Chapter 2! Review thanks at the end of the chapter.
~ * ~
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but I can play with the characters as long as I put them back when I'm done.
"..." = speaking
'Italics' = thoughts
Italics = dream sequence
~ * ~
"Albus Dumbledore?"
Hermione stared at her mother in shock. What did Dumbledore have to do with her past? How could he have given her to this family? What was going on?
"Hermione, we were forbidden to tell you this," said John, rising to stand next to her. "We would have, otherwise. Albus said that we were not to say anything until your powers were released. Otherwise, you would have been in terrible danger from the Dark Lord." He put his hand on her shoulder.
"I was at the hospital the same time as your mother was, Hermione. I had a baby girl, a beautiful little girl. I passed out while I was giving birth, and when I woke up, my baby was gone. The midwife, a woman named Poppy, told me that something had gone wrong. My baby had died, and I had almost joined her. Luckily, I had survived, but would never be able to have children.
As she was telling me this, I noticed another woman in the room with me. She was in the bed next to me. I was shocked, because she looked so strange. She had dark blue hair and eyes that changed colour, like yours do now. She was speaking to a man with a long beard, and blue eyes. She then spoke to me." Elizabeth paused and sat down, her eyes filling with tears from the memories.
"She told me that she was dying. She was a Queen, of a race called Elementals. Her baby girl was fine, but she was dying, poisoned by a man she trusted. The man's name was Tom Riddle. He had entered her service, seduced her, taken her from her husband, and then he slowly poisoned her when he found out she was pregnant, but not with his child. He was enraged, and killed the baby's father, this Queen's husband. She ran away, about to give birth, and was found by the man she was talking to in the hospital, Albus Dumbledore. He took her to a Muggle hospital when she went into labour, and she had a baby girl. She named her Hermione."
"This is going to be me, isn't it," Hermione interrupted, her voice quiet.
"I'm sorry Hermione. Yes, it is. You see, this Tom Riddle, the Voldemort that you've told us about, wanted the Queen to have his own child. With her powers and his darkness, he would be unstoppable. Albus found out this from a spy, and he rescued her. The Queen would not make it back to the Wizarding world, he told us, and he asked us to take care of baby Hermione. We agreed, because I would never have this chance again, to raise a baby as my own, for her to look on me as her true mother." Elizabeth started to cry. "I'm a selfish woman, Hermione. I was happy to take you away, agree to keep what had happened a secret until you needed to know."
"Sh," whispered John, hugging his wife. He turned to Hermione and carried on the story.
"Albus cast some powerful spells on you, to lock away your special powers until you needed them. He also used magic to fool the Muggle doctors, transfiguring your looks to those of my dead daughters, and her looks to yours. He gave her to me, and then he disappeared."
"When you were one, we were visited by him again. He told us that Voldemort had been defeated, by a boy named Harry Potter. He said that your true identity could remain a secret forever, unless Voldemort rose again. He told us that you would be going to Hogwarts, he said he would look after you." Elizabeth reached out and took Hermione's hand.
"I hope you understand why we couldn't tell you before. It was to protect you, so that our Hermione would be safe. Please, we know that this is a big shock for you, but we hope you will stay with us, and will not regret calling us your parents." Elizabeth kissed Hermione on the forehead and ran from the room in tears.
"Your mother has always worried that she would lose you," said John quietly. "She loves you as if you were her own, and so do I. We don't want you to hate us because of this, but we understand if you do." He left the room to comfort his wife.
Hermione sat there in shock. She wasn't Hermione Granger? Then, who was she? An Elemental? And a Princess?
~ * ~
Hermione pulled on her cloak and pocketed her wand, running out of the house. "I'm going to talk to Dumbledore!" she yelled back to her parents. "Now, how did Harry say you called the Knight Bus? Ah, yes!" Hermione stuck her wand hand out into the air. There was a loud bang in front of her.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike and I will be your conductor today."
"Yes, yes, fine," grumbled Hermione, climbing on. "How much would it be to go to Hogsmeade?"
"Ten sickles, but-"
"Ten sickles is fine. Just get me there," growled Hermione, not in the mood for conversation. She shoved the money into Stan's hand and sat on a bed near the back. The bus was empty, and so it shot off towards Hogsmeade. Hermione screamed as she fell over backwards, getting tangled in her robes.
"What's the rush?" she asked, getting more and more annoyed as Stan started to explain how the bus worked. Normally, she would have been thrilled, but today was not a day for learning about a bus.
"I don't care!" she said, frustrated. "I need to get to Hogsmeade now. Understand? And I hope to get there in one piece, thank you so very much." 'Way to go, Hermione,' she scolded herself. 'Five years of lessons with Snape and you're a mistress of sarcasm.'
"Look, I've just had some news, and I'm very confused. I'm sorry I shouted," she added, as Stan's lower lip started wobbling. 'I wonder if he's related to Neville,' she asked herself, recognising the signs all too well.
"Alright, Ern, get us to Hogsmeade," mumbled Stan as he wandered off. Hermione made her way back to the bed she had chosen and sighed. It was going to be a long day.
~ * ~
"Chocolate Frogs! Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans! Sherbet Lemons! Honeydukes Fudge! Toothflossing Stringmints! Acid Pops! Cockroach Cluster!" yelled Hermione, trying to get the gargoyle to move. Dumbledore had not been in Hogsmeade, and so, she reasoned, he must be here.
"Mint Humbugs," came a voice from behind her. Hermione panicked and spun around, waving her hands. A torrent of water shot forward and soaked the person, who, once the water had cleared, turned out to be Professor Snape.
"I'm sorry!" she gasped. "Professor, I had no idea it was going to do that, honestly."
"Don't worry. Being soaked by hormonal teenagers with strange powers is a regular occurrence in my life, Miss Granger." The voice was laced with sarcasm. "I assume you're here to see the Headmaster. The password is 'Mint Humbugs'. His newest obsession, it would seem. Now, are you going to block the entrance all day, or can someone with more important things to do come through?"
"I'm sorry, Professor," said Hermione meekly, biting back an insult. She did not want to worsen the day by picking a fight with Snape. Standing aside, she glared at his back as he glided onto the moving stairs like a malevolent bat.
"Oh, I've got more important things to do than you have," she mimicked in a strange voice. "Don't worry, sir, I've just had a life-changing revelation. Go ahead for your coffee break!" She kicked the statue. 'Well done, Mione. That was the most immature thing you've ever done.'
"Miss Granger? How did he know?" Hermione sprinted up the stairs, ignoring the fact that they moved. She collided with Snape and Dumbledore at the top.
"You recognised me?" she asked Snape instantly, ignoring Dumbledore. Snape raised an eyebrow, and nodded.
"Yes. I am assuming that you have been told your 'story'. I was the spy who warned the Headmaster about the danger you were in."
"Oh." Hermione paused. "So, um, you knew, all these years, who I really was?"
Snape smirked. "Yes, Miss Granger. I did."
"You bastard!" Hermione jumped for Snape and started punching and kicking him, screaming about how much of a good-for-nothing he was. Snape's attempts to get her off were useless.
"Miss Granger!" Dumbledore reached over and pulled a spitting Hermione off Snape. "This will not help at all. Apologise to Professor Snape."
Hermione glowered at everyone, and then realised what she had done. 'Oh Merlin, I attacked a teacher...I'm going to lose my prefect title, I'm going to be expelled!'
"Sorry!" she squeaked, turning bright red. "I didn't mean to do that, I just...lost control, I guess." She looked down at her feet sheepishly. She heard a chuckle from Dumbledore.
"Um, Professor, I didn't hurt you, did I? You don't need to see Madam Pomfrey?" she asked meekly. Snape stared icily at her.
"If you had, I would simply heal myself, Miss Granger. I would not explain to Poppy how I was viciously attacked by an emotional, insufferable know-it-all teenager?" he spat, before turning and leaving. Hermione made a face at his back. 'How in the world does he make 'teenager' sound like an insult?' she asked herself.
"Hermione." Dumbledore's voice shook her from her reverie. "I confess that it was indeed myself who gave you to the Grangers. I know, through my various contacts, that Voldemort was after you. Until young Harry caused his downfall, you were the person most at risk. I had promised your mother that I would look after you."
"But, why didn't you tell me? I've been at Hogwarts for five years now. This will be my sixth. Why?" asked Hermione eventually, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.
"In your first year, Miss Granger, unless my memory fails me, you were involved in the exposure of Quirrel as Voldemorts puppet. In your second year, the Chamber of Secrets was re-opened. In year three, you put yourself in danger again helping someone accused of being Voldemorts second-in-command to escape the Dementors. And then, two years ago, Voldemort rose again. I simply cannot put your life at risk like that."
"I understand." Hermione looked up into Dumbledore's serious blue eyes. "So, why do things keep happening? At home, a wind broke the table, and just now I soaked Professor Snape. Why?"
"If I am correct, Miss Granger, then it is your powers as an Elemental starting to work. Perhaps you could find some more information in the Library? I know for a fact that there is an excellent book on ancient races in the Restricted Section."
"Yes, sir." Hermione ran back down the stairs and sprinted to the Library.
~ * ~
"The Elementals are one of the oldest races known to the Wizarding world. Led by their Queen, they live all over the world keeping the peace between the nations. They have the ability to control the many different elements with their bodies. Most Elementals specialise in one or two elements, such as fire, ice, earth, or air. The best healers are Elementals, as they are able to draw healing energy from the Earth itself. Now, unfortunately, the race is in decline, as their Queen was killed during Voldemorts uprising, and all the Elementals captured and imprisoned by the Dark Lord. They live in the hope of their Prince and Princess, the only free Elementals on the planet, coming to rescue them before they die..." Hermione's voice trailed off as she read this.
"Granger." A voice came from behind her, and, for the second time that day, she spun around, raising her hands. Fire flew through the air, and engulfed the person standing behind her.
"Sorry!" Hermione panicked as the flames increased, waving her hands around. "Oh, what did the book say? Any element? Alright then, umm, water!" Nothing happened, the flames kept moving. "Water!" Hermione screamed and lifted her hand. Water replaced the flames and died down.
"I did Elemental magic!" she cried excitedly, dancing around with her blue hair waving. "Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Oh no." She stopped as she saw one Kentucky Fried Snape staring angrily at her.
"It was an accident! Well, the fire was, and the water was to put it out, and I didn't know, and...why were you sneaking up on me?"
"Miss Granger, I was sent by the Headmaster to inform you of a letter from your parents that had arrived in his office. I did not, as you so eloquently put it, sneak up on you. I will see you in detention on your first day of lessons. Goodbye, Miss Granger." Snape stalked out of the Library, leaving a humiliated Hermione.
"Let's go see this letter," she mumbled, putting the book back. "I hope Mum and Dad aren't too mad at me. I still want to be Hermione Granger."
~ * ~
Just a short chapter, really, to finish off Hermione's story. Next chapter, I hope, will be longer. And I remember Hermione flame-grilled Snape in the first. I just loved the phrase, Kentucky Fried Snape.
Ice Sprite - No, um, you scare me. I hexed nobody. Lana and Triana get big hugs from Ice Sprite. Dobby/Winky will be left in, and I hope this chapter satisfies your need for Snape to be abused.
Triana Alexandria Malfoy - Thank you! (You get big hugs from Ice Sprite.) I'll keep the Dobby/Winky romance in for you.
Slytherin Angel - I totally agree! House elves need love too! (You get big hugs too.)
Hey! I have a magic spell for you! Press the review button, say something, and press submit, and a new chapter will appear a few days later! Cool, huh?
