Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

The Letter

Everyone gathered in the great hall for breakfast on the last day school. Excited chattering filled the air and Hermione plopped herself enthusiastically between her best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

"Look! Mail's here!" Hermione looked skyward towards a swarm of owls circling downwards, expecting the usual scrawny owl which delivered the Daily Prophet.

However, a large, staunch owl landed hastily, knocking over a glass of juice. Ruffling its feathers impatiently while a curious Hermione untied the letter from its foot, it took off immediately.

To Hermione, our beloved daughter,

By the time you've read this letter, it is most likely we have left this world to settle peacefully in heaven.

We have been keeping a secret from you, which we regret not to tell you about while we were alive. You were adopted by us when you were a baby from an orphanage in London. When you were ten, your birth parents paid us a visit at home while you were in school and told us about the actual past of your life. All the term breaks you came back home crying about being called a "mudblood" really tempted us to tell you about the real truth, but we were held back because of a promise made to your real parents.

You have been descended from the oldest line of wizarding families, the Thorburns. We were told to raise you till the age of seventeen, before you return to your real family, due to reasons which will be told by your birth parents personally. However, we have passed on and you are obliged to return to your family earlier to live with them.

Ps. you're still our favourite baby girl.

Love,

Your loving parents

Jane and Henry Granger

A tear slid down Hermione's face as she folded the letter carefully and placed it into her pocket. Harry and Ron, who had been reading the letter behind her shoulders, fell into awkward silence. Harry patted her back slowly, carefully thinking over what he should say.

"Don't worry everything's going to turn out fine, we're still here for you"

"Stay with us at the burrow this holidays, mom will be more than pleased," Offered Ron.

Hermione didn't speak a word the whole day, up till the train ride the next day. Harry and Ron became increasingly worried but decided among themselves that Hermione was best left alone. She spent the whole train ride looking out of the window, eating a packet of Bertie Bott's every flavoured beans.

Finally, when they reached platform 9 ¾ , a tall, brown haired handsome boy who looked about 20 approached Hermione, smiling. Ron and Harry eyed the boy suspiciously, while he hugged Hermione briefly.

"I'm your brother, Malcolm Thorburn. I'm here to take you home." He said kindly.

Hermione turned to Harry and Ron, hugging each of them tightly (Harry turning rather red) and whispering something about owling them, before shyly taking Malcolm's extended arm, allowing him to apparate her away.

"Wow." Breathed Hermione.

Malcolm chuckled at his sister and led her into the living room ("Grand hall!" he corrected her) where two adults sat. The lady had the same brown hair as Hermione, cascading in soft curls. The man had the same deep set brown eyes as Malcolm, and the similar sharp features Hermione had as well. They both smiled warmly at her, making her blush slightly and smile back shyly.

"Sit down, my dear child. I am Boris Thorburn, your father, and this is Trina, your mother."

Hermione felt herself walking mechanically to the couch and sitting down comfortably on the patent leather. The lady took her hand, tears brimming from her eyes. "My daughter… My precious baby girl…"

The man stared at them with sad eyes, still keeping a smile on his face. Catching Hermione's eyes, he said, "We are sorry." Pausing to let his wife calm down from sobbing, he continued "When you were born, my father, also your grandfather, who was a faithful follower of the Dark Lord was at his peak. He was harming everyone around him and implicating his relatives in all the evil he did. And when you were born, he was furious that you were not a baby boy. Frightened that he would hurt you, we sent you away, making a vow to reclaim you into the family when you were of age."

"We're really sorry about Jane and Henry, they were good people. We're not expecting you to accept everything and take us intimately, but we still love you."

Upon hearing about her foster parents, Hermione choked back a sob. Trina hugged her daughter sympathetically and rubbed her back.

"Thanks mom, thanks dad."

Malcolm, who had been watching the two bawling ladies for the past 15 minutes, got rather impatient. He gently grabbed his sister's arm and chided his mother to allow him to show her around. Finally, they let go of each other and Hermione was cheerily walking along her brother, chatting.

"Do you work?"

"At the ministry, yes."

"That's where I want to apply after getting my NEWTS results!"

"Are you kidding me? It's boring as hell! It would be nice for a change though; there isn't a pretty witch in sight there." Malcolm replied playfully.

"Actually, don't. I wouldn't want my sister being fawned by thousands of perverts." He added thoughtfully after eyeing his beautiful sister.

Hermione laughed heartily at her brother and stopped in her tracks as she saw a certain blonde approaching her.

"Malfoy."

A/N: This is my first fic. Please review! Tell me what's good/bad about this first chapter. More interesting things to come. I promise!