Harry Potter and all characters, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.
Harry McGonagall - Chapter 10 - Going Home
Harry awoke the next morning, still very tired from the celebration the night before. It had been decades since Ravenclaw won the house cup. He smiled as he got up and showered quickly. He still had to pack. He decided that he wanted to ride the Hogwarts Express with his friends, so Aunt Minnie would meet him at Platform Nine and Three Quarters.
-
Hermione was sitting with Padma at the Ravenclaw table, working on a half-finished omelet when she heard someone running toward her and turned, seeing her best friend practically jump onto the table.
"Good morning, Hermione, Padma," he said as he grabbed a plate and started piling food on it.
"Let me guess, Harry," the bushy-haired girl commented, "You waited until just now to pack your things."
"Well, I was in the hospital wing until last night, you know."
"I know, Harry, but you could've last night."
"Give the guy a break, Hermione," said Padma.
Hermione sighed. "Fine. You do have all your stuff packed now, don't you?"
"Yes, Mommy. I also sent Hedwig to McGonagall Manor. I don't think she'd like to be locked up in her cage all day." Harry grinned at her.
"Harry, I'm serious."
She then whispered, "You've got your broom where no one will find it, right?"
"Naturally."
"Good. I wouldn't want you grounded while my family's visiting you."
He chuckled. "They wouldn't do that. Maybe I'd be grounded for the rest of the summer once you leave."
"I suppose."
They continued to eat in silence, mainly because Harry was in a hurry to finish his breakfast before the food disappeared. Before they knew it, it was time to board the Hogwarts Express.
-
The whole study group, which consisted of Harry, Hermione, Padma, Anthony, Neville, Hannah, and Susan, decided to sit together on the train. They found an empty compartment and settled into it.
"Harry," asked Neville, "My Gran wrote that your lawyers want to talk to me about Professor Snape this week."
Harry grinned. "They should've contacted every non-Slytherin this week to set up an appointment." The others nodded with matching grins. "The Slytherins will be contacted next week. Just tell them the truth."
"The truth about what?" asked Penny, who was walking by while doing her prefect duties.
"Snape," said Harry. "Did my lawyers contact your family?"
"Yes. I've told Professor Flitwick that if Snape is sacked I'll want to take Potions, provided I did well enough on my O.W.L."
"I'm sure you did, Penny," said Hermione. "I'll bet it was a lot easier to brew a potion without that creep breathing down your neck."
She gave a pretty smile. "Yeah, it certainly was. I've got to finish my rounds. Oliver's waiting for me so we can sit together. In case I don't see you all again, have a good summer."
"You, too," the group answered.
No sooner had the prefect disappeared did the self-appointed prince of Slytherin made an appearance, flanked by his two idiotic bodyguards.
"Well, if it isn't McGonagall and his crew of mudbloods and squibs."
"Well, if it isn't the Three Stooges," answered Harry with a grin. A few of his friends, including Hermione, chuckled while the rest didn't react.
"What's a stooge?" asked Draco.
"An idiot, such as yourself," answered Padma cheerfully as Harry discretely whispered, "New sparks."
"I am NOT an idiot! I'm a Malfoy, from one of the purest…"
"We already know your parents are related, and therefore you have severe mental disorders," answered Hermione in a professional manner. "Crabbe and Goyle as well. You don't have to brag about it."
Draco's face went red. He glanced at his companions, and for a moment, it looked like he might see her point. He glared back at Hermione. "I don't have to listen to you, you filthy mudblood! My father…"
"You see," said Hermione calmly, turning to Harry. "The subject is incapable of thinking for itself because of its questionable parentage, and is therefore repeating the words its father told it."
"Why you!" exclaimed Draco, clumsily grabbing his wand just in time for Harry to summon it (along with Crabbe's and Goyle's wands) out of his hands once it was free of its holster.
"You see," said Harry, still looking at Hermione and having an intellectual conversation about their 'lab rat,' "These inbred animals are incapable of learning. How many times have they been disarmed easily in the last year?" While they were talking, the others were pointing their wands at the three Slytherins.
"At least a dozen," answered Hermione. "Most mice would've learned by the fourth time."
"Do you think I should just break their little toys?"
"You'd better not! I'll tell my fath…"
"You know, Hermione. I remember back when I was in kindergarten and first grade. A lot of the muggle kids used to threaten to tell their daddy if you insulted them. I wonder if Draco is really a muggle toddler in disguise."
Hermione looked like she was thinking about it for a few moments. "It would explain his shoddy spellwork if he's really a muggle."
"I AM NOT A FILTHY MUGGLE YOU MUDBLOOD!!!" Draco's face was now purple.
Harry finally turned and faced Draco. "I didn't say you were filthy…yet." He pointed his wand and muttered an incantation. Suddenly the same quick-drying cement the Weasley twins had used the week before was coming out of Harry's wand and covering Draco's robes. Hermione and Padma instantly began doing the same thing to Crabbe and Goyle, respectively. "Now you're filthy."
"Why you!" shouted Draco angrily, taking a step toward Harry. "I'll…what?" Draco's eyes widened as he realized he could no longer move his legs or his arms. His bodyguards soon started yelling as well until a prefect came to see what the commotion was.
"What is going on, here?" said Penny with an amused look on her face.
"They attacked us!" shouted Draco.
"Then why are you in their compartment. If they were after you, you'd be the ones sitting down. You obviously started trouble that you couldn't finish."
"Here are their wands, Penny." Harry handed them to his friend. "If you wouldn't mind levitating them out of here, we'd appreciate it. I think Fred and George Weasley know the counter-spell to that hex. You'll have to ask them."
Hermione looked at him and he shook his head slowly. Penny levitated each of them out the door and closed it.
"Why didn't you tell her the counter spell?" asked Hermione.
"Isn't it obvious," asked Padma. "He's making them sweat. They'll be wondering if there is a counter spell."
-
The ride progressed with no other incidents, and soon they were getting off of the train. Harry looked around for a few moments while he was carrying his trunk (it was magically enlarged and had Hedwig's empty cage inside it). He grinned from ear to ear as he called out, "Aunt Minnie!" and walked toward her. Padma and Hermione walked with him to say goodbye to the professor.
"Hi, Harry, Hermione, Padma. How was the train ride?"
"It was good. Draco and his goons tried to start trouble as usual, but nothing we couldn't handle."
"I hope you didn't do any…permanent damage, Harry," she said with a slightly amused-slightly worried face.
"No. Don't worry," said Padma. "It was just a lesson in humility."
"I don't understand why he still thinks he's something. This year he's more than proven himself inferior in intelligence and spellwork to the people who he thinks he's better than."
"Prejudice is something that can't truly be understood by anyone. Those who are prejudiced can't make a truthful, logical argument as to the cause of their prejudice, so non-prejudiced people can never understand. The only reason people are prejudiced is because they want to be."
"There you are," said Marissa Granger as she walked up to her daughter. "It's good to see you." She hugged Hermione tightly. "How was the train ride?"
-
Adam and Marissa Granger greeted the others and walked off with their daughter, but not before meeting the Patil parents, along with Parvati. Arrangements were made so that both Hermione and Padma would visit Harry the next day. Parvati was invited as well, but she had plans to spend the day with one of her fellow Gryffindors - a girl named Lavender.
Minerva took Harry by the hand, and they apparated into the McGonagall ancestral home.
"Mistress Minerva and Master Harry!" squeaked Blinky the house elf upon their arrival. "I is wondering when you is arriving. Dinner is being ready in fifteen minutes. I is taking your luggage." With that said, the elf grabbed Harry's trunk with one hand and Minerva's with another and disappeared with a small 'pop' before Harry could protest that he could handle it himself. Blinky had seemed determined to make Harry and his parents see how valuable he could be ever since he found out that they weren't planning on keeping a servant when they inherited the mansion.
Minnie sat down on a nearby sofa and Harry joined her. "So, how did you like your first year at Hogwarts?"
He smiled at his aunt. "I liked getting to see you every day."
"And I, you," responded the Deputy Headmistress fondly.
"I also enjoyed being with Hermione and my other friends. The only down sides were Snape and Dumbledore. Snape because he's such a jerk; and Dumbledore because he allows it. Doesn't he want students to get a good education in Potions?"
Minerva sighed before frowning. "I'm afraid that the Headmaster is more interested in protecting Snape than educating students. I can't tell you how many Gryffindors I've had in career counseling who had hoped to become healers, aurors, or countless other occupations but changed their minds when I informed them they would need a Potions N.E.W.T. to do it.
"The result has been that in the past decade, there has been a shortage of people entering those fields. The majority of people who have were Slytherins, and I suspect it's because he tutors them in their common room, although I've never been able to prove it. Only a select few non-Slytherins have had the courage to try taking Advanced Potions, and half of them are kicked out for questionable reasons that Professor Dumbledore refuses to investigate. This year, thanks to you, a lot fewer students were dropped from his advanced classes."
"Thanks to you, as well."
"You were the catalyst, Harry," she said, shaking her head. "You were the one who let everybody know what Snape was doing, not me. That's what got him on probation."
"But you started this lawsuit," he argued.
"The point is that none of this would've happened without you." She then changed the subject. "Professor Flitwick informed me that the potions that you and Hermione turned in were checked by a certified potions master and found to be perfect."
Harry grinned. "Naturally."
"I'm curious. Did you learn anything new from your classes this year?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "A bit. The few spells I didn't know were easy to learn since I already know Latin. That certainly helps the incantation to make sense. I'll admit I didn't learn anything in Potions class." He chuckled. "In Transfiguration, I learned you were an Animagus. Why didn't you tell me before?"
"It never came up."
"Let me guess. You were waiting for me to say, 'Hey Aunt Minnie, can you turn into a cat?' or something like that?"
"It was fun to surprise you with the other children. Anyway, I was wondering how you'd feel about being double-promoted."
Harry didn't look that surprised. "I, I thought that might be possible, but I don't know how I'd feel about it. What about Hermione? She did as well as me. Will she be offered the opportunity as well?"
"Yes. Professor Flitwick, who makes those decisions as your head of house, informed me that he was considering both of you."
Harry looked pensive for a few moments before answering, "I think both of us will have to discuss it. When do we need to have an answer?"
"You should be getting his owl soon, but you don't have to make up your mind until the end of July - your real birthday. You both will have to discuss it with your parents as well."
"I'll tell Hermione about it tomorrow. Maybe we can discuss it with our families while the Grangers are in America."
"Very well. I believe that Blinky should have dinner ready by…"
At that moment the elf in question appeared in front of them. "Dinner is being ready!"
-
The next morning around ten o'clock, Padma flooed into McGonagall Manor while Hermione was dropped off by her parents. The Ravenclaw Patil practiced Occlumency with Professor McGonagall for an hour while Harry and Hermione went into the manor's extensive library.
"I wish that we could find the house elf contract in here."
Harry smiled at his predictable friend. "So do I, but it's not here. Would you mind sitting down for a minute? There's something I need to talk to you about."
She replaced the book she was just pulling off one of the shelves and had a seat on one of the cushioned chairs nearby. Harry sat opposite her. "What did you want to talk about?"
At that moment, Harry and Hermione were interrupted by the tapping of two owl beaks on a window in the library. Harry walked over to the window and opened it. Two Hogwarts owls flew into the library, one to each occupant.
"These must be Professor Flitwick's letters," commented Harry as he removed the envelope from his owl and opened it. It contained two pieces of parchment. Harry took the first one and read it and the owl flew off, followed soon by the one that had carried Hermione's letter.
'Dear Mr. McGonagall,
Congratulations on your outstanding performance last term. Your grades, as well as Miss Granger's, were the best we've seen at Hogwarts in about fifty years.
Due to your excellent academic achievement, you are being offered the rare opportunity to skip a grade. Should you choose to accept this honor, you will begin next term as a third-year. As such, you will be required to choose additional classes from the included list.
You and your parents will need to fill out the included form to inform us of your decision no later than the 31st of July. Please consider this offer carefully, and have an enjoyable summer.
Sincerely,
Professor Flitwick
Head of Ravenclaw House
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.'
"You knew about this?" asked Hermione when she finished reading her letter.
"Um, well, Aunt Minnie told me last night that Professor Flitwick was going to owl us both today. I was about to tell you." He took a deep breath. "I want to know how you feel about that."
"Wow. That's quite an honor. In the thousand years Hogwarts has existed, only a few dozen students have done that, none within the same decade, let alone the same class according to…"
"…Hogwarts, a History. Yes, I know. The question is if we want to do it or not."
She folded her hands together as she furrowed her brow in concentration. "Well, on the plus side our names will be in the next edition of that book. That would be interesting - for them to print your name as 'Harry McGonagall' and then have to change it whenever your true identity gets out."
"Harry McGonagall is my legal name…"
"…but you know they'll change it to the famous 'Harry Potter' once they learn the truth - which will happen sooner or later." She saw him start to glare at her. "Not because of me. I won't tell anyone."
"I know, and I suppose you're right. I just want to delay that time for as long as I can. At least I'd be famous for something I earned."
"Absolutely. We worked hard for this."
"We'll be done with Hogwarts a year earlier if we accept it."
"Is that good or bad?" asked Hermione.
"That's a good question. One less year without the pressure of earning a living. One more year of life to work a job instead of devote to learning."
"If we do accept it, we'll have to work hard to catch up with the rest of the class. Even working ahead, we're only about half way through second year's materials. And we will still miss some little things that we would have learned anyway."
"I do prefer working ahead to trying to catch up. I probably do know about half of the material of second year, but I don't know it all. Another question is how our friends will feel about it. Will they be fine with it? Will they treat us differently? We could pretend it doesn't matter to us, but we'd only be lying to ourselves."
"How will the other third-years feel about us? Will they accept us, envy us, or hate us?"
"Other good questions."
"That will also ruin our chances for Head Girl and Boy. You have to be seventeen to hold that position."
"Really?" asked Harry. He actually hadn't given any thought to being a prefect or head, and wasn't sure if he'd want that or not.
"Yes. We wouldn't even be able to become prefects until we're fifteen, which will be our sixth year. So we'll only be able to serve in that position for two years instead of three."
"That's assuming that we do manage to stay at the head of our classes to get the positions at all."
A look of horror crossed her face. "We may find ourselves average or even struggling students if we advance."
"I doubt that'll happen, Hermione. We may have to do some catch-up work, but I think we'll manage if we decide to skip second year. The question is; what do we want."
"Hi guys," said a smiling Padma as she opened up the door to the library. "I'm done with my Occlumency lesson for the day. Don't tell me you've been studying the whole time."
"No," said Harry, quickly stuffing his letters into his pocket. Hermione followed suit.
Padma raised an eyebrow. "You're not hiding something else from me, are you Mr. Potter?"
"It's just school stuff. Professor Flitwick sent us each a letter congratulating us on our class performance."
"Oh. I'm surprised he didn't offer to have you skip a grade."
Harry and Hermione looked at each other guiltily, while Padma watched their faces.
"He did, didn't he? Why didn't you say so?"
"We, er, haven't decided what to do yet," answered Hermione.
"Why wouldn't you want to skip a grade?"
Harry and Hermione told their friend the concerns they had, and she told them, "I'll support you in whatever decision you make."
-
The week went by quickly, with Padma and Hermione coming over for a few hours every day. Padma planned to continue studying occlumency while Harry and Minerva were in America, and she would resume her daily occlumency lessons when they returned. Harry made sure that he got all his summer homework done since he didn't have much else to do once the girls left. He'd already read and understood the material, so it was just a matter of writing a few essays.
The day before Harry's meeting with the lawyers, he spent the afternoon at the Granger residence, swimming in their pool and playing video games with Hermione. He found out that Hermione's meeting with the lawyers was the day after he went back to America.
-
"If you're ready, Mr. McGonagall, I think we'll start the interview." The two lawyers, Sam Gordon and Matthew Marcus, were at McGonagall Manor beginning their conversation with Harry. They were sitting at the dining table in the kitchen, and a dictation quill was taking word-for-word notes of the conversation. Mr. Marcus was asking the questions. Minerva was also in the room, but had agreed not to speak unless she felt they asked an impertinent question.
"Um, sure."
"It is our understanding, that prior to attending Hogwarts, you learned the skill of occlumency. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"My aunt was concerned that some of the faculty of the school would try to read my mind using legilimency, and she wanted to protect my privacy."
"Were her fears justified?"
"Yes."
"Describe the first time that someone at Hogwarts tried to read your mind."
Taking a deep breath, Harry described how Snape had tried to read his mind during the first feast, and then the other times both he and Dumbledore attempted legilimency after that. When that line of questioning was over, they questions on other topics.
"How did you get into the room that hosted a dangerous three-headed dog?"
They made sure that Harry clarified that it took a simple unlocking charm normally taught to second-years to get into that room. They also asked Harry to describe Snape's 'teaching' method in his own words. To say the least, Harry's words were unflattering. He was also informed that the potions master who'd checked his and Hermione's final potions would be testifying at the hearing.
-
Before Harry knew it, he was at O'Hare airport with his great aunt, looking for his parents and sister. He realized how similar this was to the situation they'd been in at the beginning of Christmas break. He had his trunk in one hand, and Hedwig's cage in the other. The snowy owl looked very upset after the floo travel.
"There they are," said Aunt Minnie, breaking him out of his thoughts. He looked where she was pointing and saw his sister running up to him. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, along with a Cubs baseball cap.
"Hi Brianna. Don't tell me you're still cheering for the Cubs."
"Always! They're a lot better than the White Sox you support."
"Only in your mind, my very young sister."
Before that argument could escalate, Harry found himself wrapped in his mother's arms as she gave him a big hug. "Hi, honey. It's so good to see you again!"
She kissed his cheek, causing him to make a face. "Mom!"
"It's good to see you, son!" said Mark McGonagall. "You, too, Aunt Minnie! We should get to the car."
-
On the trip back to Lansing, they talked about the progress that the lawyers were making and some of their plans for the summer.
"We're gonna spend at least one day at Frank's Flying Funhouse next week once Hermione gets here," said Mark. "Harry, I'm sure you're itching to get back on your Lightning Bolt."
Facing straight forward, resisting the urge to exchange a look with his sister, Harry replied, "I sure am! I can't wait to get back on my broom! It has been a while." He decided to add, "I hope you didn't let any of Brianna's friends on it."
His mom turned around to face him. "No, we didn't because we had to respect your property. But I was disappointed that you wouldn't let them. That was very selfish."
"But mom, I don't want the thing broke before I can take it to Hogwarts." For one second, he could swear he heard his sister start giggling, but when he shot her a glare, she was looking forward with a neutral expression.
-
When they finally got to the house, Harry got his trunk out of the car. While he was still carrying it toward the door, his dad mentioned, "I got us tickets to go to a Cubs game next week with the Grangers."
"Terrific!" squealed Brianna, who was carrying Hedwig's cage.
"Yeah," agreed Harry as he walked through the door. "It'll be fun to watch the Cubs lose. Who are they playing?"
"They're playing the Cardinals," said Mark.
"And they're not gonna lose!" added Brianna firmly.
"They couldn't win a game if they used magic!" countered Harry.
"Could too!"
"Could not!"
"Could too!"
"They haven't won a World Series in like a hundred years!" said Harry as he stepped on the staircase holding his trunk with his left hand. He was thankful that his truck was charmed to weigh only ten pounds.
Brianna pulled out her wand with her free hand, pointed it at Harry, and shot a tickling charm at him.
As soon as Harry heard his sister begin the spell, he summoned his wand out of its holster. "Protego!"
Brianna's charm bounced back toward her, but she ducked out of the way just in time. Unfortunately, it hit Minerva, who soon was collapsing on the floor in a fit of giggling. She was so overcome with laughter that she couldn't even get her wand to reverse the spell.
Harry couldn't help laughing when he saw his normally dignified aunt in that position. He could also see that his dad was amused, but fighting his laughter. His mom, on the other hand, was glaring at Brianna. That glare was enough to stop his sister from even smiling. Hedwig was squawking at Brianna for attacking Harry. She pointed her wand at Aunt Minnie. "Finite."
Harry summoned the cage and hurried up the stairs to his room, but not before his mom started to yell at Brianna. He smiled to himself as he realized that this was the perfect opportunity. He quickly got his broom out of his trunk and snuck into his parents' room, switching it with the fake his sister had put there. He hid it deep in one of the compartments of his trunk, intending to dispose of it where he'd be sure that his grown up relatives wouldn't see it. He then began unpacking his clothes until he heard a knock at the door.
He grinned. "Come in, Brianna."
The door opened. "How did you know it was me?"
When she stepped in, he pointed his wand at the door, shutting it. "I figured Mom sent you here to apologize."
She looked at the ground. "Um, yes. I also had to apologize to Aunt Minnie. I kind of lost my temper a little bit."
He chuckled. "I guess so. Don't worry about it. You've been shooting spells at me since you were five."
She stuck her tongue out. "You're never gonna let me forget about that, are you?"
"Never," he said with a grin. "Anyway, you provided the perfect distraction to put my broom back where it belongs."
"Really?" she said excitedly, "You made the switch?" He nodded. She squealed, "We got away with it!"
"Shh. Do you want them to hear?"
-
He was over his jetlag the next morning, and watched some cartoons when he got up. He decided to relax this week since he knew that the next two weeks they would be busy showing the Grangers everything in the Chicago area. He was looking forward to getting Hermione to play Quidditch with his friends.
=
I'm sorry about the long wait. I'll try to be faster.
Please review. Thank you to everyone who has.
I was planning on including the Grangers' vacation in this chapter, but it was already getting longer than I'd planned.
P.S. I believe that if Hermione had been offered to skip a grade in the books, she would have declined in favor of staying with her friends.
I'll have more about Hermione's house after the trial.