A/N: Obnoxious starting off, I know. But! This story popped into my head after reading Colubrina's Lady of the Lake. And I do have her permission to base this story off of hers. So! If you like mine, you'll love Colubrina and I recommend checking her out. Now, onto the story…
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Being called into Gringotts was the last thing Hermione expected after being told she was no longer welcome into their halls after breaking in during the War. Looking up at the white building, she sighed. Best to get this over with. Pushing the doors open, the young war heroine strode up to the Head Goblin. "You wanted to see me, sir?"
"Yes." Warwick leaned forward. "There are two things I wish to speak with you about, in my office."
Following the, very dangerous, magical creature, Hermione had to remember to breathe.
"Sit." Warwick pointed to a leather chair in front of his desk. He sat in the dragon hide chair behind it, before he started to ruffle through some papers.
"Sir," Hermione began. "We had to break…"
"I know. That's one of the reasons I called you into my office." The Head Goblin smiled, which consisted of baring his teeth, at the witch.
Hermione blinked. "I… you're not sending me to Azkaban?"
"No, I want to know how you managed it." Warwick said, paper and quill poised to write. "Start with when you first decided to break in my bank."
Hermione swallowed hard against the onslaught of memories that threatened to overtake her. "I was writhing in pain on the floor of Malfoy Manor, Bellatrix Lestrange was carving into my forearm and the only thing I could think of was 'There is one of them in her vault. She was given one.'."
"What exactly was she given?"
"One of Voldemort's Horcruxes." Hermione shuddered at the memory of wearing Slytherin's Locket.
Warwick scowled, hating that such an evil piece of magic had been housed in his bank. "Please continue."
"After we had escaped and I had woken up, I started thinking of a way to get into her vault." Hermione sighed. "I had polyjuice and a hair, from where she had been all over me. We were able to convince Griphook to help us break in."
"How did you do that?"
"Promised him the Sword of Gryffindor." Hermione paused, wondering how he would take that information.
"Idiot. Not you, him." Warwick shook his head. "We gave that sword to Godric, it is no longer ours."
"I transfigured… Ron's face." Hermione scowled when she said the ginger's name. "Harry and Griphook hid under Harry's invisibility cloak. Once we got into the back, Harry imperiused Bogrod."
"That's how you broke into the bank?"
"Yes."
"Did the Thief's Downfall work?" Warwick steepled his fingers under his chin.
"It did." Hermione nodded. "We had to re-imperious Bogrod."
Warwick chuckled. "How did you escape?"
"We were fighting Ministry guards." Hermione grinned. "And I freed the Ukrainian Ironbelly by firing reductos at his chains. We escaped on his back."
"That sounds too easy."
Hermione laughed. "Oh, it was much harder than that. Griphook was nearly impossible to convince. Ron almost gave us away when we spotted the Ministry guards. Harry didn't want to use an Unforgivable. I didn't want to use the polyjuice. And then we had to deal with all the enchantments in Lestrange Vault. And if that wasn't enough, we had to fight out way out on the back of a dragon. We had to keep Bill and Fleur in the dark too."
"Yes, your veela friend was spitting mad when she found out what you had done." Warwick smiled at the memory. "William had to hold her back. I think she was going to give you a piece of her mind."
"She did." Hermione muttered.
Warwick chuckled. "I would have loved to hear that! You know, veela's are pack animals."
"I know, I'm part of her pack." Hermione paused.
"The only one apart from William and the Delacours." Warwick nodded. "And Xenophilius daughter."
"They have taken Luna into their home." Hermione shook her head. She didn't tell him that Fleur had insisted on taking in Nymphadora and Theodor (Teddy) Tonks, the woman had lost her husband, and father. Thankfully her son was spared. "Molly was spiting mad when Bill informed her that he was taking on Delacour and dropping Weasley."
"Smart boy."
Hermione cocked her head, but the goblin offered no explanation.
"Thank you for telling me how you broke in." Warwick smiled. "Those boys had no idea how it was done. They just kept saying, 'Uh, Hermione said', 'Hermione told us', and my favorite, 'I don't know'. Those boys are idiots you know."
Hermione's face darkened. "I know."
"Now, the second reason I brought you in is of a more personal matter." Warwick paused. "After you broke into the Lestrange Vault, were you nicked by… anything?"
"A cutting jinx sliced open my left shoulder. I still have the scar, if you want to see." Hermione cocked her head.
"Did you lean up against anything?"
Frowning, Hermione thought back to that day. "A pillar, to the left and two down from the vault."
Warwick grinned. "That's what I though. Tell me, are you adopted."
Hermione looked away from him and swallowed hard.
"Hermione." The goblin didn't know what he had said that had upset her so. "That was not supposed to be a difficult question."
"Do you read the Prophet?" The witch asked in a tear choked voice.
"Yes, unfortunately, I need to keep up with the Wizarding press." Warwick sighed.
"Then, am I correct in assuming, that you read the article detailing me estrangement from my parents?" Hermione looked back at him, tears rolling down her face. "My use of Obliviate."
Warwick shifted uncomfortably at the sight of her tears. "Yes, Rita Skeeter wrote a, surprisingly, nice piece."
"She was feeling generous. I had just told her she could write whatever she wanted to about the boys." Hermione cracked a smiled at that memory.
"I don't remember what it said." The goblin lied, deciding not to ask about the hinted control over the reporter.
"Yes you do." Hermione shook her head ruefully. "She praised my constitution. Said, 'How unselfish of her to erase herself from her parents to protect them from You-Know-Who.' I sent them to Australia. And after the War, I restored their memories. That was when I found out I was adopted. When I erased myself, I destroyed the memory charm and they disowned me."
Warwick frowned. "Because you weren't their daughter?"
"No, because I erased their memories and transplaced them. I didn't even ask." Hermione slouched in the chair.
"You were protecting them. Surely they have to know that."
"They don't care." Hermione shrugged. "So, I modified their memories, again. They don't want to be my parents, so they're not."
Warwick frowned. "I know who your biological parents are."
Hermione shot up in her chair. "What?"
"Your blood, you're the last Selwyn." Warwick waited for the ensuing explosion. It didn't come.
"So, you're telling me," Hermione softly stated, rubbing her left forearm. "That not only am I a Pureblood, I'm Sacred Twenty-eight?"
"Yes."
"Can you keep this quiet?" Hermione all but begged.
"I can." Warwick paused. "Does this mean you'll sign the papers transferring the Selwyn Vaults into yours?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, I'll sign the papers transferring my vault into the Selwyn."
The goblin grinned as he pushed the papers toward the witch. "As you wish, Miss Selwyn."
"Well, at least my first name is the same." Hermione muttered when she looked down at the document.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I though my name was Hermione Jean Granger." She shook her head. "Apparently it is Hermione Morgana Selwyn."
"Your parents, Desmond and Rhosyn, were killed during the First Wizarding War." Warwick sighed sadly, this poor witch. "And you Uncle Braen and Aunt Jennifer were killed in the Battle of Hogwarts."
Hermione shook her head. "Of course my parents were blood purist. But that doesn't explain why I was place with muggles."
"The Order wouldn't look for you there."
"Point." Hermione pointed the quill at the goblin. "Although, that would explain why the Sorting Hat wanted to sort me into Slythern and its comment about perceived blood status."
Warwick remained silent as the witch filled out the forms.
Stacking the papers into a neat pile, Hermione sighed. "Done. Now, I don't want this to get out."
"While you may have broken into Gringotts, you have helped strengthen our defenses." Warwick smiled. "Besides, what has the Ministry ever done for Goblins? No, they will not find out from us."
"Thank you, sir." Hermione inclined her head.
Warwick leaned back in his chair. "How is your campaign to free the House Elves?"
"I have decided against freeing them." Hermione shook her head. "I bought a family to learn more about them. They were not happy when I asked about freeing them. Making laws that stop abuse they were fine with."
"Good. Next magical species you want to campaign for, speak with them before you do anything." Warwick smirked.
"I plan on it." A blush crept up Hermione's face.
"Now, I have left the Granger Vault open." Warwick explained. "Your workplace will deposit into that vault and any taxes you pay will come out of it as well."
"You are too kind."
"It's the least I can do for the Golden Girl." Warwick nodded in her direction.
Hermione scowled. "Please don't call me that. I stopped being golden a while ago."
"Miss Selwyn, if there is anything I can do for you, let me know." Warwick stood up.
"Yes, sir." Hermione followed him out the door.
"Always a pleasure, Miss Granger." Warwick shook her hand. "Hopefully we can do business again soon."
"See you soon, Mr. Warwick." Hermione inclined her head, before she strode out of the bank.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
A/N: Another one, I know. Please let me know what you think of this story. It's a lot more involved than The Butterfly Effect, so updates will happen less often, but reviews will let me know which one to prioritize. Now, if you got through the chapter and liked it…. check out Lady of the Lake by Colubrina's. And yes I know I'm plugging, shamelessly! :)