Disclaimer: All character and place names are the creation of J.K. Rowling.
A/N: I began to wonder one day how Hermione, who is so practical, would have responded to her Hogwarts letter. It seemed strange to me that she would have just accepted it right out. I rather think she would have been skeptical. She probably wouldn't be the only one, so I imagine that…well you'll see.
Hermione Granger made her typical jaunt to the mail box that morning, in her bunny slippers and her pink dressing gown. She looked at each envelope as she walked back to the house, seeing if anything was for her. She didn't even know why she bothered looking, there was rarely anything addressed to her. But one mustn't give up hope. Her spirits sank with each bill and credit card offer she saw, all addressed to her parents. When she got to the Popular Dentistry magazine at the bottom of the pile she thought she was out of luck. But then she saw the corner of an envelope sticking a bit off the side. She moved it to the top and was surprised to see her name on it. Her detail loving eyes also noted that there was no stamp.
She deposited the mail on the kitchen table and flipped her envelope over to open it. She was surprised to see an old fashioned wax seal on it, particularly when she looked closer and saw it was some sort of animal-ridden crest. She carefully opened it, not wanting to destroy the miniscule piece of art. She took out the Hogwarts letter and read it five times. After the fifth, she snorted and tossed it on the table. As she got up to get herself some sugar-free cereal she muttered honestly to herself.
Half-way through her cereal her father came down for his breakfast. He saw the letter and picked it up. "What's this?" he asked her, eyes already begging to scan the page.
"Oh some sort of joke I expect" said Hermione dismissively. "A waste of paper really."
"It's probably some sort of money scam" her father confirmed. "Forget about it." She did, until the next day when another one arrived. She tossed it right into the trash, but that wasn't the last to come. Over the next few days they came, and not just one...two or three at a time. She threw these all in the trash, where they belong as she told herself.
A week after the letter first arrived there were no more in the mail. There was however, a severe looking woman in what she thought was a very baggy black dress standing at the end of the drive way. She was comparing the numbers displayed on their house to the address written on a piece of paper she was holding. "Are you Miss Hermione J. Granger?" the woman inquired.
"Yes" she said uncertainly, not moving any closer to the strange woman.
"I am Minerva McGonagall" the woman informed her "Of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Did you get your letters?"
"Yes" Hermione said shortly "I'm not interested in money scams."
The woman's eyebrows raised. "I assure you Miss Granger this is not a money scam. Hogwarts is..." Just then her mother stuck her head out the door to see what was taking her daughter so long. "Who's that you're talking to dear?"
"Nobody" said Hermione quickly but McGonagall introduced herself anyway and asked if she could come in. Mrs. Granger looked up and down the street. People were emerging to get their post and milk bottles and she didn't want any funny questions later. "Well I guess you can" she said "but only just inside." McGonagall entered and wasted no time in saying "I get the impression Miss Granger does not believe Hogwarts really exists. Am I right?"
"Yes," said her mother "nor do I." Hermione's father came to investigate the sound of a strange voice. Mrs. Granger filled him in. "Right" he said "Now we all know there is no such thing as magic so Miss McGonagall if you'd kindly leave..."
"Magic does exist Mr. Granger" she interrupted. "We're just very good at hiding it. Now if you'd allow me to demonstrate" she pulled out a stick as she spoke "I'm sure that I could convince you."
"Is that meant to be a wand?" Hermione laughed "Where's the light up star on the end?"
"Miss Granger that is a gross misrepresentation of our kind. I would never be caught dead with one of those silly looking and useless things! Do you have any requests?"
The three Grangers stared at her blankly.
"I mean to say, is there anything you would like to see me do" she amended "with my magic."
"All right then" said Hermione, deciding to play along with this strange and confused woman "I've always wanted a cat. Make...make me a cat."
"Well for that I do not even need my wand" said McGonagall with a smile. Before their eyes she transformed herself in to a cat. She moved towards them and rubbed against their legs. Hermione picked her up wonderingly, looking into her face and picking up on the spectacle markings around her eyes. The cat freed itself from her grasp and transformed back into the woman almost as soon as she touched the ground.
"Do you believe in magic now Miss Granger?" she asked kindly.
"Y-yes I think so" she said feebly.
"Will you be attending our school in September then?" Hermione peered up into her parents' bewildered faces.
"We'll think about it" said Mr. Granger, squeezing his wife's hand.
McGonagall smiled "That's all I can ask."