Inside

Chapter Ten: Her Response

Hermione's POV

"A what?" I asked again, looking wide eyed at the thin book before me.

"A novel, Miss Granger." Severus went on as he stood before me, a humored (and loving) look in his eyes. "I couldn't help but notice your reading choices, all being that of History, Biography, Autobiography, Philosophy… not once have I seen you bury yourself in a book written purely for entertainment purposes."

"No, no I haven't." I said, baffled. "Books aren't supposed to be meaningless; they are supposed to be for knowledge and knowledge alone! Informational. Not… not, this." I said, picking up the book and looking down at it hopelessly.

I could tell he was suppressing a laugh as he went on. "I think, then, seeing your reaction to it, I have chosen this task wisely for your second session of detention."

"No, oh, God, no… please, not this… anything but this…"

"It has been settled, Miss Granger. Read the first seven chapters, including Prologue, and write me ten inches of parchment of what you have… absorbed."

"Ten!?" Ron bellowed. "That's not fair! Yesterday you gave Harry and me-"

"Silence, Mister Weasley," Severus said as he pulled his attention slowly from me and aimed it towards Ron. "As I have not yet given you your assignment, that was rather foolish of you, wasn't it?

"And so, seeing your sheer, utter, dislike of yesterday's sentence, today we ought to see what we can do to continue with that trend, shall we?" He stepped sideways from before me and made his way towards the back of the room, where Ron sat, seemingly nervous. "Though I must admit, Mister Weasley, I was surprised at how well you achieved your assignment… I can't help but wonder if you've been holding back on me this entire time…

"So after careful consideration, I have decided that today, instead of reading merely one chapter, you are to read two, chapters eleven and twelve, and write me not eighteen inches of parchment, but twenty-one." I heard Ron squeal out as Severus continued with humor in his voice. "Yes, I think that will work out quite well indeed.

"And you, Mister Potter, today I think we may continue with the same trend as Mister Weasley. Read chapters thirteen, fourteen and fifteen, and nineteen inches of parchment. You may begin."

The boys both groaned out with pain in their tones as they began flipping to their proper pages. I, however, merely looked down at the cover before me. A pale girl with platinum blond hair looking fearful from the attic window of a house colored grey, silver and red. The title was bold and printed in white: V.C. Andrews Flowers in the Attic

As I flipped open the front cover bright red filled my eyes as I began reading yet another bit written in white: 'Way upstairs there are four secrets hidden. Blond, beautiful, innocent little secrets- struggling to stay alive...

I moved my eyes away from the text to see the girl from the front cover still there, only now she was surrounded by what seemed to be an older brother, just as blond and pale, and two younger siblings, a girl and boy (all dressed in white). Behind them was what appeared to be a ghost of an old man with his hands outstretched towards them, though his eyes were intent on me and seemed to be murderous?

Righteous Anger . . .
Innocent Fear . . .

I jumped up as a sudden loud and persistent rapping sounded against the window, bringing me back to reality.

"What's this?" Severus said as he stood from behind his desk and headed towards the window with a both curious and irritable look about his face. "This better be impor-"

The owl, bearing a parchment envelope in its mouth, flew and landed right atop the book I was sentenced to read. It dropped the letter into my hands and I looked at my name written in the familiar handwriting of Narcissa.

"This is not a time for social calls, Miss Granger." Severus sighed as I looked back up at him, the owl flying away happily for delivering the letter correctly. "This is, as I have made clear, a time for punishment. I am sorry but I will have to hold onto that until after tonight is over. You may retrieve it from me tomorrow after class."

"I can't." I told him, sliding the letter safely into the inside pocket of my skirt, having sewn it there secretly.

"Beg pardon?" He asked with raised eyebrows as he moved his hands to rest in balls against his hips.

"You can't have it." I told him again.

"My office, Miss Granger. Now." He told me as I nodded and stood. "You two had better have read half of your assignment by the time I return. No talking, or I'll double both essays and readings."

"I'm sorry," I told him after he had entered the room behind me and closed the door securely. "I know this is detention, I didn't mean to get her response now. I sent her a letter earli-"

He silenced me by placing his forefinger against my lips. "It's alright." He told me softly. "Is this the matter concerning the news you told me of?" I nodded. "Then go on and open it, I don't want you to have to wait. Bust you mustn't make it look like you still have it as you leave my office. Take your time."

My dearest Hermione, I read after carefully opening the envelope and discarding of it on the table beside me,

Before I answer any of your questions I have to tell you that the mere sight of your handwriting alone brought tears to my eyes. It is so beautiful.

The reason I did not give you up to a magical family was because I didn't want anything traced back to me, or James, of what had happened. Adoption within magical families is much more complicated than that of muggles. I asked your parents to not tell you of your being adopted, I felt it would make you hate me fore giving you up, and I never wanted that. I knew that when the time was right, and when you were old enough, I would be able to tell you what really happened, and in my heart I knew you would understand and that you would not hate me.

As for telling Draco and Harry of this, I was hoping that we could do so together. And, saying that, I have been informed of what Draco did to you on the first day, and I can tell you with confidence that he will be punished for it. Regardless of you being my daughter or not, I did not raise my son to harm others, and I will make that very clear to him when I see him again.

Harry will not hate you. If anything, I believe that he will be in denial for a time. But, after he has thought about it, really thought, he will know what we tell him is the truth. Alcohol is not good, Hermione, I only hope you do not have to learn that the hard way as I did. No one should have to.

I am free to meet you any time of any day, and, being an alumni of Hogwarts, I know that Hogsmeade Village is not far from you. Please respond with a date, and time, and I will be there.

Love from,

-Narcissa Malfoy

P.S. I know that we shouldn't put off telling Draco or Harry about your relation, but I would love it if we would be able to meet once, or twice, alone before bringing others into it. Also, I have enclosed to you a gift. It is a gold ring bearing the image of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. I know she was a muggle, but during my time at Hogwarts I took a class about Muggle Studies, and she was one of the finest monarch's of English muggle history, and I couldn't help but remember her story all through my adulthood. What she did for her children, even in face of true love, is truly heroic. She is a role model of mine, of sorts. (I do hope it fits!)

I hope to hear from you soon.

I folded the letter up and reached back into the envelope and pulled out a small dark purple velvet bag, which I had overlooked before, containing the gold ring. I looked down upon it and smiled. It was very beautiful. I then slid it along my right index finger and filled with warmth inside, as it was both a perfect fit and a gift from my birth Mother.

"Thank you," I said softly as I peeled my eyes from my new shinning ring and looked up into Severus's eyes.

"You never need thank me for allowing you to do something so important to you, Hermione." He told me as he stepped towards me and cupped my face between his hands. "That ring is beautiful."

"Yes," I told him as I brought my hand back up to look at it once more. "Yes it is… my Mother bought it for me." I told him breathlessly, stepping back with my eyes diverted downwards. "My whole life I've been cocky enough to admit and tell people I know most of everything, which, as I grew older, I knew was far from the truth. And, quite the opposite I fear.

"Ever since I was little I knew there was something wrong, something that wasn't quite right." I went on as I looked back up at him. "I felt… different, out of place amongst my own family. If I were sad, it would rain, if I were happy the sun would always shine. And when I'd be drawing pictures of princesses or reading about The Sleeping Beauty or Snow White I'd look up and suddenly there would be a rainbow. If I was talking about a certain song as we were driving along in the car it would suddenly play from the radio.

"My parents would always look at me curiously, but dismiss these things. Saying it was always a coincidence, even as I would go running towards them calling out, 'Mummy! Daddy! Look, I made it rain!' Or, 'The princess in my book made a rainbow grow!' or, 'The man in the radio studio played the song for me!

"I just… I never connected the dots. And how could I? What reason would I ever have to make me think that my parent's weren't really mine? Or, more, to think that I wasn't theirs?

"I've always seen the good in everybody, no matter how much bad they have shown me. And all those times you have insulted Harry's Father, I have always been the one to calm him down afterwards and tell him that everyone sees people differently. That the James you remembered was exactly how you had described, but, isn't this time, now, the time to be mean? And stupid? And foolish? You never spoke with James Potter after school, I assume, so how could you possible know what kind of person he really was? Other than that which he showed you he was at school…

"How much I wish my thesis was correct." I said as I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around myself comfortingly.

I heard his steps before I felt his hands. "What you say is often true, don't doubt yourself. As I hardly am the person I was when I attended here as a student, as I am sure you will also change after you leave here."

I puckered my lips together tightly before going on. "He raped her." I admitted. "The man I always have defended… the man I never knew. Harry's Father… My Father… he raped her!"

"James?" He asked, stunned as he looked down at me with shocked eyes. "James Potter raped-?"

"My Mother," I inhaled, "Narcissa Malfoy. Yes, I am the half sister of both Harry and Draco. And the niggle of it all? Neither of them know! I am a pure blood witch! Brought into this world by a drunken and stupid man and a woman who could hardly defend herself! God!" I nearly screamed. "I am not even meant to be alive! And yet she… she… she wants nothing more than to meet me, to be with me again and to be able to hold me and hear my voice! Why? Why would she want to meet the one thing, the one reminder of what happened to her all of those years ago? I am nothing but a tragic reminder and an insignificant mistake! Why would she want to meet that?"

"Hermione," he said softly as he wrapped me up in his arms tightly; silent tears once again streaming down my face as the realization of it all hit me like a swift blow to the gut. Why would she want to meet me? The only reason I even exist is because she was raped, I am the product of her rape! The product of hate and anger and lust and desire and fear and pain and agony! "Don't ever say anything like that again, you are not insignificant. Nor are you a mistake, if you had never happened I would have never had that chance to feel what love was.

"Without you there would be no one to constantly butt in and speak out of turn about a recently asked question. And Mr. Weasley would be one friend short, as well as Mr. Potter. Though, you are his sister, I am sure he adm-"

"Why are you being like this?" I asked him. "My whole time I've been to this school you've been nothing but mean to me, and, well, I to you.

"I know I asked you this in the summer, but, I just… I don't think I understand anything anymore."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me beside him and placed me gently in his seat behind his desk and dropped down to both his knees, holding my hands in his. "Because I never knew who you were; I never knew how amazing of a person you were. I had always thought you to be irritatingly smart and unable to keep quiet… But as I stayed with you over the summer my eyes were opened to an entirely new you. I saw as we cooked together you could be funny, and silly, and still be a child. And when you were simply walking about the house, I saw how beautiful you had become; how simple and happy you could be by just glancing at a photograph.

"How you can be elegant, in everything you do. Even as you fell to the floor after I had spilled all that water, you did it with an elegance I have never before seen. And the way your breathing always changes with your emotions…

"So tell me, Hermione, how can something –someone, be such a mistake 'an insignificant mistake' if they are as perfect and flawless as you?" He asked me as I squeezed his hands with mine. "A person so caring and smart, so beautiful and patient, so understanding and… perfect.

"But most of all, because I love you."

I collapsed into his lap, my lips falling passionately on his.

TBC