Harry Potter 1. Chapter 1

Hermione was perched on the edge of her stool, looking out over the lawn of her house. It was so peaceful at dawn. She was excited. Her trunk was in the boot of her father's car. Her spells and potion books were in her bag. She couldn't wait to get back and see Ron and Harry. She also couldn't wait to find the book in the library that Madam Pince had told her she would get. She grinned happily and continued darning a set of socks – Muggle way. Soon the sun rose and she made sure her flat-faced cat, Crookshanks was in his wicker basket, and off they went in the bumpy family car.

"Well then, if you go to Honeydukes, only buy Toothflossing Stringmints or whatever they are. Don't ruin your teeth!" her father said. Hermione smiled to herself. _She _wasn't going to buy sweets, but she was saving up for a very special item in Flourish and Blotts – The Full Compendium of Magical Spells and Potions, voted No. 1 by Witches and Wizards Worldwide. She was pleased when they pulled up at the train station. Kissing her parents goodbye, she flounced up the steps onto the train. She found Harry and told him that she had been revising heavily for the past two weeks. He grinned and stepped past her. She watched the countryside pass her and she felt happy she could revise further at the school library.

She smiled happily and was in a dream until they arrived and a mouth-watering feast placed in front of her. Afterwards she climbed the spiral staircase from the common-room to the girls' bedroom. Much similar to the boys, a colourful rug was in the middle. She dumped her stuff and, nearly running, shot off to the library. She found the corresponding aisle and pulled out a thick, black leather bound book with the title in gold letters - The Full Compendium of Herbs and Spices for Potions. She read until her brain ached. Secretly she was worried she'd fail her exams and be expelled, but she also knew that wouldn't happen.

When she went to the Gryffindor Common room, she saw Ron and Harry fumbling over their Divination charts, Fred and George were playing with Fred's _pet_ salamander who sat on the fire often, and there was a empty space where Crookshanks was sat. She pulled her bag onto it after moving him, and carefully spread all her Ancient Rune work over it. She set to work. 1 hour... 2 hours... 3 hours... She lost track of the time she was there for and practically fell asleep into her Rune translation. She had to hurry to get to her next lesson, Potions. She was pulled out of it by Professor McGonagall who took her up to her office, talking as she went. They sat down and Professor McGonagall said "Miss Granger, I am very pleased with you and I think you are ready to attempt NEWTs, although you should be doing them in two years time. I will begin to train you. Now, when you want to change a goblet into a pecan nut you do this..." Hermione was feeling quite odd by now. "Miss Granger, are you all right?" Hermione's head fell onto the desk and she fainted.

Hermione awoke hearing strange, disjointed voices drifting over to her.  
>"Good gracious, she's been overworked, that's all!"<br>"Of course. She does at least seventeen different subjects, I was surprised she could cope."  
>"Oh, fine Potter you can see her!"<br>The curtain swung open and Harry rushed in.  
>"Hermione, I've got so much to tell you! The exams are in two weeks and..."<br>Hermione lost most of what he said and fell back to sleep.

It was going to be a long, long recovery...


	2. Chapter 2

She recovered a day after. Three weeks later, she had her mock NEWT's exam. She revised heavily and passed with flying colours. Afterwards, she found a message on the common room message board addressed to her.

"_Miss Hermione Granger is required to go to Albus Dumbledore's study at 3:15"_

Hermione looked at her watch. 3:10. She could make it. She brushed her wild hair and tied it up, casting a spell to hold it there. She smiled at her reflection and quickly walked to the gargoyle and said "Professor Dumbledore wishes to see me." The gargoyle glanced at her and stepped aside. She stepped onto the stone steps and knocked politely on Professor Dumbledore's door. "Come in" Professor Dumbledore's voice floated to her. She opened the door. "FLASH!" A camera took her photo. Hermione's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief.


	3. Chapter 3

"Good day Miss Granger. As you can see, this is not an ordinary call to the Headmaster's office. No, this is a grander occasion." Professor Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. She looked around her. A reporter for the _Daily Prophet_ was there, thankfully though, not Rita Skeeter, Hermione thought. The Minister for Magic was seated in a green chair next to the fire. Dumbledore was sat in his usual chair behind his desk. Another lady Hermione did not know was sat on a small stool, reading a newspaper.

The Minister stood up and walked over to Hermione and shook her hand. "As you know, I am the Minister for Magic; I am very pleased to inform you that you have been chosen to be a game show competitor in _The Brightest Wizard in the World_. This is Hannah Red-Borough, the host of the programme." Hannah smiled at her before returning to her newspaper. "Now, the filming will, obviously, be after your NEWT examinations, wouldn't want to put you off, eh?" He smiled in a friendly way. "Of course, you will be up against fully grown witches and wizards so you have done very well anyway, just to get in. Professor Dumbledore has already asked your parents, and they have given you the go-ahead. You are the representative for Europe. We _should_ really dub your name, but as I am the Minister for Magic, I'm sure I can find you a way around that. Now, care for a cup of pumpkin juice, Hermione?"

Hermione shakily accepted a cup of pumpkin juice and a small biscuit. She sat down to a chair and Professor Dumbledore left the room with the Minister for Magic, saying that if anyone needed them, they would be at the Three Broomsticks. Soon the reporter was asking her questions for the newspaper. Hannah chipped in occasionally, adding little bits and bobs. Soon Hannah had taken her to the Three Broomsticks and had bought her a steaming mug of Butterbeer. She began to explain the rules to Hermione, but evidently, Hermione was feeling tired and slightly woozy from all the news and the Butterbeer. She bade her farewell, and Hermione went back to Hogwarts, and sank into her bed, her mind buzzing with information and news spinning round.


	4. Chapter 4

It was the eve of Hermione's NEWT exams and Hermione was studiously buried in books practically up to her neck, and it was barely after lunch. Big books, small books, books bound in leather, books bound in human skin, the list was endless. By dinner she was entirely invisible until Harry and Ron turned up and practically dragged her to dinner. She ate heartily, with the thought that, should she not eat anything for breakfast tomorrow, she wouldn't starve to death. Soon she had got changed for bed and was down in the common room, studying hard. Professor McGonagall had specifically asked that no-one should tease or upset her, so even though she was studying in her pink pyjamas, no-one sent scathing comments or rude phrases her way. She pushed more and more information into her head and soon she had a small headache. Sensing that she needed sleep, she went up to her bedroom and slept peacefully.

She woke up pleasant and charming, but she was worried about her fears of failing. She rushed to breakfast, and crashed into someone. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" Hermione cried out, alarmed that she might have upset one of the NEWT invigilators. "Get out of my way, Mudblood!" Draco Malfoy's irritated face looked up at her. He stood up, brushed down his robes, and walked past her, pushing her into the wall. Temporarily winded, Hermione could do nothing but gasp and gulp. She ran off to have breakfast and ate two slices of unbuttered toast.

She left the Great Hall with the rest of her Gryffindor friends. She hung around the Entrance Hall, after bidding goodbye to her friends who were descending into the dungeons for another dingy Potions lesson with the Slytherins. She saw a group of Ravenclaw wizards coming down the stairs and they too hung around the Entrance Hall. A burly one with not much hair strolled over to her and drawled "Well, well, why are you here then? This place is reserved for NEWTs candidates _only_." Much to Hermione's own surprise, she stood up to the burly Ravenclaw and said "I _am_ a candidate", flashing her card at them. The Ravenclaw was evidently surprised and asked what year she was. She replied simply. The Ravenclaw continued to look surprised but eventually walked away from her. This was repeated several times by the other houses, excepting Gryffindor, and Slytherin couldn't get their heads around it. Soon the examinations for the practical were ready to begin. Four groups of people went in before "Gandy, Gramble, Granger, Greyber!" was called out. Sweating slightly, Hermione entered the Great Hall and saw the invigilators.

A short man with very long green-gold robes was perched on a high stool and called out "Granger, Hermione!" Hermione was greatly reminded of Professor Flitwick. She went over to him and he said "Ah hello there! If I'm correct, you must be Miss Granger?" Hermione nodded. "Ah good! Now then, please demonstrate the Levicorpus spell on this rabbit, and then apply the correct counter-jinx." Hermione followed his instructions perfectly. The exams progressed throughout the day. In the evening she went up to the common room to study for the Astronomy exam, Potions exam (practical), and the History of Magic exam.

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><p>A week later, Hermione's exams were all over. She was pleased and for weeks after people were looking at her with awe and whispering to their friends about her, things like "Look, there's Hermione, the one who attempted NEWTs two years early" or "Holy moley, there goes Hermione! I need some help with my homework, maybe if I do her a favour…"She really did get a lot of attention. A week later, she found a note telling her to visit Professor Dumbledore. She went to Professor Dumbledore's office and he met her with twinkling eyes. He welcomed her in and she sat down on the green chair that the Minister had sat on when she last was in the office. "Oh, if it isn't Hogwarts's very own child prodigy, Miss Granger. Do sit down! Now that your NEWTs are over, the filming for <em>The Brightest Wizard in the World<em> can begin. Your NEWTs were the only thing in the way of the recording, except Amal Sahib's Auror recap." He smiled kindly. "You _shouldn't_ really know the first task, but the judges believe you should know what you need to learn, as you're underage. You need to learn things along the lines of the _Repello Muggletum _spell; that should do it. And, also, you need to do a bit of body-building, as you'll be taking some heavy stuff with you." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, as if he was telling her otherwise with his eyes. "Hm, that should be about all. No, one more thing, the day you must travel to Hogsmead station to meet Hannah is this time, next week. Now, that is all. You may return to your common room."

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><p><strong>A.N. Hope you like it! Sorry for the sudden outburst of story chapters, I'm sorta like a cactus in the desert... No stories (water) then suddenly, loads of chapters (monsoon). <strong>


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione was eager for the week to pass, but, all too soon, she found her and Ginny packing for the train. Ginny was coming as her official 'cheerer on-er' but it was more a comfort thing. Hermione was dead nervous and she worried about how she would do. She packed all she would need for 5 months and Ron had promised to owl her the homework she had been set. She had spent a day charming a small beaded purse she had for the purpose of being like a Muggle TV show's TARDIS, that is, looking small on the outside and actually being huge. It was also very light. She smiled to herself. _She had the advantage_. She would win! Soon she cast the charm "_Locomotor trunks_!" and had taken them to the train to meet Hannah. "Hannah this is Ginny Weasley. Ginny, this is Hannah Red-Borough." Hermione said. Ginny warmly shook Hannah's hand. Hermione smiled and her chin wobbled as a large procession, mainly Gryffindors, came down onto the lawn. All were cheering for Hermione. A large Gryffindor lion was suspended in the air and it roared loudly. Hermione whispered "_Sonourus!"_ and pointed her wand at her neck. "Thank you all for this marvellous display" Hermione's magically magnified voice rang out. "As you can see, I have been very busy and have failed to properly thank the professors and students who have helped me on my way. You will now have found a large box of chocolates if you have helped me. If you haven't, you get a small smiley face. I will miss all of you – even you, Malfoy!" She grinned cheekily. "Anyway, I hope you are all successful in what you attempt and so, I bid you FAREWELL!" Everyone cheered for her. "_Quietus!"_ Hermione said, lowering her voice to normal. With that, Hermione stepped into the carriage and it drove off.

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><p>Hermione looked out of the window and a single tear trailed its way down her face. She quickly brushed it away. She really fancied someone she knew she couldn't have. He was – She couldn't say it – Draco- Draco Malfoy. <em>Draco Malfoy?<em> The mud-blood hater? How could she love him? She didn't understand it. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She had more important things to think about than love…


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione arrived at what could only be described as a collection of stolen circus tents. She was led to a small tent that was 'attached' to another, larger tent. She ducked her head and entered. "Oh, Miss Granger, I suspect?" a pleasant faced lady asked. "Yes, that's me." The lady ticked her off the list and said, to Hannah, "She's in the green and silver tent." Hannah led her to her tent with Ginny and said "I'll leave you to unpack." Hannah left. Ginny began unpacking their clothes, putting them in their respective drawers. Hermione came over and, with a flick of her wand, all their clothes were unpacked. Ginny grinned and hugged Hermione. Hermione laughed and hugged her back. Hermione took out a model of the landscape Hannah had given her and watched green sparks create a ring. That was where she had been given for the first task. She looked at the area, and submitted it to close scrutiny. She had a large area of bedrock, with a steep slope all around with bumpy terrain. A few trees and flowering shrubs made up the finished area. Ginny grinned cheekily at her and said "To make it harder for an intruder to come, why don't you cast that spell – _descendo_ – when they try to get up. Maybe you could pair it with a sensory spell or something… I dunno… you're the genius…" Hermione's face lit up. "Yeah! God, Ginny, you're a natural… how the hell do you think of those kinds of things…" Ginny blushed. "Well… I do try! Anyhow, we need to meet the other competitors in five minutes." Hermione glanced at her watch. "Okay. 10:15. Got it." Soon they both were in the large tent.

All the other competitors were either big, burly, strong men or dumpy, kind, yet sharp, women. Hermione was the only underage wizard there, excepting Ginny. "Welcome!" Hannah's magnified voice said. "Welcome, once again to _The Brightest Wizard in the World_!" Hannah was now talking to the camera as she walked down the steps to the row of competitors, introducing them as she went. "Let's introduce the competitors. For Africa we have… Amal Sahib! For North America we have… Randy Scott! For South America we have… Juan Kinburrough! For Australasia we have… Charlene Gredbean! For Asia we have… Vladimir Vostok! And the one we've all been waiting for… for Europe we have… Hermione Granger! " The camera rolled onto Hermione and she flashed a toothy grin at it. One of the cameramen said "Cut! Great job guys!" The actual task will be filmed tomorrow. Hermione was called over to Hannah who began to explain the rules. "Ok, so, basically you have to set up a camp to keep yourself safe for the day from maraudering 'Death Eaters', basically men who will cast a Stunning spell at you if they see you. You would then be out. This task is very hard, and only two people have managed until morning without being discovered. Good Luck!"

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><p><strong>A.N. I know… irritating person me… hehe… you'll just have to wait for the next update… evil me…<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

She returned to her tent and saw a barn owl sat on her desk with a scrap of parchment tied to its leg, presumably the homework that had been set, sent by Ron. She unfolded it. It wasn't. She read it out.

"_Dearest Hermione,_

_Ever since you left I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. Your glossy, golden hair, your beautiful round brown orbs .Everything about you is perfect .Your love of books without showing off. You couldn't be more different to another person I know, yet, you could be so similar. I, I think I love you. Signed,"_

The end of the paper was torn. She tried to figure out who wrote it, but the writing kept changing. She cursed. She put the letter in her bag, eager for the competition. It began at 12:00. It was now 11:57. She was changing into the uniform she had been given, and took her purse which she had put some money, a lipstick and a mirror in, to disguise its real purpose. She walked to the large tent and stood on her marker. Soon the cameras were rolling once more. "All the contestants are ready. Let's go! All the equipment they are allowed is in their cubicles. Contestants, enter your cubicles!" Hermione entered her cubicle and shut the door. She began loading the tent and all her equipment into her small beaded bag. Dumbledore was right. It _was_ heavy. She pushed it in regardless, and opened her cubicle door and raced out. "And Granger is the first out! But where's her equipment?" Hermione ran to her area and set up her area after casting _Muffliatio_ to make her not be heard by searching 'Death Eaters'. She set up the tent. She took out her wand and muttered under her breath some spells. "Protego Totalum, Salvio Hexia, Cave Inimicum…" She continued for a while until she was sure her place was completely safe. She then cast the Descendo spell along with a Sensory Charm to change the sides of the steep rock to a smooth, slippery surface. It only did this when an enemy came though, so deer and brocks could clamber around. She looked at the area around her and said "Pedicas, evadere, celare!" She watched various traps go flying across the landscape, and then quickly turned to face the bedrock and said "Reducto!" and blasted a fair- sized hole in the bedrock. She went inside the hole and discovered there was a secret cavern there. She took her tent in there, turned around and cried "Erecto!" A solid wall of rock sprung up, as thick as it was originally. She said "Lumos!" Her wand end lit up, surrounding her area with dim light. She sat down and said "_Adducam__-__gramina, __ligna__, __tolle__-__filum, __involvent__omnes__, __calorem__portamus__-__metalli, __figura__metalli__ad__tinniant__, __apponere__-__spelunca__-__murum, __loco__face__!_" She repeated this several times, and soon she had five nice torches, hanging on the cave walls at various intervals. She walked along, pointing her wand at them and saying "_Incendio!_" which caused them to burst forth with merry, crackling flames. She pitched her tent and got ready for the evening to come. Soon night fell and Hermione fell to sleep.

**Hannah's POV**

"And here comes the fourth contestant to be found. Already we've found: Amal, Vladimir, Charlene and Juan!" Hannah yelled out excitedly. "Still to be found are: Randy and Hermione!" Hannha was worried about Hermoine. Her worries progressed when the fifth was found. "And here's the fifth to be found! Randy! Now we're yet to find Hermione Granger, but we'll track her down inevitably!" At midnight Hermone still wasn't found. "Miss Granger hasn't been found yet, but we'll get her!" Hannah said before switching the camera off and saying "alright, all 'Death Eater's in her area, NOW!" A large hoard of 'Death Eaters' stomped off in the direction of Hermione's location.

**Hermione's POV**

Morning had broken and Hermione's wand was screaming at her, like an alarm clock. She picked it up and said "Yes?" to the base of her wand. "Ah, good, we've established a connection. You've won this test, Miss Granger. We are still unsure of your location as we speak. You are now on the survival wall of fame. You are the only person to grace those halls, excepting Albus Dumbledore and Theodore Stechbahn. You may now return to the camp tent. All 'Death Eaters' wil now be friendly, not hostile." Hermione said "Yes, I'll come." She packed her tent into her magical bag, and blasted the wall open. She crawled through, and walked towards the edge of the cliff face, and slid down it. She disabled her magical spells and walked towards the circus tent. Ginny shot out to meet her, and embraced her tightly, tears streaming down her face. "I-I thought you'd d-d-_died_. The judges were a-about to g-give up hope wh-when you contacted us. I-I was _worried_ s-sick. Oh, Her-Hermione, I-I'm so glad to see you." Ginny sniffed. Hermione hugged her best friend and said "Don't cry, hush, hush, don't cry" She rocked Ginny back and forth and soon Ginny had stopped sobbing. Hermione led her in, and cheers and laughter erupted from the tent for the rest of the day.


End file.

Harry Potter