Back to Reality

Chapter 1

15-year-old Hermione Granger was extremely excited when she woke up. She glanced at the clock on the table beside her bed. It was only 6:00. She got out of her bed and tiptoed across the hall. She took a quick shower and got dressed. Then she decided to eat a light breakfast before waking Ginny.

Ginny Weasley was a 14-year-old red-haired girl. They both attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hermione was starting her sixth year, Ginny, her fifth.

Hermione walked down the hall. She entered the kitchen and found Ginny sitting at the table.

"Morning!" Ginny said brightly.

"Hey, I didn't think you'd be up," Hermione replied.

"Well, I was too excited about the party to sleep."

Hermione's best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, Ron's older twin brothers, Fred and George, and another friend, Neville Longbottom, were arriving later that day. Hermione had planned a huge party for Harry's 16^th birthday, and they were going to do lots of Muggle stuff, including renting movies and using a microwave to mane popcorn. They would also be staying the rest of the summer.

Hermione and Ginny ate breakfast quickly. Then Ginny got dressed, and they took Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, for a walk around the forest that bordered Hermione's house.

When they got back to Hermione's house, Hermione and Ginny saw that Harry and Neville had arrived. Hermione ran to Harry and threw her arms around him.

"Hermione, you're choking me," Harry gasped. Hermione let him go, and they all laughed.

Harry turned to Ginny. "Hi, Ginny," he said. She blushed and suddenly became very interested in the floor.

"When are Ron, Fred, and George coming?" Hermione asked.

"After lunch," Harry replied.

"Well, why don't I give you the Grand Tour?" Hermione said, beaming, and the four of them walked down the hall.

* * *

Draco Malfoy stood by the front door of Malfoy Manor. He was about to go inside, but thought better of it. He knew that he would be severely punished as soon as his father saw him. Before he could decide what to do, he heard a cold voice behind him.

"You were very foolish to come home, Draco."

Draco turned around. He habitually stuck his hand inside his robes and pulled out his wand.

"What are you going to do with that, Draco?" Lucius Malfoy asked coolly, pulling out his own wand.

Draco froze, terrified. Lucius Malfoy was a very powerful Dark wizard, and Draco knew that he wouldn't hesitate to use some of that power on his own son. He slowly lowered his wand.

"Smart move, Draco," Lucius hissed, "unfortunately, you still got in the way, and you must pay for your crime."

Lucius raised his wand. "Cruci-"

Before he could perform the Cruciatus Curse, Draco acted. "Stupefy!" he yelled, and Lucius fell to the ground. Draco ran into the woods bordering his house without a backward glance at his father.

* * *

"Hermione, hurry up!" Ron Weasley yelled, "I want to go to the vidoe store.

"That's video store, Ron," Hermione said as she emerged from her room. "And hold your horses. The store doesn't close until midnight."

Hermione's parents emerged from the living room, cutting their conversation short. "Are you kids ready?" Mr. Granger asked.

"Yeah," they all answered, and the nine of them piled into Mr. Granger's van.

It was a short ride to the video store. Once inside, Ron and Neville were practically bursting with excitement. They walked around, gaping at the hundreds of movies. Just as Ron was reading the back of The New Guy, Harry called across the store.

"Fred, Ron, Hermione, come over here quick!"

Ron went over to where Harry was standing. He had a horrified look on his face.

"What is it, Harry?" George Weasley whispered.

"It's...me," he whispered back, unable to take his eyes off of the box in his hand. Everyone else looked down at it, too.

On the box were three people, two boys and a girl. They looked a lot like Harry, Ron, and Hermione. What was creepier was that the movie was titled Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

"It's a movie about us," Ron said excitedly, "let's get it!"

"Yeah," the others agreed, and Hermione walked over to her parents.

"We found the movie we want," she told them.

They got in line to pay for the movie. When they handed the video to the man behind the counter, he said, "I hear some strange things happened to the last person who watched this movie."

"Yeah, whatever," Mr. Granger replied impatiently. He quickly paid for the movie and they left.

They arrived back at Hermione's house, eager to watch the movie. Hermione got out of the van and started to run toward her front door, but stopped dead in her tracks. She thought she saw a shadow near her bedroom window. She looked over and gasped.

Draco Malfoy was standing outside her window.