Their return portkey arrived into England at 11pm. Without Scabbers they quickly passed through security at Cairo quickly even though Hermione' name issues arose again.
In Dover security had been increased. They spent two hours in a cramped dingy room having different forms of identification spells and potions used on Hermione. Who's name and immediate ancestory changed every time. She alternated between Hermione and Catherine as a first name, with Hermione, Catherine, Jane and A-something equally likely to come up as her middle name. A couple of times she was Hermione Hermione Weasley. Her parents were listed as Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Edward Granger, Lucy Granger, R-something, or S-something. Rarely were the couples together correctly and both R and S showed up in the mother and father sections. The only unchanging part was her last name, Weasley. It was only when they compared her magical signature to one taken in the room and her registered signature at the suggestion of her healer, called from home at 1am, that the immigration official accepted they were telling the truth and were allowed to leave.
The official glowered at them as they left saying, "We'll be keeping a close eye on you."
Mr Weasley had fallen asleep waiting for them and was the only person in the waiting area. Mrs Weasley woke him with a kiss and allowed him to draw her down into a long embrace. "I've missed you Mollywobbles." They heard him say before they both stood. He embraced each of them, kissing their heads and murmuring something about missing or loving them.
Once they had all been hugged him pulled a paper covered lump out of his pocket, "Given the hour I've arranged a portkey." He said unwrapping the lump to reveal a coil of rope. "Hold on Weasleys."
They unpleasant spinning tornado of a domestic portkey was nothing compared to an international portkey so even Harry was standing when they landed in their front garden. Mr and Mrs Weasley bustled them through the house and up their bedrooms not bothering to make them get properly washed up. They were falling asleep on their feet; the time difference make them think it was nearer to 3am than 1am.
Mrs Weasley let them sleep in but not for long forcing them to get up and wash at ten telling them, "It'll take longer to reset your clock if you keep to Egyptian time."
Both Percy and Mr Weasley were gone when they got downstairs and Crookshanks was cleaning his bowl in the corner of the kitchen. The breakfast waiting for them was only porridge and spiced apple puree that tasted like it had been made from the last of the apples. It was warm and filling which was just what they wanted as they all adjusted to the English summer.
In the background the Wizarding Wireless chatted as they ate and Mrs Weasley started the preparing more apple puree before last autumns apples went over. The news was talking about an escaped criminal but Mrs Weasley didn't seem worried instead she started talking to them about what they would be doing for the rest of the summer. Mostly chores and visiting Grandmother Weasley and Grandad for lessons where already Percy was this morning. There were few interesting highlights, "Harry and Hermione will both have appointments with their specialist healers this week", they both groaned, "Luna, your dad is delayed in South America and is having to make new travel arrangements."
"When is he coming?" She asked downcast.
"When he spoke to Arthur he was hoping for the last week of August." Mrs Weasley answered conjuring a seat next to Luna. "There was an escape from Azkaban last week. As a result they've introduced new security procedures for anyone entering or leaving the country as we found out last night. The route back into the UK your father was planning to use has been shut down temporarily and we don't know if your father knows." She pulled Luna into her lap and Luna started to cry quietly. The twins gently pulled Hermione and Ginny from their seats as Ron scooted closer to Luna. The last they heard as they left was Luna breaking into heartbreaking howls.
It was a long time before Ron joined them in the orchard with his face dirty like he'd been crying. Their cat climbed in to his lap and didn't move until Percy came home. Luna didn't join them in the orchard all day and even the twins were subdued as they whiled away the day.
Luna's small form curled away from her and Ginny in the big bed they always made of their beds at home made her itch. Luna had cried herself to sleep not even letting Ron comfort her and barely tolerating Crooks pressing into her side. Ginny wasn't one to cuddle in her sleep when she was upset so for the first time since before they started Hogwarts Hermione was at home and there was no comforting weight pressing into her. She couldn't sleep.
The moon was illuminating the wall above her head and Crooks was just as awake as her, still pressed into Luna side but alert and looking at the window. They rose as one to sit on the window sill. She couldn't see what was interesting Crooks outside but his twitching tail rubbing against her bare legs was familiar and calming. As she relaxed her mind drifted to her current challenge.
She had managed every part of the animagus transformation on its own but complete transformation eluded her. It felt like it should be natural to close her eyes and let everything take its other normal form. Hearing getting sharper until she could hear that Ron wasn't sleeping either. Fur covering her skin warming her bare skin warming a body not yet acclimatised to the Devon in August and dreading northern Scotland in September. A tail to twitch like Crooks.
She opened her eyes and squawked, or her mind tried but it came out more like a plaintive mew. Crooks bunted her and purred like he was laughing at her. She sat stunned for what felt like forever but was probably just seconds with Crookshanks staring at her before he blinked and went back to looking out the window. Now she could see what interested him so, there just outside the boundary of the wards was a massive black dog. It paced, nosing at the fence that marked the edge of the wards and Crooks and Hermione watched until Hermione was cold, stiff and yawning. Then Crooks picked her up by the scruff of her neck and deposited next to Luna just above the covers. Thankful for the warmth Hermione wiggled under the covers and into Luna's chest. She fell asleep to the Luna's warm breaths ruffling her fur.
She woke on Luna's chest, a hand resting on her back. Luna was looking down at her a soft smile tugging at her lips. Hermione made to get up but Luna shook her head and scratched her behind her ear. "Wait until Ginny wakes up."
The noises of the household getting up were clearly audible to Hermione but to Luna they were just background noises so Luna was surprised when Ron tumbled into their room dragging Harry and waking Ginny.
"I'm better," Luna said sitting up, releasing Hermione and letting him hug her. "Look what Hermione did."
Hermione was pinned beneath one of Crookshank's paws as he vigorously cleaned her. Ginny and Harry sniggered. "Crooks thinks she's his kitten."
Luna was quiet and dreamy until the day their Hogwarts letters arrived. She wandered through their chores and daydreamed through their lessons with Grandmother Weasley. The day her father had planned to return to England came and went with no sign or contact with him but she let Ron and Mrs Weasley fuss over her and Crooks press close.
Despite seeing the dog multiple times during the night Hermione couldn't convince anyone to go exploring with her after dark and risk Mrs Weasley's wrath. With Luna so disengaged her natural ally was missing but the food she managed to convince Mrs Weasley to let her leave just outside the wards and visible from the girls room was always gone in the morning and sometimes she and Crooks would sit in the window sill and watch the dog eat it.
The morning Hogwarts letters arrived was foggy and cold, they weren't due at Grandmother Weasley's until after lunch so Ginny and Ron were yawning, Hermione was wishing that she could transform and curl up next the fire, Luna was animated for the first time since they came back and Harry was helping with cooking to get closer the aga. The open kitchen window so the owls could easily enter was not helping.
When the owls came Professor McGonagall had obviously not automated their letters as only one owl arrived holding eight letters bound together which it delivered to Mrs Weasley. She fed it a owl treat from a bag next to the window and offered it space on the perch Errol, Hedwig and Hermes shared. The owl declined so she handed the letters out leaving Percy for last and obviously not surprised that the twins had been passed over for prefect positions.
"I made headboy." Percy opened his letter and stared down at badge that fell onto the table. "I made headboy!" He was clapped on the back by everyone even the twins and Mrs Weasley promised that they would have his favourite for dinner before gathering up their book lists and starting to collate a list of books they would need.
"Nothing new Percy, they're in the living room or already in your room, collect them when you bring your trunk down." Mrs Weasley said handing him back his list. "We'll need another copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5 and two of The Essential Defencive Spells," She handed the twins back their lists and sent them upstairs to bring down their trunks. "Three sets of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3 and Intermediate Transfiguration, two sets of Unfogging the Future and Spellman's Syllabary, one each of Numerology and Grammatica, Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles, Introduction to the Healing Arts, and Grammar and Vocabulary, and five copies of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." She sent them upstairs and cleared the table with a wave of her wand.
By the time they got downstairs Percy was ready to carry his trunk back upstairs and she was going through the twins'. She gave the twin's the single copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5 on the bookshelf after checking its condition and sent them upstairs with their trunks. After going through their trunks, she declared that Ron would need new robes as the twins still fit theirs as would Ginny but Harry would be fine in Ron's, Luna in Ginny's and Hermione in Luna's. The two copies of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3 and Intermediate Transfiguration were handed out to whoever grabbed first. "Who wants Spellman's Syllabary?" She asked letting Ginny and Harry take them and noting that Hermione and Luna would need the new copies. "Numerology and Grammatica" went to Hermione and Harry and Mrs Weasley noted that Ginny would need the new copy. "Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles" went to Ron and the new copy would be needed by Luna. "Grammar and Vocabulary" went to Luna with Ron needing the new copy. Finally she sent them upstairs to return their trunks.
Downstairs again and dressed for the day, Mrs Weasley sent them out to do their various chores under Percy's supervision while she went to Edgecomb's Emporium to buy most of their books.
Mrs Weasley had less success than she hoped at Edgecomb's Emporium. There were no Hogwarts robes in either Ginny or Ron's size and Mr Edgecomb hadn't had enough stock of various books. She had initially hoped that she would be able to go while they were all at Grandmother Weasley's house but something she was very secretive about, speaking of in allusion and quickly when any of the children were present, was occupying her time. So they had another morning carrying out chores under Percy's supervision.
The chores they could carry out with Mrs Weasley home where not enough to occupy the full morning it took for her to return. Feeding the chickens and collecting the eggs took Ron and Luna half an hour. Milking the goats and letting them out to graze to the twins a couple of hours but everyone knew they were experimenting on the tree in the goats field. Percy managed to make feeding the pigs and goats take most of the morning but he was daydreaming about his girlfriend, which made everything take forever. Between Ginny, Harry and Hermione weeding the vegetable and herb gardens only took an hour by which time Ron and Ginny had returned and swept the kitchen.
They were left with three hours which Luna determined they should spend finding the dog or so far as they could from within the bounds of the Burrow.
Hermione took them to where she'd left the bowl of food last night and collected the empty bowl and Crookshanks. They could see black fur caught in the fence which Luna carefully collected. They then followed the fence round the property towards the woods their orchard backed onto collecting little tufts of dog fur every so often.
In the orchard the fence tapered off but they knew where the Burrow was, could feel home on their skin when they noticed its absence if they stepped across the line. There was no fur to follow here but Crooks knew the way leading them to a spot on where the apple trees continued beyond the bounds of the Burrow. There he stepped over but aware Mrs Weasley would know and they had no excuse she would deem valid they waited to see if he would return.
It took a long time, long enough that Ginny and Harry had begun practising the transformation again with Hermione and Luna and Ron were playing noughts and crosses in the dirt and debating going home. Crookshanks was harrying a very thin and dirty looking dog towards them. Up close it looked massive and it's black fur looked matted. At the sight of it Luna without thought stepped through into the woods and knelt holding her fist out to it.
"Kit, tell the twins to come up here with Percy." Ron said to Hermione, "Then go refill that bowl. You two stay here." He indicated Harry and Ginny.
The dog seemed friendly sniffing at Luna's fist and then letting her gently pet him and feel how thin he was. He startled slightly when Ron came to stand next to him but quieted under Luna's gentle hands and let Ron stand there observing him with Crooks winding around Ron's ankles.
"Does he have any injuries?" Ron asked.
"Not that I can feel," Luna said still petting the dog who had lain down and who's tail was no hitting the ground rhythmically. "But if he is this thin I'd hate to think how starved he was before we started feeding him."
Ron sat down next to her letting Crooks into his lap and they waited companionably for the twins, Percy and Hermione to arrive. They could hear Ginny and Harry had returned to practising the animagus transformation and the dog was beginning to drowse under Luna's gentle hands. "Kit?" She asked Ron.
"Well Crooks really does think she's his kitten and I wanted something that was constant to say that's our sister. Even if they make us give her back." Ron buried his fingers in Crookshank's fur. "I have six brothers and three sisters-"
Whatever else Ron was going to say was cut off as Percy, the twins and Hermione arrived simultaneously. "What is-" Percy began. "You found the dog. Hermione put that down inside the ward boundary." He picked a piece of meat out of the bowl and walked over the bounds. "Back inside you two."
When Ron and Luna were safely inside he approached the dog, meat in hand. Once the dog had smelled the meat and looked interested he walked towards the ward boundary, "You're not getting it until you come inside and we can have a proper look at you." The dog walk cautiously towards the boundary. "Good boy," Percy praised. The dog stiffened as Percy placed a hand on his back but then they were through and Percy was dropping the piece of meat on the ground next to him.
Percy cast a spell as the dog was wolfing down the food in the bowl. "Just a malnourished dog as far as I can tell." He said, "Come on you lot, we'll bring him inside and see if we can distract mum."
The dog hated Scabbers, had no sign of a magical owner or a collar declaring a muggle one, and when Mrs Weasley examined him he seemed to be a normal dog. After much pleading from Hermione, Luna, and Ron, a bath and a haircut, it was agreed they could keep him but he would have to go to Hogwarts with them.
He was too big to fit into the girls room so he slept on the floor in Ron and Harry's room. They tried all the common dog names on him thinking he must have been owned by someone to be so friendly but he ignored them all and Dog was not going to stick. Luna who had been ploughing through Unfogging the Future when she couldn't sleep announced one morning that he looked like a Grim, "a very grim hound, our Grimhound." The dog grinned up at them from where he was trying to steal bacon and a name was found, their Grimhound.