November 1st, 1981
When Harry Potter was left on the Dursley's doorstep, he disappeared into nothing. On that same night, the only female Weasley born in a century, as well as their next youngest-child, a boy named Ronald, disappeared without a trace as well. The disappearance of Ron and Ginny Weasley was written off as the last actions of the Death Eaters on the night of their master's downfall, though who had done it, why they had only touched baby Ginny and toddler Ron and not harmed the rest of the family and how it had been accomplished without any sort of detection at all remained a mystery. A mystery that everyone was too busy worrying over Harry Potter to solve.
When Albus Dumbledore dropped The Boy-Who-Lived at his Aunt and Uncle's house, he had been in a slight hurry, and had just cast a sleeping spell on the child so that he couldn't wake up and wander off. He had regretted this action ever since—Petunia Dursley had contacted him that morning, upon discovery of a letter detailing the death of her sister and explaining that young Harry was to be entrusted to her—the last of his mother's blood—until he was old enough to attend Hogwarts, and an empty basket where a baby clearly should have been, but no baby.
Dumbledore was understandably concerned. And Petunia secretly hoped that Harry would never be found, so that she didn't have to be faced with the daily proof of what had happened to her and her sister, the daily proof of what she had failed to fix.
On the other side of the country, in Wiltshire, a young girl, who was two years old, named Hermione Granger disappeared from her crib. Though young Hermione was a Wizarding child, her name having been recorded in the magical registry of births since she had been born, she was considered a muggle until her eleventh birthday, where she would be contacted about the Wizarding World. As a result, nobody in the Wizarding World even heard of her disappearance, though the muggle police that were called when Dan and Helen Granger discovered her crib empty were mystified. There was no evidence that Hermione had even managed to get out of the crib and crawl out the window. There was no evidence that an intruder had come and taken her. She was just... gone, as if she had disappeared into thin air.
September 19th, 1990
"Camilla, Camilla," a child's shriek pierced the halls of the house, and Camilla Barnabas floated out of the chair that she had been resting in to greet the small nine-year old that was running through the long, once elegant but moth-eaten hallways.
The child in question, was pale, freckled and waif-like, dark-red hair falling to her elbows in a slightly curly mass.
"Why, Ginevra, whatever is the matter?" Camilla scolded slightly.
"Mione got a letter!" Ginevra said. "It came in through the mail slot."
If Camilla had been corporeal, she would have smacked herself for forgetting that today was Hermione's eleventh birthday, and that she should have been expecting this. As it was, she could only try to mitigate the situation.
"Come this way, dear," she said, gesturing ahead of her with affection. "And we shall see what Hermione's letter is all about. Come along, Ginevra," she added, passing a hand through the child's shoulder. Most humans found the touch of a ghost chilling, unsettling at the very least. But these children had grown up in this house, and were more than accustomed to ghosts—the ghosts had raised them with little help from the living.
"Yes, Camilla," Ginny said obediently. The other three children, Harry and Ron, ten years old, and Hermione, the newly minted eleven year old, were gathered in the small sitting alcove in the kitchens that had been set up for less formal meals. This was a new development—the house was several hundred years old, and until more living had begun residing here than the groundskeeper, the cook and the butler, there had only been the large dining room.
"Look, Camilla, look!" Hermione brandished a piece of parchment at her ghostly guardian. There was a crest in the shape of an H at the head of it, punctuated by a snake curling around the lower left spoke, a lion on the upper right, a badger on the upper left and a raven on the lower right. "It says I'm a witch! But that doesn't make any sense, magic doesn't exist, does it?"
"Oh, Hermione, dear, open your mind. You were raised by ghosts, of course magic exists."
"But—ectoplasmic remains combined with the unfinished business of the soul—"
"Hermione, accept the magic," Ron cut in. "Now what's the letter say?"
"HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY," Hermione read out loud.
"Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards),"
She continued. "What does one bring to go to school under a Supreme Mugwump, anyway?"
"Never mind that," Ginny cut in. "What's it say?" Dear Miss Granger, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Deputy Headmistress
The second page listed requirements, and all the children read over Hermione's shoulder.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL UNIFORM COURSE BOOKS The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection OTHER EQUIPMENT 1 wand Students may also bring and owl OR a cat OR a toad. PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
of WHICHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
First-year students will require:
sets of plain work robes (black)
plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
by Miranda Goshawk
by Phyllida Spore
by Newt Scamander
by Quentin Trimble
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
"Broomsticks," Ron said. "Do you think that they fly with them, or sweep the floor?"
"I have no idea," Hermione answered. "Oh, Camilla, are you sure that this isn't a prank?"
"It is very much not a prank, my dear. Hogwarts is indeed the finest school for witchcraft and wizardry in all of England."
"But we're in Colorado," Hermione protested.
"Ah, but you were originally from England, and that is why you are on the list for Hogwarts instead of Salem. If you would rather attend Salem, I shall have Vale look into it, but I really would recommend Hogwarts."
"What if I don't want to go to boarding school?" Hermione demanded.
"Hermione, dear," Camilla began.
"What if I don't want to leave Harry and Ron and Ginny?"
"Of course you won't, Hermione, dear," Camilla scolded. Hermione was a very bright child, but sometimes her practicality was rather lacking. "They will be invited to Hogwarts on their own eleventh birthdays. As it is, I'm sure that we will have someone knocking on the door within twenty-four hours to assure us that this isn't a distasteful joke, since you were born of non-magical heritage."
"But then Ginny—"
"Ginevra will be invited to attend the year after yours. However, I find that that will not do. You will attend together, or not at all, and we shall inform the representative of this when he or she arrives. Whether they would prefer that the three of you be held back a year, or Ginevra goes a year early."
"Okay, Camilla," Hermione finally agreed. Harry and Ron looked indignant that anyone would try to split them away from Ginny, and Ginny herself was clearly relieved.
Right on time, a knock sounded on the front door of the old mansion, heavy brass knocker clanging loudly through the halls. Artemis Vale the third, long time butler for the house and grandson of the original Artemis Vale, Camilla's butler when she had been alive, answered the door with promptness.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all darted forward to hide alongside the front staircase to listen in. "Oh, Goodness," the woman at the door said in a posh British accent. "When sent to induct our newest student, I hardly expected this. Hello, sir, I am here to see a Miss Hermione Granger. And her parents, if this is possible."
"May I ask who is calling?" Vale asked smoothly.
"Professor Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am here to discuss the enrollment of their daughter."
"Well, I suppose you may speak to the young Mistress, however, her parents may be more difficult," Vale answered smoothly. "Mistress Hermione, I know you're there. What would Mistress Camilla say? Eavesdropping is unbecoming of a lady. Mistress Ginevra, Master Harry, Master Ronald, you had better come out as well."
All four children filed out of the space behind the staircase sheepishly. "Sorry, Vale," Hermione said, blushing.
"Bless my soul!" Professor McGonagall said in shock, hand over her heart. "Harry Potter? Ronald and Ginevra Weasley?"
"Hello, Professor McGonagall," Hermione said, stepping to the front. "You wanted to talk to me?"
"Yes, dear, I am here to formally invite you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," McGonagall said, clearly attempting to gather herself. "I'm afraid that the sight of your companions is something of a shock. May I speak with your guardian?"
Camilla, who had clearly been listening as well, floated out of the hallway behind them. "I am here, Professor McGonagall," she stated, coming to a stop next to Harry, who absently reached out a hand and passed it through Camilla's.
McGonagall stared. "You're a ghost. A ghost cannot raise a child."
"I think that you'll find that I am something of a different kind of ghost than the more common kind," Camilla said, a slight smile gracing her lips. "There are two ways for a ghost to be created, Professor. The first, and more common, is that a witch or wizard chooses to imprint an echo of themselves on the places that they were most familiar with, due to fear of the afterlife. You are correct in asserting that a ghost of this kind would be incapable of raising a child, let along four. They are, after all, only an echo of a person, and only capable of an echo of their original thoughts, actions and personality. The other way for a ghost to be created is for the soul of person to be held to this world, anchored by unfinished business of some kind. Usually, either this business is taken care of rather quickly, or the ghost accepts that the business never will be completed and moves on. It is very rare for a ghost of this type to remain anchored to this world.
"However, my unfinished business is slightly more encompassing. I am not a witch. I was born non-magical, to a non-magical family, and I have never possessed any magic at all. However, I am a seer. And I have seen what sort of life awaited my several times great nephew, should I leave him to his own devices. It became my unfinished business to ensure that he have a long and happy life, married to the woman that he will one day love, and have the three children that he will one day adore. As such, I took the liberty of removing him from the doorstep of that awful harpy that I am ashamed to call my family, and I took the liberty of also acquiring the two children who will one day be his closest friends and allies, as well as each other's loves, and the child who will grow into the woman that he will marry one day."
"You kidnapped them," McGonagall accused.
"As you were prepared to leave my nephew at the mercy of those horrible people, after you had observed them for the entire day, Professor," Camilla snapped. "As for the other children, I regret the necessity of taking them from their parents, but I have examined every single possibility. This had the greatest possible outcome. I considered simply taking Harry, but then Ronald would have grown into an inferiority complex that would last him well into adulthood and harm his relationships, Ginevra would have spent her childhood repressed into what her mother thought proper for her to be, while all that she really wanted to do was run around with her brothers, and Hermione would have been mocked and friendless for her intellect, and socially incapable of connecting with others, as is common with only children."
Harry looked at them both. "Camilla says that I would have ignored Ginny until I'd almost lost her. Ginny's my best friend. I don't know what my life would be like without her."
He held out his hand, and Ginny took it, and McGonagall was rather forcefully reminded of another dark-haired boy and his red-haired princess, though at this age James Potter and Lily Evans hadn't gotten along at all.
"Now, you will find that I am well-versed in how Hogwarts works, and I will explain to them and assist in the getting of their supplies. The others will not require subsequent visits. What I would like to speak with you about is Ginevra. She is younger than the others. However, it will not do for her to attend Hogwarts a year later."
"Yeah," Harry, Ron and Hermione said in unison. "We're not going without Ginny," Ron added.
"As such, your school will have to decide if they are willing to allow Ginevra to attend a year early, or if they would rather the other three were held back a year. We are indifferent either way, but we expect a decision soon. Vale, if you would escort the good Professor off the property," Camilla added pointedly. Vale gestured ahead of him for McGonagall to proceed him out the door, and with the massive, hulking, thirty-something man glaring at her pointedly, McGonagall had no choice but to leave.
"That is good," Camilla added, as the door closed behind her. "Come along, children, to the sitting room upstairs, and I will explain everything."
The four children, Harry and Ginny still holding hands, obediently followed Camilla up the stairs into the sitting room that they usually used for this sort of thing, and all seated around her.
"This story starts in the year 1926, when a man named Tom Riddle was born in a London orphanage, to a dying woman named Merope Gaunt," Camilla began hauntingly.
So... I've got a thing for Harry Potter fanfic again. I've got some ideas to continue Lost in Time where it left off. I've also sort of decided that I should probably rewrite Harry Potter Delacour and the Goblet of Fire, because I've written myself into a corner there, unfortunately.
This story was inspired originally in March of last year, when I went to Disneyland. It was inspired by the Haunted Mansion ride. I've never seen the movie, so this is not a crossover with the Haunted Mansion Movie. I just thought... what if Harry and Ginny were taken away as babies, and raised by ghosts in a massive old mansion. Harry and Ginny was soon expanded to include Ron and Hermione as well.
Fittingly, to go with the Haunted Mansion theme, their house is called Phantom Manor, the name of the Haunted Mansion ride at Euro Disney. It is located in backcountry, Colorado, in a small town called Mackenna that is my own invention. The children do attend Elementary school. They were raised by Camilla and Vale (Vale who did all of the physical things required to raising a child, as well as providing a father/uncle sort of figure). Vale is also the public guardian. Under the law, Vale owns the house and the children are his orphan wards. They have always been aware that Camilla took them from their parents as children, but are just discovering magic now. To find out how much Camilla told them, you'll have to wait for next chapter.