Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. The main thinking goes to J.K. Rowling

Author's Note: This is my first attempt at writing fanfic, I have had friends who write a lot. You don't have to go easy on me :-D, I can take it. I will warn you though, this is slow moving, Hermione doesn't come into her powers until about the third chapter. I have a good amount of the story written so, unless it's completely bashed, you will get a complete tale. I'll try not to take long between updates either.

The Keeper of The Light

Hermione closed her eyelids against the tears that threatened to pour from her eyes for the third time that day. "I am strong. I am strong!" she continuously told herself though the words of encouragement seemed to fall flat as she walked through platform 9 ¾ for her seventh and final year at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Harry and Ron were milling around waiting for the arrival of their best friend. They watched uneasily as she cautiously approached them. To them, Hermione had seemed extra distant. Over the summer she responded vaguely and briefly to their letters and she had seemed to want to avoid them. They knew something had happened over the summer – they weren't sure what-- and they wanted to be supportive, they just didn't know what to do. She hadn't asked them for help in any way.

Hermione, on the other hand, was immediately overwhelmed by the sight of her two best friends. She smiled as the feeling of safety swept through her body. When she was with them she was home. Her smile brightened as the words sunk in. Home.

Harry and Ron caught sight of Hermione's bright smile and couldn't help but grin back. Their Hermione was finally here! They had both begun to feel angry at her for her lack of letters. The way she wrote was as if she didn't care what she said and wanted to be done with writing as fast as possible. They had begun to feel left out and anger had welled up inside of them. The anger dissipated though, when they saw her open her arms for a warm hug. They had missed her too much to start off their meeting with an argument and they welcomed her, glad to have her back with them again.

The safety Hermione had felt only lasted a brief few minutes. As soon as she pulled away from the comforting arms of her two best friends a lazy drawl filled the air. "Rekindling romance, Mudblood?" Draco Malfoy's sneering face and cold unfeeling eyes landed on Hermione.

"Malfoy," Hermione stated with distaste, a frown forming on her delicate features, "it's good to see you have some new material." She promptly turned away and walked onto the welcoming train that was preparing for its departure to Hogwarts.

Harry and Ron turned to Malfoy and glared, then scuttled off to find Hermione on the train.

Once the train had begun the journey back to Hogwarts, Hermione started idle chit chat. Harry and Ron would have none of it though. They wanted to know what had happened and they weren't going to drop the topic until she let up. Hermione looked up at them, "Guys, I just had a hard time…. I was with my aunt and her cats… there were a few changes in my life, you could say. But, overall, my summer was nothing special, it actually… stunk." She averted her eyes to the floor. "So what about you….?"

She proceeded to ask Harry and Ron about their families, their summer and themselves. Both of the boys were relieved to lift some of the awkwardness that had filled the compartment and began to chatter away with each other, recalling precious memories from their summer vacation. Hermione had listened pointedly for the most part but after the conversation had dwindled to meaningless gossip about girls, Hermione had tuned out. She began to reminisce about her own vacation.

It had been an excruciatingly painful summer for her, that much, she knew. It had started off badly and had only continued to worsen and worsen.

Flashback

One night after a lazy summer day Hermione had come back home feeling peaceful and at ease. Her father was waiting for her at the door with a grim expression across his face. The cause of the look remained unknown to Hermione as she trekked up the long walkway to the front door.

"Your mum's gone, Hermione." Her dad stated, sadness filling his usually warm and jovial voice, "She up and left."

"She'll come back dad, she always does. You know that." It was common knowledge to Hermione that her parents weren't getting along. Since the day at the train station, when they had picked her up, her mother and father had seemed distant. Hermione had felt the tension in the air and had been sure that if she had pulled out her wand, she could have cut right through it.

Her parents would often 'debate', as they called it, and when they started Hermione would leave the room. She would wake up the next morning and her mum would be gone. A few days, maybe a week, would pass by and then the doorbell would ring. Hermione would run down the steps and leap into her mother's arms glad that she had returned once again. This was all routine. Her mother left, then came back, it had worked this way since she was fairly young.

Except this time.

Two weeks had passed by and Hermione had started to get worried. She didn't know what to expect. Harry and Ron had sent a few owls and she had lied through her quill by telling them that everything was great and she was having a blast with her parents. She wasn't having a blast, oh no, she was worried as hell. Where was her mother?

Then the letter had come.

Almost three weeks after her mom had left Hermione received a letter in the mail. There had been no return address and she expected it was from one of her distant aunts or uncles. As she opened the letter, a small locket fell out. She glanced at the locket and then began to read:

For my one and only true love. Remember that I love you and I will always be with you. --xo, Mum

Hermione reread the note and looked at the locket carefully. It was beautiful. She remembered looking at it on her mother's dressing table and being disgusted at the ugly gold color. The design on the front had always made her wonder who would have bought a necklace that had such poor craftsmanship. Now, looking down at the small gold locket, tears began to accumulate in her eyes. The locket wasn't ugly in the least. The gold was worn from the love of whoever had worn it before. The picture on the front, when she looked closely, was two doves, delicately intertwined. Slowly, she opened the locket up and saw a picture, on the right side, of her and her mother from when she was no more than 3 months old.

On the opposite side of the locket were dates, birthdays of the women in her family who had owned the necklace. With some quick calculating she figured that it was at least 120 years old! The tears that had been sitting calmly in her eyes began to pour downwards at the significance of her mother's gesture. Quietly she snapped the locket up and began to put it on when something on the back caught her eye. Two lone words were printed on the back and Hermione smiled "Stay Strong". This was her mother's favorite saying. Fastening the necklace on, Hermione got up and walked into the kitchen to start eating her breakfast.

No more letters came for her and she began to worry again. Her mother had been gone close to four weeks now and her father had been acting strangely the last few days. He had been putting things absently in rooms throughout their house. Yesterday Hermione had woken up to find toilet paper sitting on her bed. 'Oh well,' she thought, as she had preened herself, 'Everyone has their moments.'

She walked down stairs and headed to the kitchen to eat her breakfast. She opened the refrigerator and looked questioningly at her father. He looked back curiously at her. "Dad…" she stated slowly.

"Yeah, honey?" he questioned amicably.

"Why is there a sock sitting on the margarine?"

"Don't know honey." He grinned at her. She briefly felt a moment of frustration, but pulled herself together.

"Okay." She sighed. A few minutes passed while she made herself some eggs, then her father turned to her, a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"You're going on a date tonight." Hermione stared at her father as if his nose had gotten bigger (which by her standards was not physically possible). A minute later her incredulous face turned to one in a panic.

"I'm WHAT!?" She yelled frantically. He had no right to do this to her! She was in no mood for a date!

"OH, sometimes I wish I had magic so I could mutter a spell and capture that face into a picture for you to see." He looked at her with his big brown eyes and Hermione looked at him, puzzled. "You're going on a date tonight with me! We're going to order pizza and watch movies until it's too late to even go to sleep." He chuckled at the audible breath his daughter had released.

"Sounds fabulicious! You did have me worried though."

"I love you too much to send you on a date with some… hooligan." Her father bellowed, happily.

"I love you, Dad." With that, she turned on her heal to leave but stopped and paused, "Thank you for not leaving me too." Her father looked up from his newspaper, startled.

"Minee, you know that I love you more than life itself! I would never give you up! Not for all the money in the world."

"You say that so convincingly, dad." Hermione chuckled, trying to lighten the serious mood that had just overtaken the kitchen.

"I'm serious, baby. You know I wouldn't give you up. YOU KNOW. Hell, you're supposed to be the smartest witch at Hogwarts! I love you too much. So, on a lighter note, I think we should order Uncle Tony's Pizza. I'll pick it up on my way home from work." He glanced at his watch, "Now I'm running late, and I have patients to deal with! I love you!" With that, he charged out the door.

Hermione was excited. This was the first time in a long time that she and her dad were going to do something fun. Anxiously she picked up a book and began to read.

----

Around eight o'clock Hermione began to worry. She had called her dad's office and left him a message… or six… and she had tried his cell phone and pager. Unhappily, she plowed into the living room and sat down on the couch. She closed her eyes to relax herself and fell into a deep and fitful sleep.

It was 7:00 the next morning when Hermione woke up with a churning in her stomach. Something was wrong and she could feel it. She tromped around the house in search of her dad. It was Saturday morning and he always woke up early to cook his "Famous Granger Pancakes." She called out to him and when she heard nothing she began to worry. All of a sudden a shrill ring filled the air. Hermione grimaced at the heinous sound and then realized it was only the telephone. She ran to the phone and picked it up uncertainly. It was 7:00 on a Saturday. Who calls then?

"Hello?"

"Err, Hello. This is Officer Charlie Biggs, with your neighborhood police department. Is this the Granger residence?"

"Um, Hi. Yes, this is the Granger Household. How can I help you?"

"I'm calling to ask if you happen to be in any relation to a Mr. Michael Granger?"

"Yes sir, he's my father."

"Is your mother around?"

"No sir. She's not available."

"Sit down please." Hermione took a deep breath and sat down. Something was terribly, terribly wrong. "Ms. Granger, I regretfully have to inform you that your father was in a fatal accident last night."

"Is he… did he…!?"

"No." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and began to respond when the officer continued, "Not yet."

"Not yet, officer? Would you mind clarifying for me?"

"Ms. Granger, I'd like you to please come to The Greater Hospital of London. Tell the nurse at the main desk that you are here to see a Mr. Granger and that it is urgent. Good Luck and best wishes." And with that he hung up.

Hermione threw the phone into the cradle and ran to her neighbor's house. Caralynn Frank was a quiet woman who had been a close family friend; Hermione knew that she would help her. She rang the doorbell frantically and a bedraggled Caralynn opened the door.

"Hermione, dear! You look awful! Come in! I'll get us some cof--"

"Caralynn, please, I need to get to the hospital. Now." With one look at Hermione, Ms. Frank knew it was an emergency and threw caution to the wind.

"Let me grab my keys, you can explain on the way."

- - - -

An hour later Hermione was sitting in a small white room holding her father's pale hand while he looked up at her pitifully.

"Minee, my love." He wheezed, "I want you to never forget me and love me until the day you die. Promise me that you will move on. Promise me that you will be sad and then move on. I love you and I need to know that you will heal…." He trailed off.

"Dad, I can use my magic! I read a healing book over the summer! We could get you –"

"Honey, stop. It's my time. If it wasn't I wouldn't be here. I love you." His eyes shut as he took in a deep and sickly breath. "It's too late now anyway. Plus, my little brain, you could get expelled!" He chuckled, shakily, and took in another breath. "I love you."

"Dad, I need you!"

"Goodbye my love, know that I am proud. Know that I will never stop being proud. Know that I love you."

"Dad!" His eyes closed and a loud, shrill beep filled the room. Doctors and Nurses stormed in to see what had happened. With one look at the sobbing girl on the bed, they knew the worst had come. No one had the heart to move the tearful child from the bed and all but one nurse left. She waited until a pretty woman walked in and escorted the young girl out. The nurse watched as the girl gave one last look to the pale figure in the bed and then she turned away.

4 Days later

The funeral for Mr. Michael Granger was a disparaging affair. Patients, friends, neighbors and family came to say goodbye to the loving and welcoming man who died, before any of them were ready to see him go. They came to give their respects, their advice, and their love to his daughter who looked as if she was about to break in defeat. They all watched her through watery eyes as she stood tall, even with her sullen face. They watched as she graciously accepted everyone's condolences and they watched as she placed a single red rose on his gravestone. They watched as a young neighbor gave the girl a closed envelope, and hugged her. They watched as she walked to a haggard woman with beady eyes and climbed into a car.

They watched as she was driven away, away from her friends, away from her neighbors, and away from her life.

Hermione was counting down the days until school started and it seemed that the days were passing twice as slowly as before. Hermione was ready to leave her great-aunt's god-forsaken house and begin her life again.

It was true that in the beginning of living with her aunt she had found the woman amusing and fun to be around. She had watched closely as her aunt sang children's songs to her 5 cats and she watched as she danced in her pond with the fish. Her aunt was an eccentric and a very God fearing eccentric at that.

Hermione had tried to bring up wizardry once, just so she would know if she had a supporter in her lifestyle. When her aunt had heard the word witch, she had leapt from the table and had rushed to her room to grab her cross. When she came back to the table she had started parading Hermione around the room making her say all sorts of crazy prayers.

Hermione learned her lesson then and refused to bring up the subject again. This did lead to a problem when she felt the need to owl Ron and Harry. She was smart, and she had found a way to communicate with Harry and Ron, but it was difficult. Her aunt always had a watchful eye on her and Hermione knew that if she saw her tying a piece of parchment to an owl's leg, there would be some serious praying going down. She communicated with them briefly, even with the risks, through the owl post, each note written quickly and each owl hurried out of the room, just in case.

Finally, after what seemed like decades Hermione's great-aunt had dropped her off at the train station, leaving her with some words of wisdom, "The times may seem dreary and dark but realize, child, that when life is at its darkest only light can come."

She had then driven off speedily and Hermione had watched her go, shock apparent in her eyes. It shocked Hermione that her aunt had finally said something intelligent. With one last glance at the little yellow car, she turned around and started walking.

And now here she was

A/N So, that's the first chapter. Encourage (or discourage, if you must) me on!

Leave me some notes!

Xo, Unspotted Giraffe (because really, have you ever seen one?)