"Good morning children, I am Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I trust you've read the contents of your Hogwarts letters?" she asked.
Harry and Hermione nodded and McGonagall turned back towards their parents. "Well then, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I advise that you and your family take a seat for the moment, this is going to take a little time to explain.
"I'll make some refreshments," Emma said, putting her hand on her husband's shoulder in reassurance.
Minerva's POV
After Emma left the living room, Professor McGonagall took the opportunity to take a closer look at her surroundings. The Granger's home radiated coziness and a welcoming atmosphere that many households tried to project. As far as she could tell, the children had been raised with discipline and affection, something that made less of an appearance in muggle-borns' cases with each passing year.
She had been specifically tasked by the Headmaster to help this family with its transition into the Wizarding World, although she was not sure as to what the Headmaster's motives were yet. It wasn't unheard of to have muggle-born children attend Hogwarts, after all. Not to mention the fact that he had her come here at the last possible moment, no doubt to eliminate the possibility of the parents reconsidering their decision before school even started, should they choose to let their charges attend.
Speaking of whom, they were currently sitting on the large sofa, petting a bird perched on the boy's lap and frantically whispering to each other. She didn't know why, but there were alarm bells screaming in her head. Something about the kid with the messy black hair and emerald green eyes made her greatly uneasy. He looked like someone she once knew, long ago, but couldn't for the life of her put her finger on it. She was about to ask about the bird on the boy's lap as a small conversation starter when Emma came back with a tray bearing a small plate of scones, tea for the adults, and lemonade for the kids.
After getting settled, McGonagall instigated the conversation right away. "I would like to start off by thanking you for the hospitality after coming at such short notice. I really am grateful for your cooperation" she said with a small sip of her tea. "Please, allow me to explain what this is all about. As I previously mentioned, my name is Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The reason I am here is that your children were born with a rare, magical gift. Thus, they have been accepted to attend our school, where they will be taught to better understand and control said gift. Your children will be taught how to do magic." She paused to let the information sink in and ready herself for their reaction, expecting some kind of outburst as was usual to such a statement. To her surprise, they seemed more thoughtful than surprised. This was not what she was expecting, at all. "Excuse my frankness, but you don't seem at all surprised," McGonagall commented, clearing her throat.
"Well, to be honest with you Professor, Harry and Hermione have been doing what you call 'Magic' for as long as we can remember, to the point that it has become a regular part of our everyday life. Though up until now we hadn't really known what it was. Nowadays, it isn't uncommon to see things flying about the house. This is sort of like finding the last piece of a puzzle to us, everything just seems to fall into place and suddenly makes more sense" replied Dan, staring at the cup of tea between his hands.
"I... see..." McGonagall was not expecting that answer at all. Usually, parents shrugged off any weird occurrences where magic might have been involved, blaming it on a trick of the eye or some sort of crazy mirage. Children rarely displayed magical gifts, with most incidents happening when the children were distraught or in some form of danger, their magic trying to alter reality to their favor. She had to admit to herself, the fact that these kids were willingly and knowingly doing magic on their own was unsettling, urging her to find out just how often they did so. McGonagall was starting to realize why Albus had trusted her with this particular task. If only she knew how far she was from the truth.
Gathering her Gryffindor courage, she asked the question that was currently plaguing her mind, not being able to withstand the temptation. "And how frequently do Mr. and Miss Granger do magic, if I may ask?"
Dan chose not to address the fact that the Professor had labeled Harry as a Granger, as it was presently not the most pressing matter, and turned towards his wife. "Few times a day I reckon. What do you think honey?"
"Yeah, that seems about right. Not counting the times they do it in secret" she said, giving Harry and Hermione a knowing look, both of whom were sporting faces of deer caught in headlights. McGonagall saw the boy quickly gather himself and speak up. "We never do anything dangerous, Emma, I swear! And we always make sure to take great care, I promise!" he said with a small blush.
They were doing magic without a wand? On a daily basis too? And why did the boy refer to his mother as Emma? Just what exactly did Albus get me into?
"That's not exactly reassuring" Emma replied unimpressed, McGonagall watching the exchange between the two, not really knowing how to respond. Luckily and unknowingly, Emma provided her with a lifeline. "Let's just get back to the topic at hand. What can you tell us about Hogwarts, Professor?" she asked with genuine curiosity.
After many years of introducing muggle-borns to the wizarding world, McGonagall was able to answer her questions with ease. "Hogwarts is the British wizarding school for Britain and Scotland, located in the Scottish Highlands. It enrolls children with magical abilities at birth, and acceptance is confirmed through owl reply during the summer after the child's 11th Birthday. In your case though, they were born with no magical parents, thus the need for a school representative to come along and explain things in person." She took a sip of her tea to clear her throat and gather her thoughts on how to continue. She was still thrown off from knowing the children already did magic.
"Usually this is the part where the parents either demand that I leave their home or ask for a demonstration to confirm our claim. Am I correct in assuming you do not need me to demonstrate that magic is real?" McGonagall asked with a raised eyebrow.
"By all means Professor, don't let that stop you from showing us what you can do!" Harry exclaimed getting up from the couch. McGonagall watched as he forced Hestia to get off from his lap and fly over to Hermione's, flapping her wings irritably and giving the boy an annoyed thrill. It greatly resembled the way the Headmaster and his familiar behaved with one another, but she was pretty sure there was no such thing as a black phoenix. Probably just a smart bird then.
"Please excuse my overbearing brother Professor, what he meant to say was that we would be delighted if you could show us a demonstration," said Hermione while gently stroking the back of Hestia's head.
"Very well Ms. Granger, if you insist" with that McGonagall stood up and walked towards the middle of the room, where she proceeded to turn into her Animagus form. A tabby cat with grey and brown stripes now stood where McGonagall has been a second ago, staring at them with calculating, yellow eyes. After a couple of seconds, McGonagall turned back and returned to her seat. Harry and Hermione were staring at her slackjawed, still getting over the shock that the person in front of them had just turned into a common cat, silently resolving to learn how to turn into animals too.
"What I have just shown you is my Animagus form. After months of intense studying and special guidance, your children too could learn this ability. Although I must mention that this requires a deep understanding of magic and of one's self, so you probably won't be attempting this for a couple of years. And that was just a small possibility where magic is concerned. There are all kinds of abilities and knowledge that one can attain at our school," she said, hoping to entice the Grangers into letting their children attend Hogwarts.
"Can we turn into any animal? And can we speak to them as well?" Harry asked with no regard as to what McGonagall had just said about the hard work needed to attain such a form.
"I don't see why not, so long as the form is not overly different in mass compared to you. But as I mentioned, hard work, dedication, and perseverance will be needed to achieve such a goal," McGonagall said amused.
She could tell that these kids were wildly ambitious, worthy of the house of Slytherin. It's a shame that their chances of getting sorted there were basically null, with them being muggle-borns and all. She had no doubt in her mind that they would one day achieve their Animagus form as well, though hopefully through her guidance and council.
"As to speaking with animals, it is a very rare gift but not unheard of. Some wizards are born with the talent while others might devote years of study to learn the language, something that not always bears fruit" McGonagall said, curious as to where exactly he was leading with this.
"Well, that explains the Zoo incident," Hermione said thoughtfully, knitting her eyebrows.
"What is that I hear, is someone jealous that they can't speak to snakes?" Harry said with a taunting laugh, unaware that him revealing that information had almost given McGonagall a heart attack.
The boy speaks Parseltongue. He does wandless magic and speaks Parseltongue. Why do I have the feeling that I still don't know what Albus has gotten me into? This is not what I signed up for!
Hopeful that the Grangers did not notice her moment of uncertainty, she gathered herself and confirmed with the boy if what he was saying was true. "Excuse me, Mr. Granger, but are you insinuating that you can speak to snakes?" she asked, feeling slightly queasy.
"Yes, Ma'am. Though to be honest, it's really only happened once. It could have been my imagination for all we know" he said, having doubts about his ability, seeing as it had been a while since he had used it.
After a moment of deliberation, McGonagall made up her mind and decided to find out. "Would you like to conduct a small test to confirm your claim, Mr. Granger?" she asked.
"I don't know how we could do that Professor, it happened by accident. I didn't even realize I was speaking to the snake until after the whole fiasco," Harry said with a slight frown.
"Should your parents agree I could summon a snake and we can find out once and for all," McGonagall's heart was furiously beating as if it were going to burst out of her rib cage at any given moment. Was this fear? Did she seriously think that the boy in front of her would turn out anything at all like he-who-must-not-be-named?
"I trust that this would be done with caution?" asked Daniel.
"You have nothing to worry about, it is completely safe," replied McGonagall with a nod of her head. "Very well, please proceed," he said, pushing his glasses up to his eyes and leaning forward on his chair to get a better look at what was going to happen.
McGonagall stood up once again, taking her wand out from her sleeve, and gave it a flick.
Serpensortia
A small garden snake sprung out from the tip of her wand and onto the coffee table. "If you would, Mr. Granger" McGonagall requested, anxious as to what was going to happen.
Uhm, hello? Harry hissed.
The snaked straightened at the use of its language and turned towards the figure talking to it. McGonagall felt a chill go down her back at hearing the boy speak to the snake, many bad memories arising from the last time she had heard Parseltongue. Next time Albus sent her on one of his 'special missions' she was going to point-blank refuse.
A sspeaker? What bringss you here, young one? The snake hissed back, tongue flicking out.
Actually, you were ssumoned to ssee if I can sspeak to you. It sseems I can communicate with your kind.
How curiouss. Now that your ssusspicionss are confirmed, what elsse would you wissh of me? The snake asked with a tilt of its head.
Jusst wanted to ssee if I could sspeak to you. From the lookss on their facess, I can.
Very well. If we're all done here, I would very much prefer to go back to nothingnesss. The snake hissed, slightly irritated at being so casually summoned.
"It says it would appreciate it if you could vanish it. It doesn't like being alive for some reason" Harry said amused. McGonagall absentmindedly vanished the snake, still getting over the fact that the boy was a Parselmouth.
"If you would accept some advice, I would recommend not openly revealing your ability to others. Parseltongue is widely frowned upon in the wizarding world for its known past connection to dark wizards. There are people who would take this as a sign suggesting that you yourself might turn dark. Be that as it may, one cannot refute the fact that it may one day come in handy. I have heard rumors about a certain branch of Healing Magic called Parselmagic, though you will have to ask the headmaster about it. I am afraid it is an obscure subject that I myself haven't had the privilege to study. Just please be cautious as to whom you let in on your secret," McGonagall cautioned.
"Of course, Professor. My lips are sealed" Harry replied confidently with a smile while yet another goal was added to his list. "So what else can you tell us about Hogwarts, Professor?" Harry asked, wanting to know more about this mysterious new world that had been revealed to them.
"The first thing worth knowing before you make your decision is that Hogwarts is a boarding school. Should you decide to attend, you would be spending the majority of the year at the castle. Term starts on the 1st of September, with classes scheduled to begin the next day. You would be traveling to the school via the Hogwarts Express, which leaves King's Cross station at 11 A.M., bringing students to Hogsmead Station, where the 2nd to 7th years ride horseless carriages to the school, while the first years cross the lake in boats," she said almost automatically. "Once students have arrived at the castle, they will be sorted into one of four houses. There is Gryffindor, the house of the Brave; Hufflepuff, the house of the Loyal; Ravenclaw, the house of the Wise; and Slytherin, the house of the Cunning."
"What do you think Hermione? Where will we get sorted?" asked Harry with excitement. "I think Ravenclaw sounds like it would suit me, don't you think?" she asked thoughtfully "Definitely! As for me, it doesn't matter; really, I'll just go where you go. Who's going to protect you when you get into trouble?" he asked with a mocking tone. "It's a school! What sort of trouble are you expecting?" she asked with amusement in her eyes.
"How frequently would they be able to come home?" asked Emma, while McGonagall took a bite out of her scone, watching the exchange between the two kids. "The children are allowed to go home for the Christmas and Easter Holidays, though they also have the option to stay at the castle during the breaks if they so wish. That, however, would have to be agreed upon by the child's parents or legal guardians."
Dan had already made up his mind, the moment that the weirdly dressed person had turned into a cat. He knew that Hermione was destined for this, even if it was hard to admit. He looked at his wife, knowing that in the end, it was her opinion that mattered the most. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she was biting her lower lip. It was seldom an occurrence when he denied her anything which would make her happy. She was looking at Harry and Hermione whispering to each other, Hestia resting on the arm of the couch with her eyes closed. She had that thoughtful look she always sported when she was debating something thoroughly. Finally, she spoke up.
"Professor, there's no need for you to convince us, I think we've made up our mind," she said, reaching over and placing her hand on her husband's forearm and sending him a loving smile.
"You hear that Hermione? We get to learn Magic!" Harry said, giving her a hug.
"That's great news, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I'm very glad that you have chosen to let your children attend. In that case, here are your tickets for the train. As you can see, the train leaves from Platform 9 3/4. You can find it between platforms 9 and 10; all you have to do is walk through the passageway on the brick wall. If you wait around, I'm sure someone would be glad to help you go through it. You will also need to go and get your school supplies at your earliest convenience, which can be done so in Diagon Alley. Instructions on how to get there can be found enclosed in your Hogwarts letters, as well as the means. Please be careful when handling the letters, as they contain portkeys to and from Diagon Alley. They will teleport you to the entrance of the alley, all you have to do is hold on to them and activate them by saying the key phrase indicated in the parchment.
"As a side note, seeing as you are both muggle-born, you will need to exchange some of your money for the wizarding currency, which can be done so in Gringotts Wizarding Bank, also located in Diagon Alley," she added.
"I think that pretty much covers everything, do you perhaps have any questions?" She asked, looking around the room at everyone.
Hermione looked up from where she was still whispering with Harry. "Professor, it says on the letters that first-years are not allowed brooms. May I ask why that is so and what the brooms are for? I assume you don't use it for its original purpose."
"Very astute, Miss Granger. The brooms are in fact used for flying, either for racing or a sport known as Quidditch. There will be tryouts during the second week of term when the first years will have their first broom flying lessons" McGonagall responded.
"Flying brooms? Isn't that considered dangerous?" asked a worried Emma.
"Let me assure you, Mrs. Granger, you have nothing to worry about. Not only are there certain precautions taken so that the children's lives are not endangered, but they will also be under adult supervision at all times. Now, while it is not strictly forbidden for a first-year to try out for Quidditch, it is advised that they prioritize their education, as the first two years of Hogwarts will lay the foundation for their later studies."
"Alright, I guess that's something" Emma murmured.
"Professor, I have a question" Harry spoke up. "Yes, what is it, Mr. Granger?" McGonagall asked with a raised eyebrow.
Harry once again resisted the urge to correct her, as there would be plenty of time for that. "It says in the letter that students are allowed to bring an owl, a cat, or a toad. Do you think it possible for us to take Hestia along?" He said, reaching out to ruffle her feathers.
"I don't see why not, exceptions have been made in the past. I will first have to bring the matter to the Headmaster and ask for permission though. Do you know what type of bird Hestia is?" she asked, curious to find out about the bird that had previously caught her interest.
"Not really, but I'm fairly confident that she's magical though." he replied, not wanting to share how they came about to have her.
"Very well then. You should be notified before the start of the term. Now, if you don't mind, I think I will take my leave. You've been more than hospitable as is, and I wish not to intrude any longer." she said getting up from her chair and straightening her robes.
"Of course, let me escort you out Professor," said Dan while getting up as well. He led McGonagall out of the living room and towards the door, leaving behind two very excited magical children, and an anxious mother.
Holy crap, that was hard. So it's been a few months since my last update, (almost a year) something which some of you might have a problem with. I'm going to be honest with you, I got writer's block, and ended up just scraping the whole chapter. Nay, the whole story. Was really demotivated and all, so sorry about that. I had to re-write the chapter a few times until it suited my expectations. Actually, it still feels a bit off, but hey, hope you enjoy it. Now that this scene has been written, I should have an easier time continuing. For the next chapter, I plan on sending the kids off to Diagon Alley to get their stuff. Now, this is something that I have been looking forward to since I first started this story. The chapter should be out by Friday. Also let me know if you want any particular character to join their gang (I plan for Luna to join, but seeing as she's one year younger, that will only be later on in the story.) I already have a general idea of who their friends might be, but I'm just curious as to what you guys think. Anyway, see you guys next chapter!