Hermione woke to hear her adopted mother Helen knocking on her door. "Hermione, love, time to wake up breakfast is ready and we have some news!" Hermione jumped out of bed and hurried to change her pajamas, brush her teeth, and plait her hair to make it more manageable. She skipped down the stairs quickly to find both of her parents sitting at the table. " Daddy why are you not at work? Don't you have clients today?" Charles Granger smiled at his daughter " I will poppet, btu we left our schedule open this morning so we could discuss some exciting news with you today." Hermione froze for a second before watching her parents pull out a full color leaflet including official paperwork for a secondary academy. He;ebn Granger siled wide before passing the leaflet across the table to Hermione. "Love you know how we have been discussing your schooling once you complete the exams for your current school? Well we received this last night offering you a full scholarship to this travelling secondary academy! Isn't that wonderful! It seems like a well rounded academy that teaches each student a wide range of curriculum to keep them challenged at their own pace. I know that has been something you have struggled with and when we rang the director of your school she said that this academy is very selective and they only accept the best! Each year the school will be set in a new country so that you can be immersed in a new culture. What do you think, poppet?" Helen finally took a breath to watch Hermione thumb through the leaflet.
Hermione smiled slowly as she read the cover of the leaflet, emblazoned on the top in siler lettering read L'académie Des Arts Oubliés. Hermione chuckled to herself at the title of the academy that grandfather had come up with the academy of the forgotten arts indeed! She smiled as she read the 5 year curriculum for the secondary academy. 1st year France, 2nd year Germany, 3rd year Italy, 4th year Egypt, 5th year Russia. Each year took her further away from her the UK. She read the courses outlining a continuation of her dancing and language course. Additional study in martial arts, fencing, and horseback riding. The core forms at the advanced study of each individual. It looked magical for lack of better terms. Her parents continued to wait on her response. She had noticed there would be no winter break due to the nature of the academy; it allowed only a summer break and emergency breaks if anything occurred with her family. She finally looked up and smiled a wide grin, " It sounds perfect! I know we were so concerned about where you would go for secondary and this sounds so amazing, but did you look at the schedule? I would be gone 9 months out of the year, is that ok with you both?" Her parents shared a look before her father spoke up. "Hermione of course we would miss you, but there is nothing close by that will afford you private specialized tutors to keep up with your knowledge. Of all the schools we have looked at this is the one best equipped to help you flourish. When you complete the 5th year there you will be almost 12. Still too young for a university, but old enough we think you could handle it if that is your choice. Your mother and I love to travel but we cannot give you the immersion that is offered by this school. If you think you can handle the schedule on your own we think you should do it." Hermione jumped from her seat to hug both her parents tightly and asked that they send out the acceptance that day. Her parents filled out the acceptance letter and paperwork, placed it in the mail and left for the day.
-Time break-
Hermione sighed again as she looked out the window she had finished at primary school over three weeks ago and had not heard anything from Arcturus. Her parents were overjoyed that they now knew the next steps and were planning a trip to Spain for the summer vacation remaining as it was not one of the countries listed for the school, but Hermione just felt anxious. She had been given a glimpse into what was to become her life, and was not permitted to learn more, finally fed up with waiting she decided to take action. She sat up from staring at her ceiling and tentatively called out "Tippy?" a small pop sounded and standing in front of her was the house elf. "Yes, young miss what can Tippy be doing for yous?" Hermione leaned forward eagerly, "Can you take me to see grandfather?" "I is sorry young miss, but the master is meeting with important peoples today." Hermione sighed again, "Can you get me a book about the wizarding world then Tippy, I am tired of sitting here and having nothing to learn!" Tippy's ears perked up at that request and nodded vigoursly, "I will go fetch the book master set aside for yous! He says you would be asking Tippy for a book sooner or later" Tippy popped awa and returned only a moment later with a large tome of a book. "This is a comprehensive book of wizarding history and ministry of magic founding, miss should find this most informative! Tippy must be going now miss there bes work to be doing for young misses arrival" Before she could ask her anything else the elf popped away leaving the large tome on her bed.
Hermione immersed herself in reading the tome absorbing as much of the history as she could. The more she read the more questions she had and she began to keep and journal leaving room for answers and additional notes as she read. She found that the wizarding world was going to be far behind the times when it came to the innovation of the non-magical world, muggle world, she corrected herself. As she continued to study she noticed that there was also a stigma for being considered muggleborn. She would have to speak with Arcturs and determine if this stigma would make her a larger target than simply being the heir to his house. Within three days she had read the book back to front multiple times and determined there was no further knowledge to glean from it. She decided to try again, "Tippy," a much larger crack sounded and this time Arcturs stood there in gleaming robes and Tippy standing to his side. "Grandfather!" She quickly jumped up and curtseyed to him before hurrying forward to hug him. "What are you doing here?" Arcturus nodded to her seating area, "May we sit child?" Hermione nodded, and gestured him over to the chairs and sat opposite him. Arcturus turned to Tippy, "tea service for two Tippy," the house elf popped away and appeared with the tea service, before even saying a word Hermione sat forward, poured two cups of tea and prepared them for both of them.
Arcturus POV
He observed his granddaughter prepare the tea with all the grace of a young witch of her station. Two lumps of sugar and no milk for his tea and three lumps of sugar and a splash of milk for her own. He smiled lightly that she had correctly guessed his preferred choice on how he takes his tea.
"Now Hermione, Tippy tells me you have finished reading the book I sent to you." Hermione nodded, " Good, I am here to discuss it with you, once you are with me for the academy it will be much easier to practice magic and the hands on things I wish to teach you, but while you live here we will have to focus on book learning alright?" Hermione nodded again before asking, "Grandfather, who were the important people you were meeting with the last time I called Tippy?" He smiled, " In the morning I was in a Wizengamot session as I am at least three times a week, in the afternoon, I was interviewing private tutors for the lessons which you will need to learn, that I do not specialize in and having them sign a binding contract. None of them will be able to speak of the witch they tutor, and they are all masters in their area of focus, nothing but the best for a Black." He said it with such pride Hermione automatically straightened her back as she recognized that she was of the same line. Arcturus waves at her notes, " enough about me lets go through your questions and see where I can expand on it." For the next two hours they discussed the intricacies of wizarding history. Arcturus was sure to add in laws that were passed due to each event and how those laws continued to be in effect to this day. They discussed the roles each of the houses played in the Wizengamot and how a house of their status, the noble and ancient house signified their blood purity for generations. How it placed them above noble houses and simple houses. Arcturus watched the way his granddaughter glanced down at her note book and he knew the questions coming before it left her lips. " Hermione, we are better, the unbroken line lends to our magical strength and prowess, that does not mean that we are above another person, half-blood or otherwise. We are better not due to our blood but due to the wealth and knowledge we have accumulated over the years. That is not to say that there will not be an extremely powerful muggle born or halfblood or a weak pureblood due to inbreeding among families. In my time I have seen some incredibly strong magics from half bloods and muggleborns alike; however, they usually have a squib from a strong magical family within three generations in order for the magic to establish itself so strongly in a child." Hermione nodded and wrote furiously before looking up, "So the blood prejudice I read about, will it affect me?" "Unfortunately yes, Hermione you will be posing as a muggleborn witch who is coming into our world with no knowledge of it and you will without a doubt outshine all of your classmates. You will have to get used to controlling how much you show in order to hide your true ability." Their conversation flowed for another hour before he checked his watch. "Child out time is done for the day I will not see you again until after you return from Spain, enjoy your time and worry little about the magical world. Come the end of August you will be with me and we will really begin your studies." Hermione sighed but closed her notebook and stood to hug her grandfather and with a pop he was gone.
Hermione POV
She looked where her grandfather had sat and flipped through her note. She knew the time was coming and decided she would do as her grandfather said and try and enjoy the rest of her summer.
For the next week she spent time out in the sun, swimming laps in the pool as the heat of summer hit. She spent time reading classic muggle novels and trying to be a child, albeit a ridiculously studious child. Her parents were so excited when it came time to depart for Spain and they packed quickly and took a taxi to the airport. Her parents never did anything by halves and of course they flew first class on the way to Madrid, Spain. They toured the many historical sites of the capital of Spain including the Royal Palace and the Prado museum, they took the train to continue their vacation in Barcelona, being sure to explore La Sagrada Famila. They had Hermione do most of the talking in each city in order to hone her spanish. Hermione began to notice in each city she would see glimpses of who she thought were wizards and witches not quite blending in. She tried to ignore it until she decided to look at some shops without her parents who agreed and sat down at a cafe next to some shops she could explore. As she looked in an antique shop she tripped on a raised paver and stumbled through an archway. She looked around in awe realizing that she had walked into one of the shopping alleys that grandfather had mentioned. She saw a sweets shop, robes, writing utensils, and importantly she noticed a bookshop. She was about to proceed into the store when she remembered that she had no wizarding money and her parents had her allowance, thus having no money to exchange she turned and left the alley, noting the name on her way out as Callejón de Barcelona, once she exited the alley and walked back out the shop, she found her parents sitting outside a cafe on one of the patio tables. The rest of the vacation was spent laying on the playa and learning more about the country.
By the time the arrived back in England Hermione was just ready for rest, bt with the conclusion of one vacation the beginning of another was only three weeks away and she could say that with the alley she discovered in Barcelona she was more excited than ever to learn more about the wizarding world and her family.