The Darkness Within

Okay, this is my second attempt at writing a fanfic. My first I decided to stop writing, because I felt it was going nowhere....that and I received a total of *nine* reviews. I plan on finishing this one though, no matter what, unless something suddenly happens and I can no longer write. But, I doubt that'll happen. Anyway, read on and PLEASE REVIEW!! I'm hoping to get at least ten reviews on this one. (lol!)

disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K. does. I do own the plot though, and also Giselle and Gregoire D'Everuex

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It was a beautiful, warm Friday morning when Hermione Granger awoke from her peaceful sleep. She smiled as her cat Crookshanks rubbed its head against her hand, obviously wanting to be petted. " 'Morning Crooks." She took a few minutes to let her eyes adjust to the light pouring in from her bedroom window, illuminating her pale yellow bedroom walls. Slowly, she arose, stretched, then turned on her cd player and preceded to straighten up her room. She hummed along with the cd, which was playing "Perfect Memory" by Remy Zero while making her bed. Ten minutes later she looked around her room making sure everything looked okay. After checking everything over, she headed to her bathroom to shower. A short while later, she was sitting on her floral bed putting on makeup. She was wearing a pair of stonewashed jeans and a baby blue tank top, and a pair of star shaped silver earrings with small aquamarines in the middle of each star. She french-braided her hair into two braids, and left little tendrils out to frame her face. Once she had begun to coat her lips in lipgloss, she heard a tapping on her window. "Hedwig!" She nearly fell off her bed in her rush to run to the window.

"Hey sweetie, what do you have for me?," she asked while opening the window. Hedwig fluttered onto her bed and sat still so Hermione could untie the package from her. Once it was off of her, Hedwig remained on Hermione's bed, cooing while staring at Crookshanks. The cat was slowly creeping its way towards the bird, but Hedwig was not the least bit afraid of the cat. She was practically taunting Crookshanks to come near her.

Hermione opened the small brown box Hedwig had brought. 'Oh my god', she thought. She reached into the box and pulled out a silver ring with a breathtakingly beautiful square shaped blue stone in the middle. She looked back into the box and saw a small piece of parchment there that said For Hermione. She pulled out the parchment and opened it up. It read:

Hermione,

Happy birthday to my amazing angel. Yes, the ring's real, just in case you were wondering. The blue stone is called a London Blue Topaz. I bought it when Ron and I were out shopping with his family. (His dad wanted to go to a muggle mall). I saw it and knew you would love it. Have a wonderful birthday and I'll see you when school starts back up. I love you.

-Harry

Hermione slipped the ring onto her finger; it was a perfect fit. She stared down at the ring's elegant radiance. Just then Hedwig bent down and nipped at her finger, as if she was reminding her to reply to Harry. Hermione walked over to her desk, grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill, and wrote:

Harry,

Thank you so much for the ring. It is absolutely amazing. I can't believe you bought it for me. It must have cost you a fortune. I wouldn't have cared whether or not it was real. All that matters is that its from you. That's what counts. I love you too, and I'll see you in a month.

-Hermione

She folded up the paper and tied it to Hedwig. A minute later the bird swooped out of her room. Hermione was watching it sail off into the morning light before hearing her mother's voice calling her from downstairs.

"Hermione! Come downstairs! We have a surprise for you!"

"Coming," yelled Hermione.

As she made her way down the polished oak wood staircase, the smell of bacon and eggs wafted through her nose. She smiled when she turned to enter the Victorian styled kitchen and saw breakfast waiting on the table for her, along with gifts from her parents. "Happy Birthday," they chimed as she sat down at the table.

"Wow, you really outdid yourselves this year," she said while taking a biscuit.

"Well it's not everyday our only child turns seventeen," said her mother.

When the family had finished their breakfast, Jonathon Granger ordered his daughter to open her gifts.

"This one's from your grandmother," said her father, handing her a lumpy package. It was a knitted, burnt orange sweater.

"Always count on your dad's mother to give you something like that," said Anne Granger, handing her daughter another package. "This one's from us."

It was a detailed book about the Salem witch trials. Hermione laughed.

"I love it!"

"We thought you might. We found it funny seeing as you're a witch and all," said her father.

"Thank you," said Hermione, opening up her book.

Her parents started cleaning up the mess in the kitchen. When they made sure she had fully immersed herself in the book, they whispered among themselves.

"I think we should tell her Anne."

"No! She's not old enough!," Anne hissed.

"Yes she is! She's far more mature than most teenagers her age."

"I just don't think-"

"Anne." Jonathon looked into his wife's eyes. "I received a letter from them today. They are going to be here in fifteen minutes. It's time she knew," he whispered.

Anne silently nodded and turned off the faucet. They slowly made their way back over to the kitchen table, and sat down next to Hermione.

"Mione," said Anne.

"Hmm?," she replied, not looking up from her book.

"There's something we need to tell you."

"Okay, shoot." She still wasn't looking up from her book.

"Honey," started her father, pulling the book out of her hands. "There's something we need to tell you."

Hermione stared at her parents' serious expressions. She knew something wasn't right. "Guys, what's going on?"

Jonathon took a deep breath. "Hermione, we're not..."

He looked at Anne.

"Sweetie, we're not really your parents."

Hermione burst out laughing. "Good one guys, good one. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back upstairs and see if Ron has sent anything yet."

"Hermione," said her mother in a serious tone.

Hermione stopped laughing when she saw that her parents still had serious faces. She sat back down.

"Now, as I was saying before, we're not your parents," said Jonathon.

"What? W-What do you mean 'We're not your parents'? Of course you are," said Hermione in a shaky voice.

Anne shook her head.

"No, we're not."

Hermione was overcome with so many emotions at once, and was highly confused. "Of course you're my parents. I don't have any others."

"Yes you do," said Anne.

"Well where are they and where the hell have they been in the last seventeen years?," said Hermione, her voice rising.

"Shh, Mione calm down," said Jonathon.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN? How the hell am I supposed to be calm? I don't even know who you are! Everything I've always known about you is all a lie! For all I know you could've kidnapped me!"

"Hermione, please. Everything you know about us is all true. We didn't kidnap you, or anything of the sort. We adopted you."

"You what?"

"We adopted you. Now no more questions, until they get here."

"And just who are 'they'?"

"Your parents. They'll be here in about ten minutes, and then all of your questions will be answered."

Nothing more was said after that for the next ten minutes. Hermione stared down at the kitchen table, running over what had just happened in her mind. After what seemed like an hour, they arrived.

There, standing in the middle of the kitchen, was a stunning woman with bushy brown hair. Next to her, a tall, slender, handsome middle-aged man. The woman looked at the Grangers, then at Hermione. In a French accent she whispered, "'Ermione?"

Hermione, slightly startled by the sudden apparation of the two people into the room, nodded her head.

"I am Giselle D'Evereux, and this is my husband Gregoire. We are your parents."