Chapter 1 - Bursts Of Magic
It was January 11, 1984, when Professor McGonagall received a letter from the ministry about a burst of magic in a muggle neighbourhood. They had a suspicion it was a muggleborn witch or wizard who had its first burst of magic, since it wasn't registered at the ministry. So, McGonagall read the address on the bottom of the letter and summoned her coat before she walked out in the snow to Hogsmeade. She apparated to Epsom, Surrey and transformed in her cat form behind an abandoned house and toddled over to the town house around the corner. When she hopped on the windowsill in the garden she peered inside, already hearing the voices from inside.
"Mummy, I don't know what happened." The girl said as she sat down on the barstool.
"Macy's mum said you threw a snowball right in her face."
"But I didn't! I was reading on the playground and when I looked up a snowball came flying towards me. I held up my hands, but it never hit me. When I looked up Macy was on the ground, snow all over her face."
"I believe you sweetheart. I know that Macy girl is mean to you." Her mother smiled and wrapped her up in a hug. "If she bothers you again tell me alright or tell a teacher."
"Mum, if I tell the teacher my life would get even worse."
Her mother hummed as she looked down at her young daughter. "Alright. Now want to make some granola bars with me?"
The young girl smiled broadly as she hopped of the barstool and started gathering the supplies. It was from then on Professor McGonagall would check on the girl every so often as she hid under a tree in her tabby cat form.
The tabby cat sat stiffly underneath a tree watching a now 7-year-old girl reading Alice in Wonderland on her own, as she slowly swayed on a swing set. She has been watching the girl for several weeks ever since she had her latest outburst of magic. The last time a bug-eyed girl at school was teasing her, and out of nowhere the girl flew back, landing in the grass a couple of meters further. The bushy haired seven-year-old was still clutching her books as she watched the bully fly back. Now the girl was so lost in her book, she didn't notice when it started to rain. The cat's eyes widened as she watched how the girl and her book didn't get wet. It looked like she was hidden under an invisible dome.
"Hermione sweetie!" Her mum called out the kitchen window. "Come inside, it's raining."
Hermione looked up from her book and gazed in the direction where she heard her mother's voice come from. The moment her attention was averted from the book in front of her, raindrops started to fall on her hair, on her book. She looked up to the grey sky in surprise before she hurried inside.
A year later the tabby cat sat on the little stone wall just outside Hermione Granger's school watching the girl as she sat in class. She had already finished her assignments and was now working on next week lesson that laid on her lap. When she finished it, she leaned her head on her hand as let her gaze wonder outside in boredom. Her eyes fell on the disguised Minerva McGonagall and her eyes widened in recognition. She had seen the cat several times over the last years. Appearing under the tree in her garden, sneaking around at her school. When Professor McGonagall saw her staring, she calmly turned in a circle before she rolled up in a ball. The eight-year-old smiled at the cat before turning her attention back to her teacher.
At 9 years old Hermione got angry with a teacher because she was explaining a math problem wrong. When the teacher didn't want to listen to her and waved her off, a burst of magic flew from her towards the teacher making her trip and fall, headfirst against the school board, the side of her face covered with white chalk. When the teacher excused herself to freshen up, Hermione walked over to the board and fixed the problem, before sitting back at her desk pretending like nothing happened. All to the amusement of the cat sitting outside the window once again.
Professor McGonagall saw Hermione Granger cry for the first time when none of her classmates came to her 10th birthday party. McGonagall had noticed over the years she didn't have many friends as they all were intimidated by her intelligence. But she never expected them to be so cruel. She was sitting at the windowsill of the kitchen watching as the little girl was being embraced by her mother as the tears rolled down her cheeks. Her father standing in the study yelling on the phone as he called the parents of the kids that said would come. The whole house was still decorated with flags, balloons and cupcakes spread across the living room. When Hermione calmed down, she locked herself up in her room, her parents shot each other a worried look when they sat down on the couch.
"I don't know what to do. Maybe we should change schools?" Mrs. Granger asked her husband.
"I don't think that will help, dear." Mr. Granger rubbed her back. "Every kid her age is afraid of her intellect. And with the weird accidents that happened over the years..." He trailed of looking at the stairs his daughter disappeared on. Mrs. Granger sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. They sat in silence for a while before they started to take down the decorations.
Professor McGonagall hopped on the tree at the side of the house and climbed her way to the top until she landed on the branch next to the girl's window. Hermione was sitting in her bed fighting the tears as she worked on a next year's class assignment. McGonagall watched her for another 15 minutes before she decided to go talk to the headmaster. She leaped of the tree branch and toddled over to the next street before apparating away.
Half an hour later the Professor knocked on the door of Albus Dumbledore's chambers.
"Come in." The voice called from the other side of the door.
"Albus." McGonagall greeted as she entered his office. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk as he peered over his half-moon spectacles at her.
"Minerva. I assume you came here to talk to me about the young Hermione Granger?"
"Well yes..." Minerva looked a bit surprised at the headmaster as she sat down in front of him. "I was wondering if we could make an exception."
Albus stared at her with a little twitch on the corners of his mouth, not interrupting, waiting for her to continue.
"She's extremely intelligent for her age. She is being bullied by her classmates because of her intellect and the weird things that keeps happening around her. She isn't happy. I just left her place; she's been crying all afternoon because her classmates told her they would come to her birthday party, and no one showed up." Minerva McGonagall took in a deep breath before she continued. "My proposal is she starts a year early. Her birthday is September 19th. If she had been born just a few weeks earlier, she would have come to Hogwarts next year, not in two years. Here she can flourish, she can learn, and she wouldn't be looked at weird because of her magic."
"Hmm." The headmaster hummed before he pushed his glasses up his nose. "Do you think she can handle it?"
"I believe so. And if necessary, I will guide her along the way."
"Even if she's not in Gryffindor?"
"Even then." Minerva said certain and straightened her back.
"Alright. I'll send a letter to the ministry explaining the situating. I want you to go over to the Granger's house and explain everything."
"Of course, Albus. I'll go over there next week."
"Excellent." Dumbledore smiled. "Now that that is out of the way, Minerva would you like a cockroach cluster?" He asked holding out a glass bowl full of sweets.
"Hermione, sweetheart? The Professor from that private school will be here shortly. Can you come down?" Her mother called up the stairs.
"Coming mum!" The bushy haired girl ran down the stairs.
"Calm down, sweetie."
"Sorry, just nervous." She smiled at her mother before she took a glance out the window. "What school does she represent?"
"Uhm." Mrs. Granger frowned as she took the letter from the table. Before she had a chance to open it, the doorbell rang. She dropped the letter and walked to the door, followed by Hermione. Mr. Granger came out of the study and walked over to his wife and daughter, and they opened the door together.
"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Granger. Hermione." The tall woman smiled friendly, looking down. "I'm Professor McGonagall."
"Nice to meet you Professor." Hermione smiled broadly at the witch.
"Come in." Mr. Granger stepped aside and let them to the sofas.
"So, may I ask how you got our information?" Mr. Granger looked at the women in front of him.
"We receive the information from special children all over England. And your daughter is one of them."
"Special children?" Hermione asked with furrowed brows.
"Not only are you exceptional bright. There... how do I put it? Did strange things, accidents happen to you in the past few years?"
The three of them looked at each other with raised eyebrows. "How did you know?"
"This may be a bit of a shock, but Hermione is a witch. She can practice magic."
"A witch?" Hermione whispered as she thought back to the events that happened to her.
"You can't be serious? There are no such things as witches or wizards."
"I'm very serious. How do you explain the things that happened?"
"That was just some freak accidents." Mr. Granger exclaimed, he looked over at his wife who had remained silent. "You don't believe this do you?"
"I – Daniel, it would explain the things that happened over the years." She turned to the witch in front of her. "Are you a witch?"
"Yes, I am." The witch smiled as she stood up. She pulled a wand out of her skirt and waved it over the vase that stood in the middle of the coffee table. Within a second the vase turned in to cat statue and back. Hermione looked surprised but interested while her parents looked shocked, not quite believing what they just witnessed.
"How did you do that?" Hermione asked in awe.
"You will learn how to do so and so much more if you decide to come to our school."
"Mum, dad. Can I go? Please?"
"Can you tell me more about your school?" Mrs. Granger asked as she looked from Hermione to the Professor.
"Hogwarts resides in Scotland. Where she will be sorted in a house. We have Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. She will attend classes with fellow students from the same house. She'll have a dormitory where she stays throughout the year. She can go home over the Christmas holiday and the summer."
"We will have to discuss this."
"Of course. I have some letters that contain some extra information. And if you have any questions, you can call this number." She handed them a small card. "That's Professor Burbage. She is our muggle studies teacher."
"Muggle?"
"Non magic folk."
"Oh." Mr. Granger said quietly as he took the letters.
"If you decide to come to Hogwarts there is information on how to buy her school supplies and how to get to Hogwarts."
"How do you know about the accidents?" Mrs. Granger asked politely.
"From the ministry. We have our own, the ministry of magic and they get notifications if there is a magic outburst in the vicinity of muggles. Then someone will check on that person from time to time."
"So, someone checked in on me?"
"Yes. I have been looking after you since you were five, after your first accident."
"Oh." Hermione said slowly. "How come I've never seen you?"
"I was in a disguise. Maybe I'll show you later." The witch smiled at her, which made Hermione almost squeal in delight. "Witches and wizards start school at the age of eleven."
"So, she will start in two years?" Her father asked.
"Hermione can start next year. Because her birthday is so close to the beginning of the school year, she can start early. I cleared it with our headmaster."
"Why do you want her to start early?" Her father asked a bit accusatory.
"Like is said, I've been watching her since she was five. I have seen how she gets bored in class because she already knows everything. That she is being bullied by her peers because she is smart and weird things happen around her. At Hogwarts she will be accepted for who she is, a witch."
"Alright." Her mother started slowly. "We'll let it all sink in and discuss this later."
"If you want, I can make arrangements for someone, a witch or wizard to accompany you to the train station and to buy school supplies."
"Yes. If we decide to do so it may be best to get some guidance. Thank you, Professor McGonagall."
"If that is all. I'll give you some time to process everything. Let me know what you decide, and I'll make the arrangements." The Professor smiled as she stood up and shook her parents' hands. They opened the door and when Minerva passed through it, she looked back at Hermione.
"I hope to see you soon, miss Granger."
"I hope so too, Professor McGonagall." She piped up smiling wide.
So... I'm still debating if I'm going to go the original route or let Voldy get killed off when he tried to kill Harry as a baby.
What do you want to read? I have ideas either way! ;)
PS: Also posted on AO3 - /works/33377251/chapters/82901767