Snape's POV:
I looked at my watch for the three millionth time, 11:54. Less than ten minutes until Hermione knows about her life. Less than ten minutes until she will know she's a Snape. Less than a year until she'll hate my very existence. The bell rang for lunch but I quickly dismissed everyone not even bothering with the second year who almost hexed the window to bits. "Everyone's excused..." I motioned for everyone to leave. Once that clumsy second year gathered his partially burned book I locked up the room. I swept past everyone in my way not even bothering to stop a seventh year Hufflepuff and sixth year Gryffindor, who were swallowing each others face. Dumbledore's office door seemed as heavy as a dragon but I pushed my way through the doors and were confronted by Dumbledore and Hermione's adopted parents.
I froze. These were the people who raised Hermione. "Hello everyone..." I mumbled. The Granger's seemed like they were just hit with a bolt of lightening.
"Are you... H-H-Hermione's f-father?" Mrs. Granger stepped forward.
"...yes..." my voice was a whisper.
"I'm Jane. This is my husband Christopher"
"Hello..." I looked up "S-Severus..."
Silence crept over the room.
"Where is she?" Mr. Granger asked Dumbledore.
"I believe Minerva has her for her last class... she should be here any minute..." he said.
Silence once more...
This is uncomfortable... I thought....
Hermione's POV:
Harry, Ron and I were just about to leave McGonagall's Transfiguration class but she called me to stay back. Malfoy and the other Slytherin's all ooh-ed and said things like 'Mudblood's in trouble' in a singly tone. When the rest of the class left all I could think about was what I could've possible done wrong.
"Ms. Granger come with me." she said walking out the door, I didn't want to ask what it was about because her facial expression was a little scary. We rounded every corner until we were at Dumbledore's office. "Acid pops!" she said to the gargoyle, it nodded and let her in. "Wait here." She said.
I was scared as hell I've never been in Dumbledore's office before.
Was he going to ask about Harry's cloak?
My Polyjuice Potion from second year?
"Come on." McGonagall motioned for me to come in. I stepped forward and the staircase started spinning.
When it finally stopped spinning I saw my parents, Dumbledore, and Professor Snape all looking directly at me. "Mum? Dad?" I asked questionably "Professor? What's going on?"
"Ms. Granger. Please sit." Dumbledore summoned a chair for each of us. I sat between my mum and Professor Snape. "Do you know who this man is?" he gestured to my dad.
"Of course. He's my dad..." I laughed. Snape looked paler than usual.
"Do you know who this woman is?" he gestured to my mum.
"My mother... look professor not to sound rude or anything but what is the point of this?"
"You'll see. But you are wrong on both questions..." he said in a knowledgeable voice "They are not your parents..."
"Did you put Polyjuice on someone to make them look like my parent or something?" I was getting irritated. Dumbledore was about to say something but my mother gave him an 'I'll explain' look.
"Hermione... the thing is..." my dad held her hands "You're adopted..."
My breathing stopped "Wh-Wha? Wh-Wh-What?!"
"I worked for an orphanage when I was younger. One night you showed up at the doorstep. It wasn't long before you stole everyone's hearts, and eventually Chris and I fell in love with you..." she smiled tearfully "So we adopted you..."
I felt like I was punched in the stomach "Wh-Wh-Wh" I stammered "Th-Then wh-why are y-you h-h-here?" I turned to Snape.
"I'm your biological father...." my dad finally said something. "Here..." he handed me a piece of parchment "Read this..." my trembling hand gripped the parchment.
To anyone who is taking care of my daughter. My name is Severus Snape. This is my daughter, Hermione (Her-mai-o-nee). I'm sorry but I cannot let her stay with me, due to personal reasons. Her mother died earlier this day, because of me. Tell her adopted parents to fill out these requests.
tell her love here everyday.
hug her everyday
Expect a surprise when she turns 11-years-old
Severus Snape...
I looked at Snape "You... really wrote this...?"
"...yes..." he said his eyes were watery. I started crying also. I couldn't take it anymore. I ran away.
"Hermione!" I heard Snape call out, but I just kept running.
I didn't care where I was going but all I wanted to do was get out of there...
Snape's POV:
Hermione ran away, sobbing. All I wanted to do was comfort her like a father would usually do but Dumbledore just told me to let her be. I already knew where she was going. The main thing is that she knew the truth... I slumped back into the chair. I could still hear her sobs and footsteps.
"I don't know what to do..." I mumbled.
"I think you did the right thing..." I heard Jane say.
"Just give her some time Severus..." said Dumbledore "this is all very new to her. You may go..."
I kept my promise Eve... I thought to myself... Now she knows... now she's aware of the danger...
Hermione's POV:
I was buried deep in my pillows crying my eyes out. My box was right by bedside and suddenly it flew open.
An otter and a doe Patronus came out of the box. The otter spoke in a woman's voice "Hello Hermione. I am your mother..." She said "If these Patronus' are speaking to you this means you are finally old enough to understand..."
"We love you Hermione. But times are not well for us... and... just in case anything happens to us you'll know that we love you..." the doe had the same voice as Snape's
My mother's Patronus spoke again "Just know we are always watching over you, no matter how far we are just know this..."
"We'll always love you. No matter what happens..." they said together. The animals came very close to me and I touched them.
"Mum..." I pet the otter, the doe nudged me "D-Dad" I had the same Patronus as my mum's... they both nodded and were sucked back into the box. I quickly sat up and looked in the box and saw five vials of swirling smoke-looking liquid/ gas. One containing the doe and an otter running around in the sealed vial. A tiny stone cauldron spilled out of the box, I grabbed it but then it started growing to an enormous size.
"I see you understand now..." a voice said behind me. I whipped my head around and saw my d—Professor. I didn't answer, I turned around and buried my face back in the pillow.
"Hermione..." he said. I didn't answer.
"Hermione" I still didn't answer. I heard him laugh "You defiantly have your mother's stubbornness." He laughed but noticed the silence and cleared his throat.
"Why did you decide to tell me only now...?" I said quietly.
"What?" he came closer.
I snapped around "Why did you decide that only now you want to become a part of my life?!"
He looked like he was just slapped in the face "Because I couldn't risk loosing you like I lost your mother. I wanted to make sure you could take care of yourself incase something was to happen to me. I'd know you'll be safe..." he sat on my bed.
"Why'd you give me up?" my eyes were watering "My mother... Who killed her...?"
I knew this was going to come up sooner or later. "Your mother... was... murdered...by Voldemort himself..." he said slowly "After she was killed... I had the feeing they would come back... to get back at me..."
I was confused. "The other D-Death Eaters?"
"yes..." the mental wounds came back apparently, he cringed "They wanted me to come back to them, so I could help kill the Potter's. Sure I didn't like James and I could tolerate Lily but I would never kill them. One night they came for us—we were hiding also—and when they came... they showed no mercy. They broke into the house and when Evelyn—your mother—saw Bellatrix holding you..." he chuckled "She sent hexes at every part of her she could and not one hit you."
"My mother's name was Evelyn?" I asked myself.
"Yes..." he spaced out "You look just like her..."
I cried "I do...?" he nodded. I was now fully sobbing but he waved me a box of tissues out of the air. "But why did you give me up?"
He hesitated "Because I thought you would have an easier life if it wasn't constantly lived in fear. If you did stay with me, you would've been forced into the life of a Death Eater. That means murder, risking life and limb for a dark but powerful wizard." He paused "You would've ended up forced to marry another Death Eater, probably Draco. Then your children would be forced into the same life as you and the people before you. If you even dared to speak up at meetings, you'd surely be killed by over a dozen different people..."
Snape's POV:
Hermione was scared out of her mind, her eyes got really big. I looked in my box "Do you know what this means" I asked pointing to the lion and the snake.
"Is it yours and mum's houses when you came here?" I smiled.
"Yes... do you know what these are?" I held up the vials and pointed to the stone cauldron. She shook my head. "These are memories, and this is a pensive. They store memories which for some people help them reevaluate a situation. I want you to look at some memories I've placed in here so maybe you'll have a better understanding on the situation."
"O-Okay..." she stammered.
"Now some of these memories, you must remember. They are the past. This, this right now is the present." I was dad-teacher serious. I grabbed the first vial and dumped it in the pensive. It came down as smooth as thick honey.
"Hey... d-dad?" she mumbled, I turned to her. She hugged me suddenly. "I'm sorry..."
She took me off guard "It's okay Hermione... It's okay..." I pat and rubbed her back as she repeatedly said sorry.
She pulled away "I want to see the memories..."
"Do you want me to go with you?" I stood.
"No... I'm, I'm fine..." she walked over to the pensive and got sucked in.
"She'll know everything soon Eve..." I said to the silence around me...