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┄┄ .•* 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏 *•. ┄
𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓?
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Julie felt her eyes opened—she didn't open them, but they were open. However, as much as she tried to focus on something or even try to make up blurry figures, she couldn't see. She could feel her hands hanging in the air, but she couldn't—for anything—move them, and yet she didn't feel tired, or her muscles strain. She could sense her surroundings but didn't understand them; they were foreign to her. All in all, she felt stiff. She felt like she had just woken up. That moment just as you open your eyes and you begin to feel your whole body again. And little by little she felt her muscles relax and start to fall, finally accepting the laws of gravity. She felt her arms fall by her side and her legs relaxing and properly fall on the soft bed she was in. Then her face muscles started to work again and she had to blink a proper amount of times to get used to the sight around her.
Julie found herself in a pretty large room, stocked up with white beds, with white sheets, from one end to the other. The majority of the elements surrounding her were white, in fact. She could see other children in the room beginning to wake up, and she couldn't help but notice they were all in some sort of school uniform. Then she looked down and noticed she too, was in a rather tidy-looking uniform. What was this? The after-death school for kids? Was this what happened after you died? You go to school again? Did all of these kids die? Julie's mind was running with questions though no answer seemed to want to pass by. Hence, why Julie decided to let her mind wander as she properly took a look around.
Well, she was doing that, but suddenly she snapped her head down and her eyes bulged out of her skull as if she was a cartoon character. Where was her body? Her boobs? Where was her white skin and why was it a tone of olive skin right now? And why in hell was she so short? Did she shrink with death? Did the bus mull her over? The thing is, while looking down—and getting shocked by her own body—, Julie noticed the mane that covered most of her eyesight. Was that—Julie swallowed thickly—Was that her hair?! She snapped her head up and her hands went to her hair. Oh no. Oh no, no, no. Where was her soft and silky blond hair? And why was it chocolate brown and lion-like right now? What in the actual fuck happened to her?
"Ah, Ms. Granger you're awake."
Julie turned around promptly, to find a sweet-looking woman in her forties—maybe fifties (Julie didn't want to assume, though)—with a net on her head and uniform that made her look like a nurse during the war. Julie frowned. Who was Ms. Granger? She looked around, behind her, to try and see anyone else the nurse may be referring to, and when she didn't find anyone else on the nurse's line of sight, she tilted her head at the woman.
"Are you feeling all right, Ms. Granger? You've been petrified for quite some while," the woman said kindly. "Maybe you should stay here a little longer. You would be losing the big feast, though."
Julie Stone was never so confused and at the same time at full understanding in all her life. Weirdly she had understood every single word the woman was saying. Now, if they made sense she didn't know. Petrified? How was she petrified? She was run over by a bus. And what is this big feast? The only possible explanation Julie had for all of this was absurd. So absurd that she couldn't possibly say it. It couldn't be possible. Right? Well, she had to try the only thing she could possibly do. If it didn't work she'd just say she hit her head.
"Er—Screw it," Julie muttered to herself and then turned to the nurse, "Could I talk with Dumbledore?" she asked and then flinched at how crazy she sounded. Surprisingly the woman only looked at her weirdly, sighed, and nodded. No trying to get her in an asylum or having her brain checked.
"Very well. I'll call the headmaster."
With that, the nurse confirmed Julie's theory. And now she assumed she was talking to Madam Pomfrey, the healer at the hospital wing at. . . . Hogwarts.
Well, with that theory confirmed, Julie knew what happened. Well, she didn't know the whole ordeal, but she was pretty sure, she was in the body of Hermione Granger. And she somehow woke up there, just as she was getting un-petrified. Huh. That was a big plot twist in her life. Even more so, because she thought getting hit by a bus was the end. She did die after all. When a person dies, they're supposed to stay dead. Right? Wrong. Apparently, they wake up as a bookworm, on a world on the verge of war. Great. Worst of all, she didn't have almost anything in common with the 'character' she soul-snatched, and she was thirteen. Again. Which meant, puberty. Again. Great.
So, she was Hermione Granger now? How would that even work? First of all, she wasn't at all Hermione-smart. Julie was smart but not that much. She wasn't a bookworm either and hell would have to freeze over before she turned into one. Julie respected too much her insanity for it. She was hardworking, though, and that was something both of them had in common. That and the fact they came from muggles. Right? Technically she came from the real world, but Julie wasn't one to judge. There was, however, another thing Hermione and Julie had in common. Julie Stone was a practical person. Not particularly organized, but practical. That was why she decided that since she had time she would write down everything she remembered from the books in some spare notebooks. That and she might plan what she would do in the future. Might. Julie wasn't really much for planning. Any plans that she did have, she would end up not following anyway. So. . . .
"Ms. Granger to what do I owe the pleasure?"
A voice broke Julie's train of thoughts and she snapped her head to the owner, only to have her jaw on the floor. Albus too-many-names fucking Dumbledore was standing in front of her. She wasn't sure whether to be scared or pleased, to be honest. She didn't dislike Dumbledore. Actually, she respected him, but many things he did over the course of the books were either unnecessary or extremely daft. For someone who was supposed to be this great wizard, he did do a lot of questionable things. Either way, Julie didn't have anyone else to go to and he might even help her.
"Uh—I don't know exactly how to say this but. . . ." Julie started looking around nervously biting her lip, "—I'm not Hermione Granger," she finally said bluntly.
"Whatever do you mean Ms. Granger?" Dumbledore asked her with a frown forming on his wrinkled face. Julie looked around, unsure if there was anyone else in the hospital wing. Though, the place was now deserted apart from her and the old headmaster. Julie took a few deep breaths and continued.
"I mean, I'm not Hermione. I'm a body snatcher, per se," she started her ranting. "But not on purpose, mind you. The last thing I remember was riding my bicycle—and then this kid came along—out of nowhere—and I had to turn rapidly, only to be slammed into an oncoming bus. That's how I died. Then I woke up here, with, who I now know is Poppy, calling me Ms. Granger and saying things like petrified and feast. So. . . . I asked for you because if there's anyone who could help me it might just be you," Julie rambled to Dumbledore, who was looking at her with a thoughtful expression. "My name is Julie Stone and I was born in 2003. And I died when I was seventeen—almost eighteen—in 2021. Now, I'm not sure why I'm in the know-it-all's body. My theory is that she probably died while petrified or while being un-petrified. Is that possible?"
"I must say that is an extraordinary story, Ms. Stone," Dumbledore said, his blue eyes twinkling with something Julie couldn't put her finger on, "It is probable that Miss Granger died during the process of being un-petrified, but there are other options. Now, I will have to ask. How did you know who you were or who we were?"
"Uh—Well, you're part of a book," Julie stated and Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at this signaling her to proceed. "In my, well, past life this whole world was part of a book series. Harry Potter. It was around him and his journey to defeat baldy."
"Extraordinary," Dumbledore said in awe and Julie mentally smirked. She made Albus Dumbledore awestruck. Yay.
"Sir? What do I do now?" Julie asked Dumbledore, "Do I keep living her life? We're at the end of the second year, right?"
"You must keep living, of course. You do not need to be Hermione Granger, though. Only for appearances. We wouldn't want the other side to know of your knowledge." Dumbledore winked at her.
"But should I tell anyone?" Julie said and the older man frowned. "I mean I'll have a major personality change. I'm almost nothing like Granger."
"Keep it quiet until the right time, Ms. Stone," Dumbledore finally said after a moment of silence and Julie nodded along. "When all is right or people must know, you may do as you please. But for now, do not mention this to anyone and I'll do the same. Just live this life."
"One more thing, sir," Julie called out raising a hand, "I need to learn. I don't know any type of magic and I think my main priority should be occlumency. I don't want anyone messing up my brain."
"That is one thing you do not need to worry about, Ms. Stone. Something, that must have to do with your predicament, must have given you a. . . . boost. I cannot enter your mind. It appears you have natural walls in your brain," Dumbledore informed her and Julie almost gaped at the nerve on the man for trying to enter her mind. But she didn't think much of it, seeing that besides being a body snatcher, she got extra juju. That was wicked. "And I believe that you know enough to accompany next year. Nevertheless, if at the beginning of the third year you find yourself having difficulties you can always come to me. Now I would suggest you get ready and go to the Great Hall, Ms. Granger. There is a big feast tonight."
"I will, sir. Thank you," Julie said with a polite smile, which Dumbledore returned before heading out of the hospital wing.
Julie took a deep breath, looked around, and let herself fall on the bed as soon as Dumbledore left. Well. She was Hermione Granger now. She definitely had a lot to live up to. Fortunately for her, she got here only in the second year, so Hermione still didn't have that much of a sign over her head.
After getting dressed in another uniform, this time with a robe on top (much to her dismay), Julie, or now Hermione, made her way to the Great Hall. That, apparently, she knew where it was. It seemed mechanic. In her head, Julie had no idea where she was going, but her feet seemed to know the way and she wasn't about to argue with them.
The feast was very big indeed. Everyone was cheering. Either because the Chamber was close or the exams had been canceled or even because Lockhart couldn't teach anymore due to brain damage—that in all honesty, was already there, to begin with.
The rest of the term passed in a blur, even for Julie. Dumbledore was right. Magic was indeed not a problem. Somehow she had memories of it, without actually remembering. The only thing she was having difficulty with was the theory part, but after a couple of weeks she caught up to the rest of the year just well. This was actually fortunate as Julie or Hermione had to spend a lot of time in the Library, which helped her to slowly get people accustomed to her new person. Another thing Julie did was grab some notebooks she found in Hermione's things and write everything she remembered down. She filled about five notebooks with that—one for each book left and some additional details. Luckily, she had a pen—she found in the bottom of Hermione's trunk—otherwise, she would take about thirty years to write all of that down. It was bad enough to write with quills in class—a mistake she wouldn't do next year.
During the rest of the year, with each day, Julie got more used to Harry and Ron. Or as she called them, Harold and Ronald. She had to admit, they were really good friends, and they seemed to like her too. She hadn't been acting all that different from herself—she just took to tone it down a bit for the rest of the year—and they haven't picked up and left yet. So she took it as a good sign. Julie also met other people. Like the twins, which she loved! In her opinion, they were even better in real life. And Ginny too. She loved the Weasleys.
During her remaining time, in her second year—which technically was her first—, Hermione didn't talk to Dumbledore. She didn't find it necessary. Honestly, she didn't find talking to him necessary. Maybe if she needed help but to willingly just talk to him wasn't on her to-do list. So she decided that unless it called for, she'd stay away from the headmaster.
Soon enough Julie—that was now, almost getting used to being called Hermione—found herself aboard the Hogwarts Express for the first time. Albeit the departure was in Hogsmeade Station as opposed to King's Cross, the train was marvelous. Julie couldn't help to gape at it. That was until she snapped out of it when someone called her. Which took about three trials, as it took a while to click in her brain that her name was Hermione, now.
That was how she found herself in a compartment with Harry, Ron, Ginny, and the twins. Julie—obviously—liked them all. They were all nice and fun and they really did get along easily with her. Which was good as it wasn't a problem for her to fit into the group. They played a game of Exploding Snap, something Julie hadn't quite grasped the concept of yet, so she decided not to play and did other stuff during the ride. It wasn't until they were almost at their destination that Harry suddenly said.
"Ginny—what did you see Percy doing, that he didn't want you to tell anyone?"
"Oh that," Ginny said giggling, "Well—Percy's got a girlfriend."
This made Fred drop a stack of books on George's head making Hermione (Julie) snort.
"What?"
"It's that girl, Fiona Greenwater or something," Hermione said with a shrug and they all looked at her in amusement.
"It's Penelope Clearwater. That Ravenclaw prefect," Ginny said giggling at the name Julie called the girl, "That's who he was writing to all last summer. He's been meeting her all over the school in secret. I walked in on them kissing in an empty classroom one day. He was so upset when she was — you know — attacked. You won't tease him, will you?" she added anxiously.
"Wouldn't dream of it," said Fred, who was looking like his birthday had come early.
"Definitely not," said George, sniggering. And Hermione just shook her head in amusement.
Finally, the Hogwarts Express slowed down and stopped. That was when Julie noticed Harry pull out his quill and a bit of parchment and turn to her and Ron.
"This is called a phone number," he told Ron as Hermione snorted. He scribbled the number twice and ripped it, handing half to Julie and half to Ron. "I told your dad how to use a telephone last summer — hell know. Call me at the Dursleys', okay? I can't stand another two months with only Dudley to talk to..."
"Poor you. Having to live with monkeys all summer," Hermione told Harry sympathetically as she patted his shoulder and he snorted.
"Are you crazy? I'd rather live with monkeys than them," He said looking actually hopeful and they all laughed.
After that, they got out of the train and passed the gateway to the muggle world together. Once Harry and the Weasleys left, Hermione stayed back to see if she could spot her parents. Julie didn't know how the Grangers looked like. Hell, she didn't even know their names. The only thing merely personal she did know about them was the fact they were dentists. That was about it.
"Honey?"
"Hermione?"
Two voices called from behind Julie, making the girl turn around and come face to face with a nice-looking couple. Mr. and Mrs. Granger looked like very pleasant people. They were in their late thirties, Julie would have guessed. Mrs. Granger had light brown hair with a few curls—that made Julie wonder why, it was so different from Hermione's—and bright hazel eyes that shone positiveness and kindness. Mr. Granger had dirty blond hair and big brown chocolate eyes, just like Hermione's—the thing that started to confuse Julie along the year, though, was that her eyes were changing. Hermione's eyes or better yet her own eyes were starting to have specks of silver in them. Which Julie found awesome.
She smiled as she saw them. She had parents. And they were technically hers. She had a family. She ran to them and hugged them and then as her dad grabbed her trunk, she looped arms with her mom and began to talk their ears off about the school year. Or the rest of the year she was actually there for.
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