Hermione Granger and the Sorcerer's Stone

Just Like Magic

The Grangers were a modern middle-class family.

Mr. Glenn and Mrs. Jean Granger had a very good life if you asked them. There was nothing in their everyday lives they would ever want to trade and wouldn't ever.

Glenn Granger and his wife were successful dentists that everyone in their neighborhood went to for appointments.

Their only problem was their one daughter, Hermione Jean Granger, who would change most everything in her life if she could.

Her home life was amazing. Adults adored Hermione, and so did her parents, but that didn't stop them from being good parents and disciplining her. No, that wasn't Hermione's problem. Hermione's real problem was children.

If there was anyone she had nothing in common with it was children.

Hermione attended Lilac Fields Elementary at the moment and felt very left out and alone there. She had tried and tried hard to make friends but none of the kids seemed to want to be her friend. They all thought she was a nerd and avoided her. Hermione was no nerd. She valued her education and followed rules, but that did not make her a dork. It made her simply responsible. She wished the other children could see that.

Perhaps the other children were envious of the fact that Hermione had the top most marks in their year, or that her teachers always favored her. She could see no reason why they wouldn't like her otherwise.

Her mother had always helped her to believe that things would get better, but Hermione was nearly twelve years old. There was no possible way that after attending Lilac Fields since Kindergarten she was going to somehow have a few best friends before the start of Junior High. There was just no possible way.

"Hermione, please don't worry sweet heart. There's one more day - just one more day. You just have to get through it and then you'll start Junior High, and you'll make more friends. Promise me you'll be good," Jean Granger asked her daughter.

Hermione smiled.

"Mum, I'm always good," answered Hermione. Hermione never misbehaved at school and her mother knew that very well. "Your father's picking you up," said Jean and kissed her daughter's forehead.

Hermione got out of her mother's car, watching her drive off before heading into the school in a bittersweet fashion, happy to learn but sad to leave home once more, but this was the last day of school and then she'd have a full summer to study and it'd be amazing.

"Aw, isn't that nice? Ickle Hermy and her mumsy-wumsy," taunted a particularly rude child named Cole.

Ignore him Hermione told herself. He's not worth your energy.

She walked past him but Cole just smirked. "What's the matter? Are your big teeth stopping your speech?"

Hermione turned around, boiling with anger and shame. She looked angrily at the ground, knowing that if her eyes met Cole's she'd want to hurt him and he just wasn't worth it.

Cole was a tall and thick black-haired boy who everyone in the school feared. No one wanted to get on his bad side or else they'd be singled out, almost as singled out as Hermione herself, but Hermione wasn't afraid of him. He couldn't take a reputation from her that she didn't have in the first place.

"Leave me alone Cole!" demanded Hermione.

"Oh, she thinks she's brave!" Cole called out, making his gang snigger to themselves. Cole began to walk out towards the flag poles, where his mates were. Hermione finally looked up into his eyes feeling like she'd explode. "She thinks she's - AGGGHHHH!"