It was a long walk back to Professor Dumbledore's office. He had requested that she read the letter in private, to ensure the secret stays as a secret. The last thing Dumbledore wanted was the news to become public knowledge. There were a lot of things in his past that he wasn't proud of, but keeping such an important secret from his most prized student was surely the worst. He felt horrible for doing it, and hoped that she would forgive him when she fully understood the situation.
The letter that Dumbledore had given Hermione was from her parents. Not the parents she was raised by, but her true parents. It was dated August 19th, 1981.
Our Dearest Hermione,
Happy Birthday! You are now 17 years old, and have developed into a beautiful young witch. No doubt you have realized, or have even been told by your teachers, that you are not the muggle-born witch you were raised as. We are regretfully sorry for this, but you must understand our position. You see, times are very bad in the wizarding world, Voldemort is at the height of his power, and each of us are extremely busy trying to keep the students at Hogwarts safe from him. This is why you have been living in the muggle community. We have decided that this will be the best way to keep you safe and out of harms way. It would be devastating for both of us if anything were to happen to our dearest child as a result of the Dark Lord. Please find it in your heart to forgive us, we really had no choice. Your muggle parents have the final say in revealing our identities, as this letter could find its way into the wrong hands and be used to harm you. Happy birthday, our sweet little girl.
Love always, your Mom and Dad.
Hermione was confused. "But Professor, it's not my birthday."
"Under the circumstances, my dear, your parents decided to let you read your letter early. To help you understand." Professor Dumbledore had a curious smile on his face, Hermione couldn't explain it, but it looked as if he was trying to tell her something. She dismissed the thought, and read the letter a second time.
There was a tap on the window, a large eagle owl sat perched on the window sill, holding a letter in its beak. Professor Dumbledore opened the window and took the letter, and closed the window. He walked slowly back to his desk examining the envelope, and finally, its contents.
"I'm sorry for cutting this meeting short, Miss Granger, but this letter has matters that are quite urgent. Perhaps Professor McGonagall can assist you further"
"Of course, Professor. Thank you for the letter" Hermione walked to the door, took another look at the headmaster who was reading the contents of his letter, and left the room.
"Oh dear," He said to himself. "This is really getting out of hand."
~*~
Hermione shared her letter with Harry and Ron, who combed over every word of it, trying to find deeper meaning. They read the letter countless times, until they decided it was best for Hermione to take the Headmasters advice, and talk to Professor McGonagall again. They also agreed it was best to wait a few days, after all, Hermione hadn't done her homework in over 2 weeks!
The next morning at breakfast, the owl post delivered its usual bundle of newspapers to Hermione's seat. Today, however, she also had a letter, addressed with a postage stamp. Of course it was from her parents, and she opened it immediately. As she read the letter, she became aware of two pairs of eyes watching her. From the teachers table, Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore were watching Hermione's reaction to the letter. She thought nothing of it, of course they were interested in what her parents were going to say. Her birth-parents had said they left the decision with her adopted parents about their identity, maybe that's why they were watching her so closely.
The letter didn't tell her anything she didn't know already, but it was nice to hear from them. Harry and Ron pointed out the looks the two teachers were now giving each other, as if they were greatly relieved by the contents of Hermione's letter.
As Hermione was packing up her things to leave the Great Hall, an eagle owl swooped down and dropped this weeks copy of Witch Weekly, a popular tabloid magazine, at Hermione's place. The headline, written in large flashing letters, along with the cover photo, made Hermione gasp with astonishment and then faint.
The letter that Dumbledore had given Hermione was from her parents. Not the parents she was raised by, but her true parents. It was dated August 19th, 1981.
Our Dearest Hermione,
Happy Birthday! You are now 17 years old, and have developed into a beautiful young witch. No doubt you have realized, or have even been told by your teachers, that you are not the muggle-born witch you were raised as. We are regretfully sorry for this, but you must understand our position. You see, times are very bad in the wizarding world, Voldemort is at the height of his power, and each of us are extremely busy trying to keep the students at Hogwarts safe from him. This is why you have been living in the muggle community. We have decided that this will be the best way to keep you safe and out of harms way. It would be devastating for both of us if anything were to happen to our dearest child as a result of the Dark Lord. Please find it in your heart to forgive us, we really had no choice. Your muggle parents have the final say in revealing our identities, as this letter could find its way into the wrong hands and be used to harm you. Happy birthday, our sweet little girl.
Love always, your Mom and Dad.
Hermione was confused. "But Professor, it's not my birthday."
"Under the circumstances, my dear, your parents decided to let you read your letter early. To help you understand." Professor Dumbledore had a curious smile on his face, Hermione couldn't explain it, but it looked as if he was trying to tell her something. She dismissed the thought, and read the letter a second time.
There was a tap on the window, a large eagle owl sat perched on the window sill, holding a letter in its beak. Professor Dumbledore opened the window and took the letter, and closed the window. He walked slowly back to his desk examining the envelope, and finally, its contents.
"I'm sorry for cutting this meeting short, Miss Granger, but this letter has matters that are quite urgent. Perhaps Professor McGonagall can assist you further"
"Of course, Professor. Thank you for the letter" Hermione walked to the door, took another look at the headmaster who was reading the contents of his letter, and left the room.
"Oh dear," He said to himself. "This is really getting out of hand."
~*~
Hermione shared her letter with Harry and Ron, who combed over every word of it, trying to find deeper meaning. They read the letter countless times, until they decided it was best for Hermione to take the Headmasters advice, and talk to Professor McGonagall again. They also agreed it was best to wait a few days, after all, Hermione hadn't done her homework in over 2 weeks!
The next morning at breakfast, the owl post delivered its usual bundle of newspapers to Hermione's seat. Today, however, she also had a letter, addressed with a postage stamp. Of course it was from her parents, and she opened it immediately. As she read the letter, she became aware of two pairs of eyes watching her. From the teachers table, Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore were watching Hermione's reaction to the letter. She thought nothing of it, of course they were interested in what her parents were going to say. Her birth-parents had said they left the decision with her adopted parents about their identity, maybe that's why they were watching her so closely.
The letter didn't tell her anything she didn't know already, but it was nice to hear from them. Harry and Ron pointed out the looks the two teachers were now giving each other, as if they were greatly relieved by the contents of Hermione's letter.
As Hermione was packing up her things to leave the Great Hall, an eagle owl swooped down and dropped this weeks copy of Witch Weekly, a popular tabloid magazine, at Hermione's place. The headline, written in large flashing letters, along with the cover photo, made Hermione gasp with astonishment and then faint.