Chapter 3 - Telling the Truth

Hermione arrived at the Leaky Cauldron at 1.40pm. There was no one in the wizarding pub at all. The perfect place for a private conversation. Not expecting Harry and Ron to be early, she ordered a Butterbeer from Tom at the bar and sat in a booth to wait for them. She was biting her nails whilst thinking about how she was going to explain everything to them both. She could already figure out what their responses would be; Harry would stay silent with a confused look on his face and Ron's face would go red with anger. She dropped her head in to her hands and let out a big sigh. Merlin, give me strength, she thought to herself. She wished Blaise was here to make this a little bit easier, she felt close to tears.

"Hey 'Mione," Hermione lifted her head to see her two best friends smiling down at her. She smiled up at them weakly before they brought her in to a massive three-way hug. "We've missed you," Harry whispered in to her ear.

She smiled "I've missed you too."

Harry and Ron went over to the bar and bought themselves Butterbeers before sitting down at the booth. Both boys looked at Hermione expecting her to take the lead in conversation. She brushed a stray hair out of her face with shaky fingers. "I guess you want to know where I've been?" Her voice was quiet with nerves. They nodded at her, waiting for her explanation. She didn't know where to begin. For once in her life, Hermione was stuck for words. Harry noticed this, he put his hand on hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "What's going on Hermione? Maybe start with when we left Hogwarts?" He suggested.

"Well you both know that my parents died in a car accident just after our exams..."

Hermione got off of Platform 9 3/4, she said her goodbyes to Harry, Ron and the Weasley's. Mrs Weasley gave her three hugs before she let her go, she was so worried about Hermione spending the Summer alone to grieve for her parents but of course she could not change her mind. Hermione wheeled her trunk and Crookshanks out of the station before hailing a cab to take her to her family home. She cried the whole way. She was going to arrive at an empty house, she could already picture the house with dirty breakfast plates in the sink waiting for someone to come home and wash them, maybe the hallway light would be on because the Granger's wouldn't have wanted to come home to a dark house. They would never come back though. They were gone.

Hermione paid the taxi driver and walked up to the front door. This was her first time coming home without her parents asking how her school year had gone, what her exams were like, how Harry and Ron were and whether she was glad to have the Summer to relax. Hermione made her way in to the house, leaving her trunk at the bottom of the stairs, she grabbed Crookshanks and held him close for the support she needed. She walked in to the kitchen where there were dirty breakfast plates. She weeped in to Crookshanks' fur. "They're really gone."

Hermione walked through the quiet house until she reached her bedroom. She opened the door and looked in to her childhood escape. There were four bookshelves along the back wall, absolutely crammed with muggle literature, her walls were painted a light indigo with minimal decorations, her bed was next to the window with simple white sheets. Her room was perfect for Hermione, all she needed was books, nothing else. Hermione sat down on her bed and heard a crinkling of paper. She stood up and found a letter adressed to Miss Hermione Granger written in green ink. She opened the envelope and found a letter and another envelope. She read the letter first.

Our dearest daughter Hermione,

If you are reading this letter then we have passed away.

We want you to know how proud of you we are, you are so intelligent, beautiful and perfect. Being your parents was the greatest gift of our lives.

Continue to be the wonderful young woman we have seen you grow up to be.

Lots of love, always and forever,

Mum and Dad.

Hermione paused retelling her story as the pain and anguish threatened to choke her. Harry pulled her in to his chest. "They loved you so much Hermione." She let the tears flow until she was ready to carry on, "I then opened the other envelope..."

This envelope was thicker. She read the letter.

To our darling Hermione,

On 19th September 1979 you were born and we were overjoyed for our little family to be complete. You and your twin brother were both healthy and happy babies. We loved you so very much.

An elderly witch visited me in the hospital, she told me of a prophecy, this prophecy was about you. She told me you were to be instrumental in an upcoming war, she told me I had to let you go. I was devastated but listened to the wizened old woman. I found the Grangers, they could not have children of their own and they would love you and look after you when I wasn't allowed to do so just yet.

You are so important, Hermione. Your Father and I love you with every part of our being. When the time is right for you, I hope you will find us and make our family complete once more.

Adalane Zabini, your Mother.

"What the bloody hell is this Hermione?" Ron exclaimed. "Your Mother is Mrs Zabini? That's not possible." Ron looked angry just like Hermione had thought, his ears had turned bright red. Harry furrowed his eyebrows but stayed quiet, waiting for Hermione to continue.

"It is possible Ronald. I was born as Hermione Zabini but due to a prophecy I had to be raised in the muggle world with my muggle parents." Hermione looked up at him with a fierce glint in her eyes, "Why don't you let me finish?"

There was another bit of paper in the envelope, it was a birth certificate. Hermione Zabini's birth certificate. Hermione ran downstairs to her trunk with the letters gripped in her hand and Crookshanks tucked in her arm, she grabbed ahold of her trunk and turned on her foot, she apparated away. Hermione had never apparated before, she hadn't had a single lesson but she knew the theory behind it. She hadn't any idea if she was going to end up where she wanted to as she'd never been to the Zabini Manor before. In her head, she repeated 'take me to my family'. She arrived at her destination, she fell to her knees infront of a large oak door. Crookshanks rubbed his head against Hermione as if saying to her 'get up, we're here.' She did so and knocked on the door.

A young and smiley house elf answered the door and greeted Hermione, "welcome home Miss Hermione, we've been waiting for you." The elf ushered two more house elves to pick up Hermione's trunk. All of the elves were wearing different coloured pillow cases adorned with patterned patches; they were the cleanest house elves Hermione had ever seen, they looked very well cared for. He led Hermione through the expensive looking entrance hall, there were fresh white roses in vases, there were white statues of famous wizards and a rich red carpet. Hermione was in awe of everything she looked at. He led Hermione to a sitting room with equally expensive decor. "Light will get Master and Mistress Zabini for you Miss Hermione. Please make yourself comfortable." Hermione sat down on a Gryffindor-esque red and gold chaise lounge. She still had the letters clutched in her hand.

She looked up to the entrance as a beautiful tanned couple came through the door. Mrs Zabini had long dark chocolate hair plaited behind her back, she had warm brown eyes and a beautiful smile on her face. Mr Zabini was an older version of Blaise but with no hair, he had the same almond shaped eyes as him and a defined jawline. They were such a beautiful couple. Hermione smiled weakly at them both. "Hermione, how we have longed for this moment." Her Mother spoke with emotion. Hermione stood up and walked closer to them. "May I?" Mrs Zabini opened her arms indicating she'd like to hug Hermione. Hermione walked in to her embrace and broke down in to tears. Mr Zabini wrapped his arms around his wife and daughter. He whispered to her, "We have missed you so much." He then summoned Light to get Blaise. Hermione noticed he was very polite to the elf which made her smile slightly.

They all sat down and waited for Blaise to arrive. Hermione felt nervous with her parents staring at her. She tried brushing her bushy hair behind her ear to no avail. Blaise waltzed in through the door not noticing Hermione as he had his attention trained on a bit of parchment, "What's wrong?" He asked his parents. He then looked properly around the room and his eyes settled on Hermione. "Oh, Hello sister." He smiled at her.

Hermione was confused, she asked, "how long have you known?"

"I only found out a few weeks ago after your adoptive parents died. I'm sorry for your loss." Hermione felt a familiar sense of de ja vu, he'd come up to her in the Great Hall of Hogwarts two days after her parents had died and said the exact same words to her 'I'm sorry for your loss.' She was too consumed with grief to care why a Slytherin pureblood cared about her dead muggle parents at the time but now it made sense. He knew she was his twin sister.

Blaise sat down with them. The afternoon went quickly, the Zabini's wanted to know everything about Hermione and Hermione wanted to know everything about them. They didn't talk about the prophecy as Hermione didn't feel ready yet. She was just trying to get to know her family. They vacated the sitting room to go to the dining room to have dinner when Mrs Zabini asked Hermione whether she'd like to stay at the Manor this Summer, they had a room for her and would love nothing more. Hermione burst in to tears again and said she'd love to.

"So that's where I've been this Summer, I've been at the Zabini Manor getting to know my family." Hermione looked at Harry and Ron to distinguish their feelings. Harry smiled at her and nodded his head whilst Ron had a confused look on his face.

"Ok, let me get this straight. You are a pureblood, you are Blaise Zabini's twin sister and there is a prophecy about you. What's the prophecy?" Ron questioned.

"Yes I'm a pureblood, yes I'm Blaise's twin sister and yes there is a prophecy. I can't tell you about it though. Believe me I want to tell you but I can't, I really can't, I'm not ready." Harry and Ron nodded. They trusted their friend and she would tell them the truth when the time was right for her.

"Why don't you look like Blaise at all?" Harry looked Hermione up and down as if there was something he was missing.

Hermione looked around the pub to check that there were still no other occupants and to see Tom hidden away behind the bar. She lifted her wand and muttered a spell to lift off the glamour charm. "I've had a powerful glamour charm on my entire life. This is what I really look like." The boys both gasped. Hermione was every sense of the word, beautiful. She cast the spell to put the glamour charm back on. "Nobody must know yet that I'm a Zabini. At school I will still look like this." They nodded their understanding. "There's something else I need to tell you," Hermione sighed and told them everything to do with Draco. The boys were surprised to say the least. Their best friend had saved their enemy from becoming a Death Eater. They spent a long time talking about Draco Malfoy and his change in fate.