Author's note- Minerva's point of view enters the story, and an old secret emerges. (hermione has no connection to the hermione in the books- I just like the name)
Minerva groaned, moved slightly, and tried to open her eyes. But she couldn't. She heard Poppy's voice; it sounded very far away.
"Sh, Minerva, hush now. Please, rest." But Minerva couldn't rest, not really. Her mind was pushed back, far into the past, far, far away.
"Minerva!!!" Albus shouted, running through the halls, searching for her. "Minerva!!! Where are you?" Minerva heard the shouts from her chamber. She tied a bathrobe around her satin dressing gown and ran out to greet him.
"Albus, whatever is the matter?" she questioned. He looked at her with sad, sorry eyes.
"Come." He said softly, and led her to his office. He showed her the front page of the Daily Prophet- which read "THE DARK LORD HAS COME", followed by a story of deaths of muggles and magic folk alike.
"Who is doing all this?" she whispered, fearful. "Who is this monster they call Voldemort?"
"Tom Riddle." Dumbledore replied. "Little Tom Marvalo Riddle- he was in your year was he not? He is the monster behind these attacks." Minerva began to cry, and cry. Tom, young Tom, had become the incarnation of evil in their world.
This was from 26 years ago, in that very castle, but in a time far away. Minerva tossed and turned in her mind, while other frightful memories rose to her mind's eye. They came in a collage, in flashes, quick as lightning. Vicious fights with her parents, her father's slow, painful death. The divide in the family, between her sister and her. A cold, cruel, high laugh, in a flash of green light, as the lifeless body of that sister became clear in the parting smoke. Seeing frightened students, as ministry officials arrived at the school, telling them their parents had been killed.
Students being put on the train at the end of the term like cattle going to slaughter, some sobbing, some clinging on to her, some with just a dead, blank stare in their eyes as the train drove into the darkness. For those students knew that it was more likely for them to be killed over the summer, then return to their school in the fall. But the students had to be sent home. Minerva felt sick- summer is what children should dream of, wish for, and count down to. They shouldn't wail and cry when it arrived, when they had to leave the school. But those children knew, as Minerva knew, that Hogwarts was the only safe place in the entire world- wizarding or muggle. It was worse for the students they had to keep at the school, those who had lost all relatives in the past year, and had to wait for someone to come to Hogsmede to take them. Summer was supposed to be a time of peace, not of death. But Voldemort had made everything a time of death.
In her restless sleep, Minerva recollected a deep secret, her deepest secret, known only by her, hidden within her heart. It was one of those last days of school, when they were putting to children upon the train, the first year of Voldemort. Their was a small first year girl- she had lost her entire family to Voldemort, but had one 3rd cousin left who could take her. But Minerva couldn't let her go- she just couldn't put her on the train and send her to her death. So she hid her in the castle. The girl had been a Ravenclaw, but Minerva hid her in the Gryffindor rooms. She was small- tiny in fact, and said very little, but began to call Minerva "Mammy". When Minerva began to answer to this, she knew she was growing too attached to the child. She had lied to Albus long enough. So, Minerva went on vacation to America, and took the child with her. The girl's name had been Samantha, but Minerva changed it to Hermia. The child didn't care; she would listen, and follow anything her "Mammy" told her, her "Mammy" who had saved her.
Minerva took Hermia to a squib, Arabella, who she knew ran an orphanage. After a long talk, she said she would be happy to take the girl.
"Sweet little thing. What you did was right Minerva." Arabella murmured as she watched the child play in the garden.
"Are you kidding? It was completely breaking Hogwarts rules, not to mention the law! It went completely against protocol in all circumstances. Arabella, I kidnapped that child!" Minerva protested
"But if you didn't she would be dead." Arabella said shortly. Minerva fell silent. "Now for the records, what is the name of this child?"
"Hermia," Minerva whispered.
"Full name?" Arabella asked, "Hermia is but a nickname, it will never do."
"Hermione then. But Hermia for short."
"Alright, I will take her into the orphanage. She is sweet, young enough; she could get adopted quite quickly. But I assume you have terms."
"Yes, and here they are. Hermia is to be a muggle. She is never to know of our world. I will try to talk her out of everything she has learned and believes. She is in shock at the death of her entire family as it is, and she is small and young. It shouldn't be too difficult to convince her that there is no such thing as magic, and no such place as Hogwarts School. We can pretend she dreamed it all. She is to be a muggle. Her adoptive family must be muggle. She is to have nothing to do with the world that killed her family."
"But Minerva, even if you convince her that their was no Hogwarts, and basically erase the last 10 years of her life, what will happen when she feels severe emotion, and magic happens by accident?"
"They will think its an accidental coincidence, won't they? Arabella, this will work. If she stays here, away from England and away from the Wizarding world, then she has a chance at life. If she returns, she has none."
"Why don't you keep her?" Arabella asked, and Minerva paused to think. Could she? She had lost so many children; she could take Hermia as her own. She could be a good, wonderful mother. And it would be easier then leaving her here, easier on the girl and on Minerva's own heart. But in that heart, Minerva knew she couldn't. Hermione wasn't hers to keep. And she could not protect her against Voldemort- she wasn't even sure she could protect herself. No, Hermia had to stay here, where she had a chance.
So over the next week, Minerva began the process of leaving Hermia. She began by convincing her that there was no such thing as magic. It was hard to convince her, she was not a little girl, but a child of ten years- all ten years being of magic. But it eventually worked. And then Minerva left her. She told Hermia that her "Mammy" had to go away, and she had to stay with Miss Arabella until a nice family came to take her; but her "Mammy" would always be in her heart. Hermia cried, but eventually let Minerva go.
Minerva returned to England, and continued on with her life, and the life of the school. She thought of Hermione every day from that day forward- often for hours at a time. But with time, the hours spent turned to minutes spent, minutes, over more time turned to fleeting, vivid moments. Minerva hadn't thought so deeply of Hermia, in sleep or in wake, in over 20 years. But it was this dream that shook her to conciousness. She sat up swiftly in the bed she found herself to be in.
"Hermia!" she screamed as she awoke. Minerva breathed heavily for a minute, then looked around to find where she was. after recognizing only the sun rising in the window, but not her surroundings, she fainted, and fell back into a deep sleep.
Dumbledore awoke groggily to an owl tapping on the window. Paying it, the owl dropped the letter into his hand and flew away. It was a ripped piece of parchment, hastily scrawled upon by Hagrid.
Dumbledore-
Madam Pomfery has had Minerva taken to St. Mungos. She isn't in fine condition, but she survived. We have no update on her, as of now- Umbridge may be causing trouble. I will contact again soon.
Hagrid
Albus read the letter twice, laid his head back and cried.
