I'm Back my Lovelies! Lola returned, and I have already written up to chapter 7 of this story so far. I can therefore hopefully post the same day each week, as long as the beta and alpha get back to me in time! I will be changing some of the plot from the original story; I hope you all enjoy the changes.
I couldn't have done this without my amazing support team of Alphas and Betas that gave me the motivation to write again. Along with the word sprint girls, you ladies have given me the push I need to keep going and not stop. Just to name a few of the fantastic people that have helped me to work on this story again; thedarklordherself, CJRed, MrBenzedrine, Pandora_Jane, and Naomi (because I suck at remembering pennames!). Without the help of you all, I would still be on a writers' block.
As usual, I only own my imagination.
Enjoy!
Standing on the stairs, Blaise saw Hermione sitting alone at the kitchen table, her head in her hands and the lights off. He slowly made his way into the room and sat across from her. "Morning, Hermione."
Keeping her head down, Hermione sighed. "I'm not ready to talk to you. Please give me some time." Her eyes flickered with resentment as she looked up at him.
"If that's what you need." Blaise reached over the table and grabbed her hand. "Don't push me away, Hermione. I want my twin sister back."
"Give me time to remember everything, that is all I ask. When the block is removed, things will be complete...hopefully." Hermione moved her hand and grabbed the letter she had written for Harry. "I will see you tomorrow, Blaise."
Blaise sighed, defeated, before standing up. "I am going to get the rest of my things." He looked at her curled fist on the letter and felt his anger building up. Walking to the living room, he apparated to his Aunt's house.
Hermione heard him leave, and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I want you back too, Blaise." She left the kitchen and sent the letter to Harry with her owl.
Arriving at his Aunt Cara's house, he slammed the door open and huffed in anger. "Still stubborn as a hippogriff, She makes me want to scream."
"Is that you, Blaise?" Cara called from the sitting room. She was accustomed to her nephew's anger when he couldn't get his way.
"Yes, Auntie Cara." Blaise sighed before walking to his aunt. He needed to talk to her about leaving.
Waving him to sit down, Cara smiled at him and sipped her drink. "How did it go at your parents? Did Hermione recover alright?" She didn't really want him to leave; he had become like a son to her, not a nephew.
Plopping into the chair, Blaise sighed dramatically. "It went well. Mum and Dad spoiled me like normal, but Hermione was less thrilled about everything." He saw an extra drink at the table and picked it up, smelling it. "Is this alcohol?" He sipped it and laid back in the chair.
"Why would I give my nephew a drink that strong? No, it's not, but if you need one, you know where it is." She tipped her drink back again and swallowed silently. "Do you blame her? She was lied to for all those years, never knowing her parents wiped her memory. I hate my brother for that - I lost a niece that day."
"Save it. I know you never really cared for Hermione. You are just trying to make me feel better." Blaise narrowed his eyes, not happy about her lying to him. "You always talk nasty about my parents and my sister."
Cara glared at Blaise before placing her glass on the table. "They left you with me, not caring that I wanted to be left alone. I love you, Blaise, but back then I didn't want any kids. Sure, they sent me money, but that doesn't mean they weren't terrible parents."
"They said I could have come with them; you know this. Stop taking nasty about my parents. I lost my twin sister that day too. You seem always to forget that I took it horribly." Blaise stood up angrily and stomped towards the doorway. "I'm going to my room - don't bother me."
"Blaise, you need to give her time. She forgot you and remember how you let your friends talk to her. I don't blame Hermione at all for wanting space. I warned you this might happen one day." Cara sighed as Blaise glared at her. She loved her nephew but couldn't feel sorry for him.
Blaise kicked the wall and swore under his breath. He knew what he had done wrong, but it was to protect her. Hermione would have been in danger, as well as his parents, if he would have stepped in. "I'm taking my stuff and going back with Mum now. I will be there if you need me."
Cara watched Blaise walk towards the stairs and began tearing up. "What do you mean? You can't go back with them. You live here."
"They are my parents. I can go if I want to." Blaise rolled his eyes and put his hand on the railing.
"Your mum doesn't love you. If she did, you would have been asked home long before now. Don't get me started on how your sister doesn't even know you anymore." Cara said nastily as she stood up and walked towards him.
Blaise looked at her shocked, did she really have to go there? "First Auntie Cara, they did ask me to come home multiple times before; said they would remove her memory block sooner. I told them no because she would be in danger and I couldn't live with that." His hand went to his wand slowly.
"If they loved you, they wouldn't have kept your sister from you. Besides, if she wasn't hiding who she was, you could have saved her. Hermione was always so full of herself. Don't leave to go live with them. What if she doesn't forgive you?" Cara was tired of them. She wanted to keep Blaise there.
"I'm moving back in with them, and you can't stop me, I've already told you this before I went over there. My sister has always meant the world to me. Don't talk nasty about her. She was safe not knowing anything." He started to walk up the stairs and stopped midway up. "I'm packing then leaving to Draco's house - and no, he doesn't know she's back. Can you keep quiet about that, at least?" Blaise stormed up the last of the stairs and back to his room quickly. He had already been slowly packing and only had a few things to put in his luggage.
He shrank all of his luggage down, making sure he had everything and put it in his backpack. Blaise was ready to finally have his family back, the way they should have been the whole time. He turned on the spot and apparated, arriving at the Malfoy Manor gates and sighed, annoyed; Not caring that his aunt was upset about him leaving or if he would see her again.
After being let in by a house elf, Blaise opened the doors to the manor before rolling his eyes. His aunt wasn't going to let him leave easily. "Draco?" he called up the stairs, placing his backpack on the floor and removing his coat.
"Upstairs, Blaise! Come on up." Draco called from the top of the stairs; his hair was tousled, and he looked tired.
Blaise walked up the stairs, lost in thoughts about Hermione. "I have some news for you...it's about my sister."
Draco froze as he spun around to face Blaise. "Your sister is in France, right? Is she okay?" he asked worriedly.
"Well...she is visiting mum and dad right now. She is mad at me, though." Blaise sighed, annoyed, the corner of his mouth twitching. "I haven't seen her in a while, and it was a tough reunion."
"She's here? In England?" Draco ran a hand through his hair, trying to smooth it down. "Does she still remember me?"
Opening the door to his room, Blaise sat on Draco's bed and smirked. "She sure is, though she has forgotten you. She has a boyfriend right now, I think."
Draco's face fell a bit before he sighed. "I knew she would forget me. My parents forced us apart. I still remember when I found out why you both moved away."
"I'm sorry, Drake, but she wouldn't leave our parents. I already told you about this. Just know she is happy." Blaise knew once Draco found out he had been lying all these years, he would be pissed.
Draco sat next to Blaise, appearing extremely upset. The Malfoys hated showing emotions but he couldn't hide them from the Zabini kids, even as a child. "Can I see her?"
Blaise's face fell a tad as he tried to think of an answer. She didn't remember Draco (well, the Draco she knew as a child) or like him very much. "I don't want to upset her. It has been a long time since you two saw each other. I have to protect my sister. You know that."
A few minutes passed before either of them spoke. Draco thought about what it would be like to never see his Mi again. He had received updates from Blaise on how she was doing, but he still missed her. The thought that she was having as hard of a time in school as Granger worried him.
Blaise knew Draco should know the truth, but telling the truth would show he had been lying for years. He was honest about most things except where she went to school and who she really was. Blaise knew Draco would be upset that his "Mi" Hermione was really Granger. "I'm sorry, Draco. My parents agree she is delicate and needs to be safe. You will see her again one day." He patted Draco on the back and laid back on the bed, his thoughts drifting to Daphne.
"I know, Blaise. I just miss her, you know?" Draco smiled as he pulled out a small photo from his side table. It was Hermione and him as little kids - the last photo that was taken before she vanished. "Is she still beautiful?"
"Well, we are twins, and if I am one of the best looking blokes at school, she is also gorgeous. Reminds me a bit of Granger, though, I am sure you will see her again soon." Blaise smirked as he twirled his wand.
Draco tutted as he looked at his nails. "Never compare a person as amazing as Mi to Granger. Sure, she can be attractive and has the same name, but she is muggleborn and an absolute know-it-all." He tried to look uninterested.
Blaise laughed as he propped himself up on his elbows. "I remember you were saying last year Granger was good to look at, and you wanted to date her before - while you were drinking, of course."
"I blame the alcohol personally. Admitting that hurt. It was like I was betraying your sister." He contemplated whether to admit how much he thought they looked alike. "How did your aunt take you leaving? You have been living there a long time." Draco changed the subject.
"She started crying and started to talk shit about my mum. I quickly put her in her place. My mum was trying to save me by putting me there. Then aunt Cara went on to say if my sister wasn't trying to hide who she really was-" Blaise's fist clenched when he realised he almost let slip who she was. "I'm ready to be back home. It feels nice."
Shaking his head and laughing, Draco started talking about who was returning to school in a month. They both know only a few Slytherin students were returning for their final year. Blaise was nervous how his friend would handle seeing Hermione as herself for the first time in many years.
Harry arrived at Hermione's house. She only trusted him to be there, and it made him feel special. "You ready, Mione?"
"Not really. Slightly nervous what I will remember." Hermione looked anxious but had a smile on her face and journal in her hand. "I am going to write down the memories as I remember them. That way I don't forget anything."
They both headed to the living room and sat on the couch, her parents following in soon after. "Hello, Harry. Thank you for being there for our Hermione." Camilla smiled at them and sat next to her daughter. "We were all worried how she would take the news. It's good that she has such a good friend to be there for her."
"Not a problem, Missus...Zabini." Harry looked uncomfortable as he acknowledged who they really were. The thought that she was related to Blaise Zabini still bothered him. "I will always be here to support Hermione. She's like a sister to me."
"Well since everyone is here," Liam said as he picked his wand up and a smile graced his features, "it feels good to be able not to hide anymore. I'm sorry, sweetie, this may give you a proper headache." Aiming the wand at Hermione's head, he muttered a spell.
Intense pressure filled her head as memories started to flood in. She was a little girl, maybe three, and there were two boys with her. Hermione figured the one was Blaise, but who was that other little boy? His features were shadowed, almost like she wanted it to remain a mystery. "It feels like I have someone pushing on my head."
Her mother looked worried and reached out, grabbing Hermione's hand. "I am right here. It will be over soon." Memory after memory kept filling her mind; some were good while others frightened her. One thing seemed constant about them: a little boy appeared in almost every one. Hermione couldn't make out his face/ It was blurred, but he sounded familiar. She screamed in pain as the last bit of her memories came back, the old Hermione returning.
"Mum, I'm sorry." She cried as the last memory returned, the one where her mother told her everything.
Hermione cried as she watched her friend wave her away, her best friend gone forever. "Mummy we have to go back, I don't want to leave him." She tried to get away from her mother but was held back.
"Sweetie, we have to go. It's not safe anymore. We already went over this with both Blaise and you." Her mother held back tears as she watched her daughter's heartbreak. "The Dark Lord is after your father and I, and we have to leave to go into hiding."
Blaise crossed his arms defiantly; he didn't like any of this. "I don't want to leave. I will miss my friends and Auntie Cara." His twin was more afraid than he was, so he grabbed her hand and squeezed. "Hermione and I should stay here. We can stay with Auntie Cara." He wanted to stay, but he wanted her to stay too.
"No Blay, they will miss us. We have to stay in hiding with them, as muggles." Hermione begged her brother, they were only ten years old. "We can still go to Hogwarts as Muggle-borns."
"I will not do that, Herms, We can stay here and still write Mum and Dad. I don't want to lose all three of you. I'm not going." He stomped his foot and sighed. Blaise was confused about what to do.
A throat cleared as they looked at their father, both looking down towards their feet. "We are not forcing either of you to come with us; you can both stay with your aunt." He tried to stay positive, but it was hard. Their kids were taking it harder then they had thought. "It would be safer if you stayed here, away from us. The Dark Lord is after us, not you two."
"I can't leave you, Daddy, please don't make me. Auntie Cara likes Blaise better than me! Can I go with you?" Hermione hugged her father tight, not seeing the devastated look on Blaise's face. "I can still write Blay and my friends, right?"
Blaise glared at her. How could she choose to leave him like that? They were always together, had the same friends, and even shared the same wing in the manor. Why would Hermione leave him alone? "You want to leave me by myself and then act like you still care."
Hermione grabbed her journal quickly, scribbling down the details of the memories as they came. She was overwhelmed and soon put the quill down, tears staining her cheeks. "Why would you do that? You let him leave us! We could have been a family still."
Camilla sat next to her and sighed, worry in her features. "He didn't want to come. We tried to convince him multiple times. Three months after we left, we put the block on your memory. You were so upset about losing Blaise and your best friend, we couldn't stand to see you cry every night."
Harry watched them and slowly stood up. "I'm getting a drink. I'll be in the kitchen, Mione." He waited for her to nod that it was okay before leaving the room.
"I can only remember Blaise. My other friends I can't recognise. Who were my other friends?" Hermione watched as Harry walked away, nervous to speak to her parents about this without him. "They seem familiar, but I can't place them."
"You played with Blaise, Pansy, Daphne, and her sister Astoria. I can't remember the name of your best friend. We could tell you both loved each as much as someone your age could." Her father looked ashamed; he knew this was going to have to be talked about one day. "We have decided to come out of hiding. The house has already been put back in our real names."
Hermione stared at her father in shock. Did he just say what she thought he did? "What do you mean? Aren't we Grangers now?"
Her mother chuckled lovingly. "No sweetie, we only used that cover for muggles. We have always been Zabinis, and you were registered to Hogwarts under that name as well. Dumbledore thought it was best to not fully change our names unless he took over, but Harry defeated the threat, and we are safe."
Harry chose to walk back into the room as Hermione started to cry again. He hurried over to her and pulled her into a hug. "What's wrong, Mione?"
She didn't answer, just cried into his shoulder for a good ten minutes until finally sitting up. "It's too much to take in at once. I need to go to my room." Hermione looked at her parents and smiled weakly. "I'm not mad at either of you, or Blaise for that matter. I just need to rest my mind for a bit. Come with me Harry, please."
"Of course, but I can only stay a little bit longer. Ron needed me to help him with something, but you're more important right now." Harry helped her stand up and looked to her parents. "You did the right thing, I'll make sure she gets to bed okay. Then I'll head out. Thank you for the drink."
They made their way upstairs before entering her room and stopping. "Are you going to be okay? I'm worried about you." Harry fixed his glasses as he shut the door and sat on the end of the bed. Hermione was like his sister; her happiness mattered to him.
Hermione shook her head slightly, making Harry laugh as her curls fell in her face. "I need to sleep on things. This is too much to deal with at once. I want to be mad, angry, pissed at all three of them; but I can't. I don't like missing Blaise, or my "old" friends, or my Auntie Cara. I always thought she was just an aunt that was distant and never visited."
"You already knew you had an aunt? Why didn't you ever tell me about that?" Harry was surprised he never bothered to ask if she had any family besides her mum and dad.
"Yes, I knew her. She would write to me every year to see how I was. I only met her a few times. I thought she was just one of those relatives you only see around the holidays in person." She shrugged as a smile crossed her face, a memory floating to the front of her mind. "She never liked me because Blay and I would prank her. Then I would use my best friend as an alibi for not being involved. She knew it was both of us and not just Blaise."
Harry patted on the bed next to him, a smirk on his face. "And here we thought you were just a no fun bookworm when we first met you. Maybe having Blaise and your memories back in your mind are a good thing. It would explain why you joined us in the many adventures that could get us in trouble."
Sitting on the bed, she laughed and wrung her hands. "I feel so confused, Harry. I want to embrace these memories, but I am afraid to. I am Hermione Granger - how can I be Hermione Zabini?"
"Just be yourself. You're the same person. You have a twin - you have just been disconnected for eight years. Get to know each other again and don't hide away. I will always be here if you need me. You are my sister." Harry squeezed her knee and smiled.
"I always had a brother, Harry. You are my brother. Blaise is an added bonus now, I guess. In all my old memories, we never fought but a handful of times. He always had my back and didn't want to leave me." Hermione sighed deeply before laying back and kicking her shoes off. This was too much to take in. How was she planning to fix her fractured relationship with Blaise? "You are right. What would I do without you?"
Grinning, Harry laid back next to her and poked her side. "You saved me my whole life, so it's time I helped you for once."
Tears filled her eyes, and she threw her arms around his neck and sobbed. Hermione hated to show any weakness, but his friendship always meant the world to her. "Harry Potter, you are the bestest friend I could ever ask for. Now get out of here and deal with Ron…Don't tell him a thing about today, I am still angry with him."
"He'll come around. Don't worry about him. Let me know how you are feeling tomorrow." Harry sat up before getting off of the bed and smiling at her. "See you soon, Hermione. I'm only an owl away." He left her room and shut the door behind him.
Hermione stared at her door and sighed, what was she going to do? The urge to talk to Blaise bothered her. Why were they so close when they were younger? Closing her eyes, Hermione allowed herself to drift off to sleep, a look of confusion on her face and a pain in her heart.