GOLDEN ERA 04 | RESURFACING TRUTHS
- BLACK FAMILY CELESTIAL HALL
You could hear a pin drop in the silence that followed. Everyone in the room was looking at the Black matriarch with varying expressions of shock. Hermione's daughter stared at her in confusion. Nova's brothers stared at their mother in curiosity and awe. Sirius Black looked at his wife with a cautionary warning. Hermione Granger stared at her, ready to panic.
"Excuse us, children," Sirius said hastily, pulling his wife aside. He put a muffling charm around them to keep their discussion private. "Are you sure this is the right call?"
"I suppose we would've had to tell them eventually," Hermione admitted, though she certainly hadn't planned for this conversation quite so soon either. "Besides, Nova's clearly asking right now. If we wait to tell her and just feed her a lie, it'll only lead to resentment later."
"But she's eleven!"
Hermione smiled sadly. "Harry learned much more traumatic truths about himself at age eleven in my time."
"What about mini-you? Is she ready for this? She's only thirteen."
Hermione smirked this time. "When I was thirteen, I was already time traveling for my classes, and if I remember correctly, I saved a certain dog we both have in acquaintance. If she's anything like I was, she'll be able to handle it."
Even Sirius knew when he had to admit defeat. "I suppose. I guess I just didn't anticipate telling them. Why put that burden on them?"
"I thought the same thing about telling you the full extent of what happened when I first came back in time," Hermione pointed out. "That kind of high-handed call doesn't save anyone pain at the end of the day. It just causes miscommunication."
"How could this possibly hurt them?" Sirius asked in confusion.
"Other than the fact Nova already suspects something is off and denying it would destroy our trust? What if years from now, mini-me unsuspectingly falls in love with one of our children?"
Sirius's face twisted in distaste. "Oh 'Mione," he groaned. "That's like her dating her own kid. That's gross!"
"Exactly," she said pointedly. "Waiting to tell them means letting them form relationships on false premises which could come back to bite them in the arse."
"Fine, but you're going to have to be the one to tell them, kitten. This one's not on me."
"It's my story to tell," Hermione shrugged.
»»— ༓ —-««
Hermione figured she'd start from the beginning. When she led the entire family to the sitting area nearby, her young boys ran over as well, excited to hear the story. If she had to start from the beginning, her beginning placed her at her birth in 1979 to two muggle parents. While her kids looked confused, Granger sat there rigidly as Hermione Black essentially recounted a childhood parallel to her own. The first change did not come until she began talking about her Hogwarts experience.
"But mum," Nova interrupted in confusion. "There was never a troll break-in at Hogwarts- I think I'd hear about that!"
"There isn't in this timeline," her mother agreed. "I'm talking about my own childhood, love."
"Dangerous things happen to wizards who meddle with time," Granger spoke up abruptly. Hermione Black could see the trepidation in her gaze.
"I know, but it couldn't be helped," Hermione assured. "And things have actually turned out for the better, believe it or not."
The older witch decided to skim over the details of her Hogwarts adventures. Partly it was to be efficient with time- she'd just needed to establish that in her time, she was best friends with a Harry Potter who had lost his family and been marked as the Chosen One to take down Lord Voldemort. Hermione could tell from the widening of the children's eyes that they remembered the history lessons she and Sirius had raised them with. Granger also seemed to be very aware of the histories as she was nearly ripping her fingers out of their joints with anxious fidgeting. Hermione also noticed the sadness in her younger self's eyes when she mentioned the few specific bonding memories she had with her friends. For some reason, knowing a past her had such tight-knit friendships with housemates was a source of pain for Hermione Granger.
"In our seventh year, the three of us were on the run completing a very dangerous mission. But we were caught, and my friends were killed. And at that moment, something strange- something I honestly couldn't explain to you- happened that merged Harry's magic with mine. It was that violent merger that somehow sent me hurtling back through time."
"Where you met dad?" Leo Black asked curiously.
"Where I met your father," Hermione nodded. "I landed far enough back to be able to prevent the death of Harry's parents. And after that, the Order and I worked together to complete the mission we had over two decades into the future, which led to the early downfall of Voldemort in this current timeline."
"Wait," Caelum stopped her with a note of alarm. "So in your original timeline, we wouldn't have been born? Because dad wouldn't have met you, right?"
"That's right, son," Sirius nodded. "And I thank Merlin every day that she did get thrown back to me."
"Me too," Leo piped up gravely. "Thanks for making sure we exist, mum."
"Oh god," Nova groaned, seemingly in pain. She seemed to be the hardest pressed to process this out of all the siblings. She turned to Granger, assessing her with disbelief. "So half of me is my dad. And the other half of me is if you and Harry Potter had a child?"
Mini-Mione stared back at Nova as she processed the truth. Both girls shuddered in distaste.
"Wait!" Nova continued, her voice rising with every word. "So if you and Harry had kids in this timeline, they'd be like my half-sibling? This is so messed up."
"Does this mean you're also our mother?" Caelum asked curiously, assessing Mini-Mione with a sharp eye.
Hermione Black could see the questions begin to make her younger-self panic and hastened to interrupt her children's journey down the rabbit hole.
"Hermione Granger and I are no longer the same individual!" She reassured them. "We haven't been since I first got sent back in time. Remember I said my Harry's magic merged with mine? Well, that changed my magical core, which made me an entirely separate individual. And then the Dumbledores generously adopted me to provide me with their family protection, and that magical ceremony gave me traces of their magic. And your dad and I took very serious vows when we got married, which tied me to the Black family as well. So you see, magically speaking, we are not the same. Besides, Hermione's experiences at Hogwarts now are vastly different from my own, so it's not like she'll grow up the same way I did."
Mini-Mione winced ever so slightly towards the end, which no one picked up but Hermione herself. She'd been worried her younger self wouldn't acclimate to social life at Hogwarts as easily without near-death experiences to throw the lot of them together. Seems as though her suspicions were not unfounded.
"It's like squares and rectangles," Nova said with understanding dawing on her eyes. "Mum was once Hermione Granger, but Hermione Granger will never grow into mum."
"Exactly," Hermione smiled at her daughter with pride.
"None of this makes sense with the laws of time-travel," Mini-Mione shook her head in distress. "I've studied this extensively! You can't travel back more than a few hours, and anyone who knows anything about time travel knows not to interfere with the timeline!"
Hermione raised her eyebrow as Mini-Mione's voice escalated into frustration and a hint of anger.
"Those are the rules for time-turners, yes," Hermione nodded. "They exist to protect the integrity of time against people who voluntarily travel through time. But that's not what happened to me- I was forced back by volatile magic. And whether I directly changed things or not, it became clear that my very presence altered the progression of events that were meant to happen back then."
"And we wouldn't even be here if you hadn't!" Leo pointed out with annoyance. "And I quite prefer existing, thank you."
Mini-Mione deflated slightly, knowing that clinging to her theories and book knowledge would only get herself more alienated right now.
"Why do I feel a heaviness in my chest?" Regulus asked astutely, finally speaking up.
Sirius and Hermione glanced at each other knowingly.
"That's because of the Fidelius charm, buddy," Sirius spoke up. "It's a charm that's used to keep a secret. You see, if some people knew the truth about your mum's identity, they would try to hurt her or hurt Hermione Granger in an attempt to hurt your mum. People who weren't happy with how the war ended. So we use the charm to make sure anyone who knows about the truth can't accidentally tell another. Your mum is the secret keeper, so without her permission, none of you will be able to share the truth about what you've learned today."
"What about Harry?" Mini-Mione asked abruptly.
"What about our cousins and family friends?" Nova asked indignantly.
"It's sensitive information, sweetheart," Hermione told her. "The more people who know, the more it endangers Hermione and me. So as nice as it would be for them to know, it's not necessary."
"Right," Nova whispered, abashed.
"Besides, the charm is meant to protect you all as well," Sirius said sternly. "You now have dangerous and sensitive information. If an enemy tried to force the information out of you, this charm would protect that knowledge, thereby protecting you."
While Mini-Mione found this to be a daunting piece of information, all the Black kids straightened with pride as their father shared the potential for danger. Growing up with a father so high up and active in the auror office, they somewhat idolized his bravery.
"I don't have to travel back in time when I turn seventeen, do I?" Mini-Mione asked suddenly in alarm. "Isn't time a loop?"
Hermione grimaced. "Normally, I would say yes because I've also time-traveled using a time-turner. Time was very much a loop in that system. But in this case, no. I think I was more of an anomaly- a rip and alteration in the fabric space-time. Your future is completely your own, Hermione. You're not doomed to relive the tragedies of my past."
Hermione Granger was somewhat relieved by that reassurance because Hermione Black's past seemed dark and filled with loss. However, part of her mourned for the future full of friends she'd briefly glimpsed in her older self's memories only to have it ripped away. But that was never her life, she reminded herself firmly. She would not be so pathetic about her social shortcomings to go so far as to wish war upon their lives.
"Well," Nova drawled slowly. "I certainly never saw that one coming."
Hermione quirked her head at her daughter. "I thought you brought Hermione here convinced that something was going on?"
"Yeah- I thought she was your daughter or something, and maybe you'd given her up for adoption! How in the world was I supposed to just put together time-traveling mum?" Nova snorted ridiculously.
"Hold on," Sirius interrupted in concern. "You thought Hermione Granger was your mum's love child and brought her home with no warning? What if she was and I hadn't known?"
Nova winced sheepishly as she glanced at her father. "I didn't want mum to avoid or be able to escape the conversation."
Sirius's eyes tightened in displeasure. "We'll be talking about this young lady."
"Yes, dad," Nova drooped her head, properly chastised.
"I'd like to talk to Hermione alone, please," the Black matriarch announced to her family.
"BUT-" Nova began indignantly. A quick but stern glance from her father shut her right up. "Yes, mum..."
»»— ༓ —-««
Sirius escorted their kids out of the sitting room.
"Go ahead and wash up before dinner," Sirius told them. "We'll eat in the next hour or so, once your mum is done."
He watched as all of his kids scattered, ready to retreat to their private rooms and process what in the world had just happened.
"Not you, Nova," he quickly stopped his eldest.
The young switched grimaced, guiltily turning around to face her father.
Sirius was never the solemn one out of his friends and acquaintances. Not as a teenager- not even as a young adult. Even as a new auror, he used to be brash and impulsive, which was most definitely his worst fault. But he'd lived out his years in this timeline, and he was proud to admit that he'd "matured like a fine wine," in his wife's flattering words. And with this newfound maturity came responsibility.
"You know what you did today was not okay, by any means." He started firmly.
"Would you have ever told me otherwise?" Nova pressed stubbornly.
"I don't know," Sirius admitted. "But it is not your place to force it. Even if it was important for everyone to have this conversation, your complete lack of concern for everyone else's safety and needs is absolutely abhorrent! Your mother is traumatized by her past, and you didn't even stop to consider whether this might be hard for her- you just sprung it on her. Not to mention Hermione Granger. Did you bring her here as a friend? Because that is not what friends do. The poor girl had her life changed this afternoon, and not necessarily in a good way."
"Yes, dad..." she agreed despondently.
"I know Hermione's around for this week before you return to Hogwarts, but you're still grounded."
Nova's eyes flashed with annoyance. "BUT-"
"No, Nova! You could've done serious harm. We don't know how much of time travel rules apply to this situation because it was unique, but Hermione could have gone insane being faced with her older time-traveling self. You acted without regard to the people you may be hurting, focused on getting your answers. This wasn't about you, Nova, and you need to understand that. You're wildly intelligent, yes. But using that to disrespect and blindside people who care about you will not get you any points."
Nova blinked rapidly, her eyes filling with tears. She knew her stunt today had been a little bit not good. But seeing her dad lay it all out made her feel like a bloody awful person. She thought she was clever, but really she was just a git.
"I'm sorry," she whispered quietly, trying to keep her voice steady. She dropped her gaze, not wanted her father to see her cry.
Sirius sighed deeply, dropping down to engulf his daughter in a warm hug. He held her, smoothing his arm down her back until she calmed.
"It's okay, sweetheart. You probably get it from me- I was a right git back in the day. I once endangered my friends in a much more reckless way. But that doesn't make it okay to hurt people we care about as a means to an end. It just made me a git. And you are so much smarter than I could have ever hoped to be at your age, so I know you'll catch on a lot quicker than I did."
"Yes, dad," Nova responded, throwing her arms around her father. "I really am sorry. And I did want answers, but I really do like Granger. She felt familiar to me from the beginning... comforting almost."
»»— ༓ —-««
- SITTING ROOM
"Your family is very... blunt... and honest," Hermione Granger observed as they were left alone in silence.
"Yeah," Mrs. Black quirked a smile. "We wanted them to be very informed about the nuances of the war and the prejudices we fought against. But it unintentionally matured them a lot faster than most kids their age."
"Being disillusioned like that takes the magic away from things a bit," Hermione agreed knowingly. After all, she'd only recently learned how deeply pureblood prejudice still ran in their society.
"It does. But Sirius knew how important it was to my heritage to teach my kids this- especially because my muggleborne identity was buried under the Dumbledore name. And he wanted to reform the House of Black, so it worked out."
"Do I really get to lead my own life?" Hermione asked warily.
"Of course, you do Hermione, why would you think any differently?" Mrs. Black asked in sudden concern.
"Well... even if we're different magically, we essentially come from the same roots. I could tell- in the stories you told. I feel like anything I want to do, you'll just do sooner, faster, and better." The young witch sighed defeatedly.
Mrs. Black smiled at her comfortingly. "Not at all, sweetheart. It's true, we have similar interests and tendencies. But there were things I wanted to do as a child that I just never ended up pursuing. My life went down a different path, and now I'm doing different things and making use of these new opportunities. I have no doubt you'll find your place and make a profound impact on the wizarding world."
"I do," Hermione whispered fearfully. "I feel like I'm always catching up. I'm using a bloody time turner to learn as much as I possibly can-" The young witch clapped her hands to her mouth, realizing what she'd just let slip.
"It's alright," Mrs. Black reassured. "I used the time turner in my third year too. I remember feeling like I needed to absorb every piece of information to feel like I was enough for this world. A word of advice, though- don't sacrifice your sleep and time with friends to pursue subjects you might not even like. I'm you know by now how useless divination is."
"I don't have friends- not as you did," Hermione admitted sadly. "Not ones who'd give their lives for you and stick with you through thick and thin."
"My childhood..." Mrs. Black pondered carefully. "Was a complicated experience born out of need and shared experiences. While yes, I did have an incredibly close bond with Harry and Ron, that closeness was almost certainly secured by necessity. They use to be very childish- would ignore me for months over the pettiest things. We weren't perfect, but the situation was what it was."
"So you're saying I shouldn't try to pursue the life you had?"
"I'm saying, don't feel forced to make things fit that don't do so naturally."
"I'm afraid that still leaves me quite alone," Hermione admitted glumly.
"I don't know about that," Mrs. Black said with a twinkling smile that reminded Hermione a bit of Professor Dumbledore. She had to remind herself the two were not actually related, but perhaps her elder-self had picked up some of his mannerisms? "After all, it seems as though my daughter has adopted you."
Hermione recoiled. The little first year?
"I know," Mrs. Granger laughed. "She's a bit headstrong- a little like us, but mostly like her father. But regardless of how you came here today, you're more than welcome among our family, Hermione."
"Oh, I couldn't possibly impose," Hermione insisted quietly.
"In my time, I was practically adopted by the Weasley family," she told Hermione candidly. "Circumstances made it so that I grew very close with them- they were the closest magical support system that either Harry or I had. But that's not the case anymore. Now there's the Potters, the Prewetts, the Malfoys, us. Don't you see? If anything, you have more options now."
"You really did save a lot of lives, didn't you?" Hermione asked in awe.
Mrs. Black flushed. "I tried my best. But it was a team effort."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Black-"
"I would say call me Hermione," she said with a laugh. "But I fear that'd only be more confusing."
"I should probably head back now," Hermione insisted.
"Oh, but won't you stay? I assume you'd meant to be here until the end of holidays," Mrs. Black gestured to Hermione's trunk.
"Yes, but-"
"We'd love to have you. I think you'd love our library."
"... You have a library?"
Hermione Black smirked. Maybe she'd picked up a few things from her friends over the years.
»»— ༓ —-««