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Chapter Two-Discovering the Truth

"A message?" Hermione asked, eyeing Malfoy suspiciously.

"Yes, a message, you nitwit," Malfoy jeered. He pulled out a red envelope with the Hogwarts seal. "Here. I didn't open it and read it if that's what you're thinking." Hermione took the envelope from Malfoy and looked up at him.

"Thanks," she said plainly as she turned to go a different route to the Gryffindor Tower. Malfoy followed her. She looked at him questionably.

"I go this way too," he told her defensively. "to get to my Common Room. It's not like I'm following you." He looked at her in disgust.

"Sure," Hermione said as she continued to walk down the hall. They came to two staircases, one going up, the other going down. Malfoy took the staircase down to the dungeons. Makes sense, Hermione thought as she climbed up the stairs. That his Common Room's in the dungeon. He deserves less than that. She walked up to the Fat Lady's portrait and said the password, "Solem Luna".

As she walked into the Common Room, she scanned the Room for Harry. She saw him over near the fireplace with Ron playing Wizard's Chess. He's not alone...Hermione thought disappointedly. She walked over to them and plopped down next to Harry.

"Hey, Herms," Ron said, looking up from the game. Harry looked up as well but remained silent. "What's that?" Hermione held up the red envelope Malfoy had given her.

"This?" she asked. Ron nodded. "It's a message from Dumbledore. Want me to read it?" Harry and Ron nodded. Hermione opened the envelope and read it aloud.

"Ms. Hermione Granger,

Please report to my office as soon as you can. I have some news from your parents that you need to know.

Albus Dumbledore

A bit short isn't it?"Hermione asked. She looked up.

"You'd better go, 'Mione," Harry told her, avoiding her gaze. He's nervous....Hermione thought.

"Yeah," she said. She looked to Ron. "Get Ginny to take my bag up to my Dormitory, will you Ron?"

"Sure thing," he said, picking up her bag. Hermione got up and began to walk towards the portrait hole. As she it closed, she heard Ron mutter, "Mate, you really need to tell her..."

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Hermione walked through the dark halls of Hogwarts in silence, showing teacher's her note to go to Dumbledore's office everytime they tried to stop her for being out of the Common Room at night. Finally, the shape of two stone gargoyles and a tall old man appeared. Apparently Professer Dumbledore had been waiting for her.

"Ms. Granger," Dumbledore acknowleged her and turned to the gargoyles. Hermione thought she heard him mutter "fizzing whizzbees" before the gargoyles jumped to life and the staircase to his office appeared. As they entered his office, Hermione looked around at the pictures of past Headmasters and Headmistresses; and rested her gaze upon Fawkes, Dumbledore's pheonix.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Hermione asked. He gestured for her to sit down, and she did. Professor Dumbledore sat behind his desk and rested his head on his crossed hands.

"Hermione...I have some bad news,"

"Bad news? What kind of bad news?"

"Your parents..."

"What about my parents?! Are they okay? What happened?"

"Calm down, Ms. Granger."

"What happened?! Tell me!" Hermione had broken down into tears of worry. Dumbledore didn't know what to do. So he just told her.

"Your parents...they're......dead, Hermione. I'm sorry," the Professor kindly told her. Hermione's first instinct was to retreat to denial. Everything was fine; nobody's hurt..

"D-dead..." Hermione repeated. "N-no....they can't be dead...no...no...no..." She paused and looked up at Dumbledore. "How?" The old man sighed.

"They were murdered, Hermione...." Dumbledore trailed off.

"Who?! Who did it?!!?!" Hermione cried.

"We...the wizarding world...believe it was a hate crime towards you...a muggle born...." Hermione cut him off.

"WHO?!?!!?!" she screamed hysterically.

"We don't know," Dumbledore confessed. "We have top-class investigators on the case...." But before he could finish his sentence, Hermione had stormed out of the office. "to find out who it is..." the Professor sighed.

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Hermione's parents, dead?! How is she going to deal with THIS?! Tune in next time for Chapter Three-Aftermath! ttFn; tata for now!