DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter. If I do, Neville will be a part of the Golden Trio, not Ron. Draco will be a spy and a member of the Order. Hermione will be a Malfoy.
CHAPTER 11: The Other Hermione's Past
"Somebody must have
Sent you to me
What do I have
You could possibly need
All I can give is my guarantee
We'll be friends forever
I can't face the
Thought of you leaving
So take me along
I swear I'll be strong
If you take me
Wherever you go
I wanna learn the things
That you know
Now that you
Made me believe
I want you to take me
'Cause I long to be able
To see the things
That you see
know that whatever you do
I'll follow you."
-Take Me, I'll Follow You (Performed by Bobby Caldwell)-
Hermione froze at where she's standing, stared at Kingsley, not believing her ears. "I beg your pardon, Minister?" she asked in shock.
"Severus Snape left you everything... his house in Spinner's End, his vault in Gringotts, all of his personal possessions in Hogwarts from books to potions ingredients down to the cauldrons... even his unused house in London... everything. That's why I asked you to describe your relationship with him."
"But why would Professor Snape do that?" asked Draco furiously.
"We were never friends," she said, still confused and puzzled.
"I couldn't believe it at first, either, so I checked the testament if it's the true copy, his signature and the day it was written. Professor Snape made this will on September the nineteenth, year nineteen ninety-one and hadn't made any changes since then."
"My twelfth birthday," she muttered. "But he never spoke to me outside the class, except a few occasions during first year when he gave some sort of advice about my friendship with Draco," she said quietly.
"Some students said you're his favourite," added Kingsley.
"That's because Hermione's the best in Potions!" defended Draco. "She has never disappointed him with schoolwork. He always awarded her with house points."
"But these reasons aren't enough for him to leave me everything he has," she said, still confused. "Minister, are you sure that he left me everything? As far as I can remember, Mrs. Potter told me that she was best friends with Professor Snape. Harry even mentioned Professor Snape visiting them during the holidays." Then, she turned to Draco. "He was also friends with your father."
Draco nodded. "And my grandfather treats him like his own son. He has his own bedroom at the manor."
"Minister, are you really sure this document is authentic?" she asked again.
Kingsley nodded. "I also checked with the bank. Indeed, they have a copy of the document. Severus even left a duplicate of his vault key for you," Kingsley added.
"But why?" she asked.
"Perhaps," Draco began, "he wants you to do further studies, being his brightest student."
She shook her head. "But that's too much! Say you're right, but a certain amount would do. Why include two houses and the rest of his possessions?" she asked in confusion.
"I have no idea, Miss Granger. However, I think that your fiancé's parents have. They are, after all, Severus Snape's closest friends apart from Mrs. Potter." He began to stand up. "I will leave this document with you, Miss Granger. Please contact Goblin Ragnok as soon as possible; he handles Professor Snape's bank account. I will not deprive you further of quality time and rest. Have a good day, Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy."
"Have a good day, Minister," they said in unison.
When Kingsley left the room, Narcissa re-entered with worry on her beautiful face. "Are you two all right?"
Hermione shook her head and slumped on the chair beside Draco's bed. "I'm so confused, Cissy," she told the woman who kindly told her to call her by her first name when she accepted Draco's marriage proposal. "I hope you can help me."
Narcissa approached her. "What is it, darling?" she asked in her motherly tone.
She handed her the documents. Narcissa took them and read. "Oh, dear."
"Mother, do you know why?" asked Draco.
Hermione looked up to see Narcissa's response. She stared at Hermione, but not rudely. It was like, she was searching something on her face. It took her a moment before she finally spoke. "I think I do," she said with a sigh.
She frowned. "Why, Cissy?"
She smiled. "You look so much like the woman he loved."
She looked confused even more. "The woman everyone was talking about. What's she got to do with me?"
Mrs. Malfoy looked reluctant.
"Mother, please!" Draco pleaded.
"Love, please, don't stress yourself," Hermione said and came to his side.
"But it's bothering you," he told her. Then, he returned his gaze to his mother. "Mother?"
Narcissa Malfoy approached Hermione and took her hand. "I am not really sure how to tell you, but one thing is clear and I would like you to think this way: you are not that woman. We saw you grow up and we know that you are not her. Remember that, darling."
Hermione nodded, but did not say anything. She waited for her to continue.
Mrs. Malfoy (or Cissy, she kept on correcting herself) sighed. "Severus once fell in love with a woman named Jean Puckle, and she looked a lot like you."
She frowned. "My mother?" she asked with confusion. "But she's a Muggle!"
"I know, dear. But not your mother. Jean Puckle was a time-traveler, from our supposed to be future. Her real name was Hermione Granger and she saved the wizarding world from the then rising Dark Lord."
Hermione and Draco exchanged puzzled looks. She could see Draco's worried face. "But Mother, she wasn't my Hermione, right?" he asked, sounding very hopeful.
Cissy smiled at her only son tenderly. "She wasn't. She was from an alternate future; not our future."
Hermione's knees weakened and trembled. She felt so confused and at the same time, sorry for Professor Snape. "Was the other Hermione the reason why Professor Snape became sick? Because he used the Pensieve too much?"
Cissy nodded reluctantly. "He was hoping that the new Hermione would choose her again."
She shook her head violently. "I still don't understand. Why did she travel back?"
"Because her best friend, the other Harry Potter, died and dark wizards ruled," Cissy explained gently.
She met Cissy's blue eyes. "Did you meet her?"
Cissy nodded. "I met her briefly during my wedding. That was the first and last time."
"When you saw me... Did you also see her?" she asked reluctantly.
Cissy shook her head and reached for her hand. "No, darling. There were times when you remind me of her, but that's it. I see you as another person; another Hermione Granger, the daughter I never had."
Hermione couldn't stop herself anymore. She hugged the older witch who stood as her second mother for more than a decade.
.
"Are you all right?" she heard Draco ask that night when they were left alone. She was lying beside Draco but in another bed.
She turned to face him and smiled. "I am. Just... thinking."
"I feel jealous," he blurted.
She looked at him with worry. "Jealous of what?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Honestly, I don't know what I'm feeling right now. Insecurity, perhaps. I'm not used to this. We've been together for years without any complications; without anyone bothering us. Everyone knows you belong to me and I belong to you."
She cupped his cheek. "Nothing has to change," she told him sincerely. "I want to know about the other Hermione, but that's just it. I want to know what happened to her; the kind of life she had. But I am still the silly girl who loves you, even if you're a prat and the one you'll end up with. So bear with me."
Draco's eyes brimmed with tears and he pulled her close to him but careful not to move his bandaged legs and feet. "I love you. I can't lose you."
"I'm not going anywhere," she said with assurance and that was enough for Draco.
.
Days passed; Hermione focused on Draco and his therapy. Though she met with Goblin Ragnok to settle her inheritance, she do not have any intention to spend and use any of Professor Snape's money and property. She felt that she was not the rightful owner.
Meanwhile, Draco was getting better. He was very cooperative and that was one of the reasons why Hermione did not want to leave his side. They went back to Hogwarts to finish their seventh year and Draco continued his therapy sessions at the hospital wing. Nothing has changed. Hermione was still in love with him and she could not see any other man in her life than Draco.
She attended Professor Snape's memorial service with Draco and their friends and other classmates. It was held at the Hogwarts grounds, by the lake. People remembered him from being a young, brilliant and diligent student to being the youngest Potions Master in Britain. Mrs. Potter shared about her best friend's soft side; the side people don't really remember. Nobody spoke of the witch he only loved. Hermione guessed that they decided not to.
.
"I need to do something," she nervously said during breakfast in their kitchen. Draco held his fork in the air and stared at her anxiously.
"What is it?" he carefully asked, putting down the form and giving her his full attention.
Hermione fidgeted and clutched the hem of her shirt. "I want to end my curiosity and to understand why he left me everything. I want to watch his and the others' memories of the other Hermione," she said, looking down on her lap.
Draco sighed but Hermione did not take it negatively. "I'll watch them with you," he announced.
Hermione looked up and stared at her fiancé with a shocked expression. "You will?"
He smiled. "Of course. I'm curious, too. I also want to see the other Hermione," he said gently.
She smiled and squeezed his hand in appreciation, but her face fell upon realizing something. "But they all said he fell in love with her. They fell in love. What if, one of the scenes we're about to see were..." she trailed off, not knowing what else to say.
Draco squeezed her back and smiled. "I know who you are. You are not her and she was not my Hermione."
Hermione's eyes brimmed with tears and she stood up on her feet to throw herself on Draco. Draco hugged her back and kissed the crown of her head. "Told you, you're stuck with me and I'm not letting you go," he chuckled.
She chuckled as well and relaxed. She pulled away to meet his eyes. "I'm the luckiest witch on Earth for having you." And she initiated their passionate kiss which led them to Hermione's bedroom, the nearest from the kitchen.
.
Hermione and Draco walked hand-in-hand, following Professor Dumbledore in the Room of Requirement. They spent an hour in his office. He gave them a brief overview of how the other Hermione Granger arrived at Hogwarts in year 1976. No time-turner; just the Room of Requirement.
"She did not plan to go back in time. She asked Hogwarts for help and the Four Founders sent her back in time using another name and with several documents to prove that she was an Apprentice," Professor Dumbledore told them.
They finally entered the Room of Requirement. It was similar to Gryffindor common room, but there were portraits of the Four Founders. They were all sleeping soundly.
Professor Dumbledore looked around to face them. "I asked the Room to show you the life of the other Hermione Granger. The Room might change while you're here, so don't be surprised. If you wish to stop and leave the room, just say so and it will hear you. Furthermore, do not worry about the time. Lucius Malfoy spent a month in this room before but he was only gone for an hour."
Hermione and Draco nodded and thanked the headmaster. When Professor Dumbledore left, they looked around the room. They found some of the fake documents of Jean Puckle and her Apprentice record in America. They also found some journals, mainly about Potions ingredients.
Hermione sat on the couch. "Where should we start?' she asked.
Draco shrugged and came to her side. The room suddenly changed and transformed to a replica of the Hogsmeade village.
Hermione Granger was running for her life. She kept on looking back, checking if someone's behind her. Her traveling cloak was tattered and with stains of mud and blood. She quickly entered the Hogwarts iron gates and passed by Professor Flitwick who cast spells on the gates the moment she made it inside the grounds. Hagrid waved sadly, but she did not have any time to wave back. She ran towards the seventh floor corridor.
"I need to save them. I need to save him. I need to hide... Give me a place to hide. I need to save them," said Hermione as she paced back and forth in front of the blank wall. Suddenly, a pair of oak doors appeared.
Hermione and Draco were shocked to see the other Hermione. She looked so much like her. No. It's better to say that it was her, physically. The way the other Hermione moves and her facial expressions were very much like her, the present Hermione. The pair witnessed the tired witch study hard inside the Room of Requirement. They saw her cry for the friends she lost. The Room shifted and it became a replica of Hermione's room at the Granger residence in London, but a lot of things were different.
There was no trace of Draco Malfoy. The photos on the side table showed Hermione, Harry Potter and surprisingly, Ronald Weasley. There was another photo of what looked like the Dumbledore's Army but instead of the Slytherins, the Weasleys were there: Ronald, Ginny and the twins.
Hermione and Draco looked at each other in understanding. "In her world, we're not friends," she told him and he nodded crestfallen. Hermione took his hand and leaned her head on his shoulder.
Next, they saw the other Hermione went out of the Room, properly dressed and went to the headmaster's office.
"Greetings, Headmaster Dumbledore," greeted Hermione Granger with confidence and formality.
"Good afternoon, Miss. Do I know you?" asked the headmaster in confusion.
She smirked and reached for something in her pocket: a device which resembles to a Muggle lighter. "Do you recognize this?" she asked without smiling.
Professor Dumbledore's eyes twinkled when he saw it. "A deluminator, my own invention. Or, shall I say, I thought it was my own invention."
"This was your invention," she blurted. "But as you can see," she offered him the device and he took it, "it's old and battered."
Professor Dumbledore studied the deluminator and whispered, "Impossible." He looked up and stared at Hermione's honey eyes with disbelief.
Hermione handed her a Chocolate Frog card. It was Professor Dumbledore on the card, but his silver beard was longer and he looked older. The headmaster took the card silently.
Silence.
Nobody spoke for a moment. Until the headmaster let out a heavy sigh. "Miss, I do not know what year you came from, but we should not meddle with time. It is imperative. I do not want to hear about it and perhaps we can pretend that we never met."
Hermione stood up on her feet and looked at the headmaster sternly. "Before you tell me to go back to where- or when I belonged, let me tell you this: I did not come here by choice. I was looking for a place to hide from the people who killed my friend in Nineteen Ninety-Eight and I came to Hogwarts, ran to the seventh floor corridor. I asked for a place to hide and said that I should save my friends. The Room gave me the Room of the Four Founders and gave me everything I need to go by a different name. I left the Room after a month, only to learn that it is Nineteen Seventy-Six. Now, are you still going to ask me to leave, or are you going to hear me out?"
The headmaster paled and froze.
Draco chuckled. "Bossy little witch!" he said with a chuckle. "Even sacred the headmaster."
Hermione laughed as well. "That's how you make people listen in times of desperate needs," she smirked.
Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat and gave the witch a calmed expression. He motioned for her to sit down. Hermione raised her eyebrows but took her seat. "You have my full attention, Miss."
Hermione sat up straight. "My name is Hermione Granger, born on September the nineteenth, Nineteen Seventy-Nine. My parents were Muggle dentists but I got my Hogwarts letter in Nineteen Ninety-One and was sorted in Gryffindor. I became best friends with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. Harry Potter was the son of James Potter and Lily Evans, thus, making him a half-blood. He was a raven haired boy with bespectacled green eyes and a lightning bolt scar on her forehead."
"A lightning bolt scar?" asked Professor Dumbledore in a low voice, as if thinking deeply what was the cause.
"Yes," she replied and continued. "Harry was the only known survivor of the Killing Curse."
The headmaster frowned, but motioned for her to continue. "A dark wizard by the name of Tom Riddle Jr. became very powerful by creating six Horcruxes and named himself as Lord Voldemort. Surely you know who he is." Professor Dumbledore nodded. "Voldemort gathered pure-blood witches and wizards and created an organisation called 'Walpurgis Knights'. Their aim is to promote blood supremacy even though the bastard himself was a son of a Muggle," Hermione said in disgust.
"Anyway, they also wanted to wipe out all the Muggles and Muggle-borns. They started attacking Muggles- killing them, raping them... any kind of violence. They wanted to show the world how powerful they are. Then, there was a prophecy about the one who can vanquish the Dark Lord, born as the seventh month dies to those who thrice defied him. There were two infants who qualified: Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter. The bastard learned about it and targeted Harry simply because he was a half-blood like him. He killed James Potter first," she choked, but still continued.
Hermione was now crying silently in Draco's arms.
"He tried to kill the boy, but Lily Potter died protecting her son. The protection she gave Harry was the reason for Voldemort's downfall. He cast the Killing Curse on him, but it backfired, leaving Harry a scar. Voldemort disappeared, but not dead. He was just too weak and did not have his own body. He did not die because he had six Horcruxes. So Harry Potter became an orphan, grew up with his Muggle relatives but neglected. He was targeted by Voldemort for years using different forms. Later on, I will elaborate each of Harry's years. But then, you discovered his Horcruxes, but before destroying them all, you were... killed. The task of destroying the Horcruxes fell on Harry. Instead of going back for out seventh year, Harry, Ron and I went on the run to search for Voldemort's pieces of soul. We lived in a tent for nine months, was in hiding for ten months. No proper food. In May of Nineteen Ninety-Eight, we finally destroyed all of the Horcruxes and Voldemort was defeated by no other than Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. But many witches and wizards from our side died during the Battle of Hogwarts."
Professor Dumbledore was quiet the whole time, but obviously thinking deeply while listening to her. "You said that the Tom died; destroyed at last." He sounded like he wanted to hear more.
Hermione nodded. "Yes. For two months, Harry and I thought everything was all right, but then we learned that we were being betrayed by the Weasleys for years. We were fed with homemade sweets by Molly Weasley laced with love potion. Their youngest, Ginevra, and Harry fell in love. I thought I was in love with Ronald, too."
Draco made a disgusted expression and looked like he wanted to puke. "They haven't changed, have they?" she sneered.
"Good thing I got you first before Weasley could fool you. I'm your savior," he said in his usual arrogant manner.
"Did you also feed me with love potion?" she asked with raised eyebrows.
He smirked. "No, but I've got you under my spell."
"Why did they do it?" asked Professor Dumbledore.
"They wanted Harry for his money and fame. He was the only Potter heir and very rich. He was also the hero of the wizarding world. He was easy to manipulate because the Weasleys saved him from his awful relatives. They wanted me for Ronald because I was the brightest in our year; the brain of our group." Hermione replied nonchalantly.
"Please continue what happened," said Professor Dumbledore.
.
Hermione Granger sat on the chair beside the hospital bed where a dark-haired wizard was lying. She was crying silently, holding her best friend's hand. Harry had been unconscious for a week now and the Healers could not yet determine his illness. They only suspected that he was hit by an unknown spell, so he was placed in Spell Damage ward. Therefore, to say that she was surprised when Harry Potter opened his eyes was an understatement.
"Harry!" Hermione said in shock.
Harry raised his index finger and placed it on his lips, telling her to keep quiet. He pointed at her wand and the door. Hermione nodded and raised her wand to put wards and Silencing Charms. And then, he sat up like a healthy wizard and leaned his back on the headboard.
"Harry, what's the matter?" she asked.
"I faked my illness with the help of Hannah Abbott. I heard from Neville that she's now a trainee healer," he whispered. "She gave me a sleeping potion to bring you to me. She deactivated the potion once you got here alone."
"The Weasleys were always around. Hannah gave me a hint to visit you alone. But Harry, why?" she asked.
"Did you even wonder why Mrs. Weasley gave me special treatment? She used to give me jumpers every year and you get nothing, where in fact you are both Ron's and Ginny's best friends? Did you even wonder why you got confused with your feelings for Ron? Listen to me, Hermione and don't interrupt. In our first year until second year, I fancied you and Ron noticed. They started feeding us homemade cakes and pies laced with love potion in third year. Did you notice, when Ron abandoned us at the tent, we suddenly felt awkward hugging and touching each other and we almost kissed? Because our food was no more laced with the potion made by Mrs. Weasley. After the the battle, without eating anything for two days but the food offered by Aberforth Dumbledore, I got confused with my feelings for you. I thought I wanted Ginny, but my heart was yearning for you. Ginny noticed this, so they instantly dragged me to the Burrow. Again, I fell in love with her and instantly proposed."
"But Ron and I were not like that," Hermione replied.
"'Cause Ron was told by Percy not to settle for a Muggleborn," replied Harry. "Let me finish. After my proposal, Ginny allowed me to stay at Grimmauld Place because pure-blood tradition says that we should avoid any form of physical intimacy before the wedding. Again, I got confused when I was alone. I decided to make an unannounced trip at the Burrow three weeks before the wedding. I saw unfamiliar cloaked figures and I thought they were Death Eaters, so I used my cloak. I listened to them and heard everything I needed to know. I figured, the cloaked men were Aubrey's minions."
"Aubrey?" she asked and looked confused.
"Yes. Percy's fianceé," replied Harry. "She's evil, 'Mione. She fell in love with Percy and stole him from Penelope Clearwater when he turned his back against his family. They were there for each other. She's Voldemort's daughter and they were plotting to kill me after I wed Ginny. The Weasleys want me for money; Aubrey and Percy want me dead. You're no longer useful to Ron and they're also planning to kill you when I'm dead. That's why I contacted Hannah Abbott and we planned this sham together. I couldn't just invite you to Grimmauld Place and warn you. I also have to plan my next move, 'Mione."
"I don't understand, Harry. How come Aubrey is Voldemort's daughter?"
"She was born in Nineteen Seventy-Seven to Walburga Black and Tom Riddle. Sirius's mother, Walburga and Tom were secret lovers; they went to Hogwarts together. She was already in her fifties when she gave birth to Audrey, but there is no age limit for pregnancy for witches."
Hermione and Draco looked at each other and their eyes widened.
"How did Mrs. Black die?" she asked.
"Mother said it was due to depression," he replied.
She frowned. "She had a secret affair with Tom Riddle," she concluded.
"Of course," Hermione replied to Harry. "So what is she planning? Why did she not join his father's group?"
"Voldemort made sure that no one knows about her. She lived as Audrey Fawley, raised in Germany and home schooled. She was supposed to be the right hand of her father after the war, but they lost and we killed him. Now, he was furious with the Weasleys, except Percy, for helping Dumbledore and the Order. The day I went there, Aubrey was threatening to kill them if they don't kill me. She's more evil than her father, Hermione... and more powerful. She doesn't need to create a Horcrux to become immortal. She is already immortal because she was conceived when Voldemort already made his Horcruxes. I don't know how we'll finish her off."
Hermione was speechless; it looked like she was trying to absorb everything Harry told her.
"Don't you believe me?" Harry asked with a grimace.
"Of course, I do!" replied Hermione promptly. "I know that you will never lie to me about this matter because you, like me, want to live a normal life after Voldemort's downfall. Apparently, Fate do not agree."
"Yes," Harry said with a nod.
"Harry, what are we going to do? The Weasleys... I can't believe they've been betraying us by feeding us love potions," she said desperately, then she grimaced. "I'm glad that all Ronald got was just one kiss- during the final battle! Oh, Merlin! I could've had a traitor for a boyfriend! And who knows, I could've lost my virginity to that weasel!"
"I know! But we should think about those things later. We have to hide, 'Mione. We have to plan very carefully. But first, I would like to keep my godson safe. You need to warn Andromeda and give my invisibility cloak to Teddy. I also need to speak with a Gringott's Goblin to make sure my entire fortune goes to you and Teddy and nothing for the Weasleys. Help me, 'Mione," he pleaded.
She held Harry's hand. "Of course, Harry. We're in this together."
Hermione turned to Draco. "Teddy? His godfather is Harry," she said.
"But this time, he will have you as his godmother," said Draco. Edward 'Teddy' Lupin will be the name of the child Nymphadora was carrying and she was already on her ninth month, so anytime, she'll be giving birth. She assigned Hermione to be her son's godmother and Professor Lupin approved.
"Yeah, because Tonks thinks that I'll be a good role model," she boasted.
Draco faked a scowl. "My own cousin don't trust me with her son."
She laughed and noticed that the room changed. It was back to the common room type and food appeared on the coffee table. "Come on. I think it's time for a break."
Draco took her hand and yanked her to the couch, making her sit on his lap. "Honestly! We can't eat this way!" she complained, trying to get off his lap but Draco's hold tightened.
"Oh, I'm sure we can. Now, will you be a good fianceé and kiss me before we eat? You know that I like having desserts before meals."
She chuckled, but obliged. She kissed him passionately; kissed him with assurance; kissed him like telling him that he will not lose her, no matter what they discover about the other Hermione Granger's life.
.
A/N II: For those who read 'I Love You, Prof', now, you know! Yes, this is an unofficial/alternate sequel. I was focused on SS/HG pairing but then I found it hard to focus when I came across some DraMione fics. And to be honest, DraMione is easier to write.