Three
"Letter"
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. All characters are creations of Joanne K. Rowling, © 2007, to whom I am deeply indebted. I make no money from any of this. I'm just taking her world and tweaking it a bit.
Note One: Hey guys! Hope y'all are ready to get into the good stuff! One question though, is it Apparition or Apparation? I've seen both spellings of the words and am a little confused about that.
EDITED 06/11/2011: Just some date changes and minor edits.
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5 July, 2016
It took all Lindsay had to not continue reading on to the next chapter of Her Story after she had caught up. She placed a spare piece of paper where they were going to continue reading and closed the journal. However, instead of putting the journal back in the storeroom, Lindsay decided to just leave it in the break room. No one else would be coming in and she figured it would be safe.
The rest of the shift dragged on. All Lindsay could think about was finishing up work so they could read the next chapter. As soon as the last customer of the day was out the shop, Karen rushed to the door and locked it, flipping the sign to `Closed' as Lindsay frantically began closing down the tills. A procedure that usually took around thirty minutes took the girls ten.
After double checking to make sure that everything was set for the next morning, Lindsay dimmed the lights and hurried to the break room. Karen was already on the couch with the journal in her hand. Lindsay sat beside her and yanked the journal out of her grip, "I read this time."
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20 July, 1991
Hermione snorted and pressed her hand against her mouth, trying not to laugh. Mrs. Granger busied herself with reading the paper, also holding in her laughter as Mr. Granger let out a frustrated sigh. He played with the knobs of the stove, trying to find the right one that went with the burner he was trying to use. Viola, too, was having issues with being unable to crack eggs properly.
"Are you sure you don't just want cereal?" Mrs. Granger asked, trying and failing to keep a straight face.
"I'm sure. Vi and I want a real breakfast," Mr. Granger grumbled. "Right, Vi?"
"Right!" Viola chirped. She frowned at the bowl, brow furrowing in concentration as she attempted to crack another egg. Hermione assumed that she had gotten some egg shells into the yolk because she let out an angry cry. "Daddy, I can't do this!"
"Just a minute, sweetie," he replied. He tapped the burner with his finger quickly. "Aha!" He shot a victorious grin at Hermione and Mrs. Granger, who both burst out laughing.
"You could help us," Viola grumbled, shooting a glare at Hermione.
"I'm happy with my cereal, thanks." Hermione gave her sister a bright smile before shoving a spoonful of cereal into her mouth.
Mr. Granger went over and began to scoop some of the egg shells out of the bowl. Viola stepped down from the stool she was standing on and went to go grab the bread. "Now what?" she asked.
"We dip the bread into the bowl and then put it on the frying pan." Mr. Granger replied, looking at the stove. He frowned. "We need a frying pan."
Hermione and Mrs. Granger burst out laughing again. Viola glared at them and began rummaging through all the cupboards she could reach to get a frying pan. Mrs. Granger grinned at Hermione and leaned towards her. "Think we should tell them where it is?" she whispered.
"No," Hermione giggled.
Mrs. Granger winked at her and watched as Viola pulled a frying pan out. "Found it!" she grinned, turning around to stick her tongue out at them.
Hermione's smile dropped a little as she saw that all the burners on the stove had been turned on and were beginning to turn red. "Mum," she pointed at them.
Mrs. Granger bit her lip. "We'll tell them only if we see they're getting close to it."
Mr. Granger took the frying pan from Viola and placed it on the burner. He also noticed that the other burners were on and began playing with the knobs again, trying to find what ones to shut off. Hermione and Mrs. Granger started laughing as he turned off the burner he had put the frying pan on.
Viola jumped back up onto her stool and placed the bread by the bowl of egg yolk. As she was opening the bag and grabbing a slice, her elbow nudged the bowl with enough force to tip it over. All the yolk flew from the bowl and onto the burners, immediately beginning to sizzle. Mrs. Granger jumped up and took over as Mr. Granger let out a slew of curses.
"I'm sorry!" Viola cried, jumping off the stool.
"It was an accident, sweetie," Mr. Granger said, standing back as he watched his wife turn off all the burners. Hermione coughed as the eggs began to burn and quickly began to open up the windows in the kitchen.
"Go open the window in the living room too," Mrs. Granger instructed.
Hermione left the kitchen and went to the living room window, opening it. As she turned to go back into the kitchen, a loud rustling sound caught her attention. She turned her head to look back over her shoulder and froze.
A tawny owl was perched on the window sill, ruffling its feathers and looking directly at Hermione. Clasped tightly in its beak was a thick looking envelope. "Mum," she called, turning around to face the owl. "Mum!"
"It can wait, Hermione," her mother called from the kitchen.
Hermione took a step to the side and watched as the owl's gaze followed her every move. "No, it can't."
Mrs. Granger appeared in the doorway seconds later and gasped when she saw the owl. "Go on," she said, hurrying in front of Hermione and flicking the dish towel at it. "Get out of - AGGH!"
The owl had begun to ruffle its feathers as Mrs. Granger shooed it and took off towards the two girls. Hermione and Mrs. Granger screamed and dropped to the floor as the owl swooped into the room and over their heads. Hermione felt something drop onto her head and saw the envelope bounce to the floor in front of her. She reached out and grabbed it as the owl did one more sweep of the room and then exited through the window.
"What's wrong?" Mr. Granger asked, running into the room. His eyes widened when he saw the two of them on the floor and hurried over to them. "What happened? Are you okay?"
"An owl flew into the room," Mrs. Granger said, sounding dazed. She picked herself up off the floor and went to the window, closing and locking it. "Are you okay, Hermione?"
"An owl?" Mr. Granger said incredulously. "At this time of day?"
"I'm fine, mum," Hermione said. She smoothed out the edge of the envelope that had been crumbled when it hit her head, her eyes roaming the front of it. Her breath caught when she saw her name written in emerald green ink, followed by `113 Walton Street, Oxford, Oxfordshire.' She turned the envelope over and saw that it was sealed with a purple wax seal. A coat of arms was pressed into the wax with four animals - a lion, a snake, an eagle, and a badger - surrounding the letter `H'. Flipping the envelope back over, Hermione looked for a return address or a stamp and found none.
"Hermione?"
"Yes?" Hermione's head snapped up to see both her parents looking at her. Viola had entered the room as well and was peering curiously at her.
"What do you have there?" Mr. Granger asked.
"The owl dropped this," she said, holding up the letter so her parents could see. "It's addressed to me."
"Addressed to you?" Mrs. Granger repeated, glancing at Mr. Granger.
Hermione got up from the floor and went to go sit on the couch, still studying the letter. She flicked her finger under the seal and opened the envelope, pulling out two letters. Glancing up at her parents, who both nodded for her to read it, Hermione licked her lips and opened up the first letter. She scanned it before reading it out loud, frowning in confusion as she read the list of achievements underneath Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore.
"What does it say?" Mrs. Granger asked impatiently.
"Dear Miss Granger," Hermione read, starting to feel a bit shaky. "We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July. Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress."
Hermione looked up at her parents and was met with their shocked expressions. She grabbed the second letter and opened it, seeing that it was a list of books and equipment for the school. "W-witchcraft?" Mr. Granger stammered.
"What's going on?" Viola asked, looking between Hermione and their parents. "What's the letter Minny got talking about?"
"I don't know," Mrs. Granger said, taking the letter from Hermione.
The doorbell rang, making everyone jump. Without thinking, Hermione jumped up and grabbed the letter from her mother and rushed to get the door. She ignored her parents' protests and unlocked the door and opened it, her mouth dropping open at the sight of the woman standing on the doorstep.
A tall, elderly woman was staring down at Hermione from behind square-rimmed glasses with a slight smile, her black hair pulled back into an impossibly tight bun. She was dressed in a type of emerald green robe that Hermione had never seen before.
"Miss Hermione Granger?" she guessed. Hermione nodded; she could tell just from her tone that she was a no nonsense type of woman.
"Hermione!" Mrs. Granger scolded, coming to the door. "How many times have we told you not to open the door for strangers - oh?"
"Good morning," the woman greeted. "Please forgive my rudeness, but may I come in? The children are starting to notice me."
Hermione looked behind her and saw that the few kids that were outside playing had stopped to stare at the oddly dressed woman. "Who are you?" Mrs. Granger asked, not stepping aside.
The woman sighed, "I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." She said all of this almost automatically, like she had done this many times before. Hermione remembered reading the name in the letter and quickly opened it. "Yes, I was the one who sent you the letter."
Mrs. Granger slowly stepped aside and let her enter the house. "You're here to explain all of this, I assume?"
"You're correct," she answered. She followed Mrs. Granger into the living room. Hermione shot one last glance at the kids, who had started playing again, and closed the door. She hurried back into the living room and saw that the woman had taken a seat on the couch. Mr. Granger was looking warily at her and Viola was openly staring.
"David," Mrs. Granger said, looking uncomfortable. "This is Mrs. -"
"Professor," Professor McGonagall corrected.
"Erm, yes," Mrs. Granger stuttered. "This is Professor Minerva McGonagall. She was the one who sent Hermione the letter."
Mr. Granger blinked and cleared his throat. "Viola," he said, "go play outside."
"What?" Viola cried. "No! I want to stay!"
"Viola," Mr. Granger warned. Viola stomped her foot and stormed up the stairs. Hermione winced and glanced at Professor McGonagall as they heard a door slam moments later. He sighed, "I'm sorry about that."
"That's perfectly alright," Professor McGonagall said. She settled into the couch and looked expectantly at the family. "There's no doubt that you have questions about the letter Miss Granger received, so feel free to ask me anything and I will answer to the best of my ability."
"Witchcraft?" Mr. Granger blurted out. "You honestly can't expect us to just believe all of this is real and send our daughter off to some school we know nothing about."
"With all due respect, Mr. Granger, magic is very real and has been around since the evolution of mankind," Professor McGonagall said calmly. "The only reason you have never heard of it is because we decided it was best for us witches and wizards to keep to ourselves."
"But someone ought to have noticed," Mr. Granger argued.
"And people have. I believe the most famous incident was the American Salem Witch Trials of the sixteen-hundreds," Professor McGonagall said. "Although muggle history has taught you that the Salem Witch Trials were just silly little girls wanting revenge."
"M-muggle?" Mr. Granger asked, looking slightly offended.
"A muggle is what we call a non-magical person such as yourself," she explained. Mr. Granger sputtered and couldn't form a sentence. Hermione couldn't remember the last time she saw her father get so flustered.
"Proof!" Mrs. Granger said shrilly, making Hermione jump. She coughed and cleared her throat. "If all of this really is true then you'll be able to show us some… magic… right now, right?"
"Jane," Mr. Granger said warningly but was shot down with a glare.
Professor McGonagall sighed and reached into her robes. Mr. and Mrs. Granger stiffened as she withdrew a long stick with a handle near the thicker end. She pointed the stick at Hermione, flicked her wrist, and said "Accio Hogwarts letter."
Hermione yelped as the letter was wrenched from her grip and shot across the room into Professor McGonagall's waiting hand. Mr. and Mrs. Granger both stared with slack jaws as Professor McGonagall placed the letter on the coffee table.
"Can you do something else?" Hermione asked, eager to see more.
"How about I show you something you'll be learning your first year?" Professor McGonagall asked.
Hermione nodded her head eagerly, ignoring the look her parents gave her. Professor McGonagall looked around the room and pointed the stick at the television remote. "Wingardium Leviosa," she said with another flick of her wrist.
There was a collective gasp as the remote began to levitate off the coffee table and hover in the air about three feet high. Hermione briefly saw a smug smile go across Professor McGonagall's face, but it disappeared a moment later. Hermione got up and walked towards the remote, moving her hand above and beneath it. She expected to feel some sort of wire holding the remote up and her stomach did a flip when she just felt air. "This is amazing," she breathed.
Professor McGonagall let the remote float back down to the coffee table. Mr. and Mrs. Granger stared with wide eyes, Mr. Granger whiter than usual. "How…" Mrs. Granger said faintly. "How did you do that?"
"Magic," Professor McGonagall said simply. "That was one of the spells Miss Granger would be learning this year if she were to go to Hogwarts."
"How do you know that our Hermione can do that?" Mrs. Granger asked.
"Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall said, turning to look directly at Hermione, "have you noticed that when you felt a particularly strong emotion, be that anger or joy, something strange would happen? Something that couldn't be explained?"
"Claire," Hermione whispered, looking at her father who had the same look of realization on his face. "The book hit her when we were fighting."
Professor McGonagall smiled softly. "Can you think of anything else?"
Hermione frowned. Strange things had happened when she had been bullied at school. Flickering lights, bursts of air that came from nowhere. "Yes," she said slowly. Her eyes widened. "The zoo!"
"Excuse me?" Mrs. Granger asked.
"The zoo! When we were in the reptile house during Claire's birthday party," she said. "That boy was being bullied and I felt so bad for him and the glass disappeared after he had been hit! And then when the snake was heading in my direction I suddenly appeared on the bookshelf!"
"I beg your pardon?" Professor McGonagall asked, her eyebrows shooting up.
"I was scared and went to jump up on the table and but ended up on a bookshelf like… ten feet away," Hermione said slowly. "Did I do something wrong?"
"On the contrary, Miss Granger," she said, sounding impressed. "You did something quite extraordinary."
"Hold on," Mrs. Granger said. "What did Hermione do?"
"One of the ways witches and wizards get around is by Apparition… which is basically magical teleportation," Professor McGonagall explained when she saw the confused look on everyone's face. "It's an extremely difficult procedure and can be quite painful if done incorrectly."
"And Hermione did this no problem?" Mr. Granger asked slowly.
"Well, a form of it," she said. "True Apparition requires a wand, but there have been a few underage witches and wizards who were able to Apparate across the room before even purchasing their wand. It's still not recommended, but children who aren't old enough to go to Hogwarts can't control their magic."
Hermione brought herself to full height, pride welling up in her chest as Professor McGonagall explained all this. She was able to do something many other children, magical children, weren't. "Miss Granger," she continued, "when strange things did happen around you, how did you feel?"
"How did I feel?" Hermione frowned. "I guess it usually happens when I'm angry."
"No, sorry I should have explained myself better," she said, giving a small chuckle. "How did you feel inside when strange things happened?"
Hermione closed her eyes, trying to remember how she felt during those times. "It was almost like a bubble," she said slowly, opening her eyes. She looked at Professor McGonagall who was staring intently at her. "And I remember it felt like it was spinning or moving around… like a pressure. And it felt almost like it was trying to get out."
Professor McGonagall nodded. "That," she said, "is what untrained magic feels like."
"But why Hermione?" Mr. Granger asked. "Why does she have… magical powers?"
"Somewhere in your family, many generations ago, a Squib was born," Professor McGonagall said carefully. "That Squib married a muggle and the children they produced were of muggle decent."
"Squib?" Mrs. Granger asked.
"A Squib is someone who was born with magical parents but doesn't have any magic in them."
"So we had witches and wizards in our family at some point in time?" Hermione asked, trying to understand.
"Exactly, yes," Professor McGonagall nodded. "The magic died out but it was only a matter of time before it resurfaced."
"How did you know that Hermione had these things happen to her?" Mrs. Granger asked, looking like she didn't want to believe all of this.
"Our Ministry has a department just for underage magic," she explained. "If someone who is under the age of seventeen performs magic, be it consciously or unconsciously, the Ministry is notified by that department. That's how we found out Miss Granger was a witch."
Hermione felt a tingle go through her as Professor McGonagall spoke those words. "Where do we go to get the supplies needed?" she asked, excitement starting to creep up on her.
"Now hold on," Mr. Granger said quickly. "Hermione, we haven't decided on whether or not you're going."
"Why?" Hermione asked. "This is why I never fit in with the other kids! You always told me I was special and this explains it."
"Where is this Hogwarts, anyway?" Mrs. Granger asked weakly, stopping the argument that was going to happen between father and daughter.
"Hogwarts is located in northern Scotland."
"So that means Hermione would have to leave home," Mrs. Granger stated.
"Yes, they have dorms for the students where they will live during their seven years at Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall explained. "Students are allowed to go home during the Christmas and Easter holidays and in the summer."
"And I suppose you fly or something to get there?" Mr. Granger said sarcastically. Hermione shot him a glare.
"The train to Hogwarts is actually at Kings' Cross Station," Professor McGonagall retorted.
"But we've been there many -" Mr. Granger began.
"We are very good at hiding things from muggles," Professor McGonagall interrupted. "Plus we have spells and enchantments to help us out."
"And tuition?" Mrs. Granger asked, rubbing her forehead
"Hogwarts is publicly funded. There is no fee for our students to attend, the only things students have to pay for is the supplies on the list," she said. "And to answer your earlier question, you get everything at Diagon Alley, which is in London on Charing Cross Road."
"But we've-" Mr. Granger began again.
"Again, we're very good at hiding things in plain sight." Professor McGonagall said with a stiff smile. "I know you are having a difficult time grasping this. I've been doing this many years and you aren't the first parents to act this way. This is difficult; you're thrust into this suddenly and not given a lot of time to make a final decision. However, I believe this is Miss Granger's destiny. I can tell right now that she has a lot of potential, and with the right training she can be a very powerful and influential witch."
Hermione felt a shift in the room at Professor McGonagall's words. Her parents were staring at her with sorrowful, thoughtful expressions. She got up and looked around the room. "I have a meeting to be at soon, but I will be back in the area tomorrow - another muggleborn will hopefully be joining us at Hogwarts," she said, smoothing out her robes. "I will stop by and then we can discuss your decision."
With a nod, Professor McGonagall let herself out.
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Hermione sat at the kitchen table, biting her lip as she watched her parents shoot glances at each other. Viola sat beside Hermione, still mad that she had been left out of the conversation, and confused about what all of it meant. "Well?" Hermione asked, breaking the silence.
"I don't know, sweetheart," Mr. Granger said, rubbing his eyes. They had been discussing Hogwarts for the entire day and Hermione felt that they, at last, were close to reaching a decision. "We always knew you were special, but didn't think it was like this."
"I want to go," Hermione said quietly. "If it's my destiny -"
"I don't like how she used that word," Mr. Granger grumbled.
Hermione shot a glare at her father. "Either way," she said, "it just all seemed to click into place when she was explaining it. It's a world I want to be a part of."
"We're just worried that you'll get there and realize that it isn't for you," Mrs. Granger said, placing a hand on Hermione's arm.
"I won't," she protested. "I know I won't."
"Hermione -" Mr. Granger began.
"Daddy," Hermione interrupted. "We've been discussing this for hours. We've talked about the pros and the cons and what this could mean. And even through all of that, I still want to go. You know I'm not going to change my mind."
"Yes," he sighed. "You're entirely too stubborn for that."
"It's just so far away and you don't even go to sleepovers," Mrs. Granger said quickly. "We would miss you so much."
"I don't want you to go," Viola stated.
"I'm sorry," Hermione said, shaking her head. "This is my decision. I want to go."
Mr. Granger ran a hand through his hair. "I'll tell you what," he said, glancing at Mrs. Granger, who nodded. "Your mother and I will discuss this and let you know in the morning before Professor McGonagall arrives."
"But I should be a part of the decision," Hermione argued, getting frustrated. She felt like they were back where they started, and the hours of discussion and arguments had meant nothing. "This is my future so it's only right for me to be a part of the discussion."
"We also don't know if any of this is real," Mrs. Granger offered.
"What?" Hermione laughed incredulously. "You saw Professor McGonagall make the letter fly across the room. You saw her levitate the remote! It doesn't get any more real than that!"
Mrs. Granger squeezed the bridge of her nose as Mr. Granger sighed. "It just doesn't make sense," he said. "There's a logical explanation for everything -"
"No there isn't!" Hermione yelled, fed up with her father's `logical explanation' speech. She had heard it at least five times in the past couple of hours and had had enough. She stood up from her seat as pressure started to mount in her gut. "There doesn't have to be a logical explanation for everything!"
A glass on the counter shattered, making everyone jump. "Hermione…" Mrs. Granger said shakily.
"I-I think I might've done that," she stammered, staring at the now broken shards in shock and all anger momentarily forgotten.
"That was so cool!" Viola gasped. "Do it again, Minny!"
"I can't," she said sheepishly. "I don't know how to do it."
Viola pouted. Hermione shrugged her shoulders and went over to the counter, picking up the glass shards. She heard her parents talking quietly behind her and tried to ignore them, focusing on not cutting herself. Once all the glass was thrown out, she turned to her parents. They looked up and Hermione was surprised to see that Mrs. Granger had tears in her eyes. "Okay," she said simply.
"Okay?" Hermione asked, not wanting to believe them.
Mrs. Granger swallowed thickly and nodded, "You can go."
"Really?" Hermione asked. They nodded. Hermione let out a squeal and rushed over to her parents, giving them both huge hugs. "Thank you!" she laughed. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Does this mean Minny will be moving?" Viola asked. Hermione stilled, realizing that she would be.
"That's why we're having such a hard time letting her go," Mr. Granger said softly. Hermione watched as Viola's face fell and tears formed. She felt guilty immediately. Mr. Granger got up and went over to Viola, who launched herself into his arms.
"Don't feel bad," Mrs. Granger whispered, standing up and hugging her from behind. "She'll be okay."
"You know that I don't want to leave you guys, right?" Hermione asked, starting to get teary eyed herself. "If I could stay here and go to Hogwarts, I would."
"We know, baby."
Hermione turned around in her mother's arms and hugged her tightly. "I love you, mum."
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End Note: Hermione got her letter! Hermione got her letter! About time, right? Everything is going to be so much more exciting now! I'll see you guys next week!
Read and review!
Kelci
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