One Last Shot

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling, not me. Savvy?

Author's Note: Sorry about the date in the first chapter. It was supposed to be 1977, and 20 years (it's changed now). My bad.

Chapter 2: It's The Hard-Knock Life

Hermione had been wandering around Muggle London for the better part of two days now, and she was tired, she was hungry, and she was sore, but most importantly, she really had to go to the bathroom. Maybe she should've allowed Officer Bax to bring in; at least then she'd have had access to a toilet, not to mention food and a bed. After all, it wasn't exactly easy to support yourself when you were eleven and had no job or clue as to where you were. Well, to be fair, Hermione Granger, almost twenty and brightest witch of her year, could. But eleven-year-old Laura Smith? Not a chance. She didn't even know where she was.

She did know that she wasn't in Diagon Alley. Hermione had tried to apparate there, but had ended up even more lost, if it was possible, in Muggle London. She figured it was because she was scared, and more than a little stressed, but that didn't really help. She should try again, she thought, if only to get her bearrings. Maybe she'd end up somewhere she recognized.

Hermione took a quick look around, and seeing no one else, spun on her heel and disapparated.

After two attempts, Hermione appeared at the entrance to Knockturn Alley. Success; she knew where she was.

But what did that accomplish, really? She knew where she was, yes, but she didn't know anybody and had no place to stay. Or food to eat, or books to read, or different clothes to wear. And she could really use a shower.

Hermione sighed. She really didn't want to be put in an orphanage with those annoying little ankle-biters. And anyway, she was a Gryffindor! SHe could do this on her own.

OK, fine. She couldn't. Sod Gryffindor pride, Hermione needed help. And for that, Hermione needed the police. And for that, Hermione needed a history and a new name. She wasn't too fond of Laura.

Her name was Jane Summers; Jane like her mum, Summer like her Gramma. She was born on September 19, 1965. Her parents were Briget and Andrew. They had died a few days ago in a car accident. Jane had been homeschooled and her best friend was their housekeeper, Chantal. Her father was a dentist.

Her favorite thing to do was read stories; she loevd the Bobsey Twins. She also liked jump rope and hopscotch. Her mother would play with her after lessons, or Chantal would if Mother was too busy. Once, when she was eight, Jane and Mother were playing tag and Jane tripped on a fallen tree branch. The injury had required six stitches, and after, Mother took Jane out for ice cream.

When Jane waas ten, Father told her she'd need braces for her top teeth. She would've gotten them in a week.

Jane had little trouble finding the police station; she only stopped for directions twice. Standing outside the staion, Jane took a few deep breaths before entering, trying to prepare herself, make herself look scared and confused and sad. 'OK Jane, you can do this, whatever it might be. Oh, Merlin,' she whispered quietly.

She opened the door and stepped up to the man behind the front desk. 'Can I help you, Miss?' he asked in a friendly voice.

'I need to see someone about going to an orphanage,' Jane answered in a tiny voice. 'I, erm, I didn't know where else to go. I thought maybe you could help me. I- I just- I don't-' Jane started crying, burying her head in her hands. It wasn't hard to fake the tears, and Jane was glad of this fact becuase she was only able to give the officer her name and age through her fingers.

The officer brought her to the London Anglican Children's Home, a small but neat building that wasn't too far from the Leaky Cauldron. She had been introduced to the Headmistress, Ms. Foster, a tall lady with a kind face who ushered her into her office, then the officer left.

Ms. Foster handed her some papers and a pen. 'I need you to fill these out, dear. Normally, the officer would, but I guess he's busy. I'll be right back. I need to get Alison.' She left, leaving Jane sitting in front of her imposing wooden desk. Jane got to work on the papers, writing as much as she could about her medical history, what her current 'situation' was, and a few of her favorites, wondering the whole time how the policeman would've been able to fill it out.

'Are you all done?' Ms. Foster was back, and she had brought a friend. 'This is Alison. She'll show you around while I find you a bed. Where are your things?'

'I don't have any,' Jane replied, standing up. 'Hello,' she said to Alison.

The girl, around the age of sixteen or seventeen, had messy blond hair tied back by a pale blue ribbon. Underneath her glasses, she had pleasant green eyes. She was leaning against the doorframe with a welcoming smile plastered onto her face. 'Well, shall we?'

'Yes, go on, get out; I have a lot of work to do,' Ms. Foster agreed, pushing Jane toward the door. 'Thanks for this, Alison.'

'No problem.'

'This is the kitchen,' Alison said as she pushed open a heavy wooden door. 'Every so often, a few of us are assigned to supper duty, but meals are usually made by the cook. We eat at six PM sharp in the dining room- through there- and if you're more than five minutes late, you lose your cutlery. A lot of the younger children are purposely late so they have an excuse to eat with their hands.' She rolled her eyes, then closed the door.

Alison led Jane down a hallway with peeling yellow wallpaper. Every ten feet, there was a door with a number on it from one to eight on it. 'Each of these rooms has four beds,' Alison explained. 'There are two upstairs, one for Ms. Foster and one for my group. I'll show you your room once I know where it is, but until then we need to respect the others' privacy. I can show you the backyard now, you'll like it. This way.' Alison guided Jane through another door at the end of the hall.

The 'backyard' was nothing short of astounding. The property itself was huge, especially for downtown London. What was on the property made the place look like a playground. There were six swings, two slides, a climbing structure and a see-saw, all contained in a sandbox. There were benches around the edges, along with a few trees. There were about ten children scattered throughout the yard, all of them under ten. 'You'll spend most of your time here,' Alison was saying, 'or at the public pool a few streets over if you can get a bathing suit. Anyway, it's about time for lunch and I'm hungry, so let's go.'

'So, have you found a place for her yet?' Alison asked Ms. Foster over an exquisite luncheon of hotdags and macaroni. 'Pass the ketchup,' she added.

Ms. Foster slid the bottle across the table and said, 'Yes. However, the only spot free was in your room. I'm sorry Alison, but we're really full.'

'But she can't stay with us. She's not a- I mean, she's not old enough. Look at her!'

'You'll just have to tone it down then. It'll only be for a few weeks, Alison, then you'll be back at that school of yours.'

'Six weeks! Not a few, six! That's not fair!' Alison protested.

'I know, but that's the only open bed, so that's where she goes. I'm sorry, but if it wasn't her, it'd be someone else. It can't be helped, Alison. Try to see that.'

'Ugh!' Alison grabbed her hotdog and left the table. For a few seconds after, she could be heard pounding down the yellow hallway, then up the stairs. A door slammed, then more pounding, and a minute later, Alison passed them by as she headed outside.

'Sorry about that, Jane,' Ms. Foster said apologetically. 'Alison's a little hotheaded.'

'Don't worry about it,' Jane replied. 'When can I see my room?'

"I'll show you after you're finished eating.'

Jane crammed her hotdog into her mouth. 'Done,' she announced a few seconds later.

'Your bed's there, in the corner. You can keep your things on that shelf there and in that closet,' Ms. Foster said, pointing out each thing to the girl behind her. 'If I can convince Alison to take you, you can get some clothes this afternoon. If not, I can take you after dinner. Well, I'll leave you to get settled. When you're ready, come outside and meet a few of the others.'

Once Ms. Foster left, Jane sat on her bed, thinking. She needed to get a Hogwarts letter, if only to finish her schooling. She didn't want to sit through the first six years again, as her first time around had, for the most part, been boring at best, but maybe if she talked talked to Dumbledore she could finish her lessons privately this year and then-

What? Go to muggle school until she looked seventeen? That was no good; she had been doing that by correspondence and had only a year left of that as well. Could she get a job next year to pass the time? No one would hire a twelve-year-old girl, brightest witch of her age or not. In fact, bringing that up in the muggle world might just get her chucked to the looney bin. Could she become a teacher's aid at Hogwarts? That one sounded like her best bet, since she'd be there anyway, and she'd be able to learn the subject in full and complete detail. But, of course, she first had to get into Hogwarts, which would require Dumbledore's knowledge of her skills. Which would require her to inform him.

Jane began drafting the letter in her head.

Dear Professor Dumbledore,

My name is Jane Summers and I am almost 12 years old. Nobody knows of my magical ability, not even the Ministry, but it is quite impressive. I can perform complex spells that are extremely advanced for my age, or for any other student you may currently have. I'd like to request a place at Hogwarts, as I have only one year of schooling left.

Sincerely, Miss Jane Summers

Yes, that would go over well. She could see his reply now.

Dear Miss Jane Summers,

Why, of course you're welcome at Hogwarts! You need not even ask! In these dark times, what with the fast approach of You-Know-Who and all, suspiciously over-intelligent children who no one's ever heard of before are greatly desired here at Hogwarts, and frankly, we're insulted you didn't contact us sooner. We'll see you on September 1. Would you care for a lemon drop?

Professor Dumbledore

Jane snorted. Even in her mind, Dumbledore had to offer her lemon drops. She was sure that that question would appear at least once in his reply, regardless of what she sent.

'What's so funny?' Alison asked from the doorway.

'Oh, nothing; just thinking,' Jane replied easily. 'Ms. Foster said you might be taking me shopping.'

'No, she can take you herself. I just brought up the roomies so you could meet them.' Alison pushed the door open and sat on her bed. Two others followed her into the room, a girl of fifteen and an older boy.

'I'm Meghan,' the girl said, twirling a finger a lock of golden hair. 'It's great to have a new roommate, even if some people think otherwise. And, hey, maybe with you around, they'll argue less.' Meghan sat down on her bed, the closest one to Jane's. She had an innocent face with a bright smile and deep blue eyes.

The other, the boy, had straight black hair that hung to his shoulders. His dark eyes were focused on the wall and his pale face showed absolute boredom. 'Severus Snape,' he said.

End notes: Sorry this took so long, but it was pretty long, for me. Hope you all enjoy it! Thanks to the reviewers for leaving such great reviews. It makes me happy to know people are reading.

Next chapter will be up before next weekend (10-12 days).

Anyway, I won't keep you here with this useless talk, and Merlin knows I could use this time to be sleeping, so toodles!

Dancing with Pineapples (I think I'll change this soon),

Jibs