Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
A/N: I know the first couple chapters are feeling kind of slow, but I hope you can enjoy it for what it is for now, there's only 1 more chapter before things really get started, I just felt it was important to give the Grangers some backstory since this story is going to focus on Hermione.
Chapter 2: Of Strange Conversations
Mr. Granger's drive to work was uneventful until he got into London. Everywhere he looked people were wearing robes and, as if that wasn't odd enough there were more owls, a lot more, flying all over the place. He just couldn't fathom what was going on to cause all this odd behavior. Still thinking about it when he pulled into the parking lot of his office, he noticed that he wasn't the first one there. There was another car already in the lot, he recognized it immediately... the only person that would be at his office that would drive a bright pink '77 Beetle, unfortunately, was Jane Umbridge. "Well, looks like I'm late… I'll never hear the end of it." He sighed as he got out of his car and headed inside. Waiting for him by door to his office, as he had guessed, was Jane Umbridge, wearing that sickly smile of hers. There was something wholly unsettling about it, always had been.
William immediately assumed his best 'Dr. Granger' air and cheerfully greeted his only patient of the day. "Hello Ms. Umbridge, Sorry I'm late, all this commotion outside, I got held up. Hope you haven't been waiting long."
"Yes, I know, quite a nuisance, took me twice as long as usual to get here! And I was expecting it! All this has something to do with Dolores's Branch of office, or so she tells me. I expect I'll know more once she can clear me to know it." Umbridge smiled gleefully.
'Always full of herself, this one, thinks she's got herself access to privileged information.' Thought William bitterly to himself.
"So what brings you in today?" he asked her, then with a thought that gave him an almost sick pleasure he added, "No, cavities I hope?" He knew Jane would never allow herself to get a cavity, like it would have been the end of the world if she did. His comment did the trick, Umbridge's smile faded instantly.
"Honestly, Dr. Granger, you should know me better than that by now." She said in a scolding voice that made Bill laugh as much as it made him cringe, he couldn't let her get the upper hand in the conversation. "I'm just in for a cleaning, I have a party to go to tonight, and I wanted to look my best."
'So that's why she's here…a party?' He laughed in spite of himself. 'This may be fun after all.'
"What are you laughing at? There's nothing funny about me wanting to look good at a party! Honestly." She was growling now. William decided that the drive was worth it, to get under the woman's skin, it was almost too easy.
"I will laugh if I want to laugh, Ms. Umbridge" he said sternly, then smiling darkly he continued, "Unless that is, you don't want your teeth cleaned up for your party tonight. All my other appointments today cancelled because of all this commotion. Its no problem for me to get back in my car and go home."
"NO!" Umbridge almost screamed, "I mean, no. I want to get this done, I couldn't show my face tonight without this." She was looking defeated now, and as much as Mr. Granger was enjoying himself, he just wanted to be done so he could go home.
"Lets get on with it then," he said flatly, as he unlocked the door to his office and led Umbridge to an examination room, "Make yourself comfortable, I'll be right in, just have to turn on the equipment."
A few minutes later after turning the necessary lights and equipment for the basic cleaning the pain in his arse wanted, and collecting his thoughts, he entered the exam room, "All right then, we'll be done in a jiff and we can be on our merry way."
"Excellent." Returned Ms. Umbridge
20 minutes later, everything basically done, and Umbridge had been unusually quiet, not wanting to press his luck, but still being very curious about what she may know about what's going on. He couldn't resist so as casually as he could muster, "So, you said you were expecting all this commotion today, right?"
"Yes, " she replied airily, still examining her newly cleaned teeth, "Dolores sent me a message early this morning that I should expect some odd things to be happening today, and that they were related to her lot."
Bill couldn't resist probing a bit, more to see what he may get out of her while she was distracted, "And who were 'her lot' again? I believe you've told me before, but I can't seem to remember clearly." This was a lie, she'd never told him what Dolores did beyond government, but she was distracted.
"Oh she works for the ministry of magi- I shouldn't have said that." Jane paled, she hadn't been paying attention, she had of course fed Dr. Granger a story before about Dolores, but she couldn't remember it.
"Shouldn't have said what? You're forgetting about Doctor-Patient confidentiality." He said as casually as he could.
'Did I hear that right?'
'Ministry of magic? Well that would explain all the robed people on the street… but that something like that exists…. Unbelievable, hopefully she'll tell me more before she runs out of here.'
"Even so. Its not something anyone outside of their circle is really supposed to know about… honestly that I know as much as I do is a huge risk, and I don't know much."
Jane looked terrified.
"I won't say a word Jane," William said in a comforting voice, "who'd believe me anyway?" he laughed. "So what do you know about this?"
"Well, I guess the damage is done…I couldn't hurt things more… Here's the deal, no charge for the cleaning and I'll tell you what I know, okay?" Umbridge was recovering now, oddly she felt better knowing someone else knew her secret, and they weren't sending her to a mental hospital.
"Deal,"Dr. Granger said eagerly despite himself.
"Alright, where to begin." She thought for a moment then started up, "There's a population of witches and wizards living in the world, they are governed by a branch of government, I'm not really clear on weather they answer to the Prime Minister or the Queen, or if it's the other way around. But last night some huge criminal in their world, apparently just about as bad as Hitler, was killed. What we are seeing though technically illegal for them to show themselves to us, isn't being acted upon with any severity, as you could well imagine, we wouldn't be to worried about laws if England's version of Hitler was killed. That's all I know though, I have no more details, and know almost nothing else about their world. I only know because she's my sister, and she got accepted to one of their schools off somewhere." Jane sighed, and waited for Dr. Granger to politely excuse himself and call the police to take her away… but it didn't seem to happen.
William was sitting dumbfounded by what he had just been told.
'Witches and wizards, eh? I should bloody well be calling the police to take this nutter away… but for some reason I believe her.'
'Why do I believe her?'
'Because of everything that's happening today?'
'Probably."
There was a loud crack behind him and before he could turn around to see what had happened someone shouted something, for a split second it sounded like Latin, but then he was unconscious.
"Really Jane, I should have known better than to trust you with that information. Good thing I put a trace on you." Dolores Umbridge stood in the office, with both her sister and her Dentist unconscious, she sighed, if she could have got away with it she'd have just eliminated both of them, but she couldn't, not today. "OBLIVIATE!" she cried and disapparated out of the building.
Some time later both Jane and William woke up, oblivious to the conversation they had, the memories replaced with one where William had found a cavity, and Jane had immediately demanded it fixed, which is what they had done. Charging her for a filling, and cleaning, she left the office, leaving William alone to close up. He couldn't help thinking something was amiss, a feeling which was heightened when he checked his supplies, he hadn't gotten anything out for a filling, and indeed the drills weren't even powered. He'd never liked the Umbridge woman, and so decided not to worry too much about it. He closed up shop and went back to his car. Passing more of the strange robed figures on his way home, but nothing else strange happened, that was, until he had almost gotten home, sitting at a traffic light he noticed movement from the corner of his eye.
"Shooting Stars?" he said in disbelief, could this day get any stranger? There wasn't supposed to be a meteor shower for another few months. He sat watching for several minutes until he was brought back to his sinces by the car behind him laying on the horn. He drove the rest of the way home wondering what on earth was going on.
"Honey, I'm home!" Called William from the door, a small form flew around the corner at him, "Hello Hermione!" he bent down and caught her up in his arms and spun her around. "Where you good for Mum today, love?"
"Yes!" Hermione said rather indignantly. "I'm always good." Will laughed; his daughter always surprised him with her vocal abilities. She was only two, and was talking back like a five year old.
"Welcome home dear, have a nice meeting with that lovely, lovely woman?" Allison had joined them in the hallway now, and was laughing even as she welcomed her husband home.
"I was lucky!" he cried, "I managed to get the upper hand, and it shut her up almost the entire appointment!" he had decided against worrying his wife with the days events, and pushed them to the back of his mind for later review.
"Good for you, honey." Congratulated him, then with a sly smile added, "You'll have to show me how you got the upper hand with her." The tone did not go unnoticed by the two year old.
"GET A ROOM!" Laughed Hermione, and ran back to the living room.
"I swear, she has got to be the smartest child I've ever seen." chortled Mr. Granger, "We are either going to be very lucky or very sorry parents. I can see it now."
"I know Bill, she's going to be a handful. But at this rate, when she gets to school, she'll already have the maturity of a ten year old, so that may be good." Allison sighed. Sometimes she forgot Hermione was only just two, and it would be another three years before she went to school, "Anyway, Love. What do you want to do tonight?"
A/N II: Well thats another chapter done. like i said 1 more, the next one takes us right up until the day before Hermiones 11th Birthday! so things will get going a bit more interesting form there. I hope I'm not boring the few people who've started reading this.
As always, reviews are great, If i'm boring you guys, let me know!.
