"Alright, let's get brewing." Neville laughed. "I never thought I'd be voluntarily involved in brewing potions with a Malfoy."
"Can you imagine the expression on Potter's face." Draco snorted and the others laughed.
"Oh, I hope we find them." Hermione fretted as she followed Luna and Draco into the lab.
"We will. Potter can't hide from us." Draco assured her.
Minerva McGonagall entered the Headmaster's office and crossed to his desk.
"Ah, Professor McGonagall. I understand that you've been visiting the muggleborns coming into first year? How is that progressing?" The Headmaster twinkled gently as he spoke.
"I have." She stated bluntly. "The last visit, the Granger's. It was… unusual… It raised a few questions."
"Minerva, my dear, we cannot take muggleborns from their families-" Dumbledore started.
"Oh, it's nothing to do with that." She disagreed. "Perhaps it would be best if I were to show you the memory? May we use your pensieve?"
Dumbledore lifted his brows, it was such an unusual request from his deputy.
"Did they not approve?" He asked, wanting an idea of the reason for such a thing.
"Initially, they were hesitant to even speak with me, until I gave them my name. Then, Mrs Granger smiled and said 'Professor McGonagall? From Hogwarts? Oh, lovely, come on in, we're out the back.' And escorted me through the house to an outdoor picnic area." McGonagall replied.
Dumbledore's eyes widened. "They knew who you were? How?"
"This would be much quicker, viewing then event." McGonagall hinted, broadly.
"Yes. Yes, I suppose it would. Very well, I shall fetch a pensieve." Dumbledore said and did exactly that.
McGonagall lifted her wand to her temple and pulled a long strand of filmy blue fluff from her mind and allowed it to float down onto the surface of the pensieve. Looking at Dumbledore she nodded, and the two Professors entered the memory.
A woman with wavy brown hair opened the door.
"Can I help you?" The woman asked, clearly not wanting to deal with whatever was coming.
"Good afternoon, may I speak with Mr and Mrs Granger?" The memory of McGonagall asked.
"I'm sorry, we don't work on weekends. Appointments can be made for anytime between 9am and 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. Please contact the practice for further details." The woman went to close the door.
"It's not… practice(?) related, more of a personal matter." McGonagall said.
"I'm sorry, but we prefer all our appointments to be during business hours, Mrs… ma'am." The woman trailed off.
"My name is Minerva McGonagall and I'm a teacher at a-" was as far as McGonagall got, before being interrupted.
"McGonagall? From Hogwarts?" The woman asked sharply.
"Well, yes… in fact... I'm the deputy Headmistress." McGonagall blinked.
"Oh, my. You should have said. Oh, please, come in. Come in. We're out the back enjoying the cool change." The door was opened, and McGonagall was ushered in.
Down a hallway and into a large kitchen with floor to ceiling windows that opened out onto a paved patio. At a table sat three adults and four children.
"Lucius Malfoy? What on earth is he doing here?" Dumbledore asked.
"Wait. You'll see." McGonagall replied.
"We have a new guest, Deputy Headmistress McGonagall." The woman said. "Oh, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce everyone. I'm Jean Granger, Hermione's mother. This is my husband, Ian." She gestured to a man with neatly trimmed greying hair.
"Mr Granger." McGonagall held out her hand to shake his, but Ian Granger turned her hand palm-down and lifted it to his lips.
"Professor, welcome to our home." He greeted her as genteelly as any pureblood would have.
"Someone's been teaching them pureblood courtesies." Dumbledore frowned, as he watched his colleague's memory.
"Indeed, and I personally believe all students should be taught such manners." McGonagall added.
"And I'm sure you know Lucius and Narcissa?"
"Professor McGonagall." Lucius and Narcissa had both stood, quickly followed by the children.
"Mr Malfoy, Mrs Malfoy. Good afternoon." McGonagall fell back on her ingrained manners and dipped a curtsy.
"Their son, Draco." Jean indicated a blonde boy that McGonagall knew to be starting Hogwarts that year.
"Professor." The boy gave her a slight bow.
"Mr Malfoy." McGonagall dipped the barest of curtsies.
"Our daughter, Hermione." The girl had wild bushy chestnut hair, that someone was attempting to tame and only partially succeeding.
"Professor." The girl glanced at Narcissa and dipped a deeper curtsy.
"Miss Granger."
"Hermione and Draco's friends, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood."
"Longbottom?" Dumbledore asked.
"Just watch." McGonagall replied.
"Good afternoon, Professor." The two chirped brightly.
"Mr Longbottom, Miss Lovegood."
"Professor." The two replied.
"Won't you join us, Professor? We've just returned from the Alley. Diagon is the main Alley, isn't it?" Jean offered McGonagall a chair.
"It is." McGonagall wasn't quite sure what to say. These people were supposedly muggles, but here they were talking about Diagon and having tea with the Malfoys. The two ideas didn't mix.
"I'm assuming that you're here to bring Hermione's letter?" Ian asked.
"Well… yes, but… I was under the impression that Miss Granger was a muggleborn?" It came out as a question.
"Yes, we were, too. But identity tests done today, have changed that." Ian sighed.
"Hermione is, in actual fact, a squib-born." Lucius said.
"Excuse me? What makes you think so?" McGonagall asked, primly.
"Hermione did a family tree as part of her history class, this last year and found that my grandfather had dropped part of his father's name. We thought nothing of it, but Alice and Frank Longbottom were of the opinion that there may have been a magical reason for that and suggested having an identity test done and getting a family tree made." Ian replied. "Unfortunately, they're on weekend shifts, this month and weekends are the only time we have free. So, Lucius and Narcissa offered to accompany us to Gringotts for the test and then show us how to find Heritage Options, where we could have a magical family genealogy done."
"I see…" McGonagall blinked. "And the result?"
"My grandfather was the son of Hector Dagworth-Granger." Ian said. "I understand Hector was one of the wizards that founded a potions society, that still exists, today. Spencer, my grandfather, was a squib and was sent to live with a distant relative of his mother's and dropped the 'Dagworth' from his name. According to Gringotts' tests, it wasn't done legally or magically and suggested that we re-introduce it. They also said that as the first magical descendant of Hector, Hermione is the current magical head of house."
"Dagworth-Granger?" Dumbledore gasped. "Truly?"
"It certainly appears so." McGonagall answered.
"Augusta is meeting us tomorrow to advise Jean and Ian on the legalities of claiming the Dagworth-Granger estate and has agreed to stand as Hermione's magical guardian." Lucius added.
"Excuse me for moment." Ian stood and left the table, heading inside.
"I see." McGonagall started. "How did you meet? I apologise if I offend, but the Malfoys? I hardly expected to find them in a muggle home."
"Neither did I." Dumbledore said.
"Ah." Narcissa said. "That would Luna. It appears our little moon takes after her mother."
"Her mother?" McGonagall asked.
"Surely you remember Pandora Rathdowney?" Lucius replied.
"Ravenclaw, graduated in… 1977?" McGonagall queried.
"That's mummy." Luna chirped.
"And Luna takes after her mother? Her Sight?" McGonagall's eyes widened.
"A Seer?" Dumbledore gasped.
"Not exactly, Pandora was a Dream Seer, they differ in that they only See when they Dream, and they only Dream when they sleep a natural unassisted sleep." McGonagall answered. "My Aunt on my mother's side was a Dream Seer."
"Oh, yes. Well, to a degree, anyway." Narcissa smiled at Luna. "We'd not had any contact, for a few years, not until just a few weeks ago. Luna floo-called and asked if Draco could come and visit for the day? Of course, I knew who she was, Pandora had tutored me in history for my OWLs and we continued to meet up, a few times a year, right up until her accident." Narcissa lifted a delicate water and sipped before continuing. "So, Luna telling me that Draco, Neville and Hermione were going to be friends and asking if Draco could visit? While it came as a surprise, memories of Pandora's gift prompted me to agree. Draco spent the day with them and asked if he could return the invitation."
"The next day Luna was… The Aurors aren't sure who the intended victim was, but whether by accident or design, Luna was potioned with an aging potion, while visiting Diagon Alley." Lucius said. "The healers said that her age and immature core were her salvation. If she'd been older with a stable core, the potion was one that was designed to increase the recipient's age by a limited amount, but that a vital ingredient as off, it's not known whether the Moondew that was used, had been deliberately collected from a Devil's Snare or not, but it altered the intended results of the potion. Or it would have, if Luna's core had been stable enough for the potion to work to its full extent. If that had been the case, it would have forced an age increase of approximately fifty years."
"Oh, my." McGonagall lifted a hand to her heart.
"The poor child." Dumbledore sighed.
"Indeed." Lucius sighed. "Thankfully, that didn't happen. Due to her not-yet-stable core, the potion was only able to age her forward one year, but it did it in a matter of seconds. She was taken to St. Mungo's, who after testing the remnants of the potion, came to the conclusion that the potion would continue to age her, that each day she would age forward another year. The only chance to halt the progression was a DMLE restricted potion, a type of setting agent, followed by a purging potion to remove any further traces of the aging potion from her system. The negatives were that they would be unable to return Luna to her original age, but at least they'd caught it before it had done too much damage."
"The DMLE and St. Mungo's ordered an alteration to Luna's birth certificate and WFS file. We're hoping that has carried over to Hogwarts, but we felt it best to wait until a little closer to the start of the school year, before consulting Dumbledore." Narcissa patted Luna's dainty hand.
A sharp gasp came from behind them and McGonagall saw Neville's eyes widen and his hand shoot out in the direction of the house.
"No!"He screamed.
"Oh, god." Jean gasped, standing up quickly. "Ian!"
"Daddy!?" Hermione squealed.
"Would someone help me?" Neville whispered. "I can't hold him much longer." His outreached hand trembled in the air.
"What on earth?" Dumbledore stared at Neville then at Ian, his head moving back and forth in amazement.
Minerva turned and saw Ian Granger hanging in the air, just a few feet off the ground, but those were important feet. If he fell, even from there, he'd land back first on the steps, leading to a severe injury.
Minerva quickly drew her wand and flicked it in his direction, chanting as she did so. "Mobilicorpus."
"Oh, thank you…" Neville whispered and collapsed back in his seat.
McGonagall used her wand to ease Ian Granger away from the house to a flatter area, where she could lower him to the ground, his wife and daughter rushing to his side. Then she turned to Neville.
The supposed squib.
"Mr Longbottom? Are you alright?" She asked. Had he really stopped an adult in mid fall?
"…tired…" Came the almost silent answer.
"Daddy?" Hermione asked again.
"I'm alright, love. Neville caught me… and the Professor made sure I didn't hit the ground."
While the two Granger women fussed over Ian, Minerva rounded the table to stand beside Neville.
"Mr Longbottom?" The boy looked up at her, his eyes tired. "Would you allow Mrs Malfoy to cast a core status charm on you?"
"Why?" The boy grunted.
"Mr Longbottom. The… incident… in 1981? It's commonly believed that as a result of your exposure to the cruciatus, that you were rendered a squib." McGonagall stated.
"And? What of it?" Lucius asked.
"If that's truly the case, how was he able to halt Mr Granger's fall and hold him in mid-air?" McGonagall replied.
"How, indeed?" Dumbledore frowned.
She was met with silence, no one had considered that. They all turned to look at Neville, varying degrees of surprise or confusion on their faces.
"Okay." Neville nodded. "Aunt Cissa can cast the charm."
"Magi Systemus Potentus." Narcissa waved her wand in an intricate motion before jabbing it in the direction of Neville's chest.
Slowly a ball of light began to appear in front of Neville. It grew and changed colour from a dark almost black/brown through the rainbow spectrum of reds, purples and blues before settling on a vibrant turquoise.
"Oh, heavens." McGonagall whispered.
"Good lord!" Dumbledore gasped.
"What? What does that mean?" Jean looked up from Ian's shoulder at the older witch's stunned whisper.
"Is it possible? Narcissa?" Lucius asked, just as shocked.
"It…" Narcissa stopped herself and squinted. "Let's check that again. This time lets ensure that there can be no mistake. Neville, dear? Would you come over here?" Narcissa pointed to a spot a few yards away from the table. "Everyone else stay where they are please. Professor? An exclusion bubble around Neville and I, please." Narcissa had morphed from being a caring and concerned family friend, to a professional medi-healer, in a single heartbeat and it was clear that while she was phrasing her words as requests, they were anything but.
"Yes, Aunt Cissa." Neville stood and let the blonde woman guide him where she would. And after receiving a nod from the same blonde woman, McGonagall cast a silent and obviously complicated spell, that created a clear, semi-solid shield around the woman and the boy.
Again, Narcissa cast her spell and again, the ball of light formed in front of Neville. And again, the light went from dark brown, through the rainbow to stop on the same bright turquoise blue. A nod to McGonagall and the shield vanished.
"How ever was that missed?" Dumbledore asked.
"I have no idea." McGonagall replied.
"Narcissa?" Jean asked.
"Neville is most definitely not a squib, in fact, right now, he's very close in core strength to most adults. If he goes through the normal core growth-spurts, he could easily end up a sorcerer or possibly even a grand sorcerer." Narcissa said, still in that professional manner.
"But…? How?" McGonagall asked.
"Who knows? Maybe he was only magically exhausted, not drained. Maybe the idiots that tested him initially got it wrong? Maybe Lady Magic healed his core? I don't know and bluntly? Does it matter? As far as I am concerned, all that matters is that Neville is unharmed, and now that we know he's magical, he needed to be formally tested and added to the Hogwarts register, if he isn't already there." The last was directed solely as McGonagall.
"St. Mungo's will be all in a tizz, over this." Dumbledore warned.
"Yes, they will, and Alice and Frank will be out for blood." McGonagall added.
Dumbledore winced and nodded. "Yes, I dare say they won't be pleased it was not picked up sooner."
"Not pleased? Oh, Alice will be ropable." McGonagall sniffed elegantly. "I fully expect people to run for the hills, screaming."
"Yes, I'll see to it personally, but if he has to be added, the Headmaster is required to ask for a Certificate of Capability signed by a St. Mungo's assessment healer."
"I'd still like a copy, just to placate the Board." Dumbledore said.
"I'll request one when I visit Longbottom manner." McGonagall nodded.
"I am aware." Narcissa nodded. "And I'll see that it's done. In the meantime…" Narcissa gave Neville a gently nudge back to the table. "Expecto patronum." She waited until the delicate swan emerged from her wand. "Message to Augusta Longbottom." The swan nodded. "Augusta? It's Narcissa Malfoy. I need you to respond to this message, but only when you have complete privacy." The swan nodded and gave a beat of its wings and vanished. "Now, we wait for Augusta to reply." She said re-joining them at table and sipping at her drink.
A minute passed before an answering patronus entered the garden, the silvery vulture hovered in front of Narcissa.
"Mrs Malfoy. I trust that my grandson is not injured?" It said before fading away.
"Expecto patronum… reply to Augusta…" The swan nodded. "Neville is uninjured, but I need you to meet he and I at St. Mungo's. Someone has made a grievous mistake as far as Neville is concerned. I've just tested his core potential and he's not a squib. Right now, I'm testing him at a level ten turquoise. He needs official testing." The swan nodded and left. "I'll take Neville, Lucius, if you would see that Luna makes it home safely?" She said to her husband.
"Oh, no, Luna's staying here for a few nights." Hermione said.
"Daddy's gone looking for a six-footed heptapod or quintapod or some such thing." Luna added brightly. "And I get to stay with Mione for a week."
"I see… and I think you may have meant a quintaped, dear." Narcissa sighed.
"Oh, Xenophilius and his creatures." Dumbledore chuckled.
"I recall him searching the dungeons for a whiffling shadowmander. Whatever that was." McGonagall smiled fondly. "His essays were always a joy to read, even if they rarely stayed on subject."
"I can imagine."
"Something like that." Luna smiled.
The vulture reappeared. "I shall meet you at the welcome witch's desk."
"That's my signal to leave. Neville, dear? Come here and we'll get this sorted out for you." Narcissa held out a hand to Neville, who smiled and let his small fingers clasp hers. Narcissa nodded and apparated away, taking Neville with her.
"I shall return to Hogwarts and check the registry." McGonagall stood. "Oh, I almost forgot. Miss Grang- Miss Dagworth-Granger. Your invitation to Hogwarts." She handed over the letter. "Dare I assume that you will be accepting our invitation?"
"Oh, yes… well… I'd very much like to know that Luna and Neville are going to be offered a place, too. Otherwise, Uncle Lucius has mentioned the possibility of private tutors for Draco and I." Hermione gushed.
"I hope it won't come to take, not now that we know that Mr Longbottom and Miss Lovegood may be joining us this year." Dumbledore said.
"That is, of course, assuming that Frank and Alice allow him to attend, they are quite protective of their boys."
"I'm sure we can come to some type of agreement." Dumbledore twinkled, merrily.
"I doubt there will be any issues with Mr Longbottom receiving an invitation and Miss Lovegood would only be joining us a year ahead of expected. However, I can understand your concerns. I shall send you an update, as I have more information. Mr Malfoy? May I forward that to you?" McGonagall turned her attention from Hermione to Lucius.
"Certainly, Professor." The blonde wizard nodded.
McGonagall turned towards the yard before pausing and re-turning to those at the table. "As I'm unaware of how much information has provided to the Dagworth-Grangers, would I be correct in assuming that either the Malfoys or the Longbottoms will be escorting them to Diagon for Hermione to collect her school supplies?"
"Yes, someone will be, at this point it looks more likely to be Narcissa or Lucius, but that will depend on when we go." Ian Granger replied.
"Very good. In that case may I suggest that you visit the Lion's Den? It's a group-shop run by a group of Hogwarts students, each of them have their own shop and some are specifically targeted to students and their school supplies. It has a large selection of items that will assist a muggleborn in acclimating to the wizarding world. And if you're interested, Miss Dagworth-Granger, The Young Witch's Friend has both the magical and muggle versions of many healthcare and beauty products. Among them is a marvellous range of haircare products and soaps. I do particularly like the Scottish Heather range put out by the Highland Soap Company, but then I am partial to the scent of heather." McGonagall sighed fondly.
"You and your heather…" Dumbledore shook his head in amusement.
"Hush, you." McGonagall chided.
"Oh, yes, they're right across the way from the entrance to Vertic Alley, we did spot them, but we didn't have time to investigate." Lucius said. "Alice has been in, as has Augusta, I think she said she was looking for some muggle plant-care books, but I must confess, I wasn't really paying much attention." Lucius said self-depreciatively.
"But we will definitely look into it." Jean cast a sidelong glance at Lucius, warning him to close his mouth.
"Very well. Miss Dagworth-Granger, Miss Lovegood, Mr Malfoy, I look forward to receiving your acceptance letters and do hope to see you, come September." McGonagall nodded to the children and curtsied to Jean, Lucius and Ian, before giving them a smile and apparating away.
The memory faded and McGonagall and Dumbledore emerged from the pensieve.
"I see…" Dumbledore hummed returning to desk, absently reaching out and taking a lemon drop from the bowl there. "Well, then… We'd best see if Miss Lovegood and Mr Longbottom are listed among our enrolments." He smiled and headed for the orrery and its ledgers. "Now, let's see…" He tapped the crest and the compartment opened and a drawer slid out. "1991 enrolments. Now, lets see. H, no. J, no. K, no. Ah. L, here we are. Li, Su. Lindstrom, Kellah. Longbottom, Neville. Lovegood, Luna. Lucas-Buckley, Michael. Lybeck, Sarah. Well, it appears that Mr Longbottom and Miss Lovegood will both be receiving their letters this year, but neither have been sent as yet."
McGonagall sighed. "Excellent. I'd like to deliver them personally, Albus. I think Frank and Alice would appreciate it."
"Yes, I think that would be quite fine." Dumbledore twinkled.