Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape apperated into a nice neighborhood, their task clear—they were to educate three muggleborn students about the new world they were about to enter into. They glanced around their surroundings to see just what sort of people they were dealing with. The neighborhood spoke of people better then middle-class, but not exactly rich. White collar jobs, certainly.
Approaching the nice looking home they'd appeared in front of, they were greeted by nice gardens and a barking German Shepherd mix-breed, who seemed extremely happy to see them. The dog was followed by a young girl with bushy brown hair and chocolate eyes.
"Are you Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall?" she asked curiously.
"We are. And who might you be?"
"Hermione Granger. We've been expecting you, Professors. Please come in and meet the family. This is Starlight, or Star." The girl began introductions like a good hostess with the dog. Snape just gave off a grimace that Hermione thought was supposed to be a smile. McGonagall was much warmer in her greeting, reaching out a hand for the mix breed to sniff.
Hermione lead the two teachers inside the house, which was proved to be a warm inviting place. There were a couple of chew toys lying in the front hall, and a stuffed unicorn had been left on the sofa as they were led into the sitting room.
"Everyone, the professors are here!" Hermione called into the house, bringing out the Granger parents from what seemed to be the kitchen and footsteps sounding from upstairs. The Professors correctly assumed it to be the adopted siblings, Harry and Amber.
The letter had said that they were in for a shock at the first meeting, giving the two teachers time to brace themselves, but that all seemed to matter none when the duo came into the room, taking a seat next to the abandoned stuffed unicorn. Snape and McGonagall both felt their jaws drop and their eyes bug out as the two-headed Granger twins came in, looking rather excited.
The duo was wearing clothing that seemed to have been specially made to combine the two different fashion senses. Harry's side was navy blue with a matching cream t-shirt. Amber's was more girly, bright pink t-shirt depicting a unicorn and sky blue. It didn't really match, but Amber did not seem to care at all.
Hermione frowned at her siblings. She, too, had been trying to appear formally, wearing what appeared to be a school uniform. The parents were dressed conservatively as well. Neither professor noticed as they tried to close their mouths and look more professional then they currently did.
It didn't work for another five minutes.
Amber had swiped the unicorn in that time and held it in her shared lap, Harry looking resigned more then anything else, while Hermione teased the dog with another chew toy and the parents just sat patiently. They seemed perfectly unconcerned about the lost composure of their guests, and McGonagall mused that it was no wonder. It must happen all the time.
Hermione noticed them coming back around first and started in on the questions.
"Why didn't we know about Hogwarts before now? Can we take Star? Where will we go shopping? Does magic really exist?"
Amber and Harry sniggered mightily at the stunned expressions on the teachers' faces as they tried to translate the girl's fast-paced speech. The Granger parents sighed and gave their biological daughter a hard look.
"Now slow down. They'll tell us everything you want to know in a minute. Give them a few seconds to get used to your sister and brother." The father scolded. Hermione looked contrite, apologizing.
"To start off with, I would like to say that magic does indeed exist, and that you three are indeed magical. Hogwarts is a boarding school in Scotland, and offers many subjects, most of which are taken for five years before being considered for dropping. At the end of your second year, Hogwarts asks that you chose electives for the next three years to add to your basic education."
"What is offered as electives versus basic?"
"Basic classes include such things as Potions, which Professor Snape teaches, Transfiguration, which I teach, and Charms, taught by Professor Flitwick, to name a few. Electives available at the end of second year are things like Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, a worthless subject in my opinion taught by a fraud named Trelawney, and Muggle Studies."
"Most students usually take the class because it is essentially an easy to pass class. Trelawney is most fanatical about her chosen subject, but her ways leave many students teasing her behind her back, and she always takes her homework assignments seriously, allowing many students to pass so long as they have an active imagination." Snape inserted into the conversation.
"So, if Hogwarts is a boarding school and as prestigious as the letters made it sound, then how much is tuition?" asked Harry slowly.
"It depends on the student, normally. Your birth parents knew you were destined for Hogwarts and left you a wizarding account for your school fees, Mr. Granger, and your sisters will have to be decided upon between your parents and us." McGonagall answered, making sure to respect Harry and Amber's request, even if Snape did not.
Harry blinked, but nodded anyway. Looking unsure, he glanced at his adoptive family. Mr. and Mrs. Granger nodded, Hermione smiled and Amber smirked.
"If you would, please, what happened to my parents? I knew I was a Potter before being adopted, but nothing else. The Dursleys hated it when I asked questions and they dumped me in an orphanage after Amber and I bonded."
"They left you in an orphanage?" McGonagall, for one, was aghast. Harry nodded.
"Well, they actually left us in an alley in London, telling me that they had had enough of my freakiness and that they would not stand for having an even bigger freak in their house. Amber was the one to get us to an orphanage, as that's where she had been before that horrid man took her. What happened to my parents?"
Even Snape was appalled by this, and he was secretly using his special technique to detect lying. He replied, "Your parents, Granger, were murdered by a powerful, evil wizard after being betrayed by their supposed best friend. You are a hero in the magical world under the surname Potter, because you defeated him that night. You are the Boy-Who-Lived."
"Boy-Who-Lived? What kind of name is that?" asked Amber, winkling her nose.
"It is the name of a baby boy who somehow managed to turn the deadly Avada Kedavra curse, the Killing Curse, back at its castor." Snape replied, in a tone that said he was barely capable of continued politeness. Amber gave him a blank stare.
"Who was the Murderer?" asked Hermione quietly.
"The Dark Lord." answered Snape promptly. McGonagall sighed and added onto the man's answer.
"His name was Voldemort. But everyone is terrified of him even now, and just call him You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
Amber stared at them, as did Hermione and Harry. The Granger parents had been properly horrified at the news that Harry's biological parents had been murdered, and were now watching the conversation play out.
"So, what's your name? Outside of Professor, anyway? Does it have hyphens in it too?" asked Amber, looking genuinely curious. Harry snorted, glancing at his sister. "What? It's true!! All three of those names have at least two hyphens in them, and the last has five alone!" Amber exclaimed defensively.
"Voldemort is French, isn't it? I seem to recall hearing it in our French lessons…" Hermione mused aloud.
"Flight of Death. It's in three parts, although he's managed to combine them quite nicely." Amber replied to her sister's musings. "Although full English Translation means that his name was the Dark Lord Flight of Death, which sounds idiotic."
"Always wondered why the French never joined forces with him." muttered Snape.
"We're getting off topic, though. Where do we go shopping for school supplies, and how are we going to pay for all this, or do you magic people use normal money?" asked Amber, returning her attention to the forgotten professors.
"No, we have our own monetary system. You can bring some money of your own and get it exchanged at the bank. Warning: it's run by goblins."
"Fun. Well then, shall we get a move on? After all, we don't have forever, do we?" asked Harry.
The Granger parents stood up. "Harry is correct. We'll drive to the general location. Where is this shopping center?" asked Mr. Granger.
"Charring Cross Road." answered Snape promptly. He nodded and headed out. The others all followed.
And Star was left to her own devices for the time.
After a harrowing experience in a car, the Professors were only too glad to get out of the vehicle and head towards the Leaky Cauldron. That is not to say that the Grangers were reckless drivers, they weren't, but Snape and McGonagall hadn't appreciated the couple of close calls they'd had.
With the help of their children, Mr. and Mrs. Granger were led into the magical Leaky Cauldron and back into a empty alleyway with a blank brick wall. Everyone save Amber turned to stare incredulously at their guides. Amber just looked bored.
Amber reached out to look at the bricks lying directly before her, folded in a little from the rest of the wall. She tapped first one, then another. Everyone stared at her.
"What are you doing?" asked Hermione. Amber tapped a third brick, causing the wall to start moving.
"Opening the portal into Diagon Alley. Why do you ask?"
"How did you do that?" demanded McGonagall, staring incredulously at the girl.
"Like Harry said, the Dursleys dumped us in an alley, and I got us to an orphanage. It took some time for me to find it, though, and we sort of stumbled on the Cauldron in the process. Harry was too busy coming to grips with the fact that his relatives had abandoned him to notice some witch or another opening the brick wall. I memorized the pattern."
"Well, I guess that explains it then." said Snape, still gawking at her. Harry stared at his twin. "On to Gringotts, shall we?"
"You watched a witch open a brick wall and didn't tell me?" Harry sounded insulted and slightly hurt as he stared.
"I kinda forgot, Harry. I didn't think you were ready to know, as your only relatives had just dumped you, and after we got to the orphanage it never came up. Besides, you wouldn't have believed me if I had told you."
Hermione was ignoring her siblings in favor of trying to take in the Alley all in one go, something for which she needed about a hundred more eyes. She was utterly amazed at the scenery before her. There were witches and wizards walking around in robes of all sorts and sizes, buying and selling their wares.
Harry and Amber decided to drop their conversation and also looked around the alley. Harry, like Hermione, was amazed. Amber was just curious. Yes, she was new to all this magic stuff too, but she had quite the active imagination, and magic was a very well liked topic for her.
"And here we are. Welcome to the wizarding bank, Gringotts, the best place to store your money and various other valuables." Snape drawled as he headed up the steps, Hermione and her parents in tow. McGonagall brought up the rear, herding the twins in after. Amber waved cheerfully at the goblin that bowed them in.
"Mr. Granger, you and your sister will accompany Professor McGonagall to the vault that your parents set up for your schooling. I will take your parents and sister to get their muggle money exchanged." Snape explained the itinerary. Harry nodded, and followed the stern witch over to a free goblin teller.
"Mr. Potter-Granger would like to make a withdrawal, please." McGonagall said primly, handing over a golden key. The goblin looked first at the key, then at Harry, looking rather stunned at the sight of a two-headed person. Snapping out something in a language neither Harry nor Amber had ever heard, he waved another goblin over.
"Vault 406, Potter trust fund." The teller told the lackey, who nodded and motioned the three humans to follow him. The twins let McGonagall go first.
A wild cart ride later—much enjoyed by Amber and Harry both—the goblin was opening a heavy looking door to allow green smoke billow out into the vast caverns that seemed to make up the foundation of the bank. The twins stared in awe at the mounds of money staring at them in the face.
"And this is all for me?" asked Harry weakly. Amber looked around the vault.
"Yes, although you could probably use it to pay for your sister as well, seeing how you're…" McGonagall trailed off, unsure how to end that sentence.
"Bonded?" offered Harry with a smile. McGonagall nodded, taking the suggestion. Harry turned to his sister, who was in conversation with the goblin and wasn't paying attention.
"How much is in this vault and does Gringotts offer interest on their vaults like a muggle bank does?" she asked the goblin, who seemed rather astounded at the question. Snapping his fingers, a parchment materialized from thin air, and he looked it over.
"There is currently 14,000 galleons, 8 sickles and 4 knuts in this vault, earning a interest of 3 percent annually." He reported.
Amber blinked and looked at Harry. "That's a lot, I think." she replied.
"Yes, more then enough to pay your first two years at Hogwarts for the both of you." McGonagall inserted. As she went through standard procedure of informing muggleborns about the magical currency, she helped the duo sweep up enough cash to get supplies. Amber took it all in as a true Ravenclaw would, while Harry seemed to only take it in by half, too busy admiring the coins themselves to really pay attention.
They met the rest of their group in the lobby of the bank, where the goblins politely, for goblins, ushered them out. Snape scowled, while Hermione, Harry and Amber took in the alley, and argued softly amongst themselves. The Granger parents, resigned to their children's antics, waited calmly for the next part of their journey to begin.
"What are you three plotting?" demanded Snape, not unkindly (for Snape). The Grangers looked at him innocently.
"Nothing, actually. We're trying to agree on where to go first. Hermione wants to look at the books, Harry wants to go looking at the nearest sports store and I would like to get our wands." Amber answered honestly.
The two teachers exchanged glances, both knowing all about wand selection.
"Might I suggest we get wands first? That always takes the longest, and then you'll have plenty of time to browse for other things." McGonagall suggested. Hermione and Harry both looked disappointed, but brightened a little at the thought of looking through their chosen shops longer.
So, the Grangers were led to a dusty looking little shop called Ollivander's. Inside, it was even dustier, almost all available wall space taken up by long slender boxes, undoubtedly holding wands. It seemed deserted, until a creepy-sounding voice spoke from behind them.
Ollivander was a thin old man with pale eyes that seemed to look through you rather then at you. Hermione backed up nervously as she eyed him, Harry stepped back as well, while Amber stared back at the man, seemingly unfazed by his odd stare. The Granger parents just gawked.
Ollivander seemed as thrown by the twins as the family was by him. Just as it had never occurred to the staff of Hogwarts, it had never occurred to Ollivander that there might be people sharing bodies, or body parts. It became blatantly apparent when one took in their first sight of Diagon that the Magical World was behind the times, rather drastically too.
It was decided by all that Hermione would be the easier of the three and Ollivander went about matching her up with her wand, rambling all the while about the "wand chooses the wizard" and everything else they really didn't need to know. It took about ten minutes before the vine wood wand holding a dragon heartstring core came into the girl's possession, which suited her just fine.
Then the wand maker turned his attention to Harry and Amber.
"Are you two related?" he asked, noting that they looked nothing alike. Harry shook his head.
"No. We were two separate people until we were five, when we made a wish and our magic responded to it. I was Harry Potter then, and she was Amber Slivermoon."
"Well, let's see what we can do about getting you a wand then, shall we? Or two wands, maybe. You'll have to forgive me, as I have never encountered this situation before." Ollivander spoke, randomly moving through his shop and collecting quite the pile of boxes, which he then stacked on his desk. He separated them into two piles, which he then placed in front of each twin.
Harry tried each and every wand in the pile, and then some, and he wasn't the only one getting frustrated at his lack of success. Ollivander, it seemed, was thrilled, however, causing Hermione to stare at him. Amber hadn't actually touched her pile at all, just stared at it like she could see the answers of the universe in the boxes or something.
After a ridiculously long time, Harry was the proud new owner of Voldemort's brother wand, an eleven inch holly wand with a phoenix feather. The Grangers were slightly horrified to learn about its connection to Voldemort, and the two professors were greatly disturbed by this.
Amber, however, got over her misgivings about her brother's new wand to glance curiously at the wand maker.
"Do you think we could just try unicorn cores for a bit, sir? I've always loved unicorns, and you did mention that you used them as cores."
Ollivander arched an eyebrow, but nodded anyway. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. It's often that much easier to find a wand if the core animal is something you have a particular affinity to."
Amber's wand did indeed have a unicorn core, made of willow wood. The unicorn, according to Ollivander, that the core came from was a shy little creature, but very nice nonetheless.
With their new wands in their boxes, the trio of children headed back out into Diagon Alley, where Hermione won the debate and the bookstore, Flourish and Blotts, became their new destination. Hermione looked like she had just entered heaven as she looked around at the shelves, while Harry sniggered at her look. Amber, as always, looked curious, studying the nearest books (about politics) interestedly.
"Hermione, you may get only three books extra. Harry, since you're paying for yourself and, presumably, Amber, you can set your own limits." Mr. Granger ordered sternly. Hermione looked disappointed at first, before she eagerly began browsing the shelves. Harry nodded at his father and turned to his sister.
"I know you like books, and I also know you're not as fanatical about it as 'Mione. But try not to get too many, okay?" he asked. Amber nodded.
"I figured I'd find a section or two that interested me most and just choose a couple of books from there. Nothing serious, as I also want to glance through our school books."
"Brilliant. I'll do the same. Course books or extra books first?"
"Course books are easier to get. We already know what we're looking for." Amber pointed out. Harry nodded and they made their way through the stacks. The Professors, having listened to the conversation, turned to the Granger parents.
"They are amazingly well matched, aren't they?" asked McGonagall. Mrs. Granger smiled.
"From what we know, it didn't always start out that way. It took them years of practice before they figured out a pattern so that it looks like their actually walking rather then waddling or something. It was trial and error for awhile, especially with clothes. It wasn't till Harry remembered that they were both used to doing all sorts of chores and could both sew that they managed to figure out outfits."
"They sew their own clothes?" asked Snape, shocked. Mr. Granger shook his head, chuckling.
"No, my wife means that they fix up their clothing a bit so they don't spend an hour arguing over what to wear. As you can see, their taste of fashion is highly different. What normally happens now is that they find something they both like and alternate it so that both of them can wear it at the same time."
"I had wondered how something so formal could fit together with something so relaxed." McGonagall mused aloud, remembering her first observance of the outfits. Amber's unicorn t-shirt didn't really go with Harry's which seemed almost like something for a suit.
Hermione had finally managed to find the three books she wanted the most, while Harry and Amber had gotten several more. Amber's were mostly animal based, with a few thrown in about enchanting, while Harry held several prank books and some Rune books.
With the books purchased, it was on to the Apothecary for Potions supplies, their telescopes for Astronomy, and Madam Malkin's for robes. Eeylops Owl Emporium gave Amber her needed supplies to look after her new familiar, and a quick stop around Quality Quidditch Supplies garnered some Quidditch books for Harry's pile.
The Grangers insisted on getting ice cream at Fortescue's, which the Professors allowed with good grace. Amber eagerly devoured a cone while her sister and brother enjoyed sundaes. The adults even got a dish for themselves. After ice cream, they headed back to the Leaky Cauldron, and the Grangers' car.
"Now, you have to take the Express train to Hogwarts, which leaves promptly at 11 am on September First. The platform number is Nine and Three Quarters, which is accessible by running through the barrier between platforms Nine and Ten. Your owl can remain at Hogwarts till then, unless it finds its way back to you on its own." McGonagall was instructing along the way. It was obvious that neither professor wanted to get back in the car.
"What about Star?" asked Harry, looking at his professors pleadingly. "We aren't going to leave her ten months out of the year, are we?"
"Not unless you want to. I know the approved pet list is short, and we really should revise that. There are several people who bring other pets not on that list each year. If I recall correctly, the Weasleys bring their pet rat with them each year." Snape turned to look at McGonagall questioningly. She nodded.
"Yes they do. Although it will probably be going to one of the younger ones this year, as Percy has been made prefect." She informed him. Snape just sighed.
"You'll have to decide between yourselves, preferably before getting to Hogwarts, who your dog will stay with should you be sorted into different Houses. Otherwise, all you need to do is bring her on leash to the train. We assume you can provide the needed supplies on your own, and you'll probably be allowed to run around the grounds with her when necessary." Snape finished the explanation.
"Provided, of course, that you promise to stay away from the forbidden areas." McGonagall added. They nodded.
"Well, that's all you probably need to know for now, as Houses will be explained to the whole year group at Hogwarts. We'll see you in a few weeks, Mr. Granger, Misses Granger." Snape bid them farewell and disappeared with a sharp crack. McGonagall also bid them goodbye and left.
That night found the three Grangers buried in their new books. Hermione was reading a history book, Amber had immersed herself in a book about magical equines, and Harry was studying a Quidditch book. The Granger parents had also snuck glances at the textbooks, and were discussing all the things their children would need before September First.
It was decided that they would go out next week to get all necessary supplies, most of which was the dog care things that the trio would need for Starlight while they were away. Starlight seemed content to sit with the family, quietly gnawing on a chew toy.
All five family members were up late that night, three of the five reading. The Granger parents were not, however, reading, but trying to let go of their children a little. After all, their babies, even if two were by adoption, were going away to boarding school, and the house would seem mighty empty with them gone. It would seem even emptier because Star was going with them.
As time passed, things got settled. Hermione made lists of all they needed to pack, and they bought all other supplies that weren't necessarily magical in origin. Starlight was carefully prepared for going away, and the family spent as much time as was possible together.
Finally, it was the First, and the Grangers, packed and ready to go, headed to Kings Cross and the magical platform between nine and ten. Nervous and excited, the trio said goodbye to their parents and, Starlight on her leash, boarded the rather beautiful red steam engine that would transport them to the newest chapter of their lives.
And the most magical chapter of their lives.
There. At Ten pages, I figured it would be better to split shopping and sorting, which will come in the next chapter. I think the end was a little rushed, but I couldn't honestly figure out how to end it without either going straight through to the sorting or leaving several weeks between the shopping trip and September First. I also don't know a thing about banking, and am not sure just how much 3 percent really is. Then there's the fact that I'm currently focused on Wild Thornberrys outside of my Harry obsession…
Werewolf of Suburbia.
P.S. I apologize for taking so long, but I had a heck of a time trying to figure out what wood to give Amber. I'm a May baby, and after learning about the Celtic Calendar, that would be my wood. I need to research it more for my own personal gain…