Hermione lay on the makeshift bed, the sun shining in through the now sparkling glass of the window, she had her arm draped over her face to protect her eyes, her heart was beating faster as she thought about what was yet to come. In reality, or so it seemed to her in the present moment it was not the daunting looming task of finding and destroying the hoxruxes with Harry and Ron, it was telling Harry a secret that had lain heavy on her chest since a tearstained night with her parents back in the summer of her first year.
As she lay her mind drifted to her twelve-year-old self, shaking slightly already changed into her robes and resisting the urge to Crain her neck out of the window or down the corridor to look for her friends. Instead she sat as still as a statue staring at the floor. She had made up her mind to tell him but the idea scared her.
What if he thought she was lying?
What if she thought he was crazy?
What if he hated her?
What if…?
She jolted upright as the train started to move abruptly towards her second year at Hogwarts. They would be here any second. She thought to herself as the smiling faces and waving handkerchiefs waved them out of the station.
They would have been held up. She thought as the skyscrapers turned to houses and the houses turned to fields.
They must be here soon. She reasoned with herself as the minuets lengthened to hours and the trolley which rattled down the corridor.
She had let her mind drift to a night earlier in the summer where her two sullen face parents had sat her down their hands clasped together to hide the tremors from their unsuspecting daughter. They explained that after they got married her mother had contracted cancer. At that she had burst into tears thinking that it was back that a monster she knew plagued so many had returned to haunt her and her family and she was helpless to stop it. Once her parents had calmed her out of her hysteria they explained it was ovarian cancer. Her father explained slowly that they did an operation to remove her ovaries.
It dawned on Hermione slowly. Her mother must have seen this in her eyes as she continued.
"There was a family we were friends with" she started a small smile on her face "they got married fresh out of school and they had just found out they were expecting" she stopped looking at her husband.
Her father continued "Darling you have to understand what i'm about to tell you"
Her mother cut in "they were the potters."
The words hung in the room and her parents resumed to tell her the story and what Dumbledore had told them all those years ago, the story went that they thought Lilly and James didn't have enough money to look after two babies so gave one up on the 19th September the next year when they were ten months old, the female baby was Hermione and the male baby was Harry. Two years later Dumbledore had sat her family down and explained everything. How Lilly and James had died, how Harry was living with his aunt and uncle. He then proceeded to put protection charms around the house as a precautionary measure.
She had decided that night that Harry deserved to know that she was his sister, that he would always have a family in her, but as the train ride came to an end she had doubts.
Hagrid had pulled her aside as she stepped off of the train informing her with a hug Dumbledore needed to see her, so off she went.
Proffeser Trawlaney was there as well once she arrived, and Dumbledore told her why it was vital she did not tell Harry, he explained the prophecy he explained how the bond between blood is the most powerful of magic and how it could be used as a weppon against Harry.
She had nodded and agreeded and joined the feast.
But as time wore on and attempt after attempt on Harry's life was made his words sunk in.
She had lied that night in the air to Harry and Ron about the book's on Horcruxes, the truth was Dumbledore had requested to see her.
The memory was still vivid in her mind.
"Sit Miss Granger" he had gestured to a chair a smile on his face as he gazed up at her through his spectacles. "Would you like a sherbet lemon?"
"No im fine sir" she declined with a shake of her head. "May I ask why you called me here"
"Ah.. Well you see Miss Granger, the time has come upon us where as I once predicted many moons ago you are either going to be our greatest asset or our greatest downfall in the war against Voldermort"
A look of hurt must have crossed his face because he back-tracked "through no fault of your own Miss Granger" he added with a smile.
"Harry" he continued "was always most like his father, in looks and personality, a sharp sense of humor, and undying bravery and loyalty" he turned around to look at her "but you my girl" he said slowly "are like your mother, intelligent beyond her years, kind and thoughtful loving but mostly the passion you share, weather it is for a cause, or a loved one."
Hermione fidgeted, in her head 'Lilly and James' were always Harry's parents not her own the first time it had sunk in was at the end of a defense against the dark arts class in third year, when professor lupin as she then knew him had asked her to stay behind to talk about a paper she had written.
"so Miss.." he stammered slightly and she filled in for him.
"Granger sir, Hermione Granger"
At that he had done a double take a small smile on his face. It was only later when she discovered Lupin was an old family friend that she realized why. After that sometimes when they were alone in the burrow or with Serious he would talk kindly about Lilly and how they were so alike. But those days were over and she had concealed those memories in the back of her brain.
Ginny opened the door and she was snapped out of her day dream.