Hermione's mother called her into the kitchen saying that they needed to have a talk. When Hermione sat down, her mother told her the news. "Well, Hermione, my bitch of a mother finally croaked, and even dead she still hates me. It seems she decided to leave everything to you, and leave me out of her will completely. I know there is a lot of money there, so I'm sure you will have no problem giving me some."
Hermione was gobsmacked. She had known that her mother and grandmother didn't get along, but to hear her mother talk of her own mum in such a way was shocking. It was even more shocking when she told her that Grandmum left her money in her will. While she had met her Grandmum a few times, she had never really spent much time with her, due to the relationship, or lack thereof, between Grandmum and her mum. And then for her to ask her to give her money from her inheritance! The nerve! Grandmum obviously had her reasons for leaving mum out of the will, and she would have to talk to Grandmum's solicitor before she made any decisions.
"MUM!" Hermione finally snapped at her mother, "I can't believe you would talk about your own mother that way! And I will have to talk to Grandmum's solicitor before I decide anything. I have no idea what she even left me." And with that Hermione stood up and walked out of the room, only stopping in the doorway to call back to her mother. "I do have to say though, if you treated your mother with the attitude to treat me with, I'm not entirely surprised by her actions, nor do I condemn them." And with that she slammed the door and left her mother sitting angrily at the table.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It took Hermione a couple of days to get an appointment with her Grandmum's solicitor. When the day for the appointment came, she apparated to a nearby alley, and walked the short distance to the office. She was met by a secretary and led to a very opulent office, where she was greeted by a grey haired man with a warm smile, wearing an obviously very expensive suit.
"Please, Miss Granger, have a seat," the grey haired man told her, gesturing to a plush chair across from his large ornate desk. "I am Sir Gerald Michaels, I was your late Grandmother's solicitor, and now I am yours, unless you should decide to change that." He said, his smile dimming slightly at the last part.
Hermione Immediatley piped in, bowing her head slightly in deference to his title, "It is wonderful to meet you, Sir Michaels, and at this point I see no reason to look into other solicitors. Frankly, I had no idea my Grandmum was wealthy. Her and my mother did not get along well, unfortunately, and with me being at boarding school for most of the year, my mother did not allow me to leave the house much during the summer."
Sir Michaels scowled at the mention of her mother. "I do not wish to offend you, but the few times I met your mother, I was astounded that such a woman could be raised by your grandmother. It seems the opposite is true with you, however, for your manner and grace is truly like her. Did your mother see fit to give you the comportment lessons she so scoffed at, or are you naturally gifted in this?" he asked with a slight smirk gracing his features.
Hermione shook her head, frowning a little, "I have never had comportment lessons, but I have always prided myself on keeping proper manners, even, or especially when the other party does not. Growing up, I saw how my mother's attitude rebuffed most people she met, and I knew I didn't want that for myself. When I was eleven, I won an academic scholarship to a private boarding school, and I took this opportunity to try and establish new relationships there. Unfortunately, a good sized chunk of the school are from old money, and they looked down on me for not having an oversized trust fund." She chuckled at this, "I never saw it as terribly important. I view money as a tool. If someone had a chisel, they could use it to create a beautiful sculpture. The person would not be known for the fact that they had a chisel, but instead what they did with that chisel. Likewise, if another had the same chisel, but instead of using it to create, simply strutted around his village bragging of his ownership of a coveted chisel, eventually people would grow to resent the man, for he may have a valuable tool, but he is not using it in the manner he could be." Hermione sighed, "I have unfortunately seen firsthand the damage that can be done by the second man, and due to that I have vowed to myself that I would never be like him. I am unsure of what my Grandmum has left me, but I wanted you to know up front that I plan on using it to start a charitable organization, or maybe fund a scholarship like the one I was given as a child. I do not plan buy anything for myself, for I wish to earn a living, not ride on the coattails of my ancestors."
At this, Hermione looked up, and she swore she saw a tear in the older man's eye. He was wearing a huge smile, and gently shook his head. "You sound so much like your Grandmother. She would have loved to know you better. I am sure, though, that in the few times you met, she somehow saw this part of you. If you had been anything like your mother, she would have simply donated her fortune to charity."
Hermione's gaze narrowed, "Fortune? Just how much are we talking here?"
Sir Michaels' smile grew, and his eyes flashed with amusement. "I dare say you could start 10 charitable organizations, and fund a hundred scholarships, and you would still have enough for your children and grandchildren to do the same." Hermione's eyes bulged out at that, but he wasn't quite finished. "I believe the liquid assets are in the neighborhood of 1.5 Billion pounds, but there are many investments, mostly in real estate, that bring the value of the estate to almost 5 Billion. Along with the cottage in Gloucester your grandmother lived in, her private residences included a townhouse in London, a beach house in Brighton, and of course the family land and Fairchilde manor near Marlborough, though that hasn't been lived in since your grandmother was a child. She thought it much to ostentatious for her tastes."
Hermione's jaw dropped at that, and she felt faint. "Oh… Oh, my…" was all she managed to get out. Sir Michaels continued with the shocks though.
"While not a title given by the queen, the matriarch of the Fairchilde family is usually given the title of Lady, most have gone on to earn this title in the eyes of those they have helped. Your ancestor's legacy is one you can be very proud of, Lady Fairchilde" he stated, looking at her intently and emphasizing the last two words to her.
Hermione almost couldn't belive what she was hearing, but she gathered herself, and looking sharply at Sir Michaels, asked a few questions that had come to her. "While I am deeply honored that you would bestow the family name on me in that way, will I be required to take it legally as well? Will my new status become public knowledge, or can I keep my personal life separate, at least until I have learned enough to properly manage my assets, and am ready to acknowledge this honor publicly? I also wish to know if there are any other legal obligations that come with the estate. I know that certain pupils at my school who also claim titles have stipulations attached to their inheritance that include who they can marry and what, if any, jobs they may hold. I do not wish to encumber myself with any familial obligations that I may personally be morally objective to."
Sir Michaels shook his head gently. "No, Miss Granger, there is no obligations attached to the inheritance, including changing your name. If you decide not to change your name, your formal title would then be Hermione Granger, The Lady Fairchilde, rather than Lady Hermione Fairchilde. It is unusual for a female in your family to take her husband's name, as your mother did, and when it has happened in the past, the next generation usually resumed the Fairchilde name. This was usually when a Fairchilde happened to marry someone who stood to inherit from a patriarchal line, and the firstborn son would keep his father's name and legacy, while the firstborn daughter would have the Fairchilde name and legacy. Your mother on the other hand, never really took well to the family code which you seem to embody so well. Forgive me if you already know the story, Miss Granger, but if not, it may give you more insight into the relationship between your mother and grandmother. Your mother left home at 16, taking almost 100,000 pounds from your grandmother's personal accounts with her, a quite substantial sum at the time. She also took one of your grandfather's vehicles, a 1974 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. She had been rebellious before this, but your grandmother believed that she would eventually grow out of it. It was almost a year later when your mother came back to your grandmother's house, reeking of alcohol, and visibly pregnant, with you. She had run out of money, and, forgive me, Miss Granger, she came asking your grandmother to give her money to get an abortion. Your grandmother obviously did not humor her, and instead made her check into rehab, and supported her thoughout the pregnancy, and assisted her in acquiring the necessary training to become a dental hygienist. Your mother told her that in exchange for keeping you, your grandmother would have to give her money, as she did not want to waste her own funds on someone other than herself. Your grandmother tried to get her to allow you to visit her, but whenever she tried, your mother would threaten to take you to an orphanage. She claimed she didn't want your grandmother to be too attached when you, and I quote, come home in the same state I did. Your grandmother was a wonderful woman, Miss Granger, and I am awed by how much like her you are, despite not having her in your life."
By this time Hermione was sobbing, having never been told that her mother had tried to have an abortion. She knew that her mother had slept around, and she was married only in name to a man Hermione had never met, and wasn't even sure was her father. She silently thanked her now deceased Grandmum for all she had done for her, since before she was even born. Pulling herself together, she thanked Sir Michaels for telling her the story, indicating that she indeed had not heard it before. She then asked if any of the properties were livable, as she didn't think she could live with her mother anymore, knowing what she now knew, and she also didn't want to have to deal with her mother constantly begging her for money. It would only be until the end of the summer, and then she could finish her 7th year at Hogwarts, graduate, and start working on her goals, which, she considered, would be greatly aided by her inheritance.
She was informed that both her Grandmother's cottage, and the townhouse in London, were both available to be moved in. She chose the townhouse, as she reasoned it would be closer to both Diagon Alley and Kings Cross Station. She also needed to check at the ministry, whether she could inform Sir Michaels of the magical world, which would be very helpful to her, and avoid a lot of questions about where the money was going, why she would have charities with very unusual, at least to a muggle, names. She got the paperwork signed that she needed to immediately, and asked about any personal accounts, as, if she was going to be a Lady, she would need to buy some things for herself after all, simply so she would be better prepared, and not stand out among High Society. Sir Michaels indicated he understood, and informed her that Barclays would be expecting her to arrange transfer of her grandmother's personal accounts. She thanked him, and bid him a good day, and left the office, still a bit shell shocked at all she had learned today. She caught a cab to Barclay's where she transferred the accounts. She also withdrew 50,000 pounds in cash, which she would take to Gringotts, and have converted to Galleons. Feeling quite exhausted from her long day, she caught another cab to her new townhouse, thanking Merlin it was furnished, and crashed on the large bed in the master suite.
