A Different Halloween

Chapter 7

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Emma was desperate for some answers but had bided her time as Lily had more important matters that required dealing with first, the time had come though.

Lily didn't even give Emma time to ask anything, it wasn't fair to keep these good people waiting any longer. She sat on the same sofa the kids had slept on and immediately had a child on either side of her, Lily put an arm around each of them. "Let me guess, strange things have been happening around Hermione that you've been unable to explain. These incidents probably happened when she displayed a strong emotion like tonight."

It wasn't really fair to tease Emma and Dan like this but she needed them to accept something that was so out of their comfort zone they had to be guided there step by step. What she was telling them here would change their lives forever. "You have been racking your brains and hitting the books, all in a vain attempt to define what was happening with your daughter. So far you've come up with a big fat zilch! I would think your next move would be batteries of medical tests?"

It was easy to see from Dan and Emma's expressions that Lily was hitting the bull's-eye every time. "I can save you a lot of trouble, worry, heartache and expense by telling you there is nothing physically or psychologically wrong with Hermione. I personally think she's adorable!" Lily kissed the smiling girl on the forehead, of course Harry had to be kissed too.

Telling worried parents their child was not only fine but beautiful was always going to win you brownie points.

Lily continued before the Grangers could ask any questions, "The reason I know so much about this is the exact same thing happened to me. My parents were worried sick and were so relieved when they discovered what it was, they embraced my differences. That is what I'm hoping for here today, or should that be tonight. Hermione broke your clock with a burst of accidental magic, I repaired it using my wand and a structured magic spell. I attended a special School of magic in Scotland for seven years where I learned how to do these things." So far so good Lily thought. They haven't grabbed their daughter and thrown Harry and her out the door, that was a good sign.

"There is an entire magical society living alongside your normal one, we have our own government, health and education system with our own currency thrown in for good measure. James really is what you would call a policeman, only he works for the department of magical law enforcement. You see I am a witch, my husband and son are both wizards and little Hermione here is a magical child in every sense of the word."

The Grangers were understandably more than a little bit sceptical of this story, Lily handed Emma her wand. To the dentist it was merely a stick, her husband also felt nothing other than a trifle foolish when he held it next. Their daughter on the other hand was a different matter entirely.

Hermione had been walking around the house, waving her toy wand at everything since she got her witch costume last week. This wand had beautiful, multicoloured sparks shoot out the end when she held it, Hermione wanted one of these.

Lily took her wand back and animated some of the toys in the room. This delighted both children who immediately slid down from the sofa to play with them, leaving the three adults to continue their discussion. "You would have been contacted when Hermione reached eleven and given this explanation, as well as the option to send Hermione to magical school. One of the strictest laws in our world concerns keeping the secret of magic just that, a secret. I'm bending that law, if not breaking it because, as parents of a magical child, there are some things you really need to know. You will have surmised from what happened earlier that ours is not a utopian society at the moment, we're in the middle of a bloody civil war fought over class and breeding. Like you both, my parents were not magical. This sees me classified as a 'muggleborn' and the lowest form of magical user in some eyes. James is a pureblood, his parents and grandparents were magical. Harry is classed as a half-blood, oh how I hate that term! To put it simply, some of the purebloods think they're nobility and the rest of us nothing more than plebs who are here purely to do their bidding."

Emma was struggling to understand this, "So this society judges you by your parentage and there's an actual war being fought over this?"

"Pureblood magical society is still stuck in the Victorian era, gas lighting, servants for everything and arranging good marriages for your offspring to enhance your family's standing and protect the bloodlines. Most of these people don't believe children like your daughter or me should have magic, far less be taught how to use it."

Dan was ready to blow his top but mindful there were two children playing happily in the room. "Lily, that is utter balderdash. It's genetics at a level for children! We are human beings, not drosophila in a biology class. Surely you don't believe this?"

"Of course I don't. My husband and his best friend are both purebloods who think the whole idea is a load of tripe, they are called blood traitors for their stance. The leader of these terrorists has really whipped his followers into a frenzy, they even have their own uniforms. They have been committing crimes against muggles and muggleborns while the magical government has looked the other way, too afraid to take on the fight and discover how many of their own they would be fighting against. Only when purebloods started being murdered did they start to officially take notice, anyone who disagrees with this terrorist usually ends up dead. James and I have escaped from him three times before tonight, I guess that makes this our fourth."

Lily understood this was a lot for the dentists to take in and tried her best to put it into some sort of context they could relate to. "This may sound like games children would play but it can get you murdered, imagine Lord of the Flies where all the children had deadly weapons. Good people are afraid to make a stand or even to speak out against these people, those few who do usually end up dead. James lost both his parents that way."

The witch was once more trying to reign in her emotions, "I wanted us to take Harry and get out of the country, I was persuaded that the Potters leaving Britain could start an exodus that would hand victory to the other side. Well screw them all and the horse they rode in on. That child there is my only concern, the little boy playing with your daughter. I will tell you anything you want to know and offer advice based on my own experiences. The next piece of information I will give you though is crucial, when Hermione was born she would have been magically registered as being a witch. If these terrorists succeed in taking over the government, that information places you and your family in grave danger. You have already heard from me that these animals wouldn't hesitate to kill a child."

Lily went down on her knees to play with the children while Dan and Emma retreated to the kitchen. None of the adults felt like they could eat a bite but both children still had to be fed. Dan asked his wife the question that was at the heart of the matter. "Do you believe that our little girl can perform magic, that she's a witch?"

"I believe she'll still be our little girl whether that's true or not. The explanation certainly accounts for all of the things we've seen Hermione do, and some of the more serious things we thought might be causing it frightened the life out of me. If it takes us having to accept she's magical to have a healthy child then count me in. Brain abnormalities or genetic anomalies I don't think I could cope with, I would much rather she was a healthy witch. Apparently I've just spent the entire afternoon chatting with one and I like Lily a lot. If that's what the future holds for Hermione then bring it on."

Dan knew his wife held herself totally responsible for their inability to have any more children. Therefore when something threatened Hermione, Emma would put a lioness defending her cub to shame. Both parents had been getting progressively more worried that something was seriously wrong with their precious child. These unexplainable outbursts kept happening and were getting more severe in terms of damage, would she one day destroy their house?

There was unquestionably a sense of relief at being able to put a name to their trouble, however strange that name may be. Only one thing was for certain, they needed to learn much more about this before any life changing decisions could be made. If the Potters didn't have anywhere else to go then they could stay here for now, they had plenty of room and Hermione would be delighted to have her 'bestest' friend staying over.

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