Woken up by the sunlight that had crept into her room, Hermione remembered yesterday's incident. With fleeting hope, she looked at the desk, and her heart skipped a beat – the charred sheet of math homework was still there. She buried her face in a pillow and thought in despair, 'This wasn't a dream. But how? What's wrong with me?' Her mind was once again flooded with anxious thoughts.
Last night, Hermione had been working late on her math homework. For a determined and gifted ten-year-old girl like her, the task wasn't hard; she got through it pretty quickly. However, she couldn't shake off the nagging thoughts about Barbara Grayson, her blonde classmate who made Hermione's life a real nightmare. Their feud had gotten worse over the last year, with Barbara's taunts turning meaner, her smirks more poisonous, and her teasing became a daily challenge for Hermione. If there was anyone Hermione truly couldn't stand, it was Barbara.
Grayson was smart too, and it made her even more annoyed that Hermione was at the top of their class in everything. Barbara, the mayor's daughter, was born to be a leader. She wasn't used to being second to anyone. Since she couldn't beat Hermione in class, Barbara made her life tough in other ways. The worst part was that Barbara had a bunch of friends who backed her up in everything, including in her bullying of Hermione. Last day her hairstyle became a new target for their teasing. Hermione didn't pay much attention to styling her bushy chestnut hair, considering it not important. But Barbara and her friends turned it into a joke, calling her hairstyle 'country-like' and comparing her to a shaggy horse. Then, they began mocking Hermione's slightly protruding teeth, 'horse-like' ones as they called them, and things went downhill from there…
Sitting at the desk with her homework ready in hand, Hermione thought about her despised classmate. Her thoughts were far from friendly; she was seething with anger and a desire for revenge… But an unexpected twist pulled her out of this whirlpool of dark thoughts — the homework suddenly caught on fire right in her hands. Fearful, Hermione threw it on the desk and quickly slammed a book over the homework, trying to extinguish the flame. After the fire was out, she sat there, stunned. How did that happen? Why did the paper suddenly catch fire? Questions swirled in her head, but there were no answers. Unable to find an explanation and feeling exhausted from the tough day, Hermione decided to go to bed, leaving the investigation for the morning.
Now, upon waking up, Hermione tried to put her thoughts in order. 'It couldn't have caught fire by itself,' she reasoned. 'So, something must have ignited it. Now, I just need to figure out what.' Getting out of bed, she approached her desk and examined it even more carefully. To her, the only explanation seemed to be the desk lamp. Though it was at a safe distance, Hermione couldn't find any other explanation. 'Maybe, lost in thought, I didn't notice how close I brought the sheet to the lamp, and it caught fire,' she concluded. Hermione was always skilled at finding logical explanations for even the weirdest things, and she was proud of her analytical ability.
Hermione's thoughts on last night were cut off when her mom, Emma Granger, walked in. They had a lot in common: the same messy chestnut hair and similar facial features. Emma gave Hermione a smile filled with the kind of warmth and love only a mom can give. But seeing Hermione still in her pajamas, her smile turned into a worried look.
"Hermione, is everything alright? We will be heading out soon," Emma asked, sounding a bit puzzled, "Why aren't you dressed yet?"
Emma was used to her daughter always being ready on time, so Hermione's current state was a sign that something was wrong. Hermione froze for a moment, realizing that she was late, and responded quickly:
"Sorry, Mom… I just got sidetracked..." she said, trying to hide her confusion. "I'll be ready in a sec" she hopped away from the desk and made her way to the bathroom.
Emma looked with concern and care at Hermione leaving the room. 'She's growing up,' Emma thought, 'and with that, new troubles come.' She felt Hermione was troubled, though her daughter always brushed off any concerns with a simple 'I'm fine.' Emma had a hunch about what was bothering Hermione. She'd heard from her teachers that Hermione's relations with her classmates weren't the best.
Just before closing the door, Emma gave the room a quick glance. Everything was as usual: the room was in perfect order, the shelves filled with rows of books and the desk stacked with notebooks. Photos and awards on the walls silently boasted of her daughter's school success. Only a few toys left in the room's corner seemed to look at her with reproach — Hermione had barely touched them.
Ten minutes later, Hermione emerged into the living room, adjusting her hair and clothes on the move.
"I'm ready," she announced, trying to sound upbeat, "Let's go."
The Granger's living room was spacious and filled with light. A large sofa and armchairs surrounded a coffee table, which held arranged piles of newspapers and books. Hermione's dad, John, was there already, comfortably settled in an armchair with his coffee and the morning paper.
John was tall, had dark hair, and looked serious. He wore glasses while reading newspapers or books, which Hermione thought made him look even more serious. Both of Hermione's parents were dentists and worked together at the same dental clinic. While her mom focused on treating children, her dad did surgical procedures, earning him a lot of respect.
Seeing his daughter, John checked his watch; it was time to leave. He placed his newspaper back on the stack, stood up, adjusted his jacket, and, after Emma joined them, they all headed out to start their day.
The morning was cloudy, perfectly matching Hermione's mood. She pulled her coat tighter around herself as she walked to the car, looking around at the quiet town of Oakridge. Just a few miles away from the hustle and bustle of London, their neighborhood was known for its cozy homes with immaculate lawns, painting the perfect scene for a peaceful life filled with simple joys like morning tea in the garden or evening walks through quiet streets.
Settling into the back seat of the car, Hermione leaned her forehead against the cool glass. She always found solace in the fleeting views outside — houses, green lawns, people bustling about — it was like meditation on the way to school. But today, these usual scenes didn't calm Hermione. Thoughts of the day ahead weighed on her. It is unlikely that Barbara was done with her teasing yesterday, and Hermione was afraid of what was to come. She sighed heavily, lost in her gloomy thoughts, when she heard her mom's question from the front seat:
"Hermi, is there anything you want to talk about?"
Her mom's look was a silent plea to share, but Hermione just shook her head, avoiding her mom's gaze. She couldn't see how her mom could help with this situation and didn't want to burden her with her problems.
The hardest part was realizing that switching schools next year would not help in any way. Barbara planned to go to the same school Hermione's parents wanted to transfer her to. This meant everything would stay the same or could even get worse. Hermione felt trapped with no way out.
Upon arriving at school, Hermione said goodbye to her parents and slowly headed to the entrance. As she got closer, a troubling scene unfolded before her eyes, making her uneasy. Several classmates surrounded the new kid, Tommy, and it looked like they weren't about to let him leave. Tommy had just moved to their school after his family relocated from a remote rural area up north. Small and thin for his age, he tried to sidestep the bullies with his head down, clutching his backpack, but they were much bigger than him and clearly not done having their fun yet.
Hermione felt a heavy lump forming in her chest. She had been the target of these same kids' mockery more than once and knew that stepping in might only worsen her situation, especially considering her current troubles with Barbara. But on the other hand, she could vividly imagine what Tommy was going through. She literally felt the bigger kids' pokes herself, and their taunting disgusted her. It was just unfair, and Hermione had a strong sense of justice, which, frankly speaking, had caused her problems more than once.
All these thoughts spun in her head as Hermione headed toward the school's entrance. But the more she heard their rough taunts, the harder it became for her to hold back. Just few steps away from the entrance, Hermione stopped, turned around, and with a voice shaking with indignation yet determined, she said loudly:
"Do you really need to pick on someone smaller just to feel good about yourselves? Guess you can't find any other way to prove you're worth something!"
The bullies stopped in their tracks. They felt like they controlled the entire school this year. They didn't expect anyone could stand up to them, let alone throw such an overt challenge. For a second, Hermione thought it might all just stop there… But then, turning to Hermione, the bullies' faces twisted into mocking grins. The biggest of them, Jake, said with disdain in his voice:
"Oh, look, our little bookworm has crawled out of the hole to stand up for the scaredy-cat!"
His words made Hermione's heart race. Her lips trembled, but she mustered the strength to hide her growing insecurity. The others laughed gloatingly, eager for more teasing. Hermione's face flushed with shame and anger, yet she tried to stay composed. Jake, satisfied with the reaction of his friends, went on:
"Maybe you can tell us the story of what it's like to be an unbearable know-it-all nerd, Hermione?"
Right at that moment, as luck would have it, Hermione caught sight of Barbara. She had just arrived and was smirking maliciously at the unfolding scene. 'Just my luck,' Hermione thought, her heart sinking in dread. 'But at least I stood my ground,' she reassured herself. With everyone's eyes on Hermione, Tommy slipped away from the bullies and dashed into the school.
However, Hermione wasn't going to let their insults slide. Mustered up all the confidence she had left, Hermione said loudly:
"I'm afraid that listening and following stories might be too hard for you. Why not start with something more suited to your level, like a coloring book? I believe you'll manage that." Then she turned around and headed to the school.
Jake's face turned red and, frowning, he moved towards her, but Barbara held him back.
"Jake," Hermione caught her soft voice, "there are other ways to get even."
From the entrance, Hermione shot Barbara a glance. Barbara's gaze was full of menace, a clear sign of troubles to come. Then, with obvious intent, she began whispering to Jake. A smug, nasty grin quickly spread across his face…
After the morning incident at the entrance, Hermione's day was marked by a string of troubles. The usual taunts she was used to now became sharper and more aggressive. Incited by Barbara, Jake and his crew ramped up their daily teasing, pushing it to near unbearable level. But this time they didn't stop there.
It all predictably started from Barbara. She walked straight towards Hermione with a coffee cup in hand. Mrs. Ashworth, the math teacher, was nearby, so Hermione felt somewhat safe - Barbara always maintained impeccable behavior in front of teachers. But this time, Barbara 'accidentally' tripped, spilling coffee all over the unsuspecting Hermione from head to toe.
"Oops!" Barbara exclaimed instantly in her sweet tone. "Sorry, I'm so clumsy," her grin told a whole different story, but the teacher didn't see her pleased face…
"You… you did that on purpose!" Hermione blurted out, shocked, staring at Barbara as the coffee dripped down from her uniform. Barbara quickly acted as if she was deeply upset and insulted by the claim.
"How could you think that?" she retorted, turning to seek Mrs. Ashworth's support.
Hermione knew Barbara was her favorite, and the teacher proved it right away, saying:
"Hermione, I doubt Barbara did that deliberately. You saw, she just tripped."
"But…" Hermione attempted.
"There are no 'buts,'" Mrs. Ashworth cut her off, "Just admit your mistake and apologize."
A stunned Hermione felt outrage swell within her at such blatant unfairness. Barbara, standing with her back to the teacher, simply reveled in Hermione's dumbfounded expression.
"What are you saying, Mrs. Ashworth?" she cooed. "Apologies? I completely understand Hermione's feelings and I'm not offended at all by her."
With those words, she flashed a knowing and forgiving smile and walked away.
"Learn from this, Miss Granger," Mrs. Ashworth said edifyingly. "This is what true nobility means!"
The classmates who witnessed the scene barely contained their laughter and unleashed their taunts as soon as the math teacher disappeared around the corner. It turned out, this was just the morning coffee… The day saw several more 'coffee' incidents. Though the other kids, who doused her, didn't make as much of a spectacle as Barbara did, it didn't make the situation any less painful for Hermione. The climax was when Jake openly poured coffee on her head, reveling in her bewildered look as she watched him through the coffee drops dripping from her lashes.
That terrible day brought other troubles too. During lunch, sitting at the table in the cafeteria, Hermione felt something sticky on her chair - it turned out someone had stuck gum to it. Barbara and Jake, noticing her reaction, exchanged satisfied looks, barely hiding their smiles. In gym class, when the teams were already picked, Hermione was 'accidentally' knocked out of the game by a ball skillfully thrown by Jake. The teacher, busy with other students, didn't notice the incident, and she tried not to show how much it hurt.
Hermione noticed that Tommy was also getting picked on. It seemed their adversaries had joined forces, now targeting both of them. 'Did I do him a disservice?' Hermione wondered. 'Before, it was just Jake, who teased him, but now it seems everyone takes turns.' Tommy looked dejected and didn't respond to the taunts.
Before the last lesson, she stepped out of the classroom for a moment, and upon returning, found her bag with all her stuff was gone. The whole class eagerly awaited what would happen next. Just then, the bell rang, and the teacher entered. It was math class, taught by Mrs. Ashworth. She asked everyone to take their seats and get out their textbooks. Hermione was confused and didn't know what to do next. Then she heard the teacher's question:
"Hermione, did you fall asleep? Why aren't you getting out your textbooks?" Mrs. Ashworth walked closer and frowned, "What happened to you? You look… a mess."
Hermione hesitated, unsure where to begin her reply. Her relationship with Mrs. Ashworth was complicated. It all started last year when Hermione, having just received the math test, handed it back with answers in less than a minute. The teacher, not hiding her astonishment, suggested Hermione might have prepared the answers in advance, not ruling out the possibility of stealing the test from the staff room.
This led to numerous unpleasant meetings: first with teachers, then the principal, and finally, with her own parents. Trying to defend their daughter, they got dragged into the story, facing accusations, and trying to convince everyone of Hermione's innocence. Though once, at home, even they tried to get answers from Hermione about where the completed test came from. No one believed the truth - she hadn't stolen anything and had solved everything in class on her own. But to everyone, that sounded too unbelievable. Thus, that situation left a deep scar in Hermione's heart and an invisible wall of distrust between her and Mrs. Ashworth.
As Hermione pondered how to respond, taunts and insults towards her started again to sound in the classroom. Barely holding back tears, she tried not to look at her classmates. Her gaze stopped on a book in front of Barbara. Hermione felt the hurt and anger accumulated throughout the day begin to boil inside her… BOOM! The book she was looking at exploded, scattering pages all over the classroom. The teacher, shocked by what happened, stepped back, and the classroom went silent.
"She wanted to blow me up," Barbara shrieked suddenly, pointing at Hermione.
Her frightened face was smudged with soot, and the tips of her blonde hair were a bit singed. Mrs. Ashworth looked at Barbara skeptically, then turned her questioning gaze to Hermione.
"I didn't…" Hermione started, but then she burst into tears and dashed from the classroom, unable to stand the terrible day any longer.
The school was buzzing for days afterward, trying to figure out who could have blown up the book and how. The police even brought in experts to crack the mystery, and Hermione and Barbara were questioned. But no one could get to the bottom of it. Interestingly, after that incident, the bullies became wary of Hermione, not teasing her as freely as before. Deep down, she was somewhat relieved by this odd turn of events, as it turned out to be a sort of rescue for her.
***
That evening, after dinner, the Grangers made themselves comfortable in the living room – sitting around the coffee table with cups of fragrant tea in their hands. Hermione felt this was the perfect time to talk to her parents about her future.
"Mom, Dad," her parents turned to her, "I don't want to switch to Silverleaf next year. Can I go to Oakridge local school instead?"
John, surprised, spilled some tea on himself. Grumbling under his breath, he looked at her with astonishment:
"Do you want to attend school in Oakridge?" He couldn't believe his ears.
His dreams for Hermione's future were way bigger, including getting into a fancy college and then studying some dental specialty… Oakridge's middle school just didn't fit into that vision.
Hermione nodded in confirmation. Then her father, now sure he heard everything correctly, exclaimed:
"Hermione! It seems you don't fully grasp the importance of this decision. Silverleaf is the best school in our district. Its graduates are highly sought after by top colleges. And what can you expect from Oakridge school? Getting into a local college? And then what?" John laid out his arguments insistently. Up to now, his view on Hermione's future was never challenged by anyone. "Perhaps then you'd..."
"John," Emma gently interrupted him, "maybe we should listen to what our daughter wants?"
Hermione's father looked a bit stunned at her mother but still couldn't stop himself:
"Hmm… But, Emma, Silverleaf has all the top students. Even the mayor's daughter is planning to transfer there..."
"Exactly!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed. Her eyes drilled into her father, who was too caught up in his own plans.
"What do you mean?" John looked confused.
"I don't want to be in the same school as her," Hermione stated bluntly, frowning, and gripping her teacup a bit tighter.
"Hermione," John started again, "you can't sacrifice your future over some grudge. That's foolish."
John Granger was used to logical thinking. But Hermione did not want logical arguments, she looked for simple understanding. She fully realized that her father might be right, but Hermione couldn't bear the thought of having to share a school with Barbara for several more years. "I'd rather give up the dream of becoming a dentist. Actually, I never really wanted that," she thought to herself. She was drawn to the study of science and to various unexplored mysteries. After all, there aren't so many secrets in a patient's mouth…
"John," Emma gently interrupted again, "let's not jump to conclusions. Hermione's desires are just as important as her future education."
Emma approached her daughter, sat down close and hugged her.
"Thanks, Mom," Hermione whispered quietly, leaning her head on her mother's shoulder.
John opened his mouth to object, but then, as if changing his mind, slowly closed it and looked at his daughter with a concerned expression. Finally, his look changed from one of disappointment to genuine care for Hermione herself.