A/N 1: To everybody that is following my first story Saving Family, once again I apologize for the long wait between updates. That being said this is a small present for those of you that have stayed, and reviewed, and have encouraged me to keep writing. Thank you. For those of you that read this and have not read Saving Family I hope you enjoy this.
A/N 2: This will most likely remain a one-shot. I have more ideas that would go along with this. One of these may be added at a later date. I might post short little one shots connected to this when inspiration strikes. If so they will be labeled as such. I will warn you that there is no dialogue in this.
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal minds, Harry Potter, or Dr. Spencer Reid, no matter how much I wish differently. Enjoy!
When Spencer Reid entered high school at the tender age of nine he knew far more than most and continued to absorb knowledge. By extension he also knew things that others wished he didn't. Spencer knew that he was different, that his mom was sick, that his dad would eventually leave, and that there was a secret that his mother tried to keep from him even when she was at her worst. What he didn't know was why. Logically he needed to know the answers to those elusive whys.
Hermione Granger always knew she was different than her parents, even more different than the neighborhood she lived in. She didn't mind being smarter than the other kids or even skipping grades. She knew that when she was teased for such things it reflected back on those same people that they were simply upset that they were not. What hurt Hermione was the comments about her looks which would inevitably lead to the fact that she was adopted. She understood that she looked nothing like the people she called mum and dad and had always known that she was adopted. That didn't make it hurt less when she was told that her real parents probably didn't want her, or that no one ever would. She wanted to know why she was given away. However, slightly more than that, she wished she knew why strange things happened to her. Receiving her Hogwarts letter on her eleventh birthday explained so many things. And so at the age of thirteen, in her second year of Hogwarts, Hermione's deepest wish was once again to know why she was given away.
At the age of eleven Spencer Reid had found most of his answers as well. After days spent at the libraries, in school and public, both for a sanctuary and for research he had figured out his answers and received one more question. His research showed him that his mother was a paranoid schizophrenic and would most likely never be better. He knew that he was different because he was a genius and he viewed the world and its occupants differently. He knew that his father had left because he wanted a normal family and was too much of a coward to love the one he had. As for the big secret that his mother kept. Spencer figured that out when he started talking to her doctors and needed to view medical records. His educated mind allowed him to fool the doctors into believing he was older than he sounded and he had only small, easily taken care of problems getting her records. From there it was easy to discover that six years before he was born and four years before his parents got married his mother had given up a daughter for adoption. He had a sister out there. With an open adoption he even found her adoptive parents' names. Daniel and Emma Granger. They lived in England and now Spencer's question was would he ever meet his sister?
During Hermione's third year she suddenly found herself with more than enough time. One would thing that taking all of the available classes would put a strain on her management of it. However without Harry or Ron speaking to her over a bloody broom she had time to enjoy herself in the library. While the she looked for ways to find her birth family. While the slurs she received for being muggle born never really hurt anymore, there was a small part of her mind that wondered if they were right. If having 'purer' blood really made you a better witch or wizard. That same part made her think that maybe one of her parents could be magical. She knew she could be a great witch someday. So if having a magical parent was an unknown prerequisite than she needed to know. She soon discovered that the goblins at Gringotts could perform a blood test and reveal a family tree. It was either that or ask a professor to brew a potion that was levels beyond her extensive knowledge. That option would also require her to tell that professor why she need it. Hermione soon found that she couldn't quite afford to have the test done and so she thought there would be no real hope of finding out. She put all of that hope in a box at the back of her mind once the boys began speaking to her again. She wouldn't ask them for money just to satisfy her curiosity.
Spencer spent most of his library time after discovering his sisters' existence trying to find a way to contact her. The par of Spencer Reid that was still innocent and hopeful believed that maybe his sister would come to find him and maybe even stay to help with their mom. A larger part of that just hoped that she would want him for him. For just being her little brother. Spencer wanted someone he could talk to. Someone he could lean on when things got even harder. So he searched through various records hoping to find the right one. He was reluctant to use something that would only slow down the speed at which he could read the information, but he knew paper records could only get him so far. So he taught himself more about computers knowing that it would be far easier to locate someone online. He found that his love of mathematics made computer code fairly easy to understand. This in turn made it possible for him to find what he needed. Daniel and Emma Granger had an address listed for them and their seventeen year old daughter in their local directory. Knowing that a phone call might not be welcome and unwilling to hear a rejection over the phone he choose to right them a letter. He addressed it to Mr. and Mrs. Granger thinking that he didn't want to be the one that revealed her adoption if she didn't know. In it he included his multiple reasons for writing them. Spencer told them who he was and how he knew that his sister was their daughter. Following that he told them a little about himself, that he was in high school, when his birthday was and a few of his favorite things. He explained that he hoped he could meet her someday or at the very least speak to her. However, he would understand if they didn't want to have contact. He included his address in the hope for a return letter and a small picture of himself for her to have. From then all he could really do was wait.
The summer before fifth year was spent hiding out in Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. During the moments when Mrs. Weasley wasn't making them clean Hermione found herself spending a growing amount of time with Sirius. The events from her third year and their shared concern for Harry had allowed them to grow closer and she viewed him as a favorite uncle. One she loved and was annoyed with in equal measure. It was during one of these moments that Sirius brought up the rescue that Harry and herself had pulled off at the end of third year. He told her that she had saved his life and he had a life-debt that needed repaid. She knew that life-debts could be paid in a multitude of ways and simply asked that he give her the night to think of something. During that time she thought of many things before remembering the test. The next afternoon when they had a free moment Hermione asked if he would be willing to pay for her to have the blood test done at Gringotts and explained why she needed it. In response he hugged her before saying he would tell her by the end of the night. Before she went to bed Sirius found her and gave her a letter, before telling her it would give her access to his vaults for the payment of the test and that Remus had offered to take her to Diagon Alley the next day. After an enthusiastic hug she went to bed knowing that she would soon have some of the answers she needed. Hermione and Remus had left early the next morning not knowing how long the test would take or what they might need to do after it. Fortunately they got into Gringotts quickly and were shown to a room down the hall where they were to meet with the Black family account manager. The letter cleared the way for everything and soon Hermione was cutting across her palm and allowing the blood to flow into the bowl beneath it for the test. Once done the goblin poured it onto a piece of parchment letting her know that it would show relationships by blood, marriage, and adoption. As expected her parents showed up in a box to the side of her name with an adoption connection evident between them. Above Hermione was a man by the name of Andrew Grey and next to him a woman named Diana Reid. What caught Hermione's eye was the name beneath her mother and her husband, William Reid. She had a brother. A younger brother. Someone who might look up to her, someone who would always be on her side. She needed to find Spencer Reid.
Two months after sending the letter Spencer was beginning to lose hope. He knew that it would take roughly two weeks for them to get it and he realized that they could have been on vacation. However it was now mid-February. He hadn't told his mother that he had even sent the letter in the first place. Telling her that he had given someone in England their address was sure to set off an episode. He had spent his Christmas break at home or at the public library. Spencer and his mom had celebrated the holiday by reading some of their favorite classic literature. He was grateful that there hadn't been any big episodes and for the most part she had been lucid throughout the holiday. He checked the mailbox before walking back inside the house after school fully expecting it to be empty once again. Spencer was so shocked as he opened it that he double and triple checked to be sure he had opened the correct one. Inside there was not only a letter but a small package inside as well. Looking at them both he found that the letter was from his sister's mom and dad. The package however was a great surprise.
It was a week after the winter holiday ended that Hermione received a letter from her parents. She knew they had went to Italy for the holiday and thought they might have sent pictures. When she opened it she discovered only a short note from her parents explaining that they had found the letter waiting for them when they returned home and thought they should send it to her straight away. Looking at the letter she saw that the return address was for a home in the states. She didn't know anybody over there. Looking at it again she had to read the name twice before it fully registered. Spencer Reid. Her brother had found her. Forgetting the rest of breakfast Hermione rushed to her first class knowing she would get there early and have some time to read it without prying eyes. What she found inside was more than she hoped for. There was the letter of course with all of its fantastic little pieces of information about him. The open invitation to contact him. She could tell that he dearly wanted to meet her. That he needed to have another family member present in his life. But her favorite was the small photo he included of himself. Spencer had mentioned that it wasn't the most recent. That his hair was a longer now. It didn't matter that the picture wasn't taken recently. He looked happy and Hermione would do everything she could to see him happy.
Upon opening the letter Spencer first found a brief message from her parents. They told him that they had never hidden the truth from Hermione and that she had been looking for him for the last one and half years. From the time she had first known he existed. Spencer felt hope begin to rise in his chest. His sister wanted to know him. She wouldn't just write him off or worse, come to meet him and decide he wasn't worth her time. The rest of the note thanked him for working so hard to contact her and said that they hoped to meet him someday. With that done Spencer carefully tore into the package. Inside was another letter with elegant handwriting on the front as well as a small wrapped gift. Hermione explained that she had stayed at her boarding school for the holiday and her parents had gone to Italy for a bit of a vacation as well as a dentistry convention. Therefore she hadn't received the letter until they had been able to send it forward to her. After apologizing again for the huge delay in replying his sister went on to tell him about herself and how much she wanted to meet him someday. From there she went on to ask him a few questions in the hopes of learning more about him before saying that she wouldn't have access to a computer for a long time, and so she hoped he wouldn't mind writing letters. It was more personal anyway. Spencer found himself agreeing with that sentiment. He could physically hold her letter. Could feel the indents on the odd paper she used (he was fairly certain it was a type of old parchment) where her pen had pressed slightly harder. The letter went on for a while before telling him that it might be late but she had bought him a small Christmas gift and that she hoped he liked it. Finishing the letter at his usual speed he opened the small gift, finding a leather cord with a silver disc pendant. Upon taking a closer look Spencer noticed that there was Latin writing around the edge and towards the middle. He wondered if Hermione had included a translation or if he would need to do it himself. It wouldn't be hard to do after he wrote it down in a straight line. Right now it was a bit hard to make out. Looking at the box it was sent Spencer found a small note explaining what the pendant was for and asking him to wear it at all times. Towards the bottom she said that if he ever needed her all he had to do was think of her and she would come. Spencer shook his head. How would she know to come, it didn't make any sense. Still, Spencer placed it around his neck. It was the first gift he had ever gotten from his sister, even if it did confuse him. Looking under the note with the necklace Spencer found one last surprise, a small wallet sized photo. On the back she had written the date it was taken and that a friend had taken it at the last school match. Spencer placed the photo in his wallet before going inside. He had a letter to write.
A/N: For those of you that want to know. Diana had Hermione when she was 20. She was starting college and wasn't ready to raise a baby on her own. Spencer was born when she was 26. Diana was 35 in the very first paragraph. The writing on the necklace is Latin and there are six different things written. If the translations are wrong or not actually Latin blame google translate.
ab iniuria tueri- protect from harm.
firmitudo- strength, stability.
vocare, quando opus- to call when needed.
potestatem- power.
robur familia- strength of family.
frater- brother.