"What do you learn at St Hogwarts?" Marionette Granger asked in the car. She had been at a friend's house the evening of Professor Mcgonagall's visit and had a tiny bit of curiosity about Hermione's secondary school. Her interest was minimal when Hermione got the letter, she was far more engrossed in her own life than Hermione's, but when Hermione had murmured her uncertainty about accepting the position at the school and mentioned something about doing more research on it (that was back when Hermione believed she could find more information about it somewhere), that was when Marionette's interest had piqued a little.
Hermione wasn't sure of anything about Hogwarts then to want to engage her little sister of three years in conversations about Hogwarts, and her parents were none the wiser and had never liked pointless conversations in which none of the conversants knew anything deep about the topic they were talking about, and so had kept Marionette in the dark about things much to her chagrin. Marionette hadn't asked any more questions in the lead-up to the trip to Diagon Alley, she was just as prodigious as Hermione was and maybe even a little bit more, which Hermione bitterly admitted to herself with a stab of jealousy when her younger sister began showing her up at nearly every single achievement she had gained in her life, and her energy was usually spent among her own life, but now it seemed her curiosity had reared it's head again and Hermione found herself met with Marionette's inquiring face as her father drove them to the location where apparently Hermione was to tap on some bricks to reveal some secret entrance to the magical wizarding street in which she was to get her Hogwarts items.
The letter must've been confounded as well, for Hermione's parents seemed to understand she was going somewhere only students of the school could access without really acknowledging the way to get there was to tap on a brick wall and have another street open up magically, but they had already decided they were fine with her going, so they didn't mind that they wouldn't be able to (easily) come with her. Apparently her parents experience of the magical street would be different to Hermione's if they went because the entirety of Diagon Alley had a muggle-repellant charm on it according to Professor Mcgonagall, and it would simply be a very boring and forgettable experience for muggles if they entered. Professor Mcgonagall had stayed a little after the decision had been made for Hermione to go to briefly give her explanations of the need to get some materials before school, and since Hermione seemed a mature girl capable of purchasing some things in mugglesque shops on her own, she had been given little instruction other than that.
There must be some muggle-borns escorted to Diagon Alley then. If Professor Mcgonagall distinguishes the ones that don't need anyone to accompany them like myself. How unfortunate. Looks like I am not the most newbie muggle-born admitted this year then.
Hermione had thought.
"Physics, Chemistry, Zoology, Computer Science, History, Gym, Astronomy," said Hermione.
Professor Mcgonagall hadn't given much instructions on how to communicate with her family about her school happenings without making it obvious it was a magically enchanted school and world so that they couldn't understand nor remember very much of it, leaving Hermione some creative space of how to go about it. Hermione had decided she would convert the magical components into muggle equivalents, or the closest muggle equivalents, so her family and friends could understand the main gist of what her adolescence was like, but not tax herself with any more complicated way of explaining things.
Transfiguration was physics. Potions was chemistry. Herbology was zoology. Charms was computer science. History of Magic was history. Defence Against the Dark Arts and Flying were gym and Astronomy was Astronomy.
They weren't the easiest lies to maintain, but Hermione thought she could manage it the depth she would talk to everyone about Hogwarts with. Already entire backstories filled her head about how boring or banal Hogwarts would be, how she could make it all sound, so that there was little real inquiries about everything that went on. Hermione even had stories of make believe boyfriends or fights with her friends there to make it seem all the more real.
There was a muggle library opposite her primary school of Gardener Prep and Hermione had spent many hours there tucked away in an alcove reading books of any decree, fiction and non-fiction, that she had a store of adventurous boarding school stories and adolescent flings all in her head, ready for the telling.
"It sounds kind of plain for such an exclusive school, but I guess it's a fresh start," commented Marionette as the greenery zipped by in the surroundings outside the car window.
Hermione felt herself bristle a little inwardly but was lucky to keep it inward. Whereas she had been brilliant but lacking in friends, Marionette had somehow managed to avoid that, despite growing up almost identical. They looked so close together if Marionette had been a head and a bit taller they would've almost been like twins. But Marionette had always been rather short for her age, making Hermione's slightly above average height seem towering next to her, and Hermione had a feeling a considerable gap would remain when they reached adulthood so they would never quite look like twins. Hermione and her parents looked like a family, Marionette a touch too short to be part of their family, and perhaps that was why she had always sought to outdo Hermione in almost every single way, Hermione thought. To prove something.
It was just a suspicion though. That her little sister was trying to outdo her in every single way since she became aware that she had an elder sister Hermione. Marionette had never exactly made her personal ambitions clear so Hermione could never tell from the polite, annoying prim and proper perfection, her little sister embodied nearly all the time. She was even like that around her friends, who were not as great as she was from what Hermione could see, leaving them in the dark about Marionette's true self, and seemed to have most people in her life wrapped around her little finger. Marionette always had birthday parties, sleepovers and events to go to. For seemingly every occasion and more, never got into any fights with anybody and seemed to be the most loved person of all she had met.
Hermione tried not to let her jealousy get the better of her with each passing year of Marionette's.
"Explain what you mean by your comment fresh start," Hermione kept her voice neutral. Even though she had a lot of hidden angst everyday at school, she still went to some birthday parties and events, had some good conversation with her friends in front of her family, so there was no reason to think Marionette knew the extent of her agony. A tiny part of Hermione was always a bit concerned at how much Marionette really picked up beneath the surface, if it would come to bite her later on for some reason, the two sisters had always felt very competitive with each other, and so now was her time to probe this questionable comment she'd made. Even if it was nothing, Hermione still wanted to probe a little and if Marionette would admit something then it was all the more better.
"Marionette, Hermione," Mrs Granger's voice swept over the car's interior, "we have been thinking of passing down our dental clinic to you when you are an adult. Of course, you can manage the clinic being a number of professions but it would be preferrable if you also studied dentistry. A path I think would be quite straightforward for you?"
When they were younger, it was Hermione's future clinic. The two dentist Granger's were attached to their small clinic of approximately fifteen staff, and had not wanted to give it up when they retired. Especially as it was quite a profitable thing indeed. They used to talk about how Hermione would make it even better than they were, given her prodigious talents, and how Marionette could join on and help with some things in the running of the clinic under Hermione's command as well. But that was all before Marionette began showing up Hermione in almost every area Hermione excelled in and with Hermione going to Hogwarts, it seemed to have sealed the deal about who they thought was better able to take on the clinic. Marionette had never disappointed her parents before so Hermione could see how the girl would follow the same path, become the boss of the clinic, and be the only one to achieve her parents' dream.
It wasn't that Hermione didn't think she couldn't come back and become a dentist and do the same thing. But rather, it felt almost as if the moment she got her letter and decided to trade up one adolescence for another, there was a burning inside of her to make something of herself in the wizarding world instead of the muggle one. Like she wanted to put her efforts elsewhere.
She had not thought it was the worser alternative, but a little part of her was torn up at the fact that she was facing being succeeded by Marionette this soon over her parents' plans for both of their futures.
"My friend Herald is also interested in becoming a dentist. He would be green with envy. So would all my friends actually. It is an appealing proposition," Marionette said softly.
Marionette had somehow always managed to make friends with the most interesting and best of all guys in her grade and some others. She had been careful to not do anything too scandalous with anyone, but her habitual mentionings of what they (or her generally pleasant friends) were up to had always earned her unsaid favour in her parents' eyes. By contrast Hermione knew no guy, let alone anyone who seemed to take a liking to her, and felt the bitterness across that front as well.
"So is that a yes?" Mrs Granger said. Sometimes, Hermione suspected Marionette was under pressure to be better than Hermione, a noose she sort of hung around her own neck ever since she made it a goal to outdo her (or what Hermione suspected was purposeful intent), and that her parents didn't really know the sort of extreme pressure she was under. She continued to watch her parents not know despite suspecting this gap in understanding for some time.
"Yep, it's rather like a dream come true for me," Marionette said politely, but if Hermione suspected hard enough, she could almost hear the strain in her voice.
So I guess that's your adolescence then. Trying to move up in the muggle world by following your parents path.
It seemed difficult but if anyone Marionette seemed up to the challenge. Was she?
Hermione thought uneasily over her little sister. Perhaps Marionette would have no difficulty actually making her parents proud by going with with their plans, she had already surpassed Hermione's potential to fulfil it better long time ago, and it was simply Hermione who hadn't realised. Perhaps there was no uncertainty anymore.
Hermione sat on those feelings of unease even more.
Second. Second-best. I am the oldest born but despite my advantage in years have been relegated to the second best in the jewels of our family tree. Perhaps my little sister had already bested me through and through and it is me that is simply realising it slowly day by day.
Twisting and turning, those feelings of hers made her feel uneasy. Like they had every day.
"We have arrived. What a beautiful day that's too good to waste. Let's go and find someplace new to have a bite to eat - try something we haven't before. Hermione, let us know when you get back right?" said Mr Granger. The muggle-repellant spell at Diagon Alley was working it's magic.
"Would you like to go see me try on my new school uniform?" Hermione tried, curious to test the limits of the muggle-repellant spell.
"No thank you dear, we can do so at home in better lighting," Mrs Granger said.
"What about Marionette? I might have friends to go school shopping with in other years. This is the last time it might really be fun to have her go shopping with me," said Hermione. Still curiously testing the muggle-repellant charm.
"Alright," said Marionette but when she they had gotten out of the car she suddenly gave an exclamation, "My ankle's still not one hundred from last week's tennis match with my friends. I didn't sprain it but it's a little too worse for wear to want to wander about all day, half a day. I, make the most out of it okay? I wouldn't want the girls at St Hogwarts to not see your potential. I...know you have some."
Marionette hugged her.
Hermione felt a little bit of sadness in her heart. Suddenly a part of her was torn, wanting to pull Marionette with her towards Diagon Alley so they could go shopping together. A part of her wondered if Marionette was a witch and would see the magic of Hogwarts too in three years but a deeper part of her told herself that all these years watching for the signs of magic from Marionette was a lie, Hermione was the only magical one in the family, through and through, and this journey would be hers alone. Some deep ancient feeling creeped inside of her with that. It took a witch to know when someone else was also a witch and Hermione had no such knowledge about Marionette. Who was as far as her senses could tell - as muggle as could be.
Even though Marionette had been one of Hermione's greatest competitors, she had also been to some extent one of the only people who truly knew Hermione's capabilities through and through. The only one who believed in her.
"St Hogwarts is a co-ed boarding school but I suppose I shall find myself hanging around mostly the girls unless there are any boys super interesting to meet..." said Hermione.
"Oh, all the oldest and most proper secondary schools are single gender. St Hogwart's is a school with their own ideas right?" Marionette murmured.
"Don't dilly-dally girls," said Mrs Granger.
Hermione gave Marionette a hug one last time before she left. A part of her already burning inside about Marionette's comments to Hogwarts. I will let her know the school selects pupils with what she has not and teaches us to be what she cannot be and make her feel her own inferiority against me. I will not let myself be bullied around by her just because I cannot find a way to talk about the magical part of it yet.
Hermione did not Marionette to feel one bit superior to her that she did not rightfully deserve.
After the shopping trip her family gushed about her new uniform when she tried it on but when Hermione suggested they take pictures (she was again, testing the limits of the muggle-repellant charm on her Hogwarts uniform, which had the Hogwarts crest on it), her mum said their camera was packed away and there would be plenty of time to admire it in the school photos. (Which was an incorrect assumption about Hogwarts for they had no school photos as far as Hermione had read).
But nonetheless, there were no new questions or inquiries about Hogwarts so Hermione simply read her new schoolbooks in the lead up to it for lack of anything more interesting to do. It would've been a quiet few weeks before Hogwarts was to begin if it weren't for the detailed information within about Harry Potter, You-Know-Who's uncertain state of being alive or dead, the suspicions about his group the Deatheaters, wanting to overthrow the ministry, and the scattering of the old (and previously most stable) individiuals of the Sacred 28 families in response to this new seed of division within the wizarding world.
To accept muggle-borns as they had been doing for decades, or to completely overthrow wizarding Britain and make it very magically oriented. Which meant muggle-borns may not even be permitted to attend Hogwarts and may just have to deal with their magic by themselves in secrecy...
None of this was making the wizarding world sound like a good time to enter into now.
What have I gotten myself into? Thought Hermione.
The bigger the challenge the greater the prize. If you can rise to the top as a muggle-born under these conditions you can die a happy witch.
A yearning, ambitious, part of her scratched beneath the surface.
Alright inside voice. I will satisfy you. Because I have already satisfied you for all my life.
Hermione couldn't help but a slow smile spread across her face when she thought of it. Many times in her life she could've gave up and become ordinary, it wasn't as if the temptation to do so at numerous points in her life hadn't been clear to her, but yet she had persevered, satisfying that little spark of hers inside for quite some time.
I already have a history of defeating the odds somehow, it is just a shame I somehow ended up bottom of my elementary school and neighbourhood's social hierarchy somehow. Hogwarts won't quite be the first time I have pushed myself to the limit.
Reaffirmed, Hermione faced the future of her Hogwarts years with a new surge of zealous energy.
I shall rise.
Author's Note: JK Rowling originally created Hermione with a younger sister but realised she left it til too late to introduce her that it would seem like she was just made up for the plot if she did, so she took her out completely. Hermione is a character I can imagine with a sister, though I can see several arcs of what her relationship with her would be like, and I chose a tense relationship for this story as I think it suits this fanfiction. I didn't write about the trip to Diagon Alley because we've already seen it through Harry's eyes and I want to write about things we haven't seen in canon with this fanfic so it wasn't focused on. Please review, I love reading them :)