Hermione's first year had dragged by slowly, and while she was successful at obtaining the top grades in all her classes, it seemed the better she did, the more vicious and cruel her housemates were to her. The girls in her dorm room were particularly nasty. They'd taken to hiding her robes, or stealing her knickers and placing them around the Slytherin Common Room for all to see and laugh at. After one particularly horrible day where the Parkinson girl had destroyed her potions homework, her Head of House just looked at her in disgust when she'd tried to explain what had happened. It was then that Hermione realized she would get no help nor support within her house, not even from Professor Snape. Then, Hermione had found out that he was Malfoy's godfather, and it all made perfect sense to her.
She never broke though. Never gave any person in her house the satisfaction of losing her temper, as she just spent all her free time in the library absorbed in magical texts, learning spells and practicing in deserted classrooms. Even Neville and Harry Potter ignored her thanks to the hateful Weasley boy, who decided because she was a Slytherin, she wasn't worth their time. It seemed that prejudice was everywhere in the Wizarding World, but Hermione was determined to succeed. It seemed the rest of her Professors were willing to give her a fair chance, and seemed to see how she struggled, but that she was determined to excel.
The Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor Quirrell was a little odd, he stuttered and seemed to be scared of his own shadow, but Hermione soon realized that this was a clever disguise. She'd always been good at ferreting out people's secrets. Perhaps it was due to always being on the outside looking in, so it was no surprise to Hermione at the end of her first year when it was discovered that Professor Quirrell had been possessed by the spirit of the Dark Lord Voldemort and was destroyed by Harry Potter.
Hermione had tried hard to gain points for her house throughout the year, a fact they weren't appreciative of in the slightest, but when it looked like Slytherin would take the House cup at the final feast, Hermione couldn't help feel a bit of pride in knowing that she'd been a big part of that, even though no one from her house would ever acknowledge it. So she was understandably angry and severely disappointed when Dumbledore decided at the last minute to award Harry Potter and his friends just enough points to take the cup out of their hands. The groans and sneers from her housemates didn't help any, especially since they were primarily sent in her direction...as if she were to blame! She'd never been so glad for a school year to be over, and was secretly relieved to be returning home to her family.
When Hermione got to Kings Cross her parents were waiting for her. Her mother hugged her and her father smiled at her in pride. They had been informed that she had been the top student in her year, and they were extremely proud of her accomplishments. When Hermione saw Draco Malfoy get off the train and head towards his parents, she noticed the regal looking couple that awaited him. They were dressed in the most expensive robes Hermione had ever seen. For the first time Hermione felt jealous that she didn't have magical parents, and she didn't like the feeling much.
When Hermione got home, she quietly went to her room and cried. She had locked down her emotions all year, and she couldn't hold it back anymore. She cried for the fact that she didn't belong anywhere it seemed, and she'd never have any friends. She sobbed her heart out, and that was how her mother found her an hour later when she came to get her for dinner.
When Helen asked Hermione what was wrong, all the hurt and pain she'd been through over the last year came tumbling out like poison. Hermione told her mother all the things she was afraid to write in her letters, for fear her parents would refuse to let her stay and learn magic. Helen looked at her daughter sadly and hugged her, telling her to come downstairs when she was ready for dinner.
When Hermione came down a little while later, her parents were arguing in the kitchen. She'd never remembered a time seeing her parents angry with each other. When she asked them what was wrong, she didn't like the look of guilt on both their faces. Her mother looked at her father pleadingly, and he went into his study and came back a few minutes later carrying a small ornate box. He motioned for Hermione to sit and then grabbed his wife's hand as they sat down across from their daughter.
Richard Granger looked at his only child and felt such a sense of sadness that he couldn't protect her from the small-minded hate mongers of the world. But he was afraid that his daughter would never forgive him and Helen for not telling her the truth of her birth.
He slid the small box over to his daughter, and nodded as she looked at him questioningly.
"You can open it Princess, what's inside of it belongs to you. We should've told you sooner, but your mother and I were afraid that it might change the way you saw us."
Hermione was confused and it showed. "What do you mean, Daddy? I love you and mum, you're the only people in my life who care about me."
Helen sobbed for her daughter. "We love you sweetie, more than anything. We just didn't know how to tell you. We probably should have mentioned it before you started at Hogwarts last September, but we didn't think it would make that much of a difference. We were wrong."
Hermione just stared at her parents in confusion, not understanding what they were trying to tell her. She looked at the box and saw it was magically sealed. She tried to open it but it wouldn't open. She looked at both her parents questioningly, but they looked at her sadly as they thought the box would open for her.
"What is going on, mum...dad?" Hermione was starting to panic and could feel her magic starting to flare.
Helen looked at her daughter despondently and proceeded to explain about the night the strange woman with a wand had come to their door with a small bundle. A baby...Hermione. Hermione's eyes widened in shock as her mother told her that the woman had left her with them, begged them to take care of her and gave Hermione to them. The box was hidden in the basket, and they'd tried to open it to no avail.
Hermione felt tears coming down her eyes. She was adopted! She wasn't a Granger, and it sounded as if her birth mother was a witch. And who was her birth father? Hermione asked these questions but neither of her parents had any answers for her other than the box, which refused to open. Hermione at first was angry at her parents for lying to her, but looking at them she could see how afraid they were of losing her and Hermione didn't have anyone else who loved her, so she ran to her parents hugging them and reassuring them that she was their daughter and it didn't matter who her birth parents were, they were her family and she loved them.
Both Richard and Helen cried tears of relief and joy with their daughter, promising her that they wouldn't keep any more secrets and they'd help her in anyway they could to find out whom her birth parents were. Hermione looked at the box which had two large snakes swirling around each other inside a crest of some kind, and she could swear that she'd seen this somewhere before. It was a mystery and one she was determined to figure out.