Hermione Granger and the Year Hidden from Hogwarts

Chapter 7

Hermione Granger and the Year Hidden from Hogwarts

Harry Potter Fanfiction

Chapter 7

July 29th, 1989

Hermione ran through the front door, paused long enough to detect her parents' voices coming from the kitchen, and bounded in their direction.

They were deep in conversation when she burst through the door bubbling with excitement.

"Mum, Dad, you're never going to believe this." She heaved her backpack up and dropped it on the table, causing her mother to release a cry of alarm when the three-tiered fruit tray rattled and teetered. "Ms. Eldridge spoke to Headmaster Velars about how I'd taught myself German. His family moved here from Berlin, did you know? Anyway, he called me to the office, and we carried on a conversation, but he was testing me!" She paused, groaning at her hindsight. "Oh, how could I not have seen that it was a test? I was so blind."

"Tootsie," Dad soothed, "calm down. Deep breaths. Focus."

Hermione nodded, taking a quick obligatory breath because she was hardwired to obey her parents, not because it actually did anything to soothe her. "Anyway, at the end, he said I spoke rather fluently, though considering I learned mostly from books and the audio tape selection not being very robust at the public library, he said my accent could use some work."

"Understandable," her father agreed, settling himself in to watch her exuberance with a smile as he sipped his coffee.

"That's what he said! Anyway, since I already know French from Mum's family, they're discussing the option of letting me choose an area of self-led study when the other students start choosing a world language next form!"

"That's great news, dear!" her mother enthused, but her voice failed to reach the level of excitement that Hermione had worked herself into between the visit with Headmaster Velars and the last bell—for the day and year—of Year 4.

"I know. They even mentioned that if we wanted, I could come in this summer to take a test and possibly skip Year 5 altogether!"

That earned her a startled blink. Emma's hand reached up to her throat. "Oh, that's... oh my."

"Exactly! I wouldn't have to be in classes with Billy Winkler anymore. He's never let me live it down after that one ghost lady showed up and badgered my ear off until I yelled at her to go away. If I could skip a grade, it would be like a new slate. No more Deranged Granger or 'De-Granger' jokes."

Richard's eyebrow rose. "De-Granger?"

"Yes, it's an amalgamation of—"

"Amalgamation? Nice word, by the way."

Hermione beamed at the praise. "Thank you. After the conversation in the office, I had just enough time to run to the library at school. Headmaster Velars wrote me a personal permission slip to borrow books over the summer—"

"Oh boy," her dad sighed.

"—so I could prepare, and I checked out a book with a list of the SAT's three hundred most difficult words before school ended. Amalgamation means—"

He waved his daughter off. "No, I get it. Those mean kids combined our last name with deranged."

"Richard Daniel Granger," her mum cried, affronted. "Why do you sound vaguely impressed?"

"No vague about it, dear. I didn't realize how creative the little shi—er, I mean buggers have gotten. We don't exactly get a lot of time for in-depth discussion between, 'Hi, I'm Dr. Granger, the male, and I'll be taking care of your teeth today. Now open wide while I numb half your face, kiddo.'"