Disclaimer: This should have gone in the first chapter, but I forgot – I don't own any of the characters used here. This is a fanfiction, nothing more. I am writing this because I love both series and had a plot bunny that popped into my head.

Kuro-Tan: Until I watch Nanoha ViVid, Vivio (who I've only seen in the manga so far and that was years ago) will only be mentioned, not seen. She'll also be older in this fic, but there's a good chance of her showing up, yes. I see her as Hermione's protective sister that likes to punch stupid bigots in the face. Except Draco, Hermione gets to do that.

Chapter 2 – Bombshells

Hermione was a happy child. She had two wonderful mothers and what she considered an extended family. That certain people seemed to hate her parents for some reason bothered her, but Mama Fate just told her to ignore them, that they had small minds and refused to learn.

Hermione loved learning. She had an insatiable appetite for knowledge. At 11, she spent more time with books than people...when she wasn't training with her mothers, at least.

"Hermione, come inside for a moment!" Fate called her from the doorway.

"Coming mom!" she called, and went back to the house. "What's that paper?"

Fate handed it over. "It's for you. The...owl that carried it is waiting for a reply, I think. We need to talk about this."

Hermione read the letter, blinking. "...aren't witchcraft and wizardry the same thing?"

Fate laughed. "You read an invitation to a magic school and that's the first thing you ask?"

"Well it doesn't make sense, does it, to say it like that. Can't it just be 'Hogwarts School of Magic' or something similar?"

She read it again. "...I want to meet this Professor McGonagall," she said, handing the letter back. "This is...all very sudden."

Fate smiled. "That's what I thought you'd say. I'll write back and ask her to come here."

In Magical England, Daphne Greengrass was getting her own Hogwarts letter. A pureblood heiress, she knew that she would be going to Hogwarts. That was only natural – she wasn't a squib. Her father was already making plans for them to go to Diagon Alley to buy her school supplies. The eleven year old blonde girl was a bundle of energy, running around the manor, already picturing herself with a wand in her hand and wearing the green-and-silver robes of Slytherin House.

"Daphne," her mother called her. "I need to speak with you about your time at Hogwarts."

Daphne immediately calmed down. When Mother used that tone, it was serious. She immediately went over to where she was sitting and sat in the chair across from her. "Yes, Mother?"

"During your time at Hogwarts, you will meet other Purebloods, as well as Halfbloods and Muggleborns. There will be children from families that believe differently to us. Take what I say to heart, Daphne: do not, under any circumstances, befriend Draco Malfoy. His family are not friends of us. Avoid the Weasleys and their friends too, they will only bring you trouble.

"What about Harry Potter?" Daphne asked, frowning. Her mother shook her head.

"His parents were both firmly in Dumbledore's camp, and he will likely be in Gryffindor, not Slytherin. Just like his parents, and just like the Weasleys."

She smiled. "Now, go get ready we're going to buy your school supplies today."

Daphne beamed and ran off.

At the heavily warded cottage where he lived with his godfather, Harry James Potter was also receiving his Hogwarts Letter. He cringed when Sirius laughed uproariously and slapped him on the back.

"Remember, Harry, don't make friends with any snakes. Evil, the lot of them," he said. "Make sure you get into Gryffindor, like the rest of the Marauders."

"Wasn't Wormtail in Gryffindor?" Harry asked, knowing it would shut his godfather up at least for a while.

"...yes, well..." Sirius shrugged. "He was the exception, not the rule. Oh! Don't even think about trying to be friendly to Malfoy's brat, he definitely won't be friendly to you."

"What about pranks?"

Sirius grinned. "Oh feel free to prank him, just don't get caught. Now, since I know Snivellus will pick on you because he hated your father, we're going to go over potions again. Years one to four at least."

"If he's a professor, shouldn't I at least try and be nice to him?"

Sirius scoffed and pulled out his wand, summoning a tome on potions. Not the Hogwarts standard textbook, of course, but a Black family tome one of the few that wasn't filled with dark potion recipes.

"I suppose, but don't just sit there and take his garbage. Albus trusts him, though for the life of me I don't know why, but he'll also look out for the well-being of his students, including you. Talk to the man, and if that doesn't work, owl me and I'll yell at him for you."

He opened the book. "Now, let's get started so that we can go buy your school gear as soon as possible, hm?"

While a Pureblood and a Halfblood were getting ready to go to Diagon Alley, the Takamachi household had a visitor. Nanoha was honestly surprised at the time it took for the black-haired woman in black robes to arrive at their house they had only send the Owl back an hour and a half ago.

"Please, come in", Nanoha said. "Oh, please take off your shoes. I grew up in Japan and as such don't wear shoes in the house. It's a custom."

Minerva McGonagall blinked at that but didn't want to be rude, so she took her shoes off and put them at the base of the steps leading into the house.

"Can I get you some tea? We have some lovely green tea, freshly grown in our greenhouse outside."

"Yes, thank you," Minerva replied as she followed Nanoha through to their living room. "I understand your daughter had questions?"

"Yes. My wife will be here momentarily with Hermione, and you can explain it to them while I prepare the tea. Please, have a seat."

If the old witch was surprised at the 'wife' comment, she didn't show it. Minerva sat down, looking around the living room. A sofa and two chairs surrounded a glass coffee table and what she assumed was one of those 'televisions' that muggles seemed to like so much. It was oddly flat, the last one she saw was big and bulky.

"Hello."

Minerva stood up as a young blonde woman walked in, a bushy haired child at her side. "Hello, Mrs. Takamachi, my name is Minvera McGonagall, Professor of Transfiguration and Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Please, call me Fate. This is our daughter, Hermione."

"Hello Professor," Hermione said politely.

The three sat down, and Minerva regarded the two. She knew that Hermione was Muggleborn, but not about her family. Had she been adopted?

"No doubt you have questions. First off, yes, magic is real."

Fate laughed as Hermione puffed out her cheeks. Minerva blinked. "I'm sorry, did I say something funny?"

Fate held up a finger, gathering magic into a sphere of light. "Nanoha and I are mages – what you might call witches, I guess. We use magic, just a different type. Hermione here has been learning it since she could walk." She saw Minerva's worried look and explained, "We know about the Statute and have kept it all secret, don't worry. We aren't actually part of your community, but Hermione was born in England and we chose to stay here so she could grow up in her home country."

Nanoha returned with the tea and a plate of biscuits, pouring Minerva's cup first. Fate continued to explain.

"We are from a group you may or may not have heard of, the Time Space Administration Bureau, or the TSAB. Call it by either name."

Minerva thanked Nanoha for the tea and sipped it. It was quite good. "Oh...yes, the Headmaster has mentioned your group in the past. So, am I to understand that Hermione won't be joining us?"

"Oh, she might," Fate said. "It's all up to her, of course. She's got a hunger for knowledge so I suspect that she'll enrol simply to learn a new branch of magic."

Nanoha poured the rest of the tea while Hermione gingerly took a biscuit and bit into it. "Our only question is one of safety," the brunette said as she sat down. "I was here 11 years ago, when those terrorists started attacking civilians, what you call Muggles. If they had been attacking magicals, I wouldn't have been able to help, but as it was, I was able to stop a group of them. I certainly hope they're in prison now."

She sipped her tea. "I understand that the terrorist leader, Voldemort..." she paused as McGonagall nearly dropped her tea in shock. "Did I say something wrong?"

"I'm sorry, it's just that nobody speaks his name out of fear of him."

Fate laughed. "I'm sorry, what? We're to understand that he's dead. The dead can't hurt you and we certainly won't shy away from using a name that's clearly fake."

Minerva knew of several ways that the dead could hurt people, not the least of which was the cuse that created Inferi. Light witches never spoke of that, however.

"Y-yes, well," she continued. "Hogwarts is the safest place in Magical Britain. Only the Ministry of Magic has wards that match those that surround the castle."

"Wards?" Nanoha asked. "Ah, protections? What kind?"

Hermione sat up straight. This was new magical knowledge already!

"Well," Minerva sipped her tea. "The wards, in time of great need, can form a barrier meant to withstand almost any assault. They also hide the castle from Muggles, to keep our students safe."

"From random people?" Fate's eyebrows shot up. "That seems a touch paranoid."

Nanoha put a hand on her wife's arm. "Fate, don't." She turned to the professor. "I don't suppose you could demonstrate some of your magic? Ours is mainly offensive, as Fate and I are the TSAB equivalents of your Aurors."

Minerva knew the laws, but seeing as these two were clearly magical themselves – albeit a completely different kind of magic that she was used to, and that their daughter was a witch – she knew it wouldn't be breaking any of those laws to demonstrate some of what Hermione would be learning at the school. She took out her wand.

"I need something to demonstrate with. Any object will do."

Fate put a pillow on the coffee table, curious to see what the old witch would do. With a simple wand motion, the pillow became a kitten. The three just stared.

"Is it alive?" Fate asked, curious. "If we tried to feed it, could it eat?"

Minerva shook her head. "It's changed and animated by magic. Eventually the spell will run out and the kitten will become a pillow again." She cast another spell, and the kitten became an exact copy of the teapot Nanoha had used. Yet another motion, and it was a bird. One final motion, and it was a pillow again.

"This is the subject I teach at Hogwarts, Transfiguration," Minerva explained. "There are many other classes too, each with their own teacher. I'm also proficient with charms, like so."

She silently cast a Windgardium Leviosa spell on the pillow, making it float. Nanoha and Fate both snorted while Hermione huffed.

"Just because you two can cast a flight spell on yourselves while I can't get it to work..." she said, folding her arms over her chest. Minerva's spell ended as she registered what Hermione said.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Fate shook her head. "One of the spells we use while in combat is a flight spell. Hermione can't get it to work and it bothers her."

"We...use brooms to fly," Minerva said, composing herself. Flight? Without brooms? Only the most skilled and powerful wizards and witches could do that as far as she knew. "There's a class on that too."

Hermione lit up at that. "I can learn to fly at this school? Now I really want to attend!"

Nanoha smiled at that. "Well, Professor, thank you for coming by so quickly. This Diagon Alley, though, we've never even heard of it."

Minerva nodded. She had expected that and reached into her robes, pulling out another scroll. "This is a map. There will be a man near the entrance, show him this map and the Hogwarts letter and you will be given access. You use different magic to us, but perhaps you'll be able to open the way yourselves?"

"Maybe," Fate looked thoughtful. "We'll just wait and see. Thank you, Professor."

Minerva stood up. "Miss Takamachi, I will see you on the First of September then."

Hermione stood up and nodded. "Of course, Professor. Thank you again."

Minerva nodded primly, but stopped for a moment, thinking of something. "I should mention, in the Wizarding World, there is a caste of wizards and witches known as Purebloods. It is common for them to be known by titles, usually Lord or Lady."

Fate shared a look with her wife and shrugged. "Thank you for the warning, Professor, but I hope you don't expect our daughter to call her fellow students 'Lord' or 'Lady'?"

"Of course not," Minerva said. "Just their parents."