A/N: Yeah I had this on my desk top for a while, and forgot it was finished. I tell you now to forgive that I have no idea how the English grade school system works so this takes place in Sixth grade for Hermione, she's 11.

Disclaimer: That word says it all- not mine.

Summary: Just a story that should explain why Hermione has no problem being a know it all. Why she hates people like Pansy and Draco. And what could be the only reason she likes Ron. Pre Hogwarts of course.

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Science lessons for making my life better. Deal!

I am just a simple person. A simple person of human substance and magical content. No, let's make that magical ability. Content means: material or ideas that are considered to be interesting, challenging, or worthwhile.

I know Content also means: amount of something contained in something else, but the first thing I think about is the first one. Yes, Content is not what I would use to describe my life.

"Hey Geek"

"What, you deaf or something?"

"No, she just can't hear underneath all that bushy hair"

"HA, HA, HA"

It is at times like these that I beg your understanding in what I said about not wanting to feel content. Yes the word geek among children usually means the child spoken of is quite smart, but she- I mean the child; is probably what the dictionary says: awkward person.

"You really ought to think about doing something with your hair, you know?"

"She won't do that, it's the only noticeable thing on her"

"Oi, is that why you're such a bookworm? Afraid if something happened to your hair, you'd just be nothing?"

"HA, HA, HA"

"Why don't you just shut up?" I scream stopping to turn around and face them.

Mother always says, "don't be ashamed of who you are", but she never had to go to school with an ability she had to control, did she?

"Ooohh, what you gonna do if we don't? Bite us with those beaver teeth?"

"Yeah, aren't your parent's dentists? Can't they do something about them? Or have they given up hope on your hair and your teeth?"

"HA, HA, HA"

Don't let them get to you Hermione; they're just trying to get you mad. Just turn back around and keep walking. You don't need them. You don't need anybody. One day they'll be nothing and you'll be a-

"Freak, come on freak, you can do better than that can't you?"

"Look she's going off by herself again, what it must feel like to have no friends."

"Simple Stranger Hermione Granger, Simple Stranger Hermione Granger"

That stupid idiotic chant. I hate that chant and I hate them. I wish they would just blow away-

"Look she's crying, aw is Stranger Granger crying?"

Shit, I am crying, aren't I? I keep telling myself not to cry, but I can't help it. It's either I cry or-

"You know one day she's going to defend herself, and you girls are going to be sorry"

A voice, but whose is it? It sounded like- but it couldn't be, could it? It is.

"Hey Nathan"

"Hi Nathan"

"Join us Nathan"

It's Nathan Brooks. Smart, cute and every girl in my classes crush. Yeah, even mine. He has messy red hair, blue eye's with specks of grey, freckles on top of freckles, and a smile that would make my parents proud (they're dentists, remember?).

"Join you? You mean in desperately trying to embarrass her? To make her cry? No you did that all by yourself. You don't need me to join you for that."

Oh my gosh, is Nathan standing up for me? He couldn't be? He laughs just like everybody else does usually. Gym, Lunch, Recess. Even earlier in science, when we had just given in our lab project for the day, these same girls had tripped me on the way back from the front. I fell in front of the whole class. Everyone laughed until our teacher made them stop.

"Aw come on Nathan, it's just Stranger Granger. Simple Stranger, Hermione Granger"

They started laughing again. He didn't though. They stopped.

"Yeah I know who it is. Doesn't mean you have to act like this though, does it?" Nathan stated.

"Come on-"

"No 'come on.' I believe in second grade you (pointing to Mary) were Scary Mary. And in third you (pointing to Joy) were Joy the Boy." He recalled.

I smiled. They didn't. It felt good.

"Not so talkative now are you?" Nathan asked.

"Well you weren't always so big were you Nathan. We used to call you Weiner"

They laughed. I thought Nathan would be mad, but he just smiled in there faces.

"Yeah, I remember. And that's why I'm standing here now, wondering how I forgot. I guess when you find someone else to pick on, you're just so happy that you forget how you felt. But I remember now, and I think you should stop before she gets mad." Nathan said seriously.

How can an 11 year old boy be so smart and good looking? And why was this kid standing up for me?

"We were just playing"

"Yeah, why you like her or something? I bet that's it."

"Yeah Nathan likes Granger. Nathan likes Granger"

They started again in that same sing song voice. He was beginning to look like he regretted saying anything now. I can't blame him, when you're 11, rumors about liking someone like me can hurt your reputation well into high school.

"I didn't say that. I just said you should shut it, and stop being jerks." He screamed at them and then started to walk away.

They stopped their song. I turned to continue my walk. But I could hear footsteps coming behind me. And before I can turn all the way around I feel a hand on my shoulder spinning me around.

"Hey where do you think you're going?"

"Trying to make us look bad in front of Nathan, weren't you"

"What No" I scream.

The books I had in my hand fell to the ground. Don't panic. Don't get scared. And definitely don't get mad.

"Yeah too bad, because it happened."

"Yeah what do you say we find out about the hair?"

"Yeah let's see how she acts when she doesn't have it anymore"

"No. Leave me alone just leave me alone" I scream.

But I know no one else walks this way except me, these two ruffians attempting to do me bodily harm and Nathan, and he's already left.

"Get my scissors from out my book bag"

"Yeah I'm getting them"

"Leave me alone. Go away. Don't" I continue to scream and struggle.

I can feel myself trying to stay calm, but I can't let them do this for the sake of, not being thought more of a freak, can I? Why can't they just blow away like the leaves do?

"I got them. I got them"

"Go ahead I got her. Cut some."

"No, please don't. Why can't you just leave me alone? WHY CAN'T YOU JUST BLOW AWAY?"

I screamed the last part. And with that scream went my anger. I had given one last push to get them off of me, and they did exactly what I said. They blew away. They flew off me by about twenty feet. And landed face first on the ground.

I am still on the ground myself. With one hand supporting my upper body and the other hand extended out, breathing hard, and heart pumping faster than I ever though it could.

I see their faces. They looked scared, and confused. I know I'm going to be in trouble, but I can't help the smile forming on my face. I've never felt this good in my life. I start to stand up as do they.

They stat to come towards me again. My momentary happiness disappears so fast I wonder if I really had it. That little moment may have been fun, but what if I can't do it again. Or what if I do and it's ten times worse? I could've seriously hurt them that first time. And as happy as it made me… or at least I think it made me, I still don't know if the happiness was real; I can't let it happen again.

But they stop at least five feet from me. They seem to be looking past me. I turn around and see Nathan walking up.

"I told you two to watch out for her in case she got mad, didn't I?" Nathan said.

"Stay out of this Nathan; this doesn't have anything to do with you. Now it's personal."

"And what was it before, business? Well now it's my business, and I personally know if you try and bother her again while I'm standing here I'll tell everyone what happened." Nathan states.

Oh no. He can't. I'll be in tons of trouble, and then they'll have proof I'm a freak.

"No one'll believe it."

"Yeah she's just Stranger Granger. No one will take her word over ours."

"Yeah but they'll take mine. Nobody makes fun of me anymore, but people still call you Scary, and Joy you're no better looking now then in fourth grade. Plus, she'll back me up, won't you?" Nathan responds looking at me.

Is he looking at me? Did he just ask me a question? Say something:

"Erm… yeah"

I sound so-

"Excellent. You see, if someone as smart as her backs it up, you think anyone else isn't going to believe it? She's the smartest girl in our year." Nathan stated.

"Whatever Nathan"

"Yeah you lucked out Granger. We'll get you when you're boyfriend isn't around to save you"

"Simple Stranger, Hermione Granger"

They started chanting as they walked away. I breathed a sigh of relief. We- that is Nathan and I, just sort of stood there watching them for a bit as they walked away. I looked at him. He looked at me. I can't take that type of eye contact, it makes me nervous. More than that, it makes me think that maybe he likes me. But he couldn't could he?

So I bend down and start picking up my books. He joins me.

"That'sokyoureallydon'thaveto" I say quickly in one nig breath.

"I want to. I shouldn't have left you like that earlier anyways." He replies.

Was he apologizing to me? Nathan Brooks could not be apologizing.

"Are you apologizing?"

Did I just say that?

"Yeah I guess I am. Way to be straight forward." He said.

He smiled. I know I must be turning red at a rate un-thought of by man.

"Sorry, I just… I mean you're… I'm so embarrassed"

"You were just being honest. And yes I'm Nathan Brooks, and I know you're embarrassed- you're turning really, really red."

He said all this as we finally got all my books in my bag.

"Thanks." I said not stumbling.

I think I'll stick to one word phrases.

"So, that was amazing, what happened?"

I almost forgot.

"You can't say anything. Please. I'd get in so much trouble. Plus… everyone would really think I'm a freak for real." I pleaded.

"You're not a freak. Maybe freakishly smart, but not a freak. And what you just did to those two was sort of freaky, but that doesn't make you a freak. It just means you can do freaky things… wait" He said confused.

We both laughed. I was laughing with Nathan Brooks.

"Well I promise I won't tell. But you shouldn't be ashamed." He said.

"You sound like my mother."

"Sorry, my mom used to say that to me about being short. And I used to think she was full of it too. But when I hit my growth spurt, and nobody was calling me Weiner anymore, I realized she was right." He explained.

"Well you were always bound to grow, weren't you?" I asked.

"Maybe, well my dad is pretty tall… well what if you didn't do whatever that was?" He asked.

"I know I did."

I said it quietly. My parents and I had long since discussed how to handle this matter: secrecy.

"Hmm? Have you known for a while?" He asked.

"You could say that"

"Then why worry. I was short, and I had to deal with it. You can throw people twenty feet away, so deal with it." He stated simply.

"It's not that simple. I could've hurt them."

"Is that why you never say anything? Because you're afraid of what might happen?" He quizzed.

"You could say that"

"Hmm? Well from now on I'll help you" He stated.

"You don't have to do that… really"

"I won't if you will"

"What?"

"If you defend yourself and stand up for yourself, and never be ashamed of whom you are, I wouldn't have to." He reasoned.

"Easier said than done"

"Well looking at you're recent actions I'd say it easier done than said." He replied.

I did say he was smart when I described him, didn't I? I just didn't know how much.

"Fine I'll try and speak up, but I doubt it will help. They'll still call me Simple Stranger, Hermione Granger"

"Maybe. But what matters is if you call yourself that" He reminded me.

"You sound so much like my mother it isn't funny."

"Mother's are smart people, most of the time." He said.

"I guess they are."

We stood silent after that.

"So I'm gonna get going. I've got soccer practice." He said.

"Yeah, I should go too. My parents aren't going to be to happy when I tell them what happened."

"Wish I could help. Look at it this way, one day all this will make perfect sense." He remarked.

"Really? You think it'll make sense that when I get mad I can possibly hurt people without touching them?"

"That's one way to look at it. Or one day you'll know why you can save your own life without a gun or knife. And you'll know that you weren't crazy, or that God doesn't hate you, or that… you're not a freak." He explained.

"God doesn't hate you?" I quoted.

"Well when I was short, I swore he must hate me. But right now, I officially know why he let me be short for a while."

"Why now?" I asked curiously.

"Because, if I hadn't been short, I wouldn't have had any reason to try and stop them from talking about you earlier. And if I hadn't done that, I wouldn't have seen you do what you did. And then I wouldn't have been able to have this conversation with you, thus making your life so much better that you'll probably owe me for the rest of your life"

He said all this with a smile. I smiled too.

"The rest of my life?"

"Well, at least until finals are done, I need help in science. After that we can call it even." He said smirking.

"Alright, science lessons for making my life better. It's a deal."

"You know I'm beginning to think you got the better end of the deal." He smirked.

We started walking. I asked him what he didn't understand about science. He told me. I explained it. We did that for the next two weeks until the end of the school year. He got the highest grade on the science final… well he tied with me at least.

Those girls still tried to make fun of me, and at first I still didn't want to answer them back. And Nathan would say something to them making everyone else laugh, and then they would quit. But people would bother Nathan about sticking up for me. He said he didn't mind- that if he let people dictate who he should be, he wouldn't be anyone special.

Eventually I did start standing up for myself. At first it just made them laugh. But eventually, I found things to get them about. On the last day of school, in the schoolyard, they cornered me. The whole class was watching. But since I had started standing up for myself, not all of them were rooting for my downfall anymore.

They chanted, and made jokes about the way I act in class, but I didn't care anymore. They didn't really say anything I should be embarrassed about. But it all ended after I said Mary's so dull she could make a light go dim. And Joy thinks farm is spelled E-I-E-I-O. A round of laughter followed that beat many of my worthy humiliations.

They were embarrassed. And I realized that even though they deserved this, I didn't really want them to feel as I had felt, I looked at Nathan and he too wasn't smiling either. I told them to wait. I told them, let's call it a truce. Right here in front of everybody. But they just ignored me and left.

"Forget them, at least you tried." Nathan said to me on the walk home

"Yeah, you're right" I replied.

I know you all probably want to read that Nathan and I got together over the summer. I wish I could write that too. Maybe we could have. Maybe one day we could have lived happily ever after. But he went away to soccer camp that summer. And I got my Hogwarts letter, telling me exactly what he said would happen- that I wasn't crazy, god didn't hate me, and I'm not a freak.

And I told him so in a letter. I didn't have his address at camp, but I gave it to his parents to give to him. I also thanked him for his advice and his help. Told him I wouldn't be going to school with him, because I needed to make sure that the best way to try out my new found confidence was with other kids like me. And that he was right, I got the better end of the deal.

My first time on the Hogwarts express, I walked into a car. There were two kids in there- the first was Harry Potter who is quite famous in the magical world. The other was a kid I thought was Nathan. Tall, red-haired, freckled and sort of cute- he had a spot of dirt on his nose. But he's no Nathan. No where as smart, or as nice. We got off to a rough start and he's made me cry a few times, and he's always making fun of me. But even with all that, I don't think I'm crazy, I don't think God hates me, and I don't think I'm a freak for liking him. Yes Ron Weasley (that's his name by the way) is the one for me.

I am just a simple person. A simple person of human substance and magical ability. No, magical content. Content means: material or ideas that are considered to be interesting, challenging, or worthwhile. Yes that's me.

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Hope you enjoyed. Even if you didn't, do you think you could tell me about it? Not a lengthy review, just one to say you cared. Thanx in Advance:)