Ch.2-
"Wow." Hermione was trying to let all of her mother's information sink in.
"Yes, so you see, I was a Zambini, that boy Blaise's mum is my sister, and so that makes him my nephew, and your cousin."
Hermione shut her eyes and her mind was reeling.
"Yes, I see, but-"
"I also, as I told you, married Lucius Malfoy. Which makes you, Lucius Malfoy's daughter, and Draco, your brother."
"Your Malfoy's- I mean, Draco's mum? He's my brother?"
"Yes, but the most shocking part is still to come."
"Oh Mum, please don't tell me its anything too terrible."
"Well, you tell me. Ok where to begin."
Her mother shut her eyes once again but not a tear fell, instead a broad smile graced her lips.
"We were married for two years before He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named took power again, I had both you and Draco."
Hermione smiled, but stopped her mom, "Um, Mum, Draco and me are in the same year, does that mean were, were- tw-twins!"
"Actually yes Hermione, Draco is your twin."
Hermione's mouth was hanging open so far her mum thought it might come right off its hinges.
"Anyways, when the, You-Know-Who came to power, he immediately targeted us as a family."
"You were powerful weren't you?"
"Oh yes, extremely, a Zambini and a Malfoy, not only that, but neither families had chosen sides yet, so if he targeted us, it would be like a bonus."
She paused and took a sighing breath, and her eyes got teary.
"I loved Lucius, Hermione, really I did."
She shook her head again and looked up at the ceiling, willing the tears to stop forming in her eyes.
"I fled."
"You what?"
"I fled Hermione, I left him, and I took you with me, and left Draco with his father. It wasn't that I didn't love him, but I just couldn't bear to leave him completely alone, and I couldn't completely be alone either."
"But how- Lucius is powerful, he would have gotten you back."
"Yes, yes I know, but I actually staged my own death… an- and yours."
"WHAT!"
Hermione's eyes were as big as snitches.
"Mum, please tell me your joking, that is utterly mad."
"You don't understand Hermione, it was dark times, very dark times, and I knew that our family would be completely broken if I did not flee, even though I broke it when I left."
"But this is still confusing, ok so you had me and Draco, but left Lucius with me after faking our deaths, and that landed you where?"
"Actually, the Leaky Cauldron. I disguised us both to look like homeless beggars, sorry dear, and stayed there considering I had a large amount of money on me."
"The Leaky Cauldron?"
"I met your father, I mean, Mr. John Granger there and we became very close friends. So close that I told him my situation."
"But, you fell in love?"
"Actually no, I love John with all my heart, but not romantically, he agreed to live the life I needed because we had the strongest bond of friendship ever."
"So, you never betrayed Lucius?"
"Never," She smiled and laid back onto a pillow with Hermione as they both gazed up at the ceiling, "And when my fortune was running lower, I transferred it to Muggle Money and bought a house and a car and taught myself to live like a Muggle, no magic at all."
"Wow, you did all that?"
"Yup, as you know, Wizarding money is more than twice the currency, so when I got it changed, I had a very large fortune compared to the average muggle."
"Oh yes, I see."
Hermione was having a revelation, life was making no sense whatsoever, but somehow, it was the most sense she had ever understood in her whole life.
"Anyways, it was all ok until you received your letter."
"My Hogwarts letter?"
"Yes Hermione, when you got your letter, I knew that we would have to tap back into the pool of Wizards and Witches, but I knew I could not."
"So, you pretended to be a muggle, and I got ridiculed at school for being a muggle-born, when in fact I'm a pureblood?"
"I'm so sorry Hermione, I wish it was different, but now you know, and I have decided to change it all."
"What how?"
"Well, I'm going to contact Lucius."
