"Good afternoon, Mrs Granger," the tall old man dressed in an ultraviolet blue cloak greeted her warmly. "I'm sure your daughter has apprised you of the appointment I'd like to pick her up for."
She could see a smile through his seemingly endless white beard. Unable to say anything, she stared open-mouthed at the man.
"Mum, would you ask Professor Dumbledore to come in, it's rude to leave guests on the doorstep!" exclaimed Hermione laughing, but her breath caught short too as the wizard strode across the threshold. Professor Dumbledore looked exactly as she had always imagined Merlin to look, except for the half-moon glasses.
He also radiated an aura of considerable wisdom and power, which Hermione sensed right down to the very tips of her hair. She caught herself quicker than her mother, though, who had stepped aside but was still looking from Dumbledore to her daughter in bewilderment.
So Hermione and Elliot had indeed been telling the truth. Until the moment the doorbell had sounded, Mrs Granger had assumed her husband and daughter had been having a mighty laugh with her.
"Would you like something to drink, Professor?" asked Elliot, pointing to the set table on which stood a teapot and four cups.
"You are too gracious, thank you very much!" said Dumbledore, bowing slightly. When everyone had sat down, he smiled and drew his wand.
"A little something for tea perhaps?" he said cheerfully, waving his wand, whereupon the doors of the Grangers' display case opened and four plates made their way to each person present.
"It really is true," Mrs Granger said, her eyes wide, looking at Hermione and Dumbledore in turn.
"I'm very sorry that you couldn't be present for the first appointment with a wizard, Mrs Granger. But I'm sure you understand that we have a busy schedule," Dumbledore said gleefully, waving his wand again. A cupcake appeared on each plate, with an upside-down raspberry perched on top.
"Thank you, Professor!" said Hermione, taking a courageous bite of the tartlet. It tasted heavenly and was filled with a fine raspberry cream. The others also took a bite and Mrs Granger now relaxed as well. Everything her husband and daughter had reported had been true. She looked at her husband, who shrugged with a smile, as if to say "We told you so."
"Before we can set off for Diagon Alley, there are a few matters to be settled," Dumbledore said, taking a sip of tea.
"If your daughter decides to become a part of the magical society, which I can tell by her delighted nod, then the first thing to do is to enlighten you about the financial situation. Unfortunately, the money you use in your society has no value in ours. However, before you get a fright, I can reassure you, because Hogwarts has centuries of experience with this case and has made provisions for this eventuality, which occurs every year. The books and items Miss Granger needs for her school career at Hogwarts are paid for by the school. In addition, Muggle-born and financially weak wizarding families receive a student loan, thanks to the four founders of Hogwarts. Forty galleons per school year are paid into the Granger family vault, which are at your free disposal. Two years after your graduation, you can then begin to repay the loan, whereby you determine the annual amount yourself and only have to repay half of the given loan. In the case of special skills and merits, gold from the school vault can also be used to promote these talents. I have taken the liberty of bringing a share of your loan from your vault, so that we can save ourselves the lengthy visit to Gringotts," Dumbledore explained, removing a small leather pouch from his robes, which Hermione knew from medieval markets.
"And how much are the school fees?" asked Mr Granger with a worried look.
"Oh, we at Hogwarts do not take fees for the education of young witches and wizards. We believe that education and advancement should come before amassing gold. So do not be concerned about your daughter's financial situation, Mr. and Mrs. Granger."
Hermione picked up the leather pouch after a gesture from Dumbledore and took a look inside. There were three different types of coins inside.
"As Professor Snape has already informed you, the students will be staying at Hogwarts beyond teaching hours. Food and sleeping quarters are, of course, amply provided for," Dumbledore said cheerfully, looking around the room. "If Mrs. and Mr. Granger have any more questions, I think now would be a good time," he said gently, taking a sip of tea.
After the Grangers had asked their questions and Dumbledore had answered them thoroughly and patiently, it was time to leave. Hermione had pocketed her purse and said goodbye to her parents on the doorstep.
"It shouldn't take more than four hours," Dumbledore assured her parents and set off with Hermione. "Diagon Alley is not far from here, yet I would prefer to take a quicker route if you don't mind, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said, addressing Hermione.
Hermione shook her head and watched as Professor Dumbledore pulled a knitted potholder from his robes. He glanced around briefly to see if they were being watched and then pulled out his wand, tapping the potholder with the tip.
"This is a portkey. It will take us to the Leaky Cauldron. It may take some getting used to for you, but it's still more comfortable than apparating," he explained to Hermione, gesturing for her to touch the potholder. She placed her right hand on the cloth and looked questioningly at Dumbledore, but he just smiled at her over his glasses and hummed a little.
After a few seconds, Hermione felt something invisible grab her behind her belly button and pull hard. Before her eyes she saw a sea of colours and shapes. In her head she heard Dumbledore's voice telling her to clasp his arm and let go of the lobe. Hermione did as she was told and felt gravity instantly kick in again. She probably would have landed ungently on the floor if Dumbledore hadn't supported her.
"Where are we?" she asked, looking around the musty backyard where there was nothing but a few fallen bins.
"In the charming backyard of the Leaky Cauldron in Charing Cross Road," Dumbledore said, taking a step towards the brick wall. He drew his wand and tapped it three times against a particular brick. He took a step back and the brick Dumbledore had knocked on shook, wobbled and a small gap appeared in the middle. It widened and a second later they were standing in front of a large archway. It led out onto a cobbled alley that lost itself in a tight bend.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley! After you, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said, instructing the astonished Hermione to lead the way with an outstretched arm.
Hermione was completely euphoric and stormed ahead. Dumbledore chuckled and made to keep up. Hermione realised that robes were probably the preferred attire of wizards, for hardly any other visitors to Diagon Alley were dressed like her. Dumbledore took the time to walk down Diagon Alley once with Hermione and examine the shop windows.
Every witch and wizard they passed seemed to recognise Dumbledore. Some greeted him respectfully, others lifted their hats and smiled broadly at them both. The owner of the ice cream parlour, Florean Fortescue called out to Dumbledore and floated ice cream cones with a scoop of ice cream after them, which the two grabbed out of the air and enjoyed with relish as they strolled down Diagon Alley. After they had arrived outside Gringotts Wizarding Bank and Dumbledore had explained how she got her money, he summoned a sheet of parchment with a wave of his wand.
"Ah yes, it would probably be most prudent to get the textbooks first," he said with an appraising glance at the list and directed Hermione towards Flourish & Blotts. After they had bought the textbooks, Dumbledore pointed to 'Ollivander's', with whose owner he had a friendly conversation while he kept handing Hermione various wands, only to take them out of her hand again immediately. After a while she had been chosen by her wand after all, as Mr Ollivander explained to her.
"Can I come back here another day, now that I have a wand too?" asked Hermione as they left the shop. Dumbledore nodded and explained to her how to find the brick that would allow her to open the gate and exactly where the Leaky Cauldron was. Hermione learned that it only revealed itself to wizards and their companions.
"If you plan to return here, I would prefer to get the rest of the items on your list and drop you off at your parents' house, if you don't mind. You must know, my day has a few more appointments," Dumbledore said politely, smiling broadly as Hermione nodded in understanding. While they got Hermione's paraphernalia for school, Dumbledore enlightened her about the laws on the use of magic. Hermione had been briefly saddened to hear that she would have to wait until the first of September to be allowed to use magic, but consoled herself with the thought that she now had a whole stack of books in which to learn more about the wizarding world.
The last stop they made was in front of the Magical Menagerie. Dumbledore advised her to let her intuition guide her in choosing a magical companion animal. However, he also advised her that owls made excellent companions and also delivered the letters in the wizarding world. Hermione entered the shop and looked around with gleaming eyes. She was surrounded by lots of familiar, but also unfamiliar types of creatures. On Dumbledore's recommendation, she went to the bird section, where a young witch correctly interpreted her somewhat helpless look and advised her.
She let her eyes wander over the beautiful snowy and barn owls, which blinked as Hermione made eye contact with them. As she asked the witch about one of the snowy owls and pointed her finger at it, she suddenly heard a clamour erupt behind her. The witch looked around and let out a surprised sound. Hermione turned too and recognised the source of the noise. A small raven was bobbing up and down excitedly on the pole in its cage and crowing. When Hermione walked up to him and looked at him through the cage, he straightened up and looked at her with one eye.
"One moment please," the witch said and walked towards the entrance of the shop. Hermione continued to appraise the young bird, which puffed itself up proudly in front of her to present itself in the best possible light. The owls seemed to comment on this with screeches, at which the raven raised its beak seemingly indignantly. Hermione giggled. The young witch returned with the owner of the shop, an elderly lady with thick black horn-rimmed glasses. They both looked agitated.
"You must know, young lady, that this bird was given to me by my good friend Augustus Kelly from Australia. He found it not long ago as a little thing in front of a tree in his garden, with an injured wing. He immediately thought of me and came here with the poor thing. Of course, he got a good taste of my feather duster! Completely irresponsible to apparate with an injured animal," said the woman, raising her index finger admonishingly.
"We thought the poor thing had lost its voice while apparating because it hadn't made a sound since it got here. But Matilda reported to me that it did make a sound now?" she asked, looking expectantly at Hermione. She nodded and smiled at the raven, who let out a long drawn out high-pitched crow and flapped his wings.
"Can ravens deliver letters like owls?" asked Hermione hesitantly.
"Of course, much more than that! Ravens are extremely clever animals, you must know!" exclaimed the old lady. The raven lowered its head in what looked to Hermione like a nod. She giggled again and told the two witches that she would like to buy the raven. It instantly started bobbing up and down on its cage perch again. The three laughed and the young witch explained to Hermione that the raven was a New Holland crow. The shopkeeper instructed Hermione on how to keep and care for the raven, which Hermione promptly named "Lancelot", after her favourite character from the Arthurian legend.
As Hermione left the shop with the cage and a bag full of food and grooming items, she saw Dumbledore talking to a man on the other side of the alley who wore a large turban on his head. When he noticed her, he smiled and said goodbye to the wizard. He congratulated her on her new friend and said with a wink that this encounter could be a sign of things to come. At her questioning look, he just smiled mysteriously and escorted her back towards the Leaky Cauldron. When they arrived at the backyard, Dumbledore waved his wand as he had done earlier with the other purchased items, whereupon the cage and bag disappeared.
"Don't worry, it's waiting for you in your room along with the books and the other things," he said and Hermione thanked him.
"Professor Dumbledore, I have one more wish," Hermione said as Dumbledore pulled the knitted potholder from his robes again.
"Which is?" he asked with a playfully raised eyebrow.
"Would you apparate with me? I would like to gain the experience, even if it is unpleasant," Hermione said shyly, blushing slightly at seeing Dumbledore astonished for the first time.
"As you wish, Miss Granger," he said after a brief pause, eyeing her over his glasses. He tucked the potholder back into his robe and finally extended his left arm.
"Hold on tight, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said, and Hermione grabbed his forearm. A moment later she noticed Dumbledore's forearm bend away from her and she gripped it even tighter. Suddenly everything went black around her and there was a violent pressure against her body from all sides. She couldn't breathe and it felt like iron bands were closing around her chest. Her eyeballs and eardrums were pressed into her head and then it was all over. They were standing on the doorstep of her parents' house. Hermione couldn't suppress a brief retch, but started laughing gleefully the next moment. Dumbledore chuckled and pressed the doorbell.
A moment later they were greeted by a somewhat worried looking Mrs Granger, who reported to Hermione that there were strange noises coming from her room. Dumbledore cleared his throat briefly and explained the situation, whereupon Hermione's mother relaxed. Hermione thanked Professor Dumbledore for "the best day of her life", whereupon he gave her a beaming smile.
"The pleasure was all mine, Miss Granger. I look forward to our reunion on the first of September. If you would be so kind, I would like to disapparate from inside. Then I won't have to be so careful that no Muggles notice me," he said. The Grangers invited him in and he said goodbye before disappearing with a soft *plop* right before their eyes.
Hermione hugged her parents fiercely and began to cry with joy. The Grangers looked at each other lovingly. They hadn't seen their daughter this happy in a long time. They released Hermione from their group hug and laughed as she sprinted up the stairs to her bedroom in record time. Elliot Granger gave his wife a kiss and hugged her. The two of them had gone over everything in detail after Hermione had left with Professor Dumbledore and felt that nothing better could have happened to their daughter.
Hermione carefully opened the door to her bedroom so as not to frighten Lancelot. When the raven caught sight of her, he crowed softly and bobbed on his perch. Hermione went to the cage and pulled out a bag of snacks from the Magic Menagerie. The witch had urged her that the raven was better off growing up outside the cage from now on, after all, he was still growing. The witch had also told her that ravens were very loyal animals once they had accepted their owner. She opened the cage door and took a step back. The raven turned an eye to her.
"It's all right, you can come out," Hermione said, giggling as Lancelot crowed once and then hopped out of the cage. He stretched his wings as long as a human could stretch his arms. Then he puffed himself up once and shook himself. He then stalked up and down the desk he had landed on, looking around carefully. Hermione giggled again and took a step towards him, holding out the flat of her hand with the raven snack. He turned to her and examined the nut in Hermione's hand from all sides. Then he opened his beak and cautiously approached the nut. Carefully, as if he was careful not to hurt Hermione with the sharp tip, he picked up the nut and devoured it as soon as the beak had left her hand. He flapped his wings twice and crowed.
"But that was the only time you got a treat so easily!" said Hermione, laughing, now relieved after having been a little afraid of the raven's reaction. Lancelot crowed again and fluttered onto Hermione's bed to have a look there too. So it went on until he had seemingly surveyed every nook and cranny of her room. Hermione took out one of the toys she had bought at the Magical Menagerie. Ravens, like dogs, needed plenty to do and were excellent at solving little food puzzles. Hermione had already learned that at school. However, she decided to leave it up to Lancelot when he wanted to play and put it on the desk. Then she pulled one of the books out of her suitcase that had been provided by the school.
She chose 'A History of Magic' by Bathilda Bagshot and dropped into the soft cushions of her reading corner. She quickly sank into the book, only occasionally looking up when Lancelot briefly demanded her attention. Mostly she giggled when she spotted him, for he seemed to have a lot of nonsense on his mind. Once he was hanging upside down from her clothes rail, another time he was bouncing playfully on her bed. She looked up anxiously when she heard a stifled crow from him. He was standing on the desk with one of the rings that belonged to the sorting game she had put out for him clamped around his beak.
The rings, which were of different colours and sizes, had to be put on a stick one after the other, sorted by size, so that an aperture opened up in the tip of the stick to reveal a reward. She stood up and helped the young bird to pull the ring from its beak. When she had freed it, she laughed as Lancelot crowed abashedly and covered his head with a wing. Hermione dropped back into the reading corner and opened the book again. Fascinated, she had already discovered that Merlin had really existed, more than that, revered as one of the most important wizards ever. She sank completely back into the accounts of the witch hunt. She startled when she heard her mother's call from the stairs.
Totally absorbed in the book, she had completely lost track of time. Glancing at the clock, she realised that it must be time for dinner. She noted the place in the book with one of the fabric ribbons worked into it, stood up and stretched. As she opened the door, she heard a knock behind her. Looking around, she recognised Lancelot on the windowsill, pecking gently at the glass with his beak.
"Wait a second," Hermin said, holding out her right forearm to him. The raven blinked and hopped onto her arm. At the Magical Menagerie, Hermione had learned that she could let the raven outside without remorse or fear. He would relieve himself outside and also forage on his own. At Hermione's questioning look, the old witch had revealed to her that she had done the same when she had nursed Lancelot up and he could fly again.
"I'll see you later, Lancelot," she said, opening the window. He crowed and stroked his beak once along her forearm before flying outside.
Hermione skipped happily down the stairs and sat at the dining table, smiling at her parents.
"There you are at last, I had to call you three times!" her mother said in a playfully annoyed tone and laughed. Hermione excitedly told her parents during dinner what she had read so far. Her parents were interested and occasionally took a surprised breath when Hermione mentioned one or two saga characters who had really been a wizard or a witch. After dinner, Hermione helped with the washing up and wished her parents a good night in advance.
They both got a kiss and the whirlwind of bushy hair dashed up the stairs. Mr Granger pulled his wife into a hug where they both shed a few tears. The infectious new happiness their daughter radiated was joined by parental pride and a tiny bit of pain because they would only see her during holidays for the next few years.
"Do you want me to pinch you again?" asked Elliot of his wife with a sly grin.
"All right, all right!" laughed Martha, yawning heartily.
"That was quite a lot for me today, I'm going to bed," she said and Elliot joined her. Hermione, meanwhile, was already immersed in the history of magic again, soaking up all the facts of wizarding history like a sponge. Just as she had arrived at the goblin uprisings in the 16th century, a smile flitted across her face as there was a gentle knock on her window. She jumped up and opened the window to let Lancelot in.
He hopped in from the window sill and on to the desk. He puffed out his chest and Hermione giggled. Apparently he had found something edible. One could hardly speak of hunting with scavengers, more like foraging. Hermione yawned and looked towards her bed. Then she was startled to remember that she had no place for Lancelot to sleep. Searchingly, she looked around her room.
"You probably don't want to sleep in the cage, do you?" she asked the raven. He seemed to have understood her, for with closed eyes he threw back his head and stretched up his beak like an indignant lady.
"Alright, alright!" said Hermione, giggling, and walked towards her wardrobe. She pulled out a hat and tipped it over to resemble a nest. She placed it on the desk and let Lancelot examine it. He hopped up to it and examined the beanie, which was piggy pink. As he made no move to go inside, Hermione folded the beanie back up and took out the next one. That was the start of a little fashion show, where she kept pulling out a new beanie and presenting it.
Lancelot commented on each one in his own way, not even glancing at some beanies, as he had done earlier with the cage proposal. At other extravagant caps he hid his head under a wing again, which Hermione interpreted as embarrassment. She couldn't help giggling. Finally, she offered her raven a black woollen beanie and Lancelot hopped up and down, crowing.
"At last, it took you long enough. You're lucky I like hats so much," she said in a playfully annoyed tone. She spread the cap out on the desk as before and let Lancelot examine the nest replacement. In one leap he hopped inside and settled into the soft wool.
"Lucky you, you're quite picky, you know that?" she said, and the raven lifted his beak to one side again.
"Thank you for picking me," she whispered, kneeling down in front of the desk so that she was at eye level with the animal. Lancelot blinked and cooed softly without opening his beak, which brought a smile to Hermione's face.
"Good night, my brave knight," she said as the raven closed his eyes.
When Hermione opened her eyes the next morning, she was greeted by a soft crowing. Smiling, she put on her glasses and stretched. She stood up and made a decision.
"If it's warm enough outside, I'll leave the window open all day for you. Then you won't have to keep knocking," Hermione said and opened the window. Lancelot blinked and crowed once. Smiling, Hermione turned to go downstairs for breakfast. As she opened the door, she heard a flutter behind her and the next moment she let out a small squeal as Lancelot landed on her shoulder. The young raven's claws weren't particularly sharp and it felt like someone was pinching her shoulder ever so slightly.
"Well, well, do you want to come down?" asked Hermione in surprise, and Lancelot let out the soft cooing sound again with his beak closed. Hermione shook her head and made her way downstairs.
"Good morn..." her mother began as Hermione appeared in the kitchen, emitting a high-pitched startled sound as she caught sight of the raven on her daughter's shoulder.
"You may meet Lancelot!" said Hermione, laughing at the befuddled look on her mother's face.
"Well... good morning," she said, seemingly regaining some of her composure before shaking her head and turning back to the stove where a stunning smelling breakfast was sizzling in two pans.
"Sit with your father, breakfast will be ready in a minute," she said.
"Thanks Mum!" said Hermione smiling and heading for the dining room. Her father reacted with similar surprise. He looked at Hermione, wished her a good morning, looked back at his paper, only to have his head snap up in disbelief the next moment. Hermione laughed and introduced her raven to her father as well. The latter grinned and said
"Pleased to meet you!" which elicited a crow from Lancelot. Her mother came into the dining room with two bursting plates and set them down in front of her husband and Hermione. A moment later she sat down at the table with her own plate and the three of them began to eat. Lancelot didn't seem to be bothered by Hermione's upper body bending back and forth, as he remained seated with a firm grip on her shoulder. As Hermione forked up some scrambled eggs for the first time, he crowed once. Hermione grinned.
"Lancelot, would you like some egg?" she asked. The raven crowed again. Her parents exchanged wondering glances.
"Can he sit on the table?" she asked her parents. They both exchanged another look, but then nodded.
"Then get on the table, Lancelot," Hermione said, putting her fork in her mouth. Lancelot instantly fluttered beside her plate and looked at her expectantly.
"Astonishing," Mr Granger said. Hermione placed a piece of egg in front of him. Lancelot blinked and carefully picked up the egg with his beak.
"Are ravens allowed to eat boiled egg?" asked Mrs Granger with a worried expression on her face.
"Yes, we covered corvids in second grade. Egg is even one of their favourite foods," Hermione said with a grin and laughed when Lancelot crowed and stretched his open beak towards her like baby birds did to their mother. Hermione put another piece down in front of him, which was instantly devoured.
"What else does Sir Lancelot like to eat?" asked her father.
"He has yet to earn the 'sir'!" exclaimed Hermione and all the Granges started laughing loudly as the raven gave the offended expression again.
"It really looks like he understands us," Mrs Granger said in amazement.
"Well, he does. That's enough now, Lancelot!" said Hermione authoritatively after Lancelot had consumed his third bite of egg. He crowed meekly and fluttered back onto Hermione's shoulder. Her parents had astonishment written all over their faces.
"You should have been there yesterday when I had to put on a fashion show for his nest," Hermione giggled.
"I'll have to buy him another perch to sit on when I get a chance," Hermione said and her parents nodded.
Hermione spent the next three days almost exclusively in her room, alternately devouring her new school books and playing with Lancelot. In 'Hogwarts: A History' she read eagerly about the four founders and their houses into which the students were sorted on the first evening of the school year. Her eyes grew wide as she read about Rowena Ravenclaw and her attachment to ravens.
"That must be what Professor Dumbledore meant," she murmured, recalling her headmaster's comment when he had first seen her raven. From that moment on, she was certain which house she wanted to go to.
"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure," she kept repeating in her mind from then on while reading through the school books. As time went by, she grew more and more impatient and frustrated that she was reading about all sorts of useful spells here, but had not yet been allowed to try them out and practise them.
She remembered Dumbledore's serious look when he had explained to her that using spells outside of school for underage students led to legal consequences by the Ministry of Magic, in severe cases even to expulsion from school and the destruction of the wand. She decided to at least practice the wand movements described in the books.
She got a straight branch from the park that was about the same length as her wand so that she wouldn't accidentally cast a spell while holding the real wand. In the The Standard Book of Spells, there were a lot of spells explained, each of which required different wand movements. The moving pictures in the books made a twinkling beam sweep in an endless loop as the wand moved, to show how it should be moved.
Hermione kept pointing the branch at different places in her room, silently performing movements to different spells. At some point she became more courageous and also spoke the spells as she did so, as it was also important at which point in the movement the spell was spoken.
"Alohomora! Reparo! Wingardium Leviosa!" she called across her room.
"Accio!" she called as she pointed the branch at one of Lancelot's toys. When it moved and flew straight into her outstretched hand, she was euphoric and perplexed for a second before her blood froze in her veins. Horrified, she looked down at her hands. One held the branch she had found in the park that morning, the other Lancelot's toy. She felt the blood rush to her head. Her face grew hot. She dropped both objects on the floor, threw herself into bed and began to cry silently.
They would throw her out of school before she even got there. She had blown it all, her chance at a new life, a fresh start in a new society. What would they do? Would a wizard ring their doorbell the next moment and take all her belongings and Lancelot? She howled and pounded her fists into her pillow.
Hermione didn't even notice Lancelot gliding in through the open window, wings outstretched. However, a moment later, when a flutter drowned out her heavy sobs, Hermione looked up with puffy eyes. Standing inches from her face was her raven, cooing softly with his beak closed.
"I blew it!" cried Hermione amid more heavy sobs. Lancelot continued to coo rhythmically and placed a wing on Hermione's face. Hermione slowly calmed down under Lancelot's soft tones. She was amazed at how evidently Lancelot was trying to calm her down.
"You are truly magical," she whispered, stroking his back. Lancelot closed his eyes in relaxation and cooed again.
"But that won't change my situation, I used magic outside of school," Hermione said and a twinge went up her nose again, causing her eyes to moisten again. She brushed the new tears from her eyes and sat up.
"It was just a summoning charm, do you think they'll kick me out for that?" asked Hermione aloud. Lancelot puffed out his chest and shook himself.
All day Hermione was anxious as she played with Lancelot. At least she couldn't accidentally perform magic, Hermione thought. In the evening, when there was still nothing to indicate that she had been expelled, Hermione found the courage to look in the direction of her school books again. At the top of the pile was 'Hogwarts: A History'.
"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Hermione, remembering the book's table of contents. In the appendix was a self-updating set of school rules. Hermione pulled the book from the pile, dropped into her reading corner and opened it.
"Forbidden Forest, Common Rooms, Dormitories," Hermione muttered to herself as she read through each of the school rules while letting her index finger wander over them.
"Use of spells!" she said, inhaling sharply.
"Outside of the school grounds and the Hogwarts Express, the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery Decree applies. See Appendix Z III." Hermione flicked quickly through the pages as she searched for Appendix Z.
"Decree on the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. Underage wizards are not permitted to use spells outside the boundaries of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and will be immediately disciplined in all cases. In particularly serious cases, charges will be brought by the Ministry of Magic. The decree is enforced by the Detection Charm, commonly called 'The Trace', by any wand certified by the Ministry." Hermione's eyes widened. The decree was overseen by Ollivander's wand. She let the book snap shut loudly, which was commented on by Lancelot with an accusatory crow.
"Sorry," she said, thinking. She remembered the conversation with Professor Snape. He had asked her if she had never let anything happen before. How else was the Ministry supposed to distinguish magic done by underage students from magic done by toddlers who used magic subconsciously? Hermione regained some hope. If no one had contacted her by tomorrow, she would believe her hypothesis.
Anxious, but also cautiously confident, Hermione fell asleep and woke up the next morning after a restless night. Like every morning, she was greeted by Lancelot. She smiled at him and gently stroked his back.
"Will you join me for breakfast?" asked Hermione, offering her left shoulder to her raven, tossing her hair over her right shoulder. He landed on her free shoulder a few moments later and cooed. Hermione entered the kitchen and saw a note lying on the kitchen table.
"Mum's needed at the clinic too. I guess there's no egg for you today then," Hermione said with feigned sadness, which was commented on by a clamouring crow next to her ear.
"It's alright! Just kidding!" exclaimed Hermione, giggling as she pulled out a pan to cook herself some fried eggs. Lancelot seemed to like fried eggs too. The cheeky raven had even tried to steal half an egg off Hermione's toast in a moment of inattention, which Hermione prevented at the last moment and told him off.
"Don't get greedy, you can get your own food outside!" she shouted and laughed as Lancelot hid his head behind his wing in embarrassment.
For the next few hours, Hermione continued to think about what had happened the night before. She had performed a spell without her wand. How could that be? She remembered a paragraph in the introduction to the spells textbook that explained the focus. In the early history of magical society, the art of wand casting had been entirely unknown.
The first marginal spells were forcibly performed entirely without focus. It was not until the third century BC that a witch had succeeded in using a crystal as an amplifier of her magical powers. She had been the founder of focus research and after her crystals, ever stronger focuses had been created.
Silver swords and daggers were the predecessors of the first wands, which had been discovered shortly before Hogwarts was founded. This revolution in focal magic ushered in a new age in which powerful wizards and witches such as the four founders of Hogwarts, Merlin, and even Morgana pushed the boundaries of magical possibilities. The foci were used to direct and focus the magic that was present in the body of every magical being.
Hermione re-examined the stick she had found the day before. It had had a few more branches before Hermione had removed them from it and was very light. Hermione thought it impossible that she had found a wand by accident in the park that a wizard had lost there. At the steady flow of Mr. Ollivander's talk, she had overheard that each wand had a core of different materials.
To be quite sure, she snapped the branch in half without further ado. It was an ordinary branch. Hermione frowned. Had she performed the spell without focus, as the first wizards had done? Euphoria flooded Hermione's body, but she forced herself to remain calm and took a deep breath.
"Do you think it was a coincidence? Shall I try again?" asked Hermione of her raven, who in the meantime had snuggled back into his woolly beanie. He crowed once and blinked the eye he had turned towards her. Hermione took another deep breath, her heart beginning to beat faster with excitement.
"If they do catch me, I'll tell them I wanted to prepare for school as best I could and I don't want to hurt anyone," she encouraged herself. Since she had broken her spare wand, this time she only reached out for a piece of Lancelot's sorting puzzle.
"Accio," she whispered. Nothing happened. The little ring had not moved a millimetre. Frowning, Hermione looked at the broken branch on the desk.
"Accio!" she said a little louder. Again the ring stayed in place. Hermione scratched her head in confusion. Had it really just been a coincidence? She remembered something and her eyebrows lifted. She reached out with her left hand again for the ring and called the spell again, but this time performed the whip-like motion with her hand that was described in the textbook.
Lancelot jumped up as Hermione let out a loud whoop. The ring had flown into her hand. Cheering, she jumped up and down in her room. She had done it! She turned her gaze back to the broken branch and picked it up. She placed the two pieces on the desk in front of Lancelot and giggled as he nibbled briefly on one of them.
"Watch Lancelot, Reparo!" she said, moving her hand in an arc over the two pieces. They instantly joined together seamlessly and Lancelot crowed loudly as he bobbed up and down in his woolly hat. Wide-eyed, Hermione picked up the branch and examined the closed fracture. There was no longer any sign that the two halves had ever been separated. Lancelot crowed once more, causing Hermione to look up at him. The raven fluttered its left wing once, turned and flew out the open window to the outside.
"See you later!" she called after him.
Hermione was euphoric and wanted to try the next spell from the textbook right away.
"Wingardium Leviosa," she said aloud after placing the branch back on the desk in front of her. She gave a sharp cry and put her hands in front of her face protectively as the branch in front of her burst with a loud bang like a New Year's Eve firecracker, leaving only rapidly burning sparks from it. Heart pounding and eyes wide, she looked at the black spot on her desk where the branch had been a moment ago.
She placed a hand on her chest over her heart and dropped into her reading corner. After a brief respite, Hermione pulled out the textbook to find out what she had done wrong. She could find nothing in the description. She had performed the movement exactly as the shiny tail in the book had demonstrated.
Then she recognised some signs under the name that she had not noticed before. Each spell was shown again in phonetic script under the name in print to clarify its pronunciation. She quickly realised her mistake. She had mistakenly emphasised the 'e' in Leviosa more clearly than the 'o'. Luckily Lancelot had not been in the room, Hermione thought, and resolved to practise each new spell first when he was out.
She continued to practise summoning charms for the rest of the afternoon and ventured into the levitation charm once more in the evening, after placing the reproachfully crowing Lancelot on the outside window sill and closing the window. She giggled when she saw that he made no move to fly away and instead watched her through the window.
"Okay, don't panic! Wingardium Leviosa!" she said loudly and clearly in a confident voice. The hazelnut she had placed in front of her lifted a few inches off the desk and hovered at the level of her right index finger. Hermione sighed in relief and raised her hand to let the nut float higher. She lost focus for a moment because Lancelot was crowing and knocking on the window pane, his eyes fixed on the floating nut. The nut instantly fell back onto the desk onto the desk and rolled over the edge.
Hermione laughed and let the wailing bird back in.
"You'll get the nut when you snatch it out of the air," Hermione said teasingly.
"Watch out, Wingardium Leviosa!" she called again and the nut floated back to where her index finger directed it. Lancelot fluttered off, but missed the nut the first time. He settled briefly on the crossbar of her wardrobe and turned. A second time he lunged for the nut, this time catching it with his outstretched claws. Triumphantly, he turned a circle around Hermione's room and finally settled into his hat, where he cracked and ate the nut. He carefully placed the broken pieces of the shell in front of the beanie, which made Hermione giggle.
"You really are meticulous about cleanliness, dearest Lancelot!" she said melodically, and her raven crowed in agreement. Hermione laughed and picked up the shells to throw them in the bin. She could have tried another spell with them, but she could feel the use of magic had exhausted her by now. She yawned and went to brush her teeth before wishing Lancelot a good night, her eyes falling shut as soon as she turned off her nightlight.
Over the next two days, Hermione systematically worked through her Charms, Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts textbooks. She noticed that her body was getting used to performing magic, as day by day she was less tired of casting spells. It was thanks to her caution that only one other spell had gone wrong. While trying to turn an apple into a knitting needle, she had singed a strand of her hair when red sparks burst from the apple and a moment later its brown remains slapped her in the face.
She didn't let her two failures get her down, however; in fact, she was even more focused in her approach to each new spell. After the mishap with the apple, Lancelot had also stopped protesting in front of the window pane. Apparently he had realised that it wasn't all that bad to have a protective window pane between himself and the new spell Hermione was trying out.
However, after going through her books and trying the things that were within her capabilities, Hermione began to think. It was only the first of August, the start of school was still a whole month away. What was she to do in the meantime? Then it occurred to her that she could return to Diagon Alley.
Dumbledore had explained to her that tapping the brick only determined the identity of the witch or wizard via the wand, but no spell was needed to enter Diagon Alley. After she put on her doe-eyed look with her father, he agreed to drive her to Charing Cross Road and drop her off at the Leaky Cauldron. Back she would go by public transport so as not to be pressed for time.
"Have a good time! And don't spend all your money!" her father said seriously but warmly.
"I promise!" said Hermione, giving her father a kiss on the cheek as a goodbye before opening the door of the carriage and hopping out onto the pavement. She gleefully walked the few yards to the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron. When she had stepped through the front door, she took a quick look around the dark, dingy pub. A few witches sat in a corner drinking sherry from small glasses, one of them smoking a long pipe. Her gaze roamed and lingered on a gigantic man who was talking to the man Hermione recognised as Professor Quirrell.
Standing with them was a boy who appeared to be about her age. All attention in the pub was on the boy. Hermione decided not to be stopped and hurried to the backyard where she drew her wand and counted off the bricks. When she found the brick, she tapped it three times with her wand and grinned as she watched the gate to Diagon Alley open.
It was noticeably busier today than the day she had been here with Professor Dumbledore. Glad that she didn't have to work through her list in this hustle and bustle, she skipped blithely off in the direction of 'Madam Malkin's Suits for All Occasions'. So that she wouldn't stand out so much in her muggle outfit, she got herself a plain everyday robe.
"Much better!" said Madam Malkin with a smile, pulling up the corner of her mouth slightly as she put Hermione's Muggle clothes into a paper bag.
"I'm always amazed at the Muggles' fashion sense," she said, shaking her head and looking at Hermione with a smile, who understood that she meant no disrespect.
"Child, you need to do something about your glasses, stop by and see my good friend Arkadius Oculus, he can definitely help you. And tell him I said hello," Madam Malkin said, collecting the gold for the robe. Hermione swallowed and nodded. Leaving the shop, she made her way to the shop Madam Malkin had advised her to visit, eager to see what Arkadius Oculus could possibly do for her.
"Good afternoon! Oh, I can tell already. My poor child, all will be well in a moment!" the elderly wizard with thinning hair greeted her and beckoned her to join him at the counter.
"I'm to give greetings from Madam Malkin," Hermione said, stepping closer to the wizard.
"Thank you very much. Now let me see, my child," he said with a smile, holding out the flat of his hand.
"Your glasses," he added with a smile as Hermione made an effort to pull out her purse.
"We'll deal with the financial matters later, for now you need to be helped, my dear," he said. Hermione took off her glasses, whereupon the man blurred and she could only see the outline of the various lenses behind him in half focus. Arkadius Oculus accepted the glasses. A moment later, a blur of yellow light lit up in front of her, whereupon the glasses were placed in her hand again.
"That takes care of the main problem," he said, and Hermione put the glasses back on. She looked at the man, puzzled, because she couldn't tell the difference. Arkadius waved his wand and suddenly Hermione was surrounded by mirrors in which she could look at her face from all sides. Hermione gasped when she saw her eyes in the mirror. The eyes that were looking at her were not magnified to more than twice their size. It looked as if her glasses had been replaced with thin window glass. She smiled broadly and got moist eyes.
Her greatest dream had come true. More than anything else in the world, she had hated what those glasses had done to her face. No new frame had ever been able to satisfy her, it had always been damage control in her opinion. No frame, no matter how nice, could distract long enough from her extremely enlarged eyes. Debbie and her comments had never had much effect on her self-perception.
She had merely poured a few drops of oil on an already blazing fire that Hermione herself had ignited and kept alive. Now to see her brown eyes in normal proportions in her face was the best gift she had ever received. It felt like a heavy steel armour was being lifted from her shoulders.
"Excuse me," she said, smiling and brushing the tears from her eyes as Arkadius floated the mirrors up to the ceiling and smiled at her in understanding.
"Do not apologise, my child! Look at what beauty the Muggles tried to hide from us," he said, raising his index finger.
"But we're not done yet, come this way," he added, gesturing Hermione to come with him to a corner of the shop.
"Now my dear, let's find you a nicer frame. I can't for the life of me let you go like that!" said Arkadius, waving his wand.
"Well, I think - that should - not bad!" he muttered to himself, reminding Hermione of Mr. Ollivander.
"Done, that should flatter your eyes and cheekbones, don't you think?" he said gleefully, and already the mirror front had descended upon Hermione again. Hermione smiled and looked at the girl in the mirror, who had little in common with the Hermione who had entered the shop.
Of course she still had her bushy hair and prominent front teeth, but the most disfiguring feature in her opinion had been banished from her face. A subtle, barely perceptible silver frame supported the slightly trapezoidal lenses with rounded corners that actually highlighted her cheekbones.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Oculus! You are my saviour!" said Hermione gratefully, clasping her hands together in front of her nose in disbelief.
"Don't mention it, my dearest. For me it is the most beautiful work. Almost every year I get to take those hideous Muggle glasses off young witches and wizards and show them what beautiful faces they have after all. A true gift," Mr. Oculus said. Hermione smiled and actually took out her purse now.
"How much is that please?" she asked.
"Two galleons and ten sickles, since it was the first setting. If you come by for the next few years I'll fit your glasses for a small amount of sickles, after all you're just at the beginning of your development," he said and Hermione nodded eagerly.
"Sir, I have one more question. Do you also have contact lenses?" asked Hermione hopefully.
"Of course, my dear!" the wizard replied with a smile. "May I take the liberty of asking why you haven't been wearing them until now? If I remember correctly, Muggles also make these kinds of eye lenses?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.
"With us - er I mean Muggles, the earliest they prescribe contact lenses is when you're 14, sir," Hermione replied and Mr Oculus frowned.
"Well, that should be a laugh, in a hundred years we still made everyone contact lenses that fit. One moment please," said Arkadius and went through a small curtain to the back of his workshop. A few moments later he returned with a small wooden box. He opened it to reveal two sockets, each containing a glass contact lens.
"Before I let you try the contact lenses, I must inform you of their price, Miss. It is nine galleons," he said, but raised his index finger to let the surprised looking Hermione know that an explanation of the price followed.
"Since you are not allowed to use magic outside of school, it would be difficult to retrieve the contact lenses from your eyes. So we put a little spell on the storage box here, see?" he explained, taking one of the contact lenses between his thumb and index finger and removing it from the socket. He dropped the contact lens next to the box from a height of about half a metre. Hermione watched in fascination as about halfway down the lens slowed down and settled perfectly back into its frame. Hermione clapped her hands together at this impressive demonstration of magical craftsmanship.
"You can insert and remove the contact lenses by hand outside of school by holding the box near your eyes. Of course, if you are allowed to use the wand, the levitation charm is easier in combination with the summoning charm. The lenses also have several spells built in with a lifetime guarantee. Like your glasses, these lenses adapt perfectly to your particular eye, you will never need another pair if you take care of them. However, that just means you shouldn't accidentally let an erumpent step on them. The lenses can withstand a little under 1000 pounds of weight. Fitting them to your eyes applies to both compensating for your vision loss and adjusting the size to your growing eyes. Also, the lenses don't need to be moistened like the Muggle lenses and repel all dirt."
Hermione's mouth had dropped open wider and wider at the list of abilities.
"So, if I wear these contacts, I'll never need glasses again?" asked Hermione.
"It's not quite that simple, you will need to keep the lenses in the storage box for a total of 22 hours within a week to prevent the spells on the lenses from fading. I would advise you to keep them charged whenever you can when you go to bed," said Mr Oculus.
"I'll pay for the glasses first then, I'd get the contacts later, can you reserve them for me please?" said Hermione, counting out the gold and silver coins.
"Gladly, my dear. To go with your glasses, you will receive a shatterproof spectacle box with your first purchase," he said delightedly and with a wave of his wand, a larger version of the beautifully crafted contact lens box appeared, emblazoned in gold letters, 'Oculus. Eyesight since 500 BC'. Hermione's eyes widened.
"Five hundred BC!" she exclaimed.
"Certainly, my dear, my ancestor Zerkzes Oculus created the first magic spectacles. The craft is in our blood," he said with a wink. Gladly, Hermione paid for the glasses that had made her biggest complex vanish into thin air. Beaming happily, she left the shop and headed for Gringotts to retrieve gold from her vault.
On the way, she thought about the contact lenses. 9 galleons was almost a quarter of her annual budget, but she had to treat herself to this piece of magic. She withdrew 15 Galleons, which meant she had 15 more left for the rest of the school year. Since she had no running costs at Hogwarts and would be spending the holidays with her parents, the math would add up easily. Since Flourish & Blotts was between Gringotts and Mr. Oculus' shop, Hermione wanted to look for some new reading first.
With her new glasses and robe, she felt like a full part of magical society for the first time. She couldn't hide her smile and many of the wizards and witches who came towards her returned it. In the bookshop, she first looked for a book to learn new spells. She decided on 'Achievements in Charming' as it contained a wider range of spells than the second grade Charms textbook and she would get the book for free next year. She browsed a little through the shelves of books that covered magic in theory. A familiar name caught her eye and she took the book from the shelf.
"The Doctrine of Magic Mind Powers - Sigmund Freud," she read the title quietly and opened the book with interest, skimming the table of contents. After glancing at the price on the back, she decided to buy the book. She also bought 'Transfiguration through the Ages', which was also not a Hogwarts textbook and covered a wide range of transfiguration spells. Satisfied with her new books, she went to the counter to pay for them.
"Excuse me, is there also a way to borrow books or read them here?" asked Hermione of the wizard standing behind the counter.
"Oh yes, there are several options. You can join the Blotts Club, which gives you access to all the books offered in our shop for a monthly sickle amount. You will receive a Blotts Book, which will show the contents of the book of your choice at your request. For Hogwarts students, a subscription to the Daily Prophet, Transfiguration Today and the Charms Star is included on top of that. Would you be interested?" the wizard explained, looking at her questioningly.
"How does this Blotts Book work?" asked Hermione, clearly interested.
"If you'd like to follow me for a moment, we have a sample copy right over there," he said, escorting Hermione to a small high table on which lay a book with a red cover accompanied by a quill with a barrel of ink.
"See here, at the beginning the book is completely blank. With the Flourish Quill, tap once against the first page and this will bring up an overview of your registered books. Now you can tap the book with your quill and its contents will be displayed in the book. In your personal copy of the book, your notes will also be saved," he explained and tapped on the first entry of the register.
The title "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" appeared. The wizard demonstratively flipped a few pages further to show Hermione the notes feature. They both blushed as they recognised a drawing of a minimalist penis on the page.
"Bloody child-heads!" the wizard hissed, erasing the drawing with his wand.
"Where was I? Ah, as you can see, you can also erase notes," the wizard explained, still with his head flushed. Hermione giggled.
"You can order the books you want to read in the Blotts Book by Owl Form," the wizard concluded his sales pitch.
"Why isn't that used at Hogwarts, wouldn't it be handy to have all the school books in one book with you?" asked Hermione frowning.
"The Blotts Book has only been out for two months. My bosses are still negotiating contracts with the school and the Ministry," the wizard explained, scratching the back of his head.
"Besides, they haven't gone into mass production yet. So you're still getting a handmade one-off," he added.
"So I can order my school books by Owl Form for the Blotts Book then?" asked Hermione.
"The range of school books is currently still reserved for the publishers, so for the time being you would have to go for the school books that are on your shopping list, I'm afraid. Would you still be interested? The books you have chosen to buy would be available," the salesman replied. To Hermione, that sounded like an unbeatable offer.
"How much does the book cost?" she asked, counting her remaining budget in her mind.
"The Blotts Book costs four galleons, including the Flourish Quill and a barrel of ink. For Hogwarts students, the purchase of the book also includes membership of the Blotts Club and thus the previously mentioned subscriptions for one year," the shop assistant summarised. Hermione weighed the offer in her head. A tenth of her budget, in exchange for a replaceable book and a year of Blotts Club. It sounded like a good deal.
"Then I'd like to accept the offer. Can I also register the books here in the shop?" she asked. The wizard nodded delightedly and escorted Hermione back to the sales counter where, with a wave of his wand, a Blotts Book, quill and inkwell appeared.
"Then if you would just fill in your name and home address here," the salesman said, laying a form and quill down for Hermione. Hermione filled in the form and handed it back to him.
"Thank you," he said and tapped the parchment once with his wand. The text disappeared and was replaced by a new one. The wizard read the lines briefly and then looked at her, beaming.
"I see that you are benefiting from the support of Muggle-born students. That brings the final amount to two galleons, Miss Granger," the clerk said kindly. Hermione beamed and placed two galleons and five sickles on the counter.
"The five sickles are for you, you gave such great service!" said Hermione and the wizard smiled and thanked her effusively. With the book in the bag, Hermione left the bookshop and headed to Mr Oculus to finish her shopping trip soon.
She acquired the contact lenses and, on her way back to the Leaky Cauldron, bought herself enough sweets for a few sickles to tide her over until school started. Happily, Hermione took the tube towards Fulham and walked the last bit home, making a happy hop from time to time. She wasn't bothered by the strange looks Muggles gave her new robe.
"Thank goodness I went back to Diagon Alley," she thought to herself.