The Granger Son

Harry; Hermione; Dr. Grangerx2

Rated T

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

The Granger Son

Chapter 5

McGonagall couldn't help the astonishment she was feeling in that moment. There, right in front of her, was Harry Potter! She couldn't help but stare at him in shock. In turn, Harry was also staring at her, only in curiosity and slight confusion. This woman was just staring at him, and it made him feel a bit…awkward. Hermione was staring at the woman too, finding something rather familiar about her. Suddenly, it clicked in her head and she couldn't help but gasp.

Lightly tugging on her brother's sleeve, she whispered, "That's the lady from my dream!"

Harry's green eyes widened in shock as he stared at the woman his sister had told him about from her dream. She was real! It made her appearance seem even more curious to him now. And maybe it was like Hermione had said. Maybe this lady being here now was some sort of sign. He wondered if it had to do with the letter that his parents had given him.

Jean, noticing the way her children were looking at their unexpected guest, frowned before turning back to the woman in the witch's hat. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

McGonagall blinked, quickly snapping out of her shocked state, and turned to face the woman of the house, as well as her husband. Smiling politely, she said, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Granger. Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Professor Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I'm sorry for the intrusion, but I am here for a reason. Please allow me to explain my presence here and what it means."

Both Jean and Robert looked at each other, both recognizing the name from the letter they had given Harry, though Robert had already figured this out. She was the one who had sent the acceptance letter. Nodding, Jean invited her into the living room to have a seat. McGonagall moved to sit into the vacant armchair while the Grangers moved to sit on the sofa, Harry settling next to Robert and Hermione next to Jean. They waited for a moment before Robert said, "I assume you are here because you know about Harry."

"Yes, I do know about Harry, have known about him for years. The only thing I didn't know was his location," McGonagall replied.

"But you sent him this letter," Jean said, gently taking the letter from her son and waving it in the air.

McGonagall looked at the letter before turning her attention back to the family. "Yes, I sent the letter to him. However, I did not know that it came here in particular. The letter system I use when sending out Hogwarts acceptance letters automatically updates the intended future student's location should they move from one place to another. All I really do is send them out when it is time. I'm actually surprised you don't seem more surprised about my being here and where I've come from, nor have questioned if the school I say I teach at is real or not."

"Well, we're not really surprised seeing as how Harry has been displaying some rather…peculiar abilities over the years," Robert replied. His brown eyes drifted to his daughter and added, "Hermione, as well."

"And that brings me to why I am here." McGonagall reached into a pocket of her robes and produced a letter just like the one Harry had received in the mail. She held out the letter to the little brunette who stared at it for a moment, then at McGonagall, then back at the letter before standing and taking it from her. As she sat back next to her mother to open and read the letter, Harry taking the time to read his own letter, McGonagall continued. "The Wizarding World is full of witches and wizards of all backgrounds, usually separated by blood status. It isn't something I think we should continue doing in society, but it is what it is unfortunately. Pureblood witches and wizards are those born from parents who have not mixed with those of lesser blood, so to speak."

Jean frowned. "It sounds rather medieval."

McGonagall nodded in agreement. "I agree, it does and is still practiced within high society pureblood families. Halfbloods are those that are born of a Pureblood and another Halfblood, or a Pureblood and a Muggleborn. Harry here is a Halfblood due to the blood statuses of his birth parents."

"And what are Muggleborns exactly?" Robert asked.

"A Muggleborn is a witch or wizard who have no magical background or history of any sort, born of two Muggles, or nonmagical people, yet display magical abilities. In this case, young Miss Granger is a Muggleborn witch because neither of you are magical yet have had a magical child."

Hermione, who had finished reading her letter and had been listening to McGonagall's explanation, spoke up asking, "So this means that I'm a witch then?"

"And I a wizard?" Harry asked.

Nodding, McGonagall answered, "Yes, it does, just like I am a witch."

Hermione looked at her brother and said, "I told you my dream was a sign."

"Dream? What dream, darling?" Jean asked.

Harry looked at his mother and said, "Hermione has been having a dream all week about Professor McGonagall showing up here for this very reason."

"Well, not this reason in particular, but she kept showing up in my dream," Hermione inputted. "It just kept recurring."

McGonagall was surprised to hear that Hermione seemed to already know she was coming, even if she didn't know the full extent of it yet. Was she displaying signs of being a possible Seer? She'd have to ponder that a bit more. Turning to Harry, she asked, "Would you like to know about your parentage, Mr. Potter?"

Harry frowned slightly at being called by what was obviously his birthname, the name sounding so foreign to him. He looked at his parents and saw them looking at him. Robert gave him a small smile and squeezed his shoulder saying, "It's your choice, son."

Turning back to the older woman, he asked, "Am I really the H. Potter in this letter?"

"Indeed, you are. As for how you ended up with your adopted family, you were being transported to your aunt's home following the attack on your home and death of Lily and James, your birth parents. Our groundskeeper, Hagrid, was the one transporting you to your relative's home—something I was completely against, because those are some deplorable Muggles—and he accidently dropped you. We had no idea where you ended up and hoped you ended up somewhere safe. And as I can see, you ultimately did."

McGonagall turned to Jean and Robert. "Speaking of which, when you adopted Mr. Potter, what did you call him?"

Jean blinked before answering, "We named him Harold James, and gave him a birthdate of August 2nd."

"Interesting that you chose a name so close to his birth name. He is originally named Harry James Potter, though his birthday is July 31st."

"Excuse me," Robert said, cutting into the conversation. "If Harry and Hermione decide to go to this Hogwarts school, will Harry's name be an issue? He is adopted and by rights legally ours. Or does it not matter because he will be on magical turf?"

Harry frowned, a look of panic coming over his features briefly. "I don't want to change my name!"

Jean lightly shushed her son, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. Turning back to the witch, she asked, "Is there some way for Harry to keep his name, or will he have to go by Harry Potter?"

McGonagall looked at the family in front of her, taking in just how much these people loved and cared for the boy they called their son and brother. They loved him so much and had been a part of their family for so long. They were afraid that with Mr. Potter's true origins coming to light, they would lose him. And as for Mr. Potter, this family and life was all he knew; it was obvious he had no plans to leave it. And honestly, she was glad he was here. She knew he wouldn't have been happy and loved at the Dursley's like Dumbledore seemed to believe he would be, and there was no way she could see him away from this family and with his wretched relatives. But if Dumbledore got his hands on the boy, he'd snatch him from the only life he's known and place him where he wouldn't be wanted. There was no way she was going to allow that, not if she could help it. And the only way she felt she could do that for now, was by continuing to keep the boy's home location a secret.

Turning back to the parents, she said, "That is a matter that requires further discussion, particularly because it is a legal matter, and I have no jurisdiction to say otherwise."

Robert and Jean looked at each other, looks over worry in their eyes before turning to their children. Robert looked at his son and daughter before asking, "What do you two think? Do you want to go to this school for witches and wizards and learn magic? Or would you prefer to stay here?"

"It is your choice, after all," Jean said. "And we'll be fine with whatever you choose."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other, silently communicating with each other before looking back at their Hogwarts letters. This was an amazing opportunity for them, they'd be foolish not to take it. But it would also be a big change in their lives, leaving their normal lives behind and taking a path destined for them since discovering their magic. It would definitely be an adjustment, but they also knew that so long as they had each other, they'd be okay. Smiling, they nodded and said simultaneously, "We want to go."

The letters in their hands glowed gold for a moment before the word 'Accept' scrawled along the bottom of the letters. McGonagall summoned the letters to her and took hold of them as they flew towards her. Folding the pieces of parchment, McGonagall spoke formally, "Harold James and Hermione Jean Granger, you have formally accepted your place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I look forward to seeing you at the Welcoming Feast at the start of term. You have a list of items to purchase so get you set for your first year at Hogwarts. I will send someone to accompany you all to Diagon Alley, as well as Platform 9 ¾ at Kings Cross Station to board the Hogwarts Express. The date to be at the Platform is September 1st, and be there before the train leaves at eleven AM. Congratulations, new Hogwarts students."

Hermione and Harry beamed, smiling up at their parents who were smiling down at them. They were happy for their children, they really were. But they also couldn't help but wonder how life would be now. Probably no different, Jean thought. That, and we get to keep our son.

McGonagall nodded at them before politely asking them to leave, stating she needed to speak with their parents. Harry and Hermione nodded before leaving the living room and running upstairs. Once they were gone, McGonagall turned back to Jean and Robert, a very serious expression on her face. Knowing she had their attention, she spoke saying, "Just so you know, the moment Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster, sees Harry, he will want to know where he is and do anything he can to possibly put him with his relatives. He will know where he has been the moment I call his adopted name to be Sorted, and I'm afraid he'll act quickly to take your son out from under you, especially because you both are Muggles. I'm sorry to say this, but Harry must take on his birthname while at Hogwarts, and wherever he is in the Wizarding World. So, when you go to Diagon Alley to buy his and Hermione's school supplies, he must accept being called Harry Potter."

"Must he?" Robert asked, the thought of having to accept this clenching his heart.

"It is the only way to keep him safe from Professor Dumbledore and with you during his homestay. The Headmaster is tricky, so we can't leave anything to chance. And for whatever reason, I believe he has some sort of plan for your son, a plan that I feel is not good, especially with him having so many secrets, even keeping them from those he trusts. If he must know where he's been, all I will do is say that he's been adopted by a family in Wales. That should be enough to keep him at bay."

It sounded ridiculous, but the reality was there. The Grangers had always known their son was special, ever since he fell out of the sky into Robert's arms, but they had no idea just how much. But apparently, it was enough for this Dumbledore to want to put him with his relatives that were apparently abysmal. With that reality, they knew that their son had no choice but to assume his birthname the moment he left for Hogwarts.

Nodding in resignation, Robert and Jean told McGonagall they understood, and walked her out of their home. They blinked in surprise when she seemed to disappear on the spot after bidding them 'farewell', before closing the door and locking it. Turning to each other, Jean searched her husband's troubled eyes before asking softly, "Things are going to completely change, aren't they? Our lives will never be the same, will they?"

Robert looked down at his wife for a moment before wrapping his arms around her, pulling her against him in his embrace. Holding her closer, he replied, "Yes, they are. And even if none of our lives will ever be the same, we'll be with our children every step of the way."

"Come what may?"

"Come what may."

Author's Note: I hope you all are enjoying this story so far, and hope that you will continue to read more to come. The next chapter will be center around the Granger's trip to Diagon Alley, as well as the day Harry and Hermione board the Hogwarts Express for Hogwarts. Thank you all for your kind reviews! XOXO, SehunsBae37.