A young Hermione Granger woke up on her eleventh birthday, scrambled from her bed and rushed down the stairs to see how many birthday cards the postman had left for her. At the bottom of the stairs her mother handed her eight envelopes, smiling cheerfully Hermione gave her mum a hug and a kiss before rushing into the dining room to open her cards.
Hermione picked the smallest envelope to open first and began to read the strange loopy but very neat green writing.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY.
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc, Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump International Confederation Of Wizards)
Dear Miss Granger,
We are pleased to offer you an education at a premiere school for advanced magic, and to inform you that you have a place reserved at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. You will be visited later today by a representative of the Wizarding world.
Yours sincerely
Minerva McGonagall.
Deputy headmistress.
Hermione did not know what to make of the strange letter; it seemed to her that if it was a joke it was not a very funny one. Just as she decided to show it to her mother, there was a knock on the front door. Hermione's mum Helen answered the door and Hermione could here her talking to a woman, seconds later Helen led Minerva McGonagall into the dining room.
As soon as Hermione saw McGonagall her head began to spin and she felt a little nausea for a few seconds and then all her memories of her previous life came flooding back to her in a rush.
Jumping to her feet she ran across the room and hugged Minerva McGonagall around the waist, it was not until she hugged the head mistress that she realised she was still only eleven years old. Stepping back Hermione politely offered her hand to Minerva "Good morning professor."
Minerva McGonagall was rather surprised by her welcome and by the fact that this little eleven year old witch seemed to know her.
Hermione realised she had made a mistake, she had forgotten she was a child again, but she had not spent all those years as Ron's wife and Harry's best friend without learning a little from them, as she shook Minerva's hand she spoke again "Sorry, I had a dream about you last night. At least I thought it was a dream."
"Maybe there is a little seer in you," Minerva said as she shook Hermione's offered hand.
Hermione said nothing to change the professor's mind; instead she took a seat and watched as the professor demonstrated the truth behind her claim to be a witch and Hermione was one too.
After Minerva had explained things to her parents, and told them that was why odd things kept happening around Hermione, she did a few spells and charms to show them how magic really worked.
Hermione wondered if she still had her ability and power, she then began acting really interested in the display and asked if she could take a look at the professor's wand. Minerva still talking to the adults could see no harm in letting an eleven year old simply hold and look at her wand for a few minutes so she passed it to Hermione.
Hermione knowing that the ministry underage magic office would be ignoring any magic done at the house that day turned the wand around in her hands a few times before she finally pointed it at a book over in the corner, with a quick flick she soundlessly summoned the book to her, she then tried a little advanced levitation, waving the wand at the tea pot she silently said Wingardium leviosa and as the pot lifted from the table she used the wand to guide the pot and poured herself a cup of tea.
There was a look of total amazement on the faces of the three adults, Minerva, Helen, and Hermione's dad Richard stared open mouthed as Hermione handed the wand back and calmly began to drink her tea as though she had done nothing extraordinary.
Her parents accepted that their daughter Hermione Jane was indeed a witch, and Minerva McGonagall knew she had found the greatest witch of the millennium.
Minerva McGonagall left the Granger house after wishing them all a good day, and telling Hermione she looked forward to seeing her at Hogwarts. She was eager to return to the school, she had something exciting this year to tell Albus Dumbledore the head master.
Minerva McGonagall was happy and relieved when she left the home of the final Muggle born on her list for the day. Now she could get back to the school and tell Albus the news. Looking around to make sure she could not be seen she did a quick spin and vanished from sight. She re-appeared just a second or so later at the Gates of Hogwarts, the greatest school of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the world. The long walk from the gates to the school entrance seemed so much longer than usual as she rushed to the castle eager to relay her news.
After a quick knock on the office door Minerva rushed into the head masters office to be faced with an empty room. Annoyed at him not being there to hear her news she was just about to leave in search of Albus when he entered from the door to his private quarters.
"Ah Minerva back so soon, I must say I had expected you to make a full day of your assignments," Albus Dumbledore greeted jovially.
Minerva a huge smile on her face stepped forward "I've found her Albus, I found her and she is one of ours," she said excitedly.
"Calm your self Minerva, who have you found?" Albus said grinning at his second in commands eagerness to enlighten him.
"We have a Miss Hermione Jane Granger on our list. She is one of the eleven year olds I visited today, and Albus she's the one from the prophesy. The one to take Rowena Ravenclaws place as the greatest witch to be born. You should have seen her Albus. I have seen so many things in my life but what I saw today was real greatness," she said almost dancing.
Albus Dumbledore wanted to know about the witch that would fulfil the little known prophecy about the witch who was to take the place of Rowena Ravenclaw. Because if such a witch existed then there must be some where out there, the wizard who would equal or outshine Rowena's husband Godric Gryffindor. Although Albus thought he already knew who the replacement for Salazar Slytherin was. It was an evil wizard by the name of Tom Riddle, who had renamed himself Lord Voldemort.
Albus was surprised by the things Minerva told him and he himself felt eager to meet the new student when she started school in September. He had no idea he would not enjoy his first meeting with Hermione Jane granger.
Albus having heard about Hermione Granger waited impatiently for Minerva to place her memory into his pensieve so that they could view it together. On leaving the memory Albus was just as convinced as Minerva. Rowena Ravenclaws equal was soon to start at Hogwarts.
As he placed his pensieve back into its cupboard he remembered the little known prophecy that said, as the millennium nears it's end, as young one's they will come together, the heirs of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor and would forever end the house of Slytherin and all it stood for.
As usual the way Albus Dumbledore interpreted the prophecy either overlooked or just ignored many of the things it could mean.
Hermione sat with her parents, two of the people she loved the most, and she revelled for a short time in their company. She sat comfortably and simply listened to them talk about what it meant to have a real live witch in the family. Hermione found her self just enjoying hearing them talking after missing them for so many years.
She had been 193 when she had died, and she had lost both her parents by the time she was fifty. It had been hard at first, her dad dying and then just a year later losing her mum. In losing them she had lost her two best confidants and her two best friends after Harry Potter. She had often wished that Muggles lived as long as Magical people but it was not to be, even as a great healer Hermione had been unable to find a way to give Muggles a longer life span.
So for now she just sat and enjoyed their company for a while. Something her mother said in the conversation made her think of Harry and the day he had confessed to her all about his life with the Dursleys.
Hermione determined to do something about it but she needed a wand first.
It took her nearly three hours of begging pleading crying and throwing tantrums to get her parents to take her to Diagon Alley to buy her, her wand. Both parents pointed out that as Hermione was not due to start Hogwarts for almost a year she did not need to buy a wand so soon. But with her pouting and false tears Hermione won her parents around to buying her her wand later that afternoon.
She grinned as she entered Ollivander's the wand makers shop; she knew almost exactly what he would say. Not that she remembered what he had said to her all those years ago, but she could remember him being famous for saying the exact same thing to so many young children.
She really surprised the old wand maker when she asked for a wand made of vine wood with a dragon heart string. He was even more astonished when he gave her one to try and as she gave it a swish it emitted more golden sparks than he had ever seen before from a child.
Hermione followed as her parents took a walk around Diagon Alley marvelling at every thing they saw. They made use of the late afternoon drop in shoppers by buying all the school things Hermione would need, and then after a quick meal and a butter beer in the Leaky cauldron they made their way home.
Arriving home Hermione took her school things up to her bed room. Once they were packed neatly away she stood in front of her dressing room mirror and corrected her rather large front teeth making them shrink to a normal size. Then with a plan already in her head she joined her parents down stairs for dinner.
The look of shock on her parent's faces when at seven o clock that evening sitting calmly at the dinner table Hermione told them she was going to go and collect her new boyfriend, and that he would be staying with them was a sight she wanted to remember. She then told them about the treatment Harry received at the hands of his aunt and uncle. She made them promise not to mention a single word about it to Harry as he was very self conscious about it.
Helen and Richard both thought her new boyfriend was one of the young wizards they had met that day in London. But were truly shocked at just how there little girl seemed so involved with someone she had just met.
At seven thirty she stood in the kitchen with her mum and dad she said "I'm off to fetch Harry, I shouldn't be too long, I just have to deal with the Dursleys and Dumbledore." Then leaving her parents gaping at the spot she had stood in Hermione vanished.
Hermione Jane Granger arrived out side Number four Privet Drive and gave a thank you to the 'One' that she had remembered the place correctly, and she seemed to have retained all her power. Having rung the door bell Hermione waited impatiently for the door to be opened.
Vernon Dursley after thumping Harry a few times, and throwing him across the floor breaking the boys arm, had just slapped his nephew around the ear bursting his ear drum and making the lads ear bleed and that was just for not putting enough food on Dudley's plate.
Dudley, Harry's cousin had complained as though he had never been fed.
Violently shoving Harry into the cupboard under the stairs Vernon took a kick at the small boy but missed when the boy fainted from the pain he was in. He was just about to take another kick at Harry when the front door bell rang.
"Quiet boy if you know what is good for you," he hissed as he closed the door and locked it.
Vernon waddled his huge bulk to the front door, plastered a smile on his face and opened the door; he was quite surprised when he saw a young girl with bushy hair standing looking up at him. He knew she could not be a neighbour's child or he would have recognised her.
"What the hell do you want?" he asked rudely.
Hermione noticed the fresh blood on the floor outside the cupboard under the stairs and she lost her temper a little. Pulling out and pointing her wand at the fat oaf in front of her, she hit him with a very mild reducto spell sending the huge man hurtling backwards down the hallway and crashing through the kitchen door. As Petunia Dursley, Harry's aunt came to see what was happening Hermione petrified her in the door way, she smiled as the horsey faced woman fell backward into the kitchen to lie among the shattered remains of the kitchen door with her unconscious husband.