"Drs. Granger," the woman sitting in Hermione's living room began. "Your daughter is very special. I advise that you listen to what I say and then think it over for a while before you say no. I'm sure you remember an incident about five years ago when you left Hermione at home with a babysitter and when you returned, the sitter was made up as a clown and couldn't get the paint off? That was the first time your daughter was made known to Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic."
"The Ministry of Magic?" Carolyn Granger repeated skeptically.
"Yes. The Ministry is in charge of the British wizarding community in general, including our relations with muggles."
"What on this good earth are muggles?" Andrew Granger asked.
"Oh, pardon me. 'Muggles' is the term we use for non-magical folk such as yourself. As I was saying, that was when your daughter came to our attention for the first time. Since then, we have been paying close attention to magical activity in this area, and I must say, young Miss Granger seems to be quite powerful, with the frequency of incidents around here. I'm sure it would greatly benefit the strength of your walls if you sent Hermione to Hogwarts. She is, I repeat, a very powerful witch and if she isn't properly trained, her magic will get a bit out of control, possibly causing injury to someone."
"I told you you shouldn't have let her wander into the fantasy section of the bookstore, Andrew! There is no way this would have happened if she hadn't been so interested tin those books!" Carolyn exclaimed.
"Well, you were the one who got her the library card! If it weren't for that, she wouldn't have been able to read them!" Andrew argued back.
"Excuse me, Drs. Ganger. Your daughter's magical abilities were determined before she was even born. Don't ask me why she, of all people, got them- I can't honestly tell you. But please, don't blame each other. If you send your daughter to Hogwarts, she will learn how to control her magic, and how to use it properly. It will benefit her. And the number of repair bills you will have to pay on your house, I'm sure. Hermione's power is only going to grow as she gets older. No matter how long you keep her away from other witches and wizards, no matter how much you pretend we don't exist, we will be here. You can tell your daughter that magic isn't real, that Hogwarts doesn't exist, all you want, but it would be a lie. We do exist, and your daughter does have magic. So I will repeat again, it would benefit us to have someone so powerful with us, it would benefit you not to have to deal with random outbursts of magic, and it will benefit your daughter to learn how to use her magic if she came to Hogwarts." The professor finished.
"Mother, please. You know she has a point. If you want, I'll keep up with my schoolwork from her, but please, mother, father, please let me go! Everybody here calls me a freak, 'cause of that thing with Mary, please let me go!" Hermione begged.
"Fine. I suppose, as long as you keep up with your normal schoolwork, it couldn't hurt to let you try it for a year. If you like it and keep up, you may continue," Hermione's father gave in, while her mother gaped at him.
"Thank you, Father, thank you so much!"
"That was a very wise decision, Dr. Granger. I daresay your daughter will not be running out of the house quite so distraught anymore as she did the other day. I will accompany you to Diagon alley this afternoon to buy Miss Granger's supplies for the upcoming school year."
"Diagon Alley? Is that in London? I've never heard of it and I've lived there all my life," Andrew questioned.
"Yes, it is. Now, will both of you be coming, or just one?"
"No, only Andrew will be going. An important patient is coming into the office to have a few teeth pulled today."
"All right then. Hermione, please give me your hand. You, too, Dr. Granger," the woman requested. "Thank you. Hold tight." Then, there was a pop, and Carolyn was left alone in her living room.
"Here we are, Flourish & Blotts."
"Wow… Are all those on magic? Am I allowed to touch them? Are there any on flying? Oooh, how much do they cost? Oh, wow, potions? What's arithmancy? Isn't divination telling the future?"
"Miss Granger, as much as I appreciate-"
"Flying? Broomsticks? They're real! Wicked!"
"Miss Granger, please. I admire your curiosity, but really, we have a limited amount of time. This is still our first stop. Now, go down that aisle and find The Standard Book of Spells…"
And so the afternoon went. As soon as they entered a store, Hermione would shoot off a thousand questions, and the professor would remind her why they were there. Dr. Granger followed quietly, observing the new world around him.
Finally, somewhere between the Apothecary and Olivander's, their last stop, Hermione caught sight of the quidditch store- and the Nimbus 2000 in the front window- and convinced McGonagall to let her just look in the window.
"It's beautiful! I wonder what it feels like to ride one. Being so high up, going so fast… it must be amazing," Hermione sighed.
"I'm sure it is. Perhaps you will try out for your house Quidditch team next year."
"Quidditch? What's that?"
"It's a sport you play on brooms. Come along now, we must get to Olivander's before he closes."
Hermione managed to pull herself away fro the window, but she couldn't resist one last glance back to the shop once she was halfway up the street. Was that…? No, it couldn't possibly be him. He wouldn't dare talk about magic if he knew it was real, and I know he said something about school that was very- what did McGonagall call it?- Right, muggle. But, it did look so much like him… Hermione thought.
Oliver had a very nice day. For once, the sun had not woken him up that morning, and he had received an owl fro Percy Weasley saying that he was going to Diagon Alley that day, and would Oliver like to come? Oliver, of course, immediately owled back that he would love to.
He had gotten lunch at a muggle restaurant near the Leaky Cauldron, and then met up with the Weasleys at Eeylop's Owl Emporium. Percy's parents were getting him an owl because he had become a prefect. Then they went to get Percy's brother, Ron, a wand from Olivander's, and got their books and potions supplies.
"So, Fred, George, you guys gong to be my beaters this year?" Oliver asked the twins.
"O'course!" George responded
"Give up a chance to beat Slytherins up without getting in trouble for it? Who do you think we are, Percy?" Fred added
"And what do you mean, your beaters?"
"Well, I made Quidditch captain this year; therefore, all players are my players."
"Congratulations, Oliver! Your parents must be so proud," Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, not noticing the boy's slight twitch when she mentioned his parents. His mother, a pure-blood, had wanted him to spend more time on his studies, and his father, who was muggle-born, was rarely at home. Oliver had seen no need to inform either of them of his appointment.
"Hey Mum, in honor of Oliver's new position, let's go to the quidditch store near Florean's!" Ron suggested.
"Oy, George! I'll race you!" One of the twins called, and they both started off with Oliver and Percy chasing after them, and Mrs. Weasley and Ron walking quickly behind them.
Once they had gotten to the store, Fred and George immediately went over to the beater's section and started whispering to each other.
"I am very afraid for whoever happens to be on the receiving end of one of their next bludgers. They'll probably jinx it so that it explodes into pigeons," Oliver remarked to Percy quietly.
"Don't give them any ideas," Percy warned, before going off into the book section. Oliver followed him and immediately found a book titled In the Hoop: Weaving and Other Strategies for Keepers. As he was opening the book, he looked up to the Nimbus 2000 on display in the window, and caught sight of a girl standing outside.
'No, it can't be her. She's so... logical. Magic defies logic; you can't be magical and logical at the same time. Really, she was only there for a second, it was probably just your imagination.'
But suddenly, he was filled with an immense curiosity to see if it really was her.
"Mrs. Weasley, it's a little stuffy in her, I think I'll go outside for a second."
"Alright, Oliver. Don't go far,"
By the time Oliver got out of the store, the girl had already left.
I'm sure this chapter's a little boring- I was writing it while I was waiting for exams to let out. Next one'll be better.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Review!
Please point out any Americanisms that I have put in
Also, could someone please tell me what a beta reader is?