Chapter 13: Mid-February 2017 - Revelations
Hermione was getting used to their new routine as well. Ron was home in time to watch the kids after school, and then they had dinner as a foursome several nights a week. This evening Ron was keeping both kids so she could get caught up on a case she had fallen behind on. Her client was a refugee from Syria who was trying to get refugee status in England, but the EU was arguing she needed to have claimed status in Greece. She was buried in reading her notes when she was surprised by a knock at the front door. She knew it wouldn't be Ron and the kids, as they would have just come in. Looking through the peep hole in the door, she was rather shocked to see the stern Scottish woman who had been at the funeral.
She opened the door tentatively, "May I help you?"
"Ms. Granger?"
"Yes."
"My name is Minerva McGonagall. I believe we met at Dennis and Fiona's funeral. I was wondering if I may come in and speak with you for a moment?"
"Um, alright. I was just working on some legal files. Please come in. I'll clean this up and put on some tea."
"That would be lovely. Thank you."
"Ron Weasley was telling me you are the headmistress at the school in Scotland they all attended."
"Yes, I suppose you have gotten to know Mr. Weasley over the past few weeks."
"He's been great with Hugo."
"I'm glad. Mr. Weasley has always been a kind hearted, gentle soul, but he hasn't always had the opportunity to show that side of him with his career or the adventures his life gave him."
"Adventures?"
"Oh, that is a story for another time, Ms. Granger. Actually, I was coming to talk to you about somewhat of a mistake that I have discovered that actually has impacted you."
"What type of mistake?"
"Well, how do I put this delicately? Have you ever noticed that you have certain abilities to make things happen?"
Hermione just stared at the Scottish woman. How could she possibly know about her special intuition?
"Let me put it another way, shall I? Have you ever wanted something and somehow it felt like you just willed it to happen? Like maybe suddenly the couple in front of you at the cinema decided they didn't want to see the film after all, leaving you the last two tickets?"
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," stammered Hermione.
"Actually, I think you do. You, like me, are a witch, Ms. Granger."
"Who are you? You think you can come into my home and start insulting me? I think it is time for you to go now," demanded Hermione as she reached for her iPhone.
Without missing a beat, McGonagall flicked her wand, sending the iPhone across the room, leaving Hermione's mouth wide open, but no noise coming out.
"I'm so sorry to have had to result to such parlor tricks, Ms. Granger, but I assure you I meant no insult in calling you a witch. You are a magical person. When children are born to muggle, or non-magical individuals, their names are recorded on a list and those children, when they reach age eleven, are invited to attend a special school where they learn how to control their magic along with all of the other magical born children. As you were born in America, your name was never on the list for Hogwarts in Scotland. At Collin's funeral I sensed you had magic in you, but the times then, they were – well, they were difficult times, and it wasn't the right time to help you learn about your skills. But after I saw you again recently I contacted the school in America, and they said that they thought we had educated you as you had moved here before you turned eleven. So, I am so sorry to have to apologize, but you simply fell through a bureaucratic hole in the system."
Hermione was still standing with her mouth open staring at the woman in her kitchen. Suddenly the kettle whistled, only slightly snapping Hermione out of her astonished stupor.
"Shall I pour the tea?" asked McGonagall calmly. Without waiting for a response, she flicked her wand again, levitating the kettle from the hob and poured the tea into the mugs, which she then levitated over to the table. "Do you take milk or sugar?" she asked calmly.
Hermione began to mutter. "I must be going mad. This is a dream. I have been under too much stress since the accident, and this is just a bad dream. I'm going mad. She's probably not even actually here. None of this is real."
"This is very much real, Ms. Granger."
"You're saying I am a witch? I have secret magical powers? Do you have any idea how insane that sounds?"
"Well, yes, actually. I do. But, that is only because you are not aware of all of the witches and wizards whom you see every day. Magical people are all around you. And it isn't fair that you didn't learn about your talent as a child, but I couldn't repair that. However, I felt, for a myriad of reasons, that you deserved to know."
"You're saying there are witches and wizards just meandering around London and no one notices?"
"Well, Collin and Dennis were both wizards. Hugo is a wizard, as is Ron Weasley. Fiona was a witch. As are you. And, as I think you now suspect, is your daughter, Rose."
"I don't understand."
"I can only imagine how overwhelming this is, in what is certainly an overwhelming time for you already."
"Um. Can you give me a minute? I think – well, excuse me for one minute."
Hermione grabbed her iPhone from where the woman had sent it across the kitchen and ducked into the other room. She quickly dialed her mum's phone number.
"Mum, hi – it's me. I, uh, well I need a sort of last minute favor. Would you or dad be able to pop by Hugo's house and watch Hugo and Rose for a bit? Something has come up that Ron and I need to look into with an acquaintance of Dennis and Fiona's, but he's got the kids, and I'd rather let them be."
"Sure, Hermione. When do you want me to pop round?"
"Would right now work?"
"Alright, I can be there in 10 minutes. You'll let Ron know to expect me?"
"Oh you better believe it. Thanks, Mum."
She hung up from her mum and quickly dialed Ron's number.
"Hey," he answered cheerfully. "How goes the case work?"
"Um. Did you know about this?"
"About what?"
"Ok. Right. Well, I need you to come over here and help me deal with a surprise visitor. Mum is on her way to come watch the kids at your place. She'll be there in a few minutes. And then you need to come straight here."
"Are you ok? Is someone trying to break in? Do I need to come now?"
"No. I am not in any danger. But I do need your help very soon. I will see you in ten minutes." And she hung up on him.
"He doesn't know, Ms. Granger," McGonagall calmly said from the kitchen.
"Well, I either need to have him come take me to hospital for a psychiatric evaluation or he needs to confirm that this is all real."
"I like you, Ms. Granger. I am very sorry that you were not my student years ago. You would have been in the same class as Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. You would have been good for them, I think. You are quite a logical thinker, which is why hearing this type of news is rather difficult to absorb."
"You don't say," mused Hermione.
McGonagall sipped at her tea. Hermione's head shot up again.
"You did say Rose was a witch as well, right? I'm not hearing things on top of going mad?"
"No, you heard me perfectly well. Rose, like you, is magical. I would suspect that is why you were so drawn to her as an infant. You sensed you were both special and needed each other. And seeing as Pakistan is not known for allowing single, Christian, British woman to adopt, I would think your magic helped you in the process, however subconsciously," and then she eyed Hermione some more, "or consciously. I suspect you have learned to control your talents due to your high intelligence. It could not have been easy for you, but to be as successful as you clearly have been, I suspect that is the case."
"And Ron is a witch?"
"A wizard, but yes – he is magical as well. Actually, he comes from one of the oldest magical families in Britain."
"And Hugo?"
"And Hugo."
Hermione heard Ron coming in the front door, calling, "Hermione?!" He came around the corner into the kitchen and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight in front of him.
"Professor McGonagall?" he said in a dumfounded voice. "What, what are you doing here?"
"Good evening, Mr. Weasley. Won't you join Ms. Granger and me for some tea? I'm afraid I don't have any ginger biscuits with me, I do remember how you liked them so."
Ron looked curiously between his old professor and Hermione.
"Alright," he said hesitantly as he came into the kitchen. "But, I would really love to know what possible series of events has landed you at Hermione's kitchen table this evening."
"Actually, I was just explaining to Ms. Granger that I have discovered a most unfortunate bureaucratic error."
"A bureaucratic error has brought you to Hermione's kitchen?" Ron asked flatly while fruitlessly searching Hermione's blank face for any hint of what was going on.
"Yes. As Hermione was born in America and lived there until the summer before her eleventh birthday, she was not on Hogwarts' list of students, and since she moved to England right before she was eleven, she was not on Ilvermorny's list either. And thus, she has fallen through the cracks."
"Wait," Ron stammered, staring slack-jawed at the elderly witch. "Are you saying? You can't mean? Professor, what are you…"
"SHE SAYS I'M A WITCH," screamed Hermione. "She says I'm a witch, and Rose is a witch and you are a wizard and Hugo is a wizard and Dennis and Collin were wizards and you all went to a secret wizard school and then she made tea cups float across the room. SO – will you please tell me WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON before I lose my damn mind?!"
"You're a witch? She's a witch?" he gasped looking rapidly back and forth between the two.
McGonagall simply smiled and nodded once as she sipped her tea.
"And Rose is a witch too?"
"Apparently so," yelped Hermione as McGonagall simply nodded again.
"That is fantastic!"
"It is?" questioned Hermione in desperation.
"Well, I think it is," assured Ron. He desperately wanted to embrace her, but somehow felt it would be inappropriate to do so at that moment.
"So, it's real. It's real? She's real? She's telling the truth? You're a wizard? You've been a secret magical person all this time? As were Collin and Dennis and Fiona? Why didn't any of you say anything?"
"They were not allowed to," said McGonagall firmly. "It would violate our most sacrosanct secrecy laws that keep our world hidden. To expose the magical world would put everyone's lives at great risk. Witches and wizards have been persecuted for millennia, and one of the ways we protect ourselves is to remain undetected. They have all been as honest as they possibly could be."
"Did the Creeveys know?"
"Yes. Parents know. Spouses know, and siblings know."
"All this time," Hermione muttered. Then she turned quickly on Ron pointing at him, "I knew you weren't a police detective!"
"Wha-, how?"
"You didn't know your own phone number! And I've never seen you drive a car! And not one single uniformed police officer came to the funeral. I figured you and Fiona were secret spies or something."
"Aurors," said McGonagall affectionately. "An auror is like a special forces soldier in the muggle world. Ron hunts down dark wizards and protects our world from dark magic."
"He does? You do?" she asked quizzically.
"Well, Fi and I did. We were partners for 14 years. Harry was my partner before that, but then he became Head Auror. Now, I don't know if I will continue. I need something safer for Hugo."
Hermione just nodded, still trying absorb everything.
"Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter are quite the heroes in our world, Ms. Granger."
Ron shot a warning look to McGonagall. "I don't think we need to overwhelm her with an entire history lesson tonight, Professor, if it is quite alright with you. Maybe we could focus on helping her see how fantastic it is that she and Rose are witches. And then, as I think I know you rather well, I have a sense there is something you want to propose to help remedy this unusual situation we suddenly find ourselves in."
"Fair enough, Mr. Weasley. I hope you will grow to be excited about this discovery, Ms. Granger. Nothing I have said this evening has changed anything about who you are or who your daughter is. This revelation is nothing more than an additional way to understand yourself, and to harness your talents and skills in this world. I have only seen a few adult witches and wizards learn of their talents this late in life. Usually uncontrolled magic has caused harm to the individuals who were unaware of their skills. But, in a few exceptional cases I have found that a particularly intelligent or gifted witch or wizard has figured out ways to control their magic without necessarily understanding it. I suspect that is what you have been doing for several decades now. But, if you have been this successful without proper training, I would expect that given the opportunity for proper instruction, you could become an incredibly strong and powerful witch."
"You can't possibly be saying you want Hermione to go to Hogwarts?"
"Well, I am not suggesting she join the eleven year olds of course, but I think we could create a special course of study for Ms. Granger. I could recommend a number of texts to read on certain subjects, and then she could floo to the school and receive some tutoring in particular subjects of interest, such as Transfiguration, of course,"
"Of course," smirked Ron.
"And Charms, possibly History of Magic, maybe Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. You could tutor her in Defense as well as anyone. She is a solicitor now, so I would suspect a similar area of interest in magic. No need to add in too many classes in Divination or Muggle Studies, though she may find Potions and Magical Creatures fascinating."
"Magical creatures?" Hermione repeated weakly.
"Well, you know those flying horses Rose loves?" Ron asked. Hermione just nodded. "They're kind of real."
"I need something stronger than tea for this conversation," muttered Hermione as she went to her liquor cabinet and sought out the scotch. She poured herself a glass, and offered one to the other two, who all accepted.
"OK. Let me just take a stab at this," Hermione stated having downed half of her drink in one gulp. "All of these things are classes at your school? And you want me to go off and be a student again – to go back and learn all about the secret magical things everyone in England else seems to know about but me?"
"Well Ms. Granger, what I want to do is to try and give you as much of a magical education as you want to have. I feel terrible that life, circumstance or bureaucracy seems to have caused you to miss out on your initial chance to learn these things. You can take advantage of as much or as little of it as you like. Looking at your home, I sense you are a voracious reader. You may find you can learn a lot on your own. And Mr. Weasley can instruct you on some basic things as well. I presume you can take her to Ollivanders and help her get a wand, Mr. Weasley?"
"Absolutely, Professor" Ron said grinning. Hermione simply stared at them both with wide eyes.
"So you have a perfect tutor built in for some foundational lessons. Maybe you and I can talk in a few weeks once you have adjusted to the news and had time to see what aspects of magic and the magical world are interesting to you."
Ron looked at Hermione, and knew she was completely overwhelmed with information. "Professor, may I suggest I see you out now, and we let Hermione digest all of this? I will talk with her some more, and I will send you an owl when we have a sense of a plan that might work, or at least a time when we can meet and discuss it more amongst the three of us?"
Glancing at Hermione, McGonagall simply nodded. "Yes, I think that is a fine suggestion, Mr. Weasley. I trust you will see to her this evening as she's had a wee bit of a shock I think."
"I think that's a wee bit of an understatement, Professor."
"Ms. Granger, I am sorry to have brought all of this in such a shocking manner this evening. But, I do hope you will accept my congratulations on being a witch, and I offer you a warm welcome to the magical world. Mr. Weasley should serve as an excellent ambassador who can help you learn about the many wonders it holds. I do look forward to meeting again soon."
Hermione simply nodded blankly as Ron saw the woman out.
When Ron came back he found Hermione sitting on the sofa staring at the wall with a rather catatonic expression. She didn't not move her eyes to watch Ron as he came towards her, which alarmed him slightly.
"Hermione? Hermione are you alright?" he asked tentatively.
Hermione gave a feeble whimper in response. Approaching her gently and trying to establish eye contact, Ron said hesitantly, "I am not sure whether to start with apologizing for having had to hide things about myself before, to congratulate you on being a witch, or to say how sorry I am you are finding this news out almost 25 years later than you should have."
As he said this, Hermione finally looked in his eyes. With tears brimming over the edges, the chocolate brown orbs were swirling with confusion and stress while her forehead crinkled in what Ron was learning to identify as her "I am trying to figure out what I need to figure out" look. She also looked hurt, so Ron thought it best to return to apologizing.
"Do you remember the first day with Hugo how we had to start over with introductions as I completely bungled everything I thought I understood about you? I think I owe you that a third time. And this time, I promise, there are no more secrets. You might not know all my stories yet, but there is nothing else I have not shared with you. I promise." He paused and looked at her, but she continued to stare through him with a blank expression.
He sat down next to her on the sofa and took a slow breath. Then, he said, "Hi. I'm Ron Weasley. I'm a wizard, and I grew up in the countryside of Devon where I had five older brothers and one younger sister who are also all magical. My best friend is Harry Potter who I met when I was eleven, and we had a lot of insane adventures in school which I can tell you about another day. And due to those unique circumstances we both left school early and went to work for the Ministry of Magic trying to protect people we loved from dark magic. I lived in a flat above my brother's joke shop in magical London. And now I live – well – now I live mostly on a mattress on the floor of my godson Hugo's bedroom because he has nightmares and it breaks my heart to make them last even a second longer than they already do so I need to be close to him at night. I have worked as an auror since school, and now I don't know if I want to do that anymore. I don't know how to drive a car, but I love to fly on a broom. I only recently learned to use a phone thanks to your daughter. My world was recently turned upside down when I went from middle aged bachelor to single parent of an 8 year old in a flash. And while I wish I hadn't lost people I loved, and I desperately wish Hugo hadn't lost his family, I am finding, much to my surprise, that I really love my new life. But, I don't know what I am doing, and I am very much hoping you will help me navigate it."
He stopped talking, but didn't move at all. He felt like he could actually see the gears in her mind whirling. After what felt like an eternity to Ron, Hermione finally softened and said in an incredibly quiet voice, "It is good to meet you, Ron Weasley. My name is Hermione Granger. I was born in America where I lived until I was almost eleven. Then my family moved back home to England where I finished school and studied to be a solicitor. I worked overseas in refugee camps for a number of years, and there I met a baby girl who stole my heart. Her birth parents had been killed in an explosion, and the rest of her birth family refused to feed her or love her because they said she was a witch or a cursed child. And I knew she was somehow like me, as even when I was a little girl I knew I had some innate abilities that others didn't seem to have. I have never told anyone else that, not even my parents. I just knew it would scare people. And it could have been me that was left to die because people were scared of who I was. I didn't know what it was, but I somehow knew it connected Rose and me. So, I eventually adopted her and it was the best decision I ever made. We moved home to London, where we were very close with my extended family. But many of them were killed recently, which has shattered my heart. And then today I learned that I am actually a witch. And so, like you, my world has recently turned upside down and I have no idea what to do next. And I am a little bit terrified. But, despite the storm of emotions swirling in me right now, I also think this new life could be something I grow to love very much. But, I don't know what I am doing, so I am also very much hoping that I can count on you to help me navigate it." She gave Ron a weak smile, and a tear came down her face. Ron couldn't help himself, as he simply engulfed her in his arms.
"Oh, Hermione," he simply said. "Thank you."
She cried into his chest, but she didn't collapse into sobs. As he gently stroked her back and held her close he whispered gently, "It's going to be ok. I promise. We are going to be ok."
She curled up against his chest as she sat on the sofa, slowly ceasing her tears as he stroked her back and held her. Her mind was spinning still trying to absorb the information she had learned. Her mind was reeling with what could have been; with what people she thought she knew and trusted had hidden from her; that there was a whole world hidden in plain sight that seemed to defy logic; that her daughter was a witch; that her daughter was going to want to go to this special magical school in less than a year while she didn't want to think about letting her go anywhere so young; wondering how she could tell her parents about all of this; wondering if Rose's birth parents were witches and wizards, and if they knew it; wondering what Collin and Dennis would say if they were here; and wondering if this magical world was safe since so many people in it seemed to die young. The only things keeping her from losing her mind to the mental storm brewing inside her were the strong arms holding her tightly, assuring her she would be ok and the metronome of the steady heart beat in his chest. Despite everything she knew being turned inside out, she felt safe in his embrace.
Ron held her in his arms while his mind swam. He really couldn't imagine how she was feeling at this moment. The contradictions of being relieved at understanding her gifts while probably petrified to discover an entire hidden world must be overwhelming. And she must have felt betrayed by people she had loved and trusted who had lied to her for years. And to learn this about yourself and your child in one moment must be completely disorienting. Knowing how much she not only loved Rose, but had built her life around her daughter, it must be awful to suddenly think about her going off to boarding school at eleven when she had planned to have her home for another seven years. There must also be a lot of wondering what could have been, and this is where Ron got stuck as well. She could have been at Hogwarts with him. He figured she would have been either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, so there was a good chance they could have been close friends. Part of him was angry they missed all those years together. And part of him was so grateful she had been safe from the hell of the war. As a muggle born she would have been so vulnerable. And if she had been at Hogwarts, she would probably have never met Rose. What would have happened to baby Rose? He couldn't even let himself think about that.
Then there was a part of his head full of the voices of people he knew. Fi would be laughing hysterically at how two of the best aurors in England had managed to miss that Hermione wasn't a muggle at all. Bill would be smugly reminding him that he said a muggle couldn't get through one of those muggle repelling charms. Harry and Ginny would absolutely give him hell as soon as they learned of this latest development.
And there was another part of his mind that was so damn happy he couldn't really hold the smile off his face. He had hated lying to Hermione about his real life and identity, and now he didn't have to. And suddenly he had this great hope that they might be able to figure things out between the two of them. There was no denying he had been attracted to Hermione since the day they met. He had been crushed when he thought she was married at Hugo's baptism. Then after the accident he'd felt the shock to his core again when she touched him. Spending each day together, watching her love Rose and Hugo, seeing how patient she was with teaching him how to parent – it had been an amazing experience, and he had been finding himself distractedly attracted to her. Even with all of that, he could never even imagine how a relationship could work. Now he could not only imagine it, but he was beginning to believe it might actually have a chance of happening.
They were still sitting in silence on the sofa when Hermione's phone buzzed. Looking at the screen, she saw it was her mum calling.
"I have no idea what to say," Hermione muttered.
"You don't have to tell her right this second. She's probably just calling to check on you."
Hermione nodded, "You're right. Ok. Here goes nothing…"
Mrs. Granger had been calling to check that everything was alright. Hermione assured her she and Ron were fine and promised they would walk over shortly.
"I am going to tell her. But I need to get my head on straight first," she said, half to herself.
"I think that's a brilliant approach."
"And I can't tell Rose yet. I just need to sit with it a bit."
"That's ok. Most children who aren't raised in a magical family don't find out until their eleventh birthday. So really you are ahead of schedule."
"I mean, it's Wednesday night. I have to go to work tomorrow. I have a case to work on. Rose and Hugo have school in the morning. It's not like all of those responsibilities just go away because now I am a witch."
"Well, you've actually been a witch all of this time. You just didn't know it, or maybe just didn't have a name for it. You don't have to change anything until you want to or until you are ready. You know that, right?"
Hermione nodded. "I think I know it. But then again I don't know what I know right now."
"Fair point," nodded Ron. "So now what?"
"So, now we walk back to your place and I pick up Rose and come home and tuck her into bed. Then I try to go to sleep. And tomorrow I get up and defend refugees. And then maybe I can think straighter over the weekend."
"Ok. You know I'm here, right? For anything you need – shoulder to cry on, after school babysitting, magic lessons – you name it."
Hermione started laughing. "You can do magic! And theoretically so can I! Can you just make something happen?"
Ron started laughing. "I think you want me to do tricks!"
"Well, I don't know what I want to see. I don't even have any idea of what's possible or what's silly or what is easy or hard. Humor me? I'm having a difficult evening. I mean – do you have a wand like she did?"
"Oh, absolutely," Ron said as he reached for his wand stored in his sleeve. Hermione gawked at it and then started giggling.
"I'm sorry. I don't know why I am laughing. It's just – you have a magic wand! And, all I can think is you are going to pull a rabbit out of a hat or a coin from behind my ear like at a child's birthday party or something. It just all seems so absurd!"
Her giggles were contagious, and soon Ron was laughing as well. "I can't argue with that. But, I promise – I won't pull a rabbit out of a hat tonight. How about this instead?" and he pointed his wand towards a sofa cushion, and levitated it over towards Hermione, and promptly dropped it over her head, causing them both to laugh even harder.
She smacked him lightly aside his arm, saying, "Wonderful. My life turned upside down for party tricks. Let's go be responsible parents for a while, ok?"
He smiled. "It's definitely not all party tricks. Here – this is so you remember why it will all be worth it," and he quickly transfigured a coin that was on the side table into a tiny statue of a rose.
She looked up at him tenderly, "thanks."
"Anytime. Come on, let's go relieve your mum."
(Author's Note: This was such a fun chapter to write. I'd love to hear what you think about how she discovered her magical abilities - as well as Ron's reaction. Thanks for sticking with the story! -carrytheotter)
