Tw- abusive parents.


Minerva McGonagall's eyebrows rose when she opened the door of her home to find two unspeakables waiting there.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, gentlemen?" she asked sardonically.

Saul winced, "Yes sorry to bother you on holiday Minerva."

She hummed and gestured them inside. "Well?" she demanded once they were seated.

"Miss Granger," Saul blurted.

"Again?" she asked incredulously.

"Did…were you aware of her parent's plans?" he stammered, dreading the answer.

"And what plans would that be?" Minerva asked archly, giving him a rather startling glimpse into how her students must feel.

"The ones to make her pretend she isn't a fucking witch!" he exclaimed shaking off the feeling of waiting to be told off.

Minerva winced before she sighed, "Not..directly, no. I was aware of their…dissatisfaction with the whole thing. They asked.." she paused, her eyes searching Saul's face, "they asked if there was a way to remove her magic."

"They did what?" he yelped as even Isaac winced.

"Well, I did explain it wasn't possible and I might have stressed the importance of Hermione attending Hogwarts for her own safety."

"And after it?" he asked softly.

"After Hogwarts? I rather think that will be up to Miss Granger."

"Do you think she'll go against them?"

Minerva hesitated again, "I do not know." she replied finally. "I am not unaware of the pressure they put on her, her need for excellence comes from fear of being forced to leave school."

"Have they threatened her with that?" Isaac asked quietly.

"I do not know. I…surmised as such but she has never confirmed it. All I do know is she was almost hysterical at the thought of having missed so much last year and she begged to be allowed to take the end of year tests."

Saul froze, "I…fuck that's awful."

"Yes," Minerva allowed, "But our hands are unfortunately tied. There are no rules against demanding parents."

"No," he replied slowly.

"Why the interest in Miss Granger?"

"I ah….Gods, this goes no further?" Saul checked.

Minerva frowned, looking pensive, "As long as it isn't detrimental." she agreed.

Saul sighed, it was the best he was going to get, "In the late seventies, we….experimented, to see if we could find a way around squibs, and boost the population slightly. It was…well it didn't exactly work, to be honest, not really. Most embryos didn't survive. Three did."

Minerva went pale. "I don't think I quite understand," she murmured.

Saul grimaced at the look on her face, "Older families volunteered some of their members, afterwards, we transfigured one of a pair into whatever was missing, be it sperm or ovum."

"Good gods," Minerva muttered, "Miss….Miss Granger is one of those children?"

"Yes," Saul winced.

"And her families?"

"Ah well….her…'mother' was technically Regulus Black. Of course, him being the Heir at the time of her conception makes her ah…the Heir presumptive." Saul stumbled over his words at the dawning horror on Minerva's face.

"Good Godric. And her father?"

Saul grimaced again. This bit didn't seem to be getting easier, "That…that would be me." he sighed, running a hand over his face.

" You ?" The stunned expression on her face would have been funny if he hadn't been so emotionally wrung out.

"Ah, yes. Me. I only found out because we complete a heritage test before handing out time turners. On that note, what in the name of Merlin were you thinking! She's thirteen bloody years old!"

"And wasn't to be dissuaded," Minerva bit back, struggling to regain her composure. "I have no idea how much is genuine want and how much is proving herself capable so her parents do not object but I needed to ask."

Saul hummed, "We'll be saying no. The girl was brought up in the muggle world, she doesn't need muggle studies!"

"Ah…her parents were definitely pushing for that one, they seemed to think it would include a muggle curriculum."

"But it doesn't!" Saul howled.

"I am aware," Minerva returned icily, "But when I pointed that out I was informed that it should."

"Sweet Salazar," Saul muttered, "Regardless, they're not going to change the curriculum now, despite there being an argument that we should incorporate some muggle subjects. So. I assume the girl is not a Seer?"

"No." Minerva snorted.

"Well then. No divination. Timetable issue solved."

Minerva sighed, "They are not going to take it well. They seemed to think that she could just ask for the coursework and not attend classes."

"Are they trying to exhaust her so she hates school?" Saul demanded.

Minerva paused, clearly mulling that over, "Perhaps," she allowed, "If she requests to leave, they would have reason to remove her."

"What the fuck do I do, Minerva?" he begged, "It's beyond unhealthy and the girl's going to tie herself in knots trying to please them when it seems impossible."

"I don't know," Minerva admitted, "I tried to speak to them originally, and then when they were discussing electives, I wrote to them but…they do not want to hear it."

"I can't just ignore it." he warned, "Whether I had planned for it or not, she's mine and she's going to land herself in the infirmary."

Minerva sighed, "I know. But as I said, my hands are tied."

Saul slumped, "Would she be open to…not living with them?" Isaac hedged.

"I don't know." Minerva admitted, "She…I'm sure she loves them but she chooses not to go home unless summoned. And when she is, she returns more exhausted than when she left."

"They're making her complete the muggle curriculum during the holidays in preparation for her going to University like a normal person," Saul spat.

Minerva blinked, "An entire year of multiple subjects in a matter of weeks? Good Gods no wonder the girl is tired."

"Indeed," Isaac murmured. "We're meeting her on Monday, while her parents are at work. They…refused permission for her to speak to us and forbade her from seeking her biological parents. Do you…can you give us anything that might help?"

Minerva looked faintly horrified, "Good Godric," she muttered before rallying. "Be straightforward, she doesn't do riddles. Don't sugar coat things but be…mindful, she has not had the best of experiences. Before Hogwarts she had no friends, now, she obviously has the Messers Weasley and Potter but that has its own challenges. Children…can be cruel. She is viewed as a muggleborn, and her abilities are unusual, most muggleborns struggle, at least initially. She did not. She truly is extraordinarily bright but because, I assume, she's so desperate to ensure no one questions her place here, she tends to over explain things in class. It causes friction. Add in that she either doesn't care, doesn't feel she has time or just doesn't know how to look after her hair and her teeth being…overlarge, she struggles with confidence and therefore, fitting in with the other students, the girls especially. We can fix the superficial things of course, like her teeth but despite how much they clearly bother her and the jokes that are had at her expense, her parents will not give their permission allowing Poppy to fix them. She might not need their permission but she won't agree without it, I have tried."

"Why won't they agree?" Isaac asked.

"They're dentists, and seem to believe that using magic on your teeth is both unnatural and lazy," Minerva sighed.

"That's absurd!"

"It's all they know," Minerva reminded them gently, "This world… our world for muggle parents? It's like a myth. They don't understand because how in the name of Merlin could they? I'll admit the Grangers have been the most frustrating I have had to deal with for a number of years and they make things harder for Hermione but on the whole, I have a tremendous amount of sympathy for muggle parents. Their children's lives are so far out with their understanding it must be hard to remain connected, add in a boarding school with limited communication, I understand why many of them are wary."

"You think the Grangers are just wary?" Saul checked.

"Partially," Minerva agreed, "However…they are also prejudiced and short-sighted. They appear to be oblivious to the harm they are doing to their daughter and resent anyone questioning their methods. I do not believe they would ever lay a hand on her but I am worried about Miss Granger's mind. They are so angry that she is not who they want her to be, so determined to fit her into their neat boxes of what they have deemed acceptable and she….goes along with it to the detriment of her own health, her friendships, her social life. She has very little balance in her life, I assume, because she is terrified of disappointing them. I'll admit that I was unaware that she was studying the entire muggle curriculum but I did know they sent her work during term time. I was under the impression it was just the basics. I realise now I was wrong. "

Saul swallowed audibly. "Just how much is she likely to hate me if I remove her?"

Minerva grimaced, "Tread carefully. I do not know. But what I do know, is they're the only parents she's ever known and as uncompromising as they are, as I have already said, I do believe that she loves them."

He sighed, "Wonderful." he muttered.


For the first time in his life, Isaac Higgins very seriously contemplated the consequences of stunning his boss. Usually, Saul was unflappable, amiable and fun to be around. He had exacting standards, pushing the boundaries of magic was dangerous after all, but he was never cruel, never unduly demanding and more importantly, he was always on hand to listen, assist or even just allow them to vent. In short, Isaac was rather fond of him but currently, he was driving him insane.

"Saul, I swear to Merlin if you do not stop pacing I am going to bind you!" he growled suddenly when Saul passed him for what had to be the four hundredth time that morning. Saul's muttering immediately stopped but the look on the man's face when Saul turned to look at him made him flinch.

"What if this goes badly?" he asked.

Isaac scoffed, "It cannot possibly go worse than Friday's meeting with her parents. Now calm down or the girl will think you need to be on the Janus Thickey ward."

"How much longer?" Saul muttered.

"Ten minutes." Isaac soothed, "Ten minutes, then we disillusion ourselves and apparate. We can check the Grangers are definitely not in and take it from there. It will be fine."

Saul let out a long, slow exhale. "Right. Fine. It will be fine."

"Exactly, so sit down, and bloody breathe!"

Saul slumped into a chair. "Right. It's going to be fine," he muttered as if to himself, "It's all going to be fine."

If he hadn't been so worried about him, Isaac might have laughed.


Fifteen minutes later saw them standing on the Granger's doorstep again, Isaac's homenium revalio showing only one living being in the house.

"They're not here, or I assume they're not."

Saul nodded, his face pale as he raised one clammy hand to knock on the door. A diminutive girl with wild curls and large brown eyes that matched his own answered the door and they dropped the disillusionment.

"Hello," she ventured cautiously.

"Miss Granger?" Isaac checked.

"Yes," she agreed, her face wary.

"We are Unspeakables Croaker and Higgins. We wished to speak to you about the time turner you requested.

"Oh," Her face cleared immediately, "Would you like to come in?"

Isaac smiled at her, "If you don't mind."

She shook her head, "I'm due a break."

"Break from what?" Isaac asked benignly, although he could guess.

"Oh ah, my parents thought it best if I caught up on the muggle school curriculum during the holidays."

Isaac hummed, "I imagine that must be challenging," he replied lightly, the girl grimaced, "How many subjects are you doing?"

"Oh." she frowned and began counting them off on her fingers, "French, Spanish, History, Geography, Modern Studies, English, Maths, Music, Home Economics, Accounting and Finance, Chemistry, Physics and Biology….I think that's it."

"You think that's it," Issacc repeated faintly. "Miss Granger…how are you fitting it all in?"

She flushed, muttering, "I have a schedule and they send some materials during the school year. I can drop six of them this year, I'm still finishing last year's curriculum."

"Miss Granger that's still seven additional subjects!"

"I know," she sighed, "But they don't want me to lose touch with this world and if I don't complete the exams I won't be able to decide to come back."

"And will you?" Saul asked, speaking for the first time.

"Will I what, Sir?"

He winced slightly at her address, "Will you return to the muggle world after you graduate from Hogwarts?"

She seemed to deflate, the dark circles under her eyes evident as she curled in on herself. "They want me to." she admitted softly.

"And you, Miss Granger, what do you want?" Saul pressed, fighting the strange urge he had to comfort her.

She shrugged, looking lost, "I don't know. I…I can't imagine pretending I don't have magic but…if I don't…I don't think they'll ever forgive me. I'm…adopted, did you know?" she asked, before waving her hand dismissively, "Of course you didn't, why would you?" Isaac shot Saul a pointed look.

"We did, actually Miss Granger," he confessed, "We check heritage as part of all applications for time turners to ensure people are who they say they are."

"Oh," she said softly. "So you…." she fell silent abruptly before shaking her head vigorously, "It doesn't matter, I'm not allowed to ask."

"You are allowed to ask, Miss Granger."

"I'm not." she whispered, "they'd be so angry if they found out. I…I used to ask when they first mentioned it but Mum used to cry, asking if I didn't think of them as my parents and then…then they just got cross. I don't know why they told me to be honest, I'm not allowed to mention it, only they are." Saul and Isaac froze, neither sure how best to continue. She started speaking again. "They didn't sign up for a magical child. They had…plans for what my life would look like. Private school, a career like theirs, doctor, lawyer….something along those lines. And then…then I didn't quite manage to live up to their expectations. Not as pretty as their friend's daughters," she tugged her hair wryly, "Not as social. I'm not…athletic, not graceful, I'll never be a dancer and Merlin knows I can't draw a straight line with a ruler. I'm lucky that they eventually found I could play an instrument. They thought it was needed to ensure well-roundedness or an attempt at it at least. Not that I can play at Hogwarts, so I need to condense lessons into the summer holidays for that too. Piano, violin and flute. And gods…I'm so tired." She paused, flushing before straightening her spine. "I apologise," she said stiffly, "I…you came to speak to me about a time turner and I'm moaning."

"You are not moaning, Miss Granger," Isaac replied gently, wondering just how lonely this girl was that she had blurted all that out to two strangers.

"I am. It's fine. I just need to manage my time better. They want what's best for me, it was always going to be difficult but it's not forever." she replied, reciting the lines as if she'd memorised them a long time ago.

It was painful for Saul to watch her pull her shields back into place. "Miss Granger, do you wish to know who your biological parents are?"

There was a flash of longing before she shut it down. "No. I..they didn't want me. I won't jeopardise the parents who do."

He couldn't contain the flinch if he tried, "Have you considered that they didn't know?"

She frowned at that, "I would have thought that at least for one of them it would have been obvious." she responded wryly.

Saul sighed, not sure that pushing this was the right thing to do. The panicked looks Isaac was shooting him certainly implied it wasn't. "Not necessarily," he hedged.

"I don't think I understand." Hermione admitted, her nose scrunched in confusion.

"I won't answer if you truly do not want to know." He offered, praying to every god that might be listening that she didn't say no.

"Were they unaware of my existence?" she asked bluntly.

"Yes."

"How?"

"The Department of Mysteries exists to push the boundaries of magic." he began choosing his words carefully, ignoring Isaac's groan. "As you know, the magical equivalent of a muggleborn is a squib. It's a phenomenon we have no explanation for, two magical parents should produce magical offspring, and two muggles should not. But, clearly, that is not the case. So we began an experiment, whereby we used transfiguration to pair people who would not ordinarily be able to reproduce."

She frowned, "Did you transfigure people or the gametes?"

Saul grinned, intelligent indeed, "The gametes."

"Oh," she whispered.

"Samples were given voluntarily. And we had contracts stating we would let families know if the experiments were successful and then they'd have first refusal when we moved onto human trials, transferring the embryo into an actual person I mean. The experiments were overwhelmingly not successful. In fact, only three survived to term." Hermione paled as the implication set in. "You, Miss Granger were one of them"

"But the family didn't want me after all that," she whispered.

"Not exactly," Saul sighed. "Your father was an Unspeakable, we have an automatic clause that renders us anonymous for a period of ten years if we donate anything that might identify us for an experiment. He…forgot that was the case and the researchers had no way of contacting him. Your…other parent, unfortunately, died before you reached term. Your Grandmother was…ill, your Uncle…in a precarious position that ultimately got worse."

She watched him pensively, "And now?"

"And now…." he sighed, knowing what he was about to do was selfish, but desperate for the girl to know she had another option if she wanted it. "what do you know of Sirius Black?"

"The man who escaped Azkaban?" she asked, startled.

"Yes," Saul sighed, "He…he is your uncle. Regulus Black was one of your parents, making you the current Heir to House Black."

She blinked at him, her eyes wide. "Pardon?"

"They're responsible for the curls, I'm afraid. The Black hair is famous. I gather Madam Mays has specific potions that they used to use. I have no idea if she still stocks it. Your cousin…Andromeda Tonks might know if you wished to reach out to her."

"And my other parent?" she asked, sounding strangled.

"Ah." Saul fidgeted, "Well…that…that would be me."

"You?" she repeated flatly.

"Yes."

She nodded slowly, "I see."

He sighed, "I'm glad one of us does." he muttered, "Miss Granger? We have no idea if Sirius Black knows of your existence."

She went ghostly pale, "And if he does?"

"We don't know. We…please don't repeat this, Amelia Bones will have my head, he never received a trial. We have no idea if he is actually guilty."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "How…how can they have locked him in prison with no trial?"

"It was…" Saul paused trying to find the words to explain the aftermath of the war, "Imagine…imagine that the world has been in chaos. You don't know who you can trust, so you barely trust anyone. You live in fear of attracting the wrong attention, going home to family is terrifying because you never know if you're going to find your nightmares realised on the other side of the floo. And then…then imagine that the word is out, the wizard terrorising our world is dead at the hands of a baby. No one quite knows how but the relief is overwhelming. Of course, then the trials start, the rounding up of the accused, the sorting fact from fiction and amongst it all, you have a man who blew up a muggle street and confessed to being responsible for the death of our saviour's parents. I am not excusing them, it is utterly inexcusable but…it was a very confusing, difficult time. And apparently, he slipped through the cracks."

"I see," she murmured again.

"Miss...Granger. Hermione. I…I understand if you never want to see me again but…I have to ask, what do you want?"

"I don't know," she whispered, sounding terrified. "I was never supposed to know."

"Hermione, for better or worse, you have three parents. You are entitled to a relationship with all of them. I understand your parents have concerns and I will respect whatever you decide but please, please make a decision that is yours. This is your life, not theirs. Whatever their issues are, they are their own."

"Can I think about it?" she asked softly, not meeting his eyes.

"Of course, " he agreed, "When you reach a decision, you can owl me. And truly, do consider reaching out to Andromeda. She was always one of the good ones. And if…if you decide, even if you have nothing to do with me, you are legally entitled to use the Black name. Orion, your grandfather, ensured it was written into the contract when Regulus' participation was secured. Even with the concerns about your Uncle, it would..give you a layer of protection at school. I cannot imagine that times have changed so drastically that being Muggleborn is easy."

She shook her head, confirming his suspicions. "No. But ah…surely people will ask questions and…how am I meant to answer them?" She jumped when an alarm sounded. "Oh! Oh, gods, I'm sorry, I have to get back to studying. I only worked in a half hour break."

"For the entire day?" Saul asked incredulously.

"No, I get another half hour for lunch."

"And when do you finish?" She flushed, muttering something that sounded like eleven. "And you start?"

"At five." she sighed, "It's the only way I can fit it all in! I...I get Sundays off. Well, other than the instruments. Those still need practising."

"Hermione," he bit out, "You're going to end up in St Mungos! That is an entirely ridiculous schedule!"

"What choice do I have?" she asked slightly hysterically. "I don't get much done during the year, especially last year! All I have is holidays!"

"But it's not a holiday if you're doing longer hours during them!"

"I can't fit it in otherwise!" she shouted back.

"Then you're doing too much!"

She froze, "I don't set the curriculum," she muttered softly.

"No," he agreed with a sigh, "But you're attempting to do the school work of two people indefinitely, and sooner or later you are going to exhaust yourself to the point of hospitalisation."

She shook her head, the fight going out of her frame, "It'll be fine. I can't…I can't fail at this."

"It's not failure when what you're asked to do is impossible." he reprimanded gently.

"It's not impossible," she sighed, "It can't be. Now really, I need to get back. I'll…I'll owl you."

He nodded reluctantly as she ushered them out the door.


"We will discuss this when you get back," Amelia warned, handing over a portkey. Saul nodded mutely, causing Isaac to look at him with concern. He'd been silent since they'd left the Grangers the day before. The portkey activated with its usual hook to the naval, tugging them through space to the chilling entrance of Azkaban.

"Cheery isn't it?" Isaac muttered, Saul merely hummed as the Warden greeted them.

"He's in cell forty-five. Wilkins will take you. Cast any silencing spells you need to but no cloaking ones. Wilkins will need to be inside your spells."

They nodded as they followed the stoic Wilkins to the door of a cell. In the corner, Rabastan Lestrange rocked on a threadbare bed.

"Oi! Lestrange." Wilkins called, "Visitors."

Rabastan's head snapped up, "What?" he croaked.

"Visitors," Wilkins barked, "Unspeakables."

"Why?"

"We have some news you should have been aware of a long time ago." Isaac began. "Do you remember volunteering for an experiment in the Department of Mysteries in the late seventies?"

"Less volunteering, more coercion." he muttered, "My father was all for it."

"That does seem to be the way of things," Isaac agreed.

"Well? Are you here for permission to continue? I wouldn't have thought you'd want someone that's half me running around."

"There's already someone that's half you running around," Saul replied bluntly, making Isaac wince.

"What?" Rabastan rasped.

"Theodore Crawford Nott is your son."

"No." Rabastan hissed.

"Yes, Mr Lestrange. He is." Saul reiterated.

"That fucking bastard!" Rabastan howled, "Did Thaddeus know?"

"Yes, Mr Lestrange." Isaac sighed, wanting to strangle Saul for his callousness. "He did."

At that, the Unspeakbles left Rabastan to rage inside his cell, realising that further conversation was now out of the question.


"How did it go?" Amelia demanded the moment they reached the ministry.

"As well as can be expected," Isaac muttered, glowering at Saul, leaving him in absolutely no doubt that he'd be getting an earful from his deputy as soon as they were alone. And privately, he could admit that he probably deserved it, the last two days had not shown him at his best.

"Wonderful. Cletus knew, turns out Xeno told him years ago. The girl, Luna, she knows too."

"And the boy?"

"Thaddeus is reluctant," Amelia admitted. "We can't force it. How did yesterday go?"

Isaac winced, making Amelia's eyes widen. "It wasn't great." he admitted, "She works from five to eleven, multiple subjects.

"Five to eleven in the morning or the evening?"

"Yes,"

"Yes?" she asked incredulously, "you mean five in the morning until eleven at night?"

"Yes. Monday to Saturday. On Sunday all she has to do is practise the three fucking instruments she plays to make her more well-rounded." Saul spat. "She just about had a breakdown when her alarm went off signalling the end of her half hour break. She looks fucking awful Amelia."

"Shit." Amelia hissed. "I…we can do a welfare check but..then the Grangers will know. And if what you're saying is true I don't know that the results will be pleasant."

"What if you checked without them there?" Saul wheeldled, "See for yourself?"

She nodded slowly, "I'll take Shacklebolt. He tends to put people at ease."

"Thanks, Amelia," he murmured, feeling some of the tension leach out of him.

She hummed, "I'll go tomorrow. We checked Black's wand, his last spell was an incarcerous. Which interestingly doesn't blow up an entire street. So…"

"Are you announcing it in The Prophet?"

"Yes," she sighed, "let's hope he is innocent of the Potters' murders after this."

Saul hummed, not having the faintest idea what was safe to reply to that.


"Miss Granger, my name is Amelia Bones. I believe you know my niece?"

Hermione blinked back at the woman at the door, making Amelia wince. Saul was right, she did look fucking awful. "Susan?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm also the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. May I come in?"

Hermione's eyes went wide, "I…yes?"

She led Amelia through to the living room, trying not to glance at the clock. She had a piano exam on Friday and she was already falling behind.

"I'm just here to check in," Amelia began.

"What? Why?" Hermione asked, startled.

"Because I understand that you had a difficult year last year, we're checking on everyone who was petrified." Amelia lied.

"Oh. I'm fine."

Amelia hummed, "Forgive me, but, you look a bit tired, are you not sleeping? Nightmares would not be uncommon."

"Oh. no. No, I'm fine." Hermione cut in quickly, her eyes darting to the clock against her will.

"Are you late for something, Miss Granger?"

"What? Oh no! I ah…. it's fine. Was there anything else?" she asked desperately, she needed Amelia to go. She needed to practise. She was running out of time. She was already behind and her parents had been livid when they realised she was barely keeping up. Her grades needed work…so much work but she was so tired. She'd fallen asleep when she was meant to be studying and had lost half a day. She had to prove she was taking this seriously by passing this exam. She had to. And then maybe they'd fight her less when she attempted to do her summer homework from Hogwarts. Gods she had too much to do.

"Miss Granger, are you sure you're alright?" Amelia checked, her face creased with worry, the girl had gone alarmingly pale and looked on the verge of hyperventilating.

"I'm fine. Just fine. I'm sorry, Madam Bones but I really need to get back to studying. Summer homework, you know?"

"Surely you've not that much, dear? Susan's only took a few hours." Hermione whimpered, She didn't have a few hours!

"Just disorganised, " she brushed off, attempting to seem unconcerned.

Amelia frowned, "Miss Granger, why don't you tell me what's really going on?" she pushed gently.

Hermione shook her head furiously, almost in tears. "It's nothing, Madam Bones."

"Miss Granger, it's clearly something."

Both of them jumped at the sound of the door, Hermione turning deathly pale. Her father stood in the doorway, frowning. "I came to check on you after yesterday's debacle," he spoke pointedly, making her flush. "Who is this, Hermione?"

"Director Bones," she murmured.

"I see. Why is she here?"

"We're checking on all students who spent time in the hospital wing last year, Mr Granger."

Mark Granger frowned, "Why were you in the hospital wing, Hermione?"

Amelia immediately realised her mistake when Hermione turned grey. "It was nothing Dad," she murmured.

"It was clearly something if someone is checking up on you." Mark retorted sharply.

"Mr Granger, we are checking in on several students." Amelia attempted to soothe.

Mark Granger turned to look at her, she could see the rapidly building fury on his face. "What happened last year, Director Bones?"

Amelia sighed, Saul was going to fucking murder her. "There was an incident with a beast that has now been dealt with that necessitated several students spending time in the hospital wing."

"How much time?" he barked.

"Months," Hermione sighed.

Mark froze, turning to look at his daughter, "I see. And when were you going to tell me this?"

"I'm fine. It was fine. I took the exams and passed them. It didn't affect anything." she all but begged.

"But you are failing now!" he retorted coldly, "How much time did you miss that could have been put to better use?"

Amelia's eyes went wide as Hermione flinched as if he'd struck her. "I'm trying!" she whispered, wrapping her arms around her waist. "I'm sorry I fell asleep but I'll fix it. It'll be fine! I'll sort my marks. I promise!"

"I'm beginning to think you don't want to remain in the normal world, Hermione." he hissed.

"I'm so tired, Dad," she mumbled.

"You wouldn't be if you'd managed to do the work we sent you during term time."

"Mr Granger, Miss Granger was in no state to be doing any work. It wasn't a choice on her part." Amelia interjected hoping to stop things getting more out of hand.

"She was well enough to complete the coursework for her year," he sneered, "It was the normal curriculum that was forgotten about."

Desperately trying to keep a hold of her temper, Amelia tried again, "Mr Granger, your daughter's responsibility at school is to complete those courses. Not the additional coursework you send."

"And while you might believe that reasonable, Director Bones. I do not." he turned to Hermione, "It is why I will not be willing to listen to any excuses about how tired you are. These courses are important if you ever want a normal life at the end of this. There will be no more excuses, Hermione. Go back to your studies. Director Bones, you've checked. She's fine. It's time for you to leave."

"She is quite clearly not fine." Amelia bit back. "She's absolutely exhausted, nearly hysterical at the thought of not meeting your expectations and clearly under an immense amount of stress. Mr Granger, have you looked at your daughter recently? No teenager should be so concerned about taking half an hour out of their day. It's absurd!"

"It's a sacrifice she is going to have to make. We didn't ask for this abnormality, Director Bones."

"Abnormality," Amelia muttered. "No. No, I'm sorry Mr Granger. Miss Granger, do you have your wand?" She nodded apprehensively. "I'm taking your daughter for a medical check-up, Mr Granger. I am truly concerned that she'll end up in St Mungo's long term if this is allowed to continue."

"Absolutely not." he hissed, "You have no authority!"

"I do. I am the Director of the Department of Magical Law enforcement. Even if you were not willing to concede to my authority, we work with the muggle police force. One way or another I'm having your daughter checked. A decision will be made depending on the results. Come along Miss Granger."

Hermione stood frozen looking torn. "Hermione, if you choose to do this, there will be no coming back." her father warned. "We will not tolerate blatant disrespect. You knew the rules before we agreed to that school, it is not our fault that you are now finding it difficult."

"Mr Granger, be reasonable!" Amelia replied for her, exasperatedly.

"I am being reasonable. What relationship can we have with a daughter that is nothing like us? Who lives an entirely separate life? Has a career we can't mention, in a world we are not part of and who refused to make some sacrifices now to allow them to remain part of our world in the future."

"Some sacrifices should be the entirety of her teenage years and working herself into a hospital bed!"

"It's temporary. If she stuck to the schedule, and worked throughout the year, it wouldn't be this hard."

"Mr Granger, she already has a full course schedule at school! You are asking her to do the work of another person alongside her own." Amelia tried, desperate for this not to end the way she feared it was going to, wishing she had heeded her own advice and brought Kingsley as she'd intended.

"It was agreed," he repeated.

"Mr Granger, are you stating, implicitly, that if I take your daughter to have her health checked, that you will refuse to allow her back into your house?"

"Yes. If she chooses to go, her choice is clear. I will not have a child who goes back on their word Director Bones."

Hermione whimpered and Amelia closed her eyes. "I'm going for some external advice," she said finally. "I will be back."
Mark shook his head, turning to his daughter, "You have an exam on Friday, are you planning on sleeping through that too?"

Hermione flushed and bolted up the stairs.

"I was led to believe you loved her," Amelia spoke softly into the silence as the notes of a piano piece she didn't recognise floated down the stairs. "You cannot be so blind as to not realise that she is drowning under the weight of your expectations. Her schedule is completely absurd and you are risking her health, for what? To prove a point? She could have taken a handful of subjects to maintain her presence here, but you're forcing her into an unattainable schedule and, if I understood correctly, berating her for falling asleep because she's exhausted."

"I didn't ask for your parenting advice, Director Bones," Mark drawled. "Hermione had so much potential. I refuse to allow her to squander it. She knew the conditions when we agreed to that school. As it is, I gather we can remove her after she sits her first set of exams. I imagine that will be best so this nonsense can be put to bed. She is not going to remain in your world, we are here and this is where she will be staying. She will have to cope with the juggle for the next few years. It is not our fault she is as she is."
Amelia gaped at him, "It is not her fault either!" she hissed, "Mr Granger, I truly do not understand how someone who is supposedly intelligent cannot understand what I am saying, and I worry that if I continue I am going to do something I cannot take back, so I will leave you with this. Hermione has family in our world. Important, influential family. Be very sure that this is the route you want to take."

"Are you threatening me, Director Bones?"
"No! I'm warning you that there are people who will be taking steps to ensure that Hermione is safe and healthy and loved. Those things you should be doing! Tell me, Mr Granger, have you always taken such a hard line or is it only since you felt your control slipping?"

Mark Granger flushed, "Get out."

Spinning on the spot, Amelia disapparated.