As Hermione exited platform 9 and 3/4 she was hugged by a warm hug if it had not been for the softness she would have believed that this was Mrs Weasley, but no it was her mother.

"I missed your hugs," Hermione whispered the last time they had seen each other her parents were angry, so she hadn't been hugged by her mother for a long time.

"I missed you to Hermione, now come along your father is out by the car," Joan Granger said rushing to keep on her specific timetable as always. Her curly hair flying wildly as she pulled her daughter out of the station almost running to get to the car.

"Can you slow down a bit mum I am going to break an ankle," Hermione said not wanting her mother to know that this quick running was bringing up dark memories that she had learnt to live with

"Today is a tight schedule darling so no, I have a cousin who has been such a dear during this transition home coming to visit any way stop complaining your father is just there," Joan said pulling her daughter in the direction of Dennis Granger

"Buttercup!" Dennis yelled opening his arms wide for a hug

"Dad!" Hermione for once other than to save her life or not miss a class ran straight into her dad's arms

"We missed you to buttercup, so proud of you for finishing school up," grinned Dennis granger his pearlescent teeth gleaming in the sunny day "So where are your bags? let me put them in the back of the car."

"It's okay there all in my purse," Hermione said laughing at her Dad's amazement, his fascination of magic was only rivalled to that of Arthur Weasley fascination of magic.

"Come on you two let's get home," Joan said trying her hardest to not smile at her husband's giddiness from having Hermione home.

The Granger family had always been a very busy household, so it was no shock when her mother had begun quickly pottering about to get the house ready for visitors and her father had gotten on the phone with the dental surgery to organise the schedule for the next day. Hermione had decided to go upstairs to unpack her things and wash the train off of her. All her hopes of resting for the rest of the day with a book had been dashed from the moment her mother said family was coming over. She of course should have realised her mother had always invited some people over on days when Hermione came home, whether it be the next-door neighbours, some distant family from France or even her parents co-workers. No matter what they were always people Hermione had never met, except for this time.

Ding Dong

"Dennis! Darling, can you get the door," called out Joan from the kitchen to her husband who had been calmly sitting with his daughter as they watched the news.

"Yes, dear." Dennis replied wandering over to the door " Ah welcome! It's good to see you again, Oh and this must be the brilliant son! I've heard a lot about you from your parents. Do come in please, Joan is just in the kitchen," Dennis chatted away Hermione had always been amazed by the way that he could talk to people. It was a ramble that she only experienced personally when she knew a fact that would help her friends or when she was talking about books.

"Such a lovely house," crowed a woman's voice as she entered the room her husband grunting alongside her

"Buttercup! Let me introduce you to your mother's cousin, her husband and their son!" Dennis gestured to her the to the three peculiar looking people in the room. She felt as though she recognised them but was unsure of where from, the boy seemed to be having a very similar experience looking at her with confusion of what she was unsure perhaps that was just how his normal expression.

"This is my darling daughter Hermione, I know the hair is all her mothers. This is Petunia, Vernon and Dudley Dursley.

To say Hermione was anything but shocked would be a lie. Well not completely, Angry was another feeling that was bubbling away like a well brewed potion. But she couldn't show that her parents had only just forgiven her and without the knowledge that she had about these people and their treatment of harry her parents may take the side of the Dursleys rather than her own. That did However not mean that she couldn't hint at things.

"It's very nice to meet you Hermione" smiled Petunia, Vernon nodding along with her" this is our son Dudders he is around your age,"

"Nice to meet you all to, you know I have only every heard the name Dudley once and that was from my dear friend Harvey he grew up in foster and that was his foster brothers name I thought it a unique name then but clearly not as usual as I had believed," Hermione smiled

"I didn't know you had a friend called Harvey," questioned Dennis "He's not a boyfriend, is he?"

"No dad just a friend from school," Hermione said hoping to be able to leave so that she could process this

"Petunia it's so good to see you would you mind helping me in the kitchen," Joan greeted pulling petunia right alongside her before she even got a reply. Hermione turned to her father to excuse herself with some made up thing only to find him in a very in-depth conversation on politics with Vernon. Leaving her with Dudley she flopped on to the couch hoping to ignore the once torment of her best friend's life.

"You were talking about Harry Potter before, weren't you?" Dudley questioned sitting next to her

"Yes,"

"Can I ask you a question?"

You bloody well just did

"Is he alive, I tried asking the people who were looking after us during the war but they wouldn't say,"

"That's probably because you don't have the right to know,"

"Look I just want to know if he's alive,"

"He's alive," Hermione growled walking away to her room unable to be among these people she couldn't lose it in front of them

Her focus was instantly broken by the abrupt opening of her door her mother standing there looking none too pleased.

"Hermione Jean Granger get down stairs now we have polite company over,"

"No," she weakly replied trying to stop herself from exploding

"Hermione are you okay,"

"Yes."

"Then come downstairs,"

"No, I am not okay with them,"

"Hermione Granger they are family my only blood family left now they may not be the nicest of people, but they are my family so that makes them yours,"

"Did petunia ever have siblings?"

"Yes, a sister named Lily, we would all play as little girls until she went away to a boarding school at eleven. I asked after her last time they visited said something about a car accident that her and her husband died in and that they got stuck with her kid who was a delinquent I mean what does this have to do with anything,"

"Mum seriously listen to yourself, Lily went to boarding school at 11 I wonder who else we know who did that oh that's right me!"

"No, it wasn't a magic school." Joan said incredulously

"Yes, it was mum Lily Evans got married to James potter had a beautiful baby boy names Harry James Potter who ended up being my best friend then they got killed by Voldemort," Joan looked confused but also frightened she knew that he was the head of the extremists who had tried to hunt down her daughter and other muggleborns like her " Harry Potter mum then got sent to his only blood relative known of to keep him safe those people down there raised him and treated him wrongly. He lives in a cupboard until school, so don't ask me to go down there because he is my best friend. I won't cause a seen they don't like my freakish types anyway, so I will just go out and come back later okay," Hermione said grabbing her bag

"Yes dear of course love you sweetie your father and I love you," Joan gave a kiss on her daughters check hoping to remind her that she was not a freak before storming off to tell her husband.