Disclaimer as for chapter one. Things keep on keeping on.
Chapter Three - Hermione is Curious and Decides to Go to The Library.
They woke late the next morning, snuggled chastely together, hair messed and clothes rumpled but otherwise respectable. Neither broke the comforting peacefulness for a long time, they just lay there and listened to each other breathe, thinking their own thoughts. At last, McGonagall stirred.
"Some tea, Rubeus?" she asked.
"Love some, thanks." he replied, croakily. Minerva climbed off the bed to get her wand and magick some up. She handed a steaming cup to Rubeus, who propped himself up against the headboard. Carefully balancing her own cup she climbed up next to him. Rubeus looked at her in astonishment, and Minerva blushed like a girl. They sipped their tea in a surprisingly companionable silence, as if every issue between them had faded with sleep, as their dreams when they woke.
The knock at the door startled them both. Hagrid opened it cautiously; just the merest crack that would permit him to see outside. Dumbledore was on the doorstep, looking just a little worried.
"Rubeus, you haven't seen Minerva anywhere about, have you?" he asked.
"Well - eh - jus' how recently am I supposed teh'ave seen 'er?" replied Hagrid.
"Oh, since last night." answered Dumbledore, his worried look beginning to fade into amusement in the face of Hagrid's obvious discomforture. Hagrid began to mutter unconvincing disclaimers somewhat incoherently, and Dumbledore eased the door open and slid inside.
"I've been looking for you, Minerva." he said, apparently unsurprised to find her in Hagrid's hut in the morning in a rumpled condition. Minerva blushed only faintly, and replied calmly:
"I've been her, obviously. I have reversed the memory charm and told him everything." Hagrid sat down next to her at the table, and Dumbledore took the chair opposite.
"You've reversed it? Why?" asked Dumbledore anxiously.
"It was time he knew about Vesta, now known as Beth Granger, and her daughter Hermione." McGonagall replied evenly. Dumbledore looked truly startled this time.
"It hadn't occured to me before, but of course, of course..." he looked at them both. "The similarities are there once you look for them. But I thought you had been watching out every year in case a grandchild turned up?"
"I stopped checking closely about seven years ago, figuring that she would have had children by 35, but obviously not." explained McGonagall.
"Have you told her?" asked Dumbledore, his face very sober.
"No." Mc Gonagall shook her head. "I had to tell Rubeus first, and now we must decide what to do together." She looked at Hagrid, and he gazed back, then put his arm around her, looking a little happier than he had done since last night.
"What?" shouted Hermione. "You've asked my mother in for a parent-teacher meeting?"
"Yes, indeed." replied McGonagall briskly. "You have already grown half an inch since we last measured you."
Hermione, Harry and Ron stared at McGonagall. She had been acting very strangely since she had first begun to investigate Hermione's strange growth. She had bustled off to check things in her usual manner, but then had been pale and distracted the next time they had seen her, and then, just this morning, she had been missing at breakfast time. Even Dumbledore hadn't known where she'd been, because they had heard him asking Professor Flitwick. Now, she still looked pale, but more relaxed.
"We've sent off an owl, she'll be here in three days." McGonagall smiled reassuringly and checked her watch. "Don't worry. Now, I must go." They watched her stride off to the front door, and Hermione looked out the window to see where she went.
"Hagrid?" she exclaimed. "Why is McGonagall going somewhere with Hagrid?"
"Who knows?" asked Ron. "It seems like your mystery has something to do with your mum."
"There is no mystery." snapped Hermione defensively, turning away from the window. "I expect she just needs permission to do some tests on me or something."
"She could get permission by owl." pointed out Ron. Hermione scowled.
"Well, yes, I suppose it could have something to do with my birth grandparents." she admitted. "I wonder if ther's any way I could look them up and find out for myself what the mystery is. We should go to the library and see if we can find it."
"It's possible." agreed Harry. "But I wonder what McGonagall wants with Hagrid?"
"Well, tonight we'll search for birth parents, and tomorrow we'll visit Hagrid." said Hermione.
"Looking up birth parents won't be easy, you know." protested Ron, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet by Hermione. "It's not fair that you're so big now." he complained irrelevantly. "You can push me round."
"I wouldn't have to push you round if you didn't resist me." retorted Hermione.
"If I didn't resist you," countered Ron, "I would spend all my life in the library turning into a worm." They continued to bicker as they headed off down the corridor with Harry.
"What good will it do to find out who your birth grandparents are anyway?" asked Ron, still not convinced that Hermione's plan was better than waiting for McGonagall to explain what was happening. Hermione was still trying to convince him as they arrived at the library.
Chapter Three - Hermione is Curious and Decides to Go to The Library.
They woke late the next morning, snuggled chastely together, hair messed and clothes rumpled but otherwise respectable. Neither broke the comforting peacefulness for a long time, they just lay there and listened to each other breathe, thinking their own thoughts. At last, McGonagall stirred.
"Some tea, Rubeus?" she asked.
"Love some, thanks." he replied, croakily. Minerva climbed off the bed to get her wand and magick some up. She handed a steaming cup to Rubeus, who propped himself up against the headboard. Carefully balancing her own cup she climbed up next to him. Rubeus looked at her in astonishment, and Minerva blushed like a girl. They sipped their tea in a surprisingly companionable silence, as if every issue between them had faded with sleep, as their dreams when they woke.
The knock at the door startled them both. Hagrid opened it cautiously; just the merest crack that would permit him to see outside. Dumbledore was on the doorstep, looking just a little worried.
"Rubeus, you haven't seen Minerva anywhere about, have you?" he asked.
"Well - eh - jus' how recently am I supposed teh'ave seen 'er?" replied Hagrid.
"Oh, since last night." answered Dumbledore, his worried look beginning to fade into amusement in the face of Hagrid's obvious discomforture. Hagrid began to mutter unconvincing disclaimers somewhat incoherently, and Dumbledore eased the door open and slid inside.
"I've been looking for you, Minerva." he said, apparently unsurprised to find her in Hagrid's hut in the morning in a rumpled condition. Minerva blushed only faintly, and replied calmly:
"I've been her, obviously. I have reversed the memory charm and told him everything." Hagrid sat down next to her at the table, and Dumbledore took the chair opposite.
"You've reversed it? Why?" asked Dumbledore anxiously.
"It was time he knew about Vesta, now known as Beth Granger, and her daughter Hermione." McGonagall replied evenly. Dumbledore looked truly startled this time.
"It hadn't occured to me before, but of course, of course..." he looked at them both. "The similarities are there once you look for them. But I thought you had been watching out every year in case a grandchild turned up?"
"I stopped checking closely about seven years ago, figuring that she would have had children by 35, but obviously not." explained McGonagall.
"Have you told her?" asked Dumbledore, his face very sober.
"No." Mc Gonagall shook her head. "I had to tell Rubeus first, and now we must decide what to do together." She looked at Hagrid, and he gazed back, then put his arm around her, looking a little happier than he had done since last night.
"What?" shouted Hermione. "You've asked my mother in for a parent-teacher meeting?"
"Yes, indeed." replied McGonagall briskly. "You have already grown half an inch since we last measured you."
Hermione, Harry and Ron stared at McGonagall. She had been acting very strangely since she had first begun to investigate Hermione's strange growth. She had bustled off to check things in her usual manner, but then had been pale and distracted the next time they had seen her, and then, just this morning, she had been missing at breakfast time. Even Dumbledore hadn't known where she'd been, because they had heard him asking Professor Flitwick. Now, she still looked pale, but more relaxed.
"We've sent off an owl, she'll be here in three days." McGonagall smiled reassuringly and checked her watch. "Don't worry. Now, I must go." They watched her stride off to the front door, and Hermione looked out the window to see where she went.
"Hagrid?" she exclaimed. "Why is McGonagall going somewhere with Hagrid?"
"Who knows?" asked Ron. "It seems like your mystery has something to do with your mum."
"There is no mystery." snapped Hermione defensively, turning away from the window. "I expect she just needs permission to do some tests on me or something."
"She could get permission by owl." pointed out Ron. Hermione scowled.
"Well, yes, I suppose it could have something to do with my birth grandparents." she admitted. "I wonder if ther's any way I could look them up and find out for myself what the mystery is. We should go to the library and see if we can find it."
"It's possible." agreed Harry. "But I wonder what McGonagall wants with Hagrid?"
"Well, tonight we'll search for birth parents, and tomorrow we'll visit Hagrid." said Hermione.
"Looking up birth parents won't be easy, you know." protested Ron, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet by Hermione. "It's not fair that you're so big now." he complained irrelevantly. "You can push me round."
"I wouldn't have to push you round if you didn't resist me." retorted Hermione.
"If I didn't resist you," countered Ron, "I would spend all my life in the library turning into a worm." They continued to bicker as they headed off down the corridor with Harry.
"What good will it do to find out who your birth grandparents are anyway?" asked Ron, still not convinced that Hermione's plan was better than waiting for McGonagall to explain what was happening. Hermione was still trying to convince him as they arrived at the library.
