Granger, Zabini, or Malfoy?
By: Keshia Kay Mansell
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Chapter 1: The Great Zabini Tragedy
Hermione awoke with a smile on her face. Today was her seventeenth birthday. A day that signified her coming of age in the Wizarding World. This excited her to no end because now she would be able to take her apparation test. This also meant that she would have greater privileges upon returning for her final year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
With these thoughts fresh in her mind, Hermione quickly showered, dressed, and combed her unruly hair. After her morning ritual was complete, she excitedly bounded down the stairs and headed into the kitchen. Upon entering, she gave the room a curious glance. Normally the Grangers would be sitting at the kitchen table with breakfast served, smiles on their faces, and a present waiting for her on the table.
But this year it was different. Instead of breakfast laying at her seat, a cup of hot tea and a biscuit awaited her. There was no present occupying the table and in it's place was a very old and tattered newspaper that looked oddly similar to the Daily Prophet. But most confusing of all was the expressions on her parents faces that mirrored both fright and a sense of loss. Katherine, her mother, was anxiously fidgeting with the corner of her apron while looking back and forth between her husband and daughter. Richard, on the other hand, was avoiding eye contact with either woman at all costs.
"Mom, Dad, what's going on?" Hermione asked cautiously, her previous happiness fading like the wind.
"N-nothing, sweet heart." Katherine stuttered, "Everything is f-fine."
"There's no use lying to the girl, Kitty. She's smart enough to know when things are amiss." Richard stated tiredly as he finally looked upon Hermione. "She needs to know the truth."
Hermione sat down at the table, still very confused and frightened at the discussion the two were partaking in. What were they hiding from her that could be so terrible? Before she could question their motives, Richard nodded down at the newspaper.
"Read this article first and then we'll explain. Everything you need to know is in that article." he said. Taking his advice, Hermione began to read the crinkled print.
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Tragedy At The Zabini House
This morning the Zabini's woke to find their one year old daughter, Annika Marie Zabini, kidnapped from the room she and her twin brother, Blaise Antonio Zabini, shared at the Zabini Manor in Italy. Aurors believe the girl was taken sometime between midnight and one. They also seem to be very interested in questioning the child's Uncle Richard Carroll Zabini, who had gotten in a fight with the girl's parents that previous night.
Annika has a tanned skin tone with black wavy hair. Her most defined features are her amazingly blue eyes, which tend to be very common among the Zabini line. On the night of her disappearance, Annika was wearing a light pink night dress with matching booties.
If you have any information regarding this case, please notify Aurors immediately. Craig and Aurora Zabini would be grateful to all who can help.
Thank you.
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Hermione's head was spinning by the time she finished the article. Above the title, she looked sadly at the little baby girl who was gurgling in the picture. Hermione doubted that they had ever found her. She had known Blaise Zabini since she was eleven. Never once had she known that he had been suffering this whole time. She knew that it must feel horrible to loose a loved one like that.
But then Hermione began to think logically. How did muggles gat a hold of a Daily Prophet that was as old as she? And more importantly, what the hell did the Zabini's have to do with her?
"I don't understand…" Hermione said after a few moments of deep thought.
"I thought you might not, but allow use to explain." Richard sighed, "We are not really Muggles and you were never truly a Mudblood."
Upon hearing such words, Hermione immediately became livid. She bolted from her chair, knocking it backwards, then aimed her wand at the two adults in front of her. "Who the hell are you and what have you done with my parents!?" Hermione asked in a murderous tone. In her mind, these two could possibly be Death Eaters who were sent to obtain her.
"H-honey, you don't understand!" Katherine cried, "Please just listen!"
"Make it quick." Hermione ordered, lowering her guard for a millisecond. Big mistake.
"Expelliamus!" Richard shouted unexpectedly. He caught Hermione's wand with ease. "Hermione we never wanted to hurt you, but you must know the truth."
Hermione eyed his wand with uneasiness as she righted her chair and reseated herself at the table. "W-what is it that you have to tell me?" Hermione asked in a meek voice.
"Quite a bit actually." Richard answered. "Hermione, your entire life here has been a lie. The Grangers never truly existed, you see. I made them up."
"Who are you." Hermione asked again, this time with less authority.
"Why don't you tell me, Hermione." Richard smirked as he pointed to a name on the old Dailey Prophet. Hermione gasped when she saw whose name he had pointed to. "Yes, I am indeed Richard Zabini, always second to my dear sweet brother. But not this time, of course."
"W-wait a second! Does that mean I'm… I'm the little girl in that picture!?" Hermione questioned in horror.
"Hermione, please don't be angry." Katherine Zabini cooed. She tried to comfort the girl with a hug, but Hermione batted her away.
"Don't touch me!" She hissed. "How could you!? You kidnapped me from my one true family and you expect me to welcome this bit of news with opened arms? I don't think so!"
"You will not speak to her in such away. You do want an explanation, am I correct?" Hermione shook her head 'yes'. "Good. Then I will start from the beginning. I am the youngest of two children. My older brother Craig, your father, was always treated with more respect then I ever could because as the eldest child he was the heir to the Zabini fortune. Luck always seemed to be on his side. While I was a failing business man in Diagon Alley, he was a respected politician at the Ministry.
"Then he got lucky with a pureblood witch he met while on a campaign tour, Aurora Zephyr, your mother. They hit it off right away and soon were married. I too got married soon after. My marriage with Katherine, however was rocky and we later found out that she could not have children. I was so jealous when Craig announced that Aurora was not only pregnant with one child, but two. I was so angry! Why should he always have what I could not?
"Then, a year after you and your brother were born he did the unthinkable, he banished my wife and I from the family saying that we were a disgrace to the Zabini linage. That night I decided to get him back. I would hurt him as much as he had hurt me! So the next night I persuaded an old house elf to let me in the house and I kidnapped his pride and joy. We then took you to Muggle London and changed your name and appearance with a simple glamour charm. Then we raised you as our own."
"Did you ever truly love me?" Hermione asked with tears in her amber eyes.
"With all our hearts." Katherine answered lovingly.
"Why have you told me these things?" Hermione asked. "Surely you know that if the Aurors were to find out, you would both go to Azkaban. They might even give you the Dementor's kiss!"
"We know , honey." Katherine answered. "We couldn't bare to lie to you anymore. Today you are of age, free to do as you please. We only want what's best for you."
"Besides, you wouldn't really turn in the people who loved and raised you for the past sixteen years, right?" Richard asked suspiciously. When Hermione shook her head 'no', the mood lightened considerably. Richard allowed Hermione to have her wand back and he conjured up her presents with his wand.
On the outside, Hermione looked as if she hadn't just been told that she was the long-lost daughter of the Zabini family. But on the inside, she was planning a way to exploit this kidnapping to the whole Wizarding World. She would not stand by and watch these people get away with their rotten scheme. They would pay dearly for allowing her to unconsciously live a lie.
For years she had been teased and tormented about her blood. People had looked down on her more then capable magic abilities feeling that she was unworthy of such talents. All of her pain and suffering was because of their petty mistakes and acts of revenge.
Numerous questions engulfed her thoughts. What would her friends say about her new heritage? Would the purebloods suddenly accept her upon finding out who she was? Would they all treat her differently because of her new blood status? She wasn't sure, but she did know that she would alert the Ministry and she would get to the bottom of this.
That night, instead of preparing for bed as she usually would have, Hermione sat at her bedside desk and wrote three letters explaining the day's events. One was addressed to Kingsley Shackbolt, Head of the Auror Department. Another was addressed to Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The final letter was addressed to the Burrow, where all of her close friends stayed.
Because Hermione had no owl, she whispered an enchantment that sent her letters soaring like bright, red commits in the sky. After she had done this she sat on her bed and allowed Crookshanks to curl up on her lap. All she had to do now was wait.
That night, no one in the Granger-Zabini household slept.
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A/N: At the moment I seem to be having a brain freeze on what I want to do with SG 2, so I decided to try a few different story ideas while I think about what to do. I know that there have been quite a few stories written that are similar to this, but I have yet to see someone write about a kidnapping so here it is! I got the name Annika from a friend of mine who named her daughter after Anakin Skywalker. Aurora's name is from the Disney classic, Sleeping Beauty.