OOC/ I do not own any of the characters-they are J.K. Rowling's idea babies. I am boring them. Don't be alarmed by this chapter. I will split perspectives throughout between Harry and Hermione mainly. There won't be much of a pattern to that, I am afraid.
Rubeus Hagrid usually didn't do this sort of thing, but Dumbledore had been busy recruiting a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, because the last one retired. There was going to be a muggleborn girl in with the first years, and a wizarding professor needed to go an explain things to the muggle parents. Hagrid had never done this sort of thing before, but Dumbledore trusted him, so he was going to do it!
The giant motorcycle thundered down the road in the muggle town as Hagrid located the house the lucky girl lived at. He parked in the drive and approached the front door. He rang the bell and stepped back a few feet, to not appear so intimidating. An unseemly man opened the door—a tiny man with thin hair—and stuttered out a greeting.
"Names Hagrid, and I'm here from—hold on—got the letter somewhere…" The giant hairy man held up a finger while the other hand rummaged through his pockets. He finally located a letter, one that was faintly crinkled and held it towards the man. Mr. Granger took the letter and looked at who it was addressed to.
"Wh—why is this addressed to my Hermione?" Ah…that was how the name was pronounced—Hagrid had been wondering—Hagrid smiled.
"If it is all the same, I'd like to explain it once, along with Mrs. Granger, and little Granger." The man went white in the face—even whiter than he already was—but invited Hagrid inside. He had to stoop low to enter. The couch barely fit just Hagrid. Mrs. Granger and Hermione had been in the back yard, gardening, and came in with dirt on their faces, hands, and clothes. Mrs. Granger looked embarrassed but Hermione was enthralled in Hagrids appearance, he smiled brightly at the young witch—unbeknownst to everyone.
"My name is Rubeus Hagrid, and I am here on behalf of Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Hagrid introduced himself with a deep and booming voice that was full of authority, and he gestured for Mr. Granger to open the letter.
"Dear Ms. Granger, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on the First of September. We await your owl by no later than July the 31st…yours sincerely, Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster…." Mr. Granger read with clear apprehension, but Hermione's face was utter…..eagerness.
"Is it really true? Am I a witch?" Hermione was positively excited. Her parent's faces were blank, but Hagrid could see they did not believe it at all.
"Let me ask you, Ms. Granger. Have you ever made anything happen? Anything you couldn't explain, because you were angry, or scared?" Hagrid could see recognition on the faces of the Granger family. Her mother put one hand over her mouth and closed her eyes, Mr. Granger looked horrified.
"Let me assure you that, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, there ain't no place safer or better at teaching young Ms. Granger how to be a witch, than Hogwarts." Hagrid stood, the wooden frame of the couch creaked loudly in relief.
"Are you a wizard?" Little Granger asked, her voice barely a whisper. Hagrid smiled widely and took his umbrella from his pocket and pointed it at the bowl of candy on the center coffee table. The candy jumped out of the bowl and started to dance in a circle around the bowl before they all jumped back in. The faces of the Granger's were priceless.
"Mr. Hagrid…Where would one even find…these things? And what does the letter mean by owl?" Mr. Granger seemed to grasp the magical aspect of his daughter fairly easy, but he seemed like a logical man and had other questions.
"All of that can be found in Diagon Alley, in London. As for the owl…it is how we wizards send messages to each other. Wizarding family's get letters for their children by owl, when they are ready to go to Hogwarts, the muggles—the nonmagic folk—usually get a visit by Albus Dumbledore himself. I am here in his stead—he is a busy man." Hagrid laughed faintly.
"I need to speak to my husband alone, please excuse us." Mrs. Granger took Mr. Granger by the arm and pulled him into a different room. Hermione came to stand under Hagrid—she barely came up to his waist.
"Two weeks ago when Cindy Abernathy pulled my hair, I screamed really loud and all the bulbs in the street lights exploded…" She admitted up to Hagrid, the man smiled and patted her head.
"They'll teach you how to control your magic, Little Granger," he said, "and instead of screaming, you'll be able to defend yourself with magic." The look in her eyes was more alarmed than relieved, but Hagrid could tell this girl was thirsty for more knowledge.
Hermione asked him a string of more questions before her parents came back in. They reached their decision, and would like to go to Diagon Alley, to see for sure if it wasn't just some scam. Dumbledore had told Hagrid they might do that, so he wasn't surprised.
He convinced her parents to let him lead them in their muggle car with his motorcycle to Diagon Alley. He warned them about the Leaky Cauldron beforehand.
Coaxing Mrs. and Mr. Granger through the rock wall into Diagon Alley took a few moments, if it hadn't been for Hermione's unadulterated excitement they probably never would have.
Their first stop was Ollivander's. Two young wizards and their family's left as Hagrid led them in, he nodded his head to the Potters and the Longbottoms respectively and as Hermione walked through the doorway, she stared in amazement at all of the wands.
"This is…amazing!" She finally let out. Ollivander looked at her with a smile and put a finger to his lips.
"I sense a dragon's cleverness in you, Ms…?"
"I'm Hermione Granger," she said as she thrust her hand towards Ollivander. He smiled and shook it, and then turned and walked away, towards a wall of wands. She turned around to look at her parents and Hagrid, who all gave her small smiles of encouragement, but Hagrid gave her a thumbs up as well.
When the old wandmaker returned, he had a brown box in his hands and set it on the counter in front of her. He took off the lid and picked up the wand from inside. It was long and thin and light brown, with a viney design down it. He held the thicker end towards her, so she took it.
It felt…oddly familiar in her hand, and a smile slowly crept across her face. "Give it a wave," he said. She nodded and flicked it up and down. The box her wand had been in lifted up and the lid slid back over the bottom and it sat back down on the table. He smiled and clapped his hands.
"Thirteen inches, vine wood and dragon heartstring core, I am never wrong." He handed the box to Hermione and she squealed in delight. Hagrid led her parents towards the counter to speak with Ollivander, so she turned towards the window and looked at all of the busy witches and wizards moving around. She saw a lot of children as well—her age—milling around. One boy was looking at her from the sidewalk. He had platinum blond hair and green eyes—the greenest she had ever seen—and as she smiled at him, he smiled back. His mother, a woman with coal black hair and the same green eyes—followed his gaze to her and then tugged him away. As they walked away, he looked back over his shoulder at her and smiled.
Hagrid cleared his throat to get her attention, causing her to jump and spin. Her wand was clutched to her chest in both hands. "Time to go, we should get your robes next." So on to Madame Malkin's they went.
They went everywhere, and got everything on the list. Hermione only seemed more excited as they day went on, however, her parents only got quieter and quieter. The muggle money they brought was accepted by the wizards and witches, because they knew muggles didn't handle the goblins in the bank so well, so at least the Granger's didn't have to take in everything all at once. Though everything was just hard for them to take in; their daughter was born with magic for crying out loud! This entire wizarding world shook their understanding of reality and they were left reeling, but they had to keep up appearances for their daughter.
As Hagrid managed to drag Hermione (and her parents) out of the book store, Hagrid stopped them outside the pet store. He had gotten to know Hermione today, and she was a very bright and intelligent eleven year old. She only had excitement for her first year at Hogwarts, and Hagrid just knew she was going to do well, he decided to get her a little something.
Inside the pet store he went.
Outside, Hermione clutched a thick book called Hogwarts; A History, and looked around at all the sights to see, her parents stood huddled behind her. "Excuse me," someone said as they bumped into Hermione. She still wore her muggle clothes, but wore her new Hogwarts robe over top of it. She smiled as she recognized the boy from before and shook her head.
"Excuse me," she insisted, "I was just…looking around. It's all amazing isn't it?" She said, looking particularly at the flying broomsticks across from them. He looked at them and shrugged.
"Those are last year's model; the Nimbus 2000 is impressive though, the fastest yet." He smiled at his superior knowledge, and Hermione made a note to learn all there was about broomsticks. "I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy."
"Hermione Granger." She replied, he held out his hand to shake, she shifted her book to her hip and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Malfoy. Is this going to be your first year at Hogwarts?" She asked. He smiled and nodded.
"Yes, it will," he replied, the woman that could only be his mother appeared over his shoulder and whispered to him, "I've got to go, it was nice meeting you Granger. Sit with me on the train?" He asked. She didn't know what he meant so she only nodded. His mother looked at her over his shoulder as they walked away. By that time, Hagrid returned. He watched Narcissa Malfoy walk away and his eyes narrowed.
"Not to…well to be honest not all wizards are good, Miss Granger. That was the Malfoy family, who have been known to…well be downright nasty." Hagrid didn't want to burst Hermione's bubble, but he also didn't want her throwing in her lot with a Death Eaters boy. Lucius Malfoy has been in Azkaban prison for eleven years, and there was no telling how close in his footsteps Draco would follow.
Honestly, Hermione looked a little upset but only nodded faintly. Hagrid then pulled out the present he had behind him, in caged form, and showed her the owl. It was a young Tawny Owl, which hooted faintly at the sight of Hermione. She stepped close to inspect it. "Her name is Keema," Hagrid told her. Hermione spotted a name tag on top of the cage. She moved around it to hug him. Her arms barely reached around his stomach.
"Thank you so much, Hagrid!" She squealed into his stomach. Her parents thanked him as well, and Hagrid explained how the messenger owls worked. They returned to their vehicles in the muggle world and then returned to the Granger home. Hagrid promised to return on September 1st, where he would meet them at King's Cross Station, and then he gave Hermione a golden ticket, telling her again where to meet him. She nodded.