Alas they had reached the end of the holiday and it was time to return to Hogwarts. The elder Grangers were a bit sad to see their new friends go along with their daughter, but knew a holiday had to end.
The only other thing Alastor insisted Hermione work on was disillusioning herself. Those who were stronger and well-practiced didn't need an invisibility cloak. Those who were not were still visible if they moved about, looking like some weird chameleon. Even the demiguise were sometimes semi-visible.
The last day was Easter but the Grangers refused to participate so they simply had a large meal to send the others off. Thimi of course helped with most of it and begrudgingly let Abagail help her and teach her the Granger secret recipe for Easter pudding. It was one of the few days a year they allowed sugar to be consumed in their house.
"So why aren't we celebrating the holiday again?" Barty asked.
Hermione blushed slightly and looked away before she answered, "We aren't celebrating because my parents refuse to partake in a fertility holiday. They feel that it's inappropriate even with the Church trying to over layer the holiday with something Christian. As a child I was allowed to hunt Easter eggs like the rest of the children, since there was no harm in a scavenger hunt. When I got older though and the egg hunts stopped, we stopped."
"So muggles know about the fertility holiday?" Moody asked.
"Those who look into it, yes. The information is there for those who want to know," the witch replied.
"In the wizarding world most of the children go home to partake in the fertility rituals. Those who are of age of course, but with how hard it is for purebloods to conceive they encourage witches and wizards as young as 16 to begin preparing their bodies. Especially pureblood witches, since most of them have marriage contracts set as soon as they're three and those who don't, usually before they graduate Hogwarts," Barty said conversationally.
Hermione looked at them as though the wizarding world was crazy. Leeroy happened to come into the room in the middle of Barty talking. He was torn between wanting to agree with Hermione, but also understood on some level.
"Is it because of the wizard to witch ratio?" he asked politely.
"Aye. Usually a pureblood couple is given potions so their first child is a male so the family has an heir. However, with how hard it is for some couples to conceive their first child is their only child. There are some exceptions, like the Black sisters, however it is rare. I mean look at the Weasley's, they have 7 children, and only one of them is a girl. They were gifted with unusual fertility for purebloods, but that's the way things are," Moody said.
"Most of the older families have one child, they're considered lucky if they have two, and blessed if they have three. Then with the war, some families were wiped out completely, including the children," Crouch Jr. said sadly.
"Bones was lucky that her niece survived. However, like the Bones, some of the families don't believe in the use of contracts on the off chance that their child is queer. Others don't care and believe that getting married and having children is their duty to their family," Moody growled.
"In the end however it is up to the wizard whether they get married or not. Most contracts have been broken this way because of the marriage ceremonies. Once married, they're married for life. So if the wizard really can't see himself with the witch, he can terminate the contract. Of course it's seen as a slight against the other family and the parents of the wizard are usually embarrassed by this," Barty continued.
"How does a contract like that work? Is there a bride price?" Leeroy asked.
Hermione looked at him incredulously before looking at her professor, also curious. It made sense, more so since they were part of the royals and it was common practice in the older days.
"Of course. Often times the witch's parents ask for a high price, which is understandable. Then there are the more peculiar ones who take arithmancy into account. There are those who hold out for a witch that is 3rd born, but the Weasley's actually have a 7th born, which makes the girl extremely sought after," Barty explained.
"Ginny is exceptionally pretty and smart, but most of her brothers are also smart. Have any wizards made offers?" she asked curiously.
"Many have offered Arthur for his girl. If she wasn't a Weasley I'm sure even Malfoy would have offered for her. He's turned them all down sayin' that Molly already made plans, but never said what," Alastor answered.
"Malfoy?" she asked with a slight twitch of disgust.
"Aye! Narcissa was the 3rd Black sister and Abraxius Malfoy offered for her as soon as she was born for his son. Everyone knows that if he hadn't married or if his wife made him a widower he would have offered for her for himself," Mad-Eye said with a sneer.
"So there are wizards who hold out for younger brides?" Leeroy inquired.
The elder Granger was extremely curious about this aspect of the wizarding world. In the muggle world he was sometimes seen as a cradle robber himself, considering how young his wife was compared to himself. It appeared in the wizarding world it was normal, so it made more sense that they blended in better when they wore their robes when they took their daughter to do her shopping.
"Aye. It be normal, especially considering how long a wizard lives. What's a decade when a wizard can easily live pass 100?" Alastor answered off handedly.
"And neither of you ever married?" the Duke asked off-handedly.
"No, I wasn't interested in witches at the time. There was a war brewing and the Dark Lord preferred his followers to be more dedicated to him than to their family. He expressed his… support of the old ways, but overall he rarely made allowances for family. Only Lucius was allowed to go see his son born, from what I remember. Narcissa went into labor during a meeting. None of the other Death Eaters had enough favor. I had a job to do and I didn't want my family to be held against me," Barty said softly.
"I was married to me job. It was luck that me mother n' father were both aurors or else me mum would have never settled herself. She still worked for the force when I was a lad, though. Honestly, she scared me away from marriage. She was a firecracker! Any time m' father did something wrong, she would be the first to hex him. I wasn't of the mind to want to watch my back while I slept. Constant vigilance is what it taught me!" the old auror exclaimed.
"But wouldn't it be easier to trust a witch who was your partner?" Leeroy asked kindly.
Alastor blushed, "Normally, yes. That's why so many of the force are married to each other if they weren't married off beforehand. Personally none of 'em caught my eye long enough to consider marriage. There was one witch, and she turned another man down as soon as the idea that he would keep her from her work, so I never bothered. She eventually married after the man died and became a widow after three years. She was only a wee bit older than me."
"What did she do?" the witch asked, "For work."
"She worked with the DMLE for a time before she stopped liking it," he said with a crack of a smile.
"Did you have a marriage contract at some point?" she asked baffled.
"Nay. M' parent both joked that I never half assed anything and if I startled the witch it wouldn't be half to death. So they agreed that I would have to find a witch with enough backbone on me own."
This caused those seated at the table to laugh. Shortly after Abagail and Thimi came in with the meal they prepared.
It was agreed that each party return to Britain the way they came to decrease any suspicion there might be.
Mad-Eye and Barty went by way of portkey, and the Grangers by plane.
Once there Granger was to call the Knight Bus and have it bring her directly to Hogwarts. Barty would once again be polyjuiced as Alastor and would let her in through the gate. It would be better than to have her travel on the Hogwarts Express so she could spend some time with her friends before term started back up.
Abagail and Leeroy thanked them and told them they were always welcome, even if they had to be discreet about it. The wizards in turn were mollified and assured they would keep in touch when able. After much discussion the Grangers were convinced on buying an owl both for Hermione and themselves. After they bought their new owls, they would take a picture of it and send it to Hermione so she would know and show them. Then they could burn the picture so there was no solid evidence. For all anyone else knew it could have been a new owl at some local owl post, which was how they sent letters before.
Alastor and Barty left the chateau that day realizing that some of their opinions of muggles had changed during their stay. The Grangers were exceptional muggles, bright and up to speed about the on goings of the wizarding world. They were clean, their chateau was slightly modern by muggle standards, and weren't sick or diseased in any way. Their medicine was less than sufficient by magical standards and they freely admitted it, but other than that it seemed as though they were on even standings. The Grangers blew a lot of muggle misconception out of the water.
After getting off the plane and going straight to Diagonally to the Magical Menagerie, Hermione glad that her parents decided to wear their robes, they agreed that whatever owls they left with Crookshanks had to approve of.
The owner of the shop looked at the half-kneazle distastefully, but acknowledged that a familiar had to get along with other animals in the household. In this case it could be the meaning between having an owl or just buying the ginger monster food that could deliver mail. The salesman who remembered him demanded that the ginger menace wear a harness set if he was to be released from his carrier.
The Grangers were given a harness set to use while they were in the shop. Hermione bent down to talk to her familiar through the carries
"Okay Crooks, to make sure the owls pass your inspection you have to wear a harness. Would that be okay with you? Because if you don't you'll have to try to pass inspection from the carrier," she spoke gently to the large cat.
Crookshanks meowed gently, letting his mistress know his consent. Afterall to help take care of his humans and allow the flying creatures near them he had to approve. He was most pleased that they were allowing him to be the one who made the final decision in this choice. He knew his human was smart.
Hermione smiled at her feline friend and opened the carrier door. She grabbed the red harness set from her father and quickly placed it on the complaint half-kneazle. The salesman watched impressed that the half-kneazle monster favored the young witch so much. Once he had the harness on Crookshanks stood up prepared for work, looking much like a service dog.
The curly haired witch and her parents walked around the small shop, looking at owls here and there. Hermione flat out refused to get a snowy owl on the off chance that it be mistaken for Hedwig. Her parents understood and followed suit.
Abagail stopped in front of a small tan colored barn owl thinking it was adorable. Before she went to pet it however Crookshanks let out a small yowl, thankfully Abagail listened as the owl lunged against its cage trying to bite her. The older woman glared at the mean owl before looking down at Crookshanks.
"Thank you, Crookshanks. This small cretin is obviously not meant to be part of our family," she said coolly.
They walked around the shop for another 15 minutes before Hermione stopped in front of a medium sized greater sooty owl. It was a bit on the large side, with a deep brown almost black coloring that was speckled with tiny white spots. It had a pale grey belly that matched its facial disc. The owl hooted softly at the witch, making small jumps to the edge of the cage, closer to her.
Hermione's breath caught in her throat. She knew instinctively that this was the owl for her. It was almost the same feeling she had when she saw Crookshanks for the first time.
"That owl is a bit temperamental miss. She's been here since she was a hatchling. Give her 5 minutes and she'll go to take a chunk out of you, I've got the scars to prove it," the salesman said.
Hermione hummed in response, not really giving the salesman half a mind. She watched him in the corner of her eye, but she didn't really care for his opinion. He was completely wrong about Crooks, who proved to be intelligent and faithful.
"Crooks?" she asked.
Crookshanks stared at the dusky barn owl intently for a minute before sitting on his haunches, blinking his eyes slowly and purring.
"You get to come to Hogwarts with me, would you like that?" Hermione asked the owl.
She received a soft hoot in response and smiled at the owl.
The Grangers smiled, having seen the owl and their daughter connect as soon as their eyes met. It was just about the same as when they had come home with Crookshanks. They were more than happy that the ginger haired cat approved.
The salesman sighed in exasperation, but also glad to be rid of the damn thing.
"I'll give her to you for 10 galleons and throw in a carrier and some food," he said.
"Deal," the witch quipped, "but we're not done yet."
The wizard nodded and grabbed the items for the owl so she would be ready upon check out.
The family continued to walk around the small area looking at each owl carefully. There weren't many, but they still had to pass the kneazle inspection.
Near the back of the store closer one of the top cages held a Eurasian eagle owl. Leeroy stared at the owl until something clicked in him.
"How about that one, there?" he pointed to the owl.
"He's been here for a few years now. His old owner came here in a fit and gave him to us for free, just glad to be rid of the thing. Apparently, he thought the bloke's pinky finger was a worm or something and nearly bit it off clean," the salesman replied.
Leeroy hummed in the same manner his daughter did.
"Crookshanks, what's your opinion on the chap?" he asked.
The salesman looked affronted that the half-kneazle's opinion matter more than what he had been through concerning the care and temperament of the animals in his care.
Crookshanks meowed and walked back and forth.
"Can we see him up closer please?" Hermione asked politely.
The salesman grunted but took out his wand and slowly lowered the cage the owl was in next to the register.
Crookshanks immediately jumped up and sat in front of the cage staring eye to eye with the large bird. Both animals were silent although things seemed to be going well when the owl ruffled its feathers up contently. Crookshanks meowed and purred in response, blinking slowly.
Up close the owl was very large and heavy looking, his tufts were black and his face was a warm brown. His eyes were a startling orange and he was speckled black and browns that ranged from tan to dark brown. The owl let his eyes close slightly giving him an extremely judgmental expression.
Leeroy grinned at the owl.
"How would you like to be part of the family?" he asked the owl.
The owl hooted lowly, ruffling his feathers again. It was quite nice to know that a human cared about his opinion instead of just demanding things. He liked this human. His mate would take some time to get used to, she was skittish he could tell, but he would behave as long as she did.
"I'll give him to you for 12 galleons and give you the cage he's in now for free. You'll have to buy his food though, he has a large appetite," the salesman huffed.
The Grangers left with their new family additions. Hermione agreed to send them a letter later letting them know her know name and giving them some time for her to get used to them before they sent her back. Her parents likewise agreed to do the same, but of course asked her to give her professors a picture of him as they said they would earlier. They warmly parted a block away from the Leaky Cauldron and waited as Hermione called the Knight Bus.
When the bus shot into view Hermione quickly apologized ahead of time to Crookshanks and her new owl, letting them know that it was going to be an unpleasant ride.
As Hermione boarded the bus and shot out of view the elder Grangers looked at each other and grinned.
They loved their daughter and knew she was going on to do important and dangerous things as well as continue her education, however it was hard meeting with the lawyers. They tried to keep their meets as inconspicuous as possible, so they couldn't leave every day or even every other day. Without Hermione there to worry about, and they did worry, they would be able to keenly focus on their case.
First things first though, they had to contact one Mrs. Petunia Dursley. It was time that the woman had a free check-up. They had found the address in the telephone book. Sometimes it amazed them how stupid wizards could be. No matter what wards were around the house that prevented them from finding the boy, they could always open a public telephone book. But when they had owls who knew where to go automatically it made a little more sense.
Vernon and Petunia had talked about the upcoming trip extensively. At first Vernon didn't want to go and almost forbade Petunia to go, they were normal people and going to the freak school would probably put them in a danger of sorts. It was one of the reasons why they tried to keep the boy from being a freak in the first place. He never held Petunia's sister's freakishness against her nor her nephew. He loved his wife and he loved his son and in some twisted way he … did care for the boy.
It was Petunia's constant crying that he could die in the blasted tournament that had been resurrected that cracked Vernon's heart. He couldn't stand to see his wife cry, and he knew it would hurt her to lose the last piece of her sister, no matter how much of a freak she was.
The fact that they would be bringing Dudley with them though was unsettling. He didn't want to have to expose his son to more freakishness than he had to. However, he couldn't exactly ask his sister Marge to watch his son without explaining where they were going that involved the boy. Petunia explained that he was entered into this… tournament against his will. It was supposed to be for adults only, so the odds were obviously stacked against him. Petunia told him he hadn't even passed the equivalent of high school, which would be his next year if he survived.
However, after they agreed to go say what could be their farewells to the boy they laid down and talked about something important in their bedroom before they went to sleep, quietly in the dark. They didn't even look at each other, afraid of the small truth they were going to be exposed to. They did however hold hands for comfort…
"We won't be normal when we go there… to them we'll be the freaks."
"We'll have to watch what we say, we'll be at the school where they can do… m-magic."
"Do you think we'll be safe? We can't… defend ourselves against their… magic."
"Whatever happens, I love you."
"I love you too… We can handle this together. We'll get through it."
"I hope so."