David and Jane Granger were relaxing on a Sunday afternoon, unsuspecting, when a wizard arrived at their door. The man who rang the bell was heavyset, with prominent jowls, a mop of dirty-blond hair, and an official-looking uniform topped with a brown trench coat. He looked odd enough that they could guess he was a wizard at a glance.
"Are you the parents of Hermione Granger?" he asked.
That seemed an odd thing to ask right off the bat, but David dutifully answered, "Yes, we are. Who are you?"
"Auror Odo Proudfoot from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." He flashed a badge.
"Law enforcement? What's the matter?"
"I'm afraid your daughter was attacked by a dangerous animal at school."
"Oh my God!" Jane gasped. "What happened to her? Is this why she hasn't been writing for the past three weeks? Will she be okay?"
"I'm told she has now made a full recovery, so there is no need to worry. However, all three of you are wanted for questioning regarding a related incident that you witnessed last autumn."
"Now, wait a minute," David cut in. "You tell us our Hermione was hurt bad enough she couldn't write for three weeks, and we don't find out until she's supposedly fully recovered?"
"I don't have all the details, Mr. Granger," Proudfoot said. "My instructions only say that she's ready to be discharged from the hospital as soon as you pick her up. The Healers can explain better there."
The Grangers calmed down a little, but they were starting to grow angry. "She's in the hospital?" David said. "Why weren't we informed when it happened?"
"I honestly don't know, Mr. Granger," Proudfoot said testily, "but I do know that ninety percent of the magical law enforcement of this country is currently busy searching Hogwarts for more dangerous creatures, so I really don't have time for this. Your daughter and the Healers can explain everything when you arrive. Now, please hold onto this." He produced a bent coat hanger from his robes.
Both Grangers stared at him blankly.
"Please hold on," he repeated. "And don't let go."
They patronisingly reached out and grabbed the coat hanger. Before they could question further, their world was turned inside-out.
The Grangers landed in a heap on a dirty street outside what looked like a condemned clothing shop.
"What the hell?!" David yelled springing to his feet. He looked like he was about to hit Proudfoot, but the wizard practically ignored him.
"This is the hospital," the Auror said. "It's disguised, of course. You can find your daughter inside. Now, I really must be going." And with a pop, he vanished into thin air.
David and Jane looked at each other and, for lack of an alternative, went inside the building. The inside looked nothing like the outside. It seemed to be a perfectly normal hospital waiting room, albeit a few decades out of date—all stark, blank walls and that ugly sea-foam green—with lavender accents, for some reason. Their daughter was sitting in the waiting room with that family of redheads they had met last summer.
"Oh, Hermione! Thank goodness! Are you alright?" Jane ran to her and hugged her tight.
"Hi, Mum. Hi, Dad. I'm fine," Hermione said, as if there were nothing wrong at all.
"But what happened? You haven't written for three weeks."
"I'm sorry. I was attacked by a giant snake that turned me into a statue. They only got the antidote in this morning."
YOU ARE READING
Proliferated Petrification
FanfictionWhat would have been the appropriate response to a creature that can kill with a look being set loose in the only magical school in Britain? It would have been a lot more than a pat on the head from Dumbledore and a mug of hot cocoa. It would invol...
