NOTICE:
As of 10 / 25 / 18, I have adjusted Hermione's age to 21 during the main events of this story. I will be editing current chapters to reflect this information. If there are still areas stating the improper age, please let me know.
Author's Note:
This is an AU centering around pureblood!Hermione. This prologue shows how she is integrated into Muggle Society. The time line in this story is five years ahead, meaning the characters we all know and love are five years old when Voldemort is defeated the first time, and past that all runs normally, meaning that the events of the books all run when they're 11–17 years old.
"Something isn't right, Severus . . . ."
"I should say. You've betrothed your four-year-old daughter to Malfoy's child."
"You know what I mean. As for the engagement, it's pure-blood tradition. You know my father would be livid if I didn't."
"Don't start, Acrisius. You were the best Defense Against the Dark Arts student Hogwarts has seen in ages, you can't tell me your father scares you."
"Many things scare me, little cousin. I fear for my daughter. Should anything happen to Regina—"
"I know, I know, you wouldn't know what to do. As though I've not heard that line before."
"I am serious, Severus! I have already lost her mother, I can't lose her too."
"Relax Acrisius, Regina will be fine. Besides, I hear rumors about a boy destined to defeat the Dark Lord."
"Then he better do it quickly."
"Patience, he still has to grow up."
"He doesn't have time to grow up. This world needs a savior—my daughter needs one—now.
"Acrisius . . . if you want to save your daughter, then do it."
One Year Later
"Where are we going, Daddy?"
Acrisius was silent as he stole through the deserted streets of the Muggle world, his little girl clutched desperately in his arms.
"Daddy?"
He could hear the fright seeping into her tone. If her fear grew too much, she would cry and that was attention he could not afford to have drawn to them. With gentle, soothing strokes, he gently slid his fingers through her dark tresses.
"It's okay, Regina, Daddy's here," he murmured. A sigh of relief pushed past his lips as they came upon their destination.
In that little Muggle neighborhood, just outside the only house still lit, a couple stood. They watched the pair of wizarding folk approach cautiously.
"Acrisius, what's going on?" the woman asked.
"You haven't been clear with us from the beginning," the man said, his tone accusatory.
"I know and I apologize. I can't explain right now, I simply need you to trust me. Please, this is the safest place for my daughter. I will do anything," he begged.
The couple looked upon him in pity, yet also in friendship. There was no need for begging.
"Daddy!" Regina sobbed as she suddenly buried her face against his robes. "Don't leave me, Daddy!" She may have been young, but she could pick up on anxiety in the air and between the words spoken.
Acrisius' heart tore as he listened to the cries wracking his daughter's small form. He knew what this must seem horribly unfair to her, but he wanted nothing more than her safety. Now that the Dark Lord had it out for the young Prince heir, Regina would never be safe with him.
Holding his daughter close against his chest, he reluctantly knelt down and set her in the last traces of snow from the quickly fading winter. He had to pry her from his robes so that he might pull her away just far enough to look into her eyes. All the while, he wondered how love could hurt so much.
"Regina, princess . . . Daddy has to go away for a while. These kind people are going to look after you while I'm gone."
"But I want you to look after me."
"I know sweetheart, but I can't. It isn't safe."
"But I love you, daddy!"
"I know, and I love you too. That is why I have to leave."
Regina's tiny face scrunched in an expression that was a mix of pain and confusion as she gazed into her father's eyes. How could he claim to love her and then leave her with total strangers? That didn't make sense of any sort to her.
Acrisius reached up to gently tangle his fingers in his little girls' unruly hair, twin tears sliding down his cheeks.
You have to do this. For Regina.
As Acrisius stood, he looked to the Muggle couple standing before him. Though Regina reached for him, they restrained her. With a knot in his stomach and a lump in his throat, he drew his wand from his robes and pointed it to his daughter.
"Daddy?"
Acrisius wavered, staring into his daughter's terrified gaze. And then . . . .
"Restituo."
Regina shielded her face from the light emanating from her father's wand, but it made no difference. As her memories slipped from the grasps of her mind, the world around her went black and she fell into the numb trance of unconsciousness.
Acrisius slowly lowered his wand and shut his eyes tight. His daughter, his little princess wouldn't know him anymore, not for a long time, if ever at all.
"Will she be alright?" the woman—who now held Regina's unconscious form in her arms—asked.
"A little disoriented perhaps, but no damage has been done," Acrisius assured her as he gently stroked Regina's hair from her face. "She will need a new name. Nobody can ever know that she is Regina Prince. I will place a glamour charm on her to mask her appearance until her twenty first birthday."
Acrisius stared at Regina's face for several moments, memorizing every detail of the porcelain doll in her new mother's arms.
"Take care of her," he murmured, pressing his lips to her forehead in one final kiss before he whispered the incantation for the glamour charm.
He did not dare look at her after the spell took effect. He wanted to remember his daughter for who she was, not who she was turning into.
Without another word to the couple taking in his child, he disappeared into the night.
The couple watched as Acrisius vanished, leaving his precious daughter with them. They exchanged a glance, then looked down to Regina as they walked towards their home.
"Acrisius said she needed a new name," the man pointed out as his gaze lifted to his wife.
"That he did," she agreed. "And her name will be Hermione."
"Hmm . . . Hermione Granger. Fitting."
Two Days Later
"Are you certain?"
"Are you accusing me of deceit, Lucius? This is my cousin we're talking about."
There was an undeniable tension in the air between the two men over the topic discussed. Severus Snape stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his fingers drumming against his elbows impatiently.
Lucius Malfoy on the other hand was thinking, calculating. "Alright. Acrisius is dead. What of Regina?"
"She is nowhere to be found. I can only assume she has been killed as well," Severus answered as he watched the older Death Eater before him.
In the other room, Narcissa could hear the conversation they tried to keep from her and her son. While she could not say she would miss the noise that was brought about when the Prince heiress visited, she had to admit to herself she was disappointed that her son had just lost his best friend and his betrothed in one fell swoop. Not that he even understood what the word betrothed meant, yet.
"Mother, when is Gina coming over?" little Draco asked as he gazed up at his mother.
"She's not coming, dear. Regina is gone," Narcissa said softly as she stroked Draco's short, platinum locks.
"When is she coming back?"
"She . . . she isn't. She's gone . . . away, somewhere."
"Oh . . . ." He didn't understand his mother's tone. So Regina was on a trip? Weren't journey's supposed to be fun? "I hope she's happy."
"I'm sure she is Draco, I'm sure she is."
Author's Note:
Yep, Hermione is the last remaining member of the Prince Family Legacy, Severus—who will come in during a later chapter as he is still alive in this AU—not included of course.
"Restituo" is the Latin word for replace. It is the incantation I will be using across my HP Fics for the False Memory Charm.
And last but not least, many thanks to my wonderful Beta Reader, Freya Ishtar! She's helped me out very much with this Prologue and with my other stories. Go check out her stories because she is an amazing author!
