Harry Potter and the Magic of Music.
This is a Harry/Hermione story taking place in before attending Hogwarts.
Rating is K with the possibility of raising it to T later.
JKRowling owns the characters and settings. I only play in her sandbox and make no money from this.
Chapter 3: New Understandings
That evening was a hurried affair before the Grangers arrived. Harry and Petunia rushed getting together a decent meal, after all, it simply wouldn't do to serve a meal to guests that wasn't the best they could do. With the extra money Harry now had, they had splurged a bit and were able to set a very nice dinner that Harry and Petunia hadn't had in years. Petunia couldn't believe that her nephew had that much money. It was a relief not to have to skimp anymore. Fresh vegetables, something they always had, but not in the variety they could afford now. Both preferred a less heavy meal than they used to have with Vernon and Dudley, but that didn't mean that they couldn't have a very nice stew that Harry made. He'd learned a few tricks cooking for the Dursleys and Petunia made sure he knew how to cook. Not that she was treating him like that anymore, but the lessons were well learned. The potatoes were baking and the desert was the only thing left to prepare. Harry's favourite was a bread pudding with chocolate infused inside. And a whipped topping of course. He had just finished the preparations when the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it dear, you set the table," Petunia told him.
Opening the door, she was startled to see not the Grangers, but a very old man with a long white beard and dressed very strangely. He wore a purple somewhat pointed hat and a robe of all things. The robe was very unique in that it had stars and moons and planets woven into it, but even odder was the seeming movement of those decorations. Petunia thought; 'This man is definitely a wizard.'
"Hello, may I help you?" she asked, afraid of the answer.
"Good evening Petunia. My name is Albus Dumbledore. I'm the headmaster of the school your sister Lily and her husband James attended. I just came to check on young Mr. Harry Potter. I'm afraid I've been remiss in not doing so before now. I won't be long, may I come in?"
Petunia hesitated, not wanting to be rude, but expecting the Grangers at any moment, it was an awkward time to receive an unexpected guest. However, needs must be met. "Come in Headmaster, I'm afraid we're expecting guests but …"
"Ah yes, the Grangers. I may as well see them also, since I'm here. I won't impose any longer than necessary.
Petunia ushered the wizard, for that was very apparent now that that was what he was, into the lounge. "Harry," she called, "can you come into the lounge room please?"
"One moment Aunt Petunia. Are the Grangers here?"
Albus looked around, noting the pictures of an apparently happy young boy placed on the mantle over the fireplace. The smiling boy looked the spitting image of his father. "Mrs Dursley? Where is your son and husband?"
Petunia glared at the old man, practically spitting out her response. I divorced that no good man and he took Dudley with him. Good riddance, if you ask me. Harry is all I have and a finer boy I have yet to see. I've taken my maiden name of Evans and I'll thank you not to mention that evil man's name again."
Albus blinked in surprise. How had he missed that? "I'm sorry to hear that, however, moving on, I'm happy that Harry seems to be loved. I was loathe to leave him here that night, but you are his only living relative."
"Well, it was a hard few years for Harry. My ex husband disliked him from the start and would have sent him away if he'd had his way. As it was, he treated Harry harshly until I kicked him out and had him charged with assault. We've, that is Harry and I, have been scraping by with the little the courts awarded us. Now that has changed. We went to Gringotts today."
Albus blanched at this news. Harry Potter mistreated by Vernon? He'd never have believed that relatives would treat their family that way. Fortunately, things seemed to have worked out.
The doorbell rang once again as Harry entered the lounge. He stared at the old man questioningly. "Hello? And you are?" he asked politely as Petunia left to answer the door once more.
"Hello Harry," Albus greeted the young scion of the Ancient and Noble House Potter. "My name is Professor Albus Dumbledore. When you reach the ripe old age of eleven, you will attend my school. I'm the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
The Grangers had been led in by Petunia and heard the introduction.
"Ah, the Grangers have arrived, good. And you must be young Hermione," he smiled delightedly. "Doctors Granger, I'm happy to say that your daughter along with Mr. Potter will be invited to attend my school when they reach the appropriate age. Hermione is a bit older than Harry, but they will both start at the same time. September first is the cut off date for acceptance on new students. You must be eleven by that date. Now, Mr. Ollivander alerted me that Mr. Potter was in his shop today and displayed an inordinate amount of magic."
Petunia winced at that; it had been a near thing. He could have destroyed the shop with the gout of flame that issued from that wand. Having greeted Monica and Wendell, she seated them on the sofa while Hermione walked over and hugged Harry.
"Hi Harry," she grinned. So it's true, we're magical."
Albus greeted Hermione. "Yes Miss Granger, you're both magical. I'd like to do a small test to see how strong your magic is, if you don't mind too much?"
"Yes, sir," they both answered.
Albus approached the pair and separating them waved his wand and said a quiet incantation; first over Harry and then Hermione, frowning when he interpreted the results. "Interesting, and yet most disturbing. You two seem to have an affinity for each other. Nothing to worry about, but would you mind holding hands while I run the test again?"
As the did so, Albus repeated the incantation while carefully scanning the pair with his wand. He smiled widely at the results. "Remarkable! You two are almost a matched pair. If I didn't know otherwise, I'd have said you had the same parents. Most unusual, this is very rare to have a pair of youngsters so compatible from different families."
Wendell and Monica blinked in surprise. Even Petunia gaped.
"Not to worry though, it does happen from time to time. I'd bet that somewhere in your distant ancestors, you are related. Many generations ago I suspect."
At once, Harry remembered the ancestry tree that the goblin clerk at Gringotts had produced from his blood. There had been too many names to remember, but it was possible that a Granger or Hermione's mother's ancestor was there. He'd have to research this sometime.
"Well, dinner is ready," Harry announced.
Petunia, ever the gracious host, asked, "Will you join us Headmaster? We'll have a bit of a surprise afterward, if you'd like to stay. We have plenty."
Albus considered and then gracefully accepted. A surprise on top of what he'd already discovered was always welcome.
After a delicious meal in which Petunia lauded praise on Harry, much to his embarrassment, they retired to the lounge to get ready. Petunia announced to the collected guests that Harry would perform a difficult piano solo and if Hermione wished to join in…?
Hermione quickly assented to the offer and went to retrieve her precious violin from their auto.
Meanwhile, Harry had seated himself and prepared to play. He concentrated briefly and started softly.
Petunia whispered to Albus: "He'll play "Somewhere in Time". Better known as Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Variation 18." Albus thought: 'My word!'
Monica nodded, remembering the piece. 'Difficult indeed.'
As Hermione joined in at the appropriate place, the mood intensified as Harry started to feel the power of the piece. The music flowed like a river flecked with sunlight and as the music changed so did the effect on the audience. Tears ran down Monica's and Petunia's faces and even the men grew misty eyed.
It started about a quarter the way into the piece as Harry and Hermione's concentration grew. Small items at first started moving. A glass blown animal, then another small wooden horse rose off the mantle. Finally larger items took to the air, weaving, diving and circling the unaware children. A book, and finally a full set of encyclopedias divested themselves from the bookcase and joined the parade.
Albus was entranced to see this form of magic. The music was truly hauntingly beautiful and the intricate ballet of the moving artifacts was astounding. Such precision, such grace.
Wendell was dumbstruck. This was unlike anything he had ever imagined. Even his wife, having seen a bit of it before was in awe.
Eventually anything not nailed down began to move, slowly at first and finally with increased power and speed. Suddenly, it all came crashing down as the children overextended themselves. The magic was too much for their still developing cores and they fell, exhausted.
With a shriek, both Petunia and Monica rushed to their children. Harry was wobbling, having a hard time staying upright and Hermione had let her precious violin slip from her nerveless fingers as she fell in a dead faint.
Albus, wondered what had just happened but quickly recovered and assessed the situation. "Oh, dear! They've exhausted their magical core!" he exclaimed. "That was some serious magic. I'm afraid they'll need bed rest for a few days. I'll have our healer, Madam Pomfrey come by and look at them. They really shouldn't have attempted that. The power involved was beyond what most grown wizards are capable of. Never mind no one that I know can even play like that!"
Harry groggily sat up, supported by Petunia. "What happened?" he asked. "Hermione!" he gasped as he saw his unconscious friend. "What? …"
"Take it easy, Mr. Potter, you've both overextended your magic. You'll need rest and time to recover," Dumbledore warned.
Albus sent his Phoenix, Fawkes, which had just arrived in a ball of flame, to fetch Madam Pomfrey.
Meanwhile, a full complement of Aurors popped into the lounge, accompanied by Madam Bones. "What's going on Albus," she asked as she noticed the headmaster bending over the unconscious Miss Granger.
"A bit of accidental magic, Amelia. The children were playing some music and their magic got out of hand. Not to worry, I'll handle it. Both have suffered magical exhaustion and I'll have Madam Pomfrey look at them."
At that moment, Fawkes flamed back with the Hogwarts healer. "What's going on Albus? Fawkes was vey agitated."
"Ah, Poppy, a bit of accidental magic I'm afraid. These two children exhausted their magical cores. Would you please check them over?"
Amelia Bones snorted. "A bit of accidental magic, Albus? The readings were so strong, I feared a full Death Eater attack!"
"Readings?" Petunia and Monica replied together. "What's that mean?" Monica questioned.
Amelia introduced herself. "I'm sorry, I should introduce myself. I'm Amelia Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. We monitor all extreme bursts of magic, and believe me this was extreme. Children should not be capable of this kind of power. It drove our instruments crazy for a moment. Albus, are you quite sure it was the children?"
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore drew himself up to his considerable height and intoned, "You doubt my word, Madam Bones?"
"Sorry, Professor, it's just so unlikely …"
"Indeed, if I hadn't witnessed it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it possible. This pair will turn the wizarding world on its head when they attain their majority, if not before."
Amelia took a closer look at the pair and gasped. "That's Harry Potter! What's he doing here?"
Petunia answered that one in a huff. "He lives here, obviously. I'm his aunt and I don't like your tone!"
Madam Bones quickly backtracked. "But, he's Harry Potter, the savior of our world …"
"Madam Bones!" Albus commanded. "No one must know where he lives, there are still dangerous people out there. Perhaps I should relocate the family."
"Oh no you don't Mr. Dumbledore," Petunia interrupted furiously. We're going nowhere and if we do, Harry will decide, not you or your people. Heaven knows I'll have to relinquish him soon enough when he turns eleven. He will decide where he wants to live, not you and certainly not anyone else in the wizarding world," Petunia ranted.
"Everybody calm down," Albus pleaded. I'm only suggesting, Petunia. Of course Harry will be the one to make the decision." He looked sternly at Madam Bones, and she cringed a bit.
"Of course, Professor. I'll see that this place remains secret. A magical vow to my Aurors should be sufficient, I think."
That taken care of, the head of the DMLE and her squad of Aurors departed. Madam Pomfrey had finished examining the children and provided a pepper-up potion for both of them. Hermione had to be revived to take it and was still a bit wobbly but at least the colour had returned to her face.
"Mum? I think we overdid it. But Mum, the power of the piece! It was incredible!"
"Hermione," Monica warned. "You are not to try that again until you're older. You scared both of us half to death!" Then softer, "The music was incredible dear, just don't put so much of yourself into it. Your poor violin is damaged, probably beyond repair. We'll have to get a new one."
Tears reached Hermione's eyes as she looked at her favourite instrument. It had broken at the neck and would never play again. "May I have a cello, Mother as a replacement? It should be somewhat sturdier and I like the sound much better."
"We'll see, dear. For now I think we should return home for you to rest properly."
"I'll see you again, soon, Harry." she said with a hint of tears in her chocolate eyes.
"Bye, Hermione, take care. I'll see you as soon as I can," he promised.
Albus was still studying the boy, 'Music,' he mused. 'Who knew the power of music in the hands of a very talented wizard could do so much.'
After everyone had left, Petunia carried the exhausted boy up to his room and helped him dress for bed. After she left, Harry wondered at the day's events. He didn't even get to tell Hermione all that had happened. He would correct that as soon as he felt strong enough again.
Several days turned into two weeks before he had a chance to talk to Hermione again. It had taken that long to recover, and he suspected the same for Hermione. He rang her up but her mother told him that she was still a bit weak and advised him to try again tomorrow as she was asleep at the moment.
The next day, she surprised him by ringing him. "Harry! How are you feeling? I feel like I'be been hit by a cricket bat, but it's quite a bit better now. The headache is mostly gone and I can actually walk without falling over now."
"I'm fine, Hermione. A bit woozy if I stay up too long, but otherwise I'm good. When can we get together? I have so much to tell you that I didn't get a chance to when you were here."
"I'll talk to Mum. Maybe we can meet this weekend. Have you been studying? You know the term exams are coming up soon. Have you been playing? My violin is destroyed and I'll have to replace it. Mum has promised a cello, but not until summer holidays. Can you teach me piano?"
Harry considered that. He wouldn't mind, but it might be difficult. After all, it had taken him years to perfect his playing. "We can give it a go. You already play an instrument, so you have the basics. A piano is very different though. How bad is your violin? Can it be repaired? If it can, maybe you can teach me the violin," he countered.
"I'm not sure, Harry; the neck snapped. I suppose it's possible, but it'll never be the same. Still, I don't see why we can't teach each other." She smiled to herself, this would be a chance to expand her musical repertoire. The cello was what she was really looking forward to, though.
That weekend, Harry met Hermione at his place, Monica having driven her there. Monica had promised to pick her up after work, so she had the whole day with Harry. When he told her about their visit to Diagon Alley, she pouted, wishing she had been there. "You'd have loved it, Hermione. The book shop was fantastic. I got books for my first year and a few others. We can share. You can read one subject while I read another, then we'll switch. I got the full set of Arithmancy books, this really looks like something I'd be interested in. Maybe you as well. I also got a copy of "Hogwarts a History". It's fascinating although it's a really big book. Took me almost two weeks to read it and I think I'll have to read it again to make sure I haven't missed something important."
Hermione was almost jumping up and down in her eagerness to get at the books. Beside music, books were her passion. She let out a squeal that threatened to break Harry's eardrum and pounced on the large tome. That was the last conversation they had as both dived into the books. Hours later a grumble was heard from Hermione's stomach.
"Hungry much?" Harry smiled. At that minute as if she had known, Aunt Petunia called up to the pair to come down for lunch.
There came a day when summer was upon them and visits to each other's house was more or less a common occurrence when they decided to start playing again. Hermione's mum had bought her a new cello. It was a bit too large for her yet, but she had also grown a couple of inches since he first met her, Harry, on the other hand, had shot up like a weed, gaining four inches. At first, Hermione didn't bring her cello over to Harrys, but after the second week, she brought it along every time she visited. Harry admired the sleek large instrument and the wonderful tones that came out of it. Hermione was just getting used to it and was having some difficulty with the extra length of the neck and fingerboard. Tuning it was similar to her violin, but different in the vocal range of the cello. Much deeper sounds were possible but not the highs that the violin was capable of. She would get used to it. It had a much more mellow sound and seemed more expressive than her violin. She loved her old violin, but knew it could never replace her new cello.
Harry had been painstakingly teaching her the piano and although her enthusiasm was there, she knew she'd never be as good as Harry. She was slowly picking it up and by the end of the summer, was quite good. The pair was even able to play a duet on the old instrument. Harry tried not to push his magic into the playing, but sometimes it was hard. The keys drew him and he would sometimes just sit down and compose a short piece by himself. Mostly it was a sad sound, that brought tears to either Petunia and or Hermione when he played like that. Petunia confided in Hermione that she thought he was thinking of his mother when he played like that. It was as if Lily was present, but unseen except by Harry.
July came around and soon it was Harry's birthday. He would be eight. Hermione had turned eight the previous September and Harry had attended her birthday party. Now it was his turn.
…...
