Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than the story line . All rights belong to J.K. Rowling
Chapter Two: Meet the Parents
"It is my sad duty to tell you that during the night Harry Potter succumbed to injuries suffered while dueling Voldemort. He passed away shortly after midnight while being held by his best friend, Hermione Granger…
"For those of you who might be thinking that you can get information out of Miss Granger, please put such thoughts out of your mind. Not only is it quite rude, but she has left the school to return home so that she can have her parents' support in her time of grief." Dumbledore gave each table a glare, stopping briefly on both Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley.
As the shock started to wear off quiet crying could be heard coming from many parts of the Great Hall. Dumbledore silently paid witness to the sight of numerous witches breaking down at the thought that both of the Hogwart's Champions had lost their lives in the end.
Ginny Weasley, especially, had collapsed into a heap next to the Gryffindor table. She had just been getting up when he had made the announcement. He wished that he could have spared her this, as he knew how she felt about Harry, but it couldn't be helped. He spared a sad smile as her three older brothers rushed to her side. She would have the support that she needed in this trying time.
The Headmaster turned to Professor McGonagall. "I have business that must be attended immediately at Gringott's concerning Mr. Potter's estate. I fear that if I don't take action quickly the Minister will try to confiscate the Potter vault." He quickly left the room, trying to ignore the fact depression that was starting to overwhelm the students.
*0*0*
With a flash of orange colored fire three travelers appeared in a small back garden somewhere in Kent. Hermione looked around to spot her mother who was holding a small garden shovel in a defensive posture with one hand, while clutching her chest over her heart with the other.
"Mum!" she cried as she sprinted to the older woman. Though she could barely see her mother through the tears that were welling in her eyes, she unerringly found her way into her warm embrace. She broke into great gulping sobs as her mother's arms encircled her.
"Hermione, what's wrong?" she asked her daughter as the young witch shuddered in her arms. Her daughter's teenaged body shook with each wracking sob. She ran her fingers through her daughter's hair in an attempt to calm the teen down. "Please tell me what's happened."
"Oh Mum, it was awful. I don't know where to start!" Hermione cried into her mother's shoulder.
"Well, why don't you introduce me to the people that you brought with you while we go into the kitchen and I make some tea for everyone, alright?"
Hermione sniffed and wiped her eyes on her sleeve, looking for all the world like a seven-year-old girl who had fallen and skinned her knee. "Alright Mum," she whispered. As her mother turned to go in Hermione let go of her and reached out to take the hand of the teen girl who had been waiting with the elderly wizard (to judge by his robes) for her to finish her greetings.
Jane Granger looked carefully as she noticed Hermione taking the girl's hand, but it truly did seem rather innocent. Truth be told the teen girl looked both lost and terrified at the same time. Jane's heart went out to the poor girl. She looked like she wanted to be somewhere else altogether, but also like she had no clue as to where to go.
They entered through a door into a pleasant feeling kitchen. Jane made her way over to the stove to put on a kettle as everyone else took seats at the small table. Hermione helped the young girl into a chair and took the one next to her. The girl seemed to calm somewhat when Hermione placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.
"Mum, this is Professor Albus Dumbledore, our Headmaster." After she said this Hermione looked like she was gathering her courage to tell her something. "And this," she lifted her hand and indicated the young woman next to her, " is Harry."
Jane Granger did a double take. She stuck a finger in her ear to clear it out. She looked at the young woman next to Hermione. She was about Hermione's size and Jane would put her as slightly younger than her daughter. She had a lithe, definitely feminine figure that looked athletic, and yet pixyish. She had a cute but messy haircut and the most striking green eyes. She tried to remember Hermione's description of Harry (there could only be one person that Hermione called just Harry), but she couldn't remember anything about Harry being a girl. As she recalled Harry did have striking green eyes, but it seemed that Hermione was very taken with a young lad named Harry.
"Excuse me dear, but did you just say this young lady is Harry?" she asked softly.
"Yes, Mum, this is Harry," Hermione replied just as softly. She looked at Harry with such a soft, doe-like expression that Jane swallowed heavily. This was bound to be a whale of a story.
"Should I get your father?" she asked. When Hermione nodded, she turned to go. "Would you watch the tea, Kitten?"
"Of course, Mum," Hermione murmured. She took Harry's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Harry squeezed back, but Hermione could feel the trembling that her friend was enduring.
A few minutes later Hermione's mother returned from waking her husband from the nap that he was taking. She walked in with her husband in tow, the latter rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he took in the scene before him.
"Could someone please inform us of just what is going on?" Robert Granger asked.
Hermione gulped and drew a deep breath, trying desperately to figure out where to start. She was stopped by a gentle hand on her wrist. "Perhaps, Miss Granger, it would help if I told the tale, at least to start?"
Hermione looked at her Headmaster, relief and gratitude written all over her face. "Thank you, Professor," she said in a low voice.
"Now then," Dumbledore started, "as you know, I am Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster at Hogwarts. To begin with I must ask a small question. How much of Harry's story has your daughter told you?"
"Well, we know that his parents were killed by some sort of evil wizarding terrorist," Jane replied.
"That is true," Dumbledore responded. "As I am sure you are aware, Harry has become best friends with your daughter. She has stood by him through all the trials and tribulations that young Harry has endured since they met four years ago. Now it is generally believed that the wizard who killed Harry's parents all those years ago was killed when his curse rebounded from Harry and struck him instead. Sadly, that was not the case. Voldemort, the wizard that attacked the Potters, did indeed lose his bodily form, but managed to survive as little more than a wraith. We know this through much conjecture, study, and as I shall eventually get to, numerous eye witness accounts.
"During Harry's first year, he faced his parents' killer twice, as Voldemort possessed another wizard's body. Then in his second year, a magical artifact, containing a piece of the wizard's soul used a magical beast known as a basilisk to attack numerous students, including Hermione. Harry defeated this piece of his tormentor as well.
"This last year, the school played host to an event called the Tri-Wizard Tournament."
"Hermione wrote to us in the fall about that," Robert interjected.
"Yes, and as host we had students from two other schools join us at Hogwarts. I had hoped for a year free from adventure for Harry, as all attention was focused on the tournament. Unfortunately, Voldemort had other plans."
"Now wait a moment," Robert interrupted. "Hermione has told up repeatedly that you are considered to be the most powerful wizard alive. Just how is it that you've allowed all this to go on right under your nose?" He glared at the Headmaster and was somewhat pleased to note that the old man had the decency to appear embarrassed.
"Yes, Dr. Granger, I am indeed a very powerful wizard, but Voldemort is at least as powerful as I am, and is steeped in the dark arts. Even as a young student he excelled at masking himself and his talents from others. I assure you he is easily the most accomplished wizard in the world at this, making detecting him very problematic."
Robert Granger considered this for a moment. He gazed at the young witch next to his daughter. She was trembling violently and he could see that Hermione was desperately trying to calm her down. He nodded his acceptance of Dumbledore's explanation.
"Now due to its dangerous nature this tournament was set up with an age restriction so that only of-age witches and wizards would be allowed to compete. Unfortunately Voldemort had a follower secreted into the castle who entered Harry as the only entrant from a fictitious school, thus causing his selection as a Champion. Harry was therefore unfortunately forced by inferred magical contract to compete against much older competitors in three tasks that proved daunting and dangerous to even those older competitors. He was at a serious disadvantage. Sometimes magic can be very unforgiving. While it is a great tool for wizards and witches, it is very literal. This can cause magical blind spots which the astute can then manipulate."
Dumbledore paused as Jane poured him a cup of tea. "Thank you, dear lady," he said to her softly, his eyes twinkling. "Now, where was I? Oh yes, Harry's participation in the tournament. Armed only with their wands, the Champions had to retrieve a golden egg from a live dragon in the first task. Might I say that Harry was particularly brilliant in summoning his broom and out-flying the dragon.
"In the second task he had to figure out a way to survive underwater and locate a hostage that had been placed at the bottom of the Black Lake nearby to Hogwarts. There was a time limit to this task, but Harry would not allow any hostage to be left behind and rescued two hostages rather than one. By this point in the competition he ended up tied for first place.
"The third and final task was to be a maze, in which the Tri-Wizard Cup was placed at the center. There were various pitfalls placed in the maze for the Champions to encounter. The winner would be the first Champion to touch the Cup. The cup was a portkey, a type of magical transportation designed to return the Champion to the winner's circle, thus signifying the end of the competition.
"And here especially, is where the complications from Voldemort's manipulations began to get very serious indeed. Harry and the other Hogwart's Champion, Cedric Diggory, had agreed to take the Cup simultaneously, thus ensuring a Hogwarts victory and giving both participants a tie for the win. Unfortunately for the pair, Voldemort's follower at Hogwarts had changed the destination of the portkey.
"Harry and Cedric were transported to a cemetery in the village of Little Hangleton. There they encountered Voldemort in homunculus form…"
"Excuse me, but what was that term?" Jane asked.
"A miniature human form," Hermione explained as she softly rubbed the girl's back.
"Oh," Jane responded. "Please go on."
"In the ensuing melee, and I must note that by this point both Harry and Cedric were already rather seriously injured, Cedric was killed and Harry was overpowered. Harry was then lashed to a tombstone, and forced to be an unwilling participant in a ritual designed to return Voldemort to a corporeal body.
"Hermione, somehow, sensed that Harry was in trouble. It seems that the two of them appear to share a special bond somehow. They almost act like twins, in the way that twins can complete each other's sentences and always seem to know what the other is thinking.
"Thus, Hermione acted and convinced my familiar, a phoenix named Fawkes, to transport her to Harry. Before I even realized what had happened, they were gone. Please note that from here, I am sharing what I learned when I used a magical technique to allow Hermione to share her memories of how events unfolded. Hermione and Fawkes appeared in the graveyard, out of the sight of both Voldemort and one of his loyal followers.
"Hermione cast a spell on another of Voldemort's follower, a rather weak wizard named Peter Pettigrew, which caused him to have a bout of aphasia." He paused for a moment to make sure the Grangers understood him. Then he remembered that they were both in the medical profession and would most like know that condition.
"Due to this he bungled the ritual and caused a cauldron that was there to explode. This appears to have vaporized the miniaturized body that Voldemort was using, and also to have caused grievous harm to Pettigrew as well. It should be noted at this time that Pettigrew was the wizard who betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort in the first place. Thus, in this way Hermione unwittingly gave Harry a measure of revenge upon his parents' betrayer." Dumbledore took a moment to place a hand on the dark-haired young witch's shoulder.
"Unfortunately the potion that was in the cauldron was splattered all over Harry while the explosion itself propelled him through the very tombstone that he was lashed to. It appeared that Harry had stopped breathing and your daughter then used some Muggle technique to return life to his body. Quite frankly this amazes me, as in the Wizarding world there are no techniques to revive someone once they have entered into death. I truly believe, after viewing your daughter's memories, that Harry died yesterday.
Jane Granger's breath hitched at the thought. She knew just how much Harry Potter meant to her daughter. It must have been a harrowing experience for her to go through, not to mention how poor Harry must have suffered.
"All of Harry's injuries, combined with his brush with death, damaged his magical core. Upon his return to Hogwarts, which was accomplished by your daughter, his core threatened to rupture, which would have killed him just as assuredly as the explosion he endured." Dumbledore let out a rather long sigh at this thought.
"According to our school healer, Harry's magical core reached out to find something to anchor to and found just that something: your daughter's core. It latched on in order to heal itself. Thus, last night, your daughter needed to be where she has been for the last four years, at Harry's side; this time in the hospital wing.
"She stayed there with him until the both of them fell asleep due to the exhaustion from their experiences. Sometime during the night Harry got up to go to the loo, and discovered that he had undergone a rather radical change while he was asleep." He paused and looked pointedly at the young witch that Hermione was comforting.
"What do you mean, Professor?" Robert asked.
"Madam Pomfrey, our healer, and I have theorized that the potion that was in the cauldron when it exploded, combined with the magical phrasing that Pettigrew used while under the spell your daughter cast, somehow triggered a latent talent that Harry seems to possess."
With a sigh and a wave of his hand Robert Granger motioned for the Headmaster to get on with it.
"It appears that Harry might be what is referred to as a metamorphmagus. In other words he can alter his appearance through his will. Something in the combination of the potion, the spell and his subconscious caused Harry to undergo a transformation into the young girl you see before you."
Robert gasped. This young girl in front of him was Harry Potter? The boy that his Hermione carried such a torch for? How the Hell was this even possible? He was about to exclaim just that when he noticed the girl's reaction to his startled gasp. She shook violently as tears streamed down her face. She hiccupped a couple of times and looked like she was either going to be sick or faint dead away. He stopped himself just before he blurted out something he was sure he would live to regret for a very long time. He looked to his wife, wondering just how she could leave this little fact out of her blurted explanation when she woke him in their bedroom.
If nothing else, the expression on his daughter's face told him that she was not about to put up with any negative things said concerning her best friend. "So if he can alter his form, why can't he change back?" he asked as calmly as he could.
"Frankly, we just don't know," Dumbledore replied. "It might be something from the potion, possibly due to his damaged magical core, or it could be something in Harry's subconscious that is blocking his ability to restore himself. This could be short-lived, or it could be permanent. We just don't have enough information yet to know." He took a moment to consider how to proceed.
"At this point, Harry is in a very vulnerable position. He is trapped in a body that he isn't used to, and his magical core is very unstable. His use of magic will be severely limited. If his enemies were to discover him in this state they would undoubtedly deal out swift vengeance against him. Therefore, at this point, Hogwarts, his most likely location, is unsafe for him."
"So since you're here, I assume you have something in mind that involves Hermione, and possibly us?" Robert asked. His wife and daughter might be geniuses, but he wasn't stupid by any stretch of the imagination.
"You are correct, Dr. Granger," Dumbledore answered. "In an attempt to throw off Voldemort and his follower, also known as Death Eaters, we have faked Harry's death and Hermione suggested bringing him here to stay with her while she spends time with her parents 'grieving' the death of her best friend."
Jane and Robert looked at their daughter, concern and yet pride showing on their faces. "If we can help, we'll do anything we can. We have wanted to be more of a part of our daughter's life now that she's a witch, and this will give us our opportunity," Jane told the professor.
"Thank you both," the Headmaster said, the first smile of the day on his face. "Hermione has always been a joy to have at Hogwarts, and I have always believed that it was due to your role in her upbringing that has molded her into the young woman she is today. You have proven that to me this morning." He stood up.
"For the time being, the two of them should stay here. Since we have told the world that Harry is dead, the three of us have taken the time to provide Harry with a false identity. Hermione thought that it would be a good idea if Harry pretended to be a young witch as well as her cousin, and go by the name of Jamie Harriet Evans. This would be easy for him to remember, as his father's name was James, and his mother's maiden name was Evans. Also, with the middle name Harriet, if Hermione slipped up and called him Harry, we could say that it was the girl's nickname: Hari…"
"Brilliant," Robert acknowledged with a nod.
"Now, there are two other things before I leave," Dumbledore stated. "First, I need to erect wards around your home, just as a precaution. Secondly, I must caution you that Harry's magical core is still unstable, and because it has attached itself to Hermione's, they must share close physical contact for Harry's sake until our healer has determined that it is safe for them to be separated."
He looked at the pair of teens and then back at the parents. "Please understand… normally I would never advocate that two teenaged students share a bed, but in this case…"
Robert Granger looked rather green at the thought. After all, this girl in front of him was actually a boy, and not just any boy, but the one that his little girl loved dearly. He looked back at Dumbledore, not daring to say the question in his mind.
"I can, of course, place a spell in the wards that will be tied to Harry, which will alert us if he undergoes any physical transformations. This should hopefully reassure you if Harry returns to his natural state you will be immediately informed." He walked slowly to the door. "Now, if you would be so kind as to excuse me, I have erect the wards and then tie up Harry's accounts in enough – what's the Muggle term – ah yes – red tape that the Ministry cannot touch his money for many years to come." With that he went out in the garden and begun casting spells before he spun in place and disappeared with a soft 'pop'.
Author's Note: This fic just seems to be coming to me quickly, so I'll continue working on it as long as it lasts. I am continuing to work on other fics that I have in work as well, and hopefully I can just keep on going until I've finished everything.
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