The streets of Hampstead were almost completely empty except for the occasional dog-walker when Hermione Granger awoke from her sleep as a reborn eleven year old. She sat up almost immediately and looked over at the window where the smallest tendrils of sunlight peeked through the sheer curtains that clothed her bay window. Her hands came up to rub the sleep from her face as she slipped out from under her duvet and walked over to her bookshelf.

"Charles Dickens or Alexandre Dumas?" She whispered to herself, one hand grazing the spines of the books while the other struggled to run through her frizzy mahogany brown locks. Her eyes moved to look at the clock on the wall across from her bed which read six forty am. "Seems like I don't have time for either of them," Hermione grumbled before stalking off to her closet to retrieve her dressing gown on the way to the bathroom.

The lights in the bathroom illuminated her face and hair for the first time that morning and caused Hermione to wince at the sight. Her larger-than-normal front teeth poked out a little over her bottom lip, her hair stuck out at a variety of angles, it all grated on Hermione's eyes whenever she looked in the mirror. "Well, time to brush my teeth," She muttered before grabbing her toothbrush and toothpaste. Ah, spearmint toothpaste, it was one thing that was sure to brighten her mood in the morning.

Once her teeth were brushed she set about washing her face with a delicate cleanser and spraying her hair with some detangler before attempting to work a brush through it. She rinsed her face and took a closer look in the mirror, shrugging as her hair lost some of its frizz. "Good enough I suppose," She said as she walked back to her room to change into her uniform for school.

Hermione had just finished buttoning the last button on her light blue blouse when her Mum called for her. She looked over at the clock to see six fifty-five on it, and promptly bounded down the stairs with a grin, her school bag in tow.

"Happy Birthday, love," Her mum said. She opened her arms and laughed as Hermione launched herself into them, positively beaming. A few moments later her dad made his way down the stairs, perfectly dressed for his work at the dentistry, just like her mum.

"Is that my little Hermione?" He asked with a bright smile, extending his own arms for a hug. Hermione eagerly accepted, but frowned slightly as the adjective.

"I'm not that little dad," She pulled away to look up at him, "I'm eleven, that's not little!"

"Oh, you'll always be my little Hermione," Her dad replied as he released her, "Now, we'd better get a move on if we're going to do birthday breakfast."

Hermione nodded quickly and scampered over to the door where her shoes sat and yanked them on. A moment later she had bounded out the door and into the second row of their car with a massive smile. Her parents laughed and walked out, taking care to lock the door before following her into the car.

"Where shall we go, birthday girl?" Her mum asked, turning to look at her while her husband drove. Hermione frowned and tapped her knees with her fingers for a few seconds.

"Can we go to Mary's?" She eventually asked. Her parents shared a smile, it was no surprise she had selected her favorite cafe for a birthday breakfast.

"Of course, love," Her dad made a right as he changed his course. Hermione grinned at her dad before turning to stare out the window and watch the houses pass by as they drove.

XXX

Hermione sighed as the dismissal bell rang through the musty air of Fitzjohn's Primary School, and trudged out of the building with her arms full of schoolwork and hair newly frizzy. She flicked her gaze across the lot of children, parents and children until she spotted her dad waiting in their car towards the back lot and ran over. He smiled as she ran over and opened the passenger door to let her crawl in.

"How was school?" He asked while pulling out of the parking lot. Hermione shrugged while pulling out one of her new library books from her school bag.

"It was alright, I guess," Her face brightened up a bit, "Mrs. Brightley gave us an extra twenty minutes of free reading time, that was fun." Her father chuckled.

"Extra reading time? No wonder she's your favorite," He leaned forward to check he was clear before making a turn onto the main road, "Are you excited for your birthday cake?"

"Yes! What flavor is it?" Hermione asked as her lips curled into a smile.

"You'll see!" He replied with a laugh. "Don't worry, we picked one of your favorites."

Hermione nodded with approval before looking down at the copy of Romeo and Juliet in her hands, her mind sinking into the world of Verona as her father drove.

She didn't notice they had arrived at the house until her father tapped her shoulder gently. Her shoulders sagged in relief as she made her way into the house, only to freeze in her tracks.

There was a woman in their house that was not her mother, either of her aunts, or her nan. A woman dressed in emerald green… garments? She couldn't think of a better term for the rather ornate and flowing, yet layered, outfit this woman had donned alongside her bright green pointed hat. Hermione snapped back to attention as the woman began speaking to her.

"Are you Hermione Granger," She peeked at an envelope in her left hand, "of the third bedroom on the second floor of 320 Wolford Road?" Her voice was clipped by a thick Scottish brogue and as severe as her pointed face which was adorned by thin, rectangular glasses.

"I am. Who are you?" Hermione asked while slowly depositing her schoolwork on the coffee table in their living room. Her dad followed her motions, his eyes locked on the strange woman who hadn't been there thirty minutes ago.

"My name is Minerva McGonagall," She adjusted her glasses, "and I am here to personally inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Hermione froze in place. "What?" Her thoughts were louder than the room itself where you could've heard a pin drop. Her eyes widened as she stared at Minerva.

"I'm sorry, what?" Her dad asked. His dark eyes narrowed as he moved in front of Hermione protectively. Neither of them could fathom how this woman would have known about her abilities, they took every precaution possible in regards to keeping it a secret. "Why would we need a school of magic?"

"Darling, it's true," The both of them looked over at Mrs. Granger as she entered the sitting room with a cup of tea in her hand. "We've been talking, she's a teacher at a school of magic for young witches and wizards like Hermione."

"Indeed," Hermione leaned around her dad to get a better look at the woman, "I am a Professor at Hogwarts, as well as a delegate for our incoming Muggleborn students."

"Muggle what now?" Her dad's frown deepened.

"A Muggleborn. It is our term for witches or wizards that have two non-magical parents, which is the main reason I am here in person," She held up the envelope, "To explain the contents of Hermione's acceptance letter should you decide to take this opportunity."

Hermione shuffled across the room and took a seat on their sofa, across from Professor McGonagall. "Please, tell me more," She implored.

Minerva looked over at Mr and Mrs Granger, who shrugged their shoulders and gave her nods of approval. "Gladly, Miss Granger," She replied as she took a seat in one of their armchairs.

XXXXXX

Fifty one days later, on the outskirts of the town of Bath, another young witch was being aggressively roused from her sleep by a Long Eared owl by the name of Rupert. His feathers tickled her cheeks, his beak nipped at the tip of her nose, and his wings smacked the side of her head until a groan escaped her.

"Five more minutes Rupert," Her voice scratched out as she tried rolling over. A rather undignified squawk escaped from the handsome owl as he nearly toppled from the bed. The girl opened her eyes a little more, and frowned at her loud companion until she noticed what was attached to his leg.

"Is that-?" She trailed off as she frantically pushed herself into a sitting position. Rupert hooted, almost smugly, as he flew to the opposite side of the room. She grinned at the challenge and bolted out from under her blankets to grab the letter from him. Unfortunately, he was a great deal faster and zoomed out to the living room where he landed on the highest branch of his magnificent perch.

"Get back here Rupert, you git!" She shouted as she rounded a corner and almost tripped over her own feet. The owl merely hooted, this time more smug that the last, and fidgeted into a more comfortable position.

"Guinevere, is that you shouting?" A man yelled from somewhere else in the house. The young girl winced before glaring up at her troublesome companion.

"Maybe!" Guinevere shouted back while taking a few steps away from the perch. She held out her arm expectantly, but Rupert didn't budge. A frustrated groan broke from her lips and she turned on her heels to walk into the kitchen and grab a bag of Eyelop's Owl-O's, Rupert's favorite treats. As she returned, Rupert clambered down a couple branches with wide eyes. "Oh so now you'll come over?"

Rupert didn't respond except by jumping over to Guinevere's free arm and pecking his beak at the bag in her other hand.

"Hey, hey, hey," Guinevere scolded while opening the bag, "Be gentle." Rupert leaned over and gobbled up the treat she held out to her before extending his letter-bearing leg to her. Guinevere beamed and gently unfastened it before feeding him one last treat. The owl hooted loudly before fleeing back to his perch where he settled down until a loud shout escaped Guinevere.

"Mum, Dad! They sent it!" She said gleefully while running over to her parents' room. As soon as she entered the both of them smiled at her from their bed where they peacefully reclined.

"Well, let's see it!" Her mum, Susannah, said while patting the empty space between her and her husband. Guinevere launched herself into the bed and ripped the envelope open to see the iconic green ink and seal that donned every Hogwarts Acceptance Letter.

"Dear Ms. Crouch, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" Susannah leaned in to hug her daughter tightly as she read her letter, "Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment," Guinevere pulled out another piece of paper, "Term begins on September first. We await your owl by no later than July thirty-first," She finished, grinning at her parents.

"You did it, love, you did it!" Her dad cheered while patting her on the back. Guinevere's grin turned to a beam as she looked back down at the letter and the supply list.

"When do you think we can go to Diagon Alley?" She asked after a few seconds. Susannah grabbed a planner from the nightstand to her right and started flipping through pages. Her dad, Burton, did the same with a small frown on his face.

"Unfortunately, it looks like the earliest I'll be available for a whole day would be the day your sister gets back for the Winter Holidays," Burton admitted. Susannah nodded as she stopped flicking through her planner.

"Same here, everything else leading up to that day is pretty booked up," She added. Guinevere deflated slightly at the thought of waiting until December twentieth, but perked up a little as a thought entered her mind.

"Does that mean Coralie will be coming with us?" She asked, her voice hopeful. Burton and Susannah nodded slowly.

"Yes, is that alright darling? We'd understand if you want it to be just us three, but you would have to wait a little longer," Susannah explained. Guinevere turned and looked up at the ceiling as she thought, humming softly.

"I want Coralie to come with us, but I don't wanna go during the Winter Holidays. Diagon Alley is always ridiculously busy with Christmas and Yule things," She explained, watching her parents' faces carefully. Her shoulders slumped a little with relief as they smiled at her again.

"That makes perfect sense," Burton said while clambering out of bed, "Now, go write your response to Professor McGonagall and a letter to Coralie, you know she'll be expecting it." Guinevere nodded excitedly before bounding off to her room and sliding into the chair in front of her desk. She stretched her fingers and set her letter down before picking up a quill and two sheets of parchment and beginning her letters.

XXX

That night Guinevere donned a set of light lavender robes and combed her hair into a more put-together version of her regular pixie-cut with her side-bangs clipped to the side and her face visible. As per usual on her birthday, her family was off to spend the evening at her uncle's house.

"Are you almost ready Gwen?" Susannah called out while fastening a pearl necklace around her neck. Guinevere poked her head out from her bedroom and nodded while inserting a pair of gold hoop earrings into her ears.

"I just need shoes, mum," She replied before going back inside to grab a pair of black flats and slip them on her feet. Once they were secure Guinevere checked her reflection in the mirror one last time and then switched off the light in her room before heading out to meet her parents. As soon as she entered the living room, her parents smiled at her.

"You look great, love," Burton said before giving her a quick hug. Guinevere grinned up at her dad and looked over at her mum.

"Absolutely perfect," Susannah complimented before walking over to Burton and looping her arm in his. "We need to get going, Barty will be annoyed if we're late," She pointed out while glancing at her watch.

Burton nodded and looped his other arm through Guinevere's. "Ready?" He asked, staring down at his daughter.

"Ready." And so, with a loud crack, the three of them disapparated to Barty Crouch's home for a night of festivities.

XXX

Guinevere yawned as she settled underneath her covers, the party had worn her out quite a bit, and let her head flop onto her fluffy pillow. Burton chuckled as he watched her get settled before walking into her bedroom with an empty picture frame. He walked over to Guinevere's desk and gently picked up her Hogwarts Letter before walking over to sit down on the edge of her bed.

"Now, just like Coralie," Burton removed the glass from the frame, "We'll frame your Hogwarts Letter, your OWL reults, and your NEWT results, so you'll always have those memories to look back on and be proud of."

Guinevere smiled as he fit the paper in the frame before securing it. "Thanks dad," She whispered as she watched him hang it next to her sister's on the bedroom wall.

"Not a problem, love," Burton whispered as he gave Guinevere a goodnight kiss on her forehead. He then stood and made his way out of her bedroom and off to his own, so proud of his youngest daughter.

XXXXXX

A month later, tucked away in the mountainous regions of Scotland, Hogwarts professors were attempting to get their students on board the Hogwarts Express so they could return to their families for a well deserved Winter Break. Two of said students were walking behind Professor Severus Snape, whose cold, dark eyes forced students to part in his wake for fear of punishment.

"Crouch, Burke," The professor snapped coolly, "Stand here." Two girls walked over,one with pale, olive-toned skin, golden blonde hair, and green eyes, and the other with lightly tanned skin, ebony hair, and her own set of black eyes. They stood where Snape had gestured, their bags in hand as well as their faithful pets. "Now, just wait to be dismissed. I expect all of your schoolwork to be completed by the time you return," He ordered before stalking away, his robes billowing behind him.

"Aww, he cares," The dark-haired girl joked. The blonde rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Ah yes, so caring," She replied sarcastically, "If only he had used our first names, it would have been the icing on the cake."

"Imagine though if he had! Coralie Crouch, Athena Burke, it would've been so weird to hear that."

"Especially for you, barely anyone actually calls you Athena, or me Coralie," The blonde pointed out. Athena laughed in reply.

"Well of course, Tina fits me better." Coralie opened her mouth to reply, only to be cut off by two shouts.

"Well of course-" They turned to see the Weasley Twins approaching as Fred shouted to them.

"Tina and Cora-" George continued.

"So much less of a mouthful-" Fred interjected.

"If we do say so ourselves." They finished together. Athena and Coralie shared a look before shaking their heads resignedly.

"And how come you two missed breakfast this morning?" Coralie asked as Fred moved to stand on her right and George went to Athena's left.

"Lee gave us more prank ideas, which we stayed up very late to plan out," George explained.

"And so we skipped breakfast in the spirit of sleeping in," Fred finished. Athena raised an eyebrow.

"And you haven't told us these ideas yet?" She demanded with a playful scowl.

"Oh Tina, the magicians never reveal their secrets," Coralie lowered her voice to a whisper, "Unless the teachers aren't around." Athena grinned at her before schooling her expression as McGonagall made her way down the platform to dismiss the various groups onto the train.

"Misters Weasley, Ms Crouch, and Ms Burke," McGonagall listed as she approached them. All four of them nodded and watched as she crossed their names off the list. "You may board now, please owl the school three days in advance if you will be returning to Hogwarts late next term," She ordered.

"Thank you Professor," The two girls chorused while the twins gave her a salute before scrambling onto the train. Athena and Coralie followed after them, their trunks unable to slow them down due to the feather-light charm that the Slytherin prefects had cast on them.

Eventually the four of them found an empty compartment and jumped inside, slotting their luggage onto the shelves above before flopping onto the cushioned seats with the girls' pets in their carriers beside them. A few moments later, a young boy with dreadlocks named Lee Jordan entered the compartment with a grin.

"Thanks for saving me a seat guys!" He said, ignoring Athena's raised eyebrow and Coralie's eye roll. The twins grinned back and helped him get his luggage situated before making room for him on their side of the compartment. A long meow resounded through the compartment as Coralie gently pulled her Scottish Fold cat, Napoli, from his carrier.

"So, Lee, we heard that there have been some new pranks developed," Coralie started, a sly grin creeping onto her face as she gently pet her cat. Lee's smile widened and he pulled out a journal from his rucksack.

"But of course, what do you take me for? A slacker?" He replied as he flipped through the pages.

"Only in Astronomy," Athena commented while pulling out a coin purse from the pocket of her robes. Lee rolled his eyes.

"I'll have you know I managed to scrape by with an Acceptable for this term, thank you very much," He replied.

"What?" Athena glared at Lee, "You mean I lent you my star charts for nothing?" Lee winced.

"Well… You see…" He stammered out.

"C'mon Lee, your marks in Astronomy aren't that interesting-" George piped up.

"Yeah, show 'em what we came up with!" Fred cheered. Coralie laughed slightly and leaned in to look at the pages of Lee's notebook, the boy sighing in relief as Athena was distracted from her tirade. Finally, he landed on a page with lots of colorful notes and diagrams on it.

"So, we came up with this last night and normally we could pull this off just fine, but we need a little extra help from you two," Lee explained. Athena and Coralie shared a look.

"Why's that then?" Athena asked.

"Cause we need access to the furniture in the Slytherin Common Room, and you two are the only ones that can get us that," Fred and George elaborated.

"So, we're the mules this time around," Coralie said, deflating slightly at that less than exciting role. The twins grinned.

"Only for this one, we came up with a few that you two would get to enact as well," Fred assured them. George nodded and turned to look out the window as the train started leaving Hogwarts.

"Well, cough 'em up Lee," Athena stood as she spoke, "I'm gonna get us some snacks." Coralie laughed as she shuffled out of the compartment and hunted down the sweets trolley while she and the twins pored over each newly formulated prank.

XXX

Coralie jolted awake as the Hogwarts Express came to a sudden stop at Platform 9 and ¾, wincing as bright light from the window burned her eyes. George laughed and leaned across the space between their two seats to help her up. She grinned and smoothed her hands down the front of her large, cream-colored jumper that she had changed into halfway through the trip.

"Now, remember, Tina and Cora have to go first so they can go with the rest of the Slytherins," Lee reminded them. Coralie shrugged apologetically while placing Napoli back in his crate. The twins deflated slightly but moved out of the girls' way as they grabbed their trunks and pets as they made their way off the train with several other Slytherin second years.

Once they were safely on the platform, Athena and Coralie started scanning the crowd for any sight of their families. They slowly weaved through the crowds, taking great care not to jostle their pets too much, until a loud shout caused Athena to look to her left.

"I see my family, Cora," She said, just loudly enough that Coralie could hear her. The blonde nodded and gave her a quick side hug.

"I'll see you in two weeks," Coralie said with a smile before letting Athena run over to her mum, dad, and little brother. She laughed a little as she caught sight of Athena's owl, Oliver, grouchily staring out from the bars of his cage. A moment later the two of them were out of sight and she resumed her search for her own family.

"Cora!" Someone shouted from her right, causing her to turn. She grinned as her sister, Guinevere, sprinted over, followed by their parents.

"Come on kiddo," Her dad said with a grin as he pulled her into a hug, "We'd better head out if we don't want to lose some limbs." Coralie nodded and grabbed her trunk while her mum grabbed Napoli's crate before they walked over to one of the many Floo stations that had been set up. Her parents stepped into the green flames first, a fistfull of Floo powder in her mum's hands.

"Crouch Cottage," The both of them shouted while she threw the powder into the flames. With a loud whoosh they disappeared, leaving it free for their daughters. Guinevere reached forward and grabbed a handful of the powder as they both stepped inside.

"Crouch Cottage!" Coralie grinned as they too disappeared into the flames before tumbling out into their own living room, completely covered in soot.

XXXXXX

The next day, Susannah slowly crept from her and her husband's bedroom into the main living area where she approached their radio set and switched it on. Burton made his way into the kitchen a few moments later and chuckled at the sight of his wife trying to find the Christmas station while he brewed himself a cup of coffee. Finally she managed to find the correct station and grinned as Muggle Christmas songs began to croon through the speakers.

"Would you mind bringing me a cup of coffee too Burt?" She called out while settling down on the couch with a thin blanket and a copy of The Trace and Its Ethics.

"Of course Susie," He replied while turning to grab her personal mug from the shelf above the various boxes of tea, hot chocolate and coffee. Once both of their beverages were ready he went back out to the living room and reclined himself in his armchair. "Are the girls awake?"

"I doubt it," Susannah took a long sip of coffee, "Coralie's probably exhausted from the term, and Guinevere rarely surfaces from her bed before nine if she can help it." She adjusted her grip on the book and looked out the large bay window that extended from their living room. A frown formed on her face as a few snowflakes fell past the window pane, followed by several raindrops.

"The weather report did say it was going to be icy," Burton piped up as he followed his wife's gaze. Her frown darkened a little more, only to break as a loud meow sounded from the hallway leading from the living room and kitchen to the bedrooms. Napoli padded over to them, his tail up and eyes bright as he surveyed the living room.

"Well good morning Signoro," Susannah said with a slight smile. The cat turned his amber gaze on her and walked over to sit in front of the couch. He meowed again. Susannah rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to shout for her eldest daughter, but stopped as she trudged out of the hallway with tangled hair and a rumpled nightgown on.

"He's being whiney again," Coralie mumbled as she walked over and scooped him up. Napoli meowed again before licking her cheek. She walked into the kitchen and pulled out the bag of dry cat food from one of their lower cabinets and then walked over to the food bowls next to Rupert's perch and poured some out. Napoli wriggled in her arm before finally leaping free and beginning to munch on his yummy breakfast. "There you go you silly boy."

"I think he's used to being fed before you go to class," Burton pointed out. Coralie nodded absentmindedly while rubbing her eyes as she yawned.

"Probably," She replied as she reached up to pet Rupert gently. He hooted happily and moved down to a lower perch so it was easier for her. Her parents smiled as he nudged his head against her palm for more pets, hooting again when she stroked the feathers just above his beak. "Alright, I might as well shower and get dressed."

Napoli watched as she walked away until she reached her bedroom door, at which point he bounded after her and rubbed up against her legs with a low purring sound. Coralie chuckled and bent down to pick him up so she could place him on her bed.

"Stay there for a moment, I need to take a shower." The feline frowned at her and made his way over to Guinevere's bed where he snuggled close to her warm body. Coralie shook her head with a smile. "Silly boy," She repeated before leaving to take a shower.

XXX

As each day passed, Guinevere grew even more curious about life at Hogwarts, which meant her sister was facing an unending barrage of questions about some of the most minute and specific things about her school experience.

"Exactly how mean is Professor Snape?" She asked while helping Coralie roll out some gingerbread biscuit batter. Her sister frowned slightly as she retrieved some cookie cutters.

"He's not really mean if you're in Slytherin, just don't expect him to call you by your first name," Guinevere grabbed the snowman cutter while she took the stocking-shaped one, "But if you're in Gryffindor, watch out. He can be a real git sometimes."

"How so?"

"Well, he sometimes docks points for really small things that most Professors would let slide, he grades incredibly harshly, and sometimes insults the kids if they mess their potions up."

"I think that makes perfect sense," Guinevere swapped out her cutter for one shaped like a star, "His subject is so much more dangerous than a lot of the others and if someone makes a small mistake they could seriously injure someone or themselves," Coralie smiled at her sister's explanation.

"D'you think you'll be in Slytherin then?" She asked while peeling away the excess biscuit dough.

"Either that or Ravenclaw, not sure yet," Guinevere commented as she transferred the cookies to one of the many trays beside them. They both looked up though as an owl landed on the ledge outside the kitchen window and began tapping at the glass. Coralie wiped her hands off and ran over to open the window with one hand while the other extended to the side as a perch.

"It's one of the Hogwarts owls," She murmured while inspecting the letter attached to the owl's leg, "It's either Theben or Mygo." Finally she was able to get a good look at the letter, and who it was addressed to. "Mum, there's a letter for you!"

Susannah entered the kitchen a few moments later, bits of paper stuck to her jumper from the paper snowflakes she had been cutting out. Coralie turned and held out the arm with the lovely owl perched on it. With a gentle smile her mum unfastened the letter from his leg and opened the envelope to read the letter.

"Vera, can you grab a couple treats for this little guy? He's probably exhausted," Coralie asked. Guinevere nodded and grabbed a few treats from the large bag to bring over to the owl. He pecked at the treats tentatively before gobbling them all up.

"What does the letter say, Mum?" Guinevere asked. Susannah looked up at them and then back down at the letter.

"Professor Dumbledore wants us to meet with him and McGonagall to discuss an incoming student," She looked further down the page, "Tomorrow. Are either of you terribly interested in this?"

Coralie and Guinevere shared a look before shrugging. "We might as well go, it might be fun," The former decided, while the latter nodded along.

"Alright then, go change into something a little nicer," Susannah began casting her Patronus as the two girls ran to their room, "Albus, we will be there in thirty minutes." The silvery brown bear waited until she stopped speaking before turning into a ball of white light and flying off to Hogwarts. Susannah watched until it disappeared over the horizon and then went to her bathroom to wash up a little.

A short while later, Guinevere and Coralie stood in the doorway of Crouch Cottage wearing light blue and dark red robes respectively, while Susannah put the last strands of her hair into a bun and straightened her indigo robes. The two girls watched, and smiled at her as she turned and walked over to them before looping their arms in hers. With a crack, the three of them disappeared from Crouch Cottage and landed on the opposite end of a bridge leading to Hogwarts.

XXXXXX

The Headmaster's Office had always been described as a room of grandeur, and now Guinevere was beginning to understand why. Every portrait had frames of sparkling gold, the most precious and ancient tomes sat on the shelves, and Headmaster Dumbledore had spared no expense in his personal belongings that were scattered around the room. Coralie's eyes flicked over the familiar surroundings, having landed herself in this very office with Fred and George more times than she'd care to admit, until they focused on the Headmaster himself.

"Good afternoon Mrs. Crouch," He began with a smile at Susannah, who didn't respond except with a slightly raised brow, "And good afternoon to you two, Coralie, Guinevere." The two girls nodded in response but otherwise said nothing.

"What is the purpose for this meeting Albus? Your letter was rather vague," Susannah said shortly. Minerva McGonagall bristled from her place beside the Headmaster's desk, but held her tongue as Albus replied.

"We have a rather peculiar situation involving one of our incoming students, Hermione Granger," He picked up a letter from his desk, "Her parents sent me this yesterday, and have requested that we put them in contact with a magical family that can educate them and their daughter on the various traditions and aspects of our society."

"Why us?" Guinevere and Coralie winced at the blunt tone their mother had adopted.

"Well, both you and your husband work for the Ministry which makes you rather knowledgeable, and you have two daughters, one a current student and one an incoming one. This would give Ms. Granger the opportunity to get a more fresh dictation of the Hogwarts Experience, and maybe make a new friend," Albus explained.

"Why did you not ask the Weasley family? Arthur also holds a position in the Ministry, and he has plenty of children for her to speak to, and on top of that surely they would be a more agreeable choice in your and your Deputy Headmistress' mind?" Susannah retorted.

"We did get in contact with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, but they declined the offer. Pray tell, how else would they have been a more agreeable choice?"

"They're Gryffindors, through and through," Coralie spoke up. Susannah turned to look at her daughter, while Guinevere gaped at her. "It's no secret that the most revered students at this school as well as those that have graduated are mostly Gryfiindors, so why would you ask a family with a Ravenclaw mother, a Gryffindor father, one Slytherin daughter and one that is undecided?"

The room was silent for a moment as McGonagall gaped openly at the elder of the two children, anger beginning to flare within her. Albus sighed before replying.

"Professor McGonagall was our delegate to the Granger household when Hermione received her letter, and she has told me that after meeting this child and speaking with her, that she might not be the best match for the brash cheeriness that the Weasley's display," Guinevere snickered slightly at his description, "However, the cool, calm and collected approach your family possesses might be exactly the best thing for her Mrs. Crouch."

Susannah didn't respond for several seconds, only stared at the two Professors thoughtfully. Behind her, Guinevere and Coralie were whispering softly to each other.

"I will let my daughters decide," All three of the adults looked over at the twelve and eleven year old, who had frozen mid sentence, "After all, it is their time they would be giving up to educate this child."

"When would we meet her?" Guinevere eventually asked. Albus looked back at the letter in his hand.

"They requested to meet over the Easter Holidays."

"Do they want multiple meetings, or just one?" Coralie followed up.

"Multiple, somewhere in the range of five or six." The two girls exchanged glances before looking back at the Headmaster.

"We agree," Albus smiled, "But we have a condition. These meetings must be conducted inside the Wizarding World." His smile rapidly changed to a frown at Coralie's words. He opened his mouth to retort, only for the young girl to continue. "This is a massive favor on our part, if that condition is not met, the deal is off and you will need to find another family that satisfies the conditions that the Grangers have already placed."

Susannah and Guinevere grinned at Coralie, her logic shutting any of Albus' arguments down before he could even begin to articulate them. He sighed, and nodded.

"That is fine. I will write to the Grangers explaining your conditions, as well as giving them directions to the Leaky Cauldron so they can easily meet with your family." Susannah nodded briskly.

"We will wait outside the Leaky Cauldron to meet them, but that will be our only compromise as it is necessary for them to gain passage. You may give them our address in the case that they would like to write to us about dates and times," She said coolly while turning and ushering her daughters to the door. Albus and Minerva watched them leave silently, and only spoke once the doors shut.

"I forgot how cold they can be," He murmured while removing spectacles tiredly. Minerva frowned as she nodded in agreement.

"Well, we can only hope that Ms. Granger can change that," She decided before taking her own leave.

"Indeed," Albus whispered as the door closed, leaving him to his thoughts.

Hello and welcome to my new story! I do want to just let you know about some of the changes I've implemented to the base characteristics of the Harry Potter Universe.

I made my own timetable for every teacher's particular subject and scheduled classes based on years, so the schedules might not line up with the ones mentioned in the stories.

Most classes will not have double lessons unless it's at the 5th year or above. The only exception for years 1-4 will be Potions because they need time to actually… brew the potions.

None of the classes, except flying, will have separation between the four houses because it makes the class schedule too complicated for me to keep track of.

This story will cover fragments of the year leading up to the first book as well as the first book itself.

Coralie, Athena, Guinevere, Burton, and Susannah are all my original characters, as well as the unnamed members of Athena's family.

This story will stray from canon events as it progresses, if you do not like this then I would not recommend that you read this story.

That's all for now, hope you enjoy it! Please leave a review with questions, comments, concerns, or PM me!