Hermione added the message she thought she'd read to her notebook the next morning. She felt a bit sluggish doing her fitness activities that morning - she had to rise ten minutes early to give herself time to push the football along. She was already a little better, and a little faster, but not so much she could obsess over it. Progress would be slow and steady. At any rate, she told the dolls they'd lay off note-taking until she returned from school.
The "Reminderball'' as she'd dubbed the golf-ball-sized crystal alarm thing, worked perfectly. It was a bit distracting at first, but heaps better than trying it on her own. She tried subvocalizing her reminder commands and was pleased when it worked immediately. Hermione was a somewhat strange girl, so no one commented on her colour-changing smoke-ball.
During break time, she discovered that she could not escape her new status as "delicate." From what she remembered the nurse saying, and what the other girls said, she deduced that they assumed she'd always been delicate, being a bookworm instead of an active girl. And now she was anaemic due to her periods. Wonderful. She wondered if Harry Potter's mother, Lily, had had days like this. "Don't worry, I'm just on my magic," wouldn't fly. She really would have to get her doctor to give her a slip, clearly.
Thinking of Harry, she'd added a few items to her list about him. She was nearly finished close-reading the first book.
Harry Potter and the first book. Questions.
If they go around talking about Muggles and platforms and so on - perhaps the death of Voldemort was an exception, but then explain the Weasleys - how can they justify not letting students with non-magical parents use magic at home? Pattern: we're second-class citizens.
When did which part of the abuse start? Petunia hit him with a skillet. He learned not to be within the range of Vernon's hand. Dudley must have started Harry Hunting years before the Hogwarts train. Probably neglect and deprivation started when he was a toddler. Cruelty in making him slave, including very dangerous tasks, perhaps as early as three. The lack of nutrition may have damaged his health, his intelligence, and his magic. Permanently? Pattern: Harry was deliberately abused. Dumbledore had ten years to fix it, and chose not to. Perhaps he used some sort of curse to egg them on?
Did Vernon and Petunia prevent any investigation by themselves? It's more likely Dumbledore did something. Mrs Figg seems to be a Dumbledore spy, keeping tabs on Harry but never helping. Surely the wizarding world has child protection of some sort, and Dumbledore clearly did his best to keep them from helping Harry. Pattern: Harry was deliberately abused.
Harry's father was well-off. Harry lived in squalor and poverty. Where did their family money go, and what happened to their will and testaments? Pattern: Harry was deliberately disinherited and disenfranchised. More Dumblemort. Pattern: Dumbeldore is a child abuser. Harry is likely not the first victim, just the most unfortunate.
Re-reading the Draco Malfoy introduction, he's a definite villain . He blatantly tells Harry everyone else is a second-class citizen. Pattern: the Malfoys are Voldemort villains the way the Weasleys are Dumbledore villains. Hogwarts will be a two-front war. Pattern: Harry won't stick up for himself - or anyone else. In the second meeting, he should have said, "If you are going to insult me, my friends, and my mother, I am going to ask you to leave. I don't need the son of a Death Eater telling me what to do. And if you're going to threaten me, two can play at that game." That would have spared him countless hours of aggravation. After that, it's just "Leave us, Death-Eater spawn." In other words, speak your mind!
Hagrid gives Harry's key to the tellers - not to Harry. Tells him nothing whatsoever. Set up for the Weasleys, obviously. Dumbledore's orders, obviously. Pattern: continued disenfranchisement of Harry. Objective: instead of turning Hagrid against his master, learn how to worm secrets out of him. Evidence is abundant that he cannot keep them.
Hermione is very crude and blunt on the train. Instead of, in essence, sneering at Ron's non-spell, she should look expectantly, then when nothing happens, share a glance with Harry. Patterns: the twins aren't healthy towards Ron. Ron is plain awful, but a bit pitiful. Objective: keep Harry away from Ron at all costs. At least until Harry can make real friends.
Neville is sort of pitiful, like Ron. I think Harry should adopt him. Pattern: Neville's abuse included two attempted murders. Was Dumbledore involved somehow?
Is the "Nitwit, Oddment, Blubber, Tweak" or whatever just simple sadism? The painful death thingy clearly is. Pattern: Dumbledore is a child abuser and enjoys it.
Snape will need his own section. As bad as Dumbledore. Probably playing for both sides, but he seems to be a straight-up Death Eater, as Draco's father almost certainly is. I assume the Death Eaters are stand-ins for the death squads in banana republics - which strongly resemble Wizarding Britain. They must have connections to the government, or it's ruling junta, anyway. Patterns: Dumbledore supports blatant child abuse (of course!). Non-junta children are second-class, and have no rights. It's chilling to think of them not being far away in Brazil or Honduras, but right here where I live - and with super-powers.
The Dolls
How could I help dolls that lie in a box all day? Maybe that's silly. I am too old to play with dolls, perhaps, but I certainly remember how. I could brush out Bushy's hair and give her a ponytail. As for Bucky, I doubt filing her teeth would be looked on as "helpful." And God only knows what I could do for Looney. Time to reignite my imagination. It would be convenient in more ways than one if there's a tooth shrinking spell. Of course, you wouldn't want it shrinking uniformly, or it'd come out.
Plan: fix Bushy's hair (somewhat). Brush Bucky's teeth then try to shrink them (lengthwise only) find a tooth-lengthening spell in case I mess up.
Loony: Hold her?
Hermione looked over her notes. In all the chaos she'd read about, and assuming the Harry Potter boy was even real, given her determination to chart her own course, she was not guaranteed a romantic "ending" with him. But after all, did she even really want to end up with him?
She nibbled the end of her pen and thought hard.
He probably saved her from Ron and perhaps Dumbledore, although she might now end up being the one that saved him. Still, he seemed like a saving type. And she would probably be plunged into his life over her ears. A "best friend that some thought would become more" had a lot more leverage to help than an aloof acquaintance. The fact that he was famous might lead to stiff competition, but it didn't seem to play any role whatsoever in the first part of the book where he came out of seclusion. And if she set getting him as a goal, she could; that was just how she was.
So under Harry Potter First Book Questions, she added:
How did she get him, in the first place?
And …
How will I?
