Disclaimer: Do you think if I were the ture Harry Potter author I would bother with fics? Of course not crazy faces!

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Hermione's feet dragged along the upstairs floor heading for the attic.She found a door with chipped paint on the other side of the hall bathroom, and entered it slowly. She closed the creaky door behind her and started to ascend the stairway up to the top of her house.

"What smells in here?" She wondered out loud while pinching her nose together. Ugh! Why am I such a softy when it comes to obeying orders? Now I have to smell and clean this stuffy attic! She thought. She reached another creaky door and she pushed it open while she gazed at its contents.

"This isn't so bad." Hermione said hopefully. There were boxes by the dozens here and there. Dust was piled on everything. Some boxes were open with the stuff that was inside it spilling on the floor. Other boxes were completely empty while its contents were scattered around the room. Each box had its own label with a specific category

The box that was closest to her feet was labeled junk. She decided to start there. Hermione searched the room for anything that would go in that box, even though she thought the whole attic was a piece of junk.

She found some old, delicate blankets thrown over two big boxes that probably belonged to her great-great-grandmother. She stuffed some papers that had large numbers on them in that box too. Once she was done with that one she moved on to the box that was labeled Hermione.

"They probably keep all my baby pictures and toys up here." Hermione found a silky teddy bear that made a rattle sound when you shook it.

"Aw, I remember you." She said hugging her bear. Hermione placed it delicately in her marked box. She found tons of baby pictures with her getting potty trained totally embarrassing!,some with her in her high-chair with food mushed all over her face, and some of her playing with her old dog, Star.

She loved to look at old memories. She even found some pictures of Jared, the boy that lived down the street. She made a mental note to show him these if she could later. They were both dressed in matching cowboy/girl outfits. They were riding pretend horse trying to rope her dog. Hermione laughed and closed that box. She turned around to find one of the boxes was spilled on its side. She scooped up the items and put them back in the box that she noticed was labeled unimportant.

"Why would you keep things that were unimportant?" She wondered out loud. She shook her head and just moved to the next box without another word. She found her parent's box labeled Robert and Helen. She found very amusing pictures on her opinion. For instance, pictures with her parents covered in paint. Or one where her dad had been thrown in a pool while everyone laughed at him. There was even a picture on their wedding day that showed them feeding each other with cake. Hermione sighed at how much her parents HAD loved each other. Until two summers ago when all hell broke loose.

--FLASHBACK--

Hermione woke up to her mothers screams of pain that seemed to be coming from the kitchen. She gulped as she quietly got out of bed. As she walked down the stairs she heard what they were saying.

"Shut up Helen you'll wake up your daughter." Her father said harshly.

"Please Robert stop, please." Her mother gasped between cries. Hermione crept to the kitchen opening. Her father was towering over her mother that was holding her stomach. Mrs. Granger dropped to the floor sobbing.

"Stand up you worthless piece of shit!" Her father demanded through clenched teeth. Mrs. Granger didn't even bother to attempt.

"I said stand up bitch! I'm not done yet!" Mr. Granger took a handful of his wives hair and pulled her to a standing position. He didn't let go and her mother whimpered in pain. Mrs. Grangers hands were laying limply at her side as Mr. Granger pulled his hand back and punched her stomach with all his strength. Her mother gasped for breath as she held her bruised stomach.

"Stop!" Hermione cried, "Please daddy stop it!" She yelled through tears.

"Now look what you've done, Helen! I told you to stay quiet or you'll wake her up!" Her father slapped her mother in the face leaving her left cheek with a hand print that was similar to the one on her right. Mr. Granger let go of her and made his way to Hermione. Hermione cowered under him. He grabbed her wrists and pinned her to the wall. Her mother had tried to pull him off, but he slapped her hard enough for her to collapse from its force. Hermione learned quickly to keep her whimpers to herself. After her father dragged his long nails against her chest finally drawing blood in numerous places, he whispered in her ear.

"That's a good girl." With that he let go and watched her flop onto the floor, crying horribly. He kicked her so she flipped over on her back. He walked to the door silently picked up his keys and closed the door with a slam. Hermione became unconscious in her spot with excruciating pain in her ribs, stomach, head, and between her legs.

--END FLASHBACK--

Hermione shivered at her horrible memory. She had loved her father with all her heart, but he abused her, he had violated her. That was something a father should never do to his little girl. Her mother had permanent scars from his abuse after he left that night, and Hermione would never feel the same about him again.

Mrs. Granger was very surprised when Hermione pretended that it never happened. The year at Hogwarts after that was sixth year and she had been more consumed in her books and her studies as ever. Hermione thought that being in a world that could never be real was better than being alive at all. So, she read more intellectual books and went to the library late at night when nightmares plagued her sleep.

Harry and Ron tried to figure out what was wrong with her, but she never told them. She had decided earlier on that she would start this year new. Get a fresh start and not be known as the Gryffindor bookworm. She would keep up with her studies and read a book or two a week, but not to the extent where she raised her hand for every question, or gave the teacher acceptable writing assignments instead of her usual outstanding.

When Hermione was finished and the attic looked clean she stacked the boxes in a logical order and headed for the door. When she turned she saw that next to the doorwas a mahogany jewelry box. She stared at it. It had glass doors where you opened it had pink flowers decorated on the glass. It had tiny drawers at the bottom where you put extra things if you liked.

She bent down to pick it up and put it in one of the boxes. She decided to put it in her box. Before she left she opened the drawers to see if there was anything in it. She opened the glass doors to see a delicate chain hanging from one of the hooks in the circle. She picked it up and examined it. At the end of the gold chain was a heart shaped locket with a cursive H on the front. It had lacy spirals trailing away from the H in the center and the necklace had a elegant glow to it.

"It's beautiful." Hermione breathed. She undid the clasp pushed her hair out of the way and let it rest on her neck. This would have been a lot of work if Hermione's hair was still as bushy as ever, but since her hair had smoothed out it was very easy. She smiled down at the locket and tried to open it. Try as she might the locket just wouldn't budge. She gave up and made her way to the door once more. She closed it with one last peek at the clean attic and smiled for a job well done.

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