Blinded by the Light
A/N Hello readers, I hope you enjoy this fanfiction. If all goes according to plan, I will be updating my story at least every week, but possibly more often depending on how many chapters ahead I have written. I plan to always have at least three pre-written in the case that my muse abandons me mid-story. If for any reason I have no reserve chapters I will be sure to put it in the Author's Note. Please feel free to point out any mistakes I have made and I will take all constructive criticism into consideration for later chapters.
This story is non-canon and all characters and rights belong to JK Rowling.
Hermione pondered the book in front of her, curious as to where it came from and why it was here, other than the obvious reason of being read. The note that accompanied it was quite clear on that. Why was it here as in why in Merlin's name was it delivered owl post to her Muggle parents' home? And by a bird she didn't recognize no less! She was thankful that her parents were at work, they no doubt would have been wary of a book like this. It practically screamed dark magic. Not that her parents would know anything about that.
The book itself had no discernable title on the cover or spine, but it was bound in an attractive black leather and the smell of parchment was drawing the young bookworm in. Absently running a hand down the spine and up the cover, she could feel the knowledge it held within its pages, begging her to commit it all to memory. The note in no way seemed terribly nefarious, simply stating:
For one Hermione Granger
To be enjoyed at her discretion
There was no signature, but Hermione never was one to turn down a book. Chewing her lip in consideration, she reasoned that she should at least give the book a try, and if she didn't like it, she didn't have to pick it up again. If it indeed was nefarious, she would just notify Dumbledore that she had received it over summer by an unknown sender.
Nodding to herself, she gathered the book and note in her hands and set up the stairs to begin reading in her room. She had not had a chance to give the owl a treat, as it had abruptly dropped the book in her lap and flew off before she even registered what had transpired. She decided not to dwell on it, after all, it was not often that books she had never read fell into her lap. She smiled softly to herself as she settled on her bed-in Gryffindor colors, of course-and opened the book to the first page.
Hermione's parents arrived home around half five, shortly after she finished the first chapter. It had mostly been on magical theory, but she noticed that the next chapter was about creating spells and altering already existing ones. She was not at all disappointed by her choice to read it and was not even considering handing over to Dumbledore. The information was simply too valuable, especially with Harry and Ron's tendency to get into less than desirable situations. Even if some of the information inside was on the darker side of magic, it didn't mean she had to use it. Knowing it wouldn't hurt though, and she would have it in the extreme circumstance that she might need to use something…darker.
"Hermione, are you alright, dear?" her mother asked, noticing the look of introspection on her daughter's face. It was not a rare sight, but lately, Hermione had been growing a little distant, especially since she had been spending more of her breaks with other witches and wizards. Eleanor was merely concerned that her daughter was having trouble dealing with social problems, as she had always been a little socially awkward.
"Yeah, mum. I'm just thinking about a book I started reading. It had a lot of interesting information and I was just thinking about how I might use it to do better in school." It was not technically a lie, but neither was it the whole truth. Her parents, however, did not need to know the death-defying situations she found herself in every year.
"Alright. You know your mother and I worry about your well-being sometimes, especially since you spend most of the year away from home. I know you write us as often as you can, but it doesn't compare to seeing you in person," Her dad added. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. She loved her parents, but they were hardly home when she was here. That's not to say that they ignored her, but they didn't take as much time off work for family time as they used to.
"Is there a particular reason you aren't staying with your friends this summer? Not that we mind you being home, but we didn't expect you to stay with us for the whole summer," her mum gently pried, curious about Hermione's life away from home.
"I just needed a break from Harry and Ron. I love them like brothers, only they're rather infuriating at times and aren't exactly the brightest. And the Weasley's are great but I just wanted some time to myself and with you two," she responded, measuredly. Again, it was a half-truth. She was exasperated with Harry and Ron, especially with the events of the past year. Ron had been so quick to shun Harry when the cup spat his name out, thinking Harry had betrayed him and Hermione. And Harry was no better, he had nearly forced Hermione to choose between them, and she didn't want them. Then, at the end of the year, they brushed off the entire thing and it was infuriating to Hermione. She was not some prize to be won over when the two of them argued. Frankly, she was starting to wonder why she continued to follow them around, they never once thanked her for saving their arses time and time again.
"Mum, dad, can I ask you something?"
"Of course, sweetie, we're always here for you," Eleanor replied, looking at her husband who smiled at her. They had both noticed how Hermione's face had darkened a little after speaking of the two boys.
"If you came across something that could potentially be bad, but didn't use it for bad, or even at all, is that still bad?"
"How do you mean?" Her dad questioned.
"I guess if someone has a gun, and they rob a store, but don't actually use the gun, they just have it, aside from robbing the store, does having a gun make them a bad person, or do they have to fire it to be considered bad? Or if you know something that could really hurt someone if you used it, but you only use it to protect yourself or your loved ones, because it's dangerous, are you a bad person?"
Her parents looked momentarily stunned. They glanced at each other with wide eyes before Eleanor looked back at Hermione, noticing the look of curiosity on her daughter's face, and letting out a sigh of relief at seeing no maliciousness.
"Well, that's a difficult question to answer, but I think I understand what you're getting at. Knowing bad things doesn't make you a bad person, per se, but there is more than just good and bad. There is a significant grey area as well. The man with a gun is not a 'good' or 'bad' person because he owns a gun, but what he chooses to do with the gun. It does not hurt to be prepared for the worst situation, and sometimes, things perceived as bad are just misunderstood. People fear what they don't understand, and that is what causes things to be 'good' or 'bad.' It is up to you to determine what you think it is," Eleanor replied after a moment of consideration. Beside her, Graham silently nodded in agreement, his face thoughtful.
Hermione smiled genuinely, before thanking her parents for their advice. Though they weren't always present, they always gave sound explanations and never judged her for her sometimes strange questions, something she was grateful for. Even as a young child, she had always been curious and soaked up any and all information like a sponge. She knew her parents were proud of her accomplishments in school, even if they didn't entirely understand, but Hermione wouldn't fault them for that.
Hermione helped her parents clean the kitchen after dinner, this being the last one before she left for her fifth year, she decided to enjoy her time with them. She had the gnawing feeling that soon everything would come to a head and she would be unable to see them for an indefinite amount of time. She would never voice that concern to anyone, though.