Chapter two – A Peculiar Visit
Finally, to Hermione's intense relief, it was the last day of school. After this last year of primary school, she would have a nice relaxing summer holiday before starting at a grammar school thirty miles away from her old one. Being only just inside the catchment area, not many of Hermione's peers had applied to go to this school, and Hermione had been the only one to get in., Well, how could they have refused her when she had received full marks on the entrance exam? Hermione was looking forward to this new school. It would be a fresh start, and hopefully there would be people just as intelligent as she, who would understand her, maybe even be her friends.
The last week of school had not been fun for Hermione, instead of having regular lessons, the teachers had the children play games together in the classroom. At least when she was in class, Hermione had a good excuse not have to talk to anyone, but now she had to join in these stupid games and pretend to laugh at the immature jokes. But finally, it was the last day, and the whole class were playing 'splat', a game that involved making lots of weird noises and hand gestures in an attempt to stay in the game.
Hermione was bored and not really concentrating when Megan Speech managed to tag her out. Hermione sighed and went to sit down, happy for an excuse not to play anymore.
"What's up Granger, couldn't you just use your rabbit teeth as a shield?" yelled Mickey Pearce.
Hermione said nothing as the other children laughed at her. She stared defiantly forwards, noticing from the corner of her eye that the only person not laughing was Fiona Taylor. Fiona was the only person that never laughed at Hermione and never said anything mean to her. Hermione couldn't really call Fiona a friend; Fiona had her own friends who all hated Hermione, but it was nice to know that someone didn't think she was such a freak—or at least, she didn't say it if she did.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, the bell rang signalling the end of the day. Hermione smiled as she grabbed her bag and hurried out of the classroom while the rest of the class hung around to say goodbye. She almost skipped across the playground, swinging her bag in her hand happily.
"Hermione!"
Hermione turned to see who had called her. Squinting against the sunlight, she saw Fiona flying towards her.
"Hermione, wait up!" she called, skidding to a halt in front of Hermione, who said nothing, but crossed her arms and waited.
"I just wanted to say, congratulations for getting into the grammar," Fiona said very quickly. "They'd never say it, but I think everyone else is pretty jealous."
"Oh," said Hermione, taken aback. "Thank you."
"I also wanted to say that I'm really going to miss having you in the class, I can't imagine a lesson without you sticking your hand up a million different times," Fiona said. The way she laughed when she said it made the joke feel like a special one that just she and Hermione shared. Hermione smiled.
"Well, thanks, I guess," said Hermione awkwardly after a few moments.
Fiona laughed nicely again and suddenly hugged Hermione, fiercely wrapping her thin arms around Hermione's neck.
"You're going to have an amazing life Hermione, I just know it," Fiona told her. Then without another word she skipped off, sunlight dancing of her chestnut hair before she entered the school building again. Hermione smiled slowly to herself as she walked away, deciding that she would always try to remember Fiona's final words to her.
The first thing Hermione did when she got home was to clear away anything that was related to her primary school. Of course she didn't throw any of her books away, but she packed everything up in boxes, and then she got her father to put the boxes in the loft. She threw away her old school uniform; she would need a new one at the grammar. By the time she was done, her room looked almost new, with only her full bookshelves and her pictures of her family along the walls.
The next morning, Hermione headed down to the local library and returned laden down with three bulging bags of books to occupy her time over the summer. For the first few weeks of her holiday, Hermione spent every day turning page after page, drinking iced drinks and finding new things to amaze and astound her.
On the twenty fourth of July Hermione awoke to rain for the first time in well over a month, she lay in bed for a while listening to it before rolling over and grabbing her book. For half and hour Hermione sat back and read 'Tales of Greek Mythology' that she had picked up at the library. Although Hermione was astounded that there were once people who believed in these stories she liked the detailed descriptions of dragons, phoenixes and Chimerae. When she finished the chapter she walked downstairs to the kitchen to make herself breakfast.
As she ate her cereal in the kitchen she remembered that today was a Sunday, so Hermione's parents were at home. She could hear them moving around upstairs, as they got dressed. Hermione sat at the table, watching the rain beat down on the garden, wetting the browning, dehydrated grass and bringing the dusty flower bed to life. Hermione had always loved the sound of rainfall, and she adored the strange, thoughtful mood it seemed to put her in. It was quite beautiful.
That day, the Grangers had planned to go on a family bike ride to a nearby river for a picnic. The weather had obviously spoiled that plan, so instead they arranged a cards tournament. They had been doing this together on rainy days for as long as Hermione could remember. When she was small, her parents had gotten her started with endless games of snap and War. Now they would play games like and poker, using monopoly money as betting currency.
Hermione loved to play poker, because it required memorization, critical thinking, and the ability to read people, which of course Hermione was very good at. By lunchtime, Hermione had a large stack of Monopoly money next to her. Her mother, who was clever but had a very obvious tell that gave her away easily, was losing by a large amount. Mr. Granger father was winning, although not by any far stretch.
While they sat around the table, eating soup, they played go fish and laughed at each other's silly impressions and jokes. Hermione was having a very good time; she did love it when the three of them played together. Just as Hermione was about to have her turn the doorbell rang.
"I'll go," said her father, who had finished eating.
Hermione listened as her father walked down the hallway and opened the door. There were a few moments when all Hermione could hear was a stranger's voice speaking; she thought it might be a woman with an accent, but she couldn't tell for certain. Next she heard the door close with a snap and two sets of footsteps walking down the hall. Then her father appeared in the doorway.
"Susan, Hermione, this is Professor Minerva McGonagall, she here to talk to Hermione about school" said her father addressing Hermione and her mother.
As her father stepped into the room she saw the woman standing behind him. She was a tall woman with black hair tied into a tight bun at the back of her head. Her lips and square glasses perched on the bridge of her nose gave her a very sharp, stern appearance. She wore a smart green dress, black tights and shoes and carried in her hand a tartan umbrella.
"Good afternoon," she said, giving Hermione a sweeping glance before looking at Hermione's mother. She had a slight Scottish accent.
"Good afternoon" Both Hermione and her mother replied.
There was a short silence before Hermione's mother offered the woman the armchair opposite to the sofa were the three Grangers sat. She took it and looked the Grangers squarely in the eye.
"So you're a teacher at Claybrook you say?" asked Hermione's mother, giving the name of the grammar school Hermione would be attending this autumn.
"No Mrs Granger, I am a teacher at a different school, a school named Hogwarts, I've come because we are interested in offering Hermione a place there"
Hermione frowned at the stranger. "But, I didn't apply for a school called Hogwarts. Wouldn't I need to apply to receive a place at your school?"
The professor gave a small, thin smile. "At Hogwarts, our pupils come to us because they have…special abilities."
"But I don't have any special abilities," said Hermione. "Why do you want me?"
Professor McGonagall looked carefully at her for a few moments. "Miss Granger," she said slowly. "You are a witch."
Hermione sat very still while her mother made a slightly strangled laughing noise. "Is that some sort of insult? I don't understand…utter nonsense…"
"A witch," Hermione said quietly, staring at Professor McGonagall, this had to be some sort of strange joke someone was playing on her, or else this woman was out of her mind and had just happened to knock on their door.
"Yes, a witch," she answered. "Tell me, Miss Granger, have you ever made anything odd happen when you were experiencing a particularly strong emotion?"
Images of her former classmates flashed through Hermione's mind, All those accidents had happened when she was very angry. And what about all the nice things that had happened when she was happy? Animals that would come up to her if she desperately needed company, or the birds that would chirrup merrily on her arm when she was joyful. Even the flower. caught in the strange breeze that had made it dance. But she pushed all of this back quickly; It had all been coincidence or luck, or something…
Hermione looked back up warily at the stranger
"You don't believe me I see, even though I can tell odd things have happened to you" It was not a question, just a statement.
"Of course she doesn't believe you, what nonsense is this, witches? It's all utter madness" Mrs Granger laughed
Professor McGonagall nodded calmly and reached into a pocket in her dress. She withdrew a long stick, 13 inches perhaps, and made of a smooth, shiny wood. At one end it had a handle made out of the same polished wood.
"What is that?" Mrs. Granger demanded, pulling Hermione protectively close.
Without a word, Professor McGonagall pointed the stick at the pack of cards on the table, which began to float up into the air and shuffle themselves lazily.
"Oh, my," Mrs. Granger whispered.
Hermione couldn't say anything. She just stared at the pack of cards that was reminding her of something out of Alice in Wonderland. She glanced at her father who seemed to have been also rendered speechless.
Professor McGonagall lowered what Hermione could now assume was a magic wand, and the pack of cards floated back down to the tabletop.
"Well," said Professor McGonagall. "Shall we discuss Hermione's acceptance at Hogwarts?" she asked, looking between Mr. and Mrs. Granger.
"So you're a-a-a witch?" Stammered her mother
"Yes" Said professor McGonagall coolly
"And our Hermione can do what you do?" Asked her father, speaking for the first time since he entered the room.
"Hermione will be able to perform spells such as the one I just did, when she has been trained," Professor McGonagall said. "At the moment, her magic only shows itself when she's experiencing a strong emotion. At Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry we train children like Hermione to harness the magic that they have inside them and use it in their everyday lives," she explained.
"But we can't do it, we don't have…what Hermione has," Mr. Granger said.
"No, you don't, Hermione is a kind of witch known as a Muggleborn.. A Muggle is a non-magical being," Professor McGonagall added. "It is possible that generations back, you may have had a witch or wizard in the family and this is where Hermione has received her abilities, but no matter what, she is a witch. Being Muggleborn gives her no advantage or disadvantage."
There were several long moments of silence. Hermione was in complete shock, a witch! Her! She didn't see how it could be possible, yet what she had just seen in front of her was hard to argue against. Thousands of questions were buzzing around her head and it was impossible to pin one down and ask it.
"Would you like to know more about Hogwarts?" Professor McGonagall asked, noticing her anxiousness. Hermione nodded excitedly.
"Very well," Professor McGonagall said. "To use a Muggle phrase, Hogwarts is a boarding school. The students travel from London by train on September the first, and are welcome to either stay at the castle or travel home for Christmas and Easter. Should you choose to join us, Miss Granger, you will spend seven years at Hogwarts, and you will be Sorted into one of four Houses, each of which is named after one of our founders. Mr. and Mrs. Granger, you will be able to write to Hermione at any time via a school owl, which is the main way in which wizards and witches communicate with each other. During the first year, the courses include basic studies in Herbology, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Flying, History of Magic, Potions, Transfiguration, and Astronomy."
"F-f-f-flying?" Mrs. Granger stammered.
"Yes, on a broomstick," Professor McGonagall answered. "This," she said, drawing from her pocket a piece of thick yellowing paper "is a Hermione acceptance letter and a list of all the equipment Hermione needs for school. Next to each one, I have written the shop in Diagon Alley where you may purchase each of these items. On a day of your choosing before September the first I will escort you to Diagon Alley. After that, I will leave you to purchase these items and make your way home."
All of the Grangers nodded mutely and Hermione accepted the list of items.
"Do you have any questions?" Professor McGonagall asked.
Hermione had a great many questions, but felt it would be rude to take up the professor's time. She chose just one that was bothering her especially.
"Will I use it forever? Magic, I mean, will I use it all through school and a job and everything?" she asked.
Professor McGonagall gave her another very small smile, so small Hermione wasn't sure whether she had imagined it or not.
"Yes, Miss Granger, you will," she said simply. Then she turned to Mr. and Mrs. Granger. "Shall we discuss plans to visit Diagon Alley?"
The Grangers agreed to meet Professor McGonagall at Euston Station on the second of August. Hermione's mother apologized for her rudeness, but Professor McGonagall insisted that she needn't worry, for it was not an uncommon reaction. And then, as suddenly as she arrived, Professor Minerva McGonagall was gone, and for the rest of the afternoon the Grangers remained quite bemused by the whole experience.
Hello again hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was fun to write! I'm going to give you a warning now that in a lot of chapters all the way through this story there are going to be some details which seem stupidly insignificant and pointless. Please keep going I'm not just rambling on. I've studied the Harry potter books a lot and one of my favourite things is the little hints and details J.K leaves which become really important later. Well that's kind of what i'm doing here, although the details may not become important to the plot line (as that's already written for me). They will become important in the story though i promise. Thanks for reading x