Ater Sanguis
Warnings: Rated M for language, potential violence, and occasional sexual scenes
Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter. If I did, I could actually afford to attend uni. All characters are property of JK Rowling.
A/N: First proper chapter, uploaded on Hermione's birthday! I have a really good idea of where I'm going with this story, and hopefully I'll be able to actually really keep with it, because I am writing chapters before I upload them - I currently have chapters 2 and 3 written and plan on having at least one or two more before I post the next one. This may also mean I can try and have an uploading schedule, depending on how quickly I get these done. Just a reminder, I am taking 6 classes, volunteering, and working two jobs this semester at uni. So if this story does get big and people actually want to read it, I will do my damnedest to update properly. Speaking of, I currently have 38 follows(!) and 10 favorites - so thank you all so much for following and favoriting. If each of you leaves at least a quick review of what you think, and any criticism you have, that would be magnificent! If you guys want to follow me on tumblr you can – misslexilouwho is my name on there as well.
Surprise
16 July, 1996
Granger Residence
Hermione Granger was sitting in the kitchen with her mother, just a few weeks after the term had ended. The sixteen year old was enjoying a cuppa tea with her mum, recounting some of the events that occurred during her last term.
"Our professor for Defense was absolutely dreadful, Mum. She wouldn't let us learn the practical portion, which was a large part of our O.W.L.s – so Harry took it upon himself to teach those who really wanted to learn. He's a very good teacher," Hermione paused to take a sip from her tea (Jasmine, with a bit of milk and honey) as her mum nibbled on a biscuit. She continued on, telling her mother about a majority of the on goings at school, blissfully unaware that Helen Granger already knew everything.
Hermione had just begun to talk about the battle at the Department of Mysteries when there was a knocking at the door. She excused herself to answer, wondering who could be so inconsiderate as to interrupt them during tea time. She let her frizzy dark brown hair down, and ran her fingers through it a few times, but only succeeded in making frizzier. A loud sigh escaped her lips; she knew she would never have properly straight hair unless she worked at it, and she found working on her appearance was a waste of time.
The person at the door knocked again, more frantically this time. "Coming, coming! Hold your bloody horses," Hermione shouted as she reached the door. She could hear her mother scolding her for the language in the kitchen, but she ignored her, opening the door.
"Sirius? Remus? What are you doing here?" Hermione titled her head and looked at her former professor and best friend's godfather. She lingered on Sirius for a moment, grey eyes on grey eyes. The witch shook her head and opened the door wider. "Do come in, sorry. Mum and I were just having tea, but I assume this is something important?"
"Order business," Remus answered, entering the house. It was a quaint house, filled to the brim with muggle technology, as one would expect. Sirius gawked at the telly that Jeff had left on while he ran out to the store.
"Remus, there are portraits trapped in that box!"
"Sirius, we've been over this. That's the telly," Remus sighed. Sirius knew what the telly was – he had seen it when he visited Remus' house one year during school, but of course he couldn't help but be fascinated at this one as well.
"Mum? Sorry, I got some visitors," Hermione called to her mother before turning back to the gentlemen. "You can join us in the kitchen if you'd like?"
Hermione lead the pair into her kitchen, where her mother was sitting reading a newspaper. Helen lowered her newspaper to greet her guests when she gasped.
"You!" She exclaimed, pointing at Sirius.
"Me?"
"Sirius?" Hermione and Remus questioned together.
"Mum, how do you know Sirius?"
"Ah, you have a name," Helen sneered. "Sirius Black. How did I not see that coming?"
"Mum, I'm terribly confused. I didn't even say Sirius' last name!"
Remus looked at his friend, who was perplexed for a moment before the lightbulb came on. "New Year's Day, 1979?"
"My name is Helen. And apparently you know your daughter, Hermione."
...
After the initial shock wore off from everyone, Hermione demanded an answer. "What do you mean his daughter?! Mum, Sirius never had kids!"
"There's a lot about me you don't know, pumpkin," Helen said gently as the quartet moved to the living room. She sat next to her daughter and across from Sirius. Remus sat in a chair on the other side of Sirius, genuinely curious but also stifling laughter.
"Yeah, apparently," Hermione bit, glaring at her mother.
"I'm sorry, love, but I never thought these topics would need to be discussed. I mean, I debated telling you when we found out you were a witch, but I just couldn't bring myself to tell my daughter she was the product of a passionate and drunken one night stand," Helen frowned, placing a hand on her daughter's thigh. "I suppose I should start with the most important thing, though. I've known about magic for my whole life. Your grandfather was a wizard. Eobard Jones."
Hermione's jaw dropped. "I'm sorry, but what? How could you keep something from me like this?!"
"Your grandfather passed away when you were very young, if you can recall. He had been concealing his magic from your father since we got married – he refused to let Jeff know that he was a wizard. He had grown up in a different age, but as he was a half-blood, he was more open to the idea of muggles than most. Your grandmother, Naomi, was a muggle. Fortunately, (or unfortunately, depending on who's side you're looking at) I was born a squib."
"Okay, shocker of a century, but continuing on," Hermione interrupted, "how did you know about Sirius Black?"
"Your Nannie still received the Daily Prophet," Helen explained, "and she would package it up and send it to me so I could read and know about the happenings in Dad's world. I couldn't go to Diagon Alley on my own, but I still wanted to know what was happening in the world I grew up in. I knew all about your father's exploits before I even knew he was your father. I hate to admit it, but I had been so drunk the night we conceived you that I could barely remember what he looked like, just that he was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome."
"Nothin's changed there, my dear," Sirius interjected, earning him a glare from both Helen and Remus. "Alright, I'll shut up."
"As I was saying, I knew about Harry Potter and his plight well before we knew you were magical yourself. When Jeff noticed that you were acting peculiar, I decided it was time to tell Jeff the truth about my family. I expected him to leave me, to call me mad and have me sent to the asylum in London, but he didn't. Jeff was shocked, to say the least. But for Minerva's sake, we had to play dumb – Jeff wasn't supposed to know about our world.
"Every summer when you would come home and tell us about what happened, we already knew because we had read most of it in the Prophet or through letters that Albus would send. Knowing that my little girl befriended Harry Potter worried me, but since you were my little girl, my brilliant Hermione, I knew you would be okay.
"I was terrified for you when I heard about the petrifications on the grounds, but I never would've thought that you would be one of the unlucky children to be petrified." Helen paused to collect herself, looking between the three magical beings in her home.
"And then Sirius was out of Azkaban. I feared for your safety more than ever before, but as I looked at the pictures of the deranged man-"
"Hey!"
"-I'm not sorry, you looked absolutely bonkers," Helen glared at the wizard, "I noticed similarities between you and him. You have his nose, and his eyes, and it seems as the years go on, his hair. I was afraid you would have my horrible bush of hair, and you did for a very long time, but you've probably noticed it has been taming itself over the years. And it's much darker than mine and Jeff's, nearly black, I would say."
Hermione stared at the man she learned was her father. Yes, the similarities were there; she had his grey eyes, and even the same round shape to them. Her nose was more upturned like his as well. How had she not noticed this, with all the time she had spent with him?
"I suppose…I did feel a connection with you, Sirius. But I always assumed it was because I saved your life and because you're Harry's godfather. Not because…you're my father," she whispered, tears in her eyes.
"I know this means I've lied to you about so, so much, my dear, and I am terribly sorry. Please, forgive me," Helen pleaded, staring at her daughter. "I love you, and I just wanted you to be safe. I realize know that it won't be possible to shield you forever."
"Well, knowing that she is my daughter now," Sirius said awkwardly, "I can keep more of an eye out for her like a good father would."
"Please," Hermione scoffed, "You nearly got yourself killed at the battle! If your best friend here hadn't shoved Bellatrix, you'd be dead." Anger ignited inside the young witch. "And you can't call yourself my father, for that matter. Jeff Granger has been my dad my whole life, Sirius. I'm not going to reject him now that I know you're my biological father."
"But you can't reject Sirius, either, love," Helen said. "He may not have known, but he is your father. And he has been here for you for a while now, I must admit. We can try to get to know each other in that pretense, perhaps. We have all summer."
"Ah, perhaps not all summer," Remus spoke up. "We were here to collect young Miss Hermione to come to an Order meeting. She is a necessary person for this latest mission, unfortunately. We just need to brief her before she returns in a few weeks to begin. She should be back by tomorrow."
Helen frowned. She didn't like the sound of this "mission" that her baby was to go on, but she trusted her daughter to be safe. "Fine, so long as she is back before supper tomorrow. I wish to continue our conversation."
Hermione nodded in agreement; there was much that Hermione wanted to know, and as much as she hated to admit it, she would need to really know what happened between her mother and Sir- her father. "I'll be back tomorrow, Mum," she said before hugging her mother. "I love you."
"And I you, my darling."
"Me too," Sirius said, dogpiling on top of his once lover and daughter.
"Ugh, Sirius! Why do you have to ruin our moment?" Hermione groaned.
"Well, I'm a dad now, don't I have to?" He laughed.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "We will have a conversation on our own about this…father."
After a quick packing of a bag for Hermione to stay overnight at Grimmauld Place, she kissed her mother goodbye and said to give Dad her love. Her mother had quite a predicament on her hands now – Hermione wondered if she would tell her dad the truth, or if Jeff Granger would continue to believe that he was Hermione's father?
(What Hermione didn't know was that Jeff always knew that Hermione wasn't his; he didn't buy the broken condom story Helen tried on him so many years ago. He never cared though – he was in love, and he would care for Hermione as if she really were his own.)
After saying goodbye, the trio apparated from Hermione's room to the stoop of 12 Grimmauld Place. Hermione opened the door, and came face to face with another Black, though she no longer was a Black by name – Narcissa Malfoy.
