This is the first chapter of a story I started to write when I had a writers block on 'to live a life'. I'm posting this to see if there is a good story in it. if readers will appreciate it.

So let me know if it's worth continuing.

1. Coming home

She stepped of the Hogwarts express with a sad face. Her two best friends next to her were both silent. The last few days had been misery, between the excitement of the tri-wizard final task, Cedric's death and the return of Lord Voldemort they all were tired and drained. The added concern of Cornelius Fudge being difficult made the three wanted hide under thick covers and sleep away everything.

"I'll write you as soon as possible." Hermione promised Harry as she gave him a goodbye hug.

"I'm going to need that to stay sane." Harry muttered.

"Don't do anything stupid, please." She begged her best friend.

"I won't, or at least I'll try to behave." Harry smiled at her.

"Ronald, please write me back at least once to let me know when I can come to visit you all." Hermione said to her ginger friend.

"Of course we will Hermione." Molly Weasley answered for her son.

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley. I really have to hurry, my parents are waiting." Hermione said as she hugged the woman that had become her second mother. "See you all soon." With that Hermione left the platform in search for her parents.

She found them just outside the magical barrier waiting among a lot of other muggle parents. Hermione rushed towards her parents and pulled them in a hug.

"Hello, darling. How was school?" Her father said as he let go of his only child.

"So exciting, so much happened this year, I don't even know where to start." Hermione said.

"Well, you have about an hour in the car to tell us quite a lot of details." Her mother laughed. That was exactly what Hermione did. Though she did edited out the scary parts, like Harry getting almost killed by a dragon, being put under an eerie spell for a foreign student to save her and most of all she left out the return of Lord Voldemort. The last wasn't completely voluntary. She honestly had to deal with it by herself first, she had to analyze it, over analyze it and break it down in understandable pieces before she would even try to explain it all to her parents.

Due to her story telling she didn't notice her parents were unusually silent. Even during dinner later that day Hermione was still too preoccupied with her own life that she didn't notice her parents distress.

When her mother served tea in the living room Hermione finally noticed something was off. The tears on her mother's face were now visible and shocked her to her core.

"Mom? What is wrong?" Hermione asked. Her question drew her father's attention away from the evening news.

"Oh, sweetheart, I know you are upset but we have to do this some day." Dan Granger said as he pulled his wife in his arms. Hermione watched her parents closely. If it weren't for the fact that they both were really upset it would have been a really sweet moment. Something Hermione was proud of was that her family was still lovingly together. Between job pressure and a witch for a daughter Hermione was afraid that her parents would follow the path of so many of their friends but they were still together and deeply in love.

Still to see her parents so distressed and in tears were shocking to Hermione.

"Mom? Dad? What is going on?"

Dan looked at her, Hermione could see pain and fear in his eyes and it started to really scare her. Over the last couple of years at Hogwarts she had dealt with too much of that, at home she just wanted peace and laughter and even maybe a good fictional book.

Once her mother calmed down a bit she sat down next to Hermione and took her hand.

"Mom?"

Her mother continued to look at her but didn't say anything.

"Hermione?" Her father started as he sat in the opposite chair. "You know we love you more than anything, right?"

His words scared her a bit. In movies or books those words were always followed by something bad. Still she nodded.

"We have to tell you something…" her father sighed. He took a sip of tea before he continued, "Something we vowed to tell you the moment he returned."

"He?" she asked confused

Her father picked up a piece of parchment that she hadn't noticed before. It had the Hogwarts logo on it.

"Lord Voldemort." He father said as he found the name he was looking for, causing Hermione to yelp and shudder. "Sorry." Her father muttered.

"No matter, please what is it you have to tell me?"

"Almost fifteen years ago we promised Dumbledore to tell you everything the moment he, the guy you yelped about, would return."

"Tell me everything? You have been communicating with Dumbledore when I was a baby? You knew a wizard, the greatest wizard before I received my Hogwarts letter? You have…" Hermione broke off when her father looked pleadingly at her.

"Please let me finish before I can't anymore." Her father begged. Hermione stayed quiet and looked at her father. He took a breath and launched into his story.

"Hermione, as much as we love you, you are not our biological daughter."

At that point Hermione wasn't even surprised, she had expected something bad like that.

"You were brought to us when you were just a few weeks old. Your biological mother was a witch."

"Was?" Hermione asked. Her father nodded at her.

"Yes, she died three weeks after giving birth to you. She and her… your family were killed by that guy who has returned."

Hermione gasped, Voldemort attacked her real mother! Her whole family! Almost a year before he had killed Harry's parents and vanished.

"You were brought to us by Professor McGonagall." Her father continued. "She had a letter from the headmaster explaining things to us and a three week old baby in her arm. Your mother and I wanted a child for so long but it never was meant to happen. So when the professor showed up with you on our doorstep we readily agreed to take you in and raise you as our own."

"We don't know why they came here, we had never had any contact with the wizarding world before." Her mother sobbed. "But we were so happy when we got to raise you that we never questioned it."

"What about a father?" Hermione whispered.

"The letter we got told us that nobody knew who your father was, the person in question didn't even knew he fathered a child."

"So nobody knows if he is still alive? If he is a wizard or muggle, nothing?"

"No, we don't know but maybe your headmaster knows. He promised that as soon as we told you he would visit and explain a bit more to you." Her father said.

The idea of Dumbledore visiting to explain it all made it only much more surreal. She just couldn't imagine what he would have to say. Did he know her mother? Did he know who her father was? Did he have secrets that needed to be revealed? Questions kept running through her head and she couldn't stop them, she wasn't even able to focus on her parents.

"What are you thinking, darling?" Her mother asked. It was only after three times the words reached Hermione.

"Everything and nothing all at once." Hermione breathed.

"Are you upset with us?" her mother asked in quivering voice.

"Upset? Why would I be upset with you?" Hermione asked. If her mind hadn't been so full of questions she probably would have known the answer before asking but everything was weird now, even her parent's questions.

"Well, because we have never told you before. Or because we had never told you, you weren't a real muggle-born witch. We had a hard time with that, especially when we heard about you being bullied about that. We wrote to Professor Dumbledore about it but he advised to stay with the agreed plan. He said that you were tough enough to deal with it."

"So, you really aren't upset?" Her mom asked again.

"No, no, just confused." Hermione said as she shook her head in confusion.

At that her mother broke down in tear and loud sobs.

"Oh, I was so afraid that you would hate us because of it." She cried.

Hermione wrapped her arms around her mother and held her while she cried. It pained her to see her mother in such a distress. Her father was looking at them, sadness emanated from his eyes.

"How did you found out he-who-must-not-be-named is back?" Hermione asked her father.

"We got a letter from professor McGonagall last night."

"Do you still have the letter Dumbledore wrote?" Hermione asked after her mother calmed down a bit.

"Yes." Her father answered.

"Can I read it?"

Her parents looked at each other and her father shrugged.

"Yes, you'll find out everything soon anyway. We had expected professor Dumbledore to be here already."

"I don't know. There were issues. Things that are more important." Hermione said thoughtfully.

They sat in silence for a long time all three Grangers lost in thought. Or at least the two older Grangers, Hermione was completely lost, she just didn't knew what to think. When the clock above the fireplace told them it was already eleven in the evening Hermione got up.

"I've to go to bed, I'm so tired." She said as she yawned.

Her mother looked up at her in surprise.

"Are you sure? I mean are you okay with it enough that you can sleep?"

"Yes, I'm just going to try and push it away so I can get some sleep, or at least I'm hoping it will work."

"Are you really sure?" her father asked.

"Yes, dad. There is nothing we can do now to chance anything anyway. I rather sleep while waiting for professor Dumbledore to arrive. Just wake me when he gets here."

Hermione knew she was kidding herself. She couldn't sleep. Tossing and turning around in her bed her head just came up with one question after the other. Who was my mother? I always thought I looked like my father but he isn't even my real father. Who is my real father? Why doesn't anyone know who my father is? Why wasn't he with my biological mother? What happened between them? What happened with my biological mother? And what happened to any other family members she might have had? Who was she?

Questions that just kept repeating in her head making it quite impossible to sleep at all. There was also something else that kept bugging her. The fact that Dumbledore was involved. It almost seemed like she was sucked into Harry's life story. Not because she would ever consider her part to be as important as his but because she knew it had been Dumbledore who had brought Harry to live with his aunt and uncle. He too was left at a stranger's house.

Harry's parents had died in the first war with Voldemort. Had both her biological parent suffered the same faith?

Why had she survived? She asked herself as she glared at the clock on her nightstand. It was four in the morning and sleep still seemed elusive. Her survival had been the issue in her mind for the last hour or so. Hermione knew from all the research she had done that Voldemort didn't spare anyone. The fact that the beloved Cedric Diggory was dead showed how little Voldemort really cared for the magical blood. So if her biological mother was killed just a few weeks after giving birth, why was she still alive? Had her mother hidden her? What happened?

Frustrated by the lack of sleep Hermione decided to get up and take a long shower. Although she didn't expect him any time soon, she just hoped that Dumbledore would visit as he had promised her parents and had some answers for her. She really hoped that by the time it was late enough for bed again that she at least had some answers.

When she got downstairs her father and mother were already eating breakfast.

"Oh, darling, you look like you haven't slept at all." Her father said as he pulled her in a hug.

"I haven't, too many questions running through my head. It just wouldn't stop long enough to fall asleep."

Her father nodded understandingly. Now that she looked at him properly she noticed that he still looked tired as well. A quick glance towards her mother told her that they hadn't slept as well. Silently she prayed that Dumbledore would hurry up and keep his promise.

"Here is the letter. I found it in my drawer this morning." Her father said as he handed her an envelope with the Hogwarts seal.

Hermione swallowed the large lump in the throat away as she opened the official looking parchment.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Granger.

I am Albus Dumbledore, the head of Hogwarts, school for witchcraft and wizardry and the head of the Order of the Phoenix, a group of people fighting against those who seek to destroy our world.

I write this letter with an odd request. Accompanied by this letter you'll find a little girl. Lord Voldemort murdered her mother and family. He is the person we seek to stop. As it is unknown who her father is, this little girl is all alone and in need of a loving safe home. If word got out in the wizarding world that her mother had a child Lord Voldemort would hunt her down and murder her as well.

To explain why I ask you this. Word has reached me that you have the wish to adopt a child and I hope that you will find it in your heart to adopt this little girl. When she turns eleven she will be asked to reclaim her spot in the magical world and I hope you will allow her too. Her family name is an important and well honored name in our world and it would be shame to have it waste away forever.

Professor Minerva McGonagall shall answer any questions you have.

I hope to meet you in person when the time calls for it.

Yours sincerely

Albus Dumbledore.

"Is this all?" Hermione asked.

Her father nodded, "We of course had a lot of questions, not to mention that we had never heard of Hogwarts and the idea of magic was completely ridiculous to us but professor McGonagall stayed for two hours, explaining everything. The next year we received a letter from Professor Dumbledore that, that guy, who murdered your biological mother had vanished but that it was still dangerous. He told us that it was important that we would tell you the truth whenever he returned. He hoped that at that time you would be old enough to understand and recognize the dangers."

Hermione looked at her father for a long time. She tried to imagine McGonagall sitting with her parents explaining the magical world to them. Thinking back she realized that when her Hogwarts letter came her parents accepted it very easily. Too easily. They didn't doubt the truth of it for a second. She remembered McGonagall visiting them to explain everything but she had explained it to Hermione. Now she remembered that McGonagall never looked at her parents when she explained what is was like living in the magical world.

She glanced at the letter again. She realized that last night she had been right about one thing. Her biological mother had died at the hand of Voldemort in the first war, just like Harry's mother. The letter just didn't explain why and how.

Another question that popped up into her mind, what was the Order of the Phoenix?

Hermione's reverie was being cut short by a knock on the door. She noticed her mother and father looking at each other before her mother got up. Hermione and her father followed Ellen Granger as she walked toward the hallway and the front door.

"Good morning, Mrs. Granger." Hermione heard a very familiar voice. She jumped up as she realized Professor Dumbledore had arrived much sooner as she expected.

"Good morning, I take it you are Professor Dumbledore."

"I am indeed."

"Please come in and join us for a cup of tea."

"Gladly, but I like to talk to Hermione in private first. If that is alright with you, of course."

"I understand."

Hermione noticed how resigned her mother sounded. She got up from her chair to welcome the headmaster and as the door opened she stood eye to eye with a very tired looking professor Dumbledore.

"Ah, Ms. Granger. It's good to see you."

"Good morning professor Dumbledore." Hermione said with a smile.

"You two can have the living room all to yourselves. We'll be outside if you need anything." Her mother said after Dumbledore had the change to shake hands with her father. An awkward silence fell across the kitchen.

"Shall we?" Dumbledore said as he turned toward the living room. Hermione nodded and followed him. Once they were seated Dumbledore turned towards Hermione with a friendly smile.

"I take it you know why I am here?"

"My parents told me." Hermione answered.

"Good, I expect you to have many questions but I hope you will keep them to yourself as I tell you a bit more."

Hermione nodded, "I'll try, sir."

Dumbledore chuckled and conjured up two glasses of pumpkin juice.

"I don't know how much you have read about it but during the first war when Lord Voldemort terrorized the wizarding world there were very few who dared to fight against him. Naturally, I was one of them and because he had corrupted the ministry I decided to get a group together to go underground and fight him. The Order of the Phoenix we called ourselves. Many of the greatest witches and wizards of that time joined me. Some of them fresh out of school. They wanting nothing more than to free our would so they could raise their kids in a peaceful world and I was happy to have them."

"The first war was fought with great sacrifices and I fear this second time around won't be any different. After a few years the Order was joined by a very close group of friends who just got out of school. Lily Evans, Marlene McKinnon, Alice soon-to-be-Longbottom, Frank Longbottom, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and James Potter. The marauders you know about. The rest had been really close friends with them since their fifth year. They worked and dueled as one. Everybody knew each other's moves like they had thought of it themselves. Together they were unbeatable. Your mother was the first of that group to pay the highest sacrifice." Dumbledore stopped talking for a second. Hermione wondered if he was about to cry because she swore she could see tears in his piercing blue eyes.

"Marlene McKinnon was your mother, Hermione." His voice was almost a whispered. "The night she was murdered she had taking her parents out for dinner as a thanks for their support during the pregnancy. She had just dropped you off at her aunt for the evening, when she returned home Death Eaters was already waiting for her. We found out five hours later. They were all dead."

"Why?" Hermione whispered through the tears that had started to flow.

"Marlene was one of our greatest assets to our team. She was so powerful and had so much knowledge of hexes and curses. She wasn't dark but she knew about as much about dark curses as Porfessor Snape does. She had studied them extensively. She wanted to know what she was fighting. Two months before you were born she and Lily were shopping for furniture when Death Eaters attacked them. With Lily being a muggle-born and Marlene being from a well-known blood-traitor family they had a reason for the attack. Between Lily and Marlene they hospitalized two Death Eaters and killed one. It was a severe blow to Lord Voldemort but one recognized Marlene and got away."

"And my father?"

"I don't know." Dumbledore sighed.

"You must have some ideas, sir."

"Oh, I have ideas. I had ideas from the moment she told me she was pregnant but I never asked. I thought she must have had good reason to keep the identity a secret. Once I asked if he knew, she said that he didn't knew and that she didn't want anyone to know."

"Why?"

"I asked that her as well. Hermione, you have to believe me when I say that Marlene was really happy to be pregnant and she really loved you, never doubt that. Her reason was very simple. She knew her life and her job were dangerous, that the world was so dangerous. She had seen so many families murdered, little children. Death Eaters don't differentiate. She just wanted you to stay hidden from the world until it was safe to show off a baby."

"Who knew?" Hermione whispered.

"Only a handful. Minerva McGonagall, she is Marlene's aunt so also your family. Lily knew because she and Marlene were more like sisters than friends, her parents and myself."

"How could she hide it? I mean when you are pregnant you get big."
"She placed very strong Glamour spells on herself. Even until the last month we weren't able to tell. It was when she was at the end of her seventh month when I suggested she took a while off and enjoyed her pregnancy. I told the Order that she was on a research mission for us, only Lily and Minerva knew the truth."

Hermione brushed away the tears on her face.

"Do you think she has ever told anyone who my father was?"

"I think there was only one who knew. The one she trusted most." Dumbledore said softly.

"Lily Evans." Hermione sighed. "Harry's mom. So there is no one is left who should know."

Dumbledore nodded.

"Hermione, you are a very clever witch. You know how to do your research. You should be able to find it out."

Hermione looked at him, she was shocked. If she could figure it out surely Dumbledore would have done that a long time ago. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, Hermione could almost see the humor behind them, was he testing her? Than suddenly a thought popped up.

"Professor, if I would do the research and if I were to find a man that could be my father is there any way to prove he really is my biological father?"

"Yes, there is a useful little spell. You need to bring him to me and I'll do it. Not because I am curious to see if I'm right but because the spell is as complicated as a fidelius charm. Must there come a time when I'm unable to do it ask Professor McGonagall."

Hermione nodded. She was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed as slowly all the information started to sink in.

"Hermione, are you alright with everything? You starting to get a bit pale." Dumbledore suddenly asked with a sound of a concerned parent.

"Yes, I'm alright. It is just so much information. I still can't wrap my head around the idea that my parents aren't really my parents."

"Your parents raised you as if you were their child. They love you deeply. That automatically makes them your parents. I know for a fact that Marlene loved you as well. She would have raised you with a great devotion, therefore is she your parent as well. You just have more than one pair of parents."

"Minus a dad." Hermione muttered.

"If your biological father is who I think he is… though I have more options than one and anyone of them would love to know they had a daughter and they will love you deeply as well."

They sat in silence for a while, a part of Hermione was irritated that Dumbledore just didn't tell her who he thought her father was, an other part of her couldn't wait for the challenge. Then there was a voice that still asked questions, always asking about her biological mother.

"Professor, can I asked you something about her?"

Dumbledore glanced at the clock quickly and Hermione started to feel let down but he turned towards her with a smile.

"I still have half an hour before I meet with Cornelius and I doubt that conversation will be as enjoyable as this one, so what do you want to know?"

"Actually, about Marlene's life, can you tell me a bit more about her?"

"I don't know much to be honest. I think Remus Lupin knows more about how she really was and maybe Sirius is willing to tell you about her as well. They were her friends through out school. What I can tell you is that you are a lot like her. You have the same facial structure and hair color, though yours is a bit more… unruly. You have same drive for finding answers. Marlene could study for hours. Also how you present yourself is much the same. Your posture and way of behaving is so alike. I remember Minerva talking to me the evening after your first day. She thought she had seen a ghost. You inherited Marlene's skills in research and in showing what a real friendship is. That's why the both of you were sorted in Gryffindor. Both you and your mother would be great in Ravenclaw but the ability to fight for your friends without hesitation and self preserve is what got the both of you in Gryffindor. Your connection with Harry and Mr. Weasley is very much like the connection Marlene shared with Lily."

Hermione watched the headmaster smile. He looked like he was very fond of his memories.

"Professor, you said professor McGonagall was my mother's aunt?"

"Ah, yes, yes. She is. Minerva is the only known blood relative to you at the moment. She was so excited when you came to Hogwarts. She loved Marlene very much and the two times she got to babysit you were her little moments of heaven."

"Why didn't she raise me?"

"It was too dangerous for you. You have to understand the McKinnon family were a long line of pure bloods. An old family, rich and they had great influence in the wizarding world. But their attitude towards the whole pure-blood thing was as such as that of the Weasley's. Still their influence caused Voldemort great trouble. He murdered them when it became too great. He set out the kill all blood relatives. With you being the sole heir to the McKinnon heirloom makes you a target as well. If word had reached him of Marlene's aunt taking care of a baby he would know how it was. Like with Harry, it was important for your own safety that we hid you away from the wizarding world."

Hermione thought his words over carefully, he made sense in some way but to truly understand it she would have to do some research into her family. She was sure she could ask the prophet for some information but maybe that was too risky.

"Hermione, I know you want to find many answers and I encourage you to do so. I would love nothing more than for you to find your biological father and maybe build up a relationship with him. I suggest you start with writing Minerva and maybe ask for a copy of the McKinnon family history from our library, I didn't have time to get it for you myself. Also I advise you to talk to Sirius and Remus about Marlene but be careful they both loved her very much and were hurt so much by her death. It could be that Remus might be able to talk about her but I don't know about Sirius. Just be careful."

Hermione sighed.

"I don't think I'll see any of them anytime soon and I don't have an owl to send to them."

"Oh yes, that was what I wanted to ask you as well." Professor Dumbledore chuckled. "With everything that is going on I have been working hard the last 12 hours to reinstate the Order of the Phoenix. Although you are way too young to be an active part of that I rather hoped you would agree to stay in the Order's headquarters for this summer. In a few weeks time the Weasley's will stay there as well and I'm sure later this summer Harry will join you there as well."

"Like a member?" Hermione asked excited.

"A sleeping member." Dumbledore chuckled. "You have to remember that you aren't off age yet, I can't let you join actively. Molly would surely kill me but Minerva will keep you more updated than Molly will. Minerva is still your official magical guardian."

Hermione nodded and smiled at her headmaster.

"I would love to help out."

"Good, I have somebody from the Order pick you up at the end of the week."

He and Hermione shook hands and Hermione let him out the door.

"Oh, Hermione, I think it's wise to keep much of this knowledge to yourself but I do understand if you want to share this with your friends, just be careful about what you share."

"I will, Professor."