Disclaimer: The characters and world belong, as always, to the lovely Ms Rowling.

Chapter 1: We Meet

Hermione Granger's birthday is September the nineteenth. Professor McGonagall, in all her wisdom, always kept a close eye on the book of names, for students such as she.

Occasionally, the students who would be turning eleven very soon after the beginning of the school year, and that she deemed mature enough, were allowed to enter Hogwarts at the tender age of ten. Hermione Granger did not disappoint.

On September the first, she stood before the barrier, recalling the stern Scottish witch's words: 'Run. Don't worry, girl, you won't hit a brick wall. Watch another student do it first, if you must, but don't hesitate.'

A deep breath, and she passed through into the wizarding world, leaving her parents behind as she rushed to explore this new arena open to her. Diagon Alley had somewhat prepared her for this, but the crush of students; greeting old friends and saying good-bye to their families, combined with the noises of pets, the clash of luggage, and the huff of the train as it prepared to take its journey, was slightly overwhelming for a muggleborn girl from a quiet, well-ordered world.

Glad of the tiny wheels on the base of her trunk (and even more glad that she had convinced her parents to allow her the expense of a trunk, as everyone else had one), she made her way to the bright scarlet steam engine that would carry her to her new world.

The steps posed a problem.

Hermione was only ten years old, and her trunk was nearly as large as she, stuffed as it was with her clothes and many, many books. Blowing a stray curl out of her face, she began heaving the weight of her trunk into the train, using the edge of the step as a sort of inclined plane to ease the weight from her own small body.

A deep voice chuckled from the platform, and said, "You're a Gryffindor, for certain. Only we have that pigheaded stubbornness. Here, let me."

An older boy, not tall, but stocky, and with vibrant red hair shifted her smoothly out of the way and lifted her trunk into the train for her. Once the trunk, and the girl, were safely on the train, he turned to her, and offered his hand.

"My name is Charlie Weasley. You're a first year, right? I don't recognise you."

Hermione straightened her shoulders, and grasped his hand in her own, much smaller one and shook firmly. "I'm Hermione Granger. Yes, this is my first year."

He grinned at her, then announced suddenly, "I like you. You're determined, and you have a good, firm grip. Come on, I'll help you find a compartment."

Unsure how to accept this sudden confidence in her, and offer of help, Hermione smiled uncertainly at him.

He grasped the handle of her trunk, and began walking down the corridor, keeping up a stream of words as he went.

"I'll see if I can't find any of the older Griffindors for you to sit with: It'll be good for you to know someone, even if you don't end up there. I'm in Gryffindor myself, and so are four of my brothers, like my parents. I know...A-Ha! Here we are! You should do just fine in this compartment. Fred, George, meet..."

HGHGHGHGHGHGHG

Now, Charlie Weasley is not a stupid man by any means. Although some would turn up their noses at him for his love of the outdoors, and his rough and tumble nature, few cared to look beyond that and seen the keen intelligence that he boasted.

As the second oldest of seven children, Charlie was a very good judge of character, indeed, and he saw something in little Hermione Granger that caught his attention. Perhaps it was the way she had so obviously carefully pressed her uniform, desperate to make a good impression, and very indicative of her straight-laced personality, or the quietly determined way that she had gone about trying to solve her own problem at the train station, but something about her was definitely interesting enough for him to deliberately place her with his two mischievous twin brothers.

Years later, he would wonder at this stroke of unknown brilliance, but at the time, he had no idea what an effect this simple action would cause.

HGHGHGHGHGHG

AN: And there you go! My first chapter ever! Review and tell me what you think of it, please.