Gryffindor's Forgotten Princess.
A/N: I do not own any of these characters, I am just borrowing them from JK.
Chapter 2
Nine years later Hermione was home for Christmas break, her parents had told her she was adopted and explained that they didn't know much about her birth parents but they loved her and they always would. Now she found herself locked in her bedroom with the box her parents had given her, she traced the Roman artwork on the lid.
John and Jean were worried about their daughter, they hadn't seen her since lunch the day before and she wasn't answering them. John kissed his wife's head before writing a quick note and sending it off with their owl.
At Hogwarts Poppy was tending to a student when the Granger's owl landed on the table beside her. She gently took the note and pet the bird. "Thank you, Eris." She opened the note and she rushed out of the infirmary to Minerva's quarters. "Athena." She said to Godric's portrait who instantly let her in knowing they only used the Greek version of Minerva when it was serious. She rushed into her friends quarters and put the note down on her desk without a word.
Minerva looked at Poppy before picking up the note.
Hermione knows she's adopted; we gave her the box.
She has locked herself in her room. Can you come and talk to her?
John.
The Transfiguration Professor looked over the note a few times before looking at her friend. "Why are you showing this to me?" She asked her friend flatly. "What does this have to do with me?"
Poppy rolled her eyes and took the note back. "Hermione is your daughter, the one you made me give away nine years ago." She reminded refusing to believe Minerva forgot about her own child. "It's better if you explain everything to her, as my knowledge is limited on your story."
Minerva put her head in her hands for a moment before looking up at her friend defeated. "Alright, I will go with you, but if this ends badly for any of us, I will be blaming you." She sighed as she grabbed her coat and a spare for Poppy. They headed out to the gate and apparated to a small park by the Grangers house. Slowly they walked up to the door and Poppy knocked, Minerva was too nervous to do anything. John answered the door with a thankful smile.
"Poppy, Professor McGonagall, Thank you for coming on such short notice, we are just worried about Hermione." He told the pair as he let them inside, closing the door behind them.
"I'll go talk to Hermione, why don't you and Jean get to know Minerva for a while." Poppy suggested before heading upstairs to her niece's room before either one could protest. She gently knocked on the door. "'Mione, sweetheart. May I come in?" She called waiting for a moment before the door slowly opened. Her heart broke seeing Hermione in such a state, her eyes were red and puffy from crying and the box she had given John was held tightly in her hands but it seemed unopened. She slowly moved inside the room and pulled the girl close.
Hermione cried into her shoulder holding onto the box for dear life. "Aunt Poppy I don't know if I can open it." She spoke through her tears pulling back, her gaze was upon the box in her hands.
"How about we go downstairs and we open it as a family?" Poppy suggested softly leaving out the part that the girls head of house and biological mother was sitting downstairs. Hermione nodded and slowly walked out of her room and down the stairs, stopping in the doorway when she saw her parents talking to Professor McGonagall. She calmed down and continued walking when she felt Poppy's hand on her shoulder. They found a seat next to each other with Hermione between Minerva and Poppy.
Everyone was quiet no one knowing what to say when Minerva gently took the box from Hermione. "May I?" She questioned softly, she had already explained to the girls parents that she had given birth and raised Hermione before they adopted her but she didn't go into detail.
Hermione remembered her parents and aunt that no one could open the box unless it was one of her parents or herself, so when her Professor took the box and asked if she could open it she shook her head. "Poppy said only my birth parents and myself can open it… I think I read about it in third year…" She went to explain why when Minerva waved her hand over the box and it opened causing Hermione to freeze. She looked between the box and Minerva for a few minutes before finally trying to speak. "Does that mean?" She questioned softly suddenly more unsure of herself than she was before.
Minerva gently took out the letter and handed it to Hermione with a small smile. On the envelope beautifully written in green ink. 'Hermione Minerva McGonagall'
The young witch gently took the letter and opened it with shaky hands.
My Dearest Hermione,
I apologise for any pain I may have caused you by giving you up but when your step-father passed away… I didn't have the strength to raise you alone, so I asked Poppy to find you a family.
When you are ready to ask questions, I will find the courage to answer them as honest as I can.
All my love,
Your mother.
Minerva McGonagall.
Hermione looked at the tear stained letter for a moment before looking around at the adults in the room. "You said step-father? What do you mean?" Her voice was almost that of a scared five year old.
"That is a complicated story, my dear." Minerva answered with a sad smile. "I am unable to share with you why my husband was your step-father unless that information doesn't leave this room." She wanted to tell her daughter everything but she couldn't risk the whole world finding out, at least not until the war was over. She looked around and the other three adults nodded in agreement to keep whatever needed to be said private.
Minerva nodded and took a deep breath. "When I first met Elphinstone I was working at the Ministry, he was head over heels in love from the moment we met, I on the other hand was in love with a muggle." She started to explained. "When I became pregnant with you, I had an accident with a time-turner and was sent back to the time of the founders… Godric and I became close, I didn't know when I would return to my own time." She confessed looking down at the box in her hands. "We fell in love, and I became pregnant just before getting sent home… Elph said he would happily raise you as his own and we got married in secret, only to get married in a more public way a few years later. Godric is your father, I was only there for a year before they managed to send me home so no one noticed when I showed up a week later."
Poppy was shocked at the information, she knew Minerva had a mishap with a time-turner in her forties but she didn't know exactly when.
Hermione watched Minerva as she took in every word and processed it through her mind a few times before her brows farrowed together. "Professor, I'm sorry but I would have to hear that from him before I can truly believe it." She didn't want to hurt the older with but as a book worm she couldn't just take someone's word for it. Suddenly Minerva took out a carry size portrait of the founder they had been talking about.
"McGonagall, where have you taken me now?" Godric asked before his eyes caught the girl sitting next to his former lover.
"Godric, I want you to tell Hermione the truth of her parentage." Minerva clearly told the long dead wizard.
"Alright." He put his hands up in defeat as he looked at Hermione. "For me it seems like eternity ago, but for your mother it's only been 14 years." He sighed knowing how much pain Minerva had been in since being back in her own time. "Hermione you are our daughter." He confirmed and before anyone could react the fifteen year old wrapped her arms around Minerva's waist. She understood why Minerva couldn't keep her, though probably not unwanted but being the heir of a founder after use of time magic wasn't the best thing to be public knowledge. Minerva smiled with tears in her eyes as her daughter hugged her.
"Do this mean Professor can come over for holiday dinners as well?" Hermione asked her parents hopefully. John and Jean shared a look before smiling at their daughter with a nod. "Thank you!" Suddenly gone was the girl Poppy had seen only half an hour earlier. "I was wondering if I could go back to school early, maybe spend New Years with Aunt Poppy and Professor McGonagall…" To this her parents agreed again as long as she owled them often.