Chapter 1
A/N: Hey it's been a while since I posted something on here, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things and this story has been in the back of my mind for a while now. Hopefully it will awaken the rest of my muses and I'll be able to continue the rest of my stories. As usual I own nothing but the OCs the rest belongs to J.K. Rowling. Anyway, read, review, and enjoy.
Summary: To the victor go the spoils; however the victor also has the rights to tell the story and shine whatever light they want on their enemies. But, what if the conquerors weren't all that they seemed? What if those who were defeated weren't who they had been portrayed to be? What would happen if the truth was stumbled upon by a studious bookworm? Bellamione! AndromedaxOC! Prejudice!Light. Shadesofgrey!Dark.
It was a chilly Saturday morning, Hermione woke to the scent of bacon and coffee. She was glad to have her own room this winter break, although she did feel a tad guilty for not spending it with Harry, Ron, and the rest of the Weasly's at the burrow. Her current hostess was a surprise to everyone, herself included, she hadn't imagined herself spending time here. Andromeda Tonks nee Black was the very opposite of her sisters: kind, gentle, caring, and genuine. The bookworm imagined that she must be lonely in the cottage, she was widowed during the first war and now here they were on the verge of a second. It was part of the reason why Hermione had taken the middle Black sister up on her offer, she remembered how lonely her start at Hogwarts had been, and for some reason almost everyone in The Order was content to let her be the odd man out so to speak. As Hermione brushed her teeth her mind drifted to the second reason she had readily accepted the offer for alternative housing, Ron. He had been acting strangely towards her, she pretended not to notice the sidelong glances and blatant stares he sent her way but it was beginning to be too much. She recalled how she had a fleeting crush on him in their third year, but she was quickly dissuaded of that notion as she watched him continually make an ass of himself for the remainder of that year and into their fourth.
She made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen, it was smaller than the one at the burrow, but it was also much cleaner. Andromeda sat at the table drinking a steaming cup of coffee while the thumbed through The Prophet. "Good morning Andromeda." she said as she made her way to the counter to grab a plate. The older woman looked up from the paper and smiled. "Good morning Hermione, how did you sleep?" Hermione down at the seat next to the older brunette, "Really well, don't get me wrong, I love Ginny, but god does she snore like a train." The women shared a chuckle and chatted as Hermione ate. Andromeda flicked her wand when her guest had finished and the dishes floated to the sink and began washing themselves. "Doing dishes was my least favorite chore as a child, I wish I had known that spell before Hogwarts." Hermione said lightheartedly. "Speaking of Hogwarts, I received an owl from Minerva, there is something she needs my assistance with. Would you like to go?" Hermione thought about it for a few moments before shaking her head, "I think I'll stay here, I saw several books in your study that seemed quite interesting, if you don't mind that is." Andromeda chuckled and replied, "Of course, I guess you probably read all of the books in the school's library. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, hopefully in time to make us both dinner." Hermione blushed at the tease and said goodbye before the older witch flooed to McGonagall's office.
Halfway through Followers and Warriors, a thick tome on battle tactics and formations that had both succeeded and failed when she started to become restless. She tried to ignore it but only made it through three more pages before sighing, marking her place and putting the book down. She silently blamed Harry for her inability to sit still in a new environment without thoroughly exploring. She started on the first floor and slowly made her way up. She hadn't really found anything of interest aside from several knives hidden on the first and second floors. Hermione was both relieved and disappointed of the results, rolling her eyes she started to walk back down the hallway to the stairs, but froze mid-step. She tilted her head back and squinted her eyes, something wasn't quite right about the ceiling. It took several minutes of staring but she finally noticed the small differences between the wood panels. They were almost identical, save for the slight discoloration that could be passed off as the wood aging, however the brains of the Golden Trio doubted that was the case. She slid her wand out from her sleeve and easily cast a wingardium leviosa, the discolored panels floated upwards and confirmed her suspicions: it was a door to an attic.
After transfiguring a chair in the study into a ladder, Hermione made her way into the attic muttering lumos as she pulled herself up. It was larger than she had anticipated, but it was also cluttered. As she walked she read some of the labels of various boxes, most of which were full of Nymphadora's old clothes from varying stages of her childhood. Finding nothing particularly sinister, she turned around and headed back. A few feet from the hole in the floor, her foot snagged on something, she stumbled for a few steps but was able to right herself before she fell. She looked back to see what had been the cause of her near accident, a black chest was now sitting in the middle of the path. There didn't seem to be anything too special about it, 'Aren't the best places to keep secrets, the least suspecting?' As she reached out to grab it she heard her name being called, 'Damn, I'll just have to take you with me.' She quickly shrunk the box and placed it in her pocket. Making sure to leave no indication that she had been in or even discovered the attic, Hermione quietly walked into the guest room and laid down on the bed. It was not but a few moments later that Andromeda walked in and shook her lightly on the shoulder. Pretending to rub the sleep from her eyes Hermione slowly sat up, "Oh, you're back." She silently hoped that her voice was scratchy enough to pass as having just woken. "Yes, but I've only just returned. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind keeping me company while I made dinner." The older woman didn't seem the least bit suspicious, and Hermione felt a little guilty for her deception. Hermione smiled and nodded, as she followed Andromeda down the hall her thoughts drifted to the item in her pocket. 'I'll find out what's in the chest tonight. The sooner I get it done, the better.'
Bellatrix woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath as she sat up. It took her a moment to recognize her surroundings, she was no longer in Azkaban but at Malfoy Manor. Relief coursed through her veins, but even that recollection did little to quiet the whispers at the back of her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears, but that only seemed to make them louder. Throwing off the covers and grabbing her wand she snuck through the Manor until she found the set of doors she was looking for. She got passed the wards after a few minutes of work, and quietly slipped into the room. Light snoring greeted her ears as she got closer to the bed, a messy head of blue hair was in a sea of plush green blankets was the source of the sound. She was about three feet from the bed when the snoring stopped, the occupant in the bed sat up with a snarl, and wand ready. Bellatrix took a step back and waited. Recognition dawned on the once hostile face and the wand was lowered. "Come on, I'd like to get back to sleep." they stated while pulling back the covers. Bellatrix rolled her eyes and climbed into bed. "Oh and Bella, if I wake up to your hand up my shirt again, I'm cutting it off." The crazed witch chuckled a bit, grateful that the whispers had abated, if only for a little while.
The chest had several simple wards on it, but nothing too advanced, making the brunette more suspicious. It was a good rouse for anyone looking for something glaringly obvious. Over the years she had discovered that the best place to hide something was in plain sight. Inside the chest there were dozens of news paper clippings, a leather bound journal, a beautiful ring, and a picture. It was the picture that Hermione studied first, Andromeda was much younger-maybe around her age- and happier than she had ever seen her, but she wasn't the only on in the photograph. The young Slytherin was sitting on an ornate chair, smiling genuinely into the camera, there was an arm wrapped around her shoulders as another woman settled on the arm of the chair smiling just as happily. They stayed that way for several seconds before the woman on the arm of the chair leaned down and whispered something to the younger Andromeda, who in turn blushed and looked away from the camera. Hermione watched the scene replay several more times before her need for sleep became too hard to ignore. She placed all the items back in the chest, shrunk it, and placed it under her pillow. She didn't know who the other woman in the picture was, but she was determined to find out.