The Letter
Part One
Summary: Hermione receives a letter that can change everything.
Warnings: mentions of suicide and off-screen gay relationship (Snarry), Ginny and Molly bashing. The story is mostly canon compliant, but disregards epilogue (obviously).
Disclaimer: the Harry Potter universe has been created by J. K. Rowling and does not belong to me. No money is being made from writing and publishing this story. No copyright infringement was intended.
A/N: I've read several Snarry fics in which Ginny attempts to use love potions on Harry and his friends barely manage to save him. I thought 'What would have happened if Ginny succeeded, got pregnant and married Harry. How would her child react if he (she) found out the truth about the circumstances how he (she) was conceived'. This story is the answer to my own challenge.
A/N 2: Please, note that English is not my native language and I have no beta. If you find any mistakes, feel free to tell me about them. I have nothing against constructive criticism, but no flames, please!
Five o'clock in the morning. Pretty early for the post. But that big dark-brown owl did not want to wait. It tapped, screeched and scratched until Hermione Weasley got up, opened the window and let the persistent bird in. The young woman took the heavy scroll the owl had brought and went to the kitchen, where she could read the letter without disturbing her husband's sleep.
The letter was from her goddaughter. The bushy-haired witch could not help wondering what must have happened to make a fourth year student write to her godmother in the middle of the night. Nothing good came into her mind. So the witch just opened the letter and began to read.
Dear Godmother,
I know that you would be sad and disappointed after reading this letter. Please, don't be!
First of all, you must know that you are the best godmother in the world. You are kind, caring, loving. You have an amazing sense of humour and vast knowledge in almost every sphere of human life. It's always interesting to be around you. Sometimes I wish that you were my mother. I love you so much!
You probably think that my wish is weird, that I have a loving family etc. But I think that you should know what our real family life looks like. It's a hell!
Father and mother always pretend to be loving and caring. But they are cold and bitter when no one except me can see them.
Mother is always busy. She is shopping, chatting with her friends, playing Quidditch, visiting her relatives. She has time for everything, but not for me. She does not know what my favourite colour is or how many boys I have already kissed. She does not want to know this. Sometimes I think that her only purpose in life is to spend my father's fortune to the best of her abilities.
And my father, he just avoids us. He usually takes the longest missions to some godforsaken places, and once I heard him saying that for him vacations and plague are synonyms.
I think that he simply does not want to see us, me and my mother. He does not love her, I know this for sure. And it might be painful for him to see me. He should know that I am his daughter too, not just my mother's. But he can't, because I look exactly like her. That's why I hate my reflection!
But there is a deeper reason why I am writing this letter right now. A month ago, just before the start of the new school year I was in the Burrow. I could not sleep, so I went downstairs to have a cup of tea.
There were two women in the kitchen, my mother and my grandmother. They were arguing. And the more I listened, the more disgusted I felt. At some point during their argument my grandmother said that my mother should stop using love potions on her husband, because he might go mad. But mother answered that she did not care. It would have been even better if her husband and that 'wretched child' disappeared somewhere. Grandmother answered: 'Don't you dare to harm that child. Most of the compulsion charms that I used on your precious husband are keyed to that girl. Otherwise he would have left you long time ago. If she dies...' Now I don't know if I should call them my mother and grandmother anymore.
Then they must have remembered that I stayed in that house and stopped their argument. I returned upstairs as quietly as possible. Needless to say that I could not sleep all night.
There is one more thing. Last Monday during detention with Professor Malfoy I accidentally overheard part of his conversation with Headmaster Snape. Professor Malfoy said that he was worried about Headmaster. Headmaster Snape snapped at him and said that he would have felt much better, if he 'managed to free his beloved Harry from clutches of those crazy red-headed women'.
I think you understand the meaning of this, my Dear Godmother. I am the one who stands between my father and his happiness. My existence does not let him be happy with the man he loves. I can't live with this knowledge. I am begging for your forgiveness. I am ready to die. Goodbye, my Loving Godmother! Don't cry! I'll be happier there.
Your loving goddaughter
Lily Luna Potter
When Hermione Weasley finished reading the letter, she was crying.
A/N 3: Review, please!