For a Muggle family, deciding to send an eleven-year-old to an unknown school for magic was no easy choice.
Especially with a child like Hermione, whose memory was almost superhuman, and whose thirst for knowledge was insatiable.
In other words, she was a prodigy—a bona fide academic powerhouse. Hermione had a brilliant future ahead of her, one that didn't require the detour of attending some mysterious wizarding school.
With Roy's help, they'd even secured Hermione a preliminary spot at Westminster Royal College. Although the Grangers were a well-off middle-class family, getting into one of these elite private schools took more than money; the competition was fierce. The path Westminster opened for Hermione promised her a bright future.
But in the end, no one can resist the allure of magic.
The day after the Hogwarts letter arrived, Professor McGonagall herself came to visit the Granger family.
She managed to convince Hermione's parents in less than ten minutes. She didn't know how much more efficient she was than hagrid.
After that, Hermione became a regular at the Starks' house, especially with William, who was not only a fellow wizard but an absolute top student.
Much like William last year, she threw herself into magical studies with a fervor akin to a sponge soaking up water.
Her memory was truly impressive. After drinking a brain-boosting draught that William had brewed, she memorized One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi in just four days, somehting that left even William speechless.
Yet William noticed something: Hermione spent too much time memorizing and not enough on practical application.
It was as if she thought that committing everything to memory alone would magically grant her all the skills.
But before William could worry about it much, he received an unexpected invitation in late July.
The letter was a pale yellow, sealed with a wax stamp bearing a finely engraved silver "W."
He pulled the letter out and read it.
….
Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot: Albus Dumbledore (Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chairman of the Wizards' Council, First Class of the Order of Merlin).
Dear Mr. Stark,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been awarded the Order of Merlin, Second Class. Please attend the award ceremony at Merlin's Cottage, just outside Salisbury, on July 31st.
Attached are the required dress code, invitation details, and a Portkey.
Best regards,
Chief Warlock, Albus Dumbledore
….
"It's finally happening! The Daily Prophet hinted before summer that William would receive the Order of Merlin, Second Class!" Leanna exclaimed, reading the letter over and over with pride.
Roy, meanwhile, had a map of Britain spread out, scanning for any hint of Merlin's Cottage.
On the couch, Hermione flipped through a thick tome, quickly locating the entry for the Order of Merlin.
She read aloud, "The Order of Merlin is an organization founded in the Middle Ages by the great wizard Merlin himself. Merlin believed that wizards and Muggles should live in harmony, and so the Order established a rule prohibiting magic use on Muggles.
"In honor of this great wizard, the Wizengamot began awarding the Order of Merlin as a badge of merit in the 15th century."
"Is it that big of a deal?" Annie asked through a mouthful of her blood-flavored lollipop.
"Of course!" Hermione snapped the book shut, bristling at Annie's casual tone.
"It's like winning the Nobel Prize! William is only twelve, and according to the book, he's broken the age record for the Order of Merlin by a full decade. He's the youngest recipient in history!"
Hermione was practically glowing with excitement, as if she herself had won the award.
Annie made a face. "What's that got to do with you?"
"It has everything to do with me!" Hermione shot back, her tone indignant.
"William is the seventh student in Hogwarts history to receive an Order of Merlin before graduation. I'm an incoming Hogwarts student too, so of course I'm proud. Unlike you…"
Hermione raised her chin, arching her brows in mock pity. "You probably won't even get an acceptance letter!"
Annie glared back, and the two were at it again.
Roy scanned the invitation's attached note with excitement. "It says each recipient can bring up to fourteen family members. William, who are you planning to take?"
"Only fourteen? That's hardly enough," William replied, brow furrowing.
Ignoring Annie, Hermione leaned over the back of the couch, eagerly peeking over William's shoulder. In her enthusiasm, her thick brown hair fell in a wild curtain around her face, obscuring it entirely.
William brushed her bangs aside, and she raised a hardcover book thicker than her front teeth, enthusiastically explaining, "The book says there didn't use to be a limit on guests. But then, in 1889, a Third Class Order recipient named Camillo brought one hundred sixty-eight relatives, neighbors, and friends to his ceremony. After that, the Wizengamot imposed the fourteen-guest rule."
"We'll have to think carefully about who to bring then," Leanna noted. "This is a major event."
William nodded. "I'll need seven spots for sure: Cedric and his parents take two, but Cho's family is out on vacation and won't make it. Then George and Fred, and their dad—three total. Plus, Professors Flitwick and McGonagall."
Roy thought for a moment. "Our family will need three spots. Then if Ellis's family comes too, that makes thirteen…"
Hermione hesitated, though her eyes sparkled with hope. Trying to sound casual, she murmured, "You don't have to waste one of your spots on us, Uncle Roy. You should take someone else."
William teased with a grin, "Alright, then I won't save one for you."
The girl had clearly hoped he would insist she come along, but now couldn't bring herself to backtrack. She hunched over her book with a pitiful expression.
Leanna gave William a playful tap and ruffled Hermione's tangled hair. "Don't listen to him, Hermione. Even if he didn't invite you, we'd still bring you along."
"So, who should get the last spot?" Roy asked. "Maybe we could invite Hagrid?"
William shook his head. "The ceremony is on July 31, and Hagrid will be picking up Harry Potter that day."
"So who, then?" Leanna wondered.
William considered Professor Snape, but he knew Snape wouldn't attend, so that would be a wasted spot.
After a moment's thought, William smiled and said, "Why don't we bring Boba tea?"
The orange cat was busy digging into some fish treats, but it glanced up with a confused expression as if it heard its name. It gave a lazy "meow" and resumed its snack.
William would be the first wizard to bring a cat to the Order of Merlin banquet!
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