A/N: This is my first multi-chapter story. I have a vague idea for where I want this to go, but I don't have more chapters written. Enjoy!
The locket. Her locket. The secrets it hid.
Hermione sunk to the ground, the cold cobblestone making her shiver, though perhaps she was already shaking. Something inside her knew it was true, yet she most definitely didn't want to believe it. Her whole life was a lie. "For her protection," they had said.
She rose slowly, carefully, willing her legs to stop shaking. There was only one way to know for sure. Summoning all of her Gryffindor courage, she walked up to the gate, the cold, strong iron bars. With a swift wave of her wand, she pricked her finger and squeezed out a single drop of blood. She followed its path, watching as it hit the ground and slowly faded. As it disappeared, she saw a word etch itself in the drop's place. "Welcome," she read, and the gate swung open.
She woke up in a blind panic, unsure of where she was. Hermione was surrounded by shades of violet and grey, a far cry from the red and gold of her room. Her heart began returning to its normal pulse as she took in the high vaulted ceilings, the carvings on her bedposts, and the fading blankets that covered her. She remembered. She remembered everything. "Welcome," it had said. The house had recognized her, accepted her, established her as the heir, the last living member of the House of Sagitta. There she was, in some room in the depths of Sagitta Manor, no longer sure of who she was or what she was doing. As she reached over to get her wand off of the night stand, a sharp crack resonated around the room, causing Hermione to fall off the bed. She sat up with a frown to see a small house elf peering at her, wringing her little hands, ears flopping.
"Spotty be so sorry, Mistress." Spotty looked at her nervously, eyes nearly brimming with tears. "Spotty be a bad elf."
Still somewhat in shock, Hermione did not answer promptly, a sign which the elf took to be displeasure. Spotty ran back a few steps, and began running straight at the bedpost, banging her head with a thud, muttering, "Bad Spotty." Once again she set to repeat the process.
Hermione found her voice again. "Spotty. Stop!" she commanded. The house elf froze mid run, on the verge of toppling over.
"Spotty has been a very bad elf. Spotty has caused Mistress to fall."
Hermione shook her head. "You're a good elf, Spotty. Please stop hurting yourself. In fact, I forbid you from ever hurting yourself."
Spotty's eyes widened. "Mistress is very kind to Spotty. Is Mistress be needing anything?" Seemingly, Spotty was the elf of the House of Sagitta, thanking Hermione for coming to the Manor. "It's be lonely here. Spotty has kept the Manor clean and tidy for Mistress. Spotty knew Mistress would return."
Hermione paused for a minute. "What can you tell me about Sagitta?"
The house elf jumped up in surprise and excitement at this. She took Hermione by the hand and dragged her down many long hallways with so many twists and turns that Hermione was sure she was in a maze, that she'd never be able to return to the room. After much walking, they arrived at the library, a large domed room, with high vaulted ceiling and more books than even the Hogwarts library. Hermione's jaw dropped. No better place to begin her research, to try to figure out what was going on. She was so in awe that she didn't even notice Spotty let go of her hand and disappear into the endless shelves. At a slight tug on the hem of her muggle t-shirt, she looked down to see the elf standing with a large tome. She dusted it off to reveal the title, Sagitta: Dritto e Vero. She sat down at a table and opened the book, reading endlessly for hours, each page revealing a lost history, the story of the Scared 29 families, and how they became 28.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the beginning. Future chapters will most likely be longer; I just wanted to get this posted. Review and let me know what you think!