**Hey faithful readers, so I've decided to give this story a change around as it wasn't quite flowing easily in third person. So the entire story is now in first person. Nothing is really different if you don't want to read back but I have tried to flesh out a few odd relationships that have come along a bit too fast. Also I'll be getting a new chapter up tomorrow****

**Updated 23/04/2019**

25th August 1998

6:00pm

I made my way down to dinner on my own this time, following the instructions Blaise had left for me on my sitting room coffee table. Technically there were two routes to take, one that would bring me out near the front entrance, and one that would bring me out in the middle of the family rooms, I chose the second since dinner was being held in that section of the manor.

As I came into earshot of the dining room, I heard Blaise shout something and I slowed my step automatically.

"Mother give Hermione time to settle. You didn't know her at school, I did. She needs order," Blaise said earnestly.

"Blaise, I wish I could, but you know she needs to be reinstated and to do that we have to go out there, and then she's going to need to catch up on all the training she should have had when she was growing up," Mother sighed and I held my breath as I tried to envision the tortures I would have to endure.

"Mother you have to give Hermione this year at Hogwarts, please," Blaise pleaded, and I felt a wave of gratitude for Blaise Zabini, who up until two days ago, I had known to be a haughty, aloof pureblood wizard who was close with Draco Malfoy. Evidently there was more to him than just that.

"I still need to reinstate her into the family at the ministry," Mother said quietly.

"Yeah well you can do that without dragging her off to Italy every weekend for etiquette lessons that she doesn't actually need," Blaise scoffed.

At those words I saw fit to reappear around the corner and found my brother and Mother eying me with identical smirks.

"Anything to add Hermione?" Mother asked innocently as I took my place opposite Blaise at the table, my eyebrow raised when I realised that earlier that day I had technically sat in Blaise's seat. Thinking back, Mother's strange facial expression earlier now made sense, and I realised Blaise had deliberately swapped our seats so I wouldn't feel uncomfortable next to Malfoy. It was a warming realisation.

"I would like to finish my education before I have to go out to Italy for an extended period of time however; I am not against a visit at Christmas. My muggle parents were dentists and they sent me to an all-girls primary school before I got my letter for Hogwarts. Manners and etiquette were taught as part of the curriculum. I do not think I would require any extensive training," I said quietly, straightening my spine as I looked at Mother. Mother watched me try and instigate some of the long-buried habits from school with critical eyes but then smirked.

"Your behaviour with Mr Malfoy speaks otherwise." At that I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and instead folded my hands in my lap calmly.

"Malfoy and I have a… complicated history mother… I am also not the type to meekly hide and censor my thoughts," I said with a soft smirk of her own.

"Be that as it may… How about this for a compromise. At Christmas we head out to Italy to reinstate you into the family but up to that point myself and/or Narcissa Malfoy, who is your Godmother, by the way, will visit you in Hogsmeade once a fortnight to make sure your manners and etiquette are up to speed. There's a lot that you don't know about pureblood culture here in the UK that we must bring you up to date on." Mother spoke with a finality that only made me nod in quiet acquiescence but then I leant forwards slightly.

"I will try my best, but I refuse to change who I am fundamentally. That includes, changing my friends and my habits and I absolutely will not, be forced to spend time with Draco Malfoy. If he chooses to meet with me, that is between the two of us." My tone was earnest, and Mother pursed her lips in thought for a few seconds while an elf appeared to serve food.

"I believe we can work with those conditions… until Christmas," Mother said softly with a slight smirk. I went to open my mouth, but Blaise shook his head an infinitesimal amount as Mother held one hand up to quiet me as she fixed me with a look. Instead of speaking I snapped my mouth shut instead and nodded.

"Thank you mother," I conceded quietly. I wasn't happy about the conditions, but I figured it was best not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Conversation moved to lighter topics throughout dinner and I wasn't allowed to just escape to my mind to process my annoyance at being dictated to, because Blaise and Mother took it upon themselves to learn everything about me. So, I found myself answering rapid fire questions about my favourite colour, favourite book, favourite childhood toy, favourite place in the wizarding world and favourite place in the muggle world.

"Have you had any boyfriends?" Blaise asked with a mischievous smirk on his face. I kept my face impassive as I looked at my twin before I shook my head.

"What about Krum and Potter in fourth year, McLaggen in sixth and Weasley in Seventh?" Blaise prodded and I almost growled in frustration as my knuckles reflexively whitened on my knife. I felt Mother's stare flicker to my hands and I carefully rested my knife and fork on my plate in the correct positions and smoothed my hands over my lap.

"Krum would accompany me to the library, all we shared was a chaste kiss on the cheek. Harry… for want of a better word, ew. McLaggen was and I believe still is a gross beast and I spent most of my time avoiding him like the plague. Ron was the closest I ever had to a boyfriend, but we danced around the subject for so long that it took me until after the battle to realise we weren't right for each other. The most we ever shared was one kiss when we thought we were going to die. Is that everything brother, or would you like to share about Davies?" I rattled off before slyly countering my brother's invasive question.

Blaise's darker skin did not reveal a blush as easily as mine did, but the blush was there and he blinked before schooling his features into indifference, but Mother had already noticed and she laughed out loud gleefully.

"We'll make a Slytherin of you yet my dear," Mother said quietly, and I blushed.

"The Sorting hat did consider placing me in Slytherin you know," I added without thinking as I returned to my food. However, the silence that reigned after my revelation drew my attention as I speared a prawn with my fork.

"Repeat that please? The sorting hat considered you for Slytherin?" Blaise questioned.

"Yes. It did. It gave me a choice actually. The hat considered me for Ravenclaw, told me I had all the merits of a Ravenclaw but there was something bigger for me if I chose and I challenged him. He said that Slytherin and Gryffindor would be the houses for me, and I would do well in either, but obviously thinking myself muggleborn I shied away from Slytherin. The hat knew that and told me that it would make no odds and instead I should choose between destiny and fate. I chose destiny and the hat placed me in Gryffindor. I assume my destiny was to help Harry, my fate would have been to eventually discover my family," I responded before I popped the prawn into my mouth and laid my cutlery across my plate in the position to indicate I was full.

Mother nodded as she too placed her cutlery down and pushed her plate back from her gently.

"Tomorrow we will go to the ministry and we will get you reinstated into the Zabini family. I wouldn't be surprised if the hall of records has already registered your true name, but nevertheless, we will go and probably put a mention in the prophet at the very least. Is there anything you would like to do tomorrow?"

"I want to change the decoration of my room. I am not and have never been a 'pink' girl. Then I believe Blaise finds my wardrobe atrocious so he suggested he'd drag me shopping," I said quietly, ending on a sweet smile to Blaise, who spluttered as he was dragged back into the conversation with a semi-unpleasant bump. I kicked him under the table and gave him a pleading look that Blaise took to mean 'Please don't make me go shopping with Mother and Narcissa'.

"Yes, Mother I was going to get in contact with Parkinson, Greengrass and Davies, maybe also Weasley and see if any of the ladies would want to accompany me to Milan. Draco and I have been planning to go over there to look at the new broom that is coming out next month," Blaise's lie was so smooth I didn't quite believe it was a lie. Mother on the other hand knew immediately and pursed her lips.

"Be sure you owl them this evening then. I know the ladies hate surprises but would love a trip to Milan. Oh and dear if you plan on staying the night at the manor there, do remember the charms on the doors when it comes to Davies. I'd hate to have to come and collect you because you let the wards injure you," Mother said with an innocent smile. I hid my smirk behind my hand as I watched my brother wince; Blaise had evidently been caught out by the warding one too many times.

The remainder of dinner passed in relative peace and as dessert disappeared from the table an elf appeared at my elbow.

"Bowler brings Missus a letter that just arrived," The elf croaked as he handed the letter to me. I looked at him and smiled at the tufts of white hair that covered the top of his head when he bowed, before straightening and fiddling with his little blue suit.

"Thank you, Bowler," I said quietly and the elf disapparated. I looked at the folded parchment and recognised my name written in the untidy script that was uniquely Harry's. With a slight narrowing of my eyes I shifted the letter into my pocket as I noticed Blaise's curiosity before he schooled his features into a neutral expression.

"Hermione would you like to join me in the parlour for tea?" Mother asked softly as she stood from the table and automatically Blaise stood immediately. As I stood from my seat I watched Mother carefully, she was looking at me earnestly with a slight smile on her face and I nodded when I realised that I had a great number of questions. "This way then. Blaise, I shall be retiring to my quarters soon, please do behave yourself wherever the night takes you," Mother said with a smirk as she rested a hand on her son's, now stiff, shoulder.

"Of course, mother," Blaise said as he moved to hold the door for us. As I passed by Blaise, I leant in close and he turned an ear to listen.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Muggle nightclubs," Blaise smirked, and my eyes widened, I hadn't been to a muggle nightclub since Australia and quite honestly, I missed the atmosphere.

"Don't even think of leaving without me," I threatened after a second and Blaise just chuckled.

"Wouldn't dream of it little sis," Blaise smirked and I grinned back at him.

As we walked through the halls of Zabini Manor behind Mother, I really tried my hardest to commit rooms of interest to memory as Mother pointed them out.

"What's down there?" I asked as we walked by a corridor Mother hadn't mentioned. Mother backtracked a few spaces and pursed her lips before she smiled at me.

"That corridor leads to our leisure rooms, there's a gym, a pool and a bar down there. The end of the corridor leads you to two more corridors, one that leads to yours and Blaise's wing and the other leads to my wing." The place was a veritable labyrinth and for the first time in a long while I felt inadequate.

"How big is this place?" I whispered aloud. I hadn't meant to speak but Mother heard and began to talk me through the place.

"There's two wings and then the main building. The main part of the building only has two floors and contains a parlour, dining room, drawing room, several sitting rooms, a solarium, a few ballrooms and a few bathrooms. Yours and Blaise's section is in the Northern part of the East wing and has a few extra rooms should you have guests stay. You both have an office space on the ground floor and entrances to the library which spans the entire third floor; My wing, the West wing, is approximately the same. When Blaise comes of age and marries, I will move to the southern section of the East Wing and Blaise, who is, by a mere 30 minutes, the next heir, will take the West Wing. The family rooms span all three floors and are set towards the back of the main building. Over the years it has been family tradition for each new heir to add a room of their choosing to the family section. Blaise chose to add a games room; I believe he and Draco Malfoy frequently foray into the Muggle world and came up with a way to make the muggle games work inside the Manor."

"This has to be a dream," I breathed as I tried to imagine the wealth that came with owning this much space. Yes, my adopted parents had been rather well off as dentists and I had wanted for nothing growing up, but the opulence I was now privy too was immense.

"Hermione are you okay?" Mother asked softly and I came back to earth with a heavy bump as my gold eyes flickered up to look at my Mother.

"I don't know… I… Are you sure about all of this?" I murmured quietly as I met Mother's green flecked eyes.

"What do you mean?" Mother asked as a frown marred her statuesque features.

"The Grangers… they were Muggles and yes they were well off, but this, this is extravagant," I breathed. I could feel panic begin to take over and all logic started to go out the window. "Are you sure that this isn't a mistake and I am definitely your daughter. I wouldn't want to take any of this away from the true Blou Zabini," I said mumbled

"Hermione…" Mother tried to interrupt but I continued.

"- What if she really is still out there?"

"Hermione…" Mother tried again.

"I can't accept all this I'm sorry-." I went to turn around, but I was stopped when Mother swore colourfully in Italian and caught my wrist with strong fingers.

"Hermione stop, merda. Come with me," Mother sighed and then she changed our entire direction and quickly began walking to the top floor.

"Where are we going?" I asked as she kept pace with Mother.

"Shush. Nipsy!" A new elf that I assumed was called Nipsy, popped into existence next to Mother and began running to keep up with her Mistress as she strode down the hall and took a sharp left turn.

"Mistress calls for Nipsy?"

"Yes. Bring Blaise to the library please," Mother said quickly.

"Master Blaise is already in the library Mistress," Nipsy said after a silence. Mother only nodded.

"If he tries to leave before we arrive, tell him to wait please," Mother ground out. Nipsy only nodded and then popped away.

I felt like I followed Mother for a while before we came to a stop in front of a pair of oak wooden doors.

"This is our library," Mother said briefly before she pushed the doors open and strode in. my mouth dropped open as I was pulled through the door and my eyes grew wide.

The room that awaited us had impossibly high ceilings with a floor of dark wood and shelves of white polished marble. The back wall was entirely covered with floor to ceiling renaissance windows the same as the ones in my rooms, and the walls were the same light grey stone as the building and were hung with heavy white drapes with the Zabini crest embroidered in gold.

"Dear Merlin," I breathed, but I didn't have time to stop as Mother called out for Blaise and then moved to a blank stretch of stone wall that was half covered by one of the white drapes.

"You called Mother?" Blaise said quietly as he appeared from behind one of the stacks with a heavy tome under his arm.

"Your sister seems to think she is not who she really is," Mother said with a well-worn sigh.

"Hermione?" Blaise questioned with a raised eyebrow and I looked away sheepish.

"This is just too much," I murmured. Blaise rolled his eyes but moved to stand beside Mother.

"Hermione was always a facts first kind of person. I believe there was a rumour going around the school that she stormed out of Divination in third year, something about Divination being a woolly subject," Blaise said with a smirk in my direction and I scowled at him.

"Right well. Here is solid evidence," Mother said to herself before she turned to me. "This is the room that is only open to members of the Zabini family that have a solid claim to this Manor. That is myself, Blaise and you, because you are my daughter," Mother said with a wave of her hand towards the stretch of wall. "I mean you only need look in a mirror but regardless," Mother added in an undertone, but I ignored it.

"Shall I go first Mother?" Blaise asked with a flourish of his hand and a twinkle in his eye towards me

"Go ahead," Mother smiled with an indulgent roll of her eyes.

My eyes watched Blaise's movements carefully as he swept the white drape out of the way. With a flourish he held up his right hand and pressed it flat to the wall. Closing his eyes, he let out a breath and when his eyes opened they were the same gold as my own, brighter even with raw magic.

"Chiedo l'ingresso in questa stanza," Blaise said fluently, his deep voice almost caressing the words as he spoke them. A shudder passed through him and he lifted his hand from the wall. As he looked back at us his eyes cooled back to green and with a flourish he stepped backwards, melting into the wall and disappearing.

My eyes widened as I looked at the wall and then I looked at Mother who was laughing quietly at the antics of my twin.

"Try it," Mother said as she noticed my fingers itch towards the wall.

"But Blaise is in there, surely the room is open?" Mother shook her head with a smirk and then very obviously pressed her own hand against the wall and pushed but moved no-where.

"What are the words?" I asked nervously as Mother removed her hand with a barely disguised shiver.

"Chiedo l'ingresso in questa stanza. It means 'I request entry to this room," Mother explained then she took a step back, leaving me took contemplate the wall quietly.

Now stood alone in front of the wall I felt the ebb and flow of a magic that comforted me and entranced me at the same time. Automatically I raised my hand and pressed it flat to the wall and gasped at the feel of the magic that rushed into me. It was like nothing I'd ever felt before and the feeling was delightful. With an easy familiarity I spoke the words to gain entrance and as the whispered words left my lips, I felt the magic drag itself back from me. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, but it wasn't painful, and I understood the reactions of Blaise and Mother. Removing my hand from the wall I held it in front of me and pressed forwards through the wall and found myself on the other side.

"Nice of you to finally join me sister. Do you believe us now?" Blaise smirked from where he lounged on a deep green sofa. I felt a smirk hitch up on my face and then turned to look at the room as Mother stepped through the wall which now appeared as an archway that looked out to the main library. This room in contrast to the main library had one large desk that sat in front of a very elaborate tapestry that covered all the walls in the room. I looked to the top left corner of the wall and saw the face of a dark-skinned woman with gold eyes and curly black hair. Her name was Cleopatra Zabini and she had one gold thread to a man only listed by his first name, Marcaius.

"Cleopatra Zabini was the first witch of our line when magic began. The Zabini family is unique in that we originate with a woman, and whenever there is no male heir, the woman takes up the mantel as head of the family and her husband takes her name. We," Mother indicated herself, I and Blasie, "are pure blood, although our family does not clarify as "sacred-28" as marrying muggleborns and half-bloods into our family has always been allowed and has occasionally been done when the necessity arose. Voldemort had already recruited your father Luther when he and I married. His previous name was Shafiq but he had an older brother who was the heir and the line continued through him," Mother became quiet as she watched my eyes rove over the tapestry ending at my own face, where in delicate gold writing I saw my name as Hermione-Blou Zabini.

"I thought you named me Blou," I murmured.

"I did. But the tapestry always knows," Mother said softly as she moved to place her hand on my shoulder.

***TZT***

25th August 1998

10:00pm

"Little Sister!" Blaise called in a sing song voice from my bedroom door.

"What Blaise?" I shouted back as I chucked a red halter-neck bodycon and a black, long-sleeved, bodycon with a zip at the front that ran up the length of the dress, onto my bed alongside a pair of red and black heels.

"Are you ready yet?" Blaise asked, and from the sound of his voice he had his face pressed to the door.

"No! I don't know what to wear," I hissed as I stormed over and opened the door.

Blaise fell forwards at the sudden opening of the door and I was almost crushed by my 6ft tall brother who had finally grown some muscle over the past year or two, if I was remembering him correctly from sixth year.

"Fuck, sorry Hermione," Blaise chuckled as he grabbed my upper arm and steadied my fall. I smacked him with my other arm and then stepped back to appraise him. Blaise was wearing a black t-shirt that hugged his muscles and daringly displayed the majority of his tribal tattoo, and he'd paired that with a pair of simple black muggle jeans and biker boots.

"You look good," I complemented as I turned away from my brother and ran a hand through my now silky curls in annoyance. "I've narrowed it down to these two," I said, pointing at the dresses. Blaise let out a low whistle as he looked between the two.

"Where the fuck did you get these?"

"Australia," I said as I began to cast my make-up charms while looking in the mirror.

"Wear the black. Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davies and Pansy Parkinson are all coming, and they will most likely be wearing black as well," Blaise said then he ran a hand over his face as a guilty expression crossed it.

"What?" I asked, drawing the word out as I noticed my brother's shifty expression.

"Theodore Nott and Draco will also be attending if that is okay," Blaise said gently. My eyes widened as I took this information in, then they narrowed as I remembered where we were all going.

"Are you telling me… that every Slytherin bar Goyle and Bulstrode, frequently foray into Muggle London to go to Muggle nightclubs?" I asked. Blaise quirked a smile at me then.

"Greg and Millie come along occasionally; they just have other plans. For Greengrass, Parkinson and Malfoy it's basically a massive 'fuck you' to the system they grew up in. Theo's father died in the war and his mother died when he was young, so he literally does what he wants, when he wants. Pansy has been known to go home with a few muggles and Daphne and Theo, who are together by the way, even had a threesome with a muggle girl a few weeks back," Blaise said with a lascivious grin. "Trust me, as a collective, we're not what you thought we were back at school."

I turned away from him as I mulled his words over and then waved my wand at the black dress where it appeared on my body instantly. Summoning my shoes off my bed I slipped them on, one by one, cast a cushioning charm and then sent my I.D., bank card and muggle phone soaring into a red clutch from my beaded bag.

"What are they?" Blaise asked as he looked at the bag which I now held.

"My bank card, I.D and a muggle phone in case we need it," I said with a frown. Blaise only chuckled at me and I felt puzzled when I realised Blaise had no idea what they were, despite his apparently frequent forays into the muggle world.

"Leave the bag. We open tabs and pay them off the next morning, you have your wand so I'm assuming you can produce both a patronus, if we need it, and perform a confundus if you need I.D.," Blaise smirked. My mouth dropped open but then fell into a line.

"I'm not performing a confundus on a bouncer," I quipped as Blaise looked me over.

"Well if you won't I will. Leave the bag. You look good by the way," Blaise said and then he took my elbow and whisked them away after chucking the bag on the bed.