Chapter 37 – Answers, At Last

Hermione woke up in a cold sweat, lingering remnants of her nightmare visions still with her. She took several deep breaths to calm herself, and struggled to think straight.

She hadn't thought it was possible for things to get any more confusing than they already were, but she couldn't have been more wrong.

If I didn't know better, I would say they died! But how could they have escaped? And they saved Tyler, too, but how?

And the way they were acting…they were so different from when I met them! I mean, Nicholas actually displayed signs of emotion! And Lorraine was – frazzled, and inelegant, and nearly the complete opposite of the person I met.

Hermione decided that she was definitely going back to her parents' house this Christmas season, and this time, she was getting the answers she required if she had to force them to drink a gallon of Veritaserum.

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In Potions that day, Draco approached Hermione, at a table with Harry and Ron, before class, but he faltered when he saw the look on her face.

"Hermione? Are you all right?" he asked.

"It's nothing you did," a sleepy and stressed Hermione replied wearily.

"I don't remember asking that," teased Draco, but his face was serious. "I asked if you were all right."

"I'm okay," Hermione replied, but the tone of her voice said otherwise.

"What's bothering y--?" Draco was cut off by the entrance of Professor Snape.

"In your seat, Mr. Malfoy," he demanded. Draco briefly touched Hermione's shoulder, attempting to be comforting, then walked back to his place.

Hermione was in a daze while she did her best to procure a Dream Draught, her thoughts entirely occupied by her dream the previous night.

I think…if this whole thing is a puzzle, then I have almost all the pieces. I think…there's just one thing missing. One thing nagging at the back of my mind.

Hermione picked up a glass beaker and ladled some of the viscous silver potion into it.

If I can just…

And then, as if someone had whispered it into her ear, it came to her.

The stone room in the masion.

The cauldron.

The potion.

Hermione had known, even then, that she recognized it.

Polyjuice Potion!

The beaker slipped from her hands and shattered.

"Clean it up, Granger!" barked Snape, but Hermione was already running from the room.

For now she knew…

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Draco's head whipped around when he heard the beaker smash, and he was just in time to see Hermione run away. Without offering any explanation, he rose from his seat and followed; Harry and Ron just beat him out the door. Snape yelled at all of them, but they payed no heed.

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That was it.

No wonder it had appeared in her dream as though her parents had died…

Because they had.

The real Lorraine and Nicholas had been killed, and Tyler had been stolen from them, in hopes that a Maguson child could be raised to use his powers to serve the Dark Lord.

That's why there was so much pressure on him. That's why they didn't know me, because they had no idea I existed. That's why they were acting like two different people…because they were.

And it could only have been Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange. It would have been a simple matter to cut some hair off her parent's corpses, and only one strand could make a week's supply of Polyjuice Potion.

They killed my parents!

There was one more thing…

The vision in the library! I thought Bellatrix was talking about Harry… 'the boy is useless, but he has a sister' she said. But she was talking about me and Tyler! And if they think they have me already…

…then they won't need Tyler.

They'll kill him!

But…not if I get there first!

After speeding through a maze of corridors, she had finally reached her destination: the broom shed. She whipped out her wand to unlock the door, then wrenched it open.

Harry, Ron, and Draco finally caught up to her then.

"Hermione!" gasped Harry, clutching his sides. "What the hell are you doing?"

"What's wrong?" Draco demanded urgently.

Without warning, Hermione broke down and sobbed.

The three boys stood there for a minute.

Ron looked at Draco.

"Well," he said. "hug her, you idiot! Isn't that your job now?"

Draco complied, letting Hermione exhaust her supply of tears on his shoulder. Taking in a shuddering breath, she then told her friends everything.

They all listened raptly, even Draco, who knew about the 'adopted' bit, and all three of their jaws were practically on the ground by the time she was finished.

"God, Hermione…" said Draco.

"Why the hell didn't you say anything?" demanded Ron.

"Because—I don't know…I think it was because I'm so used to having the answers, and I was too embarrassed to tell you, because I didn't know anything."

"We would've helped you, dummy," said Ron.

"I know, I know. But I was just so confused…I'm sorry for hiding it."

"It's okay," said Ron hurriedly, for Hermione looked as though she may cry again. "No one's mad at you."

Harry suddenly went pale. "Uh—Hermione?"

"What?"

Harry pointed.

Hermione's eyes followed the path of his finger, and they widened in horror when they reached what lay at the end: the terrified face of Tyler.