Numb.
That's all Alison felt. Actually wasn't even numb, because you can feel the numbness, but Alison couldn't feel anything.
She couldn't see anything, or hear anything. All she knew was that she was on some type of bed. But that was it. She couldn't tell if it was a hospital bed, or her bed, she couldn't tell anything.
Alison was like that for days... maybe weeks... or was it only a few hours? She couldn't tell.
But after a while she could finally move. Her arms fell to her sides, and she could feel the sheets under her, and the big clothes she was wearing, she could feel how her hair was somehow bigger than usual.
She could feel things again. And soon after that her eyes closed and she fell asleep.
When she woke up again she looked around to see some kind of Hospital room. It was strange. It was like one you'd see back in the 1800's or maybe earlier. And from seeing this Alison realised that for the first time ever, she had no idea what was going on.
Alison sat up as she looked around, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. When she moved her hands away from her face she soon realised that her hands were smaller than they were before. Catching a glimpse of her hair, she touched it and pulled some forward to look at it. Her silky, honey blond, loose but tight curls are gone. Now there's brown, bushy, frizzy, and tangled hair.
Looking down, her boobs were gone, her body was smaller, and as she licked her lips she noticed her teeth were bigger too! Her mind was going a mile a minute. Till she remembered all the details from her favourite book growing up and she didn't know if she wanted to be right or wrong in this moment.
"Miss Ganger? How are you feeling?" A voice asked and she turned to see an older woman in an old nurse outfit. Poppy. She guessed. And looking around slightly, she guessed that it was her that Poppy was talking to. Once again confirming what she thought.
"I'm doing fine. What happened?" She asked the woman.
"The school monster attacked you. You were petrified along with the others." Alison slowly nodded. "You should be able to go to the feast if you'd like." The woman told her and Alison nodded.
When Alison walked into the Great Hall everybody was in their pyjamas, and the celebration lasted all night. Her by far favourite parts of the night was when Hagrid turned up at half past three, cuffing Harry and Ron so hard on the shoulders that they were knocked into their plates of trifle, and Harry and Ron's four hundred points for Gryffindor securing the House Cup for the second year running, and most definitely was when Professor McGonagall stood up to tell them all that the exams had been cancelled as a school treat, and lastly Dumbledore announcing that, Professor Lockhart would be unable to return next year, owing to the fact that he needed to go away and get his memory back. Quite a few of the teachers joined in the cheering that greeted this news. The boys were shocked when Hermione started cheering that he was leaving. When dinner was over she went to her Dorm and packed, knowing that school was going to end soon.
When she was finished with that she went down the hall to Ginny's room.
"Shame," said Ron, helping himself to a jam doughnut. "He has started to grow on me."
When dinner was over she went to her Dorm and packed, knowing that school was going to end soon. When she was finished with that she went down the hall to Ginny's room.
She knocked on the door lightly. After a second it opened to show Ginny. It was clear the redhead had been crying, and felt bad with the way she wouldn't look at Hermione.
"I heard what happened. Are you alright Ginny?" She asked her, concerned.
"I'm so sorry." Ginny said, hugging the girl.
"It's alright, Ginny. I don't blame you."
That night the girls stayed up talking, and Alison went off on Ginny's dorm mates when they were giving her looks for the whole 'chamber thing'.
The rest of the final term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. Hogwarts was back to normal with only a few, small differences - Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were cancelled ("but we've had plenty of practice at that anyway," Ron told Hermione) and Lucius Malfoy had been sacked as a school governor. Draco was no longer strutting around the school as though he owned the place. On the contrary, he looked resentful and sulky. On the other hand, Ginny Weasley was perfectly happy again.
But I'm willing to bet that had a little bit to do with Hermione telling Ginny that she didn't blame her for anything.
Too soon, it was time for the journey home on the Hogwarts Express. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny got a compartment to themselves. They made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays. They played Exploding Snap, set off the very last of Fred and George's Filibuster fireworks, and practised disarming each other by magic. Harry was getting very good at it (Surprise, surprise). They were almost at King's Cross when Harry remembered something.
"Ginny - what did you see Percy doing, that he didn't want you to tell anyone?"
"Oh, that," said Ginny, giggling. "Well — Percy's got a girlfriend." Fred dropped a stack of books on George's head, causing Alison-Hermione to snicker.
"What?"
"It's that Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater," said Ginny.
"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.
"Yeah right." Alison mumbled to the twins who only grinned back at her, causing her to laugh slightly. The Hogwarts Express slowed and finally stopped.
Harry pulled out his quill and a bit of parchment and turned to Ron and Hermione.
"This is called a telephone number," he told Ron, scribbling it twice, tearing the parchment in two, and handing it to them. "I told your dad how to use a telephone last summer — he'll know. Call me at the Dursleys', okay? I can't stand another two months with only Dudley to talk to…"
"Oh, poor Harold." Alsion said with a few giggles, causing the boys to look at her weirdly, since (to them) her attitude did a total 180 since before the whole 'petrified thing'. "Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward the enchanted barrier. "When will they hear about what you did this year?"
"Proud?" said Harry. "Are you crazy? All those times I could've died, and I didn't manage it? They'll be furious..." Hermione let out another giggle. And together they walked back through the gateway to the Muggle world.
When they stepped through Hermione turned to the boys, "Well I've got to go find my parents. I'll see you in a few months." She said, waving goodbye to them.
She had no idea where she was going or what her new parents looked like, but she kept looking around till she heard her new name being called.
She turned around to see a woman with black hair and a man with dirty blond hair. "Hermione, honey. How was school?"
"It was brilliant!" She said and as her father grabbed her bags and they left, Alison talked their ears off, telling them anything and everything she could. Minus the 'school monster thing.
I'm Hermione now. There needs to be changes.
That night when they had gotten home, Alison took in every little detail. They were about an hour outside of London, more in the countryside. The cottage is two stories, and you can see where the attic is, and it's bigger than the average home.
The outside was white with grey roofing. The yard was pretty big, with some woods around it, and a garden in the front. There was an underground pool with a hot tub, and a small ways away there was a small shed, and a while away a barn that looked pretty much empty.
Walking into the house it was clean, but lived in at the same time. The furniture gave off a 'cozy, warm home' vibe that made the girl smile to herself.
In the living room the walls were a warm peach kind of orange, there was a stone fireplace and next to it was a black table with five drawers and a couple of photos on top along with a lamp. Next to it was a big pink pout.
Across that there was a bay window with a small built-in shelf filled with books. On the other side of the fireplace was a piano and up against it was a guitar. One couch was brown with a few pillows on it, and the other was blue with purple coloured pillows on it.
She sat her bags onto the ground next to the couch as she made her way through a different door to the kitchen. She looked in and it was roomy but not big. In the middle there was a wooden table with white chairs sitting around it. Two chairs on each side and one at each end. The walls were stone.
When making her way into the back room in the kitchen, it seemed to be her parents office. Not wanting to get into trouble or mess something up, she walked out.
She made her way up the stairs that were carpeted, after grabbing her bags. Walking into the upper hallway, she noticed that it was a pale peach wall colour , and the same tan carpet from the stairs.
Looking around there were six doors. She sat her bags down and started looking through them. She found her parents room, the guest room, the upper bathroom, an empty room, another guest room, and the last door was her 'room'. I only say it like that because there were so many books everywhere it looked more like a mini library and a very messy one at that. She could barely get to the bed to put her stuff down without tripping over things. When looking around she was clearly annoyed and disgusted with her room. So she did the only thing that made sense, she went down to talk with her parents about it.
"Mum, dad. I was wondering something." She said, walking into the living room, causing them to look up at her. "This summer I want to stay busey. So would it be alright if I used the spare room upstairs to move my books there. And then redo my room? And then when that's over start working on the barn?"
"What would you do in the barn?"
"I'm not sure yet. Maybe when I'm done I'll put my books in there instead. And we can do something else with the spare room. I don't know. But can I?" She asked them, and by looking at the hopeful look in her eyes they couldn't say 'no'. Even more so because they hadn't seen her this excited about something like this As in something that had nothing to do with books) in a while.
So they did, they said yes. And that was all Alison- Hermione did that summer.
FIrst she put all the books into boxes and moved them into the spare room. And believe me when I say it took days. That girl had a shit ton of fucking books.
And then she put everything in the bedroom she was keeping other boxes and put them in the spare room too. And then did a yard sale with everything else. Which her parents helped with, and there some of their things in too.
At the end of it they had made 300,000 dollars. They sold some very good things, including a pair of golf clubs for 200 bucks. And a motorcycle that no one used, for 25,000. And an old painting for 1000 and so on.
Then she started on her room by throwing a tarp on her bed and then she started painting her walls from the dull ugly grey it was to a peach pink with purple and pink flowers on the walls. She redid the room to match Hanna Marin's from Pretty Little Liars.
And then she started in the closet. She had the whole thing removed and then she rebuilt it to match the one from Hannah Montanna from when she was little.
She was actually really proud of being able to recreate that closet without any magic. The nabors helped with a lot of it, and she loved that they were so happy to help because you can't find that anywhere anymore.
And then when her room was complete she turned the empty room next door into a small Library.
When she was finally finished with that, she started on the barn. She built five walls to section it off with. In one section she turned it into an art studio, then a dance studio, third was a music room, a room to make clothes to sell and jewellery and the last one was a red lighting room for her photography. And she used some money she found in Hermione's room to fill each of the sections with things she needed.
When her four summer projects were finished she had one of the three summer months left. And all the while doing this she talked to Harry on the phone every now and then, and sent him stuff for his birthday (Like cake and food).
So she and her parents went to France. While there Alison got her hair done. It was no longer that frizzy lion's mane you call hair. Now it was in soft silky curls that you could actually do shit with.
And let me tell you, when she spoke perfect French (Which she learned in her last life, along with many other languages) to the waiters, she thought that her parents would lose their eyes from how much they were bulging from their head. It was a sight and of course she laughed.
And while being there of course she went shopping, and took MANY photos. SHe took so many photos her parents were starting to think their faces were going to get stuck from all their smiling.
She also got everyone gifts while away. She got Harry s few pieces of clothes that should fit him so he's not wearing Dudley's clothes. She got Ron some Muggle sweets. Ginny some jewellery and clothes and shoes.
She got Hagrid a couple snow globes of France, and Fang some dog treats. She got Mr Weasely a few books on muggle things, like cars, planes, things like that. She got Mrs Weasely a couple of muggle cookbooks and- like Ginny- some jewellery. She got everyone something on the vacation.
When they came back home, she developed the photos and got more film. She had a week till she went back to Hogwarts and the day before going back she was going to Diagon Alley to stay for the rest of the time with the Weasley's. And she packed up all her Hogwarts things and much of her muggle shit (Already having had one of the older kids last year do an extension and featherlight charm on her trunk).
When she was done throwing in most of her things, she spent the rest of the days with her parents, the nights she was in her room going over and making sure she didn't forget anything. Which she didn't, but still.
She made sure that her Hogsmeade papers were signed, and when she saw the whole thing about Sirius Black being at large on the news, she only rolled her eyes and ignored it.
That summer Alison changed everything. It was the right thing to do. I mean, new Hermione, new shit... right? That's what she thought.
When time came for her to go the Granger couple gave Hermione the leftover garage sale, and Hermione took some of the money she had found in her room, and added it together which was now $2000.
Now all she was in her bedroom, about to fall asleep, knowing that for her tomorrow was the start of her new life. These past few months only led up to now. Tomorrow was when it began.
And with that in mind, Hermione fell asleep where she dreamed that a talking raccoon was trying to kill her and become the new her …. Don't ask.