Assignment 1 - Sex Ed - Extra Credit: Write about someone raising a child.

Count Your Buttons - Adoption!AU,

Stickers - Write about a muggle

Bath Bomb - Write about a children's party

1000 prompts - AU - Adopted

365 - Event Birthday party

Writing Club - Character Appreciation: Status - Muggleborn

Book Club - Character: Hermione, Word: Genius, word: Religious

Showtime - (emotion) grief

Days of the Month - Write about the Grangers


Adopted


Maura Templeton stared at the parents who had just turned up, daughter in tow, at the orphanage.

"She's possessed," Mrs Granger began once the girl was out of earshot. "We've taken her to the priest and there's nothing he can do."

Maura made a note. "Can you elaborate?" she requested.

"She causes strange things to happen," Mrs Granger continued.

"Things move by themselves, things float. She got a book from the bookcase without leaving her chair. Now, we've seen this in movies like Matilda but of course that movie is fiction. The church has similar concerns."

Maura pushed a stack of paperwork towards the Grangers. "Fill these out," she said, somewhat sadly. She'd have to use that special parchment in her desk drawer to alert the magic people that turned up from time to time that a possibly magic girl was there. They would know what to do.

As the Grangers busied themselves with the paperwork, going through it, Maura turned her attention to the girl who was sitting in the next room. A mirror divided her office from the observation room and from what she could see, the girl didn't seem dangerous at all. She had merely curled up in a chair with one of the books from the shelf.

"Your daughter. How old is she?"

"Six," Mr Granger replied. "But we've tried everything. It goes against everything we believe and if she can't stop being… being different, than we have no other choice."

...oOo...

"We've been approved!" Sirius shouted, startling Remus who was sitting in the armchair nearby. Before Remus could ask what they had been approved for, Harry ran into the room. "Uncle Sirius, what happened?"

Remus looked at his seven-year-old adopted-son. He and Sirius had taken Harry in and adopted him upon the deaths of his parents. "Harry, is that Sirius' hat?"

"Yeah. It looks better on me," Harry declared.

"We've been accepted," Sirius insisted.

"Yes. For what though?" Remus asked.

Sirius rolled his eyes and sighed loudly. "What do you mean: 'for what'?" He shook his head. "Moony, we've only been trying to get our own kid for how long. There's a Muggleborn girl the same age as Harry."

Remus hesitated. "We were hoping or a baby or toddler," he replied.

Sirius glanced at the letter again. "I know. But so is everyone else. Apparently they've gone through a long list now and this girl has been turned down just because of her age. It's a long list so how long will it be before we get another chance to adopt?"

"We could… we could always stay on the list or another and maybe in the meantime, we'll visit the girl," Remus murmured. The idea of a girl sitting in an orphanage without a clue about magic pulled at his heartstrings.

Sirius grinned. "We should go now."

"Now?" Remus asked. "But it's lunchtime in an hour. Shouldn't we call and make an appointment?"

Sirius shook his head. "Of course not. Imagine the girl sitting in the orphanage cafeteria… place, all alone, abandoned by her heartless parents. Surely it would be best to go now?"

Remus knew what was happening. Sirius had latched onto this choice of going now and there was no talking him out of these things when Sirius was in a mood like this.

"Fine," he replied. "We'll visit now. Harry, can you put something warm on?"

...oOo...

Hermione looked at the candles on the birthday cake. "Make a wish!" someone shouted.

Hermione hesitated. She had thought hard about her birthday wish - about what she wanted. She could make things happen so therefore a wish was something to take very seriously.

What she wanted more than anything was a family that loved her. One that didn't give her up because she was different. One that loved her anyway. She recalled the trips to church that started to become daily until she arrived in the orphanage. She had been sent to the next room whilst her parents talked. When she finished her book, she went searching for them only to find out they had gone - they hadn't even said goodbye.

She considered her options. Wishing for a family might be something bigger than this magic could give her. After all, she was still feeling grief over the last family.

But there was nothing else she wanted as desperately. To belong somewhere. Risking it, she leaned over and blew out the candles.

Around her, children cheered and cake was cut, but Hermione's focus was on the door. She didn't care about the party that she had to share with two other children. She only cared about the family that had to come.

...oOo...

Sirius marched to the counter, Remus and Harry following. "Hi, we're here to see… whoever is in charge."

The older woman sitting at the counter looked at him, unimpressed, even though Sirius was flashing his best smile. She reached out and pressed a button and a loud buzzer sounded further down the hallway, before turning back to her book.

He turned his smile on the woman that walked out of the door. "Hi, I'm Sirius Black an I'm here to adopt your mag—"

"I'm Remus Lupin," Remus quickly interrupted. "We're sorry for turning up without notice. We received a special letter today regarding a child you have here - an unusual girl…"

The woman nodded. "Of course. I'm Maura, I run this home." She glanced at the woman behind the counter. "Follow me into my office."

The receptionist pressed a button on her counter and the door swung open. The four of them walked through the security door and down the hallway. "Which one is she?" Sirius asked, as they walked past a large room.

"In the corner with the books," Maura responded, pointing at a girl who was watching them, a slight frown on her face. "Hermione. She was left her just over a year ago - her parents were religious and they didn't respond well. Hermione hasn't reached out to make friends. She just sits and reads and waits. I'm not sure if she's hoping for a new family or waiting for her parents to return."

Remus watched her for a long moment. He remembered being that lonely little child who didn't fit in.

"We'll adopt her," he decided. "She needs to be somewhere with people like her."

Maura smiled. "You're deciding without meeting her."

"We've waited years to have our own child," Sirius explained. "We've been offered this chance because everyone wants a baby and no one is willing to take in a girl her age. We're not going to walk away too."

Maura led the way to her office. "I have to contact someone from your Ministry," she said. "We can get the paperwork done today. Now, where's the parchment I'm supposed to use?" She began searching her desk as Sirius and Remus took their seats. Harry wandered off into the next room.

...oOo...

Hermione told herself not to get excited. It could be a coincidence that she had been called into the office so soon after people came to visit. She forced herself to stop shaking and clutched the book she had been reading as a safety measure.

The three people were in the room when she walked in and she tried not to stare. Instead she turned her attention to Maura.

"Hermione, I'd like you to meet Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin and Harry," Maura said. "They are here to adopt you."

"They… are? But… what about…" she trailed off, scared to mention the thing that had others whispering and pointing.

"They share your abilities," Maura explained. "That's why they are here. The forms are all signed - I just need to ensure you're happy to go."

Hermione looked at the two men that could be her new parents. Sure she had hoped for a pretty mum who liked gardening like her own mother had, but a family was a family. She had wished for a family and one was here and they could do things she could do.

They might want to keep her.

"Do you like reading?" Remus said. "Because I really enjoy reading too. I have a small library at our house. We live near a library too."

"I do," Hermione confirmed, relieved to have a subject to grasp hold of. "I enjoy reading. I've read every book here several times. My favourites have to be the Lord of the Rings, though the Hobbit is wonderful."

"And what are you reading now?" Remus asked, glancing at the book in her hands.

"Alice in Wonderland," Hermione replied. "The idea of this hidden world is fascinating. If I go, what will happen with school? Will I have to leave mine?"

Sirius shook his head. "If you want to stay at yours, you can do so. We can make sure you get there every day - though you're welcome to change schools and attend the same one as our son, Harry."

"Your son?" Hermione focused on Harry. "He would be my… my brother?"

Harry nodded. "Living with Padfoot and Moony is so cool!" he insisted. "Moony is a werewolf so sometimes he's not well, but when he's not well he buys lots of chocolate."

"A… a werewolf?" Maura looked faint at the idea.

"Yes, Ma'am," Remus replied. "A friendly one of course."

"Oh. I wasn't disputing. I just had no idea that werewolves were real." She turned her attention to Hermione. "I've already had some interesting visitors…" her eyes drifted to the fireplace. "If you want this, you're free to leave right now."

Hermione looked between the three. They all looked really hopeful and she couldn't help but nod. "What if… my… my real…"

Maura's smile slipped.

"If your real parents return for you, we won't stop you from going back to them," Remus promised. "But in the meantime, and if they don't return, we can be your family. You'll have your own room, we'll teach you magic. When you're eleven, you'll go to a magical school with Harry. You can learn so much."

"Are there a lot of books on magic?" Hermione asked.

"A whole other world," Harry said. "We go into this pub right and then through this magic arch and into Diagon Alley. There are Goblins who run the bank. We also get wands when we're eleven."

"And we have all of our old school books," Remus added.

Hermione's eyes lit up at the idea.

"Hermione is advanced in school. She gets given work from the year above."

"Little genius," Remus said with a grin.

"She's just like you when you were a kid, Moony," Sirius said, giving Remus a nudge. "You'll get along great."

"I want to go," Hermione admitted. "I'll give it a chance."

...oOo...

Hermione watched as Sirius rolled up his sleeves. "Favourite colour?" he asked.

"Lilac," Hermione replied.

With a flick of his wand, the walls changed from cream to purple and Hermione's mouth dropped open. "No, light blue."

The walls changed again.

"A darker purple than before," she requested.

Sirius changed the walls until Hermione looked pleased at the result. The furniture followed, changing from the plain furniture to something more fitting of the room. A canopy appeared over the bed and the bed-covers changed from plain stripes to unicorns.

"When you get to Hogwarts, you'll be able to see a real Unicorn," Sirius told her. "Now, we're going out to dinner to celebrate. We're going to Diagon Alley. You'll get new clothes, new books. Anything you want is yours. Quills and rainbow ink that changes colour as per your mood. Quills from birds ranging from tiny to ones that are as long as your arm. Chocolate frogs that try to hop away. Sweets that make steam come from your ears. Do you want a pet? We can get you an owl—"

"Sirius, you're overwhelming her," Remus scolded. "Hermione, everything at your pace. If you feel overwhelmed at any point, you tell us, okay? We can come back here and try again another day."

"I'll be fine," Hermione replied softly. Her fingers stroked over a unicorn on the bed. "So… what other creatures exist?"

Sirius grinned. "Fairies, Pixies, Trolls… you know what, we'll get you a copy of Fantastic Beasts and you can look through it."

"I'd love that," Hermione admitted. "But you don't have to buy me lots. I don't need much."

Harry appeared in the doorway. "Can I get stuff too?" he asked.

Sirius chuckled as Remus shook his head. "Today is about Hermione," Remus insisted softly. "She's missed out on our world for so long - today is about introducing her to it."

"Don't worry, Harry, I'll get you some chocolate," Sirius whispered.

"So… do you think you could be happy here?" Remus asked, turning his attention back to Hermione.

Hermione looked around the room, her gaze moving across the transfigured furniture and she considered the effort Sirius put in trying to make it perfect - the way everyone was so nice and kind.

She knew deep down that her own parents weren't coming back, as much as she hoped they would.

This could be her home. A place where she got to learn magic rather than trying to hide it.

"I think I will be happy," she said with a shy smile. "What do I call you?"

"Whatever you're comfortable with," Remus replied. "Remus and Sirius. Moony and Padfoot. Uncle Remus and Uncle Sirius. Pops and Papa. Harry alternates between all of these."

"And he's your son or is he adopted too?" Hermione asked.

"He's adopted - he's the son of our best friends who both died when he was smaller." Sirius slipped his arm around Remus. "We'll leave you to look around. Once you're ready, come and find us in the living room and we'll head out."

Hermione nodded and watched them until they left the room. When the door closed behind them, she flopped down onto the bed, a smile on her lips. Her wish came true and she had a family.

For the first time since her parents left, she felt happy again.


2344 words

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