disclaimer-nope, not mine.
AN: big thanks to all reviewers! I realized I had left a tiny part out of this chapter after I posted it which probably confused those who read it but its better now.
Chapter 6: In the Foyer
Monday came and Hermione was…well, honestly she didn't know what she was. Not only did she not know where she stood emotionally, but her whole existence was an intricately weaved web of lies. She had not yet told either Ron nor Harry and was becoming reclusive, for fear they would be grossed out...or worse.
Hermione sat in the transfigurations classroom while McGonagall lectured the class about "Minuo Minui Minutum" which is used to shrink solid objects to dollhouse size. Hermione stared at the Professor as she spoke, searching for any indication the she was related to Minerva.
"What is the proper intonation of this reduction spell Ms. Granger?" McGonagall asked.
"Wha- what was the question?" Hermione asked, for her eyes had glazed over and her mind was elsewhere.
"Five points from Gryffindor for your lack of attention Ms. Granger." Mcgonagall said and continued the lesson.
The trio proceeded to lunch after the lesson, the two boys somewhat puzzled by Hermoine's unusual behavoir.
"It's ok you have to go home for the holidays Hermione, have fun erm, baking cookies, or whatever," Harry said, trying to be pleasant after Hermione had profusely apologized for having to go home for Christmas.
"Come on Herbert!" Lisa Granger yelled upstairs to her husband. They needed to get a move on if they were going to meet their daughter on time. "I'm coming, hold your horses woman! Sheesh!" Herbert headed down the stairs wrestling with his tie and crookedly parting his peppered blonde hair simultaneously. Herbert loved his wife but her obsessive punctuality was damn annoying, all the clocks in the house were ten minutes ahead for Christ's sake! Herbert stood in the foyer while his wife fussed over his navy tie.
Lucius Malfoy apparated in front of 56 Loomer Court. He had no idea why the dark lord wanted this muggle family dead and hadn't dared question him. He remembered what the dark lord had done to McCormick when he had questioned him over something, Lucius didn't remember what only that it was trivial. McCormick was now in the same place as those putrid Longbottoms. It was to teach his loyals a lesson, and it had most certainly worked.
"Elimina" Lucius knocked the door off its hinges.
The Grangers jumped, startled at the sound of their door landing on the wooden floor. Lisa grabbed her husband's hand.
"Avada Kedavra"
Hermione had been waiting at the train station for about 20 minutes after tripping off the train into a gray pile of slush. She went to phone her parents, nobody picked up. Hermione started to worry. "They probably just forgot the date, yeah, that's it," Hermione reassured herself while waving for a taxi.
Hermione arrived at home to find an iridescent green skull with a snake crawling in its mouth above her home. "Oh God," the meaning of finding the dark mark above her house in the gray sky registered in her mind. "I'm sorry Hermione, we were too late," Hermione woke out of her reverie as McGonagall talked to her and noticed the members of the Order running around her house. Hermione ran towards her house, it had to be someone's idea of a joke, a sick joke, a really sick joke right? She tripped over the steps leading to the door. Well, it wasn't a dream, her knee burned as blood oozed from the fresh cut marking her body. She ran through what had been the door, it had been blown in, to her parents' bodies lying on the floor, the Christmas tree an ironic backdrop to their corpses. Someone had the decency to close her parents now empty eyes. She felt the tears slide down her cheeks as she noticed her parents had been holding hands as they died.
"I'm sorry Hermione," Minerva caught up with the girl to see her face wet with tears. Minerva wrapped her arms around Hermione and dragged her outside as she herself felt the fresh onslaught of tears trickling down her face.