The Tales of Hermione Jean Granger: Year One

Hermione stared at the man in front of her in awe. He had just explained this new extraordinary world, and she didn't know how to handle all this information. He had described a large castle big enough to fit thousands, with dormitories in which many studies could live, classrooms, study rooms, and a huge Hall that centred the building.

The man had told her that ghosts sometimes lurked in the hallways, giving students a nod of the head as a greeting, and something passing through them. Hermione had felt extremely nervous at this point, but he had assured her that the ghosts were the loveliest you'd ever meet.

He had then began to describe moving staircases, but by that point Hermione became so lost in all the descriptions he had given her. Hogwarts sounded like a dreamlike place, a place that should only exist in one's consciousness.

There had been one thought that had occurred to Hermione however, and it had worried her deeply. Would there be exams held at the end of the school year? Hermione was nothing without a set of exams to test her knowledge, she had a thirst for learning and she hoped that Hogwarts could give her a real education.

Hermione had decided to voice these questions, and the man had looked sort of taken aback by them. She supposed not many new students would be as eager to learn as she was.

"Why, of course there's exams. What kind of school do you think it would be if it didn't?"

That had settled Hermione's questions if not for a short while, as she always had plenty more to ask. Like, what kinds of subjects would they be learning? How educated are the teachers? But there was one question that was weighing heavily on her mind.

"How am I supposed to learn all about a new world in just a month? I mean, before this I lived a- a Muggle life." Hermione frowned worriedly.

There was such much for her to learn, she was sure of it. Like, did the Wizarding world use the same currency as Muggles? They had their own Ministry, did they mean they had their own Priminister? Was there new 'slang' that Hermione would need to learn to understand the children at Hogwarts?

"I'm not saying it'll be easy, young lady, but you'll have to educate yourself as much as you can before you leave. Bury your head in the books, as they say." The man smiled, seeing Hermione's slightly brightened expression at the mention of books. "Don't you forget, most students won't know anything about the world they're entering. You aren't the only Muggle Born you know."

"Muggle Born?" Hermione asked, wondering if he'd just insulted her.

"Someone that has non-magical parents but has inherited the gift of magic themselves."

That statement stirred another question within her. "How is it Muggle Borns can even exist? You must need someone with magical blood somewhere in your family tree. Otherwise, anyone could perform magic, really."

The man raised his eyebrows at her. "You are a clever one, aren't you?" She blushed, looking down. "But no, not everyone can perform magic. There are some children who have two magical parents, or could have everyone in their family tree being Witches and Wizards, and yet are unable to perform magic themselves. They're practically Muggles."

"What do you call them?"

"Squibs, although, I wouldn't use that term too loosely if I were you. Some may find the term slightly offensive."

Hermione nodded. She certainly didn't want to offend anyone, so she would have to study hard before leaving for the train that Thomas had described before. She'd have to find some sort of Wizard Dictionary or something.

"When can I buy books to study from?" She asked, eager to go as soon as possible.

He beamed. "If your parents will allow it, we can go shopping to Diagon Alley immediately."

Hermione looked pleadingly at her mother first, who had always been slightly more understanding than her father. Mrs Granger looked still horrified from the earlier 'burning' of the television, and it was Mr Granger who finally responded.

"If she's going anywhere she'll be going with us. I won't have her going anywhere without us."

"Of course, Sir, I would expect nothing less. It must be extremely difficult for you both," He looked from the two of her parents; "to take in all this information."

"How long will our Hermione be at this school?" Mr Granger asked suddenly, looking suddenly very saddened.

"A few months at a time I should say. She'll be able to come home during Holidays such as Christmas, but she'll be staying for weekends."

"Almost like a boarding school then." Squeaked Mrs Granger. This had been the first time she had spoken for a while.

"Uh, yes." Hermione doubted the man actually knew what a boarding school was. "Your daughter will be perfectly safe under the hands of Professor Dumbledore, believe me. He's well known among us, and has been Headmaster since before even you were born."

The room went silent for a while. Hermione's head was racing with a million thoughts and questions. This man had only vaguely began to explain the world to them, which was why, Hermione supposed, her parents were still finding it all hard to believe.

The excitement over took her thirst for knowledge for the time being however, and Hermione hoped that her parents would allow her to attend Hogwarts. Then another important thought occurred to her.

"Do you teach ordinary subjects like; Maths, English, Science, and History?"

"Well, there will be a variety of Muggle Studies, yes. In particular we have Muggle Music, Muggle Art, and you will learn all about the lives of Muggles and how they live."

"But I already know about Muggles. I practically am one." Protested the bushy haired girl.

"Well then, I suppose you'll do very well."

She couldn't help but beam at this comment. Hermione intended to be top of the class for every subject at Hogwarts, just like she intended at Muggle school. She refused to be bottom of the class merely because she had only just discovered she were a Witch, and she wouldn't have anyone questioning her abilities.

"What other subjects do you teach?"

Her parents wondered how the man hadn't grown tired of answering all their daughter's questions by now, it had been over two hours since he arrived. He had told them at the start that his usual visits only lasted for half an hour, tops, but with Hermione you could never expect to get away so easily.

"The core classes that you'll be taught will be; Astronomy, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions and Transifiguration. You'll have more classes added as you advance up the school."

Hermione had barely a clue what any of these classes were, and she considered asking him. However, Hermione was eager to get to work studying and learning all about the Wizarding world, and she wanted to visit this Diagon Alley.

"When can we leave?"

"Now, if you'd like."

Mr and Mrs Granger eventually managed to unglue themselves from the sofa, and Mr Henrik began pulling out a small red pouch from his pocket. It was tied together with a silver bow that glittered so much it hurt Hermione's eyes.

She wondered what on earth he was doing, as he untied it and looked at it's contents. Her parents were standing by the living room door hesitantly, waiting to leave the house. The man however, walked towards the fireplace.

"Excuse me, sir, but aren't we leaving?" Hermione asked.

"Oh yes, but we're going to use floo powder.”

"Floo powder?"

"Yes. Floo powder is a means of transformation for Witches and Wizards. Not the only means however, but you'll learn about that at Hogwarts."

He put his hand into the bag, and Hermione could see sand slightly pouring from the gaps in his fingers. She looked back at her parents, who were just as confused as she was.

"Now, because Muggles can't travel by the floo network on their own, I'll need to take one of you with me, and Hermione can take the other. That okay?"

The three of them nodded. Hermione wondered what on earth he was going to do.

"Mr Granger take hold of your daughter's arm, Hermione, grab a chunk of powder into your hand, like I have."

Mr Granger stepped forward and clung to his daughter, and Hermione put her hand in the tiny bag. The sand felt extremely soft and silky compared to how sand usually felt. It was surprisingly easy to hold in her hand, and the man told her to step into the fireplace.

Hermione stepped into the fireplace with her father at her side, and Mr Henrik smiled, standing next to Mrs Granger.

"Now, on the count of three, you need to yell; 'Diagon Alley', and drop the powder immediately. Extent your arm out slightly," Hermione followed his instructions; "Yes, that's it. Now remember; 'Diagon Alley'. You don't want to say it wrong."

Hermione nodded and kept her arm extended. Mr Granger still had hold of her other arm, holding her arm tightly. He seemed more tense than she was.

"Ready?" She nodded. "Three, two, one!"

"Diagon Alley!" She yelled, throwing the sand down to her feet.

The world spiralled around her, and she could hear her father's screams from somewhere behind her. She panicked, she couldn't see anything! She felt as if she were falling, and her stomach plummeted. She hated heights, and it felt as if she were flying.

She desperately looked for something to grab hold of, but she couldn't find anything. She closed her eyes tightly and waited for it to end.

Eventually Hermione's feet touched the ground, and she found herself looking out from another fireplace. She turned to see her father, covered in dust and smoke. He looked shaken, and they both stepped out from the fireplace.

They were in a small room that looked almost like a book shop, which pleased Hermione. The books looked rather old, like they'd been here for years. Before either of them had a chance to say a word, Mrs Granger and Mr Henrik appeared in the spot they had just been standing in.

Mr Henrik guided Mrs Granger out from the fireplace, she seemed shaken. Mr Granger ran to her aid, helping her to stand straight.

"What the bloody hell was that all about?" He demanded, and Hermione was surprised by how angry he sounded.

"I'm sorry, but if I had told you what it was going to feel like, you never would have come with me."

"You don't say?" Mr Granger snapped, brushing off his clothes.

Mr Henrik send Hermione an unexpected wink. "Well, then, shall we go shopping?"

Hermione nodded and looked at the books on the shelves. Mr Henrik saw and said; "Ah, I know the perfect place for books, but this is not the place."

Hermione followed him out of the old shop, with her parents trailing behind her all the while. She wondered why the place looked so dusty, as if no one had visited it for years. She made to ask Mr Henrik about it, but decided not to. She could tell that he was growing tired of her constant questioning, so she decided she wouldn't ask anymore questions unless absolutely necessary.

When they stepped outside, it was nothing like Hermione expected it to be.

Shops that went on for miles, or so it looked to Hermione, were lined up one after the after, which the occasional alley in between. All the shops looks quite old fashioned, with rusty signs hung above each one. However, no matter how dusty they looked, each one had a spark of energy to it that seemed to be radiating onto everyone around her.

Thousands of strangly dressed men and women lined the street, wearing robes similar to Mr Henrik's. Hermione realised that she was now the one who stood out, in her patterned woollen jumper and jeans. She began to feel slightly self conscious as other children her age passed her, their eyes glued to her outfit.

They passed a shop that's sign read 'Eyelopes Owl Emporium', and Hermione could see at least five owls staring out of their cages at her, one brown with black spots, one completely white with green eyes, one a ginger colour and another a green colour. Hermione had never seen so many owls in one place, she had been taken to the zoo once and had seen two, but that was the most. An owl swooped above her head, causing her to duck as a reflex, and landed back outside the shop on a small wooden ledge.

Hermione wondered how the shop keepers had trained them to not fly away, into the sky and never come back. Then she remembered. This was magic.

"Here we are, to the left!" Mr Henrik shouted over the noise, and Mrs Granger grabbed her daughter's hand as they entered a shop that read 'Flourish and Blotts'.

"Good morning, Thomas!" Cried a small man from behind a counter in the middle of the room.

"Hello, my good man!" Replied Henrik, turning to introduce the Grangers. "Just showing around another student. Muggle born, so completely new to all this. This is Mr and Mrs Granger, and their daughter Hermione."

The man came out from behind his desk and knelt down in front of Hermione. "Hello, sweetheart. What can I do for you today?"

Hermione looked to Henrik, who just nodded. "Well, I'd like to find as many books as I can on everyday life in the Wizarding World. I'd also like to read some other books on the history of previous Wizards, and just the dynamics of magic itself."

The man blinked, his mouth wide open. "Well, aren't you a clever one?"

"She sure is," chuckled Henrik; "She'd also like to have these books."

Henrik handed the man the list of books that had come with her letter. He excused himself and went to the back of the shop to find them.

Hermione turned to her parents. They'd been awfully quiet. "Mum, Dad, won't you need to transfer your money into... into Wizard money?"

Mrs Granger was the first to react. "Oh, well, I suppose we should, yes. How do we do that?"

She had directed this at Henrik. "Ah, you'll need to make a bank account at Gringotts."

"Gringotts?" Hermione asked before she could stop herself.

"The best Wizards bank in Britian. Highly protected with guards, dragons, and all sorts of security. You'd have to be stark mad to try to rob it."

"Dragons? You mean, dragons are real?"

"Of course!" Henrik smiled. "You'll need to come with me then, Mr and Mrs Granger, so that we can set you an account up."

"I'm not staying here alone." Hermione protested.

"Yes, I can't have her staying in this place by herself. I have no idea where we are, and she were to get lost-" Mr Granger began.

"-no, matter! Shall I take just one of you then?"

"I'll go."

Hermione looked at her father questioningly. Clearly he thought it would be best to volunteer himself, as he didn't want his wife anywhere near something as dangerous as a dragon. She was glad her mother would stay with her, out of the two of her parents, her mother was more into books.

Mr Henrik and her father left the shop, Mr Henrik first explaining to the shop keeper where they were going. Hermione set to looking through the bookshelves.

First, she spotted a book that grabbed her attention, as it was fluffy. It had actual teeth on the side, which Hermione was hesitant to touch, and when she turned it onto it's front she noticed it had three eyes!

Hermione dropped the book on the floor and stepped back in shock. Her mother came to her side immediately, and they both stared at it.

The shopkeeper noticed and shouted over; "Don't worry, if you stroke it three times along it's spine then it won't bite you!"

Hermione really hoped he was joking about the book being able to bite her, and her mother bent down to pick it up. It began making a growling noise and snapping frantically, and she had trouble keeping it still. Hermione rushed to help her mother, and eventually she managed to stroke it.

Once the book had opened, the first page Hermione flipped onto had various detailed drawings and- she couldn't believe her eyes- moving photos of creatures she had never seen before. She immediately started reading the first thing she saw, intrigued by the drawing she saw.

A creature that looked somewhat like a cross between a crab and a turtle, with a pointed nose or tooth at the front, where it's head should be. It had jagged spikes all over it's back, and had little wholes in it's shell. With claws like a crab, Hermione wondered what this creature was capable of.

"The Blast-Ended Skrewt is a hybrid creature bred by Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's Groundkeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, who accidentally crossed Manticores and Fire crabs. It is unknown whether the man used magic to do this, as he had been banned from using magic many years ago by Albus Dumbledore for reasons unknown."

Hermione wondered what Manticores and Fire crabs were, and she found it hard to keep focused on one page when so many other creatures kept being referred to in the description of others. Hermione immediately recognised the name of her soon to be Headmaster, whom Henrik had mentioned many times before. He had told her that this Dumbledore was one of the most respected men in the Wizarding community, accomolishing much in his many years of life.

Hermione had asked how old he was, but Henrik had told her that she could learn more of him when she met him at school. She had felt incredibly nervous at the thought, and seeing his name printed in a book made her feel even more uneasy about meeting him.

She shut the book, deciding that she wanted to purchase it. She knew it wasn't on her list of school books, but she wanted to learn more about these magnificent creatures. She spotted a pot shaped like a cauldron she saw in children's books, and she assumed it was a basket to put your shopping into.

"Mum, can I get this?" She begged, showing her the book.

Mrs Granger frowned. "Oh, I don't know Hermione. It's awfully dangerous."

"Oh, please Mum! It's got so many fascinating facts in it, I could really learn a lot from it!"

"But is it really necessary? Hermione, honey, knowing you you're going to want to buy every book in this place. Your father and I can only afford a few extra than what you need. Are sure you want this one?"

"Yes, please." Hermione replied, and her Mum nodded.

She hugged her gratefully, and grabbed a pot to put her book into. 'A few extra than what you need'. Hermione didn't like the sound of that, but she accepted what her mother had said and decided that she needed to be more careful with the books she chose.

Before Hermione could begin browsing again, her mother pulled her aside.

"Hermione, we need to talk."

"Yes, Mum?"

Her Mum sighed and brushed her fingers through her hair. "I don't know where to begin. This is all so.. unexpected. Your father and I had always known you were different, and we always knew there was something we were ignoring. When all those strange things kept happening around you, we never even considered the possibly that you might be a Witch! Who would?" She laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. "I can't believe this is even happening. It feels like I'm dreaming."

She paused and knelt down in front of her daughter, who was looking into her eyes. "I just want you to know, that if I don't wake up and this all turns out to be real, I love you no matter what. I don't care if you're different to other children, you're perfect just the way you are. I'm going to miss you do much, you can't even imagine."

Tears leaked from Hermione's eyes as she hugged her Mum tight. Her Mum had bushy hair too, but it was tied back into a bun, so it didn't go into her face too much. She pulled away and wiped her face, and her mother mirrored her actions.

"I just want you to stay safe. I know nothing about this world you're about to live in, so I don't know what rules to lay down." She chuckled. "But please, don't do anything the teachers tell you not too. I know you always behave, but this is different. I want you to come home in one piece."

Hermione sniffed and nodded. "I love you."

"I love you too. Now, let's have a look at some of these books, shall we?"

Hermione nodded eagerly and they set to work. Her mother took the right side of the shop, and Hermione took the left. There were more books than she had even seen her whole life! She'd been to many libraries, but none of them compared to how many books were here.

Althought the shop was rather small, there seemed to be more books then there should. Hermione tried her hardest not to judge a book by it's cover, but it was hard when she noticed one's that stood out from the rest.

For example, there was a book that really caught her attention. It looked like an ordinary book, a brown leather cover with a lovely black bow on the front, and then when Hermione picked it up, it vanished!

She could feel the weight and texture of the book in her hands, but she couldn't see it! She looked around the shop frantically, wondering what she should do, when someone accidently bumped into her and the book left her grasp.

She looked around in a panic, but was unable to find it. She hoped no one would fall over it.

At the back of the shop, Hermione reached a small table with a few bright coloured books stacked on one another. A sign read 'Fortune Telling' on the side of the table, and she picked one up and inspected it.

'Unflogging the Future', it read. Hermione was eager to see what this was about, so she flicked onto a page somewhere in the middle. 'Tea Leaf Symbols' it read and below it listed a number of
symbols that meant a variety of things. The one that caught Hermione's attention the most was the Grim, which was the symbol of death.

After reading a few paragraphs, she decided this would be the second book she would buy. She put it in her cauldron.

After about an hour of reading through books, Hermione had chosen six; Unflogging the Future, Monster Book of Monsters, Care of Magical Creatures, The Standard Book of Spells (Grade Two), The Standard Book of Spells (Grade Three), and Quidditch Through the Ages.

Hermione knew she shouldn't be buying the next two Grades of The Standard Book of Spells, but she wanted to be ahead of her class. She didn't want to only have knowledge of the spells she would be taught in her first year, but also spells that were more advanced.

Eventually, the bookkeeper appeared with a stack of books. "Here we go, Miss Granger. All the books that were on your list."

"Thank you, sir." Mrs Granger smiled, taking them from him and putting them in the cauldron which she now held because it was too heavy for Hermione to carry.

"You are most welcome." He looked at the books in the cauldron. "Merlin's Beard! You sure are a book worm, aren't you?"

Hermione blushed, looking down at her feet.

"Tell you what, go choose another book, free of charge."

"Oh no-" Mrs Granger protested but he interrupted her.

"-please, it's my gift to you! A welcoming present to the Wizarding World, if you will."

Hermione thanked him, and five minuets later, she had picked up a copy of 'Standard Book of Potions'.

Mr Granger and Mr Henrik soon returned, and they paid for the books. Mr Granger had seemed annoyed at the amount of books Hermione had chosen, but Mr Henrik told him she had chosen the right books to settle into this life.

Once outside the shop, Mr Henrik had told her it was time to go and buy a wand. Hermione was extremely excited about this, and she skipped alongside her mother as they made their way to a shop named 'Ollivanders'.