A/N: Fic Recommendation for this chapter – The Pureblood Conspiracy by Nom9de9Plume. The story is very original and enjoyable, one of my faves! Again, please vote in the poll on my profile page!
It was now the first of September, and the Granger family were at Kings Cross, Hermione was about to cross the barrier as it was invisible to muggles and didn't work for them. When she had found out she was a witch, she had taken it surprisingly well. The news had came rather suddenly after the huge shock she had received when finding out she was adopted, and she had pretty much accepted it.
She couldn't help but think that maybe her parents were wizards or witches – if she was adopted and magical, it was a pretty likely option. Maybe she would find out once she reached Hogwarts. She couldn't wait!
Her relationship with her mother and father, or not as she had found it, had been incredibly strained since they dropped the bombshell of her being adopted. So it was a simple 'Goodbye,' that was the last word she uttered to her parents before walking through the barrier and onto the platform.
Stepping through the barrier that was unknown to muggles, she winced in anticipation of the oncoming wall, and smiled when she went straight through, rather painlessly – even if she had already known this. What met her on the other side was simply other-worldly. Although the scarlet steaming train with 'Hogwarts Express' written on gold letters across it could have passed for something muggle, the rest wouldn't have. Even the people looked different, over half of them wore the wizarding robes she would have to wear for Hogwarts that she had saw worn in Diagon Alley. They all seemed to be clustered in little groups, as if there was some sort of social divide.
Nearly everything she possessed was in the trunk she was pushing along on the trolley, it was a good job that the wizard selling her it had thought to put him a bottomless charm, however, this didn't really help with the weight and it was a constant struggle to push the trolley. How she was going to get her trunk on the train, she really didn't know. Maybe she would just have to ask someone, surely a fellow wizard should help?
Glancing around the platform, she spotted a noble looking blonde haired, pale skinned man standing only a few paces away from her. His wife, was a stark contrast with deep brown hair and tanned skin, accompanied him but she did however share her husbands noble aristocratic nature. Walking up to them, she asked if they could help her with her trunk, explaining that she had to go onto the platform alone although she didn't choose to divulge information about her adoption. After all, she had just met them.
"You mean… you're a mudblood?" asked the woman, looking down at Hermione, her nose high in the air.
"Urm…" stammered Hermione. She didn't know what a mudblood was, but she was pretty sure it was an insult. She had only been in the wizarding world for two minutes, and already people hated her. It didn't seem like a good omen.
"Excuse me, dear," said a woman standing behind her.
"I'm Amelia Bones, head of magical law enforcement over at the ministry of magic and this is my niece, Susan Bones. Not all families are like the Malfoy's as I'm sure you'll find," she explained.
"Hi," said Susan with a sweet smile.
"Hi, I'm Hermione Granger," she replied.
After Susan had waved goodbye to her aunt, they dragged Hermione's trunk onto the train together, going back for Susan's.
The first compartment that they found was empty, and so they sat down there, thankful they wouldn't have to walk all over the train, hunting for one.
Just before the train was about to depart, two girls stumbled into the compartment clutching pets and dragging trunks. They introduced themselves as Mandy Brocklehurst and Hannah Abbott. One of the girls, Mandy, who was muggleborn had bright red eyes and Hannah explained she had been crying after saying goodbye to her parents – she had never been away by herself before and now, she had a whole year in a new world. It was certainly a change for her.
They spent a pleasant few hours talking, and introducing each other to their respective worlds. Hannah was the most knowledgeable, living in the only wizarding family in her muggle estate and house. They obviously had to learn a lot about to muggle in order to not stand out, and as a result she was exposed to all sorts of muggle culture. The dinner cart arrived just as the clock ticked along to half past 12, just in time as everyone was getting hungry. Hermione confessed that she had been too anxious, or more appropriately excited to eat any breakfast and Hannah laughed and agreed, she had been the same.
"Anything off the trolley dears?" asked the old lady.
Hermione glanced over at the trolley, there were many things there she had never even heard of, and Mandy agreed. Chocolate frogs seemed all right, but what about acid pops? And Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, were there really every flavour there? There were after all, some tastes no one wanted to experience.
"Oh don't worry," said Susan, who had fortunately had the sense to explain anything that they looked confused about. "Not all wizarding food is like that, they're only serving snacks and things right now because when we get to Hogwarts there'll be a massive feast, my auntie has told me all about it.
"Oh, that's good," said Mandy with a smile. "I don't know if I could stand having totally new food, I do love muggle food. I suppose I better try some wizarding food though, I've still got some money left over with me from my trip to Diagon Alley."
The old lady was still waiting, so Mandy turned to her and ask for 'a bit of everything', while Hermione asked for two pumpkin pasties and a single chocolate frog.
A heap of candy was dropped into Mandy's arms and she handed over ten sickles, while Hermione only had to pay a sickle. Hannah and Susan just got what they normally got – iced pumpkin juice for both of them, chocolate frogs for both of them, Bertie's beans for Susan and a pumpkin pasty for Hannah.
They all settled down to enjoy the food; new cuisine for some of them and old fare for some.
Hermione ended up explaining all about dentists after she mentioned that she hoped that her parents wouldn't mind about the chocolate; they normally restricted the amount of sugar she ate. This lead the other to explain about their parents occupations in turn.
Mandy's mother was a stay at home mother, something not uncommon in the wizarding world, more so in the muggle world, whereas her father was the head of a department of a scientific research company. Rather muggle really.
Hannah's mother, like Mandy's was a stay at home mother, only the difference was that she was a witch not a muggle. Her father worked at the ministry of magic, like a lot of wizards, in the department for magical accidents and catastrophes.
Susan lived with her aunt, although she hadn't chosen to explain why. No one chose to comment on this or push her further. As Amelia Bones had informed Hermione, she worked at and was head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement.
"That sounds important," commented Hermione.
"It is," nodded Susan solemnly.
They sat in a comfortable silence for the next hour, doing their own thing before the conversation started up again just before they heard an announcement – "We will shortly be coming into Hogsmeade, please change into your robes. All luggage is to be left on the train and returned to you at school,"
The four girls scrabbled to get their robes out of their trunks and on. Susan pointed out they could just put on their robes over the clothes they were wearing now (Hermione was wearing jeans and a red v-neck jumper), they all found this to be very good logic and immediately did it. Not only did it save time, it also stopped the possible embarrassment of getting changed together in the compartment when they had only just met and barely knew each other.
Then, a few minutes later the train stopped at Hogsmeade station. Susan knew exactly what to expect, having been told many stories about Hogwarts by her Aunt but decided not to spoil incase the other girls didn't know. Leaving their luggage behind, they walked down to the station where they were met with a giant looking man who proclaimed – "First years, first years over here." The girls followed him down to a lake with several boats tied up to it.
Susan, Mandy, Hermione and Hannah headed into a boat where there was already one other girl, who looked down her nose at them and said she was a Parkinson – Pansy Parkinson to be precise. When they had all sat down and got their balance back, Hagrid announced that there was only four to a boat. The logical choice to leave would of course have been Pansy but she declared that she didn't take orders from mudbloods or blood traitors. Trying to be diplomatic, Hermione hopped into another boat much to Susan's protest.
Looking at the inhabitants, she saw a clumsy looking boy who had been running through the train earlier looking for his toad, a red headed boy with freckles and a boy she recognised from a book as Harry Potter. The ride passed in silence, and this gave her a chance to realise that she hadn't thought about her parents and her rage towards them once since she crossed the barrier, and this was definitely good as she hadn't stopped thinking about it all summer since they had told her. Hogwarts would probably prove successful in keeping her mind from things.
The boats seemed to sail by themselves. It must be magic. What was even more magic though, was when the boats turned the corner and she caught her first glimpse of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry…