Chapter One: Happy Birthday
Do you believe someone has a choice in being light and dark? Do you believe your ancestry matters?
There was a time in my life that these were simple questions; there was only one answer and I would not have heard another argument. That was before I turned 17. See, for muggles 17 has no real significance, but in the wizarding world, one gains their independence, for many purebloods it the time they gain their full inheritance. It is also the day one reaches their full magical capabilities, since the ministry tracker drops and allows full use of magic; it is only bound so that accidental childhood magic doesn't end in mishap. It should be the best day of a young witch or wizards life. My 17thbirthday should have been a simple day with time well spent with friends and looking forward to finishing my final year of Hogwarts. Instead the day was the beginning of the most confusing, heart wrenching and thrilling year of my life.
* One Year Ago – September 19th(morning) *
"Up, up, up! You're seventeen!" Ginny squealed as she jumped up and down on Hermione's bed.
"Nngh, Gin" the brunette said as she sleepily pulled the toppled covers back up to her chin.
"Come on Hermione! The boys are downstairs waiting for you and you've already got packages in the great hall!"
"Packages?" Hermione mumbled but sat up a little more intrigued.
"Quite a few actually." Ginny said with a tilt to her head.
"Hm." Hermione hummed, her interest piqued. "Alright then, off with you so I can get dressed."
With that Ginny hopped off of Hermione's bed and sat on Lavendar's as the older girl dressed for the day. "Not that top Hermione, it's your birthday, try to look like you're trying a little."
"Well if it's my birthday I should be able to wear whatever I like, shouldn't I?" Hermione said with a grin. Ginny gave a harrumph but smiled. "Guess you're right. Besides, I want to see what you've got!" Ginny finished as she grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her out of the girls dormitory and down the stairs to where the boys waited in the great hall.
"Happy Birthday 'Mione!" Ron said, leaning in and kissing her cheek lightly, holding up a small package in the other.
"Thank you, Ronald." She said with a grin. "Should I open it now?"
"Up to you. You've got loads more, ruddy owl tore my hand up when I was trying to take the pouch from him."
Hermione peered down, interested in the numerous tiny boxes that sat at her breakfast place. They had clearly been shrunk down so the owl could carry it, all except one that is. She stared at the package, ribbons, bows, no letter attached or anything signifying who had sent it. She waved her wand over the package, quickly identifying that the object inside had significant magic attached to it but nothing that was harmful. Carefully she unwrapped the plain brown paper from the small box, slid the top off and picked up the carefully folded letter. She let out a light gasp at the pendant that lay beneath the letter.
"Wow, Hermione. Who sent you that?" Harry said as he leaned further across the table.
An intricate silver pendant lay nestled in the box. The tree of life splayed across the pendant with small emeralds glinting as if leaves. Hermione could feel the magic rolling off of it before she'd even touched it. She felt pulled to it, completely captivated by it. Without realizing she reached forwards and smoothly ran her fingers across it. As she touched it she gave out a gasp and her friends all took a sharp intake of breath. The tables of the great hall fell silent as every witch and wizard in the room felt a force of magic wash over the room. Those at the Gryffindor table began whispering intently, pointing towards the Head Girl, and it quickly spread throughout the great hall until each and every person was staring intently at the girl.
Hermione sat entranced in the pendant, her fingers lightly stroking it, eyes closed and head tipped back just slightly. The oddity, however, was that her hair billowed back as if the wind was caressing it and she shone with a silver hue. With everyone preoccupied by the girl, no other house noticed the confused looks on many of the Slytherins faces. No one noticed the eyes of Severus Snape clearly trained on the girl, his brow creased in what could've been concentration or worry. As the man pushed back his chair and rose, the room erupted into chaos as Hermione Granger disappeared with a loud 'pop'
"Welcome"
Hermione spun on her heel and froze. With a sharp intake of breath she took three quick steps backwards from what one could questionably consider a man.
"Don't be foolish, I know you're smarter than that. If I meant you harm you'd either me screaming on the floor or dead at my feet already." Voldemort said eyeing the girl in front of him.
She straightened herself and tried to calm her breathing. "Then what is it you want?" she said with an even tone, that by no stretch represented the terror she was feeling.
"Merely to say hello. As is the nature of who I am, I could not deliver the gift to you personally." He said with a light wave of his hand to the pendant she still held.
"Gift? From you? But why?"
"Did you not read the note my dear?" he said warmly. Warmly, she thought, what was happening? Voldemort wasn't warm. She took another slight step backwards, hoping it came across as a nervous shuffle and eyed the room around her for an escape route. She looked down at the note that was firmly gripped in her other hand and opened it.
A family heirloom for you on
your seventeenth birthday. Passed
from one Gaunt to the next for generations.
"Family heirloom? That doesn't explain anything."
"Doesn't it? Think Hermione, I know how smart you are."
"But- it can't be possible."
"Ah, how naïve you are after being kept under Dumbledore's thumb your entire life my dear. Sit, let me explain." He said as two chairs popped into existence. Hermione stood board straight, staring directly at him, unsure of how to process his insinuations. She took another step back, towards the only door in the room. "Sit, Hermione. Now." He commanded. The chair jerked forward, hitting her in the back of the knees and forcing her into the chair. Her body trembled slightly; she hoped he hadn't noticed. She hoped he didn't see the terror and confusion as it wracked her body.
"You were born September 19th, 1980."
"I know that."
"But not to muggle parents. Your parents worshipped you Hermione; they wanted everything for you. You look much like your mother in her youth actually, as well as her temper, but it has become apparent throughout the years that you inherited the power of your father. A true Gaunt through and through."
"I….I don't understand. Gaunt? The last living Gaunt was your Mother and her brother had no siblings. You also had no siblings, she died giving birth to you and you can't…" She trailed off, running through every scenario in her head. It couldn't be. He was deformed, his soul torn into pieces, was her even considered human at all?
"I'm impressed that you know your family history."
"I learned everything I could about your during fifth year." She whispered, her thoughts consuming her.
"Is it clicking into place yet, Hermione? All of the feelings of never fitting in as a child, as if something were missing. The unexplainable power you came to Hogwarts with; trained so easily for one so young. The brightest witch of her age is what they call you, if I recall correctly. The pull, that thirst, for knowledge, Hermione. You want it all, just like me, your father."
"No." she whispered. "No." this time she said it a little stronger, her voice still quiet to her ears. "My parents are Daniel and Jean Granger, they're muggle, they're dentists."
"No, Hermione. Those people raised you, admittedly they seemed to do alright even with their hindrance of being muggles and for that, and your obvious attachment to them, I will permit them to remain alive. However, they are not your parents."
"I don't…I don't understand."
"I'd imagine not, I recognize this may be confusing for you but you must know. When I was temporarily hindered in 1981 –"
"You mean when you tried to murder my best friend?" she said calmly.
"Yes. As I said, when I was hindered, your mother attempted to go into hiding. She, unfortunately, was caught and you were taken from her. Rather than be given to your god parents, you were given to muggles. It is to my understanding that your powers were bound when you were taken, so as to hinder you as incapable as a muggle."
"Then how did I go to Hogwarts?"
"It seems as if the binding did not take; I would assume your accidental magic as a young child was much to strong to be controlled."
She sat there, stunned and unable to focus. It couldn't be true…could it?
"Why now?" she asked.
"You are seventeen. At 3:21 this afternoon you the tracer from the ministry will drop, as will the bind that all magical children have. As soon as that drops you will, legally, come into your inheritance."
"Inheritance?"
"Part of it took place this morning, as soon as you touched the crest." He said indicating to the pendant in her hand. "It will become public knowledge by the evening post, Hermione. You must prepare yourself for what that will mean for you."
"This is all too much! I don't believe you but…"
"But why would I lie? Why would I want a filthy mudblood to think she was my daughter? This will be hard for you to accept, but you will not have a choice once it is known.
"But you could stop it! I know you control the Prophet, you could keep it out of the press!"
"That's correct."
"Then do it."
"No, Hermione. It is time to accept your place. Besides, at best I could keep it out of the prophet but within a few days other publishers would pick up the story. Every inheritance is tracked and ministry workers talk. There will be no hiding from this."
"What do you want from me? Why even tell me?"
"Want from you? I want my daughter back. I want you to be the witch that you should have been raised to be."
"You've been back for years, why now?"
"Would you have believed me without proof?"
"I don't believe you now."
"Exactly. When you have questions this afternoon, send an owl." Without any further explanation Hermione felt her head swirl and then her feet connected to the ground beneath her."
"Ms. Granger." She heard behind her. She turned to see Professor Snape standing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, only a few feet from where she stood.
"Professor?" she murmured, before dropping down to the toppled tree beside her. She dropped her head into her hands, her head swimming.
"Are you alright, Ms. Granger?"
"Did you know?"
"Know?"
"That he was going to take me this morning?"
"Yes."
"That's why you're here then?"
"Yes."
"So it's true then?"
"Yes."
"Can't you bloody well say anything but yes?!" she screamed out at him. Her Professor stared back at her, his expression blank and unreadable. "Oh gods, I'm sorry sir. I don't know what's come over me, I shouldn't have shouted."
"It's alright Ms. Granger, you've had a – excitable morning." He replied, his face still blank.
"What am I to do?"
"Currently I'd ask that you follow me to the Headmasters office." He turned on his heel and took a few steps forward, Hermione standing and slowly following behind. He turned back, "Take this as well, should help to calm your nerves." He said as he handed her a vial of what she recognized as calmly draught. Before she could say thank you he was stalking back towards the castle, cloak billowing behind him.
Professor Snape rapped his knuckles against the large wooden door as the gargoyles slid back into place to cover the entrance behind them.
"Good morning, Severus, Ms. Granger." Headmaster Dumbledore greeted as the two stepped into his office.
"Morning Headmaster." Hermione replied and Professor Snape simply grunted a response, taking a seat in one of the wing backed chairs across from Dumbledore's desk. "Have a seat, Hermione. Oh, lemon drop?" he asked, pushing the bowl across his desk, towards her.
"No thank you, sir."
"Pity, I find them quite relaxing myself."
"Get on with it, I don't have all day to be here."
"Yes, yes. So, it's to my understanding that you spent the last hour having a discussion with your father, correct?" Dumbledore said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. This man has lost his mind, Hermione thought, he's completely nutters. Great Hermione, you're thinking like Ronald – am I also nutters then?She shook her head and straightened up in the chair.
"If what he said if true."
"It is, Ms. Granger. Only about a week after he was defeated, I placed you into the care of your muggle parents."
"Why did you take me?"
"I hoped you could live a normal and fulfilling life as a muggle. Minerva found a muggle couple who had been unable to conceive for years and we hoped it would work out. Unfortunately the binding I placed on you did not fully take and, here we are."
"This is quite a lot to take in, Headmaster."
"Of course, of course my dear. Alas, we are here and you will have to learn to navigate this confusion quite quickly."
"What am I going to do?"
"It's quite simple my dear - Do you believe someone has a choice in being light and dark? Do you believe your ancestry matters?"
Authors Note: First chapter up! I've got the first few chapters completed; I'm just going through and editing them now. I'd imagine this fic will be somewhere around 40k words when I'm done. At this point I'm unsure whom I plan to pair Hermione with long-term but it will be either Draco or Severus. Let me know what you think!