UNEXPECTED SURPRISES
Summary: It's the summer before the trio's sixth year at Hogwarts, and Hermione receives some unexpected news. How will Harry and Ron react when they learn what it is, and how will they deal with what their best friend has become?
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
VERY IMPORTANT!
I began this story before HBP was released and will continue it as such. I began changing all the earlier chapters, but decided that this story would now officially be AU. If you want an in canon DM/HG fic, forget it, it's never gonna happen. Everyone is slightly OOC, but I am trying to stay as close to canon on their personalities as possible. Except Mione, she's become like me. :D The rating has also been changed to T. This is only because of the language right now. If anything physical happens coughsexcough, I will change the rating to M.
CHAPTER 4
CONFRONTATIONS AND POTIONS
I Flooded to Malfoy Manor first, and their reactions were priceless! They looked so stunned that a "Mudblood" would dare to enter their pristine Pure-blooded home. I just laughed then. They would know the truth soon enough. Evidently, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy did not appreciate my laughing.They both looked as though they were going to snap and kill me. Luckily, my...whatever she is...came in at that time. I still don't know what to call Mrs. Parkinson, although it is obvious that she truly means well. I don't think that I am her daughter, but if I can help her to get over the grief she feels, then I feel like I've done something right.
"Linda? What is that...thing...doing in our home?" Mrs. Malfoy asked Mrs. Parkinson, staring at me like I was a dog who had just pissed all over her favorite pair of shoes.
"Cissa, you remember when Maria died?" Mrs. Parkinson asked. Mrs. Malfoy nodded, never taking her eyes off me. "Well, the truth is, we sent her away." Mrs. Malfoy's head whipped around so that she was looking directly at Mrs. Parkinson. "We modified her memory, cast a glamour, and sent her into the Muggle World. It was the only thing we could do then. The Dark Lord wanted to Mark her when she was four years old! Cissa, we had to get her out of there. I would not have let James allow Maria to be Marked at such a young age. If she had been older and had some experience with what happened every day with us, then I would have let it happen. She was so young, though! Imagine if they had wanted to Mark Draco then...wouldn't you have tried to protect him for as long as possible?"
By the end of Mrs. Parkinson's speech, Mrs. Malfoy was crying quietly. All of a sudden, she came over to me and hugged me, sobbing, "You're back...you're back!" She looked at me, and then looked at my...mother. I knew then the glamour and the Memory Charm would be coming off within a few moments. Mrs. Malfoy waved her wand, muttering, "Finite Incantem."
I could feel this change in my body, like something had gone wrong. My clothes felt all wrong and I knew I had gotten taller. I went into my purse and dug out my compact mirror. When I saw the changes, I nearly fainted. My hair was no longer mouse brown and bushy. It was jet black and straight. My eyes were a vibrant blue that you usually can never find but always want to.
"Mummy, what's going on?" I asked.
My mum just looked at me, tears in her eyes. She came over and hugged me. "Oh, my dear sweet angel," she said quietly, "you're going on a vacation."
I was excited. I was going on vacation? I hoped it was someplace fun...I don't think Pansy will like it if we just go to the library again. "Where are we going, Mummy?" I asked.
"I'm not going with you, love," she sighed. "You're going with Aunt Athena and Uncle Mike. They're going to take you somewhere you've never gone before. But don't tell Daddy...it's a secret."
I smiled brightly. "OK, Mummy," I said, "when am I going?"
"Right now." She turned around so that she wasn't facing me. When she faced me again, she had her wand out. "Obliviate!"
I could feel the memories wash over me, but that one stood out most prominently. She gave me up to protect me. Sure, she lied, but I was four then. I couldn't have handled her telling me I would be declared legally dead within a few hours. I understand her motivation now, I truly do. What she said to Mrs. Malfoy and regaining that memory in particular helped me to realize that even though I don't know her as well as I should, she truly is my mother. I looked at her and could see myself in her. I could never see that in Athena. I looked at her and said, "Mum, did I ever spend time with Draco when I was younger?"
She looked surprised, to say the least. I don't think she realized that I had dreamt that memory. I was sure that was what it was, a memory. It was too vivid and too realistic to be a dream. "Yes, Mia, you did spend quite a lot of time with Draco when you two were younger. As a matter of fact, he was the one who began to call you Mia. You called him Drake. We all still call him Drake, even though he hates it. You were the only one he enjoyed calling him Drake, as a matter of fact."
I was shocked. I had a pet name for Mal--Draco, and he had one for me? How odd was that? OK, it makes sense, sort of, my logical side reasoned. We went through the first part of your lives together. It makes sense that each other's names would have seemed too long to a four year old, so we both just shortened them so that it was easier to say.
As I was contemplating this, my mother waved her wand and changed the clothes I was wearing. I had been wearing a black sheer T-shirt that was torn and had safety pins in it with a white tank top underneath, black bondage pants, and low silver heels. I was now wearing a blood red spaghetti strap dress with a slit that went all the way up my leg and ended a few inches under my hip; a genuine ruby necklace, earrings, and bracelet; and two-inch high black heels. I didn't even notice this until Mum said to Mrs. Malfoy, "Now she looks like a real Parkinson, don't you agree?" I looked down and looked at her.
"Mum."
"Yes?"
"Change them back."
"Why? You look so elegant like this, darling."
"But I don't like this! I like my old clothes! This isn't me! I'm not going to become some sissy bitch who just sits on her ass and has manicures done. I will always dress the way I was before and that wasn't even bad! That was one of my tamer outfits!" I screamed. "I hated it when Athena told me to change what outfits I wore; there was no way I will allow you to dress me! I am sixteen years old and I know what to wear so that it's not indecent!" She sighed and Transfigured my clothes back to their original state, only they still fit me.The tank top was blood red though. I couldn't get everything I wanted, evidently.
While this argument was happening, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy had left the room. After I had gotten done screaming at Mum, I heard a commotion behind me. I turned around and saw Draco Malfoy gaping at me. I rolled my eyes and sighed. Evidently, this was going to take some getting used to. I was used to getting ignored, and this attention was just weird. I looked at him cooly and said, "See something you like, Ferret Boy?"
His jaw dropped. No one but the Gryffindors called him Ferret Boy, so he obviously knew it was someone in Hogwarts. Mrs. Malfoy just had this confused look on her face, so I'm assuming he didn't tell her. I turned to her and said as sweetly as I could, "Oh, did Drake never tell you? In our fourth year, he was Transfigured into a ferret by Moody for trying to attack Harry while his back was turned. He was bounced throughout the hall, too. That's why he's known as the Amazing Bouncing Ferret."
I saw this black look come onto his face. Only Harry, Ron, and I called him that, and I saw my mistake. I knew it was too late to correct it, too. He was smart, always second to me in grades. I knew that once he realized who I had been known as, he would try to kill me. "Granger! I'm going to bloody kill you!" he yelled, then began running toward me.
I laughed. "Bring it. Your mum would never let you touch me. Neither would mine, either, for that matter. Oh, and just so you know, I'm not a Mudblood." He skidded to a complete stop, staring at me like I was insane. "Don't believe me? How else would I know you were called Drake? How else would I remember the boy you were when you were four? When you and Pansy and I were playing house and Pansy threw a fit because she had to be the baby?"
His jaw dropped. "You would never know, Granger," he snarled. "Even if that did happen, I would only do that with Mia and Pansy. But Mia's dead now."
"How would you know?"
"I saw her bloody corpse, for crying out loud!"
"But did you touch her?"
"No..."
"So how do you know it wasn't just an illusion?"
"It wasn't...she and I always had a connection. We could always sense the other and talk telepathically. It hasn't been there since she died," he said quietly, and I could sense this sadness deep inside him, like he blamed himself.
I walked over to him and gently lifted his head. "Isn't it possible that you didn't feel the connection because she didn't remember you? Think back...over the years, have you felt anything or heard anything that didn't fit the situation you were in?"
"No."
"What if I can prove that she's not dead?"
His eyes shown with interest. "How?"
I thought about that. The only thing that I could think of was Verasitium coupled with this potion that Mum had told me about. Maybe there was a way to configure it so that it showed maternal relationships instead of paternal. I turned to Mr. Malfoy, who looked completely disgusted. "Mr. Malfoy, I need your assistance."
"I refuse to be dragged into this fantasy that Linda has."
I walked over to him. "Wouldn't you love to destroy that fantasy, then? To prove to her that she's grasping at straws?"
He nodded his head once, curtly. "Explain. Quickly."
"Verasitium. A potion that would show maternal bond," I said.
He stood up. "Wait here," he ordered, then left the room.
I walked over to Mum. "You know they want proof," I said quietly. "I'm exhausted and don't want to fight them anymore. I just want them to give me the potions and get it over with."
I felt a hand grab me roughly on the shoulder. "I thought I told you to wait," Mr. Malfoy growled.
"I was explaining something to my mother," I snapped. "Is that a crime now?"
His steel gray eyes beccame even darker. I sighed, knowing I had dug myelf a hole that I had to get out of somehow. I really didn't care though. I wasn't exaggerating when I told Mum I was exhausted. I had been up for two days straight and was ready to sleep for a few days. "Look, let's just take care of the potion that would show maternal bond tonight," I sighed. "I've been up for two days straight, and all I want to do is go to sleep. Can we do this or what?"
I didn't think it was possible for Mr. Malfoy's face to become angrier, but it did. Probably because he was being ordered around by a "Mudblood." However, he did administer the potion silently. It became deep purple, then a soft pink color. He and Mal--Draco seemed shocked. I'm guessing that was because the potion turned out positive. I hope.
"You're really her," Mr. Malfoy sighed. He then looked at Mrs. Malfoy and said, "You know the marriage agreement has to be changed now, dear."
"I know," she said happily. "I wasn't really looking forward to having Pansy as a daughter-in-law. She seemed too...I don't know...clingy."
"I'm sorry to interrupt," I said softly, "but can we continue this conversation tomorrow? I'm dead on my feet right now."
"She's right. We'll all meet here tomorrow. Come on Mia, let's go home," Mum said quietly.
"Wasn't this whole thing supposed to be a surprise for everyone though?"
"Yes..."
"So what would the point be in me going back to the Manor and having to deal with everyone now? Why not wait until the ball to reveal it to everyone?"
"But where would you stay, darling?"
"She could stay with us," Narcissa said suddenly. "I can take her out and get her some proper clothes, too. She can't attend a ball in her honor wearing...that." She was referring to my outfit, which really was one of my calmer outfits. I'm not always Goody Two-Shoes Granger like I am at school. I used to go out every night and get drunk with my Muggle friends. But again, that's a story for another time.
"That's fine," Mum said. "I'll see you tomorrow night, darling." She Flooded out, leaving me in a hostile room with two angry Malfoys.
Did you like it? This chapter in particular took me three days to get right. My cat kept walking on the keyboard constantly throwing off what I was thinking plus I tried to get the atmosphere right and keep the Malfoys in character. Mione is such an easy character to write, and her parents and Mrs. Parkinson are hardly ever mentioned, so I developed their personalities the way I thought they should be. Review, please! It makes me extremely happy!
Hugs & Kisses,
SlytherinGrlForever
