Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter series, nor do I make money from my work with the characters.
Thank you so much for all of the comments! It was definitely motivating!
I've made a Spotify playlist that I listen to while working on this story. It's a lot of 90s music that I think Hermione would have liked. I'm sure I will add to it as I write.
playlist/605UT9jjOqVaCZk3v3JLZb?
Chapter Two: Answers and ConfrontationsHermione looked up at Harry and smiled. "Hey, Mi. How are you coping with everything?" Harry said, checking her over for her usual signs of distress and finding none. He moved to sit with her, and took her dainty hand in his own, rubbing small circles on the back with his thumb.
"Surprisingly well, all things considered," Hermione took a deep breath. "Harry, when that magic was released, it felt like puzzle pieces were sliding into place. I felt so comforted and welcome. It was like it was waiting for me." She looked at Harry and smiled, then gestured to her appearance. "Do you know my hair never made any kind of sense to me? I tried all kinds of products, and hair charms at Hogwarts and nothing would really work for my hair. The Sleekeazys would sort of work, but the amount I had to use was ridiculous. Lavender helped me with my hair once and was astonished. I wonder if it had something to do with how the glamour was crafted. She touched her glossy black curls. "Is this freaking you out? Because I like it."
Harry reached out to touch one of the spirals, and rubbed it between his fingers. "You know, I like it, everything seems to suit you. Your face is exactly the same, just your eyes and hair are different. But I do think I will miss your old hair. It did the most amazing thing when you were angry. But maybe that's hereditary and your new hair will crackle too. Either way, you're beautiful, always have been."
"Harry James." Hermione whispered, her cheeks blushing pink. "That's an awfully sweet thing to say." She looked up at him through her dark lashes.
"It's only the truth. I've always thought you were lovely, Mi." Harry took a fortifying breath before continuing on. "I've had the biggest crush on you for years, but we've always been best friends and I didn't want to lose that." He brought his hand up to cup her cheek, gently smoothing across her cheekbone with his thumb. "I don't think I could bear to lose you, Hermione." Hermione met his gaze and his eyes glanced down to her lips, the corner of her bottom lip caught in her teeth. He chuckled, "Mi, if you keep biting your lip like that…" She closed the gap between them and pressed her soft lips against his. Harry groaned and swept his tongue against her bottom lip. As she gasped, Harry deepened the kiss, hearing the sweetest little sighing moan escape her mouth. He resolved to help her make that sound as often as possible, and her hands snaked around his neck, playing with the hair on the back of his head. Her tongue swept across his, and he felt his eyes roll back in his head behind his closed eyelids. She tasted like strawberries and mint. He couldn't get enough of her, and he slanted his lips over hers to taste her again.
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Sirius made his way to the library, readying himself for the change that will come with the trip to Gringotts. Opening the door, Harry and Hermione sprang apart from a kiss. If you had asked Sirius how he would have felt about this development just yesterday, he would have been thrilled for the Prongslet. He had finally made his move! But now, knowing what he knew, a strange protectiveness for Hermione flowed through him.
"Harry, what's going on here?" Sirius stood by the door, glaring at Harry. Harry had the grace to look a little bit ashamed, but Hermione looked shocked and a little angry with him. Indignant? Maybe that was the right word for the look on her face.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you think is going on, Sirius? Only you interrupting our first kiss." Hermione watched Sirius' face register several emotions, but fear was dominant. She smirked at him as she walked over, giving him a brief hug. "I'm almost 18, Sirius. We were just kissing, and you know Harry is an honorable man. Calm down."
Sirius had to admit she had a point. It was just a kiss. She was of age. Hermione was the most sensible witch he knew, besides Amelia. He had no leg of righteous indignation to stand on, especially since he just found out he was her father. "Sorry, Kitten. I just know how boys think."
She laughed a little. "And I know how Harry thinks. Go easy on him, even with all of this brand new father magic coursing through your veins." He looked at her in surprise. "Yes, I can feel it too. Familial magic really is something, huh?" She gave Sirius another hug. "Thanks for worrying." Hermione settled back down next to Harry, reaching for his hand. "What's up? Something is going on, right?"
Sirius huffed and narrowed his eyes at Hermione. "I can't decide if parenting you through your childhood would have been delightful or maddening. You are too intuitive for your own good, and we would never have been able to get anything past you." Hermione smirked at him. "Stop that!" Sirius pointed at Hermione. "You're reminding me of me and it's freaking me out!" Harry and Hermione laughed at him, and he shook his head and continued on. "Yes, of course, something is going on. We need to go to Gringotts to confirm what the magic is telling us. They will do a blood inheritance test, which will begin the process of making things legal in the wizarding world, and I want you and Amelia to also go through a full diagnostic work up to see what sort of mind magic has been used on you."
"I didn't know the bank did more than, well, banking." She leaned forward. "What else do the goblins do? I feel like all we ever learned about was goblin rebellions and the bank. Why do we only ever learn about the Goblin Wars if the goblins are so magically powerful, and clever and trustworthy with money? It's quite the dichotomy of thinking."
"Oh they are very powerful. Magically and politically. I wonder if that's the reason we only learned about the rebellions in school. It keeps the mundane born wary of them, and less likely to advocate for them like one might do for house elves." He grinned in Hermione's direction, while she glared back. "I'm just teasing. You didn't know about the bonds until Harry told you. In all seriousness, they are fierce, but know so much more about magic than we learn as humans. They've been magical much longer than humans have, so they have amassed more knowledge. We are lucky they are willing to share that knowledge with us, for a price, of course. I'm sure we can find you some books that have a more complete history in them. Between the Black and Potter libraries, we will have you reading for a week." Hermione was almost vibrating with the excitement of learning about a new subject. He chuckled at her predictable reaction. "Actually, I should get you a book about customs and culture before we go." Sirius walked to a bookshelf and pulled out a slim tome before handing it to Hermione. "Here, read this. It should keep you absorbed for a whole 45 minutes before we have to leave. James has already contacted the bank, and we have an appointment. I will leave you to that." He smiled at Hermione, his daughter, before looking at his godson. "Harry, walk with me?" He gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek and followed his godfather out of the library.
Sirius walked with Harry, leading him to his study. "How is she doing? She looks ok, calm even. But how is she really feeling?" He indicated Harry should sit in one of the plush chairs opposite his desk, and called for tea service from one of the house elves.
"She's doing remarkably well." Harry said as he mixed sugar into his tea. "She says the family magic feels comfortable, which it should, right? I would have expected a bigger adjustment than she had, but I think she's always felt like something didn't fit with her magic. You might have to watch her power levels when casting, now that I think about it. She may have been compensating without realizing that's what was going on. She's already ridiculously powerful, not that she really shows it often. To answer your question, she's doing good." Harry thought for a moment, taking a sip of his tea. "Who would have enough power and motivation to do this to her? I can only think of two wizards with the power, Tom Riddle and Dumbledore, but zero motivations. I think I'm more bothered by that than anything else."
Sirius sat with his fingers steepled under his chin. He didn't think he should share the suspicions he and James had about Dumbledore yet. Harry was already worried about the headmaster, and he didn't need his anger about the situation to distract them all. "I don't know, pup, but your dad and I are working on it. We may have to bring in Remus' brain soon, but he's been a bit busy with Dora and the pregnancy."
Harry laughed, but then his face got serious. "Padfoot, do I need to ask permission to court your daughter? I mean, I know her adopted parents are her legal parents, but after we go to Gringotts, you and Amelia will officially be her magical guardians and parents in our world. Are you ok with me dating Hermione?" He sat in the chair across from Sirius, sweating a little as he was assessed by his godfather's steel gray eyes.
Sirius tried to look stern and foreboding but eventually smiled at him. "Of course you can court her, you great git, but I can't wait to see her face when she finds out you asked. Think she will hex you?"
Harry leaned back in relief, and took another sip of tea to give him time to collect himself. "Nah, she's a sucker for tradition, even if she is a feminist. All of those Jane Austen novels she reads? She jokes we kind of live in one. Always talking about finding a Mr. Darcy to her Elizabeth." Harry relaxed into his chair and took a deep breath. "Do I need to help her prepare for Gringotts? Is there anything she should know before we go?"
"She'll be fine. She loves learning anything new. We should probably prepare Gringotts for her boundless curiosity. Do make sure she reads the book of customs before we leave. Honestly, it's more like a pamphlet, but it's important not to offend the goblins."
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Amelia found Hermione standing in front of her name on the Black family tapestry eyes tracing all of the lines of the tree. She was a remarkable young woman. So bright, funny, strong, and beautiful. It was an honor to find out this little witch was her daughter. So many years lost, never seeing all of her firsts. She felt compelled to get to know her more, and not lose any more time. She was a bit jealous that Sirius had access to her on a regular basis, even if he didn't know she was his daughter. "A bit overwhelming, isn't it?" Hermione startled out her concentrated state. "Oh, I didn't mean to scare you, dear. I wanted to see how you are faring with all of this." Amelia gestured in a loose circle.
Hermione huffed out a little breath and laughed. "Everyone keeps asking me that! I can't blame them, as the whole situation is a bit of a shock, but I really am doing fine. Nothing about this feels foreign or intimidating. In fact, it feels like an artifice was dropped, and now I am more comfortable in my skin, my magic, my understanding of family. I never knew what I didn't have, so this is all welcome to me. But you, you must have felt such a sense of loss. How are you doing? To think for 17 years you thought you had lost your only child and find out she was hidden right under your nose must have been much more shocking."
Amelia was stunned at the compassion and understanding Hermione displayed. Most girls her age would be inconsolable, but she was rock solid, and instead worrying about her. "It's remarkable that you would worry about me. I am, as you said, shocked, but so thrilled. The same magic that makes you feel comfortable makes me feel complete with you here. I fear Sirius and I will act and feel much more like new parents for a while. Fussing over your food, checking to see if you are breathing when you sleep, hugging you entirely too often…" Amelia broke off as Hermione rushed into her arms for a long embrace. Amelia's arms wrapped around her daughter, as Hermione engulfed her in one of her patented bone crushing hugs. They stayed that way for a few moments, just settling into the emotions they were both feeling.
"Well, that's nice. You are quite a good hugger. My mom was never much for physical affection, and I've always been big on hugs, so this is just another thing that seems to fit." Hermione pulled away from the embrace for a second. "Do you think it's weird how easy all of this has been for me? I find I am barely thinking about my parents and the impact it will have on them. Not that they've been too concerned with me lately."
"What do you mean by that? I thought that you had a good family life, for the most part." Amelia sat down on a chair and crossed her legs, resisting the urge to go into her investigative DMLE mode.
"Oh, it's nothing horrible. No abuse, physical or verbal. Just a gradual increase in distance as I embraced my magic. I suppose going off to a boarding school and living a life they have an increasingly difficult time understanding year by year doesn't really help." She could feel herself babbling, but forged on. "But the Potters seem very close to Harry, so I don't think it's just the boarding school. It's two different worlds, and the magical world has always been a bit much for their scientific minds to really digest. I love them. They love me. But I've never felt like I belonged. I felt adopted, as horrible as that sounds, while other adopted kids I know fully integrated with their families. No difference between them and their other siblings. I never had that." She shrugged and relaxed.
Amelia's eyebrows rose as Hermione expressed her relationship with the Grangers. "You really are the most logical person I have ever met. Your ability to separate emotion from fact is probably serving you very well in this circumstance. It doesn't hurt that your experience with the family magic was so positive, while your home life has been less than ideal. Where have you been staying this summer?" Amelia desperately wanted to keep Hermione close. She wanted to find out everything she could about her daughter. Her first words, when she first did magic, her aspirations for the future; she wanted to know all of it.
"I've been with the Potters, but I was going to ask you and Sirius if you thought it would be best to work out something so I could spend more time with the two of you. Together or individually, either is fine with me." Hermione looked at Amelia hopefully.
"Well, I think it's a great idea, Kitten." Sirius was leaning against the door jam smiling. "Are you ladies ready for Gringotts?" They both nodded. "Well, then we should head to the floo. Come on, Kitten. Aims." Sirius reached his hand out to help Amelia up, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand before letting go. He leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I've missed you."
Amelia had missed him too. Her actions during the war shamed her. If she hadn't hidden the pregnancy, going into hiding with all of the work Albus Dumbledore had heaped on her, listening to his lies, she could have still had Sirius when she lost the baby. But of course, Dumbledore had manipulated her. He always manipulated people, going on about the Greater Good and some grand vision. It didn't even matter in the end, as Voldemort had died in the attack at her home. No one ever seemed to get solid details about it. Just that Dumbledore had defeated him, and the threat was over. Sirius hadn't been the traitor, but by the time she found out, she was recovering from losing the child he never knew about, and the shame was too much for her to overcome. Then she was taking care of Susan, and her focus was entirely on her baby niece that she thought of as her own. Merlin, she hoped Susan adjusted well to all of this. She made a mental note to check in with her after Gringotts, and followed the group to the floo.
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Hermione stepped through the floo at Gringotts and reached for Harry's waiting hand. She had been to Gringotts, as she had an account with them, but she had never experienced anything beyond a standard bank teller visit. She knew from Harry that the vaults required keys, and rides in carts, but that had never been part of her world before. She was wondering what her little vault must be like when she heard Sirius clear his throat.
"Greetings. Lord Sirius Black to see Brightforge for an appointment." Sirius placed his arm around Hermione. "It's going to be ok. We know what the inheritance test will reveal. The examination for mind magics could be interesting, though. They were led through an ornate door and led to an office where a severe looking goblin sat. The goblin stood and addressed Sirius.
"Well met, Lord Black. I see you have been busy and bring me an exciting interruption to my day." He smirked at Sirius as Sirius barked out a laugh at him.
"Well met, Brightforge. May your gold multiply as mine does." Sirius brought Hermione forward. "This young lady is Hermione Granger and she needs an inheritance test."
Hermione stepped forward, careful to keep her hand away from her wand, so as not to offend the goblin in his own bank. She went with the standard greeting the book had mentioned, which she noticed both Brightforge and Sirius had used. "Well met, Brightforge. Thank you for fitting us into your day."
Brightforge gathered the supplies he would need, and gestured for them to sit around the large table in the room. He laid out a parchment, and an athame in front of him. "Whatever the results are of the inheritance test, they will be filed with the Ministry of Magic, so we won't be able to keep any secrets about our findings. Do you still wish to proceed?"
Hermione nodded. "Yes, of course." Brightforge reached out for her hand, and used the athame to release a few drops of blood on the parchment. Hermione's eyes widened with the delight of observing a new phenomenon as writing appeared on the parchment, confirming what they knew.
Hermione Jean Granger
Born September 19, 1979
Father: Lord Sirius Orion Black III
Mother: Amelia Susan Bones
The writing continued, detailing three more generations of the Black and Bones family, but Brightforge sat back in his chair as soon as the parents were revealed on the parchment. "You really have brought me an interesting interruption to my day! The findings will be registered with the Ministry, but I do have to ask how none of you were aware of this?"
"Well, I believe this dovetails nicely into our next request. We'd like you to do a full diagnostic ritual to check for mind magics that may have been used on Hermione and Amelia. Hermione's appearance has changed, and circumstances lead me to believe she was subjected to some sort of binding charm and glamour. Amelia barely recollects the day of Hermione's birth." Sirius leaned forward. "We hope the results of the examination will not be filed with the Ministry."
Brightforge smiled a feral smile. "Well, they never would be. This falls under the confidentiality of a healer and patient. Let me take you to the ritual room now, Miss Black and Madam Bones." He paused, thinking for a moment. "Lord Black, do you intend to present your heir with the ring? It will provide her protections, as you know, but it would be best to do the ceremony after the examination."
Sirius and Hermione exchanged a look. "I think that is a splendid idea, Brightforge. After the examination, then."
"I can only bring Miss Black and Madam Bones with me, but the rest of you are welcome to stay here. Refreshments will be provided, for a fee, of course." Sirius gave Hermione a hug, followed by Harry, and the two women were ushered off to the ritual room, while the rest of them were left to worry.
Harry busied himself with tea while his parents talked with Sirius. While he was worried about Hermione and how she would do during the ritual, he was still reeling from his kiss with Hermione. She was so receptive, it made him feel a little foolish for being so worried about the whole thing. To be honest, he wasn't worried about how Hermione would receive him, but about how Dumbledore would behave towards her becoming closer to him. In his dealings with the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore had always tried to play the role of the concerned grandfather figure, casually wondering how Hermione adjusted to time spent with his family, not so much giving advice or warning, but probing very subtly for information. Harry was positive he had something to do with Hermione's removal from the magical world, but he had nothing solid to base that on. It was an infuriating feeling. Harry liked facts, evidence, and action. He was brought out of his thoughts by the delicate clearing of his mother's throat.
"Harry, do you think there is something you might want to let your father and I know?" Lily Potter looked at her son with a warm smile and Harry's mouth spread into a grin.
"Well, Hermione and I kissed." Lily gasped and clapped her hands together lightly. "And I asked Sirius if I could court her." Harry wasn't worried if his parents would approve. They adored Hermione, often referencing their time at Hogwarts, and how nice it would have been if James and Lily had been friends from the very first day like Hermione and Harry had. "Sirius thought she might be put out by the formality of asking his permission but-"
"Not with all of those historical novels she reads. She's always talking about Mr. Darcy and Col. Brandon. She took me to see Sense and Sensibility a few years ago, and I have to say that the actor playing Col. Brandon had a lovely voice. I'd let him read me poetry any day." Lily sighed a little and took a sip of tea as James looked at her sideways and smirked.
"Do you want me to read you poetry, Lily-flower?" James joked with his wife.
"Not with your voice." she sniped back with a smile on her face. "Anyhow, I do think she will find it romantic, not oppressive."
Harry changed the subject. "How long do you think they spend in the ritual room?"
Not as long as you might think. The ritual and spellwork are pretty straightforward. Putting together the results can be very quick or take days, depending on how extensive the findings are. We will probably receive results before we leave today." James paused to drink his tea. "Almost all muggleborn witches and wizards have a few minor instances of memory charming to go along with accidental magic, so we shouldn't be surprised to see that. In our house it was normal, and no one needed to come out and make the neighbors forget they saw a child floating around or something. There must be some major incident of mind magic to make her appearance change, and that's what I will be most interested to see with Hermione's results. What happened to Amelia is anyone's guess, but it's bound to be significant. Someone has some explaining to do." James shared a pointed look with Sirius, communicating without words, as life long friends do.
After waiting for about an hour, a Brightforge entered the room with an exhausted Amelia and Hermione in tow. Harry rushed up to guide Hermione to a chair, while Sirius did the same for Amelia. Amelia patted his hand where it sat in the bend of her elbow. "Thanks Sirius. That was quite the ordeal, but I'm glad we know what happened now."
"So, what did happen?" Sirius inquired as he poured tea for Amelia and Hermione.
Brightforge handed him a copy of their findings, passing one to Amelia and Hermione as well. "As you can see for Hermione Black, some standard memory charms showed up for her childhood. Consistent with accidental magic use for a muggleborn, or rather muggle raised witch or wizard. As we worked back, we found a complex charm worked hours after her birth. It bound the family magic from her to prevent the healing aspect they would have had on her mind and appearance. It was essentially two charms. One to change her appearance, and one to bind the family magic. It was very sophisticated, and would have required a skilled legilimens."
"Was there a magical signature evident?" James inquired.
"Not a recognizable one, but it is consistent with the magic dones on Madam Bones. Whoever cast the charms on Miss Black also cast the charms on Madam Bones." Brightforge peered at the parchment in front of him. "The charm work done on Madam Bones is more extensive. We restored her true memories of what happened as we removed the memory charm. It seems that a secondary charm was crafted to create a memory of the explosion that was much altered. Going further back we see minor charms to induce loyalty to the caster, as well as create hostility towards Lord Black. The overall effect must have left her most discombobulated. I think I will let Madam Bones explain." Brightforge leaned back in his chair and gestured for Amelia to continue.
Amelia took a deep breath and blew it out. "It's exactly as I suspected, but so much more than I could have imagined. That bearded bastard actively worked to keep us apart, Sirius. They may not be able to recognize his magical signature, but I recognize his face in my memories as he cast on me. He made me suspicious of you, in word and through magic. He charmed me into hiding the pregnancy. For whatever reason, Voldemort attacked me in my home, but was blown back when I fired on him. In my memory I feel supercharged. All I cast was a bombarda, and he disintegrated. I know the Department of Mysteries had worked on gathering his horcruxes after Slughorn came forward, I knew he was mortal, but I didn't think I would have the sort of power to end him. I don't have that sort of power! All of the subterfuge leads me to believe Hermione had something to do with it. Dumbledore arrived, stupefied me, and must have taken me to St. Mungos. I don't remember giving birth, or ever seeing Hermione as a baby. I suppose being unconscious worked to his advantage. I'm so angry, I could spit!" Hermione reached out and grabbed Amelia's hand, giving her mother whatever sort of comfort she could.
Sirius was up and pacing around the room, growling and muttering. He stopped to look at Amelia. "I could kill him for this, you know." He said calmly.
"Best not to. Let's get some answers before we go around murdering wizards, Sirius." Hermione said lightly, and stepped forward to give Sirius a hug. "It's going to be ok. I'm here with you now." She turned to Brightforge, "Should we take care of the heir ring?"
The goblin gave her a grin. "I believe that would be a wise course of action, Miss Black, and a perfect distraction for an angry Lord Black." He placed the ring in front of Hermione. "It's quite simple really. Put the ring on, and if it accepts you, you are the heir. If it finds you lacking, and you will know, you are not the heir."
Hermione looked at Sirius, shrugged and said, "Here's goes nothing." She slipped the ring on her right hand, felt the magic run through her, and the ring sized itself to fit her finger. "Well, I guess that's that."
"If you wanted to officially change her name in the wizarding world, now would be the time. When I record her as the Black heir it could still say Hermione Jean Granger, if that is what you wish.
"Hermione Carina Black." Amelia said from her seat. She stood to grab Hermione's hand and looked at Sirius. "Is that ok with you two?"
Hermione said it a few times, her smile getting brighter each time. "Hermione Carina Black. I like it. It's perfect! Sirius, what do you think?" She looked at Sirius, who appeared a bit overwhelmed.
He nodded. "It's perfect."
Brightforge wrote on the parchment in front of him. "And it is so recorded. Miss Black, the ring will protect you in a number of ways, most of which I am sure Lord Black will be willing to educate you on, as a former heir himself, but one of the most important is that it will warn you of any potions in your hand. As you still have one year of school left, you will notice it's effect in your potions class the most, but I assume you do not regularly partake in the fruits of your labors in class, so this should merely be a nuisance. It also helps you to recognize the sensation, so be sure to handle a few potions at home so you are not alarmed the first time it happens in public. Another way it protects you is from minor hexes and jinxes. Again, Lord Black can go over this in more detail." Brightforge looked around the room. "If that is sufficient for this appointment, may I bid you all a good day?"
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After an exhausting afternoon at Gringotts, the newly minted Hermione Carina Black walked in Diagon Alley with her parents in magic and in blood, Sirius Black and Amelia Bones, and the Potters.
"How did you decide on Carina?" Harry asked.
"Carina was what I was going to name her all along. I wanted to honor the Black family tradition, even if Sirius and I weren't speaking." Amelia smiled as Sirius looked over at her with unmasked affection. "Does anyone want to stop in the Leaky Cauldron for a bite to eat before we head home?"
Amelia's questioning was cut off as a trio of Weasleys crossed their path. "Hermione, what did you do to your hair? It's different. Nice, I guess." Ron glanced down at Harry and Hermione holding hands and lost his temper in his typical fashion.
"Are you fucking kidding me? Now you're with Harry? Of course you would choose Harry, he has money, he is the Quidditch seeker, he gets good grades. He gets everything! I'm surprised he settled for you. All the girls like him. He could have the pick of the whole school, and of course he picks the girl I have my eye on! No one likes Ron Weasley, but everyone likes Harry Bloody Potter!"
Harry was stunned at the confrontation. Harry and Hermione barely spoke to Ron Weasley. He was in Gryffindor with them, but they didn't have much chance to hang out. He frowned at the redhead. "Ron, I'm not really sure what you are on about. I work hard at quidditch, and for my grades, and Hermione and I have been friends since the first day of school. It's not like you've shown interest in her before. Maybe instead of worrying why girls like me, maybe you should worry about why they don't like you."
Sirius stepped up to Hermione's other side and put his hand on her back. "You'll have to excuse us, our families had a long day and we were going to go eat."
"What do you mean 'your families'? Hermione's not a Black, she's muggleborn." Ron blurted out before he finally took a good look at Hermione's changed appearance, and the presence of Sirius Black besides her. "What is going on, Hermione?"
Sirius answered for Hermione, as she had been rendered speechless. "Mr. Weasley, Hermione is my daughter. We've been to the bank to confirm it. Is this how you were raised to speak around young ladies? It's appalling." He leaned to whisper in Hermione's ear, "I'm sorry Kitten, this isn't exactly how I thought we would break the news to the general public."
Ron stewed with that information for a minute. If Hermione wasn't muggleborn, it meant she had options besides a poor wizard like himself. Albeit a pureblood pure wizard, but that wouldn't be any sort of social climb for the daughter of Sirius Black. He had plans, and he thought for sure Hermione would have fallen over herself to really be part of the wizarding world by marrying into an old family. "Well this is the fucking limit! Now you have all of the options, you would never be with a poor wizard like me now."
"That's kind of messed up, Ron. Also, watch your mouth around my mother. Sirius is right, your language is appalling." Harry said.
"My daughter always had options, you foolish boy." Amelia said from behind Hermione. "She's the brightest witch of her age, she's beautiful, kind, graceful and witty. If it wasn't Harry, she would have plenty of options, romantically and professionally. Hermione, please tell me this wizard was never on the table for you."
"I've hardly ever spoken to him, Amelia. I've taken points a few times as a prefect, but we have nothing in common, so we only really see each other at meals. To be honest being in a friendship with Ron, let alone a romantic relationship was never on my agenda." Hermione frowned as she really thought about this, wondering if she ever gave Ron any sort of indication there was something between them. He was lazy, biased against magic he didn't understand and labelled it all as dark, had no interest or motivation towards learning, and the furthest thing from her physical type as she could imagine. He was hulking, pasty and ginger, while Harry was lithe, though muscular, with a tanned complexion and black hair. Tall, dark, and handsome, like her own Mr. Darcy. "No, he was never an option for me."
Ron was almost purple with rage as his mother dragged him back from Hermione. Ginny was stewing on her own, but wasn't dumb enough to say it outloud. She had always been jealous of the relationship Hermione and Harry had. He was always completely focused on her, and had not dated one witch while at Hogwarts, much to the disappointment of the girls in attendance. Some had started to wonder if he preferred wizards to witches. The only hope she had held onto was that the Potters would require Harry to marry a pureblood witch, but that was always unlikely. His own mother was muggleborn, so being muggleborn was not seen as a fault or disadvantage in the Potter home. It wasn't likey they would ever seek to arrange a contract for him, and certainly not because of blood status. They fought a war over it, and Ginny was smart enough to get a lay of the land. The Potters loved Hermione Granger, and they would love Hermione Black the exact same way. The closeness of the Potter and Black families could only make the match more advantageous. It was best to congratulate the couple and move on from any hopes she had of being the future Lady Potter.
"Congratulations, Hermione. Your new look is amazing. Your coloring is so striking now. And good luck you two, I have a feeling it's going to be an interesting month before school starts!" Ginny smiled, and glanced over at her brother being led by the ear. "Well, I better get going. I have an interesting afternoon of watching my mother punish git brother myself, it seems.
Harry and Hermione laughed and thanked Ginny as Ron was led away by an irate Molly Weasley, promising to see her on the Hogwarts Express.
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Meanwhile, in Scotland, Albus Dumbledore noticed the Book of Admittance glow. He reached for it to read the name of the new child who had displayed accidental magic when the book opened to a page from many years ago. There a name glowed with the magic of the quill of acceptance.
Hermione Carina Black
Born: September 19, 1979
Albus Dumbledore shut the book with shaking hands and called for Minerva McGonagall. When she bustled into the room a few minutes later and sat down across from him, he said, "Minerva, I made a horrible mistake many years ago."