AN: There are several errors and mistakes in some of the earlier chapters that I haven't gotten around to fixing yet, both minor and a bit more major. I intend to go back through later to put more edited versions up, but should note that this fic is also up, under the same name, on Ao3, and the ease of modifying chapters there means that there are fewer errors. Just a heads up.

Harry Potter and its characters, story, and everything else is © J. K. Rowling.

Brilliant but Scary

▼ Chapter One ▼

Hermione Granger was very excited to be on the train. She'd woken up early, had a light breakfast with mummy and daddy, brushed her teeth, went over her books a few more times, and already donned her robes in preparation for her trip. She had known she was special, really, so when the letter had arrived it seemed only fitting, and she had questioned it not one bit. Of course she was a witch, that's why the other kids at school didn't like her, they could just tell she was special. They had given her trouble when she was younger but she had found ways of making them leave her alone.

None of them understood her, and honestly she didn't much understand them either, so instilling a bit of fear had been a useful tactic for getting them to leave her and her books alone. Eventually folks realized that bothering 'that strange Granger girl' was a good way to get your shoelaces suddenly tied together, or a snake to slither up your leg, or for objects to seem to fall on you from nowhere. She was disappointed when she could find no one else that was as smart as her, or even who seemed to have the same talents as she did.

But that was all about to change! Hopefully, though, now she would be in proper company of special people like her. And so, she had gone to the train station giddy with excitement, bid her parents farwell, and passed into Platform Nine and Three-Quarters with her trunk. The train had been wonderful, and she boarded full of giddy excitement.

She was immediately disappointed by the quality of special people on the train.

They were kids, which she had expected. Some of them were older than her, and she understood them as the students of higher years, yet even they seemed so… normal. She wasn't sure truly what she'd expected, but many of the kids acted very much like the all the same. Several red-heads that appeared to be brothers yet seemed a diverse bunch, the eldest looking sitting stoically as two twins jabbered on. Many of the students weren't in robes, but in eclectic mixes of basic clothing. There was a blond-haired girl about her age that seemed at least to have manners, and two other girls that looked to be of Indian descent, and a collection of others that seemed…

Plain.

She frowned, fingers tightening around the wand that was tucked into the pocket. She had been so very excited when she got it, because that strange old man Ollivander had taken one look at her and seemed to just recognize how special she was, and had fetched one wand immediately to hand to her. It was lovely, made from Persian walnut, with the core of a phoenix feather from a bird that was said to have only given two others at all, and with an elegant curve that made its length deceptive; had the wood been all straight it'd have been a proper thirteen and one-half inches, but with the curve and the decorative lines that wove around it measured just twelve and three-fourths.

She had gripped that wand and instantly known it was hers. And so had Ollivander, though he seemed taken aback by this. Hermione had noticed, and never one to turn down a curiosity had asked why. He'd given her the most queer of smiles and said that he'd honestly never expected that wand to find its master is all. Hermione had beamed at this, though, and gleefully paid the man before rushing out of the store. It had been so nice then…

Hermione moved through the cabin, towards the rear cars and rooms. A somewhat pudgy boy with a round face and a moderate malocclusion of his upper front teeth was looking somewhat frantic as he searched for a toad that apparently was named Trevor. Hermione whipped her wand up and cast a simple Accio spell, the frog flying into her free hand. Several students gaped, and she reveled in the attention as she passed the frog off to the boy as she walked by, giving him a tight smile before disappearing into the next car.

What exactly she was looking for was beyond her. She felt, though, that there was something on this train worthy of her attention. Something subtle, like something she didn't know was missing but just knew was there on the train, in one of the cars.

None of her books had mentioned anything like that. She'd torn through them, several times in fact. The stipend of galleons alloted to her from her scholarship to the school had been stretched to the limit by her time in Flourish and Blotts, and her excitement at the store had amused the clerk so much that they had offered her a line of credit, which she'd happily accepted and left with an armful of books and a list of ones she knew she just had to have.

Her mind drifted to the frog suddenly, and she thought about the lovely multicolored snake she'd seen in the window of the Magical Menagerie, wishing that Hogwarts allowed snakes as proper pets. She found it odd given the heraldic creature for one of the houses was one for them not to be. Then again, perhaps it would have been unwise for the brutish Gryffandors to get the idea that a griffon was a proper pet to bring either. Still, it was a shame; the snake had been a charming conversationalist. It was perhaps for the best, though, because money saved on such a pet allowed her book purchases to go much farther.

Hermione halted in her tracks.

Glancing back, she looked at the door she'd just nearly walked by with a curious glance. It was a strange thing, she'd almost moved right by it but… as she looked, she felt as if it was exactly the place she was supposed to be. She could see through the glass that there was just one person, a boy it looked like. She flicked her hand and the door snapped open with a shock.

Harry near about jumped out of his skin as the door slid open. He had been staring out the window, watching the scenery roll by; he'd wanted to maybe try talking to someone, but it seemed so… daunting. Everyone had been so animated and normal when he'd come in, he hadn't even realized he'd rushed through the train and ended up in an empty compartment until he'd gotten there. Harry had sat, alone, and watched the scenery, which was quite lovely but also very lonely.

It wasn't as if he wasn't used to being lonely, of course. In fact, frankly speaking he could count the times he hadn't felt lonely on his hands alone, without even needing his toes in the least. Still, he'd hoped that he'd be able to make a friend. Just one, really, would be enough for him. Instead, though, he'd ended up alone in a room, staring out a window, until a strange girl threw it open without touching it.

And she was just… staring at him.

It was perhaps a minute that she stood and watched him, inscrutable look on her face. She wasn't mad, because he'd seen mad before and this wasn't mad. She wasn't disgusted, because he'd seen that too. She was… curious? Perplexed? Constipated? Truthfully, he hadn't the foggiest idea.

It did give him ample time to look at her though. She was around his height, with pale skin, a long mane of black hair, and heavily-lidded brown eyes with long eyelashes. She was wearing simple but fine robes, and he suddenly felt somewhat out of place in his muggle clothing. Her wand seemed… odd, and yet familiar. He hadn't got the greatest look at it, held at her side. It was his lucky day, however, as after that long moment of staring she barged right into the room, seating herself across from him and snapping the wand up right between his eyes, giving him an ample look.

"Oculus reparo," the girl said in an authoritative tone, wand making tiny motions like a sort of swirl. A quick flash of light caused him to jump slightly again as magic raced down the length of the wand and jolted his glasses. She pulled back the wand, seeming rather pleased with herself. Harry reached up and took the glasses off, looking down at them in amazement; it was a wonder, given all he'd seen, that magic still amazed him.

She was staring at him again as he put his glasses back on, and her free and idle hand waved, causing the compartments sliding door to slam shut. A small crack formed on one of the glass panes, and she let out a small huff as she turned and flicked her wand again, sealing it up just as she had with his glasses.

Harry stared at her, and she stared at him. Red crept up his cheeks, and having endured enough silence he finally spoke up with the only thing he could think to say.

"Thank you," he began, paused, and then added (somewhat lamely, he thought,) "For the glasses, I mean."

She smiled at him, wide. Her teeth were nearly perfect, and almost seemed to sparkle. Finally, her free hand shot out in front of her, and she spoke.

"Hello, my name is Hermione Granger. You're Harry Potter," she said, letting only a small moment pass before continuing, "You have beautiful eyes."

If he had been starting to flush before he completed it then, turning so pink it was hard to believe his face had ever been another tone before. He glanced away, unsure how to respond. His eyes were drawn back up when he heard the girl (Hermione she had said) fidgeting about. When he looked, she seemed… distraught, eyes having lost their luster, face fallen. He'd not seen her look before, but this was one he knew all to well. Fear…

"Thank you," he said, finally, smiling back, "Sorry, I just… no one has ever complimented me that way before."

She settled, fear seeming to leave her eyes as he spoke.

"Your eyes are very pretty too," he said suddenly, and his face seemed to grow even more flushed as he did. Her eyes seemed to open in shock, and it was her turn to look away. She mouthed a thank you back, which sounded somewhat odd in her high, bossy voice, but he liked it.

"I'm amazed," Harry continued, rather liking the smile she had now. It was smaller than before, with less teeth, but it seemed… happier, "Your magic is really impressive. I've not even tried to cast anything yet. I've only just gotten my wand yesterday."

He reached in his pocket and brought it out to show her. It was shorter than hers, just eleven inches, and made of holly, but it seemed to fit so right, and there was something odd when he pulled it out, a strange pull that seemed as if both of their wands belonged out together. She smiled at him as he showed it.

"It's a lovely wand," she said, "And I had my books several weeks ago, as soon as I'd gotten the letter. I went right away to Diagon Alley, you see, and bought all the ones I could. I'm sure you'll pick it up, I can tell."

It was strange to hear. That bossy tone she said it in made him believe it too. She continued.

"I've been practicing the simple spells, and they've all worked for me, but I've always been able to do little things. I just tried not to do it too much because mama and papa didn't seem to care for it, and I didn't want to make them uncomfortable."

He was amazed. She had been doing magic even before she'd gotten a wand? Before she had any of the schoolbooks?

"What did your friends think, though?" he asked, and realized instantly it had been a poor question. Her face seemed to darken, as if a shadow fell across the cabin. He recognized that face too; sadness, anger. Not at him, but at… something else.

"I don't have any friends," she said, coldly, stiffly, and Harry felt in that moment such a strange sense of happiness that it almost hurt him. He shouldn't feel happy at that, and maybe he really didn't. It was rather…

"I'll be your friend."

Her face was like the sun on a perfect summer day, bright and beaming and warm. Harry was no expert on smiles, as he didn't do it very often and the Dursleys were not known for their dental prowess, but he was fairly certain hers was as close to perfect as you could have.

And then the door slid open again, and Harry turned to find a freckled boy with blazing orange hair peeking in. His eyes settled on Harry first as he spoke.

"'Ello, mind if I sit here, the other places are… all…"

His voice trailed off, eyes having shifted to Hermione. Harry glanced over as well, and found out the sunshine expression had changed. Ah, that was also anger, and the glare she gave the interloper was withering.

"I, uh… I'll… find… cya," the red-haired boy said, slowly sliding back away from the door. Hermione stiffly raised an arm and flicked it closed again with a huff.

Harry stared at her as she turned back to him, smile returning. He couldn't help himself but to smile back.

She was brilliant, he thought. Bit scary, but brilliant.

So, there is a fairly old story of mostly slapstick comedy called Adorable Violence, involving a Yandere Hermione. The concept always amused me, and so I started thinking of certain ideas as I read other stories. Being only recently in the community (that is to say, shipping HHr,) I actually began work on a different story, the first chapter of which is currently with my beta (the wonderful Appliciousness on AoO, who is writing a quite fantastic sequel to HPMOR.) While I waited, decided to jam out this short bit and work on it between working on my other story, because if I didn't my muse felt like it was going to murder me.

Hopefully my other story will be up before long, as well. I expect this will end up in some darker places, over time, it it may be awhile before we get there.