A/N: Year two is almost finished. Please tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is welcome! Thank you so much for all your support.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
As soon - and Hermione realized this was a late reaction - as she saw something shift in the darkness of Salazar's mouth, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Her breathing was shaky and her whole body was trembling. The Basilisk was coming. It had obeyed her call. Hermione could no longer deny what she already knew. She was an Heir of Slytherin. She was the Heir of all four Houses. She was possibly Merlin's only Heir. The weight of this acceptance did not have time to fully crush her before she was distracted. Distracted by the wet, slightly warm and smooth thing brushing against her.
Hermione gasped when the Basilisk pushed against her more forcefully, like a cat begging for attention. Terrified, but unable to resist, Hermione raised her hand and placed it against the snake's body. The creature's body was much warmer than she had expected as it wrapped around her. In this position, she knew the snake wouldn't even need to look at her to kill her, it would just need to tighten its body around her and squeeze the life out of her. But something told her it wouldn't. She was almost starting to feel calm as it continued to move around her.
"Hello," Hermione spoke, hoping it was in clear parseltongue.
Hello, Ssslytherin. It replied, in a deep voice.
Oh, it's a male, Hermione thought to herself.
"Do you have a name?" She inquired.
Anguisss.
"How... original," Hermione said, shocked to hear sarcasm in her voice even in parseltongue.
My firssst Massster, Sssalazzzar, was not concccerned with originality. The Basilisk informed her, his tone neutral every time he spoke. It was as if he felt no emotions, or could, perhaps, not express them.
"I suppose it's convenient though, gets the message across," Hermione shrugged. "You're a snake, and Anguis is Latin for snake. As a basilisk, you cause a lot of anguish, which almost sounds like your Latin name," Hermione reflected. "Though anguish in Latin is angustia, which isn't the same thing at all. It just-" Hermione stopped, realizing she was rambling due to her nerves.
Yesss. Was all Anguis hissed, unfazed by her obvious unease.
Hermione could feel the scales under her fingers, caressing circles over the part of its body closest to her.
You may open your eyesss, Ssslytherin. I will not look at you. Anguis informed her. I will not harm my Massster.
Hesitating, Hermione carefully opened her eyes, keeping them staring downwards, at her hands. "You're a beautiful colour," Hermione heard herself saying, without thought.
The snake's body tensed and Hermione could feel it preen at her compliment. Finally, Hermione raised her gaze and noticed Anguis' head turned determinedly away from her. This caused some of the tension to leave Hermione's body.
What will you have of me, Massster? The snake questioned and Hermione for the first time in the conversation, heard intonation in the basilisk's voice.
Hermione licked her lips, readying herself for her request. "I need some of your poison."
Very well, Massster. Anguis agreed.
"Ah, um."
Though she knew he would obey her due to her status as Slytherin's Heir, she had still not expected it to be so easy.
Hastily, Hermione grabbed the large vial in her pocket and uncorked it with practiced ease. Anguis released her from his hold almost reluctantly and allowed her to step forward, being sure to keep her out of his line of sight.
You will have to ssshut your eyesss for thisss. I can not turn away from you when you faccce me. The creature informed her.
This time, Hermione was the reluctant one, closing her eyes after seeing Anguis open his large jaw and seeing his long white fangs. She waited for him to approach her when he told her to stay put but still jumped in surprise at the feeling of his warm breath washing over her. Reaching out her hand to guide herself Hermione stepped forward, searching for him. Hermione resisted the urge to run when her hand made contact with what she suspected was the area between his two nostrils. She knew her supposition was correct when she slid her hand lower and touched one of his fangs.
Carefully, she ran her hand all the way down to the tip of the largest one and placed her vial on the tip of it. "Okay, it's ready," she breathed.
Do not move. He told her.
Hermione barely inhaled oxygen while the vial collected his venom. She didn't even register when the snake slithered away, making sure to keep a part of his body still touching hers.
It isss done.
Hermione knew this was the signal for her to open her eyes and did so with less uncertainty than previously.
"Thank you. This will be very helpful," Hermione said, gratefully.
What isss it for? Anguis inquired, a weird sort of very brief purr escaping him when Hermione unconsciously moved her hand back onto his body and rubbed small circles on his skin.
Staring at the vial mesmerized, Hermione didn't think twice about answering. "I'm going to kill an enemy."
You do not need my venom for that. Give me hisss name and I will kill him.
"Really?" Hermione asked, surprised, not having considered this as an option.
An enemy of the Heir isss my enemy, it hasss been thisss way sssince my firssst Massster.
Feeling an odd desire to be honest with the Basilisk, Hermione admitted the truth. "That wouldn't work. He's also an Heir of Slytherin."
Hermione almost dropped the vial in shock, her other hand snapping off of the basilisk and slapping against her mouth in horror. "Oh Merlin!"
Would that idiotic slip of the tongue be the cause of her downfall? Anguis had said himself that he wouldn't harm his Master. But if another Master of his was threatened, if another Heir of Slytherin's was in peril... Would he turn against the threat?
That isss fine. Was all he said.
"What?" Hermione was extremely confused.
You are my Massster. I do asss you wisssh. Hermione could visualize Anguis shrugging. An illogical visualization indeed, seeing as he had no shoulders.
"Truly? You would kill him even though he was a Slytherin?"
Yesss. You are my Massster. He repeated, still in that toneless voice.
"What if he was your Master long before I ever became yours?" She demanded to know.
I can only have one Massster, no matter how many Heirsss exissst.
"But he already came to you before me. He was your previous Master," Hermione clarified, not certain he was understanding her correctly.
Anguis seemed to think over her words. You are referring to Tom Riddle.
"Yes," she agreed, despite his words being a statement and not a question.
He sssent me back to sssleep. He relinquissshed hisss hold asss my Massster by doing ssso. You are my Massster. I do asss you requessst.
"Fascinating... Does that mean that if I sent you back to sleep right now, I would no longer be your Master?"
Yesss. You would be giving up that title. You could only become my Massster again if you were the one to wake me up again.
"How... convenient for me," Hermione murmured, watching her fingers trail over the serpent's scales. "Oh, if Voldemort ever found out that someone like me stole his precious Basilisk! I would love to see his face when the time comes!" Hermione claimed, unable to stop a gleeful smile from breaking across her face at the thought.
"Anguis? Salazar Slytherin gave you a purpose, didn't he? He ordered you to fulfill a mission, yes?"
Yessss. Anguis said dragging it out, sounding as if he hadn't spoken but simply hissed his confirmation.
"And Tom Riddle? He awoke you from your slumber for you to carry it out as well?"
Yesss. The basilisk repeated.
"Would you still obey me if I told you to to go against both their orders?"
Anguis shifted under her hand, moving his head away from her to stare at the statue of his first master. But my only reassson of living isss to rid this placcce of Mudbloodsss.
"That cannot be true," Hermione shook her head.
Sssalazzzar nursssed me from the moment I hatched. He told me why I exisssted in thisss world.
"Salazar lied to you! He took you so you would complete his wishes after he could not, but you do not have to do it anymore, he is dead."
I am unsssure. Anguis informed her, his tone revealing nothing of his true feelings.
Hermione was quite glad that he was willing to express his emotions and thoughts aloud to her, otherwise she would have no idea how he was reacting to her words.
"You told me I am your only Master and that my wish was your command. I order you to not harm a single Witch or Wizard in this school, regardless of their bloodline," Hermione demanded, her voice trembling, every ounce of her fighting the need to give the order.
She truly did not want to be this creature's Master. He was alive, he had feelings and thoughts, and he should not have to obey her commands. But this matter was far too important. She had to put the safety of others before her hatred for slavery and anything close to it. If ordering Anguis to go against his instincts of killing was the only way to save people like her without killing Anguis, then she would do it.
Anguis was tense as he slithered away from her to the feet of his first Master. His movements now were far from the graceful ones of only moments ago.
I do not underssstand. Sssalazzzar told me all hisss Heirsss would want me to complete thisss misssssion and that it wasss the one I could not avoid.
"Salazar did not know what he was talking about. He didn't ever expect one of his Heirs to be like me," Hermione paused, staring at the snake. "You must understand, Anguis. I cannot let you kill Muggleborns. Tell me you will obey my one command. Swear to me you won't harm anyone, ever, unless I ask you to."
Why can I not do what I wasss meant to do?
"Anguis, there are so many things you can do. You can go outside, live in the Forest if you want. Only as long as you don't hunt Muggleborns. Please, I'm begging you," Hermione truly was begging now.
She had only known Anguis for a few hours but she knew that she wouldn't be able to kill him. He was a living creature. He was just following orders. The problem was, those just following orders could often be the worst kind. Hermione knew. She had been at the mercy of men just following orders. But they could also be lost, unsure and frightened. Just like Malfoy. Anguis was none of those things. He was simply misunderstood.
Pleassse? Anguis spoke. What isss thisss pleassse?
"Please? It's just a word, used in polite conversation. It's sometimes used to show urgency or emotion, like here. It's a way to convey how much I need you to accept my request," Hermione shrugged, closing her eyes when she saw him move. "I suppose, also, when using please, people are more disposed to accept what is being asked of them."
Anguis came back to her side, once again wrapping himself around her. When she felt him against her, Hermione opened her eyes knowing she was safe. What isss your name?
"Hermione Granger. People here call me Hermione Delacour, though."
Which do you prefer?
"I'm not sure," Hermione sighed. "Last year I probably would have said Granger. But now? I am very much a Delacour now. I love Guillaume, he's my brother. But I can't deny... I'm afraid that by giving up my original family name, Granger, I'm giving up my friends and family. Friends I've planned on saving and that will never remember me. Friends that are dead and that are disappearing more and more every minute I stay here. It makes me worried that..." She chewed her bottom lip but shook her head. "You can choose either one."
Hermione knew that her Harry and her Ron no longer existed and never would. She had accepted that. But she didn't want to forget them.
It ssseemsss you have a missssion to accomplisssh here. Hermione nodded. I will help you fulfill your purpossse and I will no longer hunt Mudbloodsss. From now on, I am yoursss, Hermione Granger.
"You chose Granger?" Hermione was slightly surprised, having thought he would opt for her name of this time-line.
Indeed. It isss ssso that, no matter what happensss to you, you will never forget your purpossse here.
Hermione almost wanted to cry. How could such a terrifying and cruel creature be so in tune with her thoughts and feelings? How could he be so kind? He truly was a misunderstood animal. Basilisks were carnivorous and could kill you with a glance, yes, but they didn't necessarily hunt humans. Basilisks killed humans, so it wasn't a good idea to go and cuddle with one if you came across one in the wild, but they weren't going to come after you just for the fun of it. Anguis only did so because he was told from birth that that was the only reason why he existed. He was brainwashed.
"You are an amazing creature, Anguis. Thank you for being willing to go against your original mission."
You are my Massster.
Obviously this was all he needed and this justified everything for him. "Still, thank you, Anguis. You might become a very useful ally in the War to come," Hermione paused, staring up at the face of Salazar. "You can go outside if you wish, but don't let yourself be seen, it could be dangerous. And don't go out during the full moons. Don't hurt anyone unless you absolutely have to."
When ssshould I return?
"Don't worry, Anguis. You don't have a curfew. Come back whenever you want. Come and go as you please."
Very well. Thank... you. His last words were slow, as if he was unused to speaking them.
Hermione Granger. He waited until he was certain to have her attention before continuing. If you call me, no matter where I am, I will anssswer. I will come. We are bonded. He reminded her, before disappearing inside one of the many pipe openings.
"Having a Basilisk as one of my allies will come in very handy, Salazar. I am much obliged for this opportunity," Hermione thanked, still staring at the marble face of the great Founder. "Though I'm sure you'd be most displeased," Hermione smirked. "Who would have thought? I'm confirming your worst fears. I'm a Muggleborn, I've stolen multiple Pureblood Magical Cores including your very own Magic and ruined your master plan with Anguis. Oh, you must be rolling around in your grave."
Hermione shook her head, stepping away towards the exit and pulling out her wand. She was going to need it to get out of here.
"Miss Delacour, am I correct?" A small voice said behind her.
Hermione stopped, smiling as she faced the pair behind her. "Oh, Regulus and Severus! What a surprise! Such a delight to see you here." She pushed her hair out of her face and tried to control her panting breaths. She had just been speed walking back to her dorm room, hoping to not get caught.
"What are you doing out at this hour?" Severus inquired.
"Ah well, you know, I was in need of fresh air," she replied with a jolly wave of her hand.
"Yes, because everyone goes looking for fresh air at three in the morning," Regulus commented, his tone dry.
"Hmmmmmm, everyone has their odd habits," Hermione breathed. "Though, I don't think you have much room to judge, you both are also out and about," she pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
"But you're a girl!" Regulus argued back, as if this made their situations incredibly different.
"And this is not the 19th century!" Hermione proclaimed, her voice sounding just as aghast as Regulus'.
"I think we can all agree, that none of us should be in the corridors at this hour, regardless of our gender," Severus interrupted, amused by the younger Black's old fashioned ideas. "I suggest we separate ways and forget those we crossed paths with."
Hermione nodded. "Yes, that sounds like a reasonable plan."
The witch was just about to go on her way when a thought tickled the back of her mind. She paused. "Regulus," she practically whispered.
The boys stopped moving, waiting for her to speak. Hermione was trying to make her brain work faster, she could see that the two boys were getting impatient. She noticed them debating the pros and cons of waiting for her to speak. But this was something Hermione had not thought of beforehand and she needed to see if over the years it would be viable. Finally, she decided she had nothing to loose.
"Regulus, I see you in the library often," she told him. "You as well, Severus," she added, dipping her head towards the other boy. "I was wondering if perhaps, one day, you would both like to join me at my table in the Library for a study session... from time to time."
The boys seemed confused by this sudden request but thought it over carefully nonetheless. Hermione Delacour was an excellent student and a Ravenclaw student. She was a Pureblood from a good, respectable family.
Both nodded. "Yes, one day a week we will join you," Severus answered, as a Slytherin he was not one to give half responses, filled with maybes and might-bes that could, at a later date, be misunderstood or manipulated.
Hermione grinned, wishing them a goodnight and heading to her room. Tonight had been a success. She had met and gained the loyalty of Anguis and she had contracted a studying routine with two very important Slytherins. As Hermione entered her dorm, she considered the fundamental changes she could make if she became friends with those two. It was a long plan. It was extremely long-term. She needed to be friends with Regulus in order to make some of her plans in the future simpler. And Severus. Well, her friendship with him was self-explanatory, really.
She would have to be patient. In a few years, if she was successful, she would reap the rewards. And hopefully she would be gaining two loyal and real friends that she could trust and that would trust her. And more important than all that, two people she could save.
"You're looking better, Hermione," Remus observed, taking a seat in front of Hermione at the back of the library.
"Yes, well, I was sick," Hermione replied with a careless wave of her hand.
"For over six months?" Remus questioned, his eyebrows raising.
"I was dealing with things, personal issues, Remus. All that's important is that I'm better!" Hermione practically snapped. "Did you notice my hair?"
Hermione flicked her hair, passing her hand under it and letting it fall over her shoulders. She was hoping he would let her change the subject so noticeably. The fact was Hermione didn't have the energy to tactfully and discreetly switch the topic of discussion. She was overwhelmed with school work, trying to catch up on all the work she had fallen behind on and though she was well rested now, she was worried she would not succeed in getting all Os at the final exams.
"Lovely," Remus agreed, deciding to let her be. "It looked quite close to a bird's nest these past few months. I was afraid you'd have to shave it all off."
"I thought so too! But my cousins, Clarice and Marine, they each sent me a bottle of some magical Delacour hair potion. They both mentioned my horrible hair from Christmas and commented on my complexion too, saying they would probably give me a skin Delacour potion over the summer. Apparently, if I stayed the way I was before, I'd be ruining the Delacour reputation of having beautiful females," Hermione sighed dramatically. "It's all very vain and narcissistic."
"Yeah, but does it really bother you?" Remus checked, a knowing smile gracing his lips.
"Normally, it would. But in the Delacour family, it's different. They're all gorgeous and intelligent. They're a perfect mix of the two. If I can even come close to any of them during my life, I'd feel like I truly belong in the Delacour family. I mean, Marine might become Wizarding France's Vice-President! That's an incredibly important role!"
"Hermione, I have no doubt that you could become Vice-President of Wizarding France if you wanted to," Remus told her with a grin.
Hermione gave a half shrug and smiled. "Anyway, the point is, if I want be a true Delacour lady, I have to look the part and that seems to involve a lot of care products, since Guillaume informed me they have mobilized two weeks of my summer holidays in order to introduce me with their "people", whatever that's supposed to mean. They plan to show me how to use all the products they'll provide me with."
"Mmm, sounds like you're going to have fun! Keep me up-to-date with the torture, will you?"
"Of course," Hermione scoffed. "You think I'm going to suffer alone? No, if I have to sit through hours of being picked and prodded, you're going to have to go through hours of reading my letters about it. And don't worry: my letters will be very detailed."
Remus chuckled. "I'll be looking forward to it."
Leaning back in his seat, Remus fiddled with the page corners of one of her books, staring behind her, at the door to the Library, that he could just barely see through all the shelves.
"Hermione?" Remus spoke as he noticed a long-haired blonde entering the Library, his smile fading a little.
"Yes?" Hermione murmured, struggling to take her eyes off of the book she had gone back to reading.
"Do you believe in the creatures Pandora always talks about?"
"Without a doubt," Hermione nodded, still not looking up. "Pandora knows more things than she lets on and it's always because of her creatures. They're special, hard to discover and, oddly, often invisible but they exist. I believe most of the creatures she talks about do, though I can't deny that there are some that might not exist. Still, after what I've seen, I'll always give her creatures the benefit of the doubt and I'll even believe they are real until I'm proven that they really are inexistent."
"Huh," Remus breathed, staring at the blond walking towards them.
"Hello," Pandora greeted, sitting next to Remus. "Are you both well?"
Yes and better, were the two replies she received. Pandora nodded. "Yes, I could tell. Especially you, Hermione! Your Bligmys are back and your aura is much brighter than before. Those can only be good signs. There's something about you, Hermione, it's like you're glowing. Something very good must have happened. Your aura is pulsing."
Hermione shot a pointed look at Remus as if to say 'See what I meant? She sounds crazy, but she knows things'. Remus smiled back at his friend's look.
"Say, Pandora, I was wondering if you have any books on the creatures you're always talking about?" He inquired, his expression shy.
"I have many! They're hard to find, but my family and I always look for them whenever there's a bookshop. Though they're all in my room..." Dora added the last comment sadly, seeming very disappointed by the fact that she couldn't help a curious soul straight away.
"That's alright, you can lend me one next time we see each other."
"It would be a pleasure! So many people ignore creatures like Nargles and such but they are extremely helpful when you know they exist and how to find them."
Suddenly, Pandora stood up. "Come with me, Remus! I just remembered that there are two books in the Library that cover some of more 'mythical' creatures."
Taking his hand she dragged him a few aisle's down and slid her other hand over the books, looking for the correct ones. "Ah! Here they are," she exclaimed, pulling them out. "They don't go into the deepest details but they give you a general idea on a number of creatures."
"Thank you, Dora... Might I ask if either of these books talk about Bligmys?"
"Oh," Pandora grimaced as she glanced around, almost awkwardly. "Remus, I'm not sure it's the best idea you find out more about those."
"I could have sworn a few minutes ago you were over the moon about me wanting to learn more about the creatures you always talk about."
"Well, yes, and I still am! It's just, I've been thinking it over and I think it'd be best if nobody knew about what Bligmys could mean. In fact, I even swore I wouldn't mention it in front of anyone else, except you, but that's only because I already mentioned them when you were around, so I couldn't change the fact that you knew about them. Though I was hoping you wouldn't ask about them."
Pandora was chewing her lower lip raw in unease and Remus quickly put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her. "I would never hurt Hermione. She's my sister."
"I know that Remus, of course I know! I've known since I first met you both! You're bound in a way few could understand. You're both marked by the same Alpha and I understand that that makes you unflinchingly loyal to one another. That's not the problem here, Remus. I'm worried about her safety. Few people believe in these creatures but if certain people found out about the Bligmys and what they meant, Hermione could be in incredible danger, even if it's just a possibility, rumour or hunch or whatever you want to call it. They wouldn't care, the reward of the possibility would be far too great to ignore."
Remus decided to ignore the fact that Pandora knew about his werewolf status. He was far from surprised. As Hermione had put it, Pandora simply knew things. There was no point fighting it. "Don't you see? If I understand, I could protect her, help her."
Pandora shook her head. "As much as we'd like to, we're just children, Remus. There's nothing we could do. We can't take this on."
"Hermione's taking it on, whatever 'it' is, and she's a child as well," Remus argued.
Pandora frowned. "I'm not sure about that. Have you never noticed how she is sometimes? How mature she almost always is? How she gets this far away look in her eyes sometimes? How we'll say or suggest something and she'll get this sort of odd look in her eyes, a look that suggests she's tired with life and that she's been through too much to be amused by the prospect of doing something 'naughty'? That's not how children are supposed to be, Remus."
"You've observed her well," Remus spoke, dryly.
"Remus, I just want you to be sure you understand. Do you really want to find out? Are you ready to take this on? You have a choice."
"You've taken this on," Remus threw back at her.
"Not really. I know the possibilities that the Bligmys suggest, but I haven't dug deeper. I haven't asked questions. And I know you well enough, Remus, to know that once you start you won't be satisfied until you have all the answers. But you have to be ready to face the realities of the answers, Remus, and you might not like what you discover."
Pandora sighed, fluffing her hair and tapping her index finger on the top book in Remus' hands. "Whatever you decide, your first answers are in this one."
Remus watched the blond leave, feeling the turmoil growing, his indecision and curiosity gripping him tightly. Stronger than those feelings though, was the fear. Pandora made him afraid of knowledge. He walked slowly back to the table he was sharing with Hermione, his heart pounding. He was scared of what he might discover. Did he really want to find out what Bligmys were right away?
He watched Hermione as she put down her quill, her concentration lost, her gaze stuck on the bright blue sky outside, her left index finger twirling a lock of hair. He watched as she got lost in thought and noticed the very look Pandora had just described take over her face. It was true, she wore that expression often. If you didn't know what it was, you could think she was just lost in a daydream. Remus shook his head. Yes, he was afraid of what answers he might find, but he needed to do it. He needed to know why Hermione had this look on her face. And he needed to help her get rid of it.
Without waiting another second, he opened the book and searched for the page referring to Bligmys. He found it easily and read the page slowly, taking care to read every detail. Surprised, he looked up again at Hermione, who had gone back to her book and stared at her, his mouth agape. Confused, Remus ran his finger over the page and scanned the words he had just re-read five times.
Bligmys are small invisible creatures that when seen resemble blue fire-flies.
They are believed to either exist in a parallel dimension to Wizards and Witches or simply live separately from one another, only ever being noticed when they form a flock. They are pulled together when they sense those touched by Eo Tempore. Yes, Pandora had told him about Eo Tempore.
Eo Tempore is the Latin term for Time. He knew enough Latin to already know this.
To be touched by Time is a very vague notion and idea. One cannot literally be touched by Time.
So many theories and hypothesizes followed, but Remus only concentrated on two of the most interesting ones in his opinion.
God of Time. Time-Travel.
Though Remus was trying to be open minded towards Pandora's creatures, a God of Time seemed a bit too far fetched in his opinion. That only left Time-Travel.
Time-Travel. The words were echoing in his mind as he went back to staring at Hermione. Time-Turners were still in their stage of infancy in this time period. But if Hermione came from the future, and he suspected she did due to her creepy ways of knowing everything. She was worse than Pandora in that aspect because Hermione actually knew whereas, Pandora, who, though she often knew as well, a more apt way to describe her was, suspecting. Yes, Remus had two very odd girl friends, one who knew and the other who suspected. He'd never get away with anything.
Remus shook his head. He was digressing. The point was he had just discovered one of his friends might be a Time-Traveler. He should be concentrating on how to prove or disprove this hypothesis. To do so, he needed to know more about Hermione and Time-Travel. He couldn't be obvious and just ask her right out. She would run away if he did it that way. He needed to be sly, discreet and cunning. Remus squared his shoulders. He could do this and forcing a grin on his face, Remus asked her about her family, his blood rushing through his ears, almost drowning out his own words.
"So, Hermione, you always talk about your brother, but what about the rest of your family?"
Hermione's body froze, her eyes snapping up to Remus, her expression suspicious. So much for tact, Remus thought as Hermione stared on. Rolling her eyes, Hermione realized she was being silly. This was Remus. He didn't have a hidden agenda. Still the question had been so random and sudden and his smile appeared forced. Hermione shook her head, he was probably just in need of conversation, bored.
And so Hermione talked and was truthful in her storytelling, only omitting unmentionable details but forgetting one very important detail. She spoke of her wonderful childhood. Her loving parents. Her obsession, even as a little girl, for reading and the enjoyment she took from surprising and frightening her parents with her Magic. Her amazing trips and adventures. And then, more somber, the murder of her parents. Moving in with Guillaume. The awe and wonder at discovering she was a witch. Discovering Hogwarts.
It was as she was explaining her feelings when coming to Hogwarts that something clicked with Remus. Though she had ordered her story correctly, there was one detail - a rather big one at that - that just didn't fit. Hermione was a Delacour. Remus remembered reading about the death of her parents, her Magical parents, in the Daily Prophet. Hermione was still chatting away as Remus got lost in his contemplations. In fact, thinking back, he couldn't remember Hermione being mentioned in the article.
Remus, these thoughts swimming in his mind, focused his gaze back on Hermione and frowned. Her parents that had been murdered were very much Magical, so why was she talking about Muggle parents? Exactly which parents was Hermione talking about?
He decided to ask. "Hermione? You're a Delacour, right? So how come your parents didn't know about Magic?"