Why, hello! Welcome to my first story! Well, not necessarily my first. I had another account on this site, but I was dumb enough to make another account with the same email address. Too much of a long story to get into.. Anyways, this story begins in the summer of 1995, just before our favorite characters begins their Fifth Year, so yes, this story will more or less follow the plot line of the fifth book/movie. Fear not, though, because I have several twists and turns to show you.

Without further ado, I present to you, Unexpectedly. I hope that you enjoy the first chapter. Cheers!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except - !

August, 1995

It was the beginning of August and summer was still in the air. The warmth of the sun's afternoon rays reached every nook and cranny of the Granger household as Hermione was busy cleaning the guest room. She had just finished dusting and changing the bed sheets and was in the middle of straightening a picture frame when her father called out to her.

"Hermione, sweety!"

"Yes, dad?"

"Altaira will be here any minute!"

Her cousin, Altaira, was moving from the States to stay with them. Hermione was excited to be reunited with her dear cousin, but she couldn't help feel terrible that they would meet under such circumstances.

This past July, her Uncle Michael and Aunt Sandra Lane had met a terrible fate in the city of Chicago. There had been many heatwaves with temperatures as high as 106, and they were one of the many who have died against the heat. It pained Hermione that her parents and herself were unable to be with Altaira due to their lack of funds for all three of them to go, however, they were able to send one ticket to her cousin for her to fly over the Atlantic to live with them. They were her only family she had left.

It was nearing five o'clock when the sound of the doorbell rang throughout the house, and Hermione ran for the stairs to meet her cousin.

Before she could reach the bottom of the staircase, she saw that her mother and father were already at the door, greeting their niece and hugging one another.

"Altaira! Oh, it's so nice to see you, dear!"

"It's nice to see you, too, Aunty Jean. You, too, Uncle Robert. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate this."

"Oh, nonsense! We're family!" Her dad noticed Hermione half way down the staircase and waved her over. "Get over here, slowpoke, and greet your cousin."

Hermione smiled at her dad before rushing down the final steps and reaching her cousin. "It's so nice to see you, Altaira," Hermione exclaimed as the two girls hugged. "It's been so long since I've last seen you." And it was fairly obvious. Both girls have been gaining their womanly physique as they continued to grow.

Altaira laughed. "It's only been five years."

"We were only ten when you moved to the States."

"Well I'm back now, cousin dear."

The last part of her sentence ran through her head as Hermione knew fully well why she was here, and she couldn't help but feel grief wash over her. Altaira noticed this and only gave her a smile, though her eyes held sadness in them.

"It's okay. It really is." Hermione only looked at her, unsure of what to say in case she might hurt her feelings.

At this, Altaira closed her eyes and sighed, feeling Hermione's grief and sadness envelope her, but letting it feed to her strength. When she opened her eyes, she placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder and said, "They filled my life with love and happiness. I couldn't want anything more than that. They were real parents to me."

Right. Because Altaira was adopted. She was only three when she was taken to an orphanage. Her mother had died giving birth, and her father... Well, no one was sure how he died, but their deaths had left Altaira all alone.

It wasn't until a couple of months later in late July, a couple, who were unable to conceive a child of their own, came upon the orphanage. They saw a little girl with black hair and grey eyes and adopted her. A week later, Altaira turned four, feeling joy and sadness that someone up there had given her parents but had to lose her own.

The years came and went, and little Altaira was always given the love and care a small child needs. It was during these childhood years that Altaira met Hermione, and the two became the best of friends. The many pictures that their parents had taken of them was proof of their friendship, however, distance was going to test that friendship when work had transferred Altaira's parents to the States. It was the year 1990 when this occurred, but despite the distance, the two families had always visited one another during the summers, allowing their friendship to stay strong, until this past summer when a tragic event occurred. It was one of the hottest summers in the States, and as a result, Altaira was left alone again.

It was sad knowing that Altaira had already been left behind twice, and Hermione couldn't help but also miss her loving relatives. On some days, Hermione would even fear that something may befall upon her parents especially with events taking place in the wizarding world.

Hermione pulled Altaira into another hug, this one lasting a while longer.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Altaira nodded. "I'm sorry, too." And Hermione, as well as her parents who were still present, understood because Altaira's lost parents were also their lost loved ones. Despite the fact that Altaira was not related to them by blood, they still recognize her as family, and as a family, they would get through the grief together.

After a few more moments of silence, the sound of sniffling broke it. "Ah, well, dearies," Jean started, wiping away the few traces of tears that escaped. "I think it's best that we move out of the doorway. Dinner will be ready soon."

They all nodded as they began to move away from the front door, closing it behind them once all of Altaira's luggage was inside. Hermione's mother moved to go to the kitchen after giving Altaira another hug and a peck on her cheek, welcoming her home, her father doing the same as he headed towards the den.

"So shall I show you to your room?" Hermione asked, looking at her cousin, this time with a smile as she grabbed one of two of her cousin's bags.

Altaira returned the smile and made a hand gesture. "Lead the way."

Hermione led her cousin up the stairs and turned right. There were two doors set adjacent to one another, one of the doors already opened. Altaira followed Hermione through the open door to the left, the room Hermione had just been cleaning.

Hermione had set her cousin's luggage at the foot of the bed, taking one last sweep around the room to see if she might have left anything out of place. "I hope the room is to your liking." Hermione said, more so to herself.

Altaira laughed, smiling as she took a look around her cozy, new room. The walls were a light shade of brown with a window with cream colored curtains taking up the majority of the wall before her. On the wall to the right of the window was a queen sized bed, covered with navy blue bed sheets as well as a simple, brown bedside table between the window and the bed. Opposite the bed was a dresser and a desk made of birch wood. Below the bed, there was a cream colored rug, soft to the touch, and on the wall opposite the window, were three picture frames, all of which were scenery.

"It's lovely," Altaira sighed, plopping herself down onto the bed. "I like it." Hermione smiled, joining her onto the bed.

As Hermione settled, Altaira took another look around the room before asking, "So how was school? Meet any guys?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow at the sudden question. Her fourth year was filled with all sorts of chaos - schoolwork, the Triwizard Tournament, Viktor Krum, Voldemort returning, Cedric Diggory - it was simply chaotic.

"It was quite hectic," Hermione said, although 'hectic' was a bit of an understatement. "There were so many things going on at once, and guys, well, I guess you could say I was a bit involved with someone, but it surely wouldn't last." She had finished the last of her sentence in a rush, which Altaira noticed and laughed. She had been in contact with Viktor Krum during the summer, sending each other letters, letting the other one know how things were going. He had asked once before if she would be able to visit him in Bulgaria, but she had politely declined. Viktor was sweet, but he lived further in the north. Long distance wasn't nearly her thing, but she would still have him as her friend.

Altaira then made gushing noises, reminding Hermione all too much of her noisy roommates, which only made her laugh. "Was it that one boy you had gone to the-"

"Girls, it's time for dinner!"

At this, Hermione jumped off the bed, and Altaira knew that she was trying to avoid her interrogation. "Hermione!" Altaira exclaimed as she followed her out the door and down the stairs. "I didn't even finish questioning you!"

"You barely even started," Hermione laughed, heading towards the dinner table.

"We'll talk later?" And Hermione knew that she had meant about everything, and she knew that Altaira will be doing the same. They had a lot of catching up to do.

Hermione smiled. "Of course."