Hey guys, firstly Merry Christmas. I will put out a Christmas chapter maybe on the next chapter but in the meantime enjoy this one.

Tell me what you guys think and as always don't forgot to leave a review.

If you guys have any suggestions please let me know, I think I'll put out maybe two or three more chapters until Hermione hits school.


Chapter 21: Counselling session and a day at the beach

Hermione sat nervous as she waited impatiently in the waiting room. She didn't want to do this. It was scary.

"Mummy?" She turned to her mother sitting next to her flipping pages in a magazine.

"Yes dear?" Minerva muttered to her child without looking at her. Hermione gulped as she scratched her shoulder and shook her leg nervously.

"I-I don't wanna do this" She clawed at her jumper and side as she rocked herself back and forth trying to calm down but nothing was helping.

Minerva glanced over to her daughter and noticed how bad she was shaking. She placed her magazine down before taking hold of Hermione and pulling her onto her lap.

"I know it's scary dear, but you will feel so much better by the end of this. Andy is a family friend and she only wants to help you"

The young, golden eyed girl shook her head in fear before resting her head on Minerva's shoulder.

"I-I don't want to talk about what happened" Hermione mumbled shaking her head. Minerva could tell that Hermione hadn't particularly accepted what had happened to her. Albus had informed her that Hermione had pinch marks near her elbow and when asked about it she had told them the truth. That she didn't fully believe that she was living with them. That she thought it was all a dream.

It had made the new family even more worried about her.

Minerva brushed her forehead before kissing her, "I know sweetheart. You are such a brave girl. I'm so proud of you, you're doing so well".

Hermione sniffed trying not cry before she went and spoke to this complete stranger, she just hoped her mother would stay with her.

"Hermione?" She heard her name being called and looked up to see a tall, slender woman walking into the waiting room. Hermione stayed wide, eyed in her mothers eyes hoping for one last plea but she wasn't having any of it and took Hermione's hand guiding her into the room.

"Lovely to see you Andy, this is my daughter Hermione" Andromeda smiled, her long dark hair sliding down her shoulders as she bent down and tried to shake Hermione's hand but she immediately hid behind her mother.

"Hermione, dear. Please come out. There's no need to hide" Minerva pulled her out and in front. Hermione was practically a dear in headlights as she stared at the older woman in fear. She took another glance at her mother who smiled and egged her forward. The little girl took a breath trying to be brave before extending her hand and shaking Andy's. Andy smiled happily at the girl before guiding them into the living room for some tea.

"Now, I'm sure your mother's told you a bit about how therapy works, Hermione"

The young girl nodded as she was passed a tea from her mother.

"I-I have to talk about what happened to me" She muttered unhappily.

Andy relaxed back in her and nodded, "As long as you feel comfortable talking about it, dear. Remember, I want you to feel like this is a safe place to talk"

Hermione bit her lip before looking over to her mother. She smiled reassurringly at the girl.

"Is there anything you wanted to talk about in particular today?" Andy asked the young girl.

Something about her past? Hermione couldn't even think of what to talk about. She didn't want to talk about her parents deaths, nor her uncle's abuse, nor lying to her family when she pretended to be a cat.

Hermione bit her lip and turned away from the both of them as she held her tea.

"I don't..." She gulped blinking rapidly. "M-my parents...and then my uncle..." She licked her lips shaking frightened of speaking about it. Minerva noticed and immediately pulled the hot tea out of the girls hands before pulling her into a hug.

"Shhh it's alright. You're only going to talk about what you want to" Minerva shushed her. She was so grateful she was allowed to sit in no Hermione's sessions knowing the girl wouldn't stand to be left on her own. Hermione tried to take some deep breaths before she thought about everything that had happened. It was painful, it was so painful to think about.

"I-I can't...I can't" Hermione muttered close to tears as her mother rocked her.

"What type of feelings do you get when you think about everything that happened, Hermione?" Andy asked concerned about the girl. Minerva had informed Andy of what had happened to the poor girl so that there was nothing shocking but they had never gotten to have Hermione speak of her experiences and it was something that was really worrying Minerva.

"S-scared...upset...Angwy...I don't like thinking about it"

"What particuarly makes you feel scared?"

"M-my uncle. The, the first day I had met him he, he locked me in the basement under the stairs. It was d-dark and so cold. I felt so alone. It was only me and Teddy"

"Was this the only time you felt scared?"

"N-no, I was really scared of my uncle. He used to punish me...a lot, e-even if I didn't do anything" Hermione shook in her mother's lap. Who was she kidding, she was a monster she was punished because she was a monster.

She bit her lip, "U-uncle used to tell me that h-he beat me because I was the d-devil and that I deserved to be beaten. I-I think he was trying to beat the demons out of me. I don't know if it worked because the house kept shaking every time he beat me severely"

"Your powers! I think they were trying to protect you dear," Minerva said but Hermione shook her head.

"T-they didn't do anything except get me beaten more. I-I don't want them. If I never had them then he wouldn't of beaten me so much"

"Hermione, if you didn't have your powers. You may not be with us right now" Minerva told her, "we may of never of found you"

Hermione gulped, her hands shaking.

"My parents may not have died" She whispered to the woman.

"Dear, your powers are not to blame on your parents death. They had nothing to do with it" her mother whispered in her ear but the girl refused to believe it.

"I don't know happened to them. I never even got to say goodbye" Minerva wrapped her arms tighter around her daughter.

"Your parents funeral is next week. I promise, we'll take you to say goodbye. Your father is arranging everything" She kissed the girl's forehead making her nod.

"Hermione, I'd like to re-visit your uncle's form of punishment"

Hermione gulped but agreed to go back.

"Are you okay to speak about what he did to you" Hermione thought for a second before looking down at her scarred hands.

"Umm...He threw my books, clothes and toys in the fire...he punched me and kicked me, s-sometimes he c-cut me and burn me. H-he liked to whip me with a cable when I-I was naughty. T-the rest of the time he would lock me up in the basement for a long time, he'd chain me against the wall or lock me in a cage, s-starve me. I-I was reawy hungry round uncles'" Hermione licked her lips.

"What happened when you were good?"

Hermione looked up and into her eyes before looking down.

"I wasn't ever good but sometimes uncle would let me sleep on the living room floor next to the fire. It got really cold in uncle's house and he never gave me a blanket to fight off the cold in the basement. Another time, I told uncle on his friend. He was a peter-file and I told uncle he had given me his card and uncle gave me some fruit from a tin as a reward" She looked up at them smiling proving to them that she could be a good girl for her mother.

"Was that the only time your uncle was nice to you?"

Hermione had to think about that.

"There was another time when I was really ill and I was cweaning up the kitchen and accidently dwopped a glass. Uncle didn't beat me, he just pulled the glass out of my foot and said I owed him but it was weawwy painful when he removed the splinters"

Andy nodded before taking a sip of her tea.

Hermione licked her lips for a second before bending over to finally have hers. She was lucky it had cooled down quite a bit since they had been chatting.

After a small break, Andy moved on with a few more questions. This time she was able to ask about her relationship with Bruce which Hermione was more than happy to talk about. By the end, an hour had passed and the girl's exhaustion was beginning to show. Hermione was still underweight and on a lot of medication for her illnesses.

"We'll wrap things up, but I will give you both some homework to do in the meantime"

Hermione's eyes a lighted with wonder about the idea of homework. Andy removed a purple journal from behind a pillow and passed it to the small girl.

"Hermione, this is yours. It's a journal that I want you to write down any dreams or thoughts you might have. It's yours to write in what you want and throughout the weeks if you feel like discussing any of the content we can" Andy smiled gently at her.

Hermione could only nod and thank the woman before looking over to her mother who smiled down at her proudly. Hermione couldn't help but smile back knowing that she had done something right. She wanted so badly to make Minerva proud of her and she felt that she had accomplished just that today.

As they walked out the door and back into the streets, Minerva pulled her daughter into her and told her so before asking the girl what she would like for desert for tonight. The golden eyed girl couldn't help but smile happily at her mother and hug her back.

At night time Minerva sighed as she relaxed on the couch next to her husband. She had just finished tucking Hermione up before she noticed the girl's upset mood. In fact, they both sort of felt that way. Hermione by having to talk and relive her experience with her uncle and Minerva feeling guilty for neglecting the child's parents deaths. She for one thing, knew Albus had handled the arrangements of their burial and both felt that Hermione needed to attend.

"She's a brilliant girl, Albus. I just feel so awful for her. You should of seen how brave she was talking about everything that had happened"

"I'm sure she was dear. She's a true Gryffindore at heart"

She placed a hand on her husband's knee stopping him from reading. He took the cue and removed his glasses from his face.

"Albus, you have barely spent time with her since she came here"

He sighed. He had so much work with the M.O.M and organising the funeral he couldn't help so. He looked into his wife's eyes and saw her silent plea.

"I'll take the day off tomorrow and I'll her out. It'll just be us"

She kissed him happily before warning him, "not too far though"

He agreed before turning back to his book now knowing he'll have to finish off his paperwork tonight.


Albus had decided that it would be interesting to see the extent of Hermione's abilities and took her down for a stroll in the lake.

He wore a 1920s blue and white striped men's bathing suit as he held the towels and Hermione's hand down to the water. She was in an energetic mood today which was good. She bounced happily in her similar 1920s pink and white striped bathing suit he had transfigured for her. She had been talking for the past ten minutes about her favourite book Alice and Wonderland. Reciting for him the story plot, the Cheshire cat which she said reminded her a lot like Albus strangely enough. He scratched his chin, deciding that he would read the book considering the comparison that she drew up.

"Here we are!" He placed both their towels on a bench. Hermione jumped for joy as she moved over to the sandy shore throwing her sandals off before jumping in. She couldn't remember the last time she had been swimming. She made a loud splash as she practically dived in. Albus chuckled before quietly removing his sandals and slowly following her in.

"Papa" She called to him laughing happily before diving under.

Albus smiled as he sat down, placing on his sunglasses as he watched his young daughter play near him. He couldn't help but smile, her laughter was infectious. They spent some time together passing and throwing a ball before building a sandcastle and finally going back into the water to wash off.

Albus couldn't help but look down at her in wonder. The girl knew so much and he couldn't help but ask to see the extent of her powers.

"Hermione, dear?" The golden eyed girl looked up innocently at her father who called to her.

"Yes, papa"

"You wouldn't mind showing me some of your powers would you?"

She hesitated for a second, rubbing her arm not wanting to displease her father. She agreed to his asking.

Hermione nodded at her papa before closing her eyes and leaning her head back into the water attempting to meditate. Albus sat down in the soft sand, placing his hands on the back of her shoulder blades trying to gently keep her a float and anchor her to one spot.

Albus patiently waited for over 30 minutes before deciding on a warming charm for the both of them.

Another 30 minutes past and he began to notice his daughter's face twitching slightly. Within an instant her body shifted. He winced his eyes as water splashed him before he turned back. She wasn't there any more. His eyes widened in fear beginning to panic. Oh god, what is she had turned into an ant and had gotten stuck.

"Hermione?" He called out trying not to panic. He saw a small wave pierce the surface not 5 metres from him before he called out to her again. Another burst of water splashed his face again momentarily blinding him. He quickly rubbed his eyes, hearing the sounds of a an almost mewling. He opened his eyes to see a small tuft of fur sticking it's beady eyes out on the water. It's head had a tuft of white fur. He watched as she moved off, her small little legs kicking beneath the surface as she came closer and closer to him. He sat back down on the sandy bottom as the small animal jumped onto his knee and crawled up. From there he could inspect the rest of her body. She had fluffy brown legs and a white body indicating that her animagus was in one of the primary stages of developing their brown waterproof, adult fur. She was just big enough to fit in both of his hand.

He smiled down at her reconsidering whether to bother going into the full extent of her abilities. She was just a smart girl and seeing that she had turned herself into a cute little baby otter only reinforced this more.

A baby sea otter. He picked her up and kissing her cheek before leaning down and letting her rest on his chest. Hermione was in fact just an innocent child.

She was extremely smart and gifted. Much like Tom Riddle. However, unlike Tom Riddle, she wasn't a person of hatred despite the suffering she had been through.

She chirped happily at him as they floated. Hermione resting on his stomach watching in awe as the giant squid waved one of it's tentacles out of the water. Albus had spent another hour in the water with her, watching her pelt and dash under the waters surface, granted not to far from Albus so he could keep a watchful eye on her. He decided to get out for a bit and get some vitamin D and lay in the sun.

He knew that the girl wanted to continue playing but she was rather difficult to spot in her otter form. He asked her to change back and she could continued playing. She reclutantly agreed, having to refocus again before shifting into her human form. Her eyes felt sunken as her energy depleted instantly. The whole world felt like it was spinning in that moment and she instantly crashed back down into the water collapsing. The old man quickly pulled her from the water and craddled her in his arms. He saw the exhaustion written on her face and pulled her over to the park bench to wrap her in a towel.

"Hermione, dear! Please wake up!" He called out to her as he rubbed her arms with the towel. She groaned before her eyes fluttered open.

"Papa?"

He chuckled happily before cuddling her as tightly as he could.

"Oh merlin, you scared me child"

She smiled up at him before sitting up and hugging him.

"Sorry papa. The twansformations make me tired sometimes"

He nodded wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his lap.

"You remember to tell us when your tired right?"

She nodded as he waved his hand summoning a chocolate bar and passing it to her. She smiled, thanking him before chomping away.

"Thank you papa"

He chuckled, winking at her before she cuddled up into his chest.

The two spent the rest of the day lounging in the sun on the grass. They read their books, watched a few clouds roll by and slept. three o'clock hit them very fast and the two walked back to the castle hand in hand chatting about the types of animals she had always wanted to be. Another point hit him that Hermione didn't seem to particularly interested in any flying creatures of the sort. When he had asked her, she said that she fell down from her tree house when she was toddler and her hurt arm.

By dinner time, Albus sat in the Great Hall awaiting his wife as his daughter slept peacefully in his arms. The afternoon nap didn't appear to have helped very much. Albus hoped it wasn't due to the transformation. Minerva and Poppy walked in together, seemingly discussing one of the Slytherin students. The two woman smiled at Albus who currently had his arms full with his newly acquired child resting her head on his shoulder and drooling on him.

"You two must have had a big day" Minerva smirked at her husband before sitting down next to them.

"Indeed. Our dear girl had quite a busy morning. It seems that all the swimming had tired her out" He rubbed his daughters face as she continued to sleep and drool on him, not that he minded. Minerva smiled before turning to eat her dinner. Albus rubbed the girls arm forcing her to wake up and sit up on his lap.

"5 more minutes" She mumbled her head leaning forward begging for sleep.

"I'm sorry my dear. You may sleep later but you require your dinner and medication" He whispered into her ear. She breathed out, nodding as he pulled a glass of pumpkin juice filled with her medication to her. She rested back against his chest as she drunk from her goblet before she felt her fathers arm wrap around her stomach and bring her forward so she could eat something.

They ended up deciding on a cheese toastie with tomato soup for her. Albus spent majority of his evening in the Great Hall attempting to both coax and feed the girl whilst Minerva, from time to time, would wipe the girls lips with a napkin. She was absolutely exhausted to say the least and ended up practically collapsing after she had finished off most of her meal and her pumpkin juice leaving Albus alone to finish off his and Minerva worried to death over her child.

She had suggested taking her to see Poppy but Albus had waved her off saying that he had been playing with the girl for hours and was just over exhausted.

They had retired quite early that evening, bidding the rest of the professors a farewell before leaving.

Albus stared down at the girl worriedly, wondering if he was the reason why the girl was so exhausted. He wandered what her first transformation had been like. He had only ever seen really from Jack's perspective (thanks to Severus).

He spent the rest of the evening with Minerva assisting in helping their daughter have a bath, take her medication and brush her teeth. Albus sighed, knowing there was no need to read her a book tonight rather the older woman laid in bed with the girl tucked up next to her. Minerva had been looking forward to spending some time with her today and was instead met with a tired little girl barely able to keep her eyes open.

"Maybe next time keep the swimming lessons a little shorter, Albus" Minerva asked tucked her up in bed before kissing her forehead and turning the lights out.

Albus hesitated but nodded in agreement.

"I'll know better for next time. Maybe I'll take her to see the ministry when she's better" He suggested knowing they had an upcoming father, daughter day. He licked his lips thinking better of it. He didn't need anyone knowing her had a daughter, especially one that didn't particularly look like either Albus nor Minerva. He resided to keeping her a secret until she was 11 when she entered school. Well 12 really. He kissed his wife and child goodnight seeing that she was needing to spent some time with her daughter before tomorrow's next counselling session.