Characters aren't mine...they belong to JK Rowling and JJ Abrams respectively...
The war had ended, but the aftermath had left the entire Wizarding community picking up the pieces. The Weasley's were mourning Fred's death, Harry was helping Andromeda and Teddy set up residence at Grimmauld Place while their home was being rebuilt and Hermione was sitting in the lobby outside the newly elected Minister of Magic's office. Kingsley Shacklebolt had owled Hermione that morning, requesting her presence immediately. Hermione was hopeful that this had something to do with her parents, as the Minister had offered to contact the Aurors in Australia to search for Richard and Helen Granger. Three months had passed since the war had ended, and yet there had been no success in locating Hermione's parents.
Things hadn't gotten back to normal, and Hermione was beginning to wonder if they ever would. After the final battle, it had looked as if she and Ron were finally going to try and have a go at a relationship, but after Fred's funeral, Ron had become distant and cold. He spent minimal time with her, and it made her wonder if he regretted their relationship. She had tried to talk to Harry about it, but he just waved her off, saying something about 'not getting involved' in his best mate's love lives. It hurt Hermione a bit, as she had always stood by Harry, even when Ron abandoned them, she had stayed and supported him. Now when she needed Harry most, he seemed as distant as Ron and that made all the insecurities that Hermione felt deeply over the years, rear it's ugly head.
So she had quietly left the Burrow one day, beaded bag in hand with all her belongings, and went back to Muggle London to her childhood home. The protections she had placed before she left on the horcrux hunt were still in place thankfully, so she tasked herself with cleaning and re-organizing everything for when her parents were found and their memories restored.
When Kingsley's door opened and he came out to greet her, she could see his smile was strained and the sadness deep within his eyes. Trying to not think the worst, Hermione followed him into his office where he closed the door, warded and silenced the room. Gesturing towards the closest chair, Kingsley motioned for Hermione to take a seat while he settled back behind his desk.
"It's good to see you Hermione, how have you been?" Kingsley asked politely, noticing how thin and frail the young witch looked.
Hermione tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. "I'm alright. I'm staying in Muggle London for now."
Kingsley's eyebrows shot up at this admission. "Why are you not staying with Harry at Grimmauld Place, or at the Burrow with the Weasley's?"
Hermione sighed unhappily, trying to keep the tears that were constantly near the surface from breaking through, but Kingsley Shacklebolt was no fool. It angered him to think that both Harry and Ron could be so dismissive of the brilliant witch who had saved them countless times with her cleverness and cunning. She had obliviated her own parents so she could help Harry with his mission from Dumbledore, and to see her looking so lost and fore-lorn, hurt Kingsley's heart.
"The Weasley's haven't been the same since Fred's death and Harry has been busy with Teddy and Ginny. There didn't seem a good place for me to stay, so I decided to head back home and get it ready for my parents return. Do you have some news for me?"
Kingsley nodded. "Yes, I do Hermione. I heard from the Australian Minister yesterday, and I'm afraid the news is not what we were hoping. They did find your parents. Apparently about six months ago there was a car accident and I'm afraid both your parents were killed in the collision. I am so sorry Hermione." Kingsley looked at the witch who was trembling with shock. He moved over to sit in the chair next to her and held her hand as tears poured down her face.
"I just can't...it didn't make a difference sending them away to protect them...this is all my fault...they died not knowing they had a daughter!" Hermione was trying to talk through her tears, while Kingsley just sat there and tried to give what comfort he could.
"Would you like me to send a patronus to Harry or Ron?"
Hermione shook her head. "I don't think so. Ron has distanced himself from me since Fred's death and I can't put this on Harry. He already carries enough guilt over the deaths of Fred, Remus and Tonks. I can't burden him with this too."
Shaking his head in disagreement Kingsley pleaded, "I don't think either one of them would see it that way Hermione." But the little witch just shook her head stubbornly trying to get her emotions under control. Watching her sadly, Kingsley cleared his throat, he didn't want to put anymore stress on Hermione, but as the Minister it was his duty to inform her of what he had discovered.
"Hermione, I called you here for another reason as well." Looking at the frail witch, he grasped her hand and moved over to his desk to reach for a stack of papers. "When I was informed your parents died, I looked to see if they had filed any paperwork with the Ministry. This is usually done for children with Magical parents, but sometimes Muggle parents will file paperwork or a will with the Ministry too. It seems as if Dumbledore had left some paperwork with his brother Aberforth before he died. Amongst that paperwork was some legal documents that pertained to you."
Hermione looked at Kingsley in confusion. "I don't understand, why would my parents leave paperwork with Dumbledore?"
"I think in this circumstance, there was good reason that they did. Perhaps it would be best if I just showed you what I found. I will try and answer any questions you have afterwards?" Kingsley was quick to add.
Hermione nodded warily, then Kingsley handed the folder to her. Opening it and looking at the contents the first page was a standard will, which among other things bequeathed the home in Muggle London to Hermione as well as a trust vault that had been set up by her parents. There was fifty thousand galleons in it. Hermione turned over the pages until she came to an older document, that looked like a contract of some sort. Reading through the legal jargon, her eyes widened in shocked disbelief at what the paperwork implied. She looked over at Kingsley who was watching her with a sad expression on his face.
"Kings, are you sure this is correct?" Hermione asked shakily.
"As far as I can tell the documents are authentic and legal. There was a letter attached to them, it looked to be written by one of your parents." Kingsley put his hand in his robe and pulled out a letter that had her name written on it in her mother's handwriting. Taking the letter with shaking hands, Hermione just stared at it, terrified what secrets lurked within the small white envelope.
Kingsley watched Hermione as her hands started shaking uncontrollably, so he gently took one in his hand and squeezed in reassuringly. "If you want to open it here, I would be happy to offer you support Hermione. If you wish to be alone, I can leave and come back shortly."
Hermione shook her head at the Minister of Magic. "No, please stay...I don't have anyone else..." Hermione broke off on a sob. Kingsley just nodded and watched as Hermione tried to reign her emotions in before she opened the letter. When Hermione broke the seal and took out the letter, a tiny key fell into her lap. It was a Gringotts key, probably for the trust vault her parents had left her. There was also a necklace, made of goblin silver that had an crest of some kind on it. Hermione looked at the crest, not recognizing it and handed it to Kingsley with a questioning look.
The Minister looked over the piece of jewelry, clearly goblin made, clearly magical and furrowed his brow in confusion. He didn't recognize the crest as coming from any of the Sacred 28 houses, or any Pureblood house in Britain but that didn't mean it wasn't from somewhere. Clearly he would offer to look into this, it was the least he could do for the young war heroine looking so small and lost sitting across from him.
Hermione opened the letter and started to read:
Our Dearest Hermione,
If you are reading this, your father and I have passed. First, we both want you to know how much we love you and how grateful we were and are to have had you in our lives. What we never told you, and for that we are truly sorry, is that your father and I are both squibs. My mother, your grandmother was born a squib and disowned by her family. She came from the Nott family, and your father...well he was disowned from the Fawley family. We met in school as you know, and we both had some knowledge of the magical world. We desperately tried to have a baby for years, but after several miscarriages we realized that having a child of our own was not meant to be. One evening a old woman came to our door, with a small bundle...You. She told us that you needed a good, loving home and made us swear an oath to protect you and love you...which we did. The only thing she left was the necklace, which I included with this letter as well as a key to the trust vault your father and I set up for you.
We showed the necklace to your Headmaster when we met with him before you started your third year and Dumbledore mentioned to us after your fourth year that things were becoming more dangerous in the magical world, and your father and I should be prepared in case something happened to us. We wanted to provide something for you to remember us.
I know what your thinking sweetheart, why didn't we tell you about the adoption and who are your biological parents? As to the first, we had thought about it when you received your letter from Hogwarts, and again after your second year, but Dumbledore cautioned us against it. He felt it would of made things more confusing for you, and we reluctantly agreed. So we wrote out a will and left this with your Headmaster just in case. If you are reading this, please know that your father and I loved you more than anything in the world. I wish I could tell you who your real parents were, but I never knew. I suspected Dumbledore might of known, the man always seemed like he knew far more than he let on, but he never told us anything.
Please take care of yourself sweetheart. Try and find happiness, and remember not to sell yourself short. Those who truly love and value you will stand with you, and those who don't aren't worth your time nor effort. Be safe and find joy.
All our love,
Mum and Dad
Tears were streaming down Hermione's cheeks as she handed the letter to Kingsley so he could read it. She wiped her eyes with a tissue and waited as Kingsley finished reading. When he was done he looked over at Hermione with an expression that was both sad and angry.
"Do you think Dumbledore knew who my real parents were, Kings?"
Kingsley shook his head in disgust. How many lives had Dumbledore managed to manipulate over the years? Snape, James and Lily Potter, Sirius, Harry and now Hermione. Oh, Kingsley was sure Dumbledore knew exactly whom Hermione's real parents were, but until he could confirm a few things himself, he felt it might be better to put off the truth.
"I don't know, Hermione. Dumbledore was good at manipulation, and Merlin knows the man had his secrets, but I can't imagine he would of known what was in this letter, and not given you some way of learning the truth."
Hermione scoffed. "Just like he let Harry, Ron and I go on the run trying to find horcruxes and not giving us any idea how to destroy them? Letting Harry walk to the slaughter, to face Voldemort alone...I have no illusions of how thoroughly Dumbledore manipulated those around him. Obviously this necklace is a clue, but I don't recognize the crest, and it didn't seem as if you did either."
Kingsley shook his head. "No, it's not from any of the Pureblood families in Britain, but that doesn't mean it isn't from another family on the continent. If you would like, I can look into this...see if I can discover what family this crest belongs to?"
Smiling tremulously, Hermione asked, "Kings, you're already busy enough with being Minister, do you really have time to help me with this?"
"Hermione Granger, I owe you a life debt and seeing as you have chosen to confide this to me, it is the least I can do for you."
Jumping out of her chair, Hermione hugged the large man, much to his surprise. "Thank you Kingsley. You don't know how much this means to me."
Patting her back in reassurance, Kingsley smiled fondly at the little witch. "Give me some time Hermione, and I will find some answers for you. Are you planning on returning to Hogwarts in September to finish your schooling?"
Hermione nodded. "Professor McGonagall sent me a letter a few days ago asking that very thing. She mentioned that the position of Head Girl was mine if I wanted it. I haven't written back to her, as school doesn't start for a few weeks."
"But you're going back?" Kingsley asked and Hermione nodded again. "Good, I have one other thing I'd like to give to you. As you are aware when you received your Order of Merlin, First Class there was a monetary reward that was to be given. I have taken the liberty of depositing the money into your vault at Gringotts." Hermione went to protest but Kingsley put his hand up to stop her. "You, more than anyone deserve it. While it may of been Harry's destiny, he would of never survived for as long as he did without you. I am deeply disappointed in both Ron and Harry for their neglect of you these past months. I received word from both of them that they have accepted entrance into Auror training at the end of the month." At the look of hurt and surprise on Hermione's face, Kingsley's expression darkened. "I can see they have failed to inform you. I can have a talk with them if you like?"
Hermione sighed and wiped a tear from her eye. Did they really not care about her anymore? Was she just a means to an end? She thought the boys were her family, but she was apparently wrong. It would seem as if she was on her own again, it was a place she never thought she would be.
"No, please don't bother Kings. Part of me just thinks that they are grieving and need some space from all the unpleasant reminders of the war. But there is another part of me that wonders what I did to make them forget about me. I refuse to be anyone's burden and I will not guilt them into helping me. I can take care of myself."
Kingsley just nodded sadly at the small witch who was as fierce as she was kind-hearted. He would respect her wishes for now. "I am here if you need anything Hermione...and I do mean anything."
"I know Kings, and I am more grateful than I can say." Hermione smiled.
