Harry Potter and Hermione Starchanger.
Chapter 1. The girl who loved and changed her stars.
I don't own the Harry Potter verse. Just playing.
Summary: Hermione Granger, a precocious two year old was lonely. She had two loving parents who had showed her so much love, that she wished on a star to share that love with a friend. Halloween was coming up and she thought this could be her opportunity.
And that changes Everything!
HHr MOF Dumbledore.
And yes, this is the new and improved Harmony point of view version to the other Halloween 1981 companion story, Minerva makes a difference. When one's muse starts to write a story, you never know where she will lead you and where the story will begin or end up.
So this story includes the Harmony bits from, Minerva makes a difference, and expands the story with new material from the mischievous mind of my muse.
01/01/21 Beta by alix33. Thank you.
- Harry Potter and Hermione Starchanger. -
Hermione Granger was a little precocious two year old girl looking for a friend. The Grangers had recently moved from their little flat above their dental practice to Number Six, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, to give their daughter more room. Her parents were busy running their dental practice but they made sure to spend plenty of time with their beloved daughter.
Halloween 1981 was coming up in a few days, and little Hermione was hoping to use the opportunity to meet children her age. Her mother, Emma Granger was taking Hermione to buy a suitable Halloween costume at a nearby shopping centre. Hermione had her heart set on a special costume for Wendy, the good little witch, one piece red jumpsuit with a big floppy hood. But none of the stores had one.
Then Hermione spotted a small shop in the corner of the arcade and turned to her mother. "What about that shop, mummy?"
Emma turned to where Hermione was pointing but only saw an old shop that looked closed as she couldn't see any lights on. "Sorry, love. It looks closed."
"But the lights are on and the sign says, Halloween Specials." Hermione replied as she had already stepped towards the shop and started to open the door.
Emma took a step closer and was surprised when the lights appeared to be ready on and she saw the main sign over the door. Nymphadora's Magic Shoppe. A welcome sign in the window read, Happy Samhain! With a sale sign, Halloween Specials.
Emma followed Hermione into the shop and took a moment to gaze at the wonder she saw. On the left side were various robes of different sizes and colours. At the back were bookcases filled with all sorts of old and ancient looking books. In the corner were brooms that looked old style with straight thin twigs for bristles. On the right were shelves of glass bottles of all sort of sizes filled with all sort of things and ingredients with glass display cases containing wands and crystal balls. And standing in the center was a little witch about seven years old in a colourful robe and pointy hat. She had a pale heart-shaped face, dark twinkling eyes, and short spiky hair that was a violent shade of violet. She smiled as she saw Hermione approach.
"Hi, I'm Dora and welcome to my Magic Shop."
Hermione felt so welcomed that she hugged the little witch. "Hi, I am Hermione, and this is my mother, Emma."
"Hello Hermione." The little witch struggled to get the name right as Hermione smiled at the attempt. That was the first problem she had meeting other children, they had difficulties trying to pronounce her name.
"Hello Dora, this is your Magic shop?" Emma asked as she couldn't believe that it could be a real magic shop.
"Yep, my mother named it after me, so it is mine." Dora replied.
"A real magic shop?" Hermione asked.
Dora replied. "Yep, it is charmed so only a real witch can see it from the outside."
"Oh?" Hermione and Emma wondered for completely opposite reasons.
"How can we help you?" Dora asked.
"We are looking for a Halloween costume." Hermione replied.
"Well you have come to the right place and we are having a Halloween sale on now. I will just call for my mother, oh, Andromeda!" Dora called out and stressed each syllable of her mother's name.
They heard a muffled crack and a mother of a similar age to Emma entered through the back door dressed in a long flowing purple robe and walked with an air of purpose and training.
She smiled as she stopped next to her daughter and ran her fingers through her spiky hair. "Hello, I am Andy and welcome to Nymphadora's Magic Shop."
"Hello, I am Emma and this is Hermione." Emma greeted. "This is really your daughter's shop?"
Andy chuckled sadly. "Actually, Nymphadora was a very dear friend of mine that I went to school with and became my sister-in-law. I tragically lost her suddenly." Andy paused as the sad moment came back to her. "She, she left me her shop, and Nimby is named after her aunt. Though she doesn't realised how special her name is."
"Muuummm! Its Dora! Only Harry, Neville and Luna are allowed to call me, Nimby!" Dora responded and then added her point by poking her tongue out at her mother as Hermione giggled. Dora turned to her and whispered. "Adults can be so childish."
"Sorry, its Dora today." Andy said as she rolled her eyes and whispered to Emma. "She is so much like her aunt and my best friend."
"They are looking for Halloween costumes." Dora informed her mother as she made air quotes around the word, costumes.
"Hi, Hermione, what particular costume did you have in mind?" Andy asked.
"Oh, a red Wendy, the good little witch, one piece jumpsuit with a big floppy hood." Hermione replied as Dora moved to a rack of children's clothes and took off a black one piece that was too big for Hermione.
Hermione looked a little disappointed as it was the wrong colour and size, while Emma was a little distracted by what she thought she saw in some of the large glass jars and had to take a second closer look.
Dora smiled. "Don't worry, Andromeda will fix it." She handed it to her mother.
Andy bristled at Nymphadora using her full name, but Nymphadora really didn't like her own full name that she had insisted on.
She smiled at Hermione. "It won't take a moment." As she took out her wand and with a wave, the colour of the jumpsuit changed to bright red and shrunk down to fit Hermione perfectly.
"Wow, that is perfect." Hermione said as she brought her mother's attention back to the costume and she nodded in agreement.
Dora grabbed Hermione's hand and led her to the change room. Well it was just a modified wardrobe on the wall that was bigger on the inside than out. She quickly wriggled into the one piece and pulled the floppy hood up. She checked the mirror and she and Dora agreed that the costume was perfect.
Dora took her hand. "Now, Hermione, you need a wand and a broom, and you will be all set." She led her over to the glass display case. "Just wave your hand over the wands to see which one accepts you."
Hermione looked as the glass front disappeared and she could wave her hand over the wands on the shelf. A brown coloured wand jumped up into her hand as she passed over it.
"Wow, nice wand, 6¾" long, made of vine wood, and has a dragon heartstring core. Good choice, Hermione." Dora explained and then led her to the brooms in the corner as the glass front reappeared on the display case.
Hermione checked the old style brooms but they were all too big for her, until Dora pulled one from the back that was as long as Hermione was tall. She smiled as Dora handed the Shooting Star broom to her and they ran back to their mothers.
"Look mummy." Hermione spun around to show her perfect costume and then held up her wand and broom.
Emma smiled. "That's perfect, Hermione. You really look like Wendy, the good little witch."
"You can get a costume too, mummy." Hermione encouraged.
"Oh, I don't know."
"Pleeeease?"
Andy took an elegant robe in a beautiful periwinkle blue colour and held it up for Emma to look at. She couldn't resist it and had to try it on.
"Looking good, mum!" Hermione agreed as Emma twirled around.
Sadly none of the wands would chose Emma so she got a black toy wand, but she did get a full size Cleansweep broom to match Hermione's toy Shooting Star.
Dora showed Hermione how to sit on her toy broom side saddle while Emma settled the bill. She hadn't expected to spend that much but she knew Dan would love to see her in that beautiful periwinkle blue robe.
"Goodbye, Nimby!" Hermione said as Dora hugged her.
"Bye, Mai!" Dora smiled as Hermione loved her new special name.
Andy gave them her card as Hermione and Emma left the store. "Just in case you have any questions or if anything odd or strange happens."
It had been a delightful afternoon shopping and they couldn't wait to show Dan. As they turned the corner in the arcade, Emma glanced back to have a final look at Nymphadora's Magic Shoppe, only to see that it was dark again and appeared to be abandoned.
"Oh?"
- Harry Potter and Hermione Starchanger. -
Then it was Halloween and Hermione dressed up in her red Wendy, the good little witch, one piece jumpsuit with a big floppy hood, and Emma dressed up in her elegant beautiful periwinkle blue robes. They left the brooms at home but Hermione was holding her toy wand.
Excitedly they went to the first home for trick or treat.
Sadly it was Number Four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging.
Hermione rang the doorbell and cheerful cried. "Trick or treat!"
Sadly a suit wearing Vernon Dursley answered the door and took one look at little Wendy, the good witch, and launched into a tirade so foul and disgusting that I am unable to print here. It was certainly not suitable for any child to hear.
Emma moved to protect her daughter, but Hermione was pointing her toy wand at the loud angry dunderhead. She blinked as a purple light beam from the wand hit the rude bigot and he turned into the suit wearing walrus from the Walrus and the Carpenter song is sung by Tweedledum and Tweedledee in the Walt Disney's 1951 film Alice in Wonderland.
"ARF ARF ARF!" Roared the angry walrus at little Hermione before he slammed the door shut and waddled away.
Emma picked up Hermione and they ran home.
"It is okay, mummy, don't cry." Hermione comforted her mother. "I turned that bad old dunderhead into the walrus from my story. I really didn't like that greedy manipulative walrus."
Emma didn't know what to say. She was horrified that the terrible rude dunderhead had yelled at her daughter but seeing him turned into the horrible greedy walrus from the Disney movie was fitting and funny. And just another odd thing to happen around her daughter.
They decided to not to tell Dan as he would get upset and besides Hermione had already dealt with the dunderhead. But mother and daughter shared a delightful moment when they heard a loud shriek from Number Four when the uppity wife came home from gossiping with the neighbours.
Followed by two wholesome.
BONG!
BONG!
The same good bong sound a proper British cast iron frying pan makes when it hits something hard.
And ending with another loud ear splitting shriek of.
"VEEERRRRNNNOOON!"
Emma and Hermione laughed as they high-fived each other as they explained to Dan what had happened to their bad old neighbour.
While Dan suggested that they move to a quieter new home.
- Harry Potter and Hermione Starchanger. -
Hermione decided that her red jumpsuit will become her new jammies as she loved them and they kept her all warm and snuggly.
Too excited to sleep, Hermione looked out her bedroom window at the front of the home on the first floor. She saw the first star and made a wish.
"Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight;
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight."
Hermione said as she wished for a friend with all her love, and all of mind and all of her heart.
As her eyes were closed, she didn't notice that the stars moved.
- Harry Potter and Hermione Starchanger. -
The next morning, Hermione was woken up by the noise of the rude dunderhead from next door, yelling at a stray cat. She peeked out the window and saw that he had returned to his usual horrible appearance but now had two large red lumps on his head. He saw her in the window but did nothing to show that he recognised her red jumpsuit. It was as if he had completely forgotten about who had turned him into a walrus the previous afternoon.
But the dunderhead went too far when tried to kick the poor stray cat.
Hermione was about to reach for her wand as she didn't like the rude dunderhead's attitude to the poor stray cat. But then she noticed as the rude dunderhead became angrier, he would slowly start to transform again into the greedy despicable walrus from the Walrus and the Carpenter song is sung by Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
So far the angry dunderhead had transformed his head into the head of the walrus leaving his hands and feet free to drive.
"ARF, ARF, ARF!" Was all the Walrus said to the stray cat as he drove off.
Hermione noticed that the stray cat was looking directly at her with a smile in her face.
At breakfast, Hermione told her mother about the strange non reaction of the dunderhead to seeing her red Wendy jumpsuit.
Emma smiled as she replied. "It might have something to do with two bongs from a cast iron frying pan."
Hermione and Emma laugh with glee at the idea that the dunderhead had completely forgotten about being turned into a walrus because his wife had hit him with a frying pan. With the bonus that the blows from the frying pan calmed him down enough to allow him to transform back into his normal bad Vernon.
Then Hermione mentioned that the dunderhead got angry at the stray cat, and started to change into the head of a walrus again. Emma laughed as she hugged her special good little witch.
Later Hermione went outside in her warm and snuggly red jumpsuit, and discovered that the stray cat was still sitting on the wall and seemed to be watching the house at Number Four, Privet Drive.
Hermione returned with some warm bacon and cold milk in a bowl and gave it to the stray cat. She patted her as she ate and Hermione warned her how terrible the people who lived at Number Four were.
The stray cat enjoyed the warm bacon and cold milk, and seemed to understand what Hermione had said, as the cat looked at her and nodded in agreement.
Hermione continued to pat the cat as she told her about her family being dentist, and how she wished for a friend. She didn't mention that she had accidentally turned the rude dunderhead into a walrus as she didn't think the cat would understand that. But she did say that her parents were thinking of moving.
Hermione noticed that the stray cat's ears pricked up at that little bit of news and gave her a thoughtful look.
Hermione watched out for the stray cat for the rest of the day as she didn't move as she watched Number Four.
- Harry Potter and Hermione Starchanger. -
The stray cat was still watching Number Four when little red Hermione went to bed that night.
Later, Hermione woke up and felt all tingling and she looked out the window for the stray cat.
But she was gone.
In the cat's place stood a tall black robed witch with a black pointy hat, that was waving her wand around at Number Six, Privet Drive.
Hermione looked out and noticed that there were pink coloured toys scattered on the front lawn of Number Four that should have never been found there. She watched the black robed witch admire her handiwork and then gasped as the witch turned into the stray cat and sat back on the wall again as if she was waiting for something or rather someone.
Hermione didn't have to wait long until a tall thin wizard appeared as if he had popped out of the ground, and he looked as if he was Merlin himself in his colourful robes, and he walked down the road as if he owned it all.
Hermione watched as Merlin paused as he stood outside Number Four, and then shook his head as he walked to stand outside her home, Number Six. He took out his wand and waved at her home and she felt all tingling again.
Hermione watched as Merlin put his wand away and then he took out a strange looking silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness. He continued to repeat clicking the lighter until the street was dark.
Then Merlin turned to greet the cat that had walked over to him and it transformed into a witch.
They spoke quietly and Hermione couldn't hear clearly but understood that the cat witch wasn't happy and disagreed with Merlin.
Then a giant flew in on a huge black motorbike that was loud enough to wake the whole street.
Hermione watched as the giant, cat witch and Merlin talked and then left a bundle on the doorstep of her home. She waited until the trio left and then rushed down to find what had been left on her doorstep that cold November night.
Little red Hermione opened the front door to find a little boy wrapped up in a blue blanket laying on her doorstep. She carefully picked up the bundle as it was as big as she was.
- Harry Potter and Hermione Starchanger. -
Dan and Emma Granger were awakened by the noise of a loud motorbike flying away, and lay there in bed as they tried to get back to sleep when they heard the sound of the door to their daughter, Hermione's bedroom opening, and they prepared themselves for her to come rushing into their room and climb into their bed. Emma had told Dan that Hermione had been a little upset all day, and she had thought that it was because that none of the other children would play with her but she did make a friend with a stray cat.
Dan and Emma became a little concerned when they heard Hermione's footsteps go the other way and down the stairs.
Their concerns went into full panic mode when they heard the front door squeak open and they jumped out of bed and rushed down the stairs in their pyjamas to the front door to discover their daughter standing on their doorstep holding a bundle that was almost as big as her.
A bundle that obviously contained an infant boy from the blue colour of the blanket.
"Thank you, O Blue Fairy from the Blue Star!" Hermione cheerfully said to anyone there as she turned to go back inside and saw her terrified parents standing in front of her.
Hermione smiled cheerfully as she held up the bundle that was almost as big as her. "Wishes really do come true. I wished on a star for a friend and here he is."
"But Hermione that is a little boy!" Emma tried to reason.
"Yes, of course he is, and just what I wished for. I got so impatient waiting for you two to get busy." Hermione said cheerfully. "I do hope he loves to read."
"But, Hermione you can't.."
"But I have already thanked the Blue Fairy from the Blue Star, so I can't give him back!" Hermione counter-reasoned. "That would be being ungrateful!"
"Oh?"
"So he is mine!"
"Oh?"
Dan tried to make sense of the situation but it was very late and he realised that he needed to check that the boy was okay and uninjured. "Hermione dear, come inside and you can help me check that the boy is okay."
"Harry!" Hermione said as she read the name on the blue blanket. "The boy's name is Harry."
"Okay, but I still need to check Harry."
"Alright." Hermione said as she carried the sleeping boy into the living room, and sat down on the couch with the bundle on her lap.
Dan and Emma carefully unwrapped the bundle to check as Hermione held the boy's hand.
"He looks well loved and healthy except for an angry looking scar on his forehead shaped like a bolt of lightning." Dan said to Hermione.
"It's okay, Daddy, I will kiss it better!" Said Hermione who was still holding Harry's hand as she leant over and kissed the scar on the little boy's forehead before her father could do anything.
PFFffffff.
They watched in surprise as the scar burst open and a dark mist came screaming out.
"Harry, you shouldn't be smoking at your age. It will stunt your growth and give you bad teeth." Hermione chastised the sleeping boy.
As the dark mist became thicker, she waved her hand through it to sweep it away from herself and Harry, but as she was still holding his hand, when her other hand passed through the mist, the mist caught fire, and the entity screamed again as it burnt up like tissue paper into nothing before it could form a shape.
"Oops!"
Dan and Emma had witnessed some strange things happening around their daughter, but that was the strangest thing yet. Their daughter had just performed some sort of Exorcism on the child and they watched in wonder as the entity burnt up, and the angry scar shaped like a bolt of lightning closed up and faded away. They had never seen a wound heal that fast before.
"See! All better now!" Hermione said proudly. "Can I keep him? Pleeeease?"
All this commotion woke up the little boy and he opened his eyes and smiled as he hugged the little girl. The bright smile and the vivid emerald green eyes moved something deep inside Emma to hug both children.
Dan chuckled as he could see that the decision was going to be left to him. "Well it is after midnight, so he can stay tonight and we will work it out in the morning."
"Thank you, Daddy." Hermione said as she moved to hug her father. "I love you."
Dan knew he had a very hard decision to make the next day as he watched his daughter snuggle up with the little boy. He picked both of them up together in his arms and placed them into Hermione's bed. They were asleep in a moment as he kissed her forehead and tucked them in.
Dan stood by the door as Emma came up behind and wrapped her arms around him as she looked longingly at the two children. Hermione was a miracle baby and it was unlikely that Emma would have another no matter how busy they got. And their work as dentists had revealed the sad situation for abandoned children. But it also meant that they knew how the system worked, and Dan could tell that Emma wanted to keep this little boy who had made their little girl very happy.
- Harry Potter and Hermione Starchanger. -
In the morning, Petunia Dursley opened her front door to collect the milk, and found an unwanted frustrating letter on her doorstep from someone she never wanted to see again. She had immediately recognised the loopy writing and angrily threw it into the fireplace without opening it. She now knew who had turned her Vernon into a walrus. After all the strange things that happened the day before and with the talk about her oh so brilliant clever sister, the last thing she needed was to read a letter from that Manipulative Old Fool.
Sadly, that would be the last time she thought about her sister, and her sister's son with the nasty, common name, and anything magical at all.
Until the next time, of course.
But regrettably, Petunia's brief touch on the envelope was all that the Manipulative Old Fool needed for her to trigger a strange pale angry red coloured dome to appear over their home. The red dome faded away as the ward settled in place and connected to the only magical being inside the dome.
Unfortunately that magical being was a Squib called Petunia Dursley nee Evans and the drain on what little magic she had would make her feel tired, weak and irritable all the time.
- Harry Potter and Hermione Starchanger. -
While in a castle to the far north, a strange looking silver instrument started moving, which made a certain old wizard very happy as he saw how weak the signal was, and he forgot about all the pain a certain little boy would suffer, whom he had condemned to endure ten dark and difficult years if he survived Vernon's anger and temper. That was the boy's punishment for not dying with his parents and stealing his glory by destroying the dark lord and not leaving a body for him to show.
The boy would suffer, weak, ignorant and unloved, until Dumbledore could rearrange his destiny for the boy to face Tom again.
Probably will have to wait until the boy came to Hogwarts so he can keep and eye on him. He really didn't trust what else the Mudblood could have done to protect her son.
The old manipulative wizard looked at his list of things to do and crossed off the first item noted as Durzkaban, with a chuckle at his private joke. The next item on his list was sending the idiot Grim to Azkaban. He used his fireplace to floo travel to the Ministry of Magic to inform the Minister of Magic, Millicent Bagnold, of the unforgivable betrayal of the Potters by their friend, Sirius Black, and sent the whole Ministry after the dog and not the rat.
After that successful diversion, he returned to the castle to wait for young Cornelius to send him word that Black had been caught. Then all he had to do was arrange for the dark lord's most vicious servants to eliminate the Longbottoms and he would have total control over the boy. He checked the weird-looking clock on the wall and it was almost time for the compulsions he had placed on the rat to kick in and lead the Lestranges to Longbottom Manor to find their dark lord.
The headmaster's plans were coming to together nicely and he decided that he would visit Gringotts later that afternoon to see much gold the Potters had left him.
For the work of the Greater Good consumed much wealth in gold and lives.
- Harry Potter and Hermione Starchanger. -
Serendipitously, the Manipulative Old Fool was totally oblivious that a little red witch had made a little change to their stars, and the butterfly effect would prove to be critical to all of his schemes and plans, and would be the undoing of everything.
While the little Boy-Who-Was-At-The-Centre-Of-All-This, AKA Harry, was warm and snuggled in the arms of his favourite little witch. The nightmare of the bad wizard with red eyes was not in his dreams.
And when the sun rose, he was awaken by a kiss from his cute girlfriend. They sat together to read from Hermione's favourite book, Wendy, the Good Little Witch meets Casper, while they waited for her parents to finish their morning exercises before they started the brand-new day.
- Harry Potter and Hermione Starchanger. -
Thank you for reading.
