So English is not my first language and I don't have a beta, so all mistakes are mine
Don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters. Enjoy.
Chapter 1
Hermione Granger had always been an early riser, her parents had educated her into seize the day from its first rays, but that was not the reason why she was awake when the rest of the inhabitants of Grimmauld place 12 were deeply asleep. With the agility of a cat, Hermione slid out of bed and ventured to the library of the house, like the school, this place was her favorite, her sanctuary, when Mrs. Weasley was not making her and the rest of her children clean and making the place livable, Hermione spent her time reading old books on spells and potions that once belonged to the Black family.
But the reason to do it at this, was to read the not so innocent books, although very interesting and rare, the books covered topics that she could find in the library of Hogwarts. No, Hermione wanted to read the books that were in the back that covered several bookshelfs, the ones that Sirius had warned them were dangerous and then Mrs. Weasley had forbidden to touch, that were the ones, the books that she couldn't read in front of her friends.
Hermione had always been a curious girl, a blessing and curse given by her high intelligence, when she found something interesting, a mystery or a secret, her mind was unable to leave it alone, forget it and move on to something else, not her mind became obsessed until it the secret was revealed, Hermione will research for days, weeks and months if necessary, but she had to have her answer, or she will lose her sleep, had nightmares, her mind will go crazy around the issue. It was often said that she was too curious, too intense and her need to be a know-it-all was insufferable, the people was bothered or uncomfortable by her and her questions and a lot of time, she was either ignored or bully.
Like the time when Hermione became interested in where the babies came from, her classmates believed that they were brought by a bird and others that it was an act of magic, but she found all these absurd explanations, with only 6 years, she undertook the search of finding the truth and explaining to others. She started by asking question to her parents, Jean and Graham Granger had blushed, stammered the entire time, and in the end she wasn't given an answer but a start, it was some sort of medical procedure of what she understood. So, she went to the public library and ask for books about the making of babies, just to be told that she was too young for looking at those books.
She was angry and more determined than ever, alone she found dozens of books, she spent a week reading books from human anatomy, to sex books and finally giving birth. Happy with her discoveries, she went the next day to school explain her new knowledge with the other kids. But that became a disaster, the school receive complains about her and what she had done, some of the children were scared of what was told, and the parents were furious. In the end the school called her parents and warned them to stop her daughter of saying more. Jean tried to explain that she was not wrong but because Hermione was not ashamed of calling the things for their name and she was very thorough, people was uncomfortable with the subject.
Hermione didn't understood, from what she read it was perfectly normal and yet everyone act like she was summoning the devil or something like that. It became a taboo and the rest of the kids avoid her, it was the start of her loneliness and her rejection for her knowledge, but at the same time she learned something valuable, that there were some things that it was better not to share, it didn't meant that she wasn't going to read it, just not talk about it. And just like sex, she was reading about Dark Arithmancy at 5 in the morning, in the dark, illuminated just with a candle, with the purpose of knowing but unable to share.
Eventually her reading was interrupt with the noises of people getting up, Crookshanks jump into her lap. The smart cat was like an alarm, when people started to wake up, he will come by to signal the others were up and give her time to hide the book and the parchments, so to not alert the others of what she was doing. In her way to the kitchen she found sleepy Weasleys moving around slowly that didn't notice something strange. Like the other days, breakfast was noisy, Hermione was used to a small family, being only three, but in the quarters of the Order, there were the entire Ginger clan, Sirius and her, plus some members that came to rest and eat or just informed the current actions taken against the Dark Lord.
"Children, today we are cleaning 3 more bedrooms, it may be necessary to host some other people" announce Mrs. Weasley, as expected, everyone groaned, specially Ron, even if the twins were capable of using magic now that they were seventeen, her mother was in the belief that the task should be done the muggle way, to teach character.
"No way, the last room we cleaned was full of spiders" complained Ron next to her, Hermione snort at that, when they were cleaning the room, they found a small nest behind the closet, Ron started screaming like a little girl and pushed her way out of the room, it was up to her an Ginny to get rid of it
"Yeah, some hero are you Ron" teased Fred
"Pretty sure all the neighborhood heard your screams" George back his twin at the same time making a motion with his hand like a spider crawling his brother arm, Ron blushed and mumble something about disgusting insects and the forbidden forest.
After breakfast, the three of them, Ginny, Ron and Hermione went to one room, while Fred and George took other room, without wands, which make them complained the entire morning. As expected, there were spiders, which cause a lot more screaming. Also they found something living in the closet, but without wands to help them they left it there, Ginny suggested that it may be a boggart, hopefully it would not be more doxies, she and the rest where still recovering from their bites.
"I receive another letter from Harry" said Ron with a guilty expression "He's asking if he can come to the Burrow and if I heard anything new" Ginny and Hermione both look the same as him, knowing that Dumbledore didn't want Harry to know anything seem unfair, but all of them promised not to say anything in their letters, it was hard, especially because Harry keep pushing for information and she could tell that he was getting angry and frustrated and that was never good, she had known him well enough that if this kept going, he will eventually do something rash and stupid.
"We promised Ron" was her lame answer, he look downcast
"I know" after that the three of them return to the task.
Lunch was the same, the food was good as same as the company, it was just the house that was dark and gloomy, and that they weren't allowed to go out, she was starting to get claustrophobic, but she couldn't complain that much, in a few weeks they were to return to Hogwarts and she will definitely will enjoy a walk in the lake for fresh air, but Sirius was to stay there, for a year, Sirius like Harry was being kept bound by Dumbledore, Sirius was after all a criminal in the loose, and he couldn't very well go to Diagon Alley for a stroll, he was restless, and she didn't blame him, logically she understood why, but still, being here and have to listen Wallburga Black scream "Filthy mudbloods and Blood traitors" was maddening.
After lunch they return to clean the room, and for their bad luck it was another nest of doxies, none where excited about it, Mrs. Weasley said they could take care of them after dinner. In their break of that, Hermione wanted to read a bit before dinner, maybe look at her notes of dark Arithmancy that was currently her new focus, Ginny was talking with Ron about Quidditch so no one will bother her but for her surprise, the library, was not empty as always, Professor McGonagall was there. "Miss Granger I thought that I will find you here" she greeted her with a small smile and kind eyes, Hermione knew was only for her, the woman was hard and strict in school but since third year she was kind towards her in private, especially in the rare occasions of having tea together, the little witch felt so honored of this things that she could help the big smile appearing in her face.
"Professor! Nice to see you, are you here for a meeting?" she asked sitting in one of the couches, McGonagall was having a cup of tea with a book
"No, just checking how things are around here, tell me, how are you doing?" the older witch asked at the same time that conjuring another cup and preparing tea for the younger one, they were so used to their talks with tea that it was almost automatically
"It's …." Hermione didn't know what to say, it was boring except of the books in dark arts, but she couldn't very well talk about with her favorite teacher, it was her secret guilty pleasure, her VERY secret guilty pleasure, McGonagall didn't miss the pause and cast a small teasing smile
"That bad?" both laughed at this. The tea was good, and as expected, the professor knew how to do it perfectly for her. "I bought you this hopefully it will help you pass the time before school"
McGonagall produce a magazine from her robes, and handed it to Hermione, opening curious her small grew at seeing that it was the new number of Transfiguration Today "Thank you Professor", but was receive with a stern look that cause her to blush "Mi….Minerva" she corrected a little shy, it was at the end of the last year, before the last task that the older witch had asked her to call her by her name, which Hermione tend to forget.
"You are very welcome…..Hermione" this cause her to blush more and to the other to laugh a little "So tell me are you nervous for this year and the coming O. ?"
"No way, I'm very excited, I already read some books that we will cover this year and from the curriculum, if I get an O I could take Transfiguration to NEWT level, that where you see about animagus" Hermione was practically bouncing in her seat, while Minerva was smiling at her enthusiasm, the girl was such an anomaly, reading ahead of her time and interesting in a very hard subject.
"Animagus? Are you interested in becoming one?" the girl nod "Since when?"
"The subject was always very fascinating, but after third year with all the business with Sirius and Pettigrew became very much my goal" she said, 'also because I admired you and want to be like you when I'm older', but she didn't said anything "I read a lot of theory about it, it's the practice that I am missing"
The witch frown, for one side she was proud of seeing her favorite student so interested in that, after all in warm her heart so much for personal reasons, but the other side, it was a very difficult magic, and very risky if tried to do it alone, James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew were very lucky to pull it off, a lot of witches and wizards had fallen into the animals mind and lost their humanity, others couldn't make the transfiguration properly and ended in St. Mungo's with permanent damage. Minerva was very aware of the inquisitive mind of Hermione and that she tended to take risk with magic above her year, and she had the suspicion that the younger witch couldn't wait to seventh year class.
"Hermione, have you tried already the transfiguration?" the blush was her answer, 'but of course what did you expected? She's just like you', with a sigh she massage the bridge of her nose "How far did you get?" the girl was wary to answer, afraid of having angered the older witch, in truth she wasn't that far, with Harry and the Triwizard Tournament she didn't have much time for her independent studies.
"Not far really, I'm still looking for my inner animal, it's ….. hard" at that was an understatement, it was bloody difficult, from the book of 'Animagus, the art of animal shape-shifting', the author wrote that you needed to have a deep understanding of your personality, of your mind, of your character, of how you are and why you were like that to find your inner animal spirit.
The book gave some advice of meditation techniques, but the main thing was to learn how to quite your mind and listen to your soul, and there was the problem, Hermione's mind was like a hurricane, she was always thinking she had several thoughts at once, she had a lot of noise, and couldn't stay still unless she was immerse in a book. It was a bunch of psychological stuff combined with yoga philosophy. Plus the fact that it also talked about magic of the third eye and sixth sense that remained her of her third year with Trelawney.
McGonagall look contemplative for a while, looking at Hermione with a frown but analysing eyes, but before she got the chance to reach a decision, the door was opened abruptly and Mr. Weasley entered hurriedly "Harry was expelled from Hogwarts!", Minerva recovered first from the shock and left the room followed by the red head, Hermione stay there, in shock, her mind unable to understand how was this possible.
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johnsocz: thanks for the review and so to explain some stuff, in this story Minerva McGonagall is going to be a pureblood, I'm going to try and follow the events of The Order of Phoenix just as a guideline, they won't be exactly the same but some scenes might be just like the book, also Bellatrix Lestrange is going to be dark and violent but also more approachable and Hermione more dark.