When everyone left to go downstairs for breakfast, Hermione put on
the one outfit she brought that wasn't in uniform. It was a pair of dark
gray sweatpants and a pink tee shirt. She felt odd without her robes on,
but they were so uncomfortable yesterday and she wrinkled them all up. She
pulled her hair up, now wavy and sort of frizzy and moved to the common
room. She sat down and took out her Potions book, wondering how much they
learned yesterday. It didn't look terribly hard, but she was studying over
the summer. Her parents seemed unusually odd that summer. She shrugged off
the memory of them and focused on the new potion they were learning.
"Hermione?" A voice asked from the doorway. She looked up.
"Hey." Hermione looked back down at her book.
"That's funny." Ron stated, smirking
"What is?"
"I've never seen you with your hair up!" They both laughed as Ron sat down. "Brought you some pumpkin juice and a muffin." Hermione smiled at how predictable Ron was.
"Thank you." She ate and Ron took her Potions book, trying to review. Just then there was a knock on the door. It was professor McGonogal.
"Hello Professor," Hermione said, shooting Ron a look. He shrugged.
"Hermione, Ron, can Dumbledore and I speak to you in his office?" Hermione nodded and then looked down at her clothes.
"Should I change?" She said, embarrassed.
"There's no need to. Everyone's in their classes." She left and Ron and Hermione got up and followed. They got to the door, Professor McGonogal muttered the password and they reached the office. Dumbledore was standing at his desk, reading a letter, an owl perched on the window.
"Have a seat." He said, preoccupied. Ron sat. Hermione stood looking at the owl.
"This is my parents'. They bought it last year." She said, staring at it.
"That's true, Hermione." Dumbledore answered, looking up at her. He stood. "This letter is from your parents. They wrote it before you left. It just got here this morning." Hermione looked at the owl, then at Dumbledore, then at Ron. She breathed in a deep breath and took it.
Hermione dearest-
It read,
Your mother and I feel guilty about not telling you this before you left. We kept putting it off and it seemed so much simpler to write it down. Maybe you'd understand it better.
"What are they talking about?" She asked. Dumbledore told her to read on.
You see, your mother and I really wanted to have a daughter. We couldn't, though. We weren't able. We tried every place to adopt one, but no one would accept us, because we were told we didn't have enough stability and were too young. It was then when we stumbled upon a funny dressed woman and man, living on the streets. The woman was pregnant, probably about 8 and half months.
Hermione gasped. Ron shot a look at Dumbledore and just nodded calmly. Hermione started reading aloud.
"The woman and I got to talking, and she mentioned that her baby would never make it, if she could have her. We told her we could take her to the hospital to have it, but she refused. She told us she could never keep the baby; she wouldn't want to let it live on the streets. We bought them dinner and talked. Then the woman started to have labor pains. Without going into details, she had you, Hermione. Hermione Ann Brocksbow." Hermione set the letter down, her eyes wide and her face pale. "I'm adopted?" She said in disbelief. Ron took her by the arm and set her in the chair beside him, grabbing the letter.
"Read on." He told her. She couldn't, so he began where she left off.
"They insisted we take you, and once we found you were perfectly healthy, we signed the adoption papers. Mind you, we didn't just leave off there. We gave them a lot of money, so they could build or buy a home. We told them to write when they figured they could take you back in." Ron paused, acknowledging Hermione's cries. He rubbed her back and continued.
"They sent us an owl this summer. We told them we'd tell you during Christmas Holiday. Then we'd see if you'd like to visit them over the summer. We didn't tell you during the summer, we were scared of letting our Hermione leave us. We love you, Hermione." Ron's voice became shaky. "I'm sorry we had to write you about this. Send us an owl when you get it. Please talk to Master Dumbledore. He knows the rest of the details I couldn't include. Your mother and I love you very much." He finished and Hermione looked at him. Her eyes filled with tears again, and she bit her lip. Ron embraced her, and she wiped tears from her eyes.
Hermione looked up to see Dumbledore staring at her kindly.
"Miss Granger, would you like to meet your real parents?"
"Hermione?" A voice asked from the doorway. She looked up.
"Hey." Hermione looked back down at her book.
"That's funny." Ron stated, smirking
"What is?"
"I've never seen you with your hair up!" They both laughed as Ron sat down. "Brought you some pumpkin juice and a muffin." Hermione smiled at how predictable Ron was.
"Thank you." She ate and Ron took her Potions book, trying to review. Just then there was a knock on the door. It was professor McGonogal.
"Hello Professor," Hermione said, shooting Ron a look. He shrugged.
"Hermione, Ron, can Dumbledore and I speak to you in his office?" Hermione nodded and then looked down at her clothes.
"Should I change?" She said, embarrassed.
"There's no need to. Everyone's in their classes." She left and Ron and Hermione got up and followed. They got to the door, Professor McGonogal muttered the password and they reached the office. Dumbledore was standing at his desk, reading a letter, an owl perched on the window.
"Have a seat." He said, preoccupied. Ron sat. Hermione stood looking at the owl.
"This is my parents'. They bought it last year." She said, staring at it.
"That's true, Hermione." Dumbledore answered, looking up at her. He stood. "This letter is from your parents. They wrote it before you left. It just got here this morning." Hermione looked at the owl, then at Dumbledore, then at Ron. She breathed in a deep breath and took it.
Hermione dearest-
It read,
Your mother and I feel guilty about not telling you this before you left. We kept putting it off and it seemed so much simpler to write it down. Maybe you'd understand it better.
"What are they talking about?" She asked. Dumbledore told her to read on.
You see, your mother and I really wanted to have a daughter. We couldn't, though. We weren't able. We tried every place to adopt one, but no one would accept us, because we were told we didn't have enough stability and were too young. It was then when we stumbled upon a funny dressed woman and man, living on the streets. The woman was pregnant, probably about 8 and half months.
Hermione gasped. Ron shot a look at Dumbledore and just nodded calmly. Hermione started reading aloud.
"The woman and I got to talking, and she mentioned that her baby would never make it, if she could have her. We told her we could take her to the hospital to have it, but she refused. She told us she could never keep the baby; she wouldn't want to let it live on the streets. We bought them dinner and talked. Then the woman started to have labor pains. Without going into details, she had you, Hermione. Hermione Ann Brocksbow." Hermione set the letter down, her eyes wide and her face pale. "I'm adopted?" She said in disbelief. Ron took her by the arm and set her in the chair beside him, grabbing the letter.
"Read on." He told her. She couldn't, so he began where she left off.
"They insisted we take you, and once we found you were perfectly healthy, we signed the adoption papers. Mind you, we didn't just leave off there. We gave them a lot of money, so they could build or buy a home. We told them to write when they figured they could take you back in." Ron paused, acknowledging Hermione's cries. He rubbed her back and continued.
"They sent us an owl this summer. We told them we'd tell you during Christmas Holiday. Then we'd see if you'd like to visit them over the summer. We didn't tell you during the summer, we were scared of letting our Hermione leave us. We love you, Hermione." Ron's voice became shaky. "I'm sorry we had to write you about this. Send us an owl when you get it. Please talk to Master Dumbledore. He knows the rest of the details I couldn't include. Your mother and I love you very much." He finished and Hermione looked at him. Her eyes filled with tears again, and she bit her lip. Ron embraced her, and she wiped tears from her eyes.
Hermione looked up to see Dumbledore staring at her kindly.
"Miss Granger, would you like to meet your real parents?"