"Excuse me, but you haven't seen a toad, have you?"
This time the voice belonged to a girl of approximately her own age. Mirabelle opened her eyes to assess this new interruption.
The newcomer possessed bushy chestnut hair that seemed to have declared war on any attempt at organization, flying in every direction as if charged with static electricity. Her face, while not unattractive, was utterly unremarkable save for slightly prominent front teeth that lent her a vaguely rodent-like appearance. She possessed decent bone structure and clear skin, but her complete lack of attention to grooming and presentation created an overall impression of wasted potential.
Good raw material, Mirabelle assessed critically, but absolutely no refinement or effort invested in improvement.
"And you are?" Mirabelle inquired with regal formality.
"Hermione Granger," the girl announced brightly. "I'm starting at Hogwarts this year. Isn't it absolutely fascinating how many magical creatures there are? If I were to have a pet, I'd definitely choose an owl—they're so practical for mail delivery! Having no magical relatives, I was completely amazed when I learned about owl post. When my Hogwarts letter arrived via a beautiful white owl, I was instantly enchanted with the magical world and absolutely determined to attend. The whole concept is just wonderful!"
She paused barely long enough to draw breath before continuing. "Oh, what's your name?"
Mirabelle stared in slight amazement at this verbal deluge. When she cross-referenced the name with her memory of the original story, everything clicked into place.
Hermione—the supposed heroine of the Harry Potter narrative.
Despite her Muggle birth, this girl would prove to be a brilliant student who maintained the highest grades through sheer determination and endless study. In most of the adventures Harry Potter would face, she would be the one to discover crucial information and solve essential puzzles. Harry would simply follow the path she blazed for him. In terms of pure intellectual capability, she was arguably superior to the famous Boy Who Lived—quite an impressive individual, when one considered it objectively.
"Mirabelle Beresford," she replied with calculated coolness.
"Lovely to meet you, Mirabelle! But getting back to the matter at hand—you haven't seen a toad, have you? Since you're sharing a compartment with that boy, I thought you might help search for it."
Exactly as I remember, Mirabelle thought with amusement. Bossy and presumptuous, but with the competence to back up her attitude.
Mirabelle's philosophy held that truly capable individuals had earned the right to speak with authority matching their abilities. This was why she herself adopted such a condescending tone and maintained constant arrogance—it reflected her genuine belief in her own superiority.
"Let him find it himself," she said dismissively. "It's his responsibility."
"How heartless! You're in the same compartment—surely you could spare a moment to help?"
"Too much trouble. If he can't manage a single toad, that's his own incompetence."
She punctuated this cruel assessment by draining the remainder of her Pumpkin Juice in one long swallow. The drink was flavorful but too sweet for genuine thirst-quenching—plain water would have been preferable.
"That's exactly why I'm asking for help!" Hermione exclaimed in exasperation.
"...Is that so?"
Mirabelle set down her empty bottle and fixed the other girl with a measuring stare. What transparent manipulation—though she suspected Hermione genuinely believed she was making a compelling argument rather than attempting cheap provocation.
Still, allowing herself to be dismissed and disrespected on her very first day would set an unfortunate precedent. Sometimes one had to make a point, even if the circumstances were beneath one's dignity.
With a theatrical sigh, Mirabelle reached into her breast pocket and withdrew Pyotr, her sleek black rat. The creature's dark eyes glittered with intelligence as she held him up to her face.
"Your first assignment, Pyotr. Locate the missing toad and bring it to me."
She released the rat into the corridor and settled back with arms crossed, waiting with the patience of absolute confidence. Within seconds, Pyotr returned with a struggling toad clamped gently but firmly in his jaws. He deposited the amphibian on the table with obvious pride before leaping onto Mirabelle's lap.
"Trevor!" the round-faced boy exclaimed with relief as he appeared in the doorway.
Mirabelle rewarded Pyotr with a piece of cheese from her supplies and scratched behind his ears. Despite conventional wisdom suggesting that rats didn't particularly enjoy cheese, magical creatures apparently possessed different tastes than their mundane counterparts.
"This," she announced with satisfaction, "is how one properly manages a pet. Allowing them to escape demonstrates a fundamental lack of discipline."
She directed pointed looks at both Neville and the now-speechless Hermione, pleased to have effectively silenced the latter's chatter.
"Th-thank you so much," Neville stammered gratefully.
Mirabelle ignored his thanks and returned her attention to the countryside rolling past the window, dismissing him from her thoughts entirely.
Unfortunately, Hermione proved less easily discouraged.
"That was very impressive," she began, "but he thanked you! The least you could do is acknowledge his gratitude!"
"Do people often tell you that you're insufferably meddlesome?" Mirabelle asked with genuine curiosity.
She had known intellectually that this was Hermione's personality, but experiencing it firsthand proved far more grating than she'd anticipated. The girl's relentless interference in others' affairs was clearly a defining characteristic that would inevitably lead to social isolation.
Still, Mirabelle found herself oddly entertained by the situation. She turned to face Hermione directly, a wicked smile playing at her lips.
"Since you're so fond of offering unsolicited advice, allow me to return the favor. You should invest some effort in your appearance and grooming. You're wasting perfectly good raw material with such negligent presentation."
"That's none of your business!" Hermione snapped, her cheeks flushing bright red.
Mirabelle laughed softly, delighted by the other girl's reaction. Hermione whirled around and stalked out of the compartment in high dudgeon, her bushy hair bouncing with each indignant step.
After the door slammed shut, Mirabelle leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes once more. Over the next four years, until Voldemort's return, this girl would work alongside Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley to overcome numerous challenges and obstacles. But the truly dangerous figure orchestrating events from the shadows was Albus Dumbledore.
It would be wise to monitor their activities during this period while she gathered her own strength and resources. The fact that Dumbledore was manipulating their actions meant that observing their movements might provide insights into the headmaster's true intentions and plans.
However, she would prefer to maintain some influence over Harry and Hermione if possible. This would require deviating from the original story's timeline, making it impossible to predict Dumbledore's exact responses. The challenge would be finding the right balance between involvement and independence.
A delicate game indeed, she thought as sleep finally claimed her.
---
Author's Notes:
∩(・ω・)∩ Another encounter complete!
This time, Mirabelle met Hermione and Neville aboard the Hogwarts Express. However, she showed no interest in Neville whatsoever, she didn't even bother learning his name, completely failing to recognize him as a significant character from the original story. What a waste of an opportunity!
As for Mirabelle herself, despite claiming it was "cheap provocation," she still rose to Hermione's challenge. Her pride is definitely her weakness, this kind of manipulation will continue to be effective against her.
So far, Mirabelle has been relatively restrained, but that's intentional for the next four years. If she acts too boldly before gaining sufficient power, Dumbledore will simply crush her. So until the end of Goblet of Fire, she'll appear to be merely a slightly twisted character, and in some cases might even seem like an ally to Harry and his friends.
In other words, she's currently in her "beautiful Mirabelle" phase. You'll have to wait until Order of the Phoenix to see "ruthless Mirabelle" in action.
Next time, we'll finally arrive at Hogwarts! The pacing has been quite slow, but I'll compensate by posting more frequently. You can expect this story to continue with regular updates until completion!