AN
Wow! So many reviews for the last chapter! You guys are the best!
Just quickly, in the last chapter, I had Voldemort referring to Hermione as niece. I didn't realize that I would confuse people with this, so I am sorry about it. Here is a brief explanation. When I was growing up, I was always told to refer to my elders as 'Aunt' or 'Uncle'. Regardless of if they were or not, and in turn, I was always referred to as 'niece'. I don't know if other families had this kind of thing, but it has always stuck in my head. I will try and refrain from now on, but it it does happen again, that is why. The best way to look at it is that even though they are cousins of a sort, Voldemort was showing that he respected Hermione even though she was younger than he.
Other than that, I hope you like the next chapter! I only have one more backed up, work has been really busy. Where I work is a really small office of about 5 people, and the admin manager left. Until we get a new admin manager, I have to do my own job, and also hers. -bangs head into desk- it is really REALLY tiring.
Also, you can now find me on facebook! Just search Noctis Horrorem, and like the page. I will share update schedule for my ongoing stories, random funny memes I find, and just to casually chat!
Anyway, on to the story!


Hermione awoke Sunday morning feeling surprisingly refreshed. Saturday had been a very long day for her, and she had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

She decided to forgo her usual morning ritual of thinking over the previous day. Too much had happened. Some of which she would rather forget. As she was about to get out of the bed, the house elf Bobby popped into the room.

"Mistress has sent Bobby to serve breakfast to the young Miss again! What would you be having?" The elf asked enthusiastically.

"Just toast and jam please Bobby, if it isn't too much trouble." Hermione smiled shyly. It was still so strange being waited on.

The elf gave Hermione a strange look. "Is the little Miss sure that is all she would like? Mistress usually has egg white omelets with a coffee for her Sunday breakfast!"

Hermione shook he head slightly. This elf was incredibly pushy it seemed. "No thank you Bobby, toast would be fine thank you. On white bread if that is okay?"

With a resigned sigh Bobby the house elf nodded. "If that is truly what the Miss would like, then it will be no trouble getting it for her." With a final hopeful look as if waiting for Hermione to ask for more, the elf left.

Hermione propped herself up on the pillows. She hoped today would not be like yesterday. She wanted one stress free day before she went back to school.

Bobby reappeared with a tray piled high with soft toast and several jars of jam. "I hope Miss enjoys." The elf said solemnly.

Before the elf had a chance to leave, Hermione called out to it. "Bobby? Please wait a moment. Don't feel as if I don't appreciate what you have done just because I want toast. Honest. I just don't have much of an appetite in the mornings." She smiled softly at the elf.

"Okay Miss. If you means it." The elf's ears perked up slightly. "I hope Miss likes the toast, I was up early to bake to bake the bread! I's always the one who bakes the bread!"

Hermione shook her head as she smiled at the elf. It really was the sweetest thing. "I am sure I will, Bobby."

"The tray will vanish when you is done. Have a good day Miss." The elf was gone in a pop.

With another shake of her head, Hermione tucked into her breakfast.

As Hermione had hoped, the day was blessedly stress free. She spent the day wandering the grounds, and finishing up some last minute homework. Before she knew it, it was time for bed again.

The next day dawned bright and early. Without asking, Bobby had brought Hermione her preferred breakfast, and she ate as she made sure everything was packed. She decided to dress now in her school robes. She couldn't see Narcissa or Lucius Malfoy going through muggle London at all just to deposit her and Draco at Platform 9 1/3.

She shrunk her trunk down and placed it in the pocket of her school robes. She walked through the halls of the house. She had arranged to meet Draco in the Entrance Hall.

As predicted, he was waiting there for her. It was strange she realized. She had only seen him the other day, yet it seemed like weeks since they had last spoke. She gave him a shy smile. They had yet to discuss how their newfound friendship would play out at Hogwarts.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hi."

They stood in silence for a moment, neither sure how to start the conversation.

"So how are we-"

"What are we going to-"

They both stopped as they realized they had spoken together.

"After you." Draco gave her a grin.

"What are we going to do once we are at school? Do we keep on being friends? Do we pretend nothing has changed? Do we just ignore each other? I really don't want the whole school knowing what is going on until I am ready to tell people." Hermione blushed. "Please don't take that the wrong way."

Draco shrugged. "I can see your predicament. Why don't we just ignore each other in public? We can talk by owl, and of course, we can also meet up in secret. I'm sure the Wonder Twins never come see you in the Library."

"That could work, I suppose. But what if you are insulting them around me? I can't just ignore you doing that. I will stick up for them, regardless of if you are my friend now or not." Hermione wore a pained expression on her face. "It wouldn't be asking too much for you to just leave them be?"

Draco snorted. "As if! And it isn't like they don't start as many fights as I do. Look at it this way. If we fight and you intervene, I'll treat you like always so no one gets suspicious. Just don't take offence to anything I might say, alright?"

"That's fair." Hermione held out her hand. "Let's shake on it."

Draco took her hand and gave it a firm shake.

Right at that moment Narcissa waltzed into the Hall. "Come along now, the both of you. We shall apparate there. It will give you more time to settle in at school, before any of your friends arrive."

Without giving either of them a chance to protest, she grabbed both their wrists, and with a familiar tug, Hermione was sucked into the ether.

They arrived right outside the gates of Hogwarts. Hermione's heart filled with joy seeing her home. For at the end of the day, that's what it was now, home. She had no home so to speak with her parents now, and although technically she was the heir to the house on Grimmauld Place, it would always be Sirius' in her mind.

"Well if either of you need anything, send me an owl, I will send it to you as soon as I get a chance. I don't want to hear about either of you sneaking out past curfew." She turned to Hermione. "And no heroics. It is in your best interest if you stayed out of things for the moment."

She wrapped her arms around each of them, giving them both a kiss on the head. "Be good now." She smiled, and with a final wave, disapparated.

Draco groaned. "I hate it when Mother clucks all over me like that. I'm almost a legal adult. I don't need her telling me these things."

Hermione laughed. "I thought it was sweet. And it was so nice of her to take us directly to school. It beats the long ride on the Hogwarts Express." She affected a snobby voice. "We both know how you feel about public transport after all."

With another groan, Draco stalked up the path towards the school. "Well you coming Hermione? We might have all day, but if you just stand there, you won't get to see Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum before the hordes swarm them."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him before trailing behind him. As they got closer to the castle, Draco stopped. "If we are to keep up the charade of not being friends, I think perhaps we should go our separate ways. If you really want to make it interesting, we could hurl abuse at each other in the Entrance Hall." His eyes twinkled with mirth.

"How about no, Malfoy. How about we just act like mature adults and not be idiots." Hermione snapped. She had a sudden bad feeling. Maybe it was nerves. She wasn't sure. But something was telling her all was not right.

"Fine, whatever, Granger. If you wanna be a bitch all of a sudden, I might accidently call you Gaunt instead." Draco snapped back.

"No need to get so uptight. I just feel weird all of a sudden. You head off. I'll see you around." Hermione said absentmindedly as she looked around her surroundings. Something felt really off.

"See you later, then." Draco said as he walked away.

Taking a few steadying breaths, Hermione started to slowly walk again along the path.

Fifteen minutes later, Hermione was stepping through the huge main doors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Calm seemed to settle around her, yet there was still a niggling feeling in the pit of her stomach. Maybe it was just nerves. After everything that had happened over the last few days, it was only natural to be nervous. She straightened her shoulders and headed up the Grand Staircase towards Gryffindor tower. Even with how Harry and Ron had been treating her the last few months, she still missed them.

Finally she found herself in front the portrait of the Fat Lady. She muttered the password.

"You shouldn't be here yet, how do I know you are who you say you are?" The Fat Lady gave her a stern look.

"I was brought here by side along apparition. Please open, I just want to get settled down before the rest of the House come." Hermione's voice was tired.

"I cannot know if you are who you say you are. So why should I let you in?" The Fat Lady retorted.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I am a prefect, I scored perfect O.W.L.S last year, and I am best friends with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. My favorite classes are Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. Is there anything else?" Hermione snapped. It was just a bloody portrait. Why did it feel the need to question her? She had given the password.

"Fine, I will let you in. But I will be reporting to the Headmaster this!" The Fat Lady huffed as she stormed out of her painting and through the others along the wall. The portrait swung open.

Hermione stepped through the hole and let her eyes roam around the safe and familiar confines of the Gryffindor common room. All anxiety left her. She felt her shoulders relax, and let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She was home.

Neville was sat in a chair by the fire, his brows knit in concentration as he studied their potions textbook. Parvarti had stayed back as well it seemed, she was curled up on a far couch reading the latest Witch Weekly.

And right in the middle of the room sat Harry and Ron.

They hadn't noticed her entrance yet, and she was kind of glad as a sudden urge to surprise them overtook her. She bolted at them, wrapping one arm around Harry, the other around Ron. She had missed these two so much!

It took her a moment to realize they weren't returning her embrace. Moving back she looked them over with a critical eye.

"What wrong?" She asked.

Ron turned a bright red and looked away. Harry answered. "Hermione, where did you spend your holidays?"

It was the question she had been dreading. "With my family, why do you ask?"

"Which family?" Ron spat as he stood. "Did you let that evil basted brand you like he branded Malfoy?"

Hermione was aghast. How could they think so little of her? She felt tears well in her eyes. "What is the problem with both of you? I have done nothing wrong! Do you think I like that I am related to that murderous basted? Do you think I like having my life turned upside down? DO YOU THINK THIS ISN'T MESSING ME UP INSIDE?" She screamed the final sentence. She realized that those who were in the common room were staring at them. "DO YOU THINK THIS MAKES ME HAPPY?"

"Hermione, calm down!" Harry sputtered. Ron threw her a nasty look. "Hermione, please. You need to understand my position here. How can I trust you, knowing you will be spending time with that lot? They are Death Eaters! They are in Voldemort's inner circle. What if you accidently say something to them and it makes or breaks this War?" Harry was speaking to her as if she was a child.

"Mememememememe! That's all it is with you Harry! Guess what! You aren't the only one whose life isn't peachy right now." Hermione felt her face flush and tears fill her eyes. Turning on her heel, she stormed out of the common room.

Standing in the corridor, she turned in circles a few times, having no idea where to go. She started to walk towards the Library when she nearly ran headlong into Professor Dumbledore.

"Hermione. Come. We need to talk." The twinkle that was usually in his eye was gone, replaced with a solemn grimace.

She didn't say a word, and he clearly wasn't expecting one. She followed him in silence.

Eventually they were stood at the entrance to the office. "Sherbet." Dumbledore muttered, as the gargoyle moved to the side, granting them entrance.

Hermione stepped onto the revolving stairs behind the headmaster, her heart thumping in her chest.

The trip seemed to take forever. She was sure the headmaster could hear her heart racing. She tried to take a deep breath to calm herself, but it did nothing. Finally they reached the door.

With a flick of his wand, Albus Dumbledore opened the door and admitted them both to his office. It was only the second time Hermione had ever been inside, and even with her frantic thoughts she was still amazed at the beauty of the space.

"Take a seat, Ms. Gaunt." Dumbledore finally spoke as he himself settled into a large chair on the other side of his large, claw footed desk. "I believe you and I are long due a discussion."

Hermione slowly sunk into a high backed wooden chair on the other side of the desk. It barely registered with her that Dumbledore had referred to her as Gaunt not Granger.

"Hermione, how long have you known about your heritage?" Dumbledore asked softly, almost kindly. Yet the ever-present twinkle that was in his eyes was still gone.

"Since, well since just after school finished. My father… he told me." Hermione swallowed back her tears.

"You should never have been told, Hermione. It was in your best interest you didn't know. You must understand that. What happened at your stay at Malfoy Manor?" Dumbledore pushed. The bad feeling she had the moment she had set foot on the Hogwarts grounds returned. This conversation could go nowhere good.

"Why couldn't I have known? Do you really think I would join Him? I might be related to him, but that doesn't mean I believe what he does!" Hermione exclaimed, yet she remembered the experiment he had shown her and how she had felt. At least on Voldemort's part, it made sense. He was just using the preexisting prejudices of his followers to get his point across.

"Please understand, you knowing is a liability to our cause. You know too much of the inner workings of the Order. You know the location of our Headquarters. You know what makes Harry 'tick', as the muggles say. You know too much. If you go to Him, he would use any means he could to get that information from you. If not him, then the Malfoy's. They are dangerous Hermione." Dumbledore was growing red in the face. It was clear he was trying to keep his anger at bay. Why would he pretend to care about her and those in the Order, but get angry at the same time? It made no sense.

"Why couldn't I have known from the beginning though? Don't I have a right to know? These people are my family! My own father wants to kill me! Yet Narcissa Malfoy has been nothing but caring towards me! She held me as I sobbed, and she came to my defense when I needed it! Draco has taken everything in his stride to try and make me feel welcome, make me understand what the Hell is going on with me right now. Even Lucius bloody Malfoy has apologized! Yet not once, in the whole time I was a part of this world, has anyone ever tried to explain things to me, it's always been 'She is a muggleborn, she will learn with time.' Or 'It doesn't matter, most muggleborns don't even stay in our world.'." Hermione was breathless by the time she finished her tirade.

"You don't understand! If you go to him, he wins! Do you not see the part you play in this War? Do you not understand how much Harry and the Order need you? If we lose you, we are all doomed! Do you wish to see your friends and peers thrown into slavery or worse?" It was clear Dumbledore was losing control now. His whole body shook with rage. "If you go to them, everything we know is lost!"

"Why do you even expect children to fight in your War?" Hermione asked. This was something she was genuinely curious about. What madman wanted children to fight a war?

"Hermione, you are young. Of course you don't understand." Dumbledore shook his head, it seemed sad, yet he was still clearly furious.

"If I am too young, why should I fight in a war where all you seem to want are child soldiers? No. I can't do it." It was in that moment Hermione realized too that she would not commit to a cause she couldn't understand, and as she saw it, being forced into.

"You can't? Or you won't? There is a very big difference." The Headmaster's voice was level.

"I won't."

"Then Hermione, you leave me no choice. We can't do this without you. Harry needs your smarts to win this for us." Dumbledore pulled out his wand. "Imperius."