Title: In the Mind of the Walking Encyclopedia
Chapter One - 2/o8/o3
Author: tainted . black
Contact: tainted_black@twistedcandy.org
Rated: PG
AN: Okay. My first HP fanfiction. My first 1st person and present tense fic too. HG/DM. :) I don't know how far I will go along with this, but trust me, I will ATTEMPT to make it something worth while to read. Yes, I shall! And I will TRY to make the characters IN character. And I hope to the great sky above me (wait... it's a ceiling) that it doesn't turn out like an unoriginal fanfic. 'Cause that would be bad. Anyways, this is pretty light-hearted, so, heh. Not sure what to do with this yet.
Disclaimer: Never, ever, ever, nope, pas moi!
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They call me a know-it-all.

But it's not my fault, really. It's just that whenever a teacher askes a question, I feel this incredible urge to answer right away. It feels as if a stream of hot lava is emitted from my brain and it quickly flows down my left hand and up! that arm goes. If the teacher doesn't call on me right away, the lava spreads down to my legs, causing me to spring up, oooh-ing with the answer on the tip of my tongue, burning...oh, you cannot possibly imagine the feeling. Let's just say I -need- to answer before I turn into a case of human--no, scratch that, witch combustion.

Back to the point.

I'm not a know-it-all or, as others like to call me, a walking encyclopedia. I consider myself smart, yes, but an inanimate object personified? I think not.

I am Hermione Granger, muggle born witch, and a student at Hogswarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, currently enrolled in sixth year.

Or, if you want to be technical, on my way to being in sixth year. In fact, I'm at King's Cross this very moment, looking for a bright shock of red hair belonging to Ron Weasley and that unmistakable unkept hair, which belongs to Harry Potter.

Yes, -the- Harry Potter.

Ah, and here they are now. They don't look any different from the last time I saw them, but I do suppose they have grown a bit taller. I notice that Ron doesn't have as many freckles as before. As for me, I am still the same, except a couple of inches taller and my hair has begun to have simmer down, but not much. For the record, I think it's bushy in that over-curled way.

"Hermione!" Ron and Harry greet me in unison.

"How are you?" Harry, ever the polite one, asks.

I smile back at him. "Wonderful. You wouldn't believe how bored I was this summer... But Mum and Dad brought back plenty of souvenirs from Australia." I hold out a kangaroo figurine.

Ron picks it up and examines it closely. "Does...does it do anything?"

I shake my head.

"It doesn't even move? Honestly, your muggle items are so boring." He hands it back. Harry simply smiles.

I take it out and place the object back into my robe. Speaking of robes...

"You guys should get changed."

"But we just got here 'Mione," protests Ron. "It's not like McGonagall is going to take points off yet, and we aren't even in school!"

True. Very true. I sigh disapprovingly, and Ron starts to grin because he knows he is correct.

"Fine. But as soon as we get in the train--"

"All right!"

We amble over to the Hogsworth Express and toss our luggages into the luggage compartment. Then, we search for a compartment to occupy. Minutes later, we find one just as the train starts to move.

"By the way, Hermione, congrats on being a prefect this year," Harry says. "We knew you could do it."

I grin from ear to ear. "Thank you, Harry. I have to study harder this year than ever, if I want to be Head Girl next year. And being prefect means I have to more responsible." 

I lightly touch the prefect badge on my black robe. I'm proud of achieving the prefect-status. I know I have worked long and hard, and it finally paid off with this wonderful, wonderful badge. I will sleep with it near my bed, every night. Or maybe I should wear it everywhere I go... Mwahahaha. I suppose an insane smile had started to spread on my face because Harry suddenly coughs.

"Your face, I don't think it's natural like that. It isn't supposed to be contorting like -that-," he says.

I blink and the smile is instantly gone. "Oh, Harry." I shake my head.

Then there was silence, for ten seconds.

GURGLE.

Harry and I instantly look accusingly at Ron, whose ears are beginning to tint a light pink color. Lowering his eyes, he announces, "I'm hungry... Blimey, I didn't realize Mum forgot to packed us any lunch." He looks at Harry apologetically.

"It's okay. We can buy sweets from the cart," Harry replies.

You could see Ron's eyes light up. "Really? I have a couple sickles. Wonder how much that would get us."

"I'm not hungry. Excuse me, I want to check with the other prefects if we have anything to do when we get to Hogswarts," I say, standing up.

They nod and make room for me to leave the compartment. As soon as I step out, I wipe my prefect badge so that its golden gleam blinds everyone. What can I say, I really, really, really like that badge. Now I know how Percy felt.

This year's prefects are Hannah Abott from Hufflepuff, Terry Boot from Ravenclaw, and Draco Malfoy from Slytherin. Truth be told, I haven't really talked to any of them the past five years, save Malfoy, who's soul purpose in life is to be a nuisance.

I am uncertain about where the other prefects would be, so I casually knock at compartment doors, hoping that I would find Hannah or Terry before Malfoy. But alas, luck did not befall on me today.

I knock on the fourth compartment down the narrow hallway and I hear a low, "Yes?" Taking that as permission to open the door, I do so, and stick my head in. "Hey, have you seen--"

Draco Malfoy stares indignantly at me. "I didn't say you could open the door, Granger," he drawls.

I turn a slight pink, but ignore him. I am now halfway in the compartment. "Do you know if we have to anything when we reach Hogwarts?"

"Why should I tell you? Didn't you read the post?" He leans back against the dark grey cushions, stretching luxiouriously. I then notice that he is alone and wonder briefly where Goyle and Crabbe have gone to.

"I misplaced it," I admit to him.

"Too bad. Now will you kindly get out of -my- compartment?"

"Gladly."

I turn my heels around and suddenly, the train stops abruptly and the lights flickers off. I fall backwards and land on the ground.

"Oofa!"

"What the hell?"

Ugh, Malfoy. Me and him. Alone. In the dark. Alone. ... Not good.

I quickly stand up and the train starts moving again at full pace, and I fall backwards, instinctively closing my eyes and bracing myself for the fall. Thud. Hey, it's warm. Really warm. And firm. Smells nice too. I didn't know the ground smelled this nice....

"Get. Off."

My face must be red now. Oh, dear. Thank Merlin that the lights have not yet gone on. I mutter an apology and quickly scramble off him. My scramble turned into a fall onto the real ground, again.

"Ow."

"Hnpt." I don't believe it; I can -hear- him smirking. I didn't think it was possible.

Thinking that it would be safer on the ground rather than feeling my way out (I turn an even brighter shade of red at the thought of -feeling-), I sit up indian-style and wait.

"Granger? Are you still there?" I suddenly feel a hand on my head.

"Keep your hands away from my head," I growl. The hand goes away.

"Like I'd want to touch your head," came the response.

Stupid train. Stupid Malfoy. Stupid lights. Stupid ride. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I think I'd rather get out of this stupid compartment before anything else happens, even -if- I have to feel my way out. Okay, here I go!

One hand out...and...-success-! Ground! Good work Hermione! Next hand...-ground-! Yes! Two in a row. I can do this, I can get out! I can definately get out! Three, and whoo, ground! Four--uh oh.

"What are you doing? Stop touching my leg!" Malfoy exclaims.

"I didn't...but I don't, nononono." I am rather incoherent at this point.

My hand moves and it touches... What is this? Pat, pat. My eyes widen as realization dawns on me.

"GRANGERRRRRRR!" A cold hand snatches mine and ruthlessly pulls me onto the seat. "STAY. DON'T YOU DARE MOVE."

He sounds mad. Eeep. I know I shouldn't say anything, but my mouth, it's not in my control anymore. Words start to spill out of my mouth before I can even think.

"I'm going to get out and go find my compartment! I don't want to stay with you in the -dark-! Let me go, Malfoy! And I didn't mean to touch you! It was an accident, I swear. I'm really sorry and--"

"Shut up."

I clamp my hands on my mouth.

"And you stay until the light come back because I don't want you touching me anymore. Got it?"

"Mmhm."

I wonder when will the lights come back again.

TBC