Into the Shadows
Prologue
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Author's Note: This story was updated up to Chapter 9. I deleted and decided to re-work it because some more ideas popped into my head. The Prologue is short, but the rest of the chapters are not.
Hermoine sat on the edge of her bed. Her parents had just told her the truth. She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. She was happy being who she was. She was proud to be a muggleborn witch and not only that, but the fact that she was the top of her class. Never could she believe what they told her.
To clear her head, Hermoine decided to take a bath, a nice long relaxing bubble bath with the special blend of herbs she bought from Hogsmead earlier in the year. As she ran the water, she was forced to remember what her parents said to her. Closing her eyes and inhaling the sweet jasmine scent, she heard her parents' voices take over.
"Hermoine, dear, it's time you learned the truth," her mom said. She hadn't understood then. Why now? Why not earlier? She didn't understand. It was all too new to her.
Her father grunted. "Not now. It's too soon."
"It IS time," her mother canted. "It cannot wait any longer. You read the letter. At the age of seventeen…"
Her mother stopped then and looked at Hermoine. She didn't have the heart to tell her, but she knew she had to do it soon. The headmaster of Hermione's school, Albus Dumbledore, had owled them to tell them it was time. They had to tell their daughter, or she would soon find out for her own. And that would be a task in itself, for after this talk Hermione still had a lot to learn.
As the bath water filled the tub, the aromas of pine and jasmine leaves filled the air. She needed to release the tension she was feeling. Hermoine rose and grabbed some towels and candles. She quickly undressed and slipped into the warm, actually rather hot, water. She needed to feel clean after what she was told. She just couldn't get it out of her mind. Why was this happening to her?
The look on her mother's face told her it was going to be a long night of discussions. She quickly turned her eyes on her father. He sat stiffly, as if wanting to get this discussion out of the way as soon as possible, without inflicting too much pain. She WAS their daughter after all. They had raised her to be smart, courageous, and loyal. How could they hurt her now?
"Hermoine…"
"Yes, mum?"
"Hmph."
"I'm trying to!" her mother snarled at Mr. Granger.
"Dear, this isn't exactly the way we planned on tell you. It's not what you think. It's hardly anything you could think. We want you to know, that NO matter what, we love you. We took you into our hearts the first time that we saw you. We couldn't deny you. You were truly what we had hoped for."
Hermoine stared at her mom. She didn't understand. Why was she saying all this?
"Mum, what are you trying to say? This seriously better not be another talk about the birds and bees!" she said to her mother.
Her dad turned to her now. "Hermoine, you have to understand that we must tell you now, before it is too late. We were told of what would happen if we held out too long."
That was it. Hermoine just shook her head at them.
"What are you guys playing at? Do you think I shouldn't go back to Hogwarts?"
"No! That's not at all what we're saying. You HAVE to go back there. You aren't safe outside the walls. You have to go back early. It's the only way for you to truly understand," her dad said.
Her mom sighed heavily. "We can't hold off anymore. I just can't find the way to word it…" Her mom took Hermione's hand in her own, squeezing it to give her strength.
"Mum, Dad, just tell me. I'm old enough to be able to put up with it. I've done a lot and I'm happy to say, I'm fine. Just tell me please."
Hermoine sighed. In one sweeping motion, she submerged herself into the water of the bathtub, holding her breath for what seemed like eternity. She pulled up quick, released her breath and coughed a bit. Her full brown hair was soaked, but she didn't feel relaxed. She lit the candles and entranced herself in the flames, concentrating on clearing her mind….
"Hermoine, you're not our daughter, not biologically at least. We raised you and loved you like you were our own."
Hermoine stared at her parents. She always knew something was a bit off, like the way her mum reacted when she received the letter from Hogwarts. Her mother was just waiting for it to arrive. She didn't acted shocked or stunned or anything. There were no emotions in her eyes.
Her father grabbed her other hand now, taking it fully into his.
"This really is hard, but you must listen to us. You must hear us through. You can ask anything you want after your mother finishes telling you everything. But tomorrow, you must go back to Hogwarts. Your Headmaster has assured us that everything will be taken care of from then on."
Burying her face in her hands, she could no longer hold back the tears that wanted to pour out in front of her parents. She cried for hours, at least that was what she felt. Those big brown eyes, with such emotion in them, finally closed and she lay back in the tub, only to remember more…
"There was a wizarding family, Hermoine, that had the name of Algorini."
Where had she heard that before?
"They were a pureblood family that had many ties to the Dark Arts. They came from a long line of those who supported the movements for purebloods among themselves and the walls of Hogwarts. As far back as the first years of Hogwarts, each Algorini had been in the Slytherin House."
Ahh, yes, of course, Hermoine thought. Slippery little Slytherins…but where exactly was this conversation going?
Her dad sighed now.
"Kristofer Algorini, the last true heir of the Algorini family, had a fault. He had a weakness for a certain young lady in the House of Gryffindor. It was highly forbidden for an Algorini to associate with any from the other houses in Hogwarts."
Her mother spoke directly after her father. "Kristofer went against his family at a very young age. He proved this at the age of 12 when he was supposed to receive the Algorini family symbol on his chest. He left his family that night and returned to Hogwarts."
A heavy sigh was followed. Only this time it was Hermione's. She remembered that name. Finally. And she began to wonder just what her parents her trying to say.
"The Headmaster, as you recall, was Albus Dumbledore. He knew about the Algorini family, having taught them for many years. It was with his honor that he would help Kristofer from becoming what his family wanted him to become. Albus sought to keep this hidden. However, when school came back into session, the whole Slytherin House knew what Kristofer did. They immediately disowned him from their association. To turn your back on your family was not something that was looked kindly upon, especially in the eyes of your fellow purebloods."
This time her father broke in. "Kristofer stayed at Hogwarts for the following 4 years, knowing someday, he would have to venture out in the world and face his family again. It was at that time that he truly fell in love with Emily Scallo from Gryffindor. Emily saw that he wasn't like the other Slytherins, and quickly fell for him too. Before they graduated Hogwarts, they planned on being bound in a marriage ceremony by Albus Dumbledore. It was, again, with great pleasure that he took this challenge. He knew they were good for each other."
"During this time, that Lord Vold-whatmacallit came into action, seeking the purebloods for reigns of the world. He sought out the help of the Algorini's, in hope of finding a particularly strong wizard in their family—"
"Kristofer?" Hermione cut in.
"Yes," her father sighed. This was very hard for them to explain everything clearly the first time….
"He did not want anything to do with them. He only wanted to live his life with his wife, away from the Dark Arts that he grew up with. They fled from where their family ties were. They needed to hide. They thought the best thing would be was to just leave, and never come back."
"They were wrong," her mother spoke this time.
"You see, Hermoine, it was at this time where you feared for your life. No matter who you were, especially if you went against the Dark Lord. Emily was pregnant at the time. They were to start a family…"
"But then all went black. Kristofer was caught by the Dark Lord himself. He was branded with the Algorini Family Symbol, which caused him to turn his back on his wife and his future child. Not knowing what to do, Emily sought the help of the one she trusted the most, Headmaster Dumbledore. He knew what was happening. He had to try to stop Kristofer from being killed for his negligence with his family. He risked his life for Kristofer. Together again—"
"Wait. What exactly did Professor Dumbledore do for him?" asked a fatigued Hermoine.
"That was never explained to us, dear," her mother said quietly. "Anyway, Kristopher and Emily were only weeks away from having a child. The day quickly drew near. Their baby was—"
"Me," Hermoine said in a voice quiet as night.
Her father looked up at her. He knew this was hard. He didn't know what it would do to his daughter. He only hoped it would make more sense once Albus was able to talk to her.
"Hermoine, Kristofer and Emily did not live far from where we were when we were newlyweds. We didn't want a child that early. But once we saw you, we fell in love with you. They offered to give up their child, on one condition. That was to listen to their story, but to not tell you until you needed to know. It was just as well that a beautiful little girl came into our lives. We would have had to adopt anyway."
Hermoine was shocked. She really wasn't their daughter! Oh gods, how can this be? She loved them like no other. She had depended on them for anything and everything, from the first scrape on her leg, to supporting her going to Wizardry School.
"Are you to tell me that I'm actually a pureblood, whose blood ties relate highly to the Dark Arts?" Hermoine asked sheepishly.
Her mother looked at her with tears in her eyes.
"Yes and no," she answered after a few moments. "We kept you safe from the need, or the want, to go the Dark Side. It was a promise that we made to Emily and Kristofer. Albus knew of the situation and told us exactly how to help you out. We always encouraged you to read, to be loyal, and to be brave. And it paid off. Your heart and your mind was what helped to place you in Gryffindor."
"As for the pureblood part," her father spoke harshly of this, "that you are not. Emily was a muggleborn, just like you thought you were. Apparently, from what your mother and I understand, you are an extremely powerful half-blood. Like your friend Harry Potter."
And with that, Hermoine looked at her parents. She gave them a weak smile in understanding. However, there were tears forming in her brown eyes. She fought the urge to cry in front of her parents. She did not want them to know that she had so much pain in her heart right now. She excused herself from the table, not looking at her parents, who looked at the back of their daughter with tears in their eyes.
And here she was now, trying to completely understand who she was. Or better yet, who she was to become. It was with a heavy heart that she drained the bath that only drew the memories of pain from just a little over two hours ago. She quickly rubbed a towel over her hair, wrapped her body in her robe, and blew out the candles. So much for light in her life….
Author's Note #2: I'll update again sometime tomorrow. It's just a matter of re-working these chapters to where I want them. Please let me know what you think of this story! Thanks!