A/N: Well, guys. So it begins. When I took the original of this story down, I did it because I was embarrassed by parts of it that seemed too silly. What I didn't anticipate was the reaction I received from so many asking where the story had gone. To be honest, I hadn't thought anyone would miss it. So I started re-reading it, and in doing so, I had a change of heart. Yes, some parts were cringe-worthy, but other parts seemed not too bad. I decided it was worth saving. So, I'm updating the tale. I think I might actually end up liking this version.

I hope you do, too.

This first chapter is dedicated to Jacquelyn. I would have forever shelved this story if not for your encouragement.

Chapter 1

The Ministry of Magic, London, England

"Sir?" the Minister's undersecretary couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you certain?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so. We've checked and double-checked every lead. Every source. I've made old Bartholomew run down so many rabbits, no doubt he feels like a Mad Hatter. It's all been verified. There is no doubt of her existence. "

"Her existence, yes. But…..of the Lady…are you positive? How can a muggleborn….."

"Well, Higgins, she's obviously not one, is she? Apparently, her identity has been a ruse from the very beginning; no doubt to protect her." Sighing, the new Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, wearily rubbed his head. "Please call for Dumbledore. I need to speak to him immediately."

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Highlands Scotland

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office with the envelope bearing the ministry's seal still in his ruined hand. He had been surprised, and that didn't happen often. He had just come back from an emergency meeting called by the minister himself. What he had witnessed shocked him. And….had validated his earlier suspicions. Oh, yes. He had wondered. At least, at first. At the beginning, he'd watched her. She had been so…..different. So spirited. So zealous. And with the level-headed intelligence of one far beyond her tender years. But as time had gone by, he'd dismissed her brilliance as that of a child prodigy and had left it at that. After all, geniuses were found all over the globe. It didn't necessarily predicate anything. At least, not this. But the proof was in his hand.

Now he must evaluate, he must consider, he must rethink. For this would change everything.

Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire, England

"Dotty, what is it?" asked Narcissa Malfoy, stopping in the middle of spreading her favorite jam on her buttered toast. Her timid house elf was hovering near the end of the table instead of returning to the kitchen as was her usual pattern after serving a meal.

"Missus, an owl just delivered these two letters."

"Well, all right. Won't you give them to me, please?"

The elf did so, gingerly holding the envelopes as if afraid the contents were corrosive. Popping away in obvious relief, Narcissa shook her head at her elf's strange behavior. Then she paused; their family had many enemies; perhaps the elf had sensed something. It would be prudent to be cautious. She held the letters to the light, trying to see if anything looked amiss. Upon seeing the seal on the first one, she drew in a startled breath.

The seal of the Warden at Azkaban.

She knew the missive was one of two things; fearful tidings or freedom. And not in the way most would understand.

Slipping her finger under the wax, she opened the message and read the contents. Sighing deeply, she called out, "Dotty? Dotty, I need you."

The elf instantly materialized in front of her mistress, cringing as if she knew what was coming. "Yes, Missus? What does Dotty need to do for Missus?"

"Dotty, your Master is being set free today. You must tell the other elves. He will be here by nightfall. I want all his favorite foods served for dinner tonight, do you understand? I think it would help his disposition immensely. You know how unsavory the food is at…..well, the place where he's been."

The elf's large eyes began to shine. It touched Narcissa; she wondered if the tears were caused by a dread of their Master's return or by a pity for her. Swallowing loudly, the elf said, "Dotty knows what the Master likes. It shall be as you say, Missus."

After Dotty had once again disappeared, Narcissa opened the second letter. As she read, she unconsciously cupped her hand over her mouth.

Good Heavens. Can this be true?

If so, then it was no wonder Lucius was being set free at this time. As the oldest living male in the Malfoy line, he had a royal appointment to accept.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Highlands Scotland

"Harry, do you know why Professor Dumbledore called a meeting after dinner?" Hermione impatiently fidgeted in her chair. "I really need to get to the library to research the effect dandelions have on the allergititus curse."

"Oh, stuff it, 'Mione. Who cares about a bleeding dandelion?" Ron mumbled, his mouth still full of the roll he had bitten just a minute ago. With the remainder of the bread, he gestured, "I'll tell you who…..no one. No one… except you…little miss know-it-all," muttering the last bit under his breath. He still had not forgiven Hermione for attacking him with a flock of canaries after kissing Lavender.

"I don't recall asking your opinion. And will you please quit talking with your mouth full, Ronald?" she wrinkled her nose. "That is so disgusting."

Just when things were about to get really ugly between the two, the Headmaster's magnified voice reverberated in the Great Hall.

"Good Evening, students," he began. "I appreciate you staying after dinner and giving up some of your valuable free time for me tonight." Clearing his throat, he continued, "It has recently come to light that the prophecies and predictions regarding the heir of Rayonnant have been found to be true. The successor to that line has been located. They do exist. "

Loud murmuring was heard in the hall after Dumbledore's astonishing announcement.

"Blimey…who do you reckon it is?" Ron whispered. "I wonder if we know them."

"It's possible, I suppose," considered Hermione. "But why is the professor telling us this now? Unless….."

"Unless what, Hermione?" asked Harry.

"Unless the heir is here in the castle," she finished with a troubled look as she gazed around the hall. It appeared others had had the same thought as she, for many were casting a speculative glance at each other.

She couldn't help but notice the disturbance at the Slytherin table. Their house, normally a taciturn and standoffish group, had positively exploded with excitement after Dumbledore's declaration….little wonder, actually. Slytherins were the quintessential snobs of the wizarding world. Born to elitism, most thought they were on a par with modern-day nobility. Hence, The Sacred Twenty-Eight. Magical Aristocracy. She rolled her eyes at the smug expressions now gracing their faces.

Enchanted inbreds is more like it, she thought ungraciously, a smirk of her own blooming on her face.

Some were loudly predicting whom they thought the successor would be. In typical fashion, many of the witches were swooning over the thought of a prince in their midst; conversely, a number of the wizards were sizing up the females, wondering if any among them would turn out to be a princess. Pansy's voice could be heard, her drawl more irritating than ever, saying she had always known the heir was at Hogwarts. When Daphne pinned her down by demanding she tell them their identity, Pansy simpered, "I think he's the delicious-looking 7th year who is always chatting me up."

Draco Malfoy made a face at Pansy's boasting, but said nothing as he turned his head to get a sip of pumpkin juice from his glass. As he lifted the glass to his lips, his eyes came in contact with Hermione's. Sneering at her, he mouthed, "Mudblood" before he took a drink. Hermione huffed in irritation as she turned her head back around to see the Headmaster attempting to rein in the disruption.

"Quiet! Quiet, please!" Once he had everyone's attention back on him, he said, "You may have wondered why I found it necessary to give you this information tonight. He paused after that and gave the room his uniquely Dumbledore stare that had all of them feeling uncomfortable. "I felt you should know as soon as possible, because…your suspicions are correct. The heir is indeed one of Hogwarts' own."

A pin could have been heard after that confirmation. In fact, it sounded like everyone had quit breathing, but the collective jaw-dropping from the reality of it all was almost comical to see. Taking advantage of the silence, Dumbledore said, "More concerning how this may affect our schedules, classes and the like will be addressed at a later date. For now, you may be dismissed."

Students began to rise to leave and go back to their dorms. Above the noise, Professor Dumbledore's voice could be heard calling out, "Oh….Mr. Zabini and Miss Granger…"

The two sixth year students turned around to look at the Headmaster.

"I will need to see you both in my office. Immediately."

Once Harry and Ron made it back to the Gryffindor common room, they were hit with a barrage of commentary from their fellow lions. Nearly everyone voiced an opinion on what had happened that evening. The two boys began to be peppered with questions.

"Why did Dumbledore ask to see Hermione in his office?" asked Neville.

"No, the question is, why did the professor want to see her and Zabini?" That came from Parvati.

"Do you think Hermione is in trouble?" asked a worried first year who hero-worshiped the curly-haired witch.

"I hope Zabini is. Tosser."

"He's not as bad as Malfoy. I swear, every time that snake smiles, he rattles." Seamus had very definite opinions regarding Slytherins and believed Draco was the worst of the lot.

"How would you know that?" one of the Gryffindor prefects asked him. "Have you ever seen Malfoy smile?"

"Exactly," agreed a fifth year, "I don't think he knows how to."

"Could you believe what Piglet Parkinson said about the lost heir?

"I wish she would get lost."

"Hey guys…hey…," Ginny shouted over the din to be heard, "I just had the craziest idea...I wonder if…I mean, wouldn't it be wild if…..," she stopped mid-thought and stared absently at the crimson wallpaper before shaking her head. Chuckling to herself, she said, "Nevermind. It's too preposterous. It could never be."

"What, Gin?" could be heard from several sources around the room.

"Well, I was just wondering…do you think it could be possible that Hermione is…you know…..the lost heir?"

The sound of Ron's snort filled the silence after her question. "Sis...seriously? You're barking; Hermione is muggle born. Everyone knows the line of Rayonnant is royal.

"Hold on…..are you saying Hermione couldn't be royal?" asked Harry, his infamous anger beginning to rise. "Because if you are, I think you're barking."

"No, mate, it's not that." Laying his hand on Harry's shoulder in a comforting gesture, Ron hastened to make sure his friend understood he meant no disrespect to the absent witch. He knew how protective he was of Hermione. "Look, I know you weren't raised as a wizard, so you may not know, but the rest of us," Ron said as he pointed around the room, "know that royal equals pureblood in the wizarding world."

"Oh...right then. Well, can anyone fill me in on this lost heir prophecy? Because I don't recall ever hearing anything about it until now."

"I can do that," a soft voice behind him said.

Turning around, he saw a familiar-looking Ravenclaw wearing Spectrespecs atop her blonde head.

"Luna? What are you doing here? Why aren't you with the Ravenclaws?" he asked before realizing that might have come off as rude. "Um, not that you aren't welcome, of course."

"Of course, Harry. I understand," she said dreamily. "I had planned to visit Ginny after dinner, so I came up with her."

"Um, okay. Well, tell me what you know about this."

"Sure, no problem. My mum told me about it long ago. The Rayonnant family is of French ancestry and is considered to be the ruling royal house of all of wizarding Europe."

"Harry, I can't believe you don't know this story," interjected Neville. "Don't you ever listen in our History of Magic class?"

Laughter was heard in the room at that, for it was a well-known fact that Harry often caught up on his sleep during that period.

"Perhaps the Wrackspurts are putting Harry to sleep. They're in league with the dark, you know. I'm sure they want to keep Harry from information that would help him defeat the Dark Lord."

There was a pause in the conversation after that remark. Most let it pass without snickering. Looney Luna's ways were well-known to the Gryffindors.

Smiling at Harry's blush from her comment, Luna continued. "Many ancient pureblood families have ties to the royal house. The Malfoys are one who do."

"You've got to be joking," sneered Seamus. "Them?"

"Well, yes…er, no. That is, I'm not joking and yes, I meant that," responded Luna. "You do realize the Malfoys are of French descent themselves. I believe they used to serve as the Lords and Ladies-in-waiting to the royal line."

"Ha! Now that's a sight I'd paid to see," said Seamus.

"What's that, mate?" asked Ron.

"Malfoy having to serve and wait on someone," he chortled to the merriment of those in the room. Inspired by the thought, Dean Thomas got up and did a silly pantomime of Malfoy bowing and scraping.

Laughing at Dean, Lavender said, "Well, I hope Draco knows how to do it better than you, you goof."

"Probably does. I imagine he's had lots of practice groveling before his Master."

Many grimaced as the room descended into silence after that remark.

"Go on, Luna," Harry encouraged. "Tell me what you know."

"Well, the story is, the King and Queen were so dismayed by the loss of life from World War II in the muggle realm and the first rise of Voldemort in the wizarding realm that they decided to do something about it. They decided to hide their seed."

Harry's face was a picture after that remark. "Sorry…..what?" Surely he had misunderstood her.

With no intent to embarrass him, Luna remarked, "Did you know your face just turned red? Red like a tomato, I mean. A tomato with messy black hair. It's not your best look, Harry. I much prefer you pale and angsty-looking, but that's just me."

If anything, Harry's face turned redder after that comment. "Um,.. yeah, well…..it's just you said their seed… and I don't know, but that sounded…"

"Strange?' she offered. "I suppose it's not normal, but then neither is that test tube thing muggles do. And what the King and Queen did was the magical equivalent of that. They performed a spell that would preserve and hide their conceived union until it was time for it to appear in our world. That was the prophecy. Where it was hidden was the mystery.

"Why don't you tell him the prophecy, Luna?" suggested Ginny.

"Oh. Alright. If you would like to hear it, Harry?"

When she saw him nod his head, she began.

"When the great void has returned
The void that was made
From what it can never know
And fear has consumed
What once was theirs to rule
Then there will shine a hope
To lead who is to come
The Star of our people will show the way"

"What a crap poem. It doesn't rhyme at all," said Seamus. Ginny promptly hit him on the head with a pillow.

"You idiot. It's a prophecy…not poetry."

"Ow, woman! Quit beating me up!"

Harry was ignoring all what was going on around him. He locked eyes with Luna, who was watching him calmly. "I think I might know what it means."

She smiled and nodded. "I thought you might."

"The void is Voldemort, right?"

"Yes, that's what is generally believed."

"All right, then. And the void was made by what it can never know…um, I'm not sure about that one," he said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Where is Hermione when you need her, eh?" grinned Ron. "She's the one who's good with this kind of thing."

"You two depend on her too much," said Ginny. "It would serve you right if she ended up being the heir. Then you would have to learn to think for yourself."

"Shut it," sniped Ron. "Part of the prophecy said the heir would lead the one who is to come. So that might mean Harry, you know."

Harry's eyes widened as he heard that and immediately sought Luna's face for confirmation. She gave him a small nod. "I don't know for sure if it's true….but Harry, my mum told me one fact about prophecies, and that is they all come from the same thing."

"Er….I'm not sure what that means…."

"It means they're all connected."

Harry considered that. He had accepted he was the chosen one of prophecy. Could Hermione have a similar destiny?

Luna took his hand in hers. "Harry, let me ask you this: what has Hermione been to you? Other than a friend, I mean. Has she ever been a source of hope to you? Have you ever felt led by her? Has she ever shown you the way to be, or do, or think, or act in a certain situation?"

His mind reeled with the revelations Luna's words were giving him. Hermione had been all that and more ever since he first met her. And not just to him. She had led by example with all of her classmates, even those who'd mocked and belittled her.

He looked back at Luna. "Do you really think there's a chance she's …..…?" he was unable to finish before Luna answered him.

"I do."