After about 30 minutes everyone had eaten there fill, and conversed casually. Hermione had sat very still through half of the lunch, eating very little, but moving the food around on her plate. Draco noticed, but was talking Quidditch with harry. Severus and Ginny were talking about different types of plants, Severus offering his expert knowledge on some of the more exotic plants of that were brought up. Hermione having very little to add to the conversation, and feeling sick from the heaviness of the food, excused herself from the table and walked out of the room.
"Is she ok?" asked Snape
" Hermione is still adjusting, I'll go check on her, give me a few minutes and ill bring her back with me." said harry, getting up from the table.
The small group continued talking, as Harry made his way from the library, he heard Hermione crying. He didn't know what to expect, but put on his bravest face as he turned the knob to The Green Room.
"Hermione? Are you all right? You left the table so fast….may I come in?" he said, as he made his way to the bathroom door.
"it's open" he almost didn't hear. Taking in a deep breath, he opened the door, and let it out seeing Hermione was only curled in the corner of the room, no blood that he could tell.
"I'm sorry Harry, I think the wine is making my head fuzzy…..it tastes off." She said, as harry sat next to her.
"I'm sure it's your body just adjusting to processing it, you've done a great deal of harm to yourself, Hun, you realize that? Don't you?" he said soft, taking her hand in his.
"I know, I know every moment of every day Harry. But what else was I to do? I live between two worlds; both have unsafe places for me, both have caused me so much pain. The only difference the world I came from doesn't want me, and the one I live in wants to cast out and protect me from the other. I know you never knew your parents, but they died loving you. My parents…..they'll die fat, and alone wondering why no one is there to see them off." She put her head on Harrys shoulder "I wish I had parents that loved me. Not ones who left me alone, or abused their power. Just love, a home, a family, I wasn't ever meant for a family I guess." she finished talking, and sounding as if the words she had just spoken were draining her of her energy.
"I'm part of your, wizard world family, you have more people who love you then you might know and I'll always be here to protect you, just call for me, and I'll be there Hermione. I would never let anyone, even Draco hurt you. Your my….." just then harry started to cough, Hermione jumped up and got him a glass of water, once he had caught his breath again he continues "your my…best friend. Come let us talk with Snape, I think you need to hear what we have to say." Harry said, getting up, and extending his hand to Hermione.
"I feel sick, lunch was a bit too heavy. I think after we talk, I might need to lay down. I'm sorry if that cuts our visit short" she said as they left her room, and continued to the library.
"No, I think that's a great idea. After our chat, a nap might be more than perfect." He said as they entered the room. The Lunch table was gone; instead the large leather couches were back on their rugs near to the fire.
"Hermione, dear, please come sit here, in between Harry and I" Said snape, as they came to the circle of light from the fire. "Draco you can sit on the floor next to her, or on the other couch, it's really up to you, but Harry and I need the space closest to Her.'
Hermione was very confused, but did not question it.
'How should we do this?" asked harry
"I imagine just out with if….why sugar coat it?" Snape said
"Hermione, Severus and I have something very important to tell you." Harry started
"It's about your family" chimed in Snape
"Your parents to be exact" Harry continued
"oh no…has he found out where I am?" she asked in a panic, but the two men shook their heads.
"No, its has nothing to do with the man and woman named Granger." Said Snape. He pulled Harry down with him. And as he took her hand, harry took the other, now the three of them sat, bathed in warm afternoon firelight. Severus took a vial out of his pocket "this is truth draft, everyone has had a dose of it with lunch. I promise you, and we are under the effects of a very powerful draft, so you know we can't lie, we are speaking the truth."
"I know this is going to be hard to understand I only just found out myself a few days ago. But I know, our conversation as of now, will explain a lot about you." Said harry.
"first let me remind you of how much I loved Lily. She was my world. I had known her from a child, and say my childhood friend blossom. You know what happened at Hogwarts, different houses, different friends. Separate lives. Our friendship suffered. Or at least on the outside. We stayed in contact through the years, I told you how special her letters were to me." Snape said, as harry continued.
"the night before my parents were wed, my mother went to Snape, after fighting awful with James. That night…" harry paused and looked at Snape, who understood that harry couldn't tell this part of the story.
"Lily came to me, the only safe place to go, away from James, away from the world she knew. To escape. She loved James, but she also loved me. After a lot of fighting, and no one else to turn to, she came to me. I won't lie to you." He paused and laughed " well I guess I couldn't even if I wanted to, lily has been the only women I have ever loved. That night she shared my bed. Just one night with her…I won't be the old wizard in the pub who recalls old flames, but its a night I will never forget. For two reasons. That night I felt loved, no longer scared, or shy. It wasn't until a few weeks later that she came to me again. Bearing my child." snape finished.
"So, are you telling me that Harry is your son? But he looks just like James, is it a spell?" Hermione was confused, but harry continued.
"I asked the same thing, and no hun, Snape isn't my father, but he is the father of my half-sister." He finished, and took in a deep breath; they both looked into Hermione's eyes, as if by a spell, they could not move from the gaze. Hermione's heart was trembling like a little drum.
"Hermione Granger, you are not a muggle born, but the love child of Severus Snape, and Lily Evens." They both said as one. "Harry Potter's half-sister, and belong to our world by your birthright."
Hermione's eyes went wide, and then she fainted. This information was a game changer for sure.
"Well she asked if a nap would be alright after lunch, I wish she could have waited." Joked harry, as Draco picked her up, and brought her to her room, the small band followed, sitting down at her study table in the other room.
"I knew there was more to Lily and you, why didn't you tell me?" Draco asked Severus, as they placed Hermione on her bed, and covered her with a blanket.
"it wasn't possible, Dumbledore.." Snape started
"oh that man, why is it everything has to do with him?" asked Ginny, sounding very much like her mother, which made harry laugh to himself.
"Your all missing the point…Hermione has been living a false life, that man…that thing, is not her father. I will kill him, I promise you. For hurting her, he will die." Snape said, sitting down with the group
"what are we to do now?" asked Ginny "Hermione just found out a lot of information. …what I want to know, is harry is only 4 months younger than Hermione…. I know my birds and the bees….Snape could you enlighten us? Please?" she finished, as an elf brought a tray with tea a cookies.
"Sure, we went to Dumbledore, at the time, I was still double agent, if it were, so I trusted no other man. He knew that our child count not come to me, living with a death eater wasn't safe. Lily could never bring home a child that wasn't James's. We found a muggle family who had lost their child. Still-born. The wife went into a depression, and the husband seemed to drink. They understood what it meant to take this child. Dumbledore altered their memories so that the woman had given birth to twins, with only one still breathing. To have Hermione, we arranged for a weekend trip. Dumbledore worked a spell that allowed us to pass into the future, deliver the baby, and bring her back. It came at a great cost. For the child to know her birth parents she needed to be looking into the eyes of both parents. Mother and father."
Snape finished this part of his tale, and Ginny understood… "Harry ..Your eyes…that's how it worked?" she said.
"Yup, on the train, that's what Dumbledore wanted, to test if I was able to know. Once we found out I could know.." Harry was then cut off by Snape
"I could let my Baby know, that her father, her real father, loved her, and intends to see the man who has falsely been her father pay for what he has done." Snape have a tone that was sharp and very pointed. He was out for blood.
Draco sighed "we still don't know if it worked, yes she fainted, but it could also be a side effect of the spell not working." He said as he got up to stand next to the mantel, resting his elbow on the wood, then his head upon his arm… "I know you couldn't have told me this before….but I don't know if this news is good or bad for her. She thinks her father has been molesting her every night since she was 7! Her home life, if you can call it so, has been a prison. We already have uprooted her from that house, are trying to get her to eat, sleep, and not kill herself…and then you go and tell her that you gave her up to a monster? That you knew she was in pain…and did nothing! Am I the only one who sees that this might have just been the biggest setback to her healing" he finished without turning around.
The group continued in silence for a few moments. Until Ginny was too fidgety to sit any longer
"I'm going to lay next to her, even if I don't wake her up, my head is spinning from all of this, maybe dinner should be planed Draco, I don't think we will be leaving anytime soon. Sorry if that's a problem, but I think she needs us. all of us." she got out of her chair and started for the bedroom door, stopping, putting her hand on Snapes shoulder " give her some time, she already knows you care about her, but knowing that you are her father will need some getting used to." And with that she closed the door behind her.
Ginny kicked off her shoes near the rug by the end of Hermione's grand bed, Hermione had shifted since the boys laid her down, and Ginny could hear quiet sobbing.
"Hermione? I'm going to lay next to you, if that's ok. Like we do at my house, You know?" she said, in a quiet tone, getting into the bed. Hermione wiped her eyes, and flipped over to face her friend.
"does this change me, Gin?" she asked as a tear slid down her face over her nose. Ginny wiped it away.
"no, you're still you" she paused a moment and took an exaggerated look " yup, still you, still smart, still beautiful, still my best brined. Nothing could change that." She said wrapping her arm around her friend. She felt Hermione sobbing more.
Then quietly she heard Hermione whisper "I understand why I was given to the muggle family…but Snape…um…my father? He knew what was happening to me, or at least he knew I wasn't happy. Why did he let me stay there…why not tell me sooner?" Hermione was trying to wrap her head around it all.
"Severus didn't even know if he was able to tell you, while you were in here, he explained the magic surrounding your birth, from what I understood, when you were of age the plan was to tell you. But the spell needed you to be looking into both father, and your mothers eyes…" it clicked for Hermione
"so he needed to wait until the right moment to talk to harry? And if harry knew…then it would work on me?" she asked
"that's what I got out of it" Ginny said
"what does Draco think?"
"he's pretty upset with Snape to be honest, he thinks he should have claimed you years ago. He loves you, Draco. He wants to kill the muggle who's been hurting you. And he would do so, if you asked it of him."
"I don't think it's fair to kill such a man…he needs to suffer, yes, but a fast death is not suitable for him. Draco won't hurt him, I'll let the task-force deal with him, that's their job anyway. Draco's only job is to keep me safe, he already is doing that," Hermione said, sitting up, hugging her legs,
"So…you and I haven't had much gossip time lately…your always studying...so how is Draco taking care of you?" Ginny said with a smirk
"No gin, not like that. I mean….I've thought about it…but it's too soon…. I need to put the past behind me; but it's not easy, those feelings, having sexual feeling for someone, it doesn't seem right after being raped and abused. ….the thing that is torture should never bring pleasure…its complicated…what about you miss, I heard a rumor about you and harry sneaking off ?" Hermione said, trying to change to topic from her feelings to Ginny's, it works for the most part.
"some people cannot keep silent. Harry and I were just kissing one night alone In the common room. Ron came down, and you know how he gets so we stopped and tried talking to him. He was talking about this new girl he started talking to, and once he started to walk up stairs harry asked me if I wanted to go someplace private." She smiled "you already know it wasn't our first time, but harry still makes special nights…amazing, he had the room of requirement set up all romantic, roses, light music, chocolate, and omg the bed was divine. Your brother is something special."
"I remember a time when I used to say the same to you."
"Well no hun, my brother? He's an ass, you're with better. Ron took a trip last year, and after he came back hes been different."
"yeah I've noticed, but I figured It was him being a stubborn git. As much as I might have liked him years ago, he has a horrible personality, which is odd since you and I get along so well."
"never you worry, hes going to be sent away for Christmas morning, and we're all comeing here Christmas night."
"I guess I can tell everyone that night, I should go talk to Severus, and Draco. Its just strange…Gin would you give me a few mins, I want to wash my face….i'll be right out."
With that ginny left the room, as hermione went into the bathroom, locking the door.
Although she told Draco her kit was at school, part of it was in her toothbrush bag. enough supplies for one or two moments when the world was too much. This was one of those moments. She took out the blade, and the roll of gauze, setting it carfully on the sink. She looked into the mirror, and she saw bits of herself change. Her hair became slightly darker, but straighter, a slight body wave, her eyes, normally dark chocolate started to show specks of green, shading them in a mystic hazel color. as she looked carefully in the mirror, see noticed bits of snape, and lily looking back.
The reflection in the mirror was her own, but it was not powerful enough to stop her from marking. Taking in a breath of air, she placed the silver blade to her skin. She continued to do this, and her mind drifted away from her, until a knock on the door brought her back into reality.
"Hermione? You ok? You're taking a while.." said ginny, as she could hear Draco in the back ground
"What do you mean you let her in the bathroom alone? Are you crazy woman?", he went to open the door, Hermione looked down at her arm as she held it over the sink, the sight of the blood reminded her that she was dizzy. She had made a lot of marks, and blood was flowing in a steady like fashion, Draco unlocked the door, and told Ginny not to enter "Mia?" he said, before he saw
"I…um.i'm" she was having trouble talking, but he saw the blood, he grabbed for a towel, wet it with warm water and placed it on her arm, sitting her down on the floor of the bathroom "I didn't mean to….I….I. I'm sorry Draco" she said, in a strained voice as she sat there, letting him bandage her up.
"Draco, if I had known she was going to cut I would have stayed out side the door or something, she told me she wanted to wash her face." Said ginny, helping Draco by handing him some first aid supplies.
"I didn't mean to lie to you, I didn't know if I was or wasn't….then I just kind of started to" she said "I feel really dizzy Draco, i…I cant see straight."
"you've lost a lot of blood. I was wondering what was taking you so long. You've been in her almost 20 minutes" he said as he poured hydrogen peroxide on her arm, then putting gauze around her arm. " im not mad at you,"
"you should be I'm mad at myself, what if I had cut something worst? I am trying love, but today? Is a day I couldn't help"
Draco went to heal her arm with magic, but Severus stopped him "Allow me, please." He knelt down "after all, my secret is the cause of this today" he said as he took out his wand and moved it slowly above her arm.