Chapter Text
Mr. and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense.
Sadly for them, on November 1, 1981, a little bundle was left on their doorstep just past the low garden wall.
Dr. and Dr. Granger, of Hampstead, London, on the other hand, never put much stock in normal. They were bookish people and ran a small dental clinic with a short commute from their home.
Dr. Tom Granger was a quiet man and owned half of the clinic Granger’s Dental, the other half belonging to his wife. He was not large but he wasn’t small either and was prone to sweater wearing. Doctor Heather Granger was of slender build and average height. She had chestnut brown curls often pulled back into a large bushy ponytail. Their daughter was born a year ago and was now a healthy young girl already showing great curiosity and interest in learning. This pleased her parents greatly.
On this particular day Dr. Heather Granger was running late for work. Her husband was already there but she had stayed behind to make sure the babysitter was comfortably situated and their daughter taken care of. After checking for the fourth time that everything was okay and yes the babysitter really was fine Mrs. Granger, don’t worry, she went out the door and rushed for her car.
It was kind of a dull, gray morning with a heavily clouded sky but she didn’t think it was going to rain. On her way to work, she couldn’t help but notice a large number of strangely dressed people all throughout London. They all looked quite excitable and wore long cloaks that left the impression of another age. As if they all belonged to some time long since past. Heather thought that there must be some sort of convention going on for she had no idea how else to explain it.
Soon she arrived at the clinic and went to sign in. Most of the day was filled with teeth cleanings and a few fillings but was otherwise uneventful. The television in the waiting room showed news of owls traveling en masse during daylight hours.
“And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation’s owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern.”
“Hm, how strange,” remarked Heather and thought nothing else of it.
After a long day of work she said a tired goodbye to Miss Sheila at the desk and headed back home. The unusually dressed people still flooded the streets, seeming overly excitable about something and gesturing to each other in an energetic manner. One odd fellow with a tall, pointed hat that looked to be on its last legs of life was dancing a jig on the corner and raising his hands in the air. Heather almost forgot to turn left at the green light, so bizarre was the sight. Still it wasn’t much longer before she was home and able to relieve the neighbor who was so kind to watch over their daughter that day. She sat down with her on the worn armchair and thought, not for the first time, how intelligent their daughter was turning out to be.
Raised amongst books and intelligent conversation Hermione, for that was her name, grew to be a principled and brilliant young girl. Still, it came as quite the shock when nearly ten years later a letter arrived declaring her acceptance to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Not two days later, a severe looking woman with a tight black bun came to explain things in further detail. After some adjustment, her parents had to agree and they set a date to later meet at Diagon Alley. Hermione immediately went upstairs to devour the few books the woman brought to explain things. It was best she learn all she could about this whole new world she was now privy to.