or-dare I say it-exciting
That evil voice in my head is telling me this is a great chance to work on my goals. Erg-no wonder I call it the evil voice. My four goals for the summer were to work on my Hogwarts schoolwork, to keep up with teen Muggles by doing the recommended Summer Reading, to work on my cooking and to work on myself. And by myself I mean on myself style-wise. As much as I hate to admit it, style is becoming a bigger and bigger part of a career, and I feel that choosing a wardrobe with clothes of class and elegance is a skill I should consider learning now, rather than floundering when I'm older. I mean, job interviews as well as offices of any kind require a semi-formal dress code, and dress, apparently, is on aspect of life I have yet to master. The reason that little voice is evil is that it is right. With Ginny, a regular girly girl, sharing her room with me for the next two and a half months (have I mentioned the fact I'll be at the Burrow for 2 and ½ months?), and the wizarding world only a furnace away, this is the most convenient way to work on goal number 4. But Ron and Harry would be there, because there's no way Mrs. Weasley would allow us girls to roam the streets without at least one male escort. But MAYBE! Harry and Ron would leave us to our girl stuff, and leave the store! That way they wouldn't be there when Ginny -ugh- 'helps' me.
Finally-a ray of hope-Harry! That's really all I can manage right now.
Yours truly and forevermore,
Hermione Granger Weasley
READERS: I APOLOGIZE FOR THIS CHAPTER-IT'S BORING AND LONG DRAWN OUT AND A BIT BADLY WRITTEN AND ORGANIZED, BUT IT WILL ALL PLAY A PART LATER, SO PLEASE DON'T QUIT THIS STORY!