Chapter 2 - The GrangersOn Monday morning, Harry and Hermione went to class as usual with no one being the wiser as to what had occurred to them on Halloween evening. They stayed near each other now, but did not hold hands or otherwise do anything special. No matter where they went, Harry always knew where Hermione was and she always knew where he was. It was becoming instinctual for each of them.
By the time Potions was to start, they had dealt with most of their new feelings and were at ease with them. Then they ran into Draco Malfoy outside the classroom as they all waited for Snape to open the door.
"Well, well, well," Malfoy drawled, as he looked Harry and Hermione over. "I see you're standing closer to the Mudblood now, Potter. How much did she have to pay you?" He was smirking and looking to his friends so he did not see the anger appear on Harry's face. Only Hermione's arm on his and a whisper from her saved the Slytherin.
"No, Harry," she quickly whispered. "Remember, I really don't care what he calls me. Besides, I can take care of him in my own way when I need to." Harry subsided enough to control himself.
Malfoy was not done with them yet. "Or have you finally realized, Potter, how stupid you are, so you need at least one friend to take with you when they expel you?"
Now Hermione started to get angry. Harry put a hand on her arm. "I'll never be as stupid and unnatural as you are Malfoy." The Slytherin bristled. "At least I have a friend who is a girl. Who do you have, Malfoy? All I ever see you with is two boys."
Whatever Malfoy might have said or done was interrupted by Snape opening the door to the classroom. "Everyone, get in and take your places." There was a small rush through the door to comply. Harry and Draco eyed each other warily.
Snape spent a few minutes lecturing about a burn salve before everyone was sent to a work table to brew one. As usual, he stalked around the room, offering advice to the Slytherins and taking points from the Gryffindors. Neville got lucky when his salve turned hard instead of exploding. The result was the same: a zero for the day.
While Harry was trying to finish up his salve, he noticed something flying through the air towards his caldron. Without thought, his hand snapped up and blocked the object, causing it to fall to the floor. He would have caught it, but it was pointy and hurt the palm of his hand.
"What's this?" Snape demanded as he turned around and looked down at the object near Harry's feet. "A thistle pod? What were you planning on doing with this, Mr Potter? Do you even realize how much this could have hurt someone if you had thrown it into a cauldron?"
Harry worked hard to maintain a calm expression. "I didn't, sir. Someone threw it at my cauldron and I blocked it."
Snape sneered. "A likely story. That will be twenty points from Gryffindor for lying and detention tonight for trying to sabotage someone else's work."
Harry took a breath to tell Snape that it was the truth, when he felt a hand on the middle of his back make a small rubbing motion. Suddenly feeling a little calmer, he only said, "Sir," as an acknowledgement.
Snape looked down upon him for a moment longer before pulling his wand out and Vanishing the thistle pod on the floor and returning to the front of the class. "Everyone, turn in your work with your name on it."
Harry turned and saw Hermione looking at him with a pleased look on her face. "When we're outside, Harry," she quietly told him. He nodded and they turned in their work and left the classroom.
He started to ask her what she was thinking when she led them both away from the crowd going to the Great Hall for lunch. Instead, he asked, "Where are we going?"
Hermione stopped and looked at him. "I finally realized what a poor teacher Professor Snape really is today. He may be a master at brewing potions, but he is a poor teacher. My parents raised me to talk to them when I had trouble with a teacher. I can write them, but we were also told when we came here that we have a family at school, and we need to talk to the head of our family."
With that said, she turned and started walking again. She was going fast enough that Harry had to run a few steps to catch up. He was not sure what she meant, but she obviously had an idea what to do about Snape and he wanted to see what it was.
A few moments later, they were standing outside Professor McGonagall's classroom. She was still inside, seated at her desk, her last class having already left for lunch.
Hermione knocked on the doorframe. "Professor? May we have a few minutes of your time?"
McGonagall looked up, surprised to see them there. "Of course, Miss Granger, Mr Potter. Please come in."
"Harry, please close the door," Hermione said as she went to the front, taking the desk directly in front of her head of house. Harry joined her a few seconds later.
"How may I help you, Miss Granger?" It was obvious that Hermione was the reason the two students were there.
"Professor, I would like to protest a punishment given to a student and ask that it be reversed," she boldly stated.
McGonagall was shocked. Hermione had never, to her knowledge, gone against anything a teacher had said or done. "I see. Can you please tell me what happened and where it happened?"
Hermione explained about what went on in their Potions class in precise detail.
"Is that true, Mr Potter?" McGonagall asked after a moment.
"Yes, Professor. You can even see the prickles on my hand from where it hit." He showed the palm of his left hand and there was indeed five red spots grouped together in the middle of his palm.
McGonagall took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "You ask a difficult thing, Miss Granger. The normal policy is that a teacher is in charge of his or her classroom; therefore, whatever Professor Snape says or does in his classroom is not changed by any other teacher, just like he can not change what happens in my classroom."
Hermione was not happy to hear that. "Is that still true even when the teacher lies and unjustly punishes a student?"
McGonagall rubbed her right temple. She was in a difficult spot, and she mostly blamed the Headmaster for that at the moment. "Ideally, that should never happen, Miss Granger, but I understand that it could."
"And what are we students to do, in such a situation? Others in the class saw it. Is there an official complaint process?" Hermione pressed.
"Yes. In the case that the student feels a severe injustice was done, there is an official complaint process," McGonagall reluctantly admitted, knowing this was going to create a lot of problems. On the other hand, perhaps it was time to cross this bridge and for Albus to be forced to do the right thing. "Mr Potter would have to fill the complaint form out and get it signed by his guardian before we could start."
Harry sighed and looked down. "Well, that kills it. My aunt would probably congratulate Snape for what he does to me."
McGonagall managed to freeze her expression as she thought about what he had said. She hoped he was exaggerating.
Hermione was incensed. "So," she ground out, "because Harry's relatives don't care what happens to him, there's nothing he can do to have this injustice fixed or even to protect himself from Professor Snape?"
"Unless it can be shown that Professor Snape purposefully tried to injure him, that is correct. I'm sorry, Miss Granger, but the policies assume there is a caring parent or legal guardian." When neither student said anything more, she told them. "I would suggest you do as Professor Snape asks in class, and otherwise avoid him. Unless you have another issue, you should hurry to lunch, as it will be almost half over by the time you get there."
Hermione was not happy, but she realized there was nothing else to be done at the moment. "Thank you for the information, Professor." She got up and left; Harry dutifully followed her.
In the corridor, she turned to Harry and gave him a hug, not knowing if it was more for him or for her. "That is so unfair," she told him before she let go and started slowly walking to lunch. "There must be something we can do."
"It doesn't sound like it," Harry said dejectedly. He was surprised at what Hermione was doing for him, but he also considered that if their positions had been reversed, he would have done the same for her. He looked at her and gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks for trying."
She blushed slightly but did not look away. After a moment, her smile broadened.
"What?" he asked.
"We need to trade places in class, Harry. That will put me closer to Malfoy and then if he tried to throw anything into your cauldron, it would probably hit mine instead." She was very pleased with her idea.
"But, Hermione…"
"No, Harry, don't you see? I would have no problem getting my parents to sign a complaint form."
That bothered Harry. "Hermione, no! I can't let you get hurt like that."
"Harry, in the Potions classroom, I can protect myself better than you can. If something does go into my caldron, I can counteract it."
"Assuming you have time and it doesn't explode," Harry muttered. "I still don't like it," he told her fervently.
She smiled and reached out to quickly squeeze his hand. "I know, because I want to protect you too, but trust me, Harry. Trust me like I trust you."
Harry stopped just before they walked into the Great Hall. "It's hard, Hermione," he quietly told her. "I've never had anyone I can trust before."
Hermione controlled her emotions as best she could; she did not want to burst into tears at the moment. "Try your best to give me the chance, Harry. Feel what we have. When I think about you, I know I can trust you."
He nodded. "I know; I feel it too. That's why I've shared so much with you, but it's such a new feeling. It's just my habit not to trust anyone."
"I know you can do it, Harry, just give it time. Now come on, we need to quickly eat." She led him to the Great Hall.
As they sat at the table, Ron looked at them. "Where have you been?"
"Elsewhere," Harry said curtly, his anger quickly rising against his so-called friend for what he had done to his real best friend.
Ron looked perplexed. "What did I do?" he asked the table at large, but Harry answered him.
"You owe Hermione something before you can expect anything from us," he said a little fiercely, leaving Ron as confused as before. Harry then ignored the boy and started on lunch. Hermione said nothing.
It had been a long seven weeks since Halloween, and both Harry and Hermione were looking forward to Christmas break. Classes went on as normal, with Potions continuing to be the worst. They had tried to switch places, but Snape had not let them. Malfoy had tried to twice more to ruin Harry's work by adding foreign substances to Harry's cauldron, but he had missed both times. While Harry had avoided detention for each of those attempts, he had lost another forty points, not including all of the other points Harry had lost for other supposed misdeeds. Throughout it all, Hermione was supportive and documented it all.
After the discussion with McGonagall, Hermione had written her parents a long letter. In it, she had explained about her new friend in detail, minus the information about their connection. She was sure they were not ready to hear that their twelve year-old daughter was now magically bound to an eleven year-old boy. She was also sure she could not adequately explain it either. All of her searching in the library had turned up nothing useful.
She had one last task before they left for the holidays and she embarked on it immediately after breakfast in the hour before the train left for London. Harry had her travel bag and her book bag and was waiting for her in the Entrance Hall. Armed with a note, should she need it, she knocked on Professor McGonagall's door.
"Miss Granger. What can I do for you?"
"Professor, I would like to either have or borrow a copy of the school policies for the Professors. I looked and did not find it in the library."
McGonagall pursed her lips as she thought. Yet again, Hermione was asking a difficult question. "Why don't you come in, Miss Granger?"
"As long as it doesn't take too long, Professor. The train leaves in an hour." She did her best to not appear impatient.
"I shall try to be brief then. Why do you want the teacher's manual, Miss Granger? That is not something we normally give to students." Minerva had an idea, but needed to hear it for herself.
"My mother has requested to look at it. If I were at the school I would have gone to had I not come to Hogwarts, those polices would have been easily available to her by going to the school. Since she can not come here, I'm forwarding her request," Hermione explained, hoping she looked more calm and poised than she felt.
Minerva had guessed correctly. "I see. If your mother was here, I could let her look at my copy."
Knowing it was going to be necessary now, and mentally thankful for her mother's foresight, Hermione pulled out the note and handed it over. "A note from my mother requesting to borrow it. She will give it to me to return when I come back after the holiday."
McGonagall read the note and found it as the girl had said. "Very well, Miss Granger. Since your parents can't easily visit me, I shall lend you my copy. Please see that you return it to me after the holidays." She went over to a shelf, pulled a slim book out, and handed it to the girl.
"Thank you, Professor. I'll see that it's well taken care of."
"I'm sure you will. One last question before you leave, Miss Granger." She had wondered something and this would be her only chance to find out.
"Certainly, Professor." Hermione wondered what her teacher wanted to know. She had a look that appeared both curious and as if she did not want to know the answer.
"Can you tell me why Mr Potter is going home for the holidays if he does not like his relatives?" McGonagall watched the girl carefully and saw several expressions cross her face, including one that she interpreted as considering to lie.
After a moment, Hermione said, "Harry has made an arrangement with them that will allow both parties to enjoy Christmas, at least much as is possible. Beyond that, I'm sure it's not my place to say."
Minerva easily recognized the careful wording and wondered what was being avoided. "So he does have his guardian's permission to leave Hogwarts."
"Yes, Professor," she replied with a straight face and no hesitation. Harry did have a letter from his aunt. It said that he could spend it anywhere he wanted, as long as it was not with them.
"Very well. I was concerned for him." There was no more that could be easily asked. "I wish both of you a Happy Christmas," McGonagall said with a gentle voice and a nod of the head.
"Thank you, Professor. Happy Christmas to you as well." Hermione beat a hasty but orderly retreat, quickly walking to meet her friend and the train.
Minerva McGonagall slowly closed the door after one of her favourite students and thoughtfully considered the conversation. With a shake of her head, she said to herself, "Albus, I believe you will have an interesting new year." Grabbing another cup of hot tea, she made herself comfortable in front of her warm fire and tried to finish the last of her grading before lunch.
Hermione and Harry had spent an enjoyable trip with Neville Longbottom in their compartment. Neville had been quite shy at first, but they had finally gotten him to talk by asking about Christmas traditions in the Wizarding World. Since he was the only one there with that knowledge, he was soon so wrapped up in telling them everything that he forgot to be nervous. The other two learned a lot.
The conversation had done one other thing, besides being educational and passing the time. It had stopped Harry from thinking about meeting Hermione's parents until they arrived at King's Cross. However, when they arrived at the train station, he almost went into a panic.
"Harry, calm down," Hermione admonished him. "Mum has already said how much she wants to meet you."
"It's not your mum I'm afraid to meet," he said weakly, walking as slowly as he could towards the barrier between Platform 9 ¾ and the Muggle side of the station.
"Don't worry, Harry. Mum said that Dad wants to meet you too." Her comforting words were not taken as such by her best friend.
"That's what I'm afraid of." Harry stopped three steps in front of the barrier and refused to walk any further.
"Harry," she said with much exasperation, "don't make a mountain out of a mole-hill. They will like you or I'll be very unhappy with them. Come!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him forward after her.
His heart swelled as he thought about her caring enough to stand up to her parents for not liking him. He almost stumbled as she pulled him, but he kept up and put on his bravest face as they went through the portal to the rest of the train station.
Just on the other side he got his first look at them in person. He easily recognized them since she had shown him pictures of her family a few weeks ago. As they approached her parents, he realized she was still holding his hand, but he could not disengage without hurting her feelings. He also realized that her parents were looking at their hands as well.
Hermione finally let go when they got close. "Mum!" She gave her mother a hug. "Dad!" Her father received a hug as well.
Harry took in her parents. Her mother was like an older Hermione in many ways - same build, same colour of hair, and even same type of hair, although her mother wore hers longer and seemed to have a little more control over it. She looked fairly average, attractive but average. Her father was several inches taller than her mother. He had a distinguished look with a slight greying at the temples of his medium brown hair. He also looked to be in decent shape; there was no beer belly on him. Harry could see Hermione had his eyes and tall forehead, even though his friend looked mostly like her mother.
Hermione took a step back next to Harry. "This is my best friend, Harry Potter."
"Hello, Harry. I've heard so much about you." Mrs Granger stepped forward and gave Harry a gentle hug. "I'm glad you could come spend the holidays with us."
"Thank you, Mrs Granger," he told her shyly.
"Think nothing of it." She turned slightly. "This is my husband, Dan, and I'm Emma."
"Hello, Harry," the man said simply and gave him a firm handshake, which Harry did his best to return. "Now that we know one another, how about we go find the car? Let me get your bag, Kitten," Dan told his daughter.
"Daaad," she complained as if scandalized, instantly going red.
Her father grabbed her bag of clothes with one hand and put one arm over her shoulder that was carrying her book bag. "I'm sure Harry will understand and recognize you by either name," he said with a teasing smile.
As they took the lead, Emma fell in step with Harry, who carried his single bag. "Did you not bring your bag of clothes too?"
Harry smiled at the question, wondering just how much his friend was probably like her mother. "Uh, no. I put all of my clothes in with my school things in my book bag."
"Oh," she smiled. "You pack more efficiently than my daughter."
"I probably have fewer things," he said, not sure of what he should say.
"I hope you don't mind, but I asked Hermione a few things about you so I could prepare better. You know, favourite foods or anything you're allergic to."
He could not help but smile. The thought of having someone care enough to ask about what he liked was a marvel. "No, I don't mind at all. You're very thoughtful," he blushed and quietly added, "just like Hermione."
Emma gave him a wry smile. "I do like to hope that I've raised her well."
"She's the best." When he noticed her giving him an inquisitive look, he hastily added, "She's my best friend and I couldn't imagine how she could be any better." That seemed to satisfy the woman.
"Over here," Dan said as he weaved his way through the cars in the car park. A moment later, they were behind a shiny black BMW. He opened the boot of the car and the kids put their bags in. A minute later, he was driving the family towards home.
During the drive, there was much conversation between the three Grangers concerning the holidays, mostly asking Hermione about what she wanted to do. Harry had no opinion, when asked about favourite traditions, since he had none. He saw Emma frown at that, but it was very brief and he was not totally sure he had really seen her do that.
In what seemed like no time, they had arrived at a nice neighbourhood of older houses that were well maintained. They were much larger than the house the Dursleys lived in and much more distinctive. Dan pulled into the driveway of an immaculate two-storey house with large trees. They grabbed their bags and went in.
"Show Harry to the blue guest room, dear," Emma told her daughter. "After you've dropped your things off, please come right back down. Dinner should be ready in a few minutes."
Harry was impressed with the guest room. It was as big as his aunt's bedroom and better furnished. Hermione took a moment to show him her room. Other than the pictures of a few cats doing funny things on the walls, it would have been hard to tell if the room belonged to a boy or a girl. In a way, he was not surprised.
Downstairs, Harry found Emma carrying dishes of food to the dining room, which was set with expensive looking dishes, silverware, and crystal.
"I hope you're impressed, Harry," Hermione whispered to him. "Mum pulled out the good stuff for you."
He looked embarrassed and started to protest, but Hermione giggled and grinned at him, effectively shutting him up.
"Have a seat, Harry," Dan waved him to the setting that was by itself on one side. Dan took the chair on the end, leaving two settings across from Harry for the two Granger women. All four place settings were at one end of the table. "I hope you don't mind this arrangement. It's part of the hazards of having a larger table."
Harry shook his head as he took his place at the long table that could comfortably seat twelve. Emma started passing the food around.
Harry took a little bit of everything, and found it good. "This is wonderful, as good as we get at school," he told her enthusiastically.
Emma looked at her daughter.
"It is very good, Mum. The fact that you can cook as well as magical elves that specialize in cooking is something to be proud of," Hermione explained.
"Thank you, Harry," she said graciously, now that she understood. "Please tell me about your school year so far and how you like Hogwarts. Feel free to tell me anything. Even if Hermione has told me, I'm sure your perspective will be different."
Harry was not sure how to answer as the term had been very mixed, he thought. Hermione gave him an encouraging smile. "I, uh, I've liked most of it so far. The school's very nice, great even. It's a real castle with everything you'd expect inside. There are suits of armour in the corridor, gargoyles on the outside, ghosts gliding around. The magic in it is awesome. I feel like it's my new home."
"That's good to hear," Dan told him. "How do you feel about the classes? Are you learning what you thought you would?"
Harry thought that a strange question until he remembered her parents probably knew very little about the Wizarding world, just like he had not until what seemed like a few short months ago. "Most of my classes are all right. I'm learning some cool things and Hermione has been helping me a lot. I know how to study much better after her tutoring." He gave her a slightly bashful smile, which she returned.
"What do you think of your teachers?" Emma asked him, looking at him curiously but not threateningly.
He knew he was being grilled, at least on some level, but they were so nice about it he did not care. "Most of them are nice and seem very knowledgeable. I'm only in first year, so it's hard to know how good they really are."
Emma looked at Harry's plate and saw that it was empty. "Harry, I have some treacle tart. Hermione said it was your favourite. Would you like some?"
"Yes, ma'am."
She smiled and got up to get the dish, back after only a few seconds. As she set it down in front of him, she asked. "I've noticed that you've answered that most or many things were good, implying that some were not. If you would, could you please tell me what is not so good or what is not going right?"
Harry froze with his fork embedded in the dessert on his plate. He glanced up at Hermione who had a slightly surprised look.
"Please, Harry," Dan coaxed him. "Hermione has told us of some things in her letters and we'd like to hear your view. You're not in trouble in any way. We just want to know and we might be able to help you."
"Help me?" he almost squeaked.
Emma sighed and put her fork down, while giving Harry a caring smile. "Harry, Hermione sent us a letter explaining a few things about one of your classes and honestly, Dan and I are appalled. We know that some things will be done differently at your school just because it's magical. We understand that it's a different world. One we have to keep secret, but we're a part of it too, thanks to Hermione. Dan and I are on the very fringe of it, but that does not stop us from loving our daughter any less, or from accepting her friends. Things may be a little different at your new school, but some things are the same for all schools. I'm sorry if you feel put on the spot, but we'd really like to know how you feel. If you want to wait a few days to get to know us before you answer, we understand and we'll be patient, but we really do want to know and it is possible that we may be able to help you, but that's if you'll tell us. We can't help with what we don't know about."
Harry twisted his fork in his dessert, playing with his food as his aunt would have said, while he thought. He again looked up at Hermione and saw a hopeful look on her face, one that seemed to say that she thought he could do this.
He reached out for his water and took a sip and saw his hand shake ever so slightly. Why was this so frightening, he asked himself, but no answer came. "It really is better than before, when I was with my relatives," he started off slowly, looking at his mangled tart. "The food really is good and I can eat as much as I want. The others stare at me a lot, but I can mostly ignore them. I do like the classes, but two of the teachers are … well, they're not the best." He moved his fork around on his plate and wondered if he was making any sense at all.
"Please tell me about those two classes," Emma gently said. Dan had agreed with her that she should be the one to ask. Even when he tried to stay low key, Dan's voice sometimes boomed. Emma also looked over to her daughter and shook her head slightly, as it appeared that Hermione was about to say something.
"History of Magic is pretty useless since almost none of us can stay awake in it. Did you know it's taught by a ghost?" Harry looked to Emma, who smiled encouragingly and nodded. "Hermione taught me how to stay awake in class, even though I don't think she meant to do it."
"Harry…" Hermione quietly pleaded.
Emma almost laughed and wondered what he would say. "What did she teach you?" she asked with a light voice, just on the edge of laughter. Hermione hung her head.
"She said that all the good information is in the book, so I just ignore the boring teacher and read the book in class. My marks are better, too," he said with a grin.
Emma chuckled. "I'm happy for you, Harry." When he did not say anything for a moment, she asked, "What about the other class?" His face instantly fell and she wondered if he would say anything more.
"Potions," he suddenly said, as if forced. "Snape is an egotistical, mean, and a slimy…" He stopped as suddenly as he had started. "I'm sorry, I'm being rude."
"No, you're not. You're being very forthright and I appreciate that," Emma told him in a no-nonsense way. "Please continue. What has Potions been like for you?"
It took a long moment, but Harry finally continued. "It's been horrible, and worse yet, I can't even file an official complaint because my aunt won't sign the form." He angrily stabbed some of the tart and ate a bite, as if he was taking his anger out on it.
Emma looked over to her husband and saw the same anguish on his face as she felt. Hermione had told them a little about Harry, his time with his relatives, and his Potions class, but to hear it first hand and to see his expressions were heart-wrenching. She was also sure that they had only heard the tip of the iceberg of the tales. Hoping this was the right thing to do, she again tried to project calm and care. "Harry, what if there was a way to fix that? Would you want to?"
Harry looked up startled with hope on his face for a brief instant, before it was gone and his head went back down, looking forlorn. "It would be a nice dream, but it will never happen."
"Harry, it's possible if you want it to," Dan said, surprising Harry since he had not spoken recently.
"How? How is it possible? I doubt the Dursleys would agree, as much as they hate me, and I'm sure Dumbledore would never agree."
"Why do you think Dumbledore wouldn't agree? Has he said something specific to you about it? Or is there any reason for him to have a say about this at all? Is he more than just a Headmaster to you?" Dan asked, trying hard to make sure his voice did not rise in his anger at the situation of the young man.
"Because he put me there," Harry said dejectedly.
"Have you seen your parents' will, Harry?"
"No, sir."
"I, I …" Dan stopped before he continued in a more strangled voice. "Emma, you better continue. I'm too angry at some professors right now."
She nodded, understanding fully. "Harry, please don't be angry at Hermione, but she told us of your bad Potions class and not being able to file a complaint."
He shook his head. "It's OK, a lot of people know about that class."
"Thank you, and I hope this is all right too, because we checked into a few things in an effort to help you." Emma was on tenterhooks now, wondering if he would accept them and their help or if she was about to destroy a new friendship.
"What?" Harry asked guardedly.
"You know there are lots of records at the government offices, right? You know, birth certificates, school records, things like that." Harry nodded, so Emma continued. "We asked someone to check that sort of thing for you and we found something very interesting that may help you."
Harry thought about that and he was not sure what to think of them doing that without asking him. They had searched for personal information about him, which felt somewhat wrong, and yet they had found something and were trying to help him. Perhaps most importantly, they were telling him directly about everything. It even sounded like they were going to give him choices.
"Please, Harry?"
His head snapped up to look at his friend, his bond-partner, pleading with him.
"Please, Harry?" Hermione again said in a small voice. "I don't know what they found yet either, but please give them a chance. They really are only trying to help. I know they wouldn't hurt you."
He trusted Hermione implicitly now, so he looked to her mother and nodded, not trusting his voice.
"Thank you, Harry," Emma said, grateful for the chance, and hoping this all worked out. "You were born Harry James Potter to James Edward Potter and to Lily Marie Evans Potter, both of Godric's Hollow, and that is recorded in the government records. Oh," she stopped herself, "everything I'm going to tell you is with the Queen's government. This has nothing to do with the Magical government."
Harry nodded.
"So you have a recorded birth here, which makes you a British citizen. There is no other record until you started Primary school. Those records indicate you attended your school for five years, and that is all. There is nothing else known about you, which is a problem and why you have a chance to change things."
"I don't understand," Harry asked, lost at what her point might be.
"The problem did not become known until we start tracing the records for your parents," Emma explained. "As I said, we have your birth record. The search also turned up your parent's death certificates, and we are sorry they aren't here for you."
"Thank you," he mumbled.
"There are no other records, Harry."
"I'm sorry, but I don't understand." He was really confused.
"The problem is that there should be a record showing your custody and the assignment of a legal guardian, but there is not. We checked with the appropriate government people and they are alarmed at the ten year oversight and have offered to correct it immediately, with the guardians of your choice," Emma explained. She and Dan had already passed the checks; it was mostly up to Harry now.
Hermione gasped and Harry looked to her. "Harry, you can fix it all. You can have a real legal guardian with people who will love you and sign all the forms you'll ever want." Tears were starting to spill down her cheeks. "Oh, Harry, I'm so happy for you. Please say yes, please!"
Harry looked around. Emma was smiling at him and even Dan looked happy now.
"I don't understand…"
"Harry," Hermione almost shouted. "Mum and Dad are offering to become your legal guardians."
Now Harry gasped. "Seriously?"
Dan laughed, "Yes, Harry, seriously. No young man should have to endure what you do and we'd like to fix that."
"But, but what about the Dursleys?" He was grateful, very grateful for the offer, but he could not imagine this could really happen.
"Yes, the Dursleys," Emma said with an almost feral smile. "When we asked about other relatives, we were told that because they did not come forth and officially register your placement as was required, they would lose any custody battle, or so our solicitor assures us, and he is very, very good. If that is not enough, Hermione has also told us that life with the Dursleys was not a good one for you."
Harry sucked in air in fear of what they might have heard.
Emma smiled reassuringly at him. "Please don't worry, Harry. I don't know any details. All she would say is that your relatives should be behind bars, and I don't think she would say that if it wasn't true. Is it true?" she gently asked.
"I, I don't know," Harry finally answered. "I thought all homes were that way."
Dan growled quietly, but it was still audible. When Harry looked at him, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "Harry, I'm very sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable, but this affects me deeply. My father was abused as a child and while he was not a totally bad father to me, he did have his moments where anger got the best of him and he would come after my brother and me. Because of that, I've vowed I would never treat my daughter like that and it pains me to see any child purposefully hurt. I'm not angry at you, but I am angry at your situation and the adults who let that happen." He opened his eyes. "Do you understand the difference?"
Harry nodded.
"So, Harry, would you like us to become your guardians?" Emma asked. "If you'd like, you can think about it for a few days. We have a tentative date for a hearing three days from now. If you want to do this, we'll go and make it all legal so you can go back to school with real guardians. If you don't want to do this, that's your choice and our feelings won't be hurt. In that case, we'll cancel the court hearing."
Harry took a small bite of his mashed tart as he thought. The offer was tempting. "Can I think about it? I think I can tell you tomorrow."
"Of course," Emma assured him. "It's a big decision and we understand. If you want this, we'll do our very best to support you and love you."
A nagging doubt ate at Harry and it took him a moment to figure it out. "Why?" he meekly asked. "Why would you do this for me?"
Emma smiled broadly. "That's very easy to answer, Harry. Dan has given you one reason already, one that's very important to him personally. Both of us feel you've had an unfair life and we want to make it better for you. Why you? Well, because I feel I've come to know you quite well thanks to Hermione's letters and meeting you for real has only reinforced that idea that you're a very nice person, Harry. You deserve to have a better life. And if all of that is not good enough for you," she watched him blush, "we're doing it because you're Hermione's best friend."
Harry shyly smiled and nodded. They seemed to like him because he was Harry, not because of some title he had. That caused him to think about what a great offer this was. If he was staying with some Wizarding family, he could never know if they loved him or loved his fame; but the Grangers did not care that he was The Boy-Who-Lived. They were not magical and had nothing to gain by it. They could never brag to their friends about The Boy-Who-Lived living with them. That thought made him feel a lot more comfortable about it all. There was one other concern though.
"Would I become a Granger or stay a Potter?"
Dan smiled. "It would be your choice, Harry. But if I may, from what I've read in Hermione's Wizarding history books, you might want to stay a Potter. I suspect you would want to continue your ancestral line. That seems to be important there."
Harry nodded. "I think you're right." He started wondering about something else and looked at Hermione, who looked back at him quizzically.
"Was there something else, Harry?" Dan asked.
He mentally groaned. It had to be her father who asked. He gathered his Gryffindor courage. "I was just wondering, well …" Harry looked from Hermione to her father. "I know we're only eleven, well she's twelve, but I guess I'm trying to say that I know we're both very young, but what if, someday, you know, we find we like each other, well, that way, and well, can we…" Harry dropped his head to the table, almost hitting his plate. Could he have rambled any more and phrased that any worse, he asked himself.
Harry heard a chuckle and looked up. Hermione was beet-red and looking down, but her mother was the one chuckling. Pulling up his courage, he sneaked a glance at her father and saw that he was smiling as well.
"Legally speaking," Dan replied far too jovially for Harry, "there would be no problem. On the topic of dating my daughter, we'll cross that bridge if we get there."
"Thank you," he said weakly as he looked back at Hermione as he could not seem to bring himself to really look at her father.
"Did you have any other questions, Harry?" Emma asked.
He shook his head. "No, other than I think I'd like to be excused. I'm getting tired from the travelling and the long day." It was a little after nine and it had been a very emotional day.
"Of course. The bathroom is at the end of the hall. Feel free to sleep in tomorrow as it is Saturday," Emma told him.
"If you don't mind, Harry," Dan spoke up, "I have an errand to run tomorrow afternoon in regards to Christmas and I was wondering if you would come with me to give me some advice on what to buy."
"Err, sure, if I can." Maybe her father was not too upset with him if he wanted Harry's help on something.
"Excellent. Well then, have a pleasant evening."
"Thanks, Mr Granger." Harry turned to the other end of the table. "Thank you for the dinner, Mrs Granger. It was very good."
"Thank you, Harry. You do have excellent manners. Pleasant dreams."
Harry rose and quickly walked upstairs. When he came out of the bathroom, Hermione was waiting for him and followed him into his room.
She stood right next to him and whispered. "Are you all right with all of this? I didn't know they were going to do that, but it must be so overwhelming."
He gave her a caring smile. "You have wonderful parents, Hermione. I'll be fine, but I do want to think about this. I think I'd be foolish to tell them no, but I also believe I need to think about this for more than a few seconds."
"That would be the right thing to do. Good night, Harry." She gave him a hug and left the room.
Harry changed into his pyjamas and crawled into a comfortable bed. Turning the lights out, he thought about the offer the Grangers had made. It was very generous. He wondered if there were any downsides to accepting it. He fell asleep before he could think of any.
The next day, Harry was up around nine and came downstairs to a wonderful aroma. Mrs Granger had made a full breakfast and it was very good. She had also refused his help when he tried to clean up. It was a new experience for him.
He had been thinking hard all morning. The conversation over breakfast was light and he had spoken little; they had let him mostly eat and listen. Since he could come up with no reason to say "no", before everyone could go their own way after breakfast, Harry screwed up his courage and said, "Mr and Mrs Granger, I want you to be my guardians."
Hermione squealed and ran over to him, engulfing him in a hug. Emma reached him next followed shortly by Dan. Harry revelled in the feel of the group hug. He now had a real family who wanted him and he had trouble imaging anything better than that.
"We'll need to go over some papers later," Dan finally said, "but it can wait for now. Why don't you kids go play? Your mother and I will talk to our solicitor to make sure everything is taken care of."
"Thanks, Mr Granger!" Harry was extremely grateful.
The morning was spent with Hermione showing him around the house and then watching a movie. He had heard Dudley talk about "Star Wars", but he had never seen it. Hermione had picked it because she thought he would like it, and he did. It was more of a favourite of her father than it was one of hers.
After lunch, all four of them went into London. The girls had some shopping to do. Harry noticed a few thoughtful looks from Hermione and realized he had not gotten her anything for Christmas. While Emma took Hermione one way, Dan took him the other direction into a large department store, and then into the young women's department.
"What do you think of this for Hermione?" Dan asked him.
Harry looked at the pink shirt. "Uh, I think she'd like it, except for the colour."
Dan looked thoughtful. "Yes, I believe you're right. I don't recall seeing any of her other clothes in this colour. Well, why don't you pick out a better colour for her then?"
"Err, OK," he said nervously. Despite his misgivings, it was not as hard as he thought and they had a present for Hermione in short order. As they continued to walk around, Harry used his courage to ask a question. "Mr Granger? Can we find something else for Hermione? I haven't had time to shop for her."
The look that briefly went over the man's face made Harry think the real reason for the trip was to inconspicuously give Harry a chance to shop, but he quickly dismissed the idea. That would be too Slytherin and he did not think of Hermione's parents that way. Nevertheless, the two males soon found themselves at the jewellery counter.
Harry looked around and eventually saw a number of necklaces with animals on them, including one with a lion. It was not a very Gryffindor lion, but still, he thought it suited her. "This one," he said and pointed.
Dan looked over his shoulder. "You have good taste, Harry."
"Thanks!" Harry beamed and then he thought of a problem and his face fell. He motioned for Dan to lean down. "Uh, I only have my other money."
The man chuckled. "Not a problem, Harry. Let me spot you this and you can repay me later. I believe Emma wanted to go to yourshopping area for a few things. I'll let you take care of that, if you like."
"Thanks, Mr Granger!" Harry was pleased. He was also getting along with his best friend's father far better than he had first imagined. Mr Granger had not bitten his head off once.
On their way out, taking the long way around the store because Dan wanted to look at a few other things, they ended up in the young men's department. Harry looked at some of the new clothes wistfully.
"Would you like some, Harry?" came Dan's quiet voice from behind him. "I'll spot you that too, if want." When Harry still said nothing, Dan asked, "They never bought you anything, did they?" Harry slowly shook his head. Dan put a hand on the boy's shoulder as he said, "Let's get you a couple of outfits. We have time for that."
"But…" Harry started to protest, although he was not sure why.
"Everyone deserves one or two nice things and you do need something a little nicer to wear when we go to court." Dan gently propelled him into the department. Fifteen minutes later, Harry had a new pair of jeans and a pair of trousers, as well as a couple of shirts. Dan even managed to convince him to get a new set of trainers, instead of wearing the ones that were barely holding together and were too big for him.
"Thanks for everything!" Harry said, wearing his new jeans, polo shirt, and trainers out of the store.
"No problem, Harry. It was no problem at all." Inside, Dan was almost consumed by his anger and it was only through great will power that he kept it in check. It had also been difficult not to get Harry a new coat and a complete new wardrobe. Back at the car, all the packages were put into the boot of the car and they waited for the girls, who showed up a few minutes later.
"Harry, you look great," Hermione told him as she walked around him, embarrassing him.
"You do look very nice, Harry dear," Emma said with a caring smile.
Harry looked at Hermione's father thankfully, really appreciating the help and how he had been so good about it all. It was almost like a dream and he hoped it continued.
A short drive later, Dan parked the car again and they all walked over to a place where Dan and Emma had trouble looking until they each put a hand on Hermione. She led her parents and her friend into the Leaky Cauldron, swiftly through the pub to avoid attention, and into the shopping area.
"Why are we here?" Harry finally asked, unable to contain his curiosity any more.
"The book store, why else?" Emma told him with a wry smile, one mimicked by her daughter.
He felt a hand lightly clap him on the shoulder. "Just get used to it, Harry," Dan advised him.
"Oh, I know. She spends most of her free time in the library at school."
Dan laughed. "I'm not the least bit surprised." Hermione playfully stuck her tongue out at her father and raised her nose into the air, which only generated more laughter.
In the bookstore, everyone seemed to go their own way, which Harry found interesting. Dan and Emma went to the reference section, but they seemed to be looking for different things. Harry found Hermione in the section that talked about bonds and oaths. He was surprised that he had forgotten about her task to come here to look for more information.
"Find anything?" he quietly asked her.
"No," she said as she re-shelved a book. "Most of these are in the library at school. That other one was useless. I guess we've found something new."
Harry snorted. "Right. And of course, it had to happen to me."
"Harry," she gently admonished him while putting a caring hand on his shoulder. "We will figure this out, even if it takes several years. I suspect this isn't new; it's just not well documented. I'll keep searching and in the meantime, we'll both enjoy it. Didn't you tell me to enjoy life sometimes?" she asked with a teasing grin.
He bashfully nodded.
"Come on, let's go find my parents before my mother buys the whole bookstore."
Harry chuckled. "Isn't that your job?" he joked.
"Where do you think I got it from?" she teased back.
"I'm surprised, Hermione," her mother told her when they all met.
The girl shrugged. "I couldn't find what I was looking for and I do have a large library of free books at school."
Emma put nearly ten books on the counter. Harry pulled out his money bag and started putting golden coins on the counter. "Harry!" Emma tried to stop him.
Dan put his hand on her arm. "It's a deal we made. I bought him a few things since he didn't have any regular money and this is how he wanted to repay me."
Emma did not look convinced, but she did stop arguing. Harry ended up paying seven Galleons and some change. The woman paled when she saw what Harry had done. "Harry, do you realize how much you just paid?"
"Yes, about seven and a half Galleons," he said without concern and wondering why she was making such a big deal out of it. He took the stack of books and started carrying it, since Emma did not like she was capable of that at the moment.
"Harry?" Hermione got his attention. "She's asking if you know how much that is in Muggle money."
"No. I know that a Galleon is worth more, but the clothes your father bought me were really expensive. I still probably owe him more for them. Besides," Harry shrugged, "I've got plenty in my vault."
"You have a vault?" Hermione was incredulous.
"Sure, my parents left it for me. It pays for school supplies and anything else I need," he explained. "Oh, since we're here, can we stop at the Owl Emporium? I need to get some treats for Hedwig."
Emma finally found her voice. "Hedwig. That's the name of the white owl that's been bringing us letters, isn't it?"
"Yes, she's a great listener. She put up with me loads when I needed someone to talk to last summer," he explained, leading them all into the store.
The two adults just looked at each other and shook their heads. As Harry was finding the owl treats, Emma looked at Dan with a familiar expression.
"I know that look," he said. "What's on your mind, dear?"
"If we're to be a part of all of this and we need to send a letter to Hermione or anyone else, wouldn't it be useful to have our own family owl?"
Dan smiled and gave her a one-armed hug. "You're brilliant as always."
They got Harry to help, and a few minutes later, a tawny owl hooted at them. That owl and supplies came home with them.
It was probably luck, but they managed to get to the car without anyone recognizing Harry. He was quite pleased to have a normal day out. The ride home was not so normal, though.
As they started the trip, Emma turned in her seat to look at 'her children' in the back. "Harry? Can I ask you a few questions? I'd like to get to know you a little better."
Harry shrugged. "Sure."
"I'm really not concerned about money, as Dan and I make plenty, but how did you pay for school this year? Did your relatives give you some or are you on a scholarship?"
"My relatives give me money?" he asked incredulously.
"Sorry," Emma said contritely. "I should have figured that out based on your other comments. So you're on a scholarship then?"
"Err, no. As I understand, my parents set up payment for me when I was born. I'm not sure if that comes out of my vault or if they just paid it all up front. I suppose I should find out."
"Yes, that would be a good idea," she agreed. "Harry, do you know what the Pound-to-Galleon conversion rate is?"
"No, ma'am."
"I see." Emma looked at her husband, who only shrugged as he drove. "Harry, this will sound forward and rude, but I really need to know. Did you get us any Christmas presents?"
"No, ma'am. I wanted to, but I was unable. I'm sorry." He felt like he had let them down.
"Harry, no! Please don't feel bad, that wasn't my intention." She sighed. "I just didn't know how else to ask or to tell you, but please don't get us anything. The books you just bought us are worth about twenty years of presents."
Harry was shocked.
"You had no idea how much you spent, did you?" she asked.
"No, but like I said earlier, the clothes Dan bought me were expensive," he told her, hoping that would explain it.
She looked at her daughter, who was watching the conversation with great interest, and for once, had nothing to add, which was amusing in its own way. "Dan, how much would you say you spent for Harry?"
"Maybe a hundred and fifty pounds, total. The shoes were the most expensive part," Dan replied.
"Harry, you spent over five times that much on the books. Do you see now why I'm asking?" He nodded. "I suppose I'm also trying to find out how we need to help you, and it sounds like money management is one area. You said you have a vault. Do you know how much is in there or any other investments you parents may have left you that need to be taken care of?"
"No, ma'am. I know there is a pile of Galleons almost as tall as I am, but that's all I know," he explained.
Emma went wide-eyed and looked at Dan, who had the same shocked look. Looking back again, she noticed that Hermione was also quite shocked. "I believe we need to sit down and fully discuss this, but it can wait until this summer, if it's waited this long."
Emma was practically having a heart-attack based on she just heard. The young man was very wealthy; in fact, should he convert his gold into Pounds Sterling, based on the present conversion rate, he might be wealthier than they were. She had no idea how far his vault would take him in the Wizarding World though. She had a lot more to learn in order to help Hermione grow up in the magical world. They were fortunate that someone connected to the Wizarding School did know the conversion rates as children of non-magical parents were given steep discounts because they were not already in the Wizarding economy. If not for that, even they would not have been able to afford Hogwarts, and they were considered well-off in the non-magical world.
Shaking her head, she tried to go on. "All of that aside, could you please tell me how you've seen your school term, besides what you told us last night?"
"You mean like what's happened?" he asked.
"Yes, that would be lovely," she encouraged him, wondering what he would tell her that her daughter had left out. Hermione seemed to wonder too, as she was giving him some interesting looks that Emma could not quite decipher.
"Well, after I got to school, I've been learning a lot about various types of magic. You know, Charms, Transfiguration, stuff like that. One of the highlights," Harry's expression became joyous, "was learning how to fly on a broom. I also made the Quidditch team, too. I'm the youngest player in a century, so they tell me."
Hermione rolled her eyes and lightly snorted.
"Hey, I don't give you a hard time about spending all of your free time in the library," he retorted.
"You do sometimes," she corrected him.
"Not often, though."
Emma found the scene funny. She would never have imagined her Hermione exhibiting such typical behaviour for her age. It was actually refreshing. "Then what?" she quickly interjected, wanting to stop any arguments from really getting going.
"Oh, well," he looked at Hermione, who was giving him a look as if trying to divine what he would say next. "Uh, Hermione and I had an argument about me being on the team, but we patched it up pretty quickly."
Emma raised an eyebrow at her daughter. This was something she had not heard about.
"Well, he was getting special treatment and breaking the rules," Hermione said to defend herself.
"Why didn't you tell your head of house, Professor McGonagall?" Emma asked.
Hermione gave her a 'get real' look before she said with some exasperation, "Mum, Professor McGonagall was the one leading the charge for Harry to play! She's the one who bought a broom for the 'team seeker' since first-years can't bring brooms."
"Many rules have exceptions," her father told her sagely.
"I know," Hermione said tiredly, "you've told me before; but it still seemed unfair."
"So how did you patch it up, Harry?" Emma asked, to get things back on track.
Harry looked down at his hands and became very quiet.
"Harry?" Emma wondered what she had stumbled onto. A glance to her right showed her husband to be concerned as well. Hermione looked almost as uncomfortable as Harry.
"I apologized as the argument became insignificant after he saved my life," said a very tiny voice from Hermione.
It took all of Emma's self-control not to shout 'What?!' at the top of her lungs. "Would you please explain that?" she said with forced control. Emma noticed Harry was still looking down as if deeply embarrassed.
"A boy in our class had been a real prat to me on Halloween," Hermione started to explain with reluctance in her voice. "I had been feeling badly about everything and was wondering if I really wanted to continue at Hogwarts, and well, his comments were the straw that broke the camel's back."
Emma nodded in understanding. Her daughter had been made fun of many times at school because of her more advanced view of life and learning. She had never had any real friends before, which was one of the reasons she and Dan were taking such an interest in Harry.
"I hid in a bathroom all afternoon and into the evening while I cried and, well, had a pity party."
"No one missed you? Didn't teachers notice you were missing?" her mother asked, alarmed.
"A few of us did," Harry said and suddenly looked up, "but we didn't know what to do."
Emma smiled at him. "Of course, Harry. I wouldn't expect an eleven year-old boy to know what to do for a crying girl."
He blushed and looked back down.
"But no teachers came looking for you?"
"No, Mum. They probably would have if I hadn't shown up by curfew, but well, that was never an issue because while I was in the bathroom, a troll somehow entered the castle and found me."
Based on the looks on the kid's faces, Emma knew she was missing something important. "Describe a troll, please." She had visions of an old fairy tale, and they never really sounded all that bad to her, more like an cantankerous deformed old man.
"About eight feet tall, skin harder than leather, and smells like a train station bathroom in the hot summer," Harry said. "They also usually carry really big clubs."
"But they're not very smart," Hermione quickly added, "so it's very easy to out-smart them."
"Sounds like some rugby players I know," Dan commented.
Emma did not even reprimand her husband; she was in shock at what her little girl had faced. "Is that sort of thing common at school?" she asked in a very quiet voice that took extreme control to even talk. Her emotions over this new school and world were about to get the best of her.
"I asked some of the older students," Hermione said fairly calmly, "and they said this had never happened before that they knew of."
"But if you're talking about dangerous things, there is something special being hidden on the third floor. I mean, it has to be special since they have a three-headed Cerberus guarding it, and the Headmaster said a painful death was awaiting anyone who tried to get to it," Harry said.
"Harry," Hermione hissed. "You're not helping things right now."
"Huh?" Hermione nodded her head toward her mother. "Oh, sorry," he said contritely when he saw her pained expression.
"But don't worry, Mum. When Harry heard there was a troll loose that I wouldn't know about, he came to find me so I could join everyone else in the safety of our common room. And when he saw the troll had me cornered, he jumped on its back and used magic to knock it out. Once he had rescued me, he helped me back to our common room. We never got into any trouble either." Hermione sounded quite happy about the last part.
Emma looked out the car window and noticed they were close to home. She was thankful because she wanted a very stiff drink at the moment. That and perhaps a good cry.
Recognizing his wife's now silent state, Dan asked, "So that's how you two became such good friends?"
"Yes," Hermione answered. "It's hard to share something like that and not become good friends." She was glad they were able to avoid the whole bonding part of the story.
"Was there anything else? Dragons or maybe something else big and dangerous?" Dan asked, really hoping he did not receive an affirmative on that.
"No, except for my problems with Snape, but you heard about that last night," Harry told him.
Dan pulled into the garage of their house a moment later. He handed the keys to his daughter. "Kitten, why don't you and Harry go on in the house? Your mother and I will bring the packages in."
"Sure, Dad." Hermione gave Harry a 'taking charge' look that Dan had no trouble understanding. She knew he needed to talk to her mother alone and made sure Harry knew he had to go into the house.
In the quiet of the garage, Dan looked at his wife, who still had a shocked look. "Honey, she's just fine. Harry was there to save her and they became good friends." Dan was not surprised to see his normally strong wife lean over and grab him, silently crying.
"We could have lost her," she hoarsely whispered. "We could have lost both of them. Why do we let them go there?"
Dan rubbed her back and held her. "Because that's where they want to be, and we have to let them grow up and find their own place in the world."
"But…" she started to protest, trailing off as words failed her.
"I know, honey, but in some ways it sounds a little like my army days. The situations were more dangerous than for the average person on the street, but we also had better ways of dealing with it than the average person. If my unit had been called to service and ordered to attack a place, we would have had big guns, explosives, and a lot of other dangerous weapons at our disposal. Our children don't have that, but they do have magic to help, and they are being trained to use it."
Emma sniffled but nodded to show she understood what he was saying.
"Yeah, I'm not overly happy about it either, but there are no guarantees for the perfect life. Let's go in and relax for a bit. We can go out to that little Chinese place down the street that you like, so you don't have to fix dinner," he suggested lovingly. "We can talk about this again in a few days if you want." He hoped the initial emotional rush would be gone by that time and they could talk about it more logically.
"Thank you, dear," she told him and kissed him lightly on the cheek. They gathered the packages and took them in. Dan also handed her the tags he had taken off of Harry's new clothes. Emma smiled and gave him a hug. "Good job, I'll take it from here." The more normal activity was very welcome to her at the moment.
Harry was so happy he was almost skipping. Four months ago, he was required to stay at the Dursleys. Now, on the afternoon of the twenty-third of December of 1991, the papers in his hands said that he could always stay with the Grangers. They were his legal guardians.
"You're happy, aren't you, Harry," Hermione asked with a smile as she walked next to him out of the government building.
"Very," he answered with a big grin. "It was all so easy, too."
Dan chuckled. "Just remember, Harry, a good solicitor can make a lot of things easy. Not to mention that you had a lot of sympathy on your side."
Harry looked up at the man. "Mr Granger, that must have been expensive. Do I…"
"No," Dan cut him off. "You don't owe us a single penny, Harry. Despite what I may have implied a moment ago, this really did not cost all that much, and I was happy to pay it to get you out of that hell hole." He had had a private conversation with his daughter about what she knew about Harry living at the Dursleys. From what little she had shared, he was incensed that could have happened. In the end, he was not sure if he was angrier at the Dursleys for what they did, or at Dumbledore for putting Harry there without finding out what they were like.
"So, Harry, since this is your big day," Dan told him, "how about we celebrate with a nice steak dinner?"
"Daaad! Why do we always have to go out for steak when we celebrate?"
Dan gave his girl a caring look after her protest. "You don't have to eat one if you don't want to, Kitten, but this is Harry's day and a good steak is an excellent way for a young man to celebrate."
Harry looked at the other three and saw support and love - for him. It was like being hit with a new sense of purpose and gave him a new outlook - life could be good. With a goofy grin, he said, "Sure, Mr Granger." He paused for a moment. "Or would you prefer … Dad," he looked to Emma and added, "and Mum?"
Dan was so happy he thought he would burst. Emma looked to be feeling the same. "I think we'll make it your choice, Harry. Dan and Emma might be better in the long run, starting in a few years, but if you want to call us Dad and Mum for a while, you may."
"I'll think about it," Harry said with a smile. He looked over at Hermione. With a shy smile, he whispered, "But never 'Sis'."
Hermione blushed as she beamed. Dan and Emma looked at one another and wondered what Harry had said to their little girl.
In Little Whinging, Surrey, some magical runes started to slowly decay and fade.
In the hills of Scotland, a little silver instrument with a spinning disk started to gradually slow its movement.
No one noticed either event.
Christmas had been wonderful for Harry. It was his first Christmas to get presents. Dan and Emma had given him a large box of clothes, some his current size and some bigger for later. Hermione had given Harry a helmet for playing Quidditch and the book Quidditch Through the Ages. Harry was pleased that Hermione had liked her necklace with the lion on it. Emma had said she thought it was a good gift for their 'Kitten', making Hermione blush even more. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and playing board games as a family.
Activity started to return to normal on Boxing Day, even though Dan and Emma had the day off. Now that Harry had a legal guardian that actually cared about him, they started talking about Snape and his behaviour. Hermione had secured several copies of the official complaint form, which they started filling out from her detailed notes. Emma took McGonagall's staff policy book to the office and made several copies using the photocopier. Besides the complaint forms, Harry received one other result: an unwelcome surprise.
"Hermione," her mother called to her as she came back from her office, "please go get the informational materials Professor McGonagall brought to you when she informed us you were a witch."
"Sure, Mum," Hermione hurried out of the room.
Harry looked at his new mum. "Informational materials?"
"Yes," Emma said absently as she read her copy of the teacher's manual, making a note in the margin. "When the Professor came over, she brought several brochures and a couple of books. The brochures contained the usual propaganda extolling the school's virtues, and some financial information." She highlighted another section, not taking notice of Harry's expression yet. "The books were the student policy manual and an introduction to the Wizarding World." She put a star by a paragraph before she realized he had stopped responding. She looked over at him and saw his shocked look. "What's wrong, Harry?"
Hermione hurried back into the room. "Here you go, Mum." Then she too noticed her friend's look. "Harry! What's wrong?!"
"I, I… I didn't get any of that." He felt like he had been kicked in the gut. Yet another way his early life had been unfair.
"You didn't get what, Harry?" Hermione asked as she came over and grabbed his hand in concern.
Emma came over and spread the materials Hermione had just handed her on the table in front of Harry. "You didn't get any of this?"
Harry numbly shook his head.
Hermione exhaled loudly in disgust. "No wonder you seemed lost at the beginning of the year - you were! That is so unfair." Harry nodded.
"Harry, can you please tell me how you found out about the Wizarding World?" Emma asked him gently as she took a seat next to him.
"I, I didn't know anything about it until my eleventh birthday…" Harry went on to explain about the letters, his relatives trying to hide from the letters, Hagrid finding him and taking him to Diagon Alley, as well as his trip to King's Cross and having to hunt for the portal to Platform 9 ¾."
Hermione gave him a hug to comfort him and Emma laid a gentle hand on his arm.
"Harry, you can read my copies," Hermione offered. "And when we get back to school, we can ask Professor McGonagall for a set for you."
"Thanks," he told her weakly, grateful for their support, wondering what else he was missing.
That crisis solved, the trio resumed researching information about the school policies and documenting Snape's bad behaviour. A little while later, Dan joined them, carrying a book they had bought last week that listed and described major magical schools around the world.
"There is a nice school in Ireland called 'Scoil ar Draiocht Glas' and another one in France called 'Beauxbatons'," Dan told him as he flipped between them in the book in his hand.
"Dad? Why would Harry and I change schools?" Hermione asked very seriously.
He set the book down and looked at each of them just as seriously. "I'm not suggesting that you switch this moment, but you know that your mum and I believe in having options and knowing what they are."
She nodded and quoted, "Proper planning and being prepared can make mountains into mole hills."
Dan grinned at his saying being repeated back. "Right you are; I'm glad you've listened to me. Anyway, your mum and I are concerned about some of the things that have happened at Hogwarts and we believe it best to know what other schools there are so that if things get worse you can transfer next year. We really should have done this research last summer, but Professor McGonagall showed up fairly late in the summer and we did not have time." He paused and looked at his wife. "Do you suppose the timing was to prevent families like us from doing this sort of research?"
Emma shook her head and said with a grin, "I don't believe so, although I could see how that would appeal to your love of conspiracy theories."
He smiled back. "Remember, you're not paranoid if they really are out to get you."
Emma and Hermione joined Dan in chuckling. Harry lightly chuckled too, although he did not understand the joke.
All-in-all, Harry had a wonderful Yule holiday.