Cinders and Magic (Harry Potter/Worst Witch Crossover)

Circumstances of Birth

Upon entering the family home, the owl dropped three letters on the tea table, rather than making an even bigger mess as Hermione expected, nor did the other girls react to the owl flying through the window as if they thought such a thing an everyday occurrence.

Swallowing, she knelt instead of attempting to chase the owl out, focusing on picking up the pieces of the broken tea cups and placing them on the tray she brought the tea in on, keeping her eyes on the girls and the owl in case more trouble stirred. Daphne sat there, prim and proper, frowning. "Wait? Was all three of our letters sent here?"

Hermione's eyes blinked, a hand reaching up to brush a lock of her curly brown hair away from her face, her mouth pressed into a frown. "The letters were expected? Why?"

"No," Ethel frowned, hands in her lap, delicately placed as she held her head high. "One of those letters should be for Esme."

"Meaning..." Daphne swallowed, the color draining from her face.

"Well, if one of us isn't a witch..." Pansy said, her pug nose wrinkling up.

"Should we be talking about this in front of, well, her?" Andromeda asked.

Hermione swallowed, feeling more out of place than usual, shaking her head as she placed a few more shards from the broken teacups onto the trey.

"Well, I'm not!" Daphne blurted out. "I am not a Squib, Pansy Parkinson! You take that back!"

"Well, let's see if you are," Pansy sang out, her mouth twisted into a cruel smile that sent a chill down Hermione's spine, the shrillness not lost on her as the girl leaned over and snatched up the letters, her smirk faltering into a frown upon seeing the top letter. "Who's Hermione Granger?"

"No!" Ethel said, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the chair, glaring at Hermione. "Bloody Merlin, no!"

Hermione stiffened, realizing all eyes were on her. She swallowed again. "What?"

"Mudblood," Pansy said, looking at her with even more disdain. "Filthy Mudblood. Don't dare to speak to me, a Pureblood."

Another shudder ran down Hermione's spine. Despite the sunny weather outside, the room suddenly felt chilly, mirroring the look on Pansy's face.

"What's going on?"

Relief washed over Hermione upon hearing the sound of her eldest step-sister's voice while Ethel's pale parlor gained a green tone, visibly swallowing at the presence of the eldest daughter in the household. Hermione turned her head, smiling, and saw Esmerelda Hallow standing there. Sybil was slightly behind her, clutching her older sister's skirts.

"I see our letters arrived," Esme said, stepping forward and holding her hand out to Pansy Parkinson, who looked at Esme wide-eyed while Sybil continued hiding behind Esme and peeking out. "May I?" Pansy handed over the letters as Esme looked the one on top over, then she nodded her head. "I see Hermione's received a letter as well."

"What are you doing here?" Ethel said, letting out a sniff.

Esme turned her head, looking at her sister. "You can cut the attitude, Ethel. I'm here for tea, obviously. Sybil told me Hermione prepared..."

"I'm not drinking tea prepared by a Mudblood," Pansy snapped, the corner of her mouth twitching, sticking her pug nose into the hair. "Have a Houe Elf prepare it. I mean, isn't your step-father heir Black? You should at least have one House Elf around, right?"

"House Elf?" Hermione asked, thinking of the elves from certain fairytales she still read Sybil. "And what..."

"Really. It's none of your business," Pansy snapped again.