Accident

Over the next couple of months Hermione felt herself withdrawing more and more, as it became apparent that magical school was just like normal school. Except the bullies didn't have to get close to you in order to hurt you. Just like in normal school, the only people she really got on with were adults, well in Harry's case almost an adult. She was sure that Neville would be friendly, but he had his own problems as it became increasingly clear that he struggled with even the most basic spells. She'd already cried out an afternoon or two in the girls bathroom on the second floor.

She also knew that there was something odd with that white hemisphere that he brought out in every class, it was some sort of recording device at a minimum. She remembers Charms when 5 minutes into the class.

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Professor Flitwick hops down from his book podium and walks over to Harry, "Mr Potter. Are you having trouble?"

Harry shakes his head and points to the Hemisphere, "No, this hear now. I hear later when can take time."

"I see, such an ingenious device. Let me know if you don't understand something I said."

"I will."

"Ok everyone, take out your wands and hold them up in front of your face... Now say Lumos, that Lu-mos."

One by one wands lit up with a variety of colours, eventually even Neville got a faint glow.

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He even managed to become renowned in the lower years because he did something obvious.

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Snape swishes to his desk, "Well it's apparent that being a celebrity isn't everything. Instructions are on the board."

Hermione busily starts copying down the instructions so that she has them ready to use later while the other children all rush for the ingredients cupboard. Suddenly Professor Snapes voice rings out, "Yes Mr Potter."

"What chop?"

A couple of the Slytherins snigger, "What do you mean Mr Potter?"

"What see when chop."

"Ah, good question. Come up here."

Harry goes up to the front and Hermione cranes her head to look, Professor Snape promptly pulls out some herbs and vegetables and demonstrates how to chop, and what rough, unspecified, and fine look like. By the time he's finished almost the entire class is watching. Then Harry looks at the board again and asks, "What grind look like?"

She's willing to swear that the professor mutters, "At least one of you isn't a dunderhead."

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Then the whispers and taunts begin.

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Parvati sighs, "I don't know how Harry stands it. She's such a bossy know it all. Always talking about getting our homework out the way, reading this and reading that."

Lavender nods, "I know, she's also sucking up to the teachers. Showing that she's already read the work and is trying to prove she's better than us. As if, it's not like she grew up with magic."

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Draco spits at her feet, "Well mudblood, how does it feel knowing that you need to do twice the work just to be half as good as the rest of us? That even with all your studying you'll never understand magic as well as we do, and you'll never amount to anything."

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Ron knocks her book off the table, "You're such a bookworm, and you keep trying to steal Harry from me. Getting him to study all the time, when does he have time to play?"

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"Such a scaredy cat, look at her shivering beside her broom. I bet she falls off in five minutes."

"Na, she won't even get off the ground."

"At least there's something she's bad at."

"At least Neville got off the ground, she's not even taken off yet."

"Hey, what's Malfoy doing?"

"This will be good."

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Hermione's walking from the Library to dinner when something pinches her bum hard. Spinning around she eyes the corridor carefully and then jumps as it happens again. Not wanting to play this game again she starts to run to the great hall, only for her legs to turn to jelly. Taking her wand from her book bag she whispers the general counter that she learnt after last time and scrambles away before they get the courage to face her openly.

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"Look Ron, you need to be better with your pronunciation, it's Wing-gar-diam Le-v-oh-sa."

"Well if you're so sure, why don't you do it?"

"Wingardium Levosa."

...

"She's a right nightmare she is. No wonder she doesn't have any friends."

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That's when it all came to a head, and she almost died.

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Hermione screams as the Troll knocks the door to the bathrooms off its hinges. The fetid smell, it's roars, and the massive club all come together leaving her paralysed with fear. A massive, lumbering step forward and a swing of the tree trunk it's using as a club destroys most of the cubical walls that are between her and the Troll. Suddenly there's a loud buzzing sound that makes the troll turn it's head before it starts to scream as butterflies attack it. Following after them is a fairy with a machinegun, as evidenced by the loud retort that causes the trolls body to jump. Hermione screams again as the troll falls to the floor riddled in bites and bullet holes. After making sure the Troll is dead, the butterflies return to the fairy as it grows into a 7 foot tall monstrosity and crouches down in front of her it's hand outstretched.

Slowly she comes out of her shock and reaches out to hold her hand. The fairy pulls her to her feet before lifting her into her arms and walking out of the bathroom. Professor McGonagall comes round the corner with the Headmaster and Professor Snape, and the Fairy and McGonagall talk in the same language that Harry speaks before she's carried to the hospital wing.

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Hermione sits in the shadows beside the fireplace watching as the common room empties. First year curfew was a couple of hours ago, but she found out that people can't see into this corner at night accidently a few weeks ago while she was reading a book. Since then she's been staying up until she's sure the girls in her dorm have gone to sleep, that way she doesn't have to listen to them bitching about her as if she's not there. She sat there later and later, putting off the nightmares. Until last week that is, that's when she saw Harry come downstairs and leave the tower. She's watched him leave every day since then, and tonight she's waiting to see if he does it again.

She's just made her first yawn when Harry comes down the stairs and leaves the common room. Suddenly alert, Hermione looks around and realises that the common room is completely empty for once. Screwing up her courage she leaves her corner and heads out after him. Crouching under the odd portrait that she passes she's glad that he seems to be more interested in his hemisphere than he is his surroundings as she was sure he'd have seen her multiple times. Her heartbeat sounding loud in her ears. She almost loses him on the Grand staircase as the stairs that she's on decide to move just before she reaches the landing. However, it's close enough that she jumps for it, and follows Harry along the first floor. From there he takes a set of stairs to the ground floor by the door by the greenhouses. She idly notes that she'll need to remember this route as it's quicker than going around the outside. She hesitates at the door as the grass outside is illuminated by the slivery grey light of a full moon. As a cloud passes across the moon, she gathers her resolve and steps over the threshold.

For the next couple of minutes Hermione's heart is in her mouth as she follows him to the edge of the forest. Especially when he stops and fiddles with the bracer he's always wearing on his right arm. She creeps closer hoping that he doesn't turn around and catch her. She has a vague hope that if she can find out where he sleeps, she'll be allowed to sleep there too and get out of the dorm. Picking her way through the forest is hard enough when the moon is out, when it hides behind the clouds it becomes down right treacherous. It's during one of those moments when a cloud passes to reveal a clearing with a giant figure in it. Flashing back to the Troll she screams, "Harry!"

At the sound of her voice he spins round with his palm outstretched and then there's a flash of light and her side feels cold.

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Harry spins round at the sound of a voice behind him where there shouldn't be a voice. Instincts ingrained over decades of warfare and honed over centuries has him pulling the trigger before he's even processed what he heard. A flash of light illuminates a child with bushy brown hair. As she starts to collapse as he finally processes that he heard his name. Void jumping over to her side he materialises a large health pack and activates it. The ruby pulse of light showing it's area of effect. However nothing happens, despite the fact he can feel it working. He curses as he realises that she doesn't have any nanites for the pack to influence. Calling his Oberon to him with a flex of will, he scoops her up into his arms and is running to the lander.

"Cy, I need you to plan an emergency evac. I have an injured civilian and she doesn't have any nanites."

"Yes Captain, preparing route and spooling up void jump drive. May I suggest you place her in your pod, as it will keep her alive."

"Thank you Cy, I'm in the lander so ready when you are."

It's a tense 15 minutes back to the Railjack as his sensors are watching the void energy seeping through her body, and causing it to start breaking down. Her fluttering heartbeat is the only thing keeping him aware of the fact she's still alive. He knows that it's unlikely that there's anything they could do to save her at the school, no matter how good their spells. As the void is too different. Maybe if they had a few days to research the energy they could draw it out safely. But, Hermione doesn't have time to trust to a hope when he knows his pod will keep her alive. As soon as the lander has docked, he's out and sprinting down to his bedroom where he transfers out of the Oberon and opens his transference pod. Carefully taking her from the Oberon's arms, he places her into the pod and closes the lid. As soon as it activates and shows her life signs he breathes a sign of relief and relaxes.

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Minerva wakes up groggily just after she'd gone to bed. Something in her living room is making an awful racket. Stumbling out she can see that her Orokin device is flashing red. Touching the display Harry's face appears floating over the device.

"Minerva, sorry to wake you but there's been an accident."

Suddenly alert she looks at him, "What happened?"

"Hermione followed me out to my lander and called my name, I reacted instinctively and shot her. If it had been my warframe I'd have brought her to the hospital wing, but I shot her with my void abilities. She's stable, and we're about to leave for Lua. I think someone should let her parents know, as I don't know how long she'll need to be there."

Minerva's heart comes down from her throat as the fact her lion is safe registers, taking a couple of deep breaths she nods, "I'll get on it. Though as she's stable I'll visit them first thing in the morning. Send me an owl if there are any complications."

"Will do."