Walking down the stairs, she wondered why her father had decided to wake her up so early in the morning, especially since it was the first day of summer break, as well as her birthday. As soon as she entered the living room, she knew that something wasn't right. Her parents both stood up as soon as she walked in, and motioned for her to sit down.

"Mum, Dad, what's going on?" she asked as she started to make her way to the mantle. She didn't really want to be standing too close to her parents, not with the weird tension in the room. After a few moments of thick, irritating silence, her mother began to speak, "Hermione, we have something to tell you. We … aren't … your real parents. We adopted you when you were two years old." Her father said to her slowly.

"But... how? Why? Why did I need adopting? And why are you telling me this now?" Hermione demanded to know. She was completely confused, and her "parents" weren't helping any. "Wait, who even are my parents?"

"Your biological mother's name is Narcissia Malfoy, and your biological father is Lucius Malfoy."

'This can't be happening! On my sweet 16, I'm finding out that I'm Malfoy's sister! This is not right! No, No! This can't be happening!' Hermione thought as she tried to get her brain to focus.

"What? Why did you adopt me?" Hermione finally asked after a few minutes had passed.

"Hermione, dear... please sit down." Mrs. Granger began, "You know all about your friend Harry and what transpired between himself and that Dark Lord, and I'm aware that you know that Mr. Malfoy received the Dark Mark during that first war... but I don't think that you are aware of the danger that was still very abundant in the first four years following His fall."

Hermione listened to the woman that she had called "Mother" for the past fourteen years of her life and was almost to the point of tears when a green burst caught the corner of her eye, and jumped away from the fireplace just in time to see Professor Dumbledore step out.

"I'm sorry Hermione, didn't mean to startle you. Ah yes, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, pleased to finally meet you." Dumbledore said all of this in one breath while he cleaned himself off, gave Hermione a hug, and then briskly walked to where the Grangers stood and shook hands with them.

"Hermione, what all have they told you so far?" Dumbledore asked her as he sat down and took a cup of tea that Mrs. Granger was offering to him.

"They had just started to explain to me all of the commotion that was still going on around the time I was three." Hermione replied and finally moved to sit down.

"Ah yes. At that time, Severus came out of hiding to find me and ask for my shelter and protection. As you know, I gave him that second chance. About a month after, Igor Karkaroff was arrested and was put on trial. And during that trial he gave to the ministry—

"Barty Crouch, Jr." Hermione finished for him. Things were starting to make sense. But she still didn't know why things were so dangerous that her family wasn't able to keep her. The Grangers had just given her a rough outline of what was going on, most of which she knew.

"Precisely. You also know how everyone in the Order stopped believing that there was one trace of Sirius' innocence by this time as well. Now, also around this time, the Malfoy name was being cleared of all charges."

"Sir, how many charges was Mr. Malfoy faced with?"

"Twenty murder charges, ten break-ins, and three torture charges. And then the penalties for even being "in league" with Voldemort, and for using the curses. Hermione, I want you to understand that your father, Lucius, is a good man... but was also a man with very few choices. It's nine thirty at this precise moment, so Lucius and Narcissia should be telling Draco about now. Go ahead and eat breakfast and get dressed. I think that the Minister, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and the Malfoys will be here in two hours. Will that be enough time to take a shower and start getting a night bag together?" Dumbledore explained to Hermione.

Hermione just simply nodded her head to his questions and decided to just go ahead and take a bath. She needed to relax. She hadn't even gotten a Happy Birthday yet.

"Young Master Malfoy, your father ordered me to wake you. Young Master Malfoy." The house elf hesitantly tried to shake the young 16 year old from sleep, when Narcissia walked in to wake her son herself. After ordering the house elf to move, she walked to the end of the bed, grabbed ahold of the bottom of the comforter and pulled. Every Malfoy isn't a morning person, and they become even crankier when they are in one way or another rudely woken up.

"What the bloody hell! I told you last night Aurora, I want to sleep in on my birthday, Damnit. Wait until..." the boy began to yell but stopped short when he saw the elf in question was across the room, and his mother was the one holding his blankets in her pale, skinny and long elegant fingers.

"When you're done yelling at your mother, get dressed, and come to your father's study." Narcissia ordered in her sweet, and gentle, but firm voice as she threw her son's covers back on him and walked out with Aurora.

"What does he want?" Draco voiced aloud. He was 16 for crying out loud. After getting up, gathering clean clothes, and taking a quick ten minute shower, Draco headed for his Father's study. Lucius Malfoy's study was on the fifth floor, located in the third corridor, in the west wing. Draco wasn't used to being ordered to seek out the study; he was used to his parents yelling at him to get out and get away from them.

Upon arriving at his father's study, he straightened his posture, and rapped on the door. "Come on in Draco." Swallowing, Draco inched into the room and moved to his father's desk. He was taken aback that his father wasn't in robes and was even more surprised when he noticed his Godfather standing by the mantle in muggle attire.

"Draco, we have something to tell you." Narcissia began as she closed the door behind him.

"What about?" Draco decided that he didn't like how the conversation was sounding, and if his father had been in his normal black velvet and green silk robes then he would've been at a little more at ease.

"Draco, you are not our only child. You are a twin. The oldest, to be precise, and I would scold you on your behavior towards your sister if it hadn't been to our advantage. Draco, who would you least expect to be related to you?" Lucius asked as he peered at his son over his steepled fingers.

"Hermione Granger." Draco choked out.