Disclaimer: We don't own anything. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.
So this is a story co-written with aw1430. This story puts a different happier spin on Minerva and Hermione's mother/daughter relationship. This is chailatteandmusic's first story so please review. We hope you like it…
Hermione's grandmother sat on her sofa looking at the numerous pamphlets that lay askew across her coffee table. She'd been thinking about moving some where warm for a long time now. She wasn't getting any younger and she knew it. The winters in England were beginning to be too much for her. It seemed like the most convenient time for her to move with Hermione off at Hogwarts most of the year.
Before now she couldn't move what with being Hermione's only family in England. The young girl's parents had abandoned their only daughter to go gallivanting around the globe. The bushy haired girl didn't seem to mind. She actually remained rather detached about the whole situation with her parents. Probably because her parents had left her at such an early age that she doesn't even remember them that well.
Even their communication was limit to a single present on birthdays and special holidays that require the giving of gifts. There was normally a card attached but even that did not show any remote form of love or any sign that they were missing their only child.
Hermione's grandmother, Helen, really couldn't understand her daughter's decision to leave Hermione behind, but she wasn't complaining. Helen liked having her granddaughter around. Though, she was sure that moving wouldn't bode well with the young girl. It was obvious Hermione loved her school and would not easily give it up. Apparently, living across the globe would mean that she would not be able to go to Hogwarts. In fact they'd been talking about that very subject just the other day. Her grandmother had been trying to get information as how to gauge her granddaughter's reaction to moving without giving anything away.
The Week Previous
"So Hermione, I was wondering, do you have people from all over the globe at your school or do they have other 'special' schools?" asked Helen Puckle.
The bushy haired girl put aside the book she had been reading for a moment to think over her grandmother's question. "No I guess they are all from England or at least live here now. Well actually they'd be from either England or Scotland. I read about some of the other schools in one of the books at Hogwarts."
"So if one of your friends moved lets say to the states they'd go to a school over there?" asked Hermione's guardian. She knew she was getting dangerously close to tipping Hermione off to her true intentions of answering these questions, but she really wanted to know these things before she made any decision.
"Yep, pretty much. Why do you ask?" the girl asked curiously messing with the cover of her book and giving her grandmother a quizzical look.
"Oh, I was just wondering if your school is the only one for people with special powers like yours. My friend's granddaughter was moving to the states with her parents. I was just wondering if the whole transfer thing was similar." Helen answered smoothly although almost everything she said had been a lie. She really didn't want her granddaughter to worry about anything that wasn't final yet. After all she had just gotten home from school. It would be wrong to bother her with this now. Luckily for her, Hermione seemed to accept the lie because the girl went back to her book almost immediately burying her nose deep within the pages of another school book.
Helen sighed at the memory. She knew she needed to concentrate. She was going to live in Florida. About a month before Hermione arrived she had decided that she wanted to live in Florida. It had been a hard decision. There were so many warm places she could move to. In the end it had been between Texas and Florida, but in the end she had chose Florida only because she already had some friends there. A couple of hours ago her real estate agent had called her informing her that the small cottage just outside the city was ready for her.
Taking a deep breath she decided it was time to have a talk with her granddaughter. "Hermione, could you come here for a moment? There are some things I need to discuss with you."
Hermione was lying in her room doing what she always did whether at school or back with her grandmother. The young witch put aside her book, Foundation of Advanced Transfigurations. When her grandmother had come to London to pick her up from King's Cross Station she had also aloud Hermione to stop off at Flourish & Blots for a bit to peruse their selection of books. The bushy haired girl had been overjoyed at the chance to get some new books considering she wouldn't have the vast collection of Hogwart's library readily at her fingertips as she had before.
Setting her new book on the bedside table, Hermione went out into the living room to see what her grandmother wanted. "What is grandma?"
Helen's granddaughter sat across from her on the comfy red recliner folding her legs underneath obviously getting comfortable knowing that whatever her grandmother was going to tell her was not going to be brief. "Hermione dear, you know how much I hate the dreadful winters here?"
"Of course you always complain about them in your letters," Hermione said acknowledging her grandmother's dislike for England's winters.
Helen had decided to just jump right in instead of beating around the bush. "Well you see I've been thinking about moving for quite sometime and have finally decided to act on it. In a week's time I will no longer be living here, but instead in nice sunny Florida."
Hermione was quiet for a long time just sitting there not necessarily looking at her grandmother although her line of sight would suggest otherwise. When in actuality she was just staring into space trying to collect her thoughts. "Ok Hermione, think what does this mean? Your grandmother is moving to Florida. Logically that would mean that you'd be moving with her. Meaning you'd no longer be a resident of England. Also, meaning you'd no longer be able to attend Hogwarts. Instead you'd be stuck with whatever school they would transfer you to! You'd have to leave Harry, Ron, and all the teachers who already know you so well. This would be horrible considering how bad it had been at the beginning when you first started Hogwarts. That's how it'll be at the new school."
Helen was patient with her granddaughter. She knew better than to interrupt the girl's thoughts. Instead she waited for the young witch to make the first move. It didn't take as long as she had expected for Hermione to say in a small voice, "That means that I'd no longer be able to attend Hogwarts."
Unshed tears glistened in the young girl's eyes. It almost broke the old woman's heart at the sight of her granddaughter so distraught. It made it all the worse knowing that she was the cause of her unhappiness. "I'm sorry dear, but I'm afraid so. I'm sure you'll like your new school just as much."
"No I won't. Don't you understand how long it takes to get my peers not to hate me and finally accept me! I don't want to go! I can't leave my friends. I love Hogwarts. This isn't even my home, Hogwarts is!" With that a hysterical Hermione dashed off to her room slamming the door behind her. Silence set in the living room after the click of the young girl's bedroom lock.
Helen shook her head as she rubbed her hands over her face trying to shake the feeling of despair and regret. She hated disappointing Hermione, but this time it seemed inevitable. She knew she had to do something, but what to do? That's when the idea stuck her. She would write a letter to the Headmaster of Hogwarts and see what could be done about their little situation. Then all she would have to do is get the message attached to Hermione's rented owl's leg, although that would certainly be a task in its own.
Albus Dumbledore stared at the staple of parchment in front of him and let out an exhausted groan. The amount of paperwork that needed to be done by the end of the week seemed to be growing instead of decreasing. The Hogwarts' headmaster felt as if his storage of Sherbet Lemon Drops simply wasn't large enough to last through another evening of reading and signing all those documents.
Even though the school had already closed down for the summer holidays and all the teachers had gone home, Albus was still stuck here. In fact, the only person he had seen within the last three days was his personal house-elf. Albus stretched his legs under the oak desk and thought of how nice another cup of hot chocolate sounded when he heard a pecking noise at the window to his left.
Sighing Albus got up to let the owl in. He was certainly not looking forward to answering another owl probably sent by Cornelius Fudge who wanted some more advice. The little snow owl flew in and took a seat next to Fawkes who frowned at it. The headmaster slowly went through his office, his bright blue robes with little stars on them blowing behind him and his eyes gazing through the room desperately searching for a distraction from another urgent task that was probably pinned on the little owl's leg. Only his distinctive sense of responsibility kept Albus from reaching out to one of his small silver instruments, and so he approached the owl. An owl that looked extraordinarily grumpily due to the reason that the letter it had brought had been fixed with some muggle fixing tape to its leg.
"Obviously not a ministry owl", Albus thought getting a little more excited. Whatever the owl was caring, it wasn't another letter of the Minister of Magic. Albus tried to remove the envelope from the owl's leg without hurting it and handed it one of Fawkes' crackers who sent him a disapproving glare.
With the letter in his right hand, the headmaster made his way to the bright purple couch that seemed to hidden under old books and used cups of hot chocolate. Taking a seat on the only free spot he studied the envelope. Whoever had sent that letter did not know a lot about the magical world. Albus chuckled at the muggle stamps that were pinned to the letter and opened it. "Probably from a muggle-born's parents who wants to have more concrete information on the defense of the Basilisk again", he thought due to fact that he had already received four letters of that kind since the holidays had begun. Though, he was proven wrong.
Dear Professor Dumbledore,
My name is Helen Puckle and I'm Hermione Jean Granger's grandmother and guardian. I'm afraid I have to inform you of a rather problematic situation that arose this week. According to my recent health condition several doctors gave me the advice to move to a warmer climate which I eventually decided to follow. Next week, I am going to move to the United States and I have actually planned to take my granddaughter with me as she has no other relatives to live with, given her parents are currently staying in the Antarctic.
Hermione, however, doesn't seem to be very happy with my decision and refuses to leave Hogwarts. Of course, I love my granddaughter very much and do only want the best for her, but I simply don't see a solution for our problem. Hermione is determined to stay in the UK in order to be able to attend your school but we simply don't have any relatives here and therefore I would have to take Hermione with me. However, if I do so, Hermione won't be a resident of the UK any longer and couldn't attend Hogwarts anymore.
I'm desperate as I don't want to force Hermione into a new school against her will, but on the other hand, I can't leave her in Britain with no one to care for her. Therefore, I would ask you if it would be possible to have Hermione officially stay at the school even over the holidays, of course, she could visit me for some weeks, but this would enable her to attend her beloved school in future. I beg you for help with my problem!
Yours sincerely,
Helen Puckle
Dumbledore folded the letter with his long fingers and leant back against some books. This was certainly not what he had expected and it was worrying him. Miss Granger was an extraordinary gifted student who was a kind and caring girl, if she had to move to the US, there was no way she could attend Hogwarts, but would have to attend an American school instead. Her grandmother's suggestion to let Hermione stay at the school was also not possible as nobody stayed over the summer. Albus put his head into his hands and thought over various possibilities to enable Hermione to attend Hogwarts in the future. But there was only one possible solution that came to his mind and so Albus made his way over to his desk to reply to Hermione's grandmother. He put out some parchment and his favorite pink colored quill and started to hectically scribble down his idea. This was indeed the best solution and he was sure Miss Granger would happily accept it as it would enable her to stay at Hogwarts.
Dear Mrs Puckle,
I'm very sorry to hear of your vexing situation. Missing Miss Granger as a student would be a very big loss for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I'm also sorry to tell you that the Ministry of Magic will not approve your suggestion of having Miss Granger stay at Hogwarts during the holidays. The school closes down for summer and even the faculty and other staff members go home, therefore, nobody would be at Hogwarts to care for your granddaughter.
However, there was only one possible solution I could think of. If Miss Granger would approve, I would like to offer her to officially stay with me at my home. In this case she would remain a resident of the UK, could attend Hogwarts and would be cared for.
Take time to discuss this possibility with your granddaughter. Looking forward to hearing from you soon,
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts
PS: Maybe Miss Granger would like to help you with attaching the letter next time, furthermore, there is no need to use stamps when sending letters by owl.
Albus put the letter in an envelope and carefully attached it to his own owl, Atalanta, sending her out in the dark night. He gave the little owl that brought the first letter a pitiful look and decided to take it to Hagrid the next day in order to have her leg checked before she went back all the way to the Grangers.
While Albus was still in his thoughts another owl appeared in front of his window. Once again, the headmaster opened the window and smiled at the familiar owl that also flew over to Fawkes and was cheerfully greeted by him, as though he was welcoming an old friend. Albus opened the note the owl brought him and got a little pale when he read it:
Darling, when will you be home?
"Ah yes, I knew I've forgotten something", Albus thought a little worried. He had better asked for his wife's opinion before offering to permanently take in a child. "Oh well she always did love surprises even if she won't admit it."
