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Chapter 3 – The Grangers

The love of a family is life’s greatest blessing.

Jane Granger glanced nervously at the clock in her office. She’d had a very unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach ever since Hallowe’en. Her husband, Alexander, insisted it was because it was the first holiday they hadn’t shared with Hermione. It was possible, she admitted, but Hallowe’en wasn’t really a major holiday for them since Hermione wasn’t allowed to have any sweets and didn’t care much for horror movies. Still, her precious daughter was in school in another country, and she could admit that that left her feeling unsettled.

Hermione’s acceptance into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on her eleventh birthday came as a huge shock. They discovered that magic was, in fact, real, and their own daughter was a witch. It took some adjusting, but once she saw how excited and hopeful her little girl had been, there was no doubt that Hermione was going to travel to Hogwarts to become part of a society that held no place for her parents.

Still, Hermione was ecstatic and longed for knowledge of the new world she was going to join. She was greatly disappointed when Professor McGonagall, the strict-looking witch that had personally delivered the letter and turned their coffee table into a rabbit, informed her that due to her late birthday she wouldn’t be able to join the first years until the following September. Jane had been very happy, however. It gave her time to be with her daughter for a while longer before allowing her to be so far away for the first time ever.

That, of course, didn’t stop Hermione from learning all she could about the Wizarding world before she began her first year at Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall looked very amused as Hermione promptly opened up a copy of the Hogwarts Muggleborn introductory packet as if it were made of the jewels from the Queen’s very own crown. Hermione had wanted to buy as many books as possible, but Jane had put her foot down. They’d only have a year together, after all, and Hermione had a tendency to become manic when devouring new material. While a year didn’t seem like a little, it was much less time with her daughter than what Jane was used to. Then again, in Jane’s eyes, she was supposed to have at least ten years before Hermione went off on her own.

Alex took it a bit better than she did. Like Hermione, he was fascinated by the idea of a hidden world full of magic and achievements that they couldn’t dream of. Not that Jane wasn’t, of course, because magic was truly marvelous, but he was a little more laid back about Hermione going off to school for the better part of a year. “Dear, our Hermione is brilliant enough to accept any school she desires. We’ve already talked about her studying abroad,” he would say. “I worry as well, but she has a good head on her shoulders. If this is what she wants to pursue, then we need to let her.”

Despite the very rational argument, Jane still didn’t feel quite right allowing Hermione to go off to Hogwarts so very far away from her grasp. Perhaps it was because of Hermione’s problems with being bullied because of her high intelligence that made Jane want to keep her daughter so close to her. However, despite her initial misgivings, Jane was convinced of the safety and quality education Hermione would receive at Hogwarts, and after long talks and pondering, she finally gave her blessing.

Hermione was ecstatic, of course, and spent much of her time at home talking all about her hopes and dreams of the Wizarding world. Professor McGonagall had been very serious when speaking of the Statute of Secrecy, and of the consequences the Ministry of Magic would take should they let slip about Hermione’s special abilities. If it was meant to scare them away, they were not deterred.

After all, despite Hermione being only eleven, she was a part of the family, and Alex and Jane were adamant that they allow Hermione to give her input in such big decisions, especially considering her level of maturity and rationality.

The past two months without Hermione at home was…different. In a way, it was nearly unnatural to her as a mother to come home and not here her darling little bookworm prattle on about the latest discovery she’d made at the library. She was slowly beginning to get used to it, and dreading the next six years when she’d only have holidays and breaks to spend with her daughter.

As time went on and Hermione kept up on her promise to write as often as she could, Jane felt a little more at peace. Hermione seemed to truly love the Wizarding world more than she loved the Muggle one, and she would go on for pages about how fascinating her classes were. There were no talks of friends quite yet, but Hermione had a few acquaintances from other houses that shared a table with her at the library. For someone who never really had a friend before, Jane considered it quite an improvement.

And even though Jane felt more comforted by her daughter’s letters, more assured that she and Alex had made the right decision, she found herself unable to sleep Hallowe’en night or last night. She felt sick to her stomach, and yet she didn’t have a cold or any sort of ailment. Instead, it felt like her gut was telling her that something was just wrong. Not only that, but Hermione hadn’t mailed a letter in five days. She could have simply forgotten or was too busy studying, but Hermione was rather obsessive about her maintaining a schedule to the point of it developing into a complex that that was rather unlikely. Hermione had also promised to mail another letter the day after Hallowe’en detailing how the Wizarding version differed from the Muggle one.

It didn’t take long for her to start assuming the worst and pacing a hole in the floor. Alex tried to assure her that everything was fine, but Jane knew her daughter. Something had happened, something that kept her from sleeping and twisted her stomach into knots. She had no evidence, but sometimes a mother just knows.

A knock on the door broke Jane out of her musings. She almost knocked down her water bottle before she cleared her throat and said, “Come in.”

It was Alex. “Darling, are you ready to go?”

Jane smiled at him. Oh, how she loved her husband. He was a tall man with chestnut brown hair and breathtaking warm chocolate eyes. Alex always knew how to make her smile, either quoting a seemingly obscure passage from a Shakespearean play (which she had to guess) or acting like an exuberant child when he told her about a new fascinating piece of literature he found in the library.

She could see a lot of him in Hermione.

“Just about. My last appointment rescheduled for tomorrow morning, so I’ll need to be a little early,” she replied, standing up and stretching.

Alex grinned. “Excellent. Would the lady care to join me at the cinema tonight?”

Jane laughed. “Let’s eat dinner first, shall we?”

The walk home was a pleasant one. The autumn air was beginning to chill, but Alex held her hand the entire way and offered her his warmth. He even wore the awful scarf she’d tried to make him years ago. It was absolutely hideous, and the green yarn was too old and starting to come undone. Fortunately, Hermione did not inherit her bad skill in the area.

Their plans for the evening were foiled, however, when they spotted an elderly man in alarming purple suit gazing at their house and frowning. They shared a look and Alex took a cautious step forward.

“Excuse me, but may I help you?” he asked.

The elderly man turned towards them, and his blue eyes lit up and twinkled. “Yes, I’m looking for Mister and Missus Granger?”

Jane stepped next to her husband. “What can we do for you?”

The elderly man smiled politely. “Forgive me, I’ve yet to introduce myself. I’m Professor Albus Dumbledore. I’m the Headmaster at Miss Granger’s school.”

Jane’s stomach dropped. “Has something happened?” she asked frantically, fear gripping her heart. “Is something wrong? How is Hermione?”

Albus’s smile dimmed considerably. “Miss Granger is well now. May we take this conversation inside?”

Jane and Alex, both pale with worry and confusion, led him into their modest abode. He was further led into their sitting room where he sat in a very comfy chair, flicked his wand to provide tea, and pondered on how best to start.

Alex, however, could not take the silence. “What’s happened to my little girl?” he demanded quietly, all traces of his normally jovial character gone.

Albus sighed softly. “On Hallowe’en, there was a breach in the protective wards surrounding Hogwarts. A mountain troll somehow managed to get in, destroy a bathroom, and seriously injure a student.”

Jane gasped, and Alex’s face became pinched. “Was it Hermione?” she whispered, horrified. Her eyes filled with tears as fear for her only child grew. “Was Hermione hurt?”

“No,” Albus said, “she wasn’t.”

Alex nearly sagged in relief. “But…if Hermione wasn’t injured, why are you here?” he asked curiously. “Surely as the Headmaster you have more important things to do than personally deliver the news to every family that has a child in your institution; like, say, find out how something that can destroy a bathroom managed to get into your school.”

Albus gave a small smile. “Normally a letter is mailed to all the parents detailing what happened, but though Miss Granger wasn’t injured, that does not mean she wasn’t involved, hence my coming here personally.” Upon seeing their faces, he continued, “You see, Miss Granger was in that bathroom when the troll attacked. It turns out that a classmate said some rather cruel words and she hid in there the entire afternoon.”

Jane’s hand flew to her mouth. “Hermione was there when that thing destroyed it?” she shrieked, her eyes wide.

Albus nodded solemnly. “According to Miss Granger, a fellow classmate, Mister Potter, had followed her into the bathroom—”

“He what?” Alex’s face nearly purpled with rage at the thought of a boy stalking his baby girl.

Albus gave him a stern look for interrupting, the same one he used on unruly students, and said, “He followed her into the bathroom to apologize.” The old man paused and, after he was sure he wouldn’t be interrupted again, carried on. “He wasn’t the one that put her in there, but still felt that he should apologize because he had remained silent when the other boy spoke ill of her thoughtlessly. It was at that point that the troll walked in and began to destroy the bathroom.”

“So a troll just…just waltzed into the school and destroyed the bathroom?” Jane had a hard time processing everything. “Why didn’t anyone see it?”

“This occurred during the Hallowe’en feast,” Albus explained. “Everyone, or so we thought, was dining in the Great Hall.”

It was silent for a moment before Alex murmured, “You said a student was seriously injured…”

Albus nodded. “They tried to outrun the troll, but outrunning a creature ten feet tall is no easy feat.”

Alex and Jane paled even more, and Jane’s breath began to come in short pants. Albus looked at her, alarmed, and gave her the teacup. She shook her head, but he insisted, and after the first sip she felt warmth travelling throughout her body, and it became easier to breathe. “You drugged me?” she asked incredulously.

“I’m sorry, madam,” Albus apologized, “but I thought telling you the news without the use of a calming draught would have been unwise.”

Alex wrapped his arms around his wife and glared at the old man. “You can’t just drug people! Even if it was the calming thing, the least you could have done was tell us beforehand.”

Albus had the sense to look abashed. “I’m sorry,” he apologized again. When Alex’s glare softened only marginally, he spoke again. “They could not have outrun the troll. It’s legs were bigger and more powerful. So…” He stopped and took a sip of tea, his eyes dimming even further. “So Mister Potter urged her to get help, and stayed behind to distract the troll.”

Jane’s teacup slipped from her numb hands onto the carpeted floor. “He…?”

“He was able to perform extremely advanced magic, and developed a severe case of Extreme Magical Exhaustion. Such an ailment in an eleven year old child still developing his magic is extremely dangerous, and is known to normally end fatally after a few months,” Albus informed them grimly. “Because his magical coils are still developing, to use to much magic would cripple him. He would be unable to use magic until, one day, his magic would burst free and most likely kill him in the process.”

Alex’s eyes widened and he inaudibly gasped. He felt sorry for the boy, no doubt, but he couldn’t help but picture his little girl suffering. His heart ached terribly.

“Is he…will he be…?” Jane stammered.

“He was in a coma for two days.” Albus paused and took another sip of tea. “He also gave Miss Granger enough time to inform me and the staff of the troll. We were able to save Mister Potter from immediate death, though he obviously suffered a great deal. Professor Flitwick, who was a master duelist quite a number of years ago, as well as myself were able to eliminate the troll.”

That was a polite way of putting it, and Jane couldn’t help but feel such an immense amount of relief. “So…so Hermione’s okay… My baby girl is alright.” She almost sobbed tears of joy.

Alex, however, tensed again. “Well, given light of recent matters, I believe it’s safe to say that Hermione will not be continuing her education at Hogwarts.”

Albus nearly grimaced. “I’m afraid that’s where things get sticky,” he said slowly.

Alex would have none of it. He stood up, enraged. “We were promised that our daughter would be safe,” he spat angrily. “Instead , she could have been killed by a—a—a troll! No, she won’t be continuing at your fine institution anymore. I want Hermione home—tonight!”

Albus slowly stood up, allowing some of his magic to radiate off his body. “Mister Granger,” he said softly, “I am not yet finished informing you of what happened, and this very much concerns your daughter. Please, sit and listen.”

Alex froze. “Nothing you say,” he said as he sat down, “will change my mind.”

Albus also sat. “In the Wizarding world,” he continued as if Alex had never spoken, “when you save someone’s life at the near cost of your own, that person then owes you a life debt. This is old magic at its deepest, and very unbreakable. To acknowledge such a debt is to swear on your magic that the debtor repays the wizard they owe with something equally or more valuable than their own life.” He took another sip of tea. “Miss Granger, unknowingly, acknowledged the debt she owes Mister Potter.”

Jane closed her eyes and took in a deep, shuddering breath. The calming draught was wearing off, and Albus conjured another cup of tea for her. She eyed it wearily, but sensing her anxiety building convinced her to take a sip. “Something equally…or more valuable than her life,” she murmured. She looked up into the old man’s eyes, tears still trailing down her face despite feeling completely calm. “My baby is only twelve. She’s my everything. What can possibly be more valuable than her own life?”

Albus regarded her with sad eyes. “When she acknowledged her debt, she leaned down to kiss his hand,” he explained softly. “That would normally be of no consequence, but when you combine that with an acknowledged debt, a promise to aid in whatever manner she can, and skin contact, that develops a bond.”

“A bond?” Alex asked incredulously, feeling very confused and angry and wondering if allowing Hermione to pursue her magical talents wasn’t such a good idea.

“The bond she accidentally invoked allowed her own magic to heal Mister Potter’s, saving him from his eventual fate. Her and Mister Potter are now connected, in the deepest of ways in the Wizarding world.” Albus sighed and suddenly appeared to be so very old. “For the time being, they cannot be separated without causing them both pain. They are currently in the Hospital Wing being looked after by Madam Pomfrey, a very capable Healer. We still do not know how deeply this bond will affect them.”

“How do you not know?” Jane questioned, sipping her tea with slightly shaky hands.

“The last bonded pair was in the 1800s,” Albus said. “And every bonded pair was different. Besides, it is unheard of for eleven-year-olds to be bonded—until now, that is. And that is primarily the reason why Miss Granger must stay enrolled in Hogwarts.”

Alex shook his head. “She’s not staying there another night,” he grit out. “As her father, I am well within my rights to pull her from your school.”

“Be that as it may,” Albus conceded, “the fact remains that she is now magically connected to another student. If you pull her from Hogwarts, her magic will be heavily suppressed and all of your memories of the magical world will be erased as is customary for Muggleborns that decline a magical education.”

“Maybe,” Jane spoke up, licking her lips, “that’ll be best. You have to understand, Mister Dumbledore, that as a parent it is my job to do what’s best for my daughter. I thought your school would be best, but she was nearly killed. I trusted you with her safety, and you failed. You won’t get the chance to make that mistake again.”

“If her magic, the only reason why Mister Potter is not in a coma and crippled, is suppressed, how do you suppose her debt would be fulfilled?” Albus asked.

“You said it yourself!” Alex exclaimed. “He’s not in a coma anymore, and healed. I’m sorry he got hurt and bloody thankful that he saved my daughter, but I won’t allow her safety to be further jeopardized!”

“You misunderstand what I’m trying to tell you,” Albus murmured, sighing heavily. “Miss Granger’s magical coils are also not that developed. The moment she acknowledged the debt and furthermore sealed it when her lips touched his hand, their bond became unbreakable. It relies on their magic. You have that suppressed, and you kill not only your daughter, but an innocent boy who nearly lost his life trying to save hers!”

Alex and Jane recoiled sharply, momentarily speechless.

“So…” Jane swallowed thickly and said, “So we don’t even get the choice?” She shook with suppressed fury and practically spat in rage. “We have no choice but to let our daughter continue her education at your obviously unsafe school?”

Albus pursed his lips. “We are going to have Aurors, our equivalent of Muggle policeman, investigate how a troll could have managed to breach our protective wards. During the Christmas holidays, all children will be sent home so the wards can be updated and brought to a higher standard to further protect the school and its occupants.” He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. “Now, you have every right to be upset at the turn of events. I take full responsibility for your daughter’s traumatic experience, and will be providing counseling for her. I apologize, deeply and profusely, for what has happened, but I cannot allow you to pull Miss Granger out of Hogwarts.”

Jane scoffed. “Given that her options are at your institution or death, it’s not like we have a choice,” she said bitterly.

Alex shook his head. “I don’t like this,” he said angrily. “We should have never let her go.”

Albus sighed, understanding their feelings. “Furthermore, I understand how you would find it impossible to trust me or the staff ever again with your daughter’s safety.” He ignored their glares and rummaged for something in his pocket. “Therefore, I will be giving you two devices that will allow you to monitor your daughter’s safety yourself.”

Alex and Jane exchanged a look. “How can we do that?” Jane asked curiously, her tone still carrying a note of anger.

Albus licked his lips. “I trust I don’t need to remind you of the consequences should this fall into the hands of a Muggle that does not know of magic,” he said seriously. He, of course, charmed the devices to only be found and viewed by the Grangers, but they didn’t need to know that and become careless with them. He doubted that would happen, but one could never be too careful. “The Statute of Secrecy leaves little room for mistakes to be made in regards to magical items being found in the wrong hands.”

“Save your threats, Mister Dumbledore,” Alex said crisply.

Albus smiled genially at him. “This first device,” he said, showing them a simple wristwatch, “will monitor your daughter’s whereabouts.” At their dubious looks, he opened the watch. “These spoons will show whether she is safe, hurt, or lost. It will not, however, react to every injury she receives.”

“Why not?” Alex asked, begrudgingly impressed by the device.

Albus raised an eyebrow. “Well, while a paper cut can hurt, I seriously doubt it’s serious enough to cause you to panic,” he explained. “Therefore, it’ll only move from safe to hurt if Miss Granger needs to spend more than a day in the Hospital Wing.”

Jane accepted the watch and cradled it, staring at the spoon that rested on safe. “Thank you,” she whispered. She was, of course, still upset with the old man and even more at the helplessness she was experiencing, but the watch would certainly help her not develop grey hairs earlier than she should.

“The other device,” he said as he pulled it out from his obviously enlarged pocket, “is this enchanted mirror.”

It was a beautiful silver mirror, with gold floral engravings going up the handle. Jane briefly wondered how it fit into his pocket, but seemed to think that the fact that he was a wizard should be the only explanation she would really need. Still, she had to comment on it. “It looks lovely,” she said softly. “What does it do?”

Albus smiled and, instead of responding, stared at the mirror and said, “Hermione Granger.”

The mirror glowed a soft, pale blue before Jane heard her daughter’s voice. “Hi, Professor Dumbledore!”

Albus smiled. “Miss Granger, I’m going to give this to your parents now.” He stared at the shocked parents and carefully handed them the mirror.

Jane grabbed it with shaky hands and stared into it. Her daughter was smiling at her, her brown eyes sparkling and looking so very happy. “Hi, mum! Isn’t this mirror cool? It has all sorts of enchantments on it, and it kind of works like a cross between a mobile and a video camera. I’ve actually heard that the University of Cambridge is working on something called a webcam, and it’s all really fascinating.”

Jane swallowed thickly and smiled. “Yes, it is,” she said softly. “How are you feeling? Professor Dumbledore told us what happened. Are you alright?”

Hermione smiled a little weakly. “Yes, everything’s fine, mum. Harry saved my life. Would you like to see him?” Without waiting for an answer, she pointed the mirror at a boy she was obviously sitting next to. He was adorable, Jane thought, with his wild raven hair and breath-taking emerald eyes. He blushed furiously as soon as the mirror was pointed at him, but offered a weak wave and then looked away pointedly.

Albus coughed, gathering their attention. “Unfortunately, the call has to be cut short. Miss Granger and Mister Potter need their rest. You can continue at a later date.”

Jane was very reluctant to end the call, but Alex swiftly took the mirror from her, spoke with Hermione for a few moments, and then said his goodbyes, promising to continue the call later. Jane also said her goodbyes, and then Hermione’s face disappeared from the mirror. “What’s this?” Jane asked as Albus handed her a paper.

“Miss Granger’s schedule,” Albus said. “So you’ll know when she’s in class, and when she’ll have free periods to talk.”

“Thank you,” Alex said quietly.

Albus waved off their thanks. “It really is the least I could do,” he said. He pulled out a watch and glanced at the time. “I’m going to have to cut this a little shorter than I’d like. I still have to visit Mister Potter’s family and explain what happened.” He stood up and turned to leave, but paused. “We don’t normally do this, but given that these are extenuating circumstances and I’m sure you’d love nothing more than to check for yourself, Professor McGonagall will deliver Miss Granger here tomorrow. What time will be best?”

“The morning,” Jane said immediately. “I’ll cancel my appointments.”

Albus nodded. “You understand, of course, that due to the instability of the bond, Mister Potter and Miss Granger require constant contact. He will also need to be here.”

“He saved Hermione’s life,” Alex said quietly. “I think we can host him for a few hours.”

Albus smiled. “Thank you.” He turned to leave but, yet again, paused. “I must also inform you that due to the rareness of the bond, I have elected to keep it very hush-hush and under wraps. Only the staff will know since Miss Granger and Mister Potter will now need to be paired together until the bond settles. They have all agreed to take a Wizard’s Oath and keep their silence. A Wizard’s Oath is different than a normal oath in the Muggle world, the difference being that should the witch or wizard break this oath, their magic will be forfeit. And, believe me, there are many that find that fate a lot worse than death.”

Alex and Jane nodded their heads in understanding. They were not completely convinced that Hermione would be safe at Hogwarts, but given that they didn’t really have a choice, they at least had the tools to make sure she was safe. “Have a good evening, Mister Dumbledore,” Jane said as she and Alex walked him to the door.

“You both as well. I wish we met under different circumstances,” Albus replied solemnly. He reached into his pocket and handed Jane a book. “I recommend you read that before tomorrow morning. You will find it most enlightening.” With a last nod, he exited the house and walked away. Jane closed the door and not five minutes later, there was the sound of a car backfiring.

“What’s that?” Alex asked after a few minutes of silence.

Jane glanced at the book. “The Rise and Fall of the Dark Lords,” she read. She opened the book and noticed an underlined chapter under the table of contents. “Harry Potter: The Boy Who Lived.”

“Boy who lived?” Alex eyed it skeptically.

Jane shrugged her shoulders and made her way back into the sitting room. She put the book down on the coffee table and stared it for a moment. Unbidden, her eyes filled with tears again and before she knew it, her husband was pulling her into his arms and rocking her gently.

“We almost lost her, Alex,” she sobbed. “She…she must have been so scared, and…oh, I don’t want her back at that school!”

“I don’t like it any more than you do,” he murmured into her hair, “but she’s safe now. We have this mirror and we can contact her any time we want.”

Jane nodded her head and wiped away her tears. “I don’t like it,” she whispered. “But it’s better than the alternative.”

Alex smiled gently and placed a loving kiss on her lips. “Come on,” he whispered back. “Let’s get started on that book. I’ll make us a nice pot of undrugged tea, and then we can get to bed. Hermione’s coming tomorrow morning. That’s something to be happy about, right?”

Jane let out a watery giggle. “You’re right. Let’s get this over with.”