Cauldron of Cats

Harry Potter Story

George x Hermione x Fred

*Triad Fiction* Turn away now if this isn't your cup of tea!

Summary: How things would change if Hermione was to start Hogwarts a year early. After all such an advanced girl shouldn't be held back due to her birthday being three weeks late.

Chapter 1

…

Minerva McGonagall was currently in Albus Dumbledore's office helping him to go over the list of first years. The list was magically enchanted by documents through the Ministry of Magic and updated itself regularly around this time every year in June.

"Well this is peculiar." Albus mumbled to himself as his brows furrowed in confusion over the list.

"Hermione Jean Granger b. September 19,1979. She shouldn't be starting school until next year though!" Minerva agreed with Dumbledore's assessment upon looking over his shoulder at the parchment.

"Perhaps but magic does have a way of doing what it wants regardless. It could be Miss Granger's best interest to start her schooling a year early. Three weeks is hardly that much of a difference."

The Transfiguration Professor wished to argue with the older man but at the familiar twinkling of his eyes she bit her tongue instead.

"I shall make a trip to see for myself if she's capable of starting a year early, Albus this hasn't been heard of in-"

"A century, much like Quidditch. Perhaps some rules should be bent a little for those deserving."

At this McGonagall did roll her eyes at the foolish male and stated quite briskly, "The rules are there for a reason, Albus. You should be more careful with your words, such things are the reasons my Gryffindors get called brash and unruly."

Albus merely waved her off with a chuckle before he looked at her quite seriously, "I quite cannot wait to hear of the story you tell of your meeting with Miss Granger."

Minerva merely nodded her compliance with his request before leaving his office to head to the apparation point in Hogsmeade.

…

Minerva lazily swished her tail as she balanced herself along the fence, across the street of a run of the mill house in Kent.

She had been watching the ten almost eleven year old girl by herself tend to her garden. She'd make quick looks around to make sure that her neighbors weren't prying; much like the ones she encountered amidst the residents of Privet Drive so many years ago, and then when she was sure the coast was clear she'd channel her magic in her hands and coax the flowers to grow an almost abnormal size and bloom.

It was quite extraordinary, really. Most fairly young children were only able to perform accidental magic but this girl was able to set a goal in her mind and will her power to do it for her. Technically it was wandless and nonverbal casting though she knew the girl didn't have in her mind the theories proving how and why most would be able to accomplish it. It was longer still Minerva felt herself watching and surveying the girl that she began to understand why her name appeared on the Hogwarts invitation list a year early.

Around 4:00 a black sedan pulled up and a man and woman stepped out of the muggle contraption.

While the girl had slightly bushy yet curly hair and deep brown eyes, her mother had curly blond hair with blue eyes obviously less bushy than her child's due to the length and weight of her locks. The young girl inherited her father's dark brown hair, chestnut eyes and tan complexion the rest of her looks was that of her mother's.

Minerva waited until the small family entered their home before casting a notice-me-not spell silently and transformed out of her animagus embodiment and she mentally braced herself to introduce herself to the muggles.

When the girl answered the door, her eyes grew big as saucers and she hurriedly called for her parents, "Mum! Dad! There's someone at the door!"

The word 'strange' was left out but McGonagall had done this enough to know even though it wasn't spoken aloud the word was there.

"Hello how can we help you?" Mr. Granger was very gruff in his demeanor but she didn't exactly have time to change out of her robes before it was decided she would be doing this.

"My name is Minerva McGonagall and I am a Professor at a very special school for gifted youths. Your daughter's name was marked down this year to join."

"Won't you please come in then, Professor." the girl's mother spoke silently elbowing her husband to move and motioning for Hermione to step out of the way so she could allow the older witch to pass.

"Thank you, Miss?"

"Anna Granger, please. How do you take your tea?" she asked walking towards what must be her kitchen to begin putting a kettle to boil.

"Milk, two sugars, thank you."

"So this school? I don't remember my wife or I approving of a scholarship to a boarding school." Mr. Granger began

"Mr. Granger, if I might be so bold as to speak bluntly with you. Your daughter is a witch, a very powerful one if I'd wager."

Joseph looked shocked for a moment blinking imprudently at the strict looking woman before coming to his own conclusions.

"Alright, which loony bin did you walk out of again?"

"Dad!"

"Joe!"

Both his wife and daughter were apparently ganging up on him in defense of a lunatic, lovely.

"If I may again..." Mcgonagall slipped her wand out of the holster on her arm and quite more loudly than she normally would have spoke in a clear voice, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Anna, Joe and Hermione all looked on shocked as the tea set floated onto the coffee table in front of the couch McGonagall was sitting on and with another swish and flick of her wand her tea was made and floating into her awaiting hands. She took a long much needed sip and began again.

"As I was saying your daughter is a witch much like I myself am. There is a special registry at the birth of every magical child in our Ministry which upon their eleventh birthday there name appears on the registry to join Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." At this moment she stopped her explanation long enough to remove Hermione's acceptance letter from her robes and once Hermione had it in her hands began speaking once more.

"Surely my girl, you've noticed things growing up that seemed impossible to explain. Situations that occurred when you were scared or excited or extremely emotional?"

"You were on the roof when you were five." Joe blurted out as Hermione and Anna looked on in shock at the man. "Thought I'd forgotten to pick up the ladder after replacing a few shingles but my ladder was locked up tight in the shed. Ended up breaking it out again to get you down. Never told your mother that before, obviously for good reason with the way she's shooting daggers at me."

"I remember that I thought it was an extremely vivid dream I had, that boy across the street, Kevin about four years older, said that my doll's hair was just like mine and if I'd cut it it'd just grow back eventually."

"Yes that would do it for a five year old girl." McGonagall agreed laughing as Hermione handed the note to her father and mother.

"Her magic would just get out of control without being properly trained right?" Anna asked and at Minerva's nod her father continued.

"We can't exactly get any of this stiff in London, can we?"

"I'll be escorting you lot to someplace in London you can if you'll agree to enroll her."

Hermione looked up at both of her parents with pleading eyes and with a quick glance at each other and a nod from Anna it was decided McGonagall would be owling them with a date and time to bring them to Diagon Alley to fetch her things.

…