Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the story except the O.C the rest belong to J.K Rowling and Rick Riordan.

Hermione scanned the train station as she tried to pick up any signs of her parents but saw no sign of them. Her bright caramel brown eyes were shining in worry and she bit her lips as she searched to find any sign of them. It was strange; they were never late when it came to picking her up. They were always punctual when it came to her! Was it possible that something had come up? No they wouldn't have told her if they couldn't pick her up.

She felt a small hand on her shoulder. Hermione turned her head and was surprise to see her Aunt's kind hazel eyes, shining with pity and sadness but what made her worry was the puffiness of her eyes that told her that she had been crying. She was hesitant as she looked at her aunt, who seemed ready to fall over. Her aunt hesitantly gave her an awkward one-arm hug and she was very reluctant to hug her aunt. They haven't seen each other since she was seven.

"Why haven't you grown taller, Hermione." Said Aunt Susan. Her Aunt's voice sounded very hoarse as if she hadn't talked in several days and the quite anguish in her eyes just made her feel even more worried.

"W-Where is my Mom and Dad?" Hermione asked hesitantly. Aunt Susan didn't response but the trembling hand on her shoulder was all she needed to know. She shook her head in denial, the mere idea that her parents were dead was not one she wanted to hear or believe.

"What happened?"

Her Aunt didn't answer instead her eyes were lingering at a practical spot. There was fear in her aunt eyes and worry as well as resignation. Hermione turned to look at the direction as her aunt was staring but all she saw was her reflection. It was strange how much she looked more like her aunt than that of her mother; they both had the same hair color and the same facial features. There were times when she had been younger when strangers had complemented her aunt about having a beautiful daughter like her. For some strange reason, her Aunt Susan would just laugh at them but looked sad as she looked at her.

The only difference between them was her eyes. Hermione had gotten her grandmother's brown eyes while her Aunt Susan had gotten hazel eyes. It was funny how she often wished that her aunt were her mother. She had been closer to her Aunt than her own mother.

"It was a robbery, Hermione. They wanted something from your parents but they didn't want to give it to them. The robbers killed them because of that." Said Aunt Susan. The elder woman couldn't hold back the tears and had now allowed them to fall. Hermione felt her legs becoming wobbly at this news.

She didn't pay attention to her Aunt as she picked her trunk up. Everything felt so surreal now that her parents were dead. Where was she going to live now? With Uncle Thomas and his sons? She certainly hoped not, they hated her just as much as she hated them. She clenched her hands in sadness as she thought of her relatives. None of them liked her; only her Aunt Susan and her grandparents seemed to love her like her parents had.

Her parents weren't supposed to die. They were meant to live a happy life, to see her graduate and see her get married. She was silently grateful that her Aunt had came in her own car instead of her parents' car, it would have been too much for her.

Her lips tremble as she thought about the argument that she had with her own mother before she had left for Hogwarts. Her mother had wanted to tell her something but she didn't want to hear it. She had been fearful of what she had wanted to tell her, there were so many things that her mother had been planning to her. The pitying look on her face didn't help her either.

She licked her lips as she wondered what her mother had been planning to tell her. Hermione looked at her Aunt Susan and opened her mouth to ask her questions but closed it when she saw the weary look on her face. She turned around to find the source of her Aunt's weariness and was surprised to see a man staring at them.

The man had black hair and a neatly trimmed beard with sea green eyes. His eyes linger at her and she was taken back by the sadness and pity in his eyes but there was anger as well and she was fearful of him. He was a dangerous man that much can be certain and it was only a good idea to look away from him.

What had she done to cause him to look at her with such anger? Staring at him wasn't a crime. Hesitantly, she entered the car. She looked at her Aunt and was taken back by the sadness, longing and anger in her Aunt's eyes. Hermione had a feeling that those two knew each other well but what was there relationship? It seemed a little bit odd to see her aunt to have such emotions in her eyes.

"Aunt Susan, do you know that man?" Hermione asked. Aunt Susan didn't answer the question immediately but from the tighten grip on the steering wheel told her that wasn't the right question to ask. It seemed like her Aunt was ready to break the thing.

"Unfortunately, Hermione I do know him." Susan answered. "And I never thought that he would dare show his face ever again."

Her Aunt eyes linger at her and Hermione wanted to ask her more questions but the pleading look on her Aunt Susan's face told her not to. She crossed her arms in anger. She had the right to know who that man was! He looked ready to attack them through she doubt that he would attack them in a crowded place. But what was his connection to her Aunt? The way her Aunt was behaving, it was almost like the two of them had a relationship but that wasn't possible. Aunt Susan never had a relationship with any guy that she knew and her aunt was apparently still pinning on her ex-boyfriend or so her mother told her.

"Where am I going to live now, Aunt Susan?" Hermione asked.

"You are going to live with me." Susan answered softly as her grip on the wheel loosened. "I will be damned if you live with my brother Thomas."

"You don't like Uncle Thomas do you?"

"I got along with him but after…"

"After what?"

Susan shook her head at her niece and answered firmly, "Let us just say that I did something that my siblings disapprove of."

Hermione frowned and tilted her head at her Aunt in curiosity but didn't question her Aunt. From what she knew of the older woman in front of her, she wasn't the type of person that did bad things. She expected that from her Uncle Thomas then her Aunt. Then again, her mother had said that Aunt Susan had been a wild child when she was her age.

"You know, I was planning to move to America but I am not so sure now that my sister and her husband is dead." Susan admitted. "I mean moving to America might be too much-"

"I think living in America might be a good idea for us." Hermione said softly. Living in the house that her parents had died in would be too much for them, her more so than her Aunt. Susan smiled in understanding and nodded her head before carefully parking the car.

The two of them took deeps breaths before they exited the car. The brown-haired witch looked at the house that she grew up in, no longer can she consider it home. Home was where her parents were and with them dead, this is just a house. Silently, she made her way towards the attic, not informing her Aunt Susan of her location.

The attics were filled with so many memories and it was shown by the rocking chair that was besides the dusting pictures of her parents wedding day. She allowed her finger to touch the rocking chair as she took in the image of her deceased parents.

It was strange how she doesn't have any resemblance to her deceased parents. Her mother had long blond hair that reached to her shoulders and beautiful blue eyes that reminded people of the sky. Her father had always combined his black hair and his eyes were one of the clouds. The two of them looked so happy in the wedding picture, both of them were unaware that in twenty years time, their lives will be taken by robbers.

Hermione lips pursed as she notice a letter beside one of her parent's pictures. It was address to her, which was a curious thing. She shivered and looked around the attic, there was a foreboding feeling that someone was watching her. Hesitantly, she opened the letter and frowned when she saw that the handwriting was that of her mother.

Dear Hermione,

You reading this tell me that your father and I had died without telling you the truth. There are so many things that I wished to tell you and some of it will make you hate your father and me but please don't hate us. We wanted tell you this earlier but nothing seemed like a good time to tell you so here it goes.

Sweetheart, you know that your father and I had no children but you and you are our world but we aren't your biological parents. We adopted you from your birth mother, who had at that time wasn't in the best position to take care of you. She is closer to you than you think and know that she loves you so much that she wanted to give you your best chance. I wish that I can tell you who she is but I made promise to her that I won't tell you until she feels ready to tell you. I don't know anything about your biological father except that you apparently inherited his temper and love for sea; everything else is your mother.

It would have easier if I told you earlier but as I said before, it never seemed like a good time and we were so happy. I didn't want to ruin that and I understand if you are angry with us but at the time, we thought that by not telling you, it would be right. Now, I know that it wasn't right to keep you in the dark and that in the end it is hurting you.

We love you, Hermione and with all our heart even through you aren't ours biological but we loved you like our own. This house and our belongings belonged to you. Know that we are proud with whatever choice that you make.

We love you Princess,

Your parents.

Hermione stumbled into her seat and ran her hand through her hair as she mused over what her parents had written. Adopted. It made so much sense on why she didn't look like them but it didn't explain how she looked like Aunt Susan.

She had the urge to throw all the picture away and she nearly did too but one picture stood out to her. Her lips curled into a small smile when she saw her younger self being hugged by a boy that was older than her by one year.

Chris Armstrong.

She had met him when she had been seven years old; it was the time when her family had been living in America. He had been her first friend, always standing up for her from the bullies. She traces his hair and sighed. It had been years since she last seen him and she doubted that he would remember her. She chuckled as she remembers telling her parents that she was one day going to marry him.

Her father had been uneasy at her declaration but her mother had been so amused. Chris never found out about that declaration and she knew that he never would because she had been a child at that time. It was quite easy for her to mistaken love for friendship.

She knew that she would never see him again but she silently wished that she would see him again. It would make living in the States during the holiday easier for her.

Hermione allowed the teardrop to fall and smiled at the smiling face of her younger self and Chris. Maybe, she would be lucky and she would see him again.

A/N So what do you think?