Leaving the Hospital Wing, Dumbledore rushed up to his office to deliver the news that their children had been deaged to both the Weasley's and the Grangers. Having met Molly Weasley countless times and knowing how formidable she could be when one of her brood were in danger, Dumbledore decided to contact the Grangers first.
Waving his wand, he transformed his robes into a periwinkle shirt with silver flair bottoms and golden clogs. On top of this, he wore a baggy woolly poncho to ward off the chill that was beginning to set in as autumn approached in the highlands of Scotland.
Looking himself over in his office window, he gave himself a nod of approval, after all, he did know fashion before taking hold of his wand and apparateing away, sometimes it paid to be headmaster of Hogwarts.
Upon arrival, Dumbledore took note of the cute little two-story chocolate box cottage with a thatched roof that he had visited once before. The last time he'd been here, it was to inform Jean and Richard Granger of their daughter's prettification. This time the circumstances surrounding his visit were thankfully less dire.
He walked up to the white picket fence and opened the white gate that matched before walking down the path that led to the red slightly pealing door, he noted how truly enchanting this place was.
Flowers grew everywhere, and there was a small stream that trickled across the garden winding this way and that. As his hand brushed a pure white rose that sparkled, he could feel the magic emitting from it, causing him to smile at how truly brilliant Hermione had been from a young age.
Reaching the door, he raised his hand and tapped it lightly first twice and then twice again. He waited a moment before hearing movement on the other side of the door. There was the sound of a key rattling in the lock, and the door opened to reveal the smiling face of Jean Granger.
Looking at her Dumbledore could see the resemblance she held to her daughter. She looked more like an older sister than a mother, identical to Hermione expect for the age lines around her mouth and eye as well as the significant absence of the curly hair of her daughter. Dumbledore knew Hermione's hair was that of her fathers.
"Mr Dumbledore, Sir, what's happened?" Jean asked upon taking note of who was on her doorstep. After all the only time the Headmaster had visited them was to inform them that something horrible had happened to their daughter.
"Nothing too bad Mrs Granger, may I come in and speak with both you and Mr Granger," Dumbledore replied in turn, smiling reassuringly at the panicked looking woman before him.
Widening the door, Jean stepped aside for Dumbledore and called for her husband to come down the stairs: "Richard, Mr Dumbledore's here about Hermione."
There was a loud bang followed by muttered curses before loud, quick steps could be heard coming down the stairs as Mr Granger hurried into the room.
"Jeanie, what's happened to Hermione?" He panted clasping into one of the chairs at their breakfast bar.
"I don't know dear, Mr Dumbledore's going to tell us." They both turned expectantly to Dumbledore who cleared his throat before beginning his story.
"Mr and Mrs Granger, I would like to assure you that your daughter is fit and well however she was involved in a slight mishap this morning and as a result may be different for quite some time. This morning your daughter had slept in and was rushing off to class while at the same time Mr Fred and George Weasley, young Ron's twin brothers were brewing a potion. The twins finished the potion and left the room they were in while your daughter passed it. In the excitement and the hurry, Fred and Hermione failed to see each other and crashed into one another." He explained.
"What happened next? Mrs Granger asked.
"Mr Weasley's potion mixed with the ingredients of Hermione's potion kit creating a new type of potion that our potions master Professor Snape is creating an antidote to now. The potion has turned both Hermione and Fred into their five-year-old selves. They are completely healthy and have no ill effects to the potion, and there will be no long-term effects because of this potion. They will be aged up as soon as the antidote is created. We will care for them at Hogwarts, so you don't have to worry about changing your schedules or explaining why you have a miniature Hermione running about again." He told them reassuringly.
When Dumbledore had finished his explanation, he saw looks of utmost horror on both Grangers faces. They looked more scared than the time he informed them of Hermione's petrification two years ago.
"Oh god!" Mrs Granger gasped.
"It's a nightmare!" Mr Granger almost wailed,
"Don't worry I promise you Hermione will be perfectly safe and in our world; this is a minor accident." Dumbledore tried to reassure.
"I-Mr Dumbledore you don't understand, Hermione hasn't always been perfect as a child she was a devil, she was horrible we knew about magic well before the Deputy Headmistress visited us on Hermione's eleventh birthday." Mrs Granger told him.
"She'd get upset and cause earthquakes, she'd laugh, and her toys would fly around the house. She would summon her dummy at only a few weeks old." Mr Granger continued.
"My father was looking after her when she was five and she got very scared because he had a stroke. He swore to the day he died that in her fright she turned into a tiny brown ragdoll kitten." Mrs Granger told him.
"We've never seen her change, but there were times when she would disappear if we argued and we'd hear a meow or see a tail flick around a door. We'd ask her about it, and she'd always reply, 'Don't be silly Mummy I'm a girl and I can't change into a kitten,' she'd leave the room, and a minute late we'd here a Meow." Mrs Granger told him.
"We'd find dead Mice on the floor and fur on the pillows. It doesn't happen as often these days, but sometimes there are signs that Hermione can still turn into a kitten. During the summer holidays, we'd been out, and Crookshanks was curled up on the couch with a kitten meeting the description given to us all those years ago by Jean's dad. We asked the cat 'Hermione, Hermione, is that you', and the cat looked at us as if we were stupid, but at the same time its eyes were alight with amusement. The cat stayed there for hours staring at us with the same eyes as Hermione and then started scratching at the door. We reluctantly let it out, and not even an hour later Hermione came bounding in saying she'd been at the park." Mr Granger informed him.
"Hermione thinks we limit her sugar intake because we are dentists, but the truth is, she'd become hyper and destroy the house, golden sparks would shoot out of her, and she'd be like that for hours, unable to stop and then she would crash." Mrs Granger said.
"As a child she was Mischievous. She's told us tales of the Weasley Twins and compared to some of the things she did as a child they are tame, this all lasted until the age of Eight. Due to one of her tricks seriously hurting a classmate she stopped been naughty and became the academic book loving Hermione you know." Mrs Granger whispered.
Both Grangers wore grim expressions and were cringing at their memories.
Albus Dumbledore was shocked, to say the least, he knew Hermione had acted out in the Hospital wing, but he didn't expect it to be her normal behaviour. He thought the accidental magic was a result of fear or Mr Weasley's influence.
An Animagus, interesting, maybe that was the reason she turned into a cat second year and not a cat hair at all. After all Miss Bulstrode was highly allergic to cats and had a charm in place to prevent cats, fur, and everything else related to cats away from her. He was broken out of his musing by the sound of a throat clearing. He looked up to see both Grangers staring at him, waiting for his reaction or opinion on the matter.
"I'm afraid we've already experienced Hermione's temper since her Deageing. Unfortunately, when she awoke both her and Fred attacked both Madam Pomfrey our school matron and George Weasley. They were transfigured and assaulted with a fish." Dumbledore told them as the Grangers gasped in horror.
"Hermione's friends Harry and Ron went to the hospital wing to see why Hermione was there and managed to stun Fred who they saw as the main threat as he had acquired a wand. It seems they made the wrong choice as Hermione launched a physical attack on Harry that resulted in her biting off half his ear before Ron was able to contain her. Both of the boys were injured before Mr Weasley were able to stop her." He told them his face set in a grim line.
"We are so sorry for Hermione's behaviour; she will be mortified when she is re-aged." Mr Granger said, his wife nodding vigorously in agreement.
"Don't worry everyone has been fixed up to their original state and Harry's ear was regrown. Now about the information, you have shared with me, Hermione's ability to change into a cat is uncommon but not unheard of, what is rare is the young age in which she first transformed. The last known recording of a child Animagus was Merlin himself. With your permission, I would like to give Hermione a potion to confirm that she does hold this ability." Both Granger's nodded.
"As for her accidental magic at Hogwarts, we deal with it daily so we can ensure she releases it in controlled circumstances. We can even teach her how to control her magic as it shouldn't be so explosive at such a young age. Most witches and wizards don't show signs of magic until about six, but Hermione has been showing signs from birth, her magical strength is astounding." He told them in awe.
"We permit you to use the potion on Hermione and agree that it would be safer for her to stay at school. Can we visit her and explain to her why she's there because she's never taken to strangers very well?" Mrs Granger asked with a shudder, obviously thinking of a time when she had met a stranger as a child.
"Of course, I was going to offer that myself, we are using the cover story that they are experiencing the school early as we are considering opening it up to younger children. It might be best if you stay for a couple of days while she settles. If you could pack, I'm going to go and explain everything to Molly and Arthur. I can come and collect you in say two hours." Dumbledore asked, standing up and heading to the door.
"Yes, we will be ready by then, just have to rearrange some appointments for later in the week, but it should be no problem." Mr Granger answered.
Just as he exited Dumbledore turned around and said: "oh and bring a photo from when Hermione was five of the both of you." Before the Grangers could ask why Dumbledore was gone with a pop to inform the Weasley's of the mishap, leaving the Grangers to pack for their stay at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.