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The suburb of Heathgate, Hampstead, just northwest of London, was the home of Dr. Joseph Granger, father of Hermione Granger. The young girl who just about this time last year learned the truth that she was, in fact, a witch, gifted with powers that regular people would dream of was having. Of course, due to magical laws and statutes, it was a secret even her father didn't know, it was only excessively rare cases where Muggleborn parents were told. She was having a long and tedious summer, the calendar in her bedroom was counting down the days she until she could return to Hogwarts and every day she waited by the window for an owl to arrive with her supplies list for the upcoming term.
One morning, she made her way downstairs to join her father in the kitchen for breakfast. He was already sitting down at the table, wearing a white suit, with a blue dress shirt underneath and a red tie. She looked over at the table, her eyes full of sadness and disappointment. On her father's plate was a big helping of pancakes with sausages on the side, while Hermione had one chopped up apple.
"Father, can I have pancakes please?" Hermione asked politely.
"Hermione," her father shook his head, "you know pancakes are for boys. Now eat your apple, that's a good girl's breakfast," her father replied patronizingly.
As long as Hermione could remember her father had controlled what she ate. One time, when she was five, one of their housekeepers snuck her some chocolate, and it had been so delicious. She was wracked with guilt when her father found the small wrapper and fired her soon after.
Sighing, Hermione took her seat at the kitchen table, and ate the apple in silence, looking down at her plate.
"You'll be going back to your special private school pretty soon correct?" Joseph asked. While most parents would be thrilled for their child to be accepted to an elite private boarding school, Dr. Granger saw it as an opportunity to marry his daughter off to a rich and powerful and influential man to increase his social standing and benefit his business ventures.
"Yes father, September 1st," Hermione said as ate an apple slice.
"You'll remember to try to make friends with the wealthy children and remember to follow the food guide you have at home. You may not think so now, but those boys who think you're cute and pretty now at thirteen will leave you if you let yourself turn into a blob, Hermione."
Joseph had been monitoring and controlling his daughter's weight for years, making the small girl feel incredibly self-conscious and insecure about her appearance. Hermione was dangerously underweight for a girl of nearly thirteen, but that did not stop the man from belittling her and calling her fat. In fact, her father had been pleased when she'd developed scarlet fever at the age of six because the doctors told them that her throat was nearly swollen shut. He thought the life-threatening illness could help her lose some of the baby fat surrounding her face and thighs.
During the usual meal conversation where Joseph criticized his daughter's weight, teeth, and overall appearance, there was a knock at the front door. Hermione silently muttered a thank-you to whoever had cut the onslaught short as her father got up to answer.
"Good morning," Hermione could hear Joseph cheerfully say from the kitchen.
"Good morning Dr. Granger... I am one of your daughters Professor, "Hermione's eyes widened when she heard the cheery voice of Professor Flitwick, "I believe someone came here last year to help her with school shopping. I am here to take your daughter this year."
Hermione prayed her father wouldn't say anything about Flitwick's size.
"Really... umm what do you teach?" She could tell in father's tone he was uncomfortable.
"Music," Flitwick half lied, while he did direct the choir, it was extracurricular, and Hermione was not a member. Hermione made her way to the front door and hugged her friendly Charms Professor.
"Hello, Professor Flitwick!" Hermione said; happily, it was so lovely to see someone from the magical world again.
"It's good to see you after a month's holidays, Miss Granger. I am here to take you to purchase your school supplies in London." Flitwick chirped, "Unfortunately your Head of House is ill, so the Headmaster has asked me to assist you."
"Well, have fun shopping sweetheart," Joseph said in the tone he reserved for public interactions with his only child.
Hermione ran upstairs to her bedroom and grabbed her coat and the pocket money she made mowing lawns and numerous other odd jobs for people around town. There was a fund set up at Hogwarts to assist Muggleborns in paying for their supplies, but Hermione didn't want something she hadn't earned for herself. While her father wanted her to have the best of everything in school supplies, Hermione didn't like to show off money like her father.
"How is your summer?" Filius asked.
Hermione liked Professor Flitwick, he was one of the friendliest Professors at Hogwarts apart from Professor Dumbledore and Hagrid, and he was the only head of house who showed equal treatment to all houses.
"It's alright. Pretty quiet, just my dad and I," Hermione smiled.
The young girl couldn't be happier to leave the house, and the odd-looking pair made their way to the Leaky Cauldron in London, to muggles is was just an old run down building, but to witches and wizards like Filius and Hermione, it was the most famous pub in London.
Tom, the bartender, greeted Hermione with a toothless smile and offered her some candy when she walked inside. A few witches about the age of thirty told the young witch that they wished they were still students, this left the girl puzzled and when she asked why one of them handed her a copy of the Daily Prophet. Right on the front page was a picture of young wizard that looked like a prince from a fairy tale, with a headline saying: 'Gilderoy Lockhart Takes Defense Post At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.'
The little girl remembered reading all about him last year, she couldn't wait to teach by such a great and famous wizard. She almost tripped over herself with excitement as she made her way into Diagon Alley. Hermione and Professor Flitwick visited the goblins of Gringotts first to exchange Hermione's muggle pounds for wizard currency. Once that was done Filius pulled out the supply list for this year's second years so they could begin visiting the various shops. Professor Flitwick shook his head in annoyance, which was something be rarely see him do, at the list of Lockhart books required for D.A.D.A. The half-goblin man was sure that Gilderoy Lockhart was the first of his Ravenclaws he'd ever been embarrassed by.
They first went to Madam Malkin's for new robes. While Hermione had grown a couple of inches taller, she was dismayed to note that her chest, waist, and hip measurements were smaller than the year before and the robes had to be taken in to fit her gaunt frame.
Then, after purchasing new parchment from Scrivenshaft's and potions supplies from the apothecary, the two shopping companions entered Flourish and Blotts to buy Hermione's textbooks. The small bookshop was packed to the rafters with people. As the tiny witch looked around, she realized the crowd was due to the presence of Gilderoy Lockhart signing patron's books. Hermione spotted Harry Potter getting his picture by taken with Gilderoy Lockhart, and this surprised her as Harry never struck her as an attention seeker before.
"Famous Harry Potter, always looking for attention," hissed a voice as Harry tried to escape Lockhart's grasp. Hermione turned around to see Draco Malfoy glaring at Harry, as the Weasley family and Professor Flitwick came to his defense. Malfoy backed away once he saw Professor Flitwick, backing away from the group until he bumped into a man with long blonde hair.
Hermione quickly realized this was Draco's father, a man Mr. Weasley called Lucius. The blonde and red-haired men began throwing insults and just as it looked like the argument would escalate into an altercation outside of the shop, Lucius Malfoy slipped a book into the cauldron of the young Weasley daughter Hermione had never met.
"Draco, come," Lucius ordered as he left the shop.
"See you at school," Draco sneered.
Two weeks later, Hermione arrived at Platform 9 ¾, excited for what the school year would bring. She found a compartment on the train with the Weasley twins, Fred and George and their little sister, who she learned was named Ginny and would been in first year. When she asked where their brothers were, the twins just shrugged and said Percy was with the other prefects and Ron was likely somewhere with Harry.
It was nice to have company this year, as the year previous she had sat all alone. The quartet played exploding snap and ate snacks provided by Mrs. Weasley the entire time while Hermione let them talk about their summer adventures.
Soon enough, the train arrived at Hogsmeade station, and Hermione could hear Hagrid calling out for the first years, Hermione said goodbye to Ginny with a little wave and some comforting advice before she left to meet the other first years. She then followed the twins as they led her to horse-less carriages that drove them to the castle, eager to see what the year had in store for them.