Author's Note: I am picking this story back up. I'm loading a new version of Chapter 4 that is edited so that everything makes sense. When I had previously put it up a whole chunk was missing! I'm hoping to make updates twice a week but it may be more like once a week with balancing, work grad school and my twins! For background Minerva and Carina were born in 1935 so the timeline should fit well here but may be just slightly skewed (not much though) in order for the story to work).

*Break*

Hermione stood at her Professors door, wondering if she should knock or just leave and come back another day.

"Are you alright, Hermione?" Asked Professor McGonagall as she rounded the corner. Hermione jerked in surprise, having thought her Professor was tucked into her classroom.

"Oh, um, yes Professor. I was wondering if you had a few moments to speak. If not, I can come back at another time, perhaps over the weekend." Hermione answered, rambling on, suddenly feeling awkward.

"Of course I do." She responded, opening the door and allowing Hermione to step through. "Would you like some tea?"

"No thank you, Professor." Hermione said, seating herself in the chair closest to the door.

"How can I help you my dear?"

"Well, I've been told that you and my mother were quite close. I was wondering if you could tell me about her. Anything really, I'd…" she trailed off, "I guess I'd just like to hear someone talk about her, rather than only reading blips about her time at Hogwarts."

McGonagall smiled, "Of course. I loved your mother dearly; she was like my sister. What do you know about her so far?"

"Just what I said when speaking to Dumbledore earlier, she was clearly intelligent, top of her class, leader in the school, etc. But I want to know about her, who she was, what she wanted and…well, how she ended with him." She said, stressing the last word and looking at her Professor expectantly.

"Well, to start, I met your mother on my very first day of Hogwarts. We rode on the train in the same compartment and didn't speak a word to one another. She was very quiet, nose tucked into a book and focused the entire ride. I had no idea what I was doing and it was quite obvious to her! She never did let me live that down" McGonagall smiled, her eyes flashing with a fond memory.

*Flashback*

"Muggleborn?" The girl in front of her asked.

"Um, sort of."

"Well, sort, best get your uniform on now or else you'll look silly when we walk into the Great Hall for sorting."

"Oh. Alright, then."

The girls buttoned up their robes quickly and began packing up their belongings they'd had throughout the compartment.

"I'm Carina, Carina Longbottom – it is nice to make your acquaintance."

"I'm Minnie!" She said beaming at the prospect of making a new friend.

"What an odd name."

"Well, my name is Minerva, but my friends call me Minnie."

The girl quirked her lip in a smile. "Hufflepuff."

"What?"

"Hufflepuff, you're definitely going to get sorted into Hufflepuff."

"I'm hoping for Ravenclaw."

"As am I, but I'll most likely be placed in Slytherin."

"How come?"

"Tradition." Was all she said,

*Break*

The girls tucked into the boat, Carina smiling at the castle that was before her. "I've waited for this for years." She breather out to no one in particular.

"I just found out a couple of weeks ago."

"What did you mean, back on the train, when you said you were sort of a Muggleborn?"

"Well, my mother was a witch but she died when I was very young and my father didn't know."

"So you didn't know you were a witch?"

Minerva simply shook her head and turned away from the other girl. Carina stared at her, interest piqued in the sudden shift in the other girls mood at the question. Her inquiry would have to wait until later because the boats began to dock.

*End Flashback*

"We were both sorted into Gryffindor that night. Your mother, she was surprised, but she had this terrifying grin on her face as she walked to the table — head high, as if daring someone to say something to her."

"So she wasn't sad?"

"Quite the contrary!' McGonagall laughed. "Your mother pranced around for weeks, even after the howlers! She was always her own woman Hermione and an incredibly powerful one at that."

"Did you all just develop a friendship then, since you were in the same house?"

"We were inseparable. Although your mother teased me until the day she was gone that the hat made a mistake and that I belonged in Hufflepuff." The older woman said, with a gentle smile on her face.

"Did you know about Bellatrix?" This question brought a shadow over McGonagall's face.

"What do you mean?" She all but whispered.

"When she was pregnant."

"Yes, Is as the one who ran the diagnostic spell to check and I held her as she cried."

"What happened?"

"She hid the pregnancy with spells and then was removed from school for a 'family emergency' a month before the end of term."

"Oh. Did she want her?"

"To a point but she also did not want her life ruined. She knew she would not spend forever with the boy and she didn't want to ruin anything for his inheritance. She ended things with him and waited for her daughter to be born. She didn't have much of a choice if she wanted to finish her education, her parents never would have let her keep Bellatrix, regardless of her wants."

"Yet she never married later in life? Wasn't that the point of them making her give up Bellatrix?"

"Your father prevented that. She was set to marry a month after he met her."

"He stopped it that quickly?"

"He simply inquired into the rush to marry her off."

"How long were they together, before he was gone?"

"Decades. We were quite young when they met. I was an Assistant Professor, training for the position I have now. It took him more than a year before your Mother acknowledged any proposal from him. When she died they had been together for just over 25 years."

"That's…wow. I'm not even sure what to say."

"What, what happened to her? I couldn't find it anywhere."

Minerva sighed and sipped her tea before answering.

"She was killed during a raid, accidentally. It was, in my opinion, the defining moment to how we know wizarding history."

"What do you mean?"

"Your mother was killed in September of 1981, Hermione."

"But, I thought she was alive when he disappeared?"

"Not at all. He, Voldemort, unraveled quickly once your Mother was gone. He lashed out at everyone and where your Mother had been striving to recreate the wizarding world with him, he chose to unravel it all and build it anew. Complete domination using whatever means necessary. That was where most of his pure blood ideology came from, only pushing the agenda because it funneled money into his cause. She was his balance and he lost it."

"How exactly did she die though? Why was there a raid if he hadn't unraveled yet?"

"It was a power move made by a very small group of people who believed your father rising to power was too dangerous. They came after your father at Malfoy Manor and sent a small team to delay your mother in London. When the group apparated into the restaurant we were at your Mother jumped up, quickly stunning two and making her was to the door. She was running, trying to move outside of the anti-apparition wards they'd put up and a car hit her when she darted into the street to get away. I couldn't save her, she was gone by the time I got to her."

"I..that's terribly sad." Both women sat there for a few moments before McGonagall spoke again. "It was clear he felt your mother die. He killed almost all of the raid party that arrived at Malfoy Manor."

"And he just went crazy after that?"

"To a point. He began organized attacks on the opposing group, where he previously was ignoring them. This was also the period he began allowing his followers to partake in revels, using muggles for whatever they pleased."

"Then what tipped him over the edge?" Hermione asked, pushing McGonagall to answer, even though it was clear she did not want to.

"It was…" but no sound fell from her lips. The older witch slammed her hands down in anger. "I am not at liberty to say, Hermione. I'm sorry."

"Wha— are you oath bound?"

"Yes." She replied, her lips thin with obvious anger.

"But why? No, who?"

"The only person who will be able to openly discuss it is the Headmaster."

*Break*

Hermione sat, knees tucked under her chin, staring out of the astronomy towe window. She wasn't sure what to think of her conversation with Professor McGonagall but she knew she was angry. She had barely been able to contain her rage earlier in the night, banging on Heather Headmasters office door. According to Professor Snape, who had had found her screaming at the gargoyle to let her in, the Headmaster was out for the evening but would be back tomorrow. She had wanted to avoid anyone in the common room and that had led her here. She heard the door creak and she perked her head up, rolling her wand from her sleeve so she could access it easily.

"Stand down, Granger, it's Malfoy."

"Not sure that's a good enough reason to stand down." She quipped.

"It's not as if I would hurt you."

"No, I guess you wouldn't anymore." She said, but her body clearly showed she had not relaxed.

"The Headmaster asked me to find you hours ago and I couldn't locate you. I was just finishing up my rounds and wanted to stargaze before heading to bed."

"What did he want? He must have asked you before he left this evening."

"For me to relay the message that we're to have a meeting with him first thing in the morning, following breakfast."

"But our classes!"

"It's the Headmaster, I'm sure we'll be excused."

"That's not the point. We have N.E.W.T.S at the end of the year and I don't appreciate being pulled from my class. He expects me to be available on his time but doesn't have the decency to be available when I need to have a conversation."

"Jeez Granger, here I thought you were his golden girl."

"Things change." Was her prompt reply to his statement, which Draco filed away in the back of his mind to mull over later.

"Well then, have a good night. I'll see you in the morning at the meeting."

"Wait, here, the bench is all yours. I'm heading back to the common room anyway, most students should be asleep."

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry you're going through all of this with your housemates."

She just stared at him, attempting to decipher if his words were sincere or simply a ploy to get her to trust him; perhaps they were both. She didn't say a word and instead turned, heading down the stairs and towards Gryffindor tower.

*Break*

"Good morning! Lemon drop?"

"No. What did we need to discuss?" Hermione asked, Malfoy sitting in the seat next to her.

"Please, sit ." Hermione sighed but complied. "Good news! For this year we are opening up our first ever Head Boy and Girl living quarters. You will share a common room but each have your own space with a little office off of your bedrooms. Your things are being moved as we speak. We made sure to pick a neutral location, so your quarters will be tucked just off the second floor by the Arithmancy classroom the portrait of Sir Cedrick Daedalus and your password is unity."

"How touching." Hermione all but snarled. "Glad to know my dorm mates have gotten what they wanted."

"That is certainly not the case."

"Right. Well, you'll have to excuse me, Headmaster," she leered out the name, "but I just can't believe your utter tripe anymore." And with that she stormed from the office.

Draco sat there for a few seconds, eyes widened slightly and completely unaware of how to respond.

"right then, if that's all, I'll just be going." Draco said, hurrying from the office. He turned to head towards the Runes classroom but heard what sounded like someone sobbing. Against his better judgement he headed towards the noise instead.

He found her, tucked into an alcove, in what he immediately recognized as a panic attack. The girl was hyperventilating, her fingers pulling slightly at her throat as she tried to calm down, her magic everywhere it was almost suffocating. He'd never experienced someone's raw energy like he was right now. It was almost as if he was swimming through thickened water as he tried to reach her; her body's way of trying to protect itself during her time of increased stress.

"Breath, Granger. Look at me." He said calmly.

Her eyes darted all over the small space, connecting with his for only a second before quickly moving away. He grabbed her hands and secured them in his grip so she didn't scratch herself too badly, this seemed to pull her attention to him for a few seconds. He reached out with his other hand and gently turned her chin towards him, so her eyes had to focus on him.

"Breath. There you go. Focus on my face, focus on my voice and just breath."

He sat with her for what seemed like ages before she was calm enough that he felt as if he could let go of her hands without her hurting herself.

"I'm going to let you go completely now, alright? Just keep breathing, in and out just like you're doing now."

He let go and rocked back on his heels, letting himself slide the rest of the way to the floor and kept himself close to her Incase she began to panic again. It seemed, however, that she was beginning to focus herself more; her magic had begun to recede and he realized his muscles had been tense from the energy. They sat there; not exchanging looks or words, until they heard the bustle of student movement began. Her eyes widened quickly but he was quick with his wand and cast two spells under his breath that she couldn't hear.

"Silencing and notice me not; no one will realize we're tucked into here. You're safe, Granger. Are you alright?" He asked, not expecting an answer from the girl who continued to be silent towards him.

She simply nodded her head in response to his question.

Well, he thought, at least it's a start.

*Break*

"She wants to know more about her mother and is quickly growing angry with Dumbledore, My Lord."

"How do you know this?"

"She sought me out the night after you spoke with her to find more information on her mother."

"And?"

"I directed her to Minerva, just as you'd told me to. I do know they talked and that something was clearly said that started the girl on answers from Dumbledore."

"Did she find out about Bellatrix?"

"I do not believe so, I expect that she will soon find out given her reaction after the conversation with Minerva. I am hoping that I have instilled some trust in her that she will seek discussion with me when she learns of it."

"See that she finds out before the weeks closes. What else?"

"Draco seems to be slowly reaching out to her."

"Ah, tell me more."

"They had a meeting with the Headmaster, to remove them from their current houses and allow them to share quarters as Head Boy and Girl. It was pitched to them as an approach to inter house unity, but Hermione saw right through that. Following the meeting she had a magical outburst, although I'm not sure she realizes that's what it was. Draco came down right after her, heard the girl and went to help. They spent almost two hours hidden in the alcove. I could not see what was going on once Draco put up the spells but it was obvious they were there longer than needed to calm Hermione down."

"Interesting. I did not anticipate she would be open to Draco this early."

"Open to him, My Lord?"

"I hope that she may find comfort in him and possibly develop feelings for him. That will help when the time comes for her to choose where she stands."

"Yes, My Lord."

"And that old fool, he has fallen right into that trap. Removing her from her friends and placing her in seclusion with our young Malfoy."

"He has, My Lord. I will make sure to encourage the time they spend together as well."

"Perfect. Make sure the girl trusts you, Severus. I don't care how you do it but I need her to trust you, even about her feelings on sides."

"I will, My Lord." He said and then turned from the room and headed back to Hogwarts.

*Break*

"You must figure out how to tell her, Dumbledore."

"Not yet, Severus. We need to figure out how to tell her without it backfiring."

"It is going to backfire if she hears it from anyone other than you or Minerva and she can't tell her without you lifting the oath. She already doesn't trust you, tell her!"

"How do I explain that?"

You tell her and be honest. She is going to hate you but at least you'll have been honest with her and it will be controlled."

"I'm just not sure how to do it, Severus."

"It's time to live with the choice you made, Albus." Minerva snapped from her seat. "Severus, is right, she needs to hear it from us or else she will lose even more trust. There's no good way to tell her that you ordered it."

"It was war!"

"And a young child only trying to protect her sister was the target."

"It was not supposed to end the way it did."

"You knew exactly what they were going to do to her, that's why you sent the Prewett twins. Don't coat the story when you tell her Dumbledore or else it will be even worse than if someone else had told her."

"How do I explain?" He said quietly. Severus looked at the older man sitting at his desk, thinking just how old he looked now compared to just the year before.

"You ordered her sister be tortured for information and you allowed them to do it until she is certifiably insane. There is no good way to spin it. She was a young woman who had done nothing wrong, you were wrong and everyone else has had to live with your mistake; now it's time you. Did as well." She snapped before standing and leaving the office.

*Break*

"So how are you doing, with all of the information I mean?"

"I'm not sure. I have a lot of questions swimming in my head and I just can't process all of them."

"I can't imagine and it doesn't seem like your house mates are helping the transition."

"It's odd, it's showing me many of them in a different light. It's not as though I've changed."

He nodded his head acknowledging her. "Has this happened a lot?"

"Has what happened?"

"Your magical outbursts?"

"I don't know what you mean. You mean my panic attack?"

"If that's what you call it but it's a magical outburst. It tends to happen to children, when they're angry or overwhelmed, sad." He said trailing off.

"Oh, I didn't realize that's what that was. How can I stop it?"

"You don't, you learn to harness it like you have with your normal magic. It is odd that you're having that problem, the tracer hinders you some but not usually to this level."

"Well that's from the remainder of Dumbledore's binding spell."

"His WHAT?!" Draco said, a shocked expression lighting his face.

"Dumbledore placed multiple binding spells on me when I was younger. Professor Snape said that those spells never completely fall off until you come of age."

"That's…that's horrible. Those spells can strip someone of their magic if they aren't done correctly or left too long."

"Yes well, that was his point. He wanted me to be raised a muggle."

"I'm so sorry Hermione. No one deserves that, I'm not sure what he was thinking."

"It was for the 'greater good' according to him."

Draco snorted, "yeah, according to my father that's how Dumbledore covers up all of his heinous crimes."

"Like what?"

Draco's face dropped, a somber expression marring his face. "Dumbledore has done horrible things Hermione."

"Yes, but like what?"

"You've met my crazy Aunt, Bellatrix?

"Yes."

"She wasn't always like that according to my Mother."

"Yes, Voldemort," Hermione said, noticing Draco's slight twitch at the name, "told me I should ask Dumbledore about that. I meant to ask today and I just got so angry."

"Dumbledore ordered it. The group Dumbledore was running ordered her to be tortured for information."

"But why?"

"I don't know. I just know that they thought she would have information on something they wanted and so they sent the Prewett twins —"

"Molly Weasley's brothers?"

"Yes. Don't act so surprised Hermione, those men may have been painted as good men but they tortured her and left her for dead. My mother spent weeks nursing her back to health. Those men, they used every type of curse, raped her and caused her to lose her unborn child. It was horrible; my mother won't even talk about it anymore."

Hermione sat there in silence for a few moments. "I hate him."