Okay! Onwards to the next chapter!

I'm so sorry for the long wait. Life has been really busy, prepping for the new baby, getting done with the first chapter of my book, "The Girl in the Mirror". And of course, DnD.

My groups homebrew compendium is at one hundred pages, and we estimate at least a hundred and eighty more before we're close to completion. It's a big book.

But I really need to post and continue this story. This story is one that I have thrown around for years, and I can't just abandon it because I get busy.

This time we're going to get a bit on Hermione! I have a few chapters planned for her specifically, a bit shorter than the others, of course.

So let's get into it!

—0—

London seemed so dreary without magic.

That was one thing that Hermione immediately noticed after she stepped off of the platform. And that observation hadn't changed in the last few days. The trees outside along the sidewalk seemed to lose some of their color, along with the bushes and flowers that were in their spring time blooms.

Everything had shifted from a staggering cascade of vibrant light, to a strange dried pastel landscape, which remained solid in rain or shine.

Hermione knew in her heart that it was because of magic. There was so much more in places like Diagon Alley, and Hogwarts. Maybe it was just her?

Hermione watched as a bird flew past her window. 'No… It's not me… everything is so… dull…'

The world seemed to have been sucked dry of anything that would interest the poor muggleborn witch. She couldn't practice magic at home, of course. It was against the law.

"Hermione! Your cousins are here!"

Ah right, it was her father's birthday today. His sisters and their children would be visiting. She would actually have to speak to them.

With a sigh, Hermione pulled herself up from her little reading nook and walked to the door of her room. Her mother stood outside, a small smile gracing her features as the sound of chatter rose from beneath them, on the ground floor of the house.

"Now remember, you had a brilliant time at St. Mary's. Top marks as always, right?"

Hermione nodded. "In the top three of the year, yes."

"Well yes, the new school is bound to have a few smart students." Hermione's mother winked. "Come on now. I'm sure Elizabeth will be excited to tell you about her school!"

The young witch watched as her mother strode down the hall to the stairwell, which she descended at a hurried pace. Hermione heard her give the formal greeting to the cousins and sighed, following behind soon after.

"Hermione! Are you- Oh, there you are." Hermione nodded with a forced smile at her mother, nodding next to her cousins.

"Hello Auntie, Elizabeth. And Aunt Mary! How are the twins? Are they here yet?"

Hermione's aunts smiled at her and gave their own greeting. Elizabeth waved and glided into the living room, where there was a tray of cheese and biscuits, along with a few glasses of water for everyone to partake of.

"Oh Hermione, I'm so sorry we didn't call ahead. The twins had the opportunity to go with their father to the Germanisches. They couldn't pass that up."

Hermione gave her best smile. "It's fine aunt Mary. I'm sure that my stories of St. Mary's are far less interesting than such a renowned museum. All the way to Germany… wow."

The woman nodded with a soft chuckle. "It was all thanks to Edwards promotion. He wanted to do something nice for the twins. It has been quite a while since they've been able to go anywhere."

"Yes. I believe the last time was last year, on my birthday, yes?" Hermione's smile twitched a bit, venom barely touching the expression as the weight of her statements went unnoticed by her aunt. "I'm certain they are having a wonderful time."

"Oh yes, of course." Aunt Mary smiled. "Now just a moment, I have to find a place to put the cheese! The refrigerator is still over-"

"In the kitchen, as a refrigerator often is, Aunt Mary." Hermione nodded. "I'm sure that my parents will be happy to have extra for later."

Hermione moved into the living room as the adults gathered in the kitchen.

"So St. Mary's," Hermione's cousin, Elizabeth, sniffed. "Private school, of course. How are the classes?"

Hermione shrugged, letting her face become impassive. "They're okay. Nothing I can't handle."

It was hard to focus on the conversation when the world was so dead. Elizabeths skin seemed gray, blending into the furniture, decorations, walls, and windows.

"Yes, school has been rather hard for me as well." The other girl sighed. "Not challenging enough."

Hermione gave a fake smile. "I've tried looking into extra avenues for entertainment. For example, have you looked into the history of the Anglo-Saxons and their recordings? The runic Futhorc is quite interesting."

"The past is the past." Elizabeth sighed, picking up a slice of cheese from the tray that was sat between them. "I much prefer to look at the innovations of the future. Did you know that there are currently engineers who are making automobiles that run only on electricity?"

"Well of course, Andreas Flocken created the first real electric car in eighteen eighty eight." Hermione nodded, selecting a biscuit from the tray. "So you could argue that it has already been done."

"Yes, but I hear that there are entrepreneurs that are working to streamline the process." Elizabeth smiled pointedly. "Imagine, vehicles that work without the use of petrol. It will be like magic."

Hermione contained her eye-roll. "Yes. Like magic."

"Well, dear cousin, you won't progress further by looking at the past." Elizabeth shook her head. "I'm just trying to teach you that."

Hermione selected her own slice of cheese from the tray. "Well, if you move forward too fast, you miss many things that could have been even greater than your ideas."

"You cannot move forward by looking so far back, Hermione. A hundred years, maybe. But Anglo-Saxons? Runes? What will such things accomplish?"

Hermione shrugged. "Did you know that there are several ancient inventions that haven't been properly rediscovered. Greek fire, for instance. Certainly, we have manufactured napalm and the Americans used their 'agent orange'. But they are not the same. Roman concrete is still standing for far longer than our modern roads, and don't even get me started on metals. We may have titanium, tungsten alloys, platinum… they are quite expensive. Ancient cultures had their own metalwork. Damascus steel is still a lost recipe."

The muggle girl shook her head in response. "Damascus steel and Greek fire were used for winning plebeian wars. Barbarian battles where men hacked each other to bits."

"And yet the equipment from that time is still whispered of in history and legend." Hermione smiled.

"Yes. Legend being the key term here." Elizabeth smirked. "Whatever will you attempt to argue for next, Hermione? Magic? Dragons? Royalty?"

Hermione simply smiled and took another biscuit. Elizabeth sighed and shook her head.

"We're growing up Hermione. You and I don't have time for such trivial games anymore."

"Perhaps you don't," Hermione stood from her sitting place. "I think I may try to be a child for a bit longer."

She left Elizabeth staring at her as she left the room. A glance told her that the adults were all in the kitchen, sipping wine and talking about trivial matters, like a type of cheese from Wessex.

'Come to me…'

Hermione blinked and looked back into the living room. Elizabeth had begun to leaf through one of the books that was there, James Joyce's 'Ulysses'.

'Come to me…'

Hermione's eyes flicked around the hallway, looking for the origin of the voice that was drifting into her ears. Whatever it was, it was clear that only she could hear it. Even if it was barely a whisper… it was still so vibrant.

'Come to me…'

Magic. That had to be the explanation. Hermione was smart, and she knew that there were many things in the magical world that were quite dangerous. And yet… she longed to follow this voice. She wanted to find its origin, to speak to whoever was speaking to her.

'Come to me…'

Up the stairs, around the banister and down the hall to her room. There was a tingle now, almost akin to the sensation one gets before they begin to feel the burn of a flame. Her room, while bland, was sporting patches of color now. They popped, unlike before, and Hermione recognized it as the tinge of magic.

'Come to me…'

There it was, the voice again. It was louder, no longer a whisper. Hermione could make out Professor Riddle's voice now. The diadem was calling to her.

The young witch delicately picked up the silver tiara, looking over its reflective bejeweled surface with a mixture of wonder, confusion, and longing.

"Are you… calling me?"

'Hermione Granger…'

Hermione's eyes flicked up to her bedroom door. Before continuing with the conversation, she walked over and closed it. With that done, she sat down upon her bedside, holding the tiara in front of her and looking into its surface.

"Why are you calling me?"

'Don the Diadem…'

Hermione bit her lip, watching her reflection in the polished sapphires inset within the tiara. The reflections eyes closed as it took the tiara and placed it upon its head.

"Hermione dear, we're getting ready to go out for lunch, are you joining us?"

Hermione quickly sprung up from her bed and placed the diadem back in its box. Fixing her dress, she walked over to her door and walked back into the hall to join her mother.

"Thank you. I know you don't get along well with Elizabeth-"

"It's father's birthday." Hermione shook her head. "I can get along with her as much as I need to."

Hermione's mother sighed and placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Thank you."

Hermione nodded, gently laying her own hand on one of her mothers. "We should get going."

The elder Granger nodded and watched as Hermione walked down the hall to the stairs. She didn't say anything as her daughter walked down the stairs to join the bountiful conversation everyone else was having as they got ready to go to her husband's favorite spot for lunch, but she felt that there was something… off about her daughter.

The woman couldn't place it, but her little girl just felt different. Hermione's smile didn't reach her as it used to. Her eyes didn't hold the same shine as before. Her voice was dull… bored, as if she found no interest in any part of life.

"What has that school done to you…"

—0—

A very short chapter here. I struggled a bit with writing this part, to be honest. I wanted to capitolize on the lack of magic that Hermione feels. As we continue, a bit more about the Granger family will be revealed. It will be a lot about mental health. The entire story about the family will kindof twist the knife a bit in regards to Hermione's development. It will give some important points that I hope you all remember in the future parts of the series.

Again, my apologies for the length of time it's taken me to post. Life's been a bit busy. Inter state trips, appointments, etc.

I'll try to stay on point for future additions. No promises of course, but there is a lot to be done and only so much time to do it.

As always, leave a review, and until next time,

Adios