Chapter Text
March 1989
Nine-year-old Hermione Granger bounced in her seat as she peered out the window of the small plane. This was the most exciting day that she could remember in her young life. She heard the engines roar to life and looked around to take in the smiling faces of her parents and grandparents. They were all on their way to spend an entire year aboard a hospital ship that traveled around rendering aid to the people in areas that didn’t have access to proper medical care.
Her grandfather, Hector Granger, had been a surgeon at a hospital in Inverness for many years. When he turned sixty earlier in the year, he’d decided it was time to retire. Upon announcing his retirement, he began trying to convince Hermione’s parents, both dentists, to volunteer for a year aboard a hospital ship with him.
Hermione’s parents had, of course, been more concerned about her education. But when she overheard the conversation, she immediately wanted to go. The children at her school were horrid to her. Leaving the school to go somewhere, anywhere else, sounded like a dream. Immediately, she began making her case. She was already well ahead of her peers academically, and her grandmother, who had been a teacher for nearly thirty years before she retired, was more than capable of helping Hermione keep up with her lessons. Finally, after many hours of begging, and even more nights when she could hear her parents’ low voices as they talked until the wee hours, they had agreed. Secretly, she hoped that after a year of homeschooling she could convince them to allow her to switch schools and possibly skip a year or two ahead.
As her grandfather had been clearing out his practice and donating all of the supplies to the organisation that funded the hospital ships, it was necessary to charter a private plane. To make it easier on her grandparents, Hermione’s parents had packed them up a few days before their flight and driven up to Scotland. That day, they were to fly south to Spain where they would board the ship with the rest of the volunteers and crew to begin their journey to a spot just off the coast of Africa where they would anchor and begin working with the local people.
The plane taxied down the runway, and Hermione squeezed her stuffed unicorn tightly. It had been a gift from her grandfather last Christmas and she adored it. He, unlike her parents who were very scientific, encouraged her imagination and love of fanciful things, often purchasing her books on dragons, fairies, and unicorns and telling her to never stop believing.
As the plane lifted into the air and rose above the treetops, Hermione reached under her seat for the bag that she’d packed for the flight. It held several books, and she planned to entertain herself by reading. Just as she’d placed the bag on her lap, the engines stuttered and the plane dropped. Moments later, they sounded normal again, and the aircraft leveled out. At that moment, she very much regretted asking to sit in a row all by herself. With wide, fearful eyes, she looked around at the adults for reassurance. What she found was four sets of hands gripping the armrests and looking as terrified as she felt.
When it happened again, moments later, tears began to roll down Hermione’s cheeks in earnest. Her heart beat faster as she realised what was happening. Her grandmother prayed aloud, her mother and father gripped each other tightly, and her grandfather’s eyes met hers. His was a calming presence amidst the chaos. In a voice loud enough for her to hear across the cabin, he addressed her calmly.
“Hermione, it’s time to trust your instincts. Let it out; I know it’s there. I've seen it. It will protect you. Save yourself. We all love you very much, and you have it in you. Let it out and live, child. You’ll get the letter that never came for me, and you’ll thrive in your new world. Feel your magic and let it guide you. It will know what to do. And never ever feel guilty for what you’ve done. Never forget how much we all love you.”
Hermione didn’t know what he meant by magic, but through her fear, she felt something rise inside her. It came in waves that felt like glitter and made her think of her beloved unicorns. Moments later, when her world exploded, it burst forth and did exactly what her grandfather had asked.
***
Severus Snape never wanted to be a teacher. In fact, he despised everything about teaching. What he really longed to do was to create new potions that would revolutionise the potions industry. He wished to be a groundbreaking potioneer. It was all he had ever desired, but his own mistakes combined with being in the debt of a bloody puppet-master made that impossible.
Anytime he had the opportunity, he found excuses to be out of the castle for as long as possible. Today, at breakfast, he’d announced that he would collect potions ingredients in the Highlands, and because it was the Easter holidays, none of his colleagues had any objections.
Only once he was striding through the green and purple landscape did he feel as if he could breathe again. The peace of the untouched landscape soothed his soul. He thrived on solitude, but living in a castle full of students meant that there was little time to be alone for ten months of the year.
As he made his way into a clearing, Severus heard the distant whine of an airplane approaching. Moments later, it faltered before stopping altogether, and he knew they would crash. From this distance, there was nothing he could do, so he watched helplessly as it fell from the sky and crashed only a few thousand yards to the north. He felt the tremor as it impacted the earth, but then he felt something else, something that had him judging the distance and quickly apparating closer. It had been a magical discharge. A strong one, unlike anything he’d ever encountered.
When his feet hit the ground again, he took a moment to steady himself and survey the scene. Instinct had him casting a quick homenum revelio, but it confirmed what he already knew. There was only one living human amidst the bits of twisted metal and inferno that had been the hull of the plane. What drew his eye wasn't the devastation around him, but the translucent dome of pure magical energy that sat in the middle of it all. And the child who was certainly younger than ten who stood screaming in obvious grief, terror, and anguish inside the dome. Her pink dress and the pristine plush unicorn that she clutched were in direct contrast to the wild curls that flew around her, sparking with the magical energy that pulsed outward. Her little face was contorted with anguish and wet from the tears that flowed freely.
“Salazar help me, what should I do?” Severus wondered aloud as he assessed the situation.
First things first, he shot out flame-freezing charms. His muggle knowledge may be out of date, but he knew that fuel and fire didn’t mix. He certainly didn’t want to be this close if an explosion were to occur.
Now that the scene was relatively safe, he needed to assess the actual issue. The kind of magical energy that this child was producing could kill him if he got too close. He needed help, and it needed to come quickly. Albus would, of course, come if he called. But this child needed people who would do what was best for her, not what was best for Albus and his greater good.
“Expecto Patronum.” Making his decision, he said, “This is Professor Severus Snape. A plane crashed in the Highlands approximately twenty miles north of Hogwarts. The only survivor is a female child who is experiencing a major outburst of accidental magic. Medics are needed as well as someone who can break through whatever magical shield she’s producing. If you apparate to the area, you’ll see the smoke and wreckage easily enough.” When he completed his message, he looked directly at the ethereal doe and said, “Go to Amelia Bones.”
He hoped that Bones wouldn’t come in with a team, wands drawn, thinking that he was orchestrating some kind of ambush. She was the only person in the ministry who he was certain would do what was best for the child and only the child. But he couldn’t worry about that now. He’d sent the patronus off and there was no going back.
With a sigh, he studied the child and moved as close as he dared. Dropping to his knees, hoping to be a little less imposing, he spoke quietly.
“It’s going to be alright. I have some people who are going to come and take you to the hospital to be checked out. Everything is going to be okay now.”
He knew nothing was okay in this child’s world. From the looks of it, everyone she was traveling with on that plane had been killed. It was likely that this included her family. She had probably been orphaned by this event, and only her accidental magic had protected her. Survivor's guilt would take on a whole new meaning when she began to wonder if her magic could have saved the others too.
He kept talking, saying whatever came to mind until he heard multiple pops of apparition, then the sound of running feet rushing in his direction. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Amelia Bones accompanied by six aurors and a few of the emergency response team from St. Mungos. He held up a hand in warning as it became obvious that three of the aurors were approaching too quickly, but they didn’t stop as they rushed past him and in unison raised their wands and shouted, “finite incantatem.” at the dome.
The dome did, in fact, come down, but wave after wave of magical energy poured off of the now exposed child. Severus was knocked back into Madame Bones. He could see that the aurors closest to the child were all now unconscious, and he hoped they were only stunned. The idiots, now they would need to stun the child for everyone’s safety.
Apparently Bones had the same thought because, instantly, a jet of red light rushed past him and hit the girl who crumpled immediately. The medics, immediately hurried to check on the unconscious aurors and child while she asked, “Master Snape, what exactly happened here?”
Severus quickly explained about hearing the engine failure and witnessing the crash followed by the burst of accidental magic.
Bones interrupted then and asked, “Are you certain that you didn’t feel a burst of magic before the crash?”
He nodded. “I’m sure. If she was experiencing accidental magic prior to the crash, it wasn’t strong enough for me to feel it.”
She sighed. “Then it likely wasn’t enough to cause failure of a machine that large. Usually magic only interferes with electrical things. Airplanes are powered by non-electrical fuel, aren’t they?”
“They are. It’s typically considered safe for magicals to travel by plane and in automobiles. Magic can interfere with an airplane’s radar, but not the mechanical parts of the plane.”
“Shacklebolt,” Bones turned to the large auror standing near her left shoulder. “Go and find out if those three idiots are going to be okay.” Then, looking over at Severus, she said, “The magic coming off that kid, did you ever feel anything like it?”
“No, ma’am, no I have not. If that child hasn’t depleted her core, I can’t imagine how powerful she’s going to be.”
“Fuck, just what I needed today.” She muttered, but Severus heard every word. Louder, she said, “Let’s hope that whoever ends up raising her is well equipped to handle everything she’s going to be dealing with.”
Severus couldn't help but agree.
Shacklebolt approached, and let Bones know that the three aurors would be fine. They were all just stunned, but unable to be immediately revived. They would be transported to St. Mungo’s to sleep it off. There shouldn’t be lasting effects other than a massive headache from dealing with the ridicule they were bound to face.
“Alright people,” Madame Bones clapped her hands to be heard over the din, “let’s get this child and my idiot employees moved to St. Mungo’s. There’s nothing we can do for the other passengers. I’ll connect with my muggle police contact and we can come up with a cover story to explain how the child survived.”
She turned back to Severus. “Master Snape, I’m thankful you were in the right place at the right time.” With a quizzical look she asked, "What were you doing here, anyway?”
“I was collecting potions ingredients. With the students on holiday, I like to get out of the castle as much as possible.”
With a nod, she said, “Well, thank you for everything. If we have additional questions, I’ll contact you at Hogwarts.”
Turning back to the group, she said, “Portkeys on my mark. Three, two, one, go.”
With that they were gone and, after one final look around, Severus apparated back to where he’d left his tools and the ingredients he’d collected that morning. He sat heavily under a willow tree and began trying to clear his mind. Despite the horrors he’d witnessed during the war, he was surprised by how affected he was by what he’d seen that day. After a few hours of meditation, he knew that it was time to get back to the castle. Albus had likely already been informed, and he would have questions. Sighing deeply, he stood, collected his things, and apparated back to the gates of Hogwarts.