Minerva McGonagall smoothed down imaginary wrinkles on her tailor-made trouser legs nervously as she searched the Muggle café. She had her dark raven hair swept up in a loose bun. Slight makeup adorned her features. She could fit in perfectly in the Muggle World if she chose to although most students wouldn't believe it. A young brunette girl waved to gain her attention. She walked confidently to the booth the teenager was sitting in and slid in the space across from her. The girl gave a small smile. "Morning Professor," she offered politely.
"Hermione," the older witch responded in kind. "You requested my presence?" she asked curiously.
The young witch nodded her head and took a deep breath. Her chocolate eyes met Minerva's before she started speaking in a nervous fashion. "With the current politics, I have decided I need to protect my parents."
"That's sensible," Minerva commented, a raised eyebrow in silent question. She knew the girl had more to say so she patiently waited. Hermione would speak her mind once her thoughts were gathered.
Hermione smiled at the comment. She wandlessly erected an advanced privacy bubble much to her teacher's suprise. "I have already erased my parents memories and sent them off to a new life in Australia. They have no memory of my brother or me."
Minerva looked at the 15 year old witch in suprise. It didn't shock her that the girl was resourceful enough to do so and she had no doubts about her capabilities to perform the memory swipe nor the modified memories. What truly puzzled her was the mention of a brother. She was under the impression the girl was an only child. "I hadn't realize you had a brother," she finally said puzzled.
Hermione nodded her head slowly and blinked back tears. "I have a twin," she admitted, her voice breaking from her emotions. "He isn't able to use a wand."
"Why not send him with your parents?" Minerva asked curiously while studying how the girl had worded it. It would make sense to keep the boy with their parents, wouldn't it?
"We were taken in by the Grangers," she finally said. "We were born to magical parents. Our birth mother died shortly after we were born. She spent her last energy hiding us from those that wished us harm. I couldn't bare to be separated from Robbie. He belongs to the magical world as much as I do. He might not be able to cast with a wand but he can see what I see. Robbie is a genius in Herbology and can make several potions that don't require use of a wand."
Minerva sat back in suprise at the admission. Hermione had a twin? They had magical parents? There were others that wanted to harm them? she wondered. Minerva met Hermione's gaze for a long moment before she asked, "You want my help hiding your brother?"
"I do but I want more than that," Hermione said resolutely. "I need you to help introduce him to the Order of the Phoenix as well without revealing our complete history."
"How do you know of the Order?" her professor asked curiously. The Order of the Phoenix was rarely spoken about.
Hermione smiled sadly at her, continuing before she lost her nerve. "Albus Dumbledore murdered our mother in an attempt to silence her and the damning information she held regarding him. She left us with her bestfriend with all of the knowledge of who we are and how we needed to protect ourselves. The Order of the Phoenix was mentioned in the information and the group was named as the only one we could trust completely although Dumbledore has to be kept at a distance."
Minerva struggled with the information she had been giving as she stared at the girl in silence. She knew Albus had made some questionable decisions pertaining to the war, the past one and the current one, but she didn't believe the wizard was a murderer. He was her bestfriend afterall. "I can't fathom Albus hurting anyone," she finally managed meeting the girl's gaze. "You expected that though."
Hermione nodded her head miserably but didn't seem suprised by it. She cleared the lump of emotions from her throat before she said, "I expected it but I had hoped you would believe me just the same." She reach in her shirt pocket and pulled out a picture. The girl looked at it closely while trying to hold her tears at bay. Minerva bit her lip as she saw the range of emotions filtering across the girl's face. "We were conceived Christmas 1978 in France," the girl said softly. She laid the picture face down on the table and slid it slowly across the table to her mentor. "Our father was a Transfiguration Mistress." With that said, she dropped the privacy bubble and fled from the café.
Minerva picked up the picture and looked at it devastated. Tears flooded her green eyes and cascaded down her cheeks as she quickly cast a wandless notice me not spell. A Muggle photo of her and a French witch she had a been madly in love with stared back at her. "Arwen," she whispered emotionally as Hermione's words hit her. We were conceived Christmas1978 in France. Our father is a Transfiguration Mistress. I'm their father!
It was near midnight when Hermione and her brother walked onto the porch of their home. Both were exhausted from waiting tables but they had to have money to live on. They had felt bad about altering the Grangers memories and had sent as much money with them as they could. Hermione stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed the gray striped tabby cat sitting on the railing. "I thought you would have fled back to Hogwarts by now," she said as she glared at the cat.
The cat jumped off the railing and flawlessly transformed back to Minerva McGonagall. Her eyes were red and her face blotchy as she stared at the couple in front of her. "I had no inkling of your existence," she said emotionally. "Arwen never told me she was pregnant."
Hermione's gaze softened at the quiver she heard in the Scottish brogue, the emotions on display of the older witch's face. Hermione smiled sadly at the witch before her before opening the door and inviting her in. Minerva followed the couple in and looked around curiously. It was bare from most items but did still have a couple of seats. She had noticed the For Sale sign in the yard and figured most items had been packed away. Minerva sat in the single seat as she was directed to and was clueless on where to start.
"Are you ready to help us now," Hermione asked, her tone spoke of the unintentional hurt Minerva had caused by her disbelief.
Shame and regret showed on her face but Minerva nodded determinedly. Her eyes still watery but she gazed from Hermione to Robbie and back again as if trying to puzzle it out. "I understand why you had to pretend to be an only child," Minerva finally managed.
Hermione smiled at her and then focused on her brother. He had wavy raven hair, pronounced cheek bones and the most brilliant green eyes. He was of slim build but much taller than his sister. "Robbie favors you somewhat," Hermione admitted with a grin.
"Just somewhat?" Minerva asked with a small smile.
"Maybe a bit more," Hermione offered with a Chesmire cat grin.
"You have Arwen's features and build," Minerva finally said. "Although I see some of my mother's traits as well. We both know where your temperament comes from."
Hermione chuckled at the thought. She looked at her brother before saying, "The Professor is a know-it-all bookworm with a need to seek justice and has a bit of a vicious streak."
"Well it's nice to meet you," Robbie said with a grin so much like his sister's as he extended his hand.
Minerva teared up as she moved to shake his hand. Hermione rolled her eyes before reaching over and tugging Minerva's hand. The older witch overbalanced and ended up wrapped in her children's arms. A gasp of suprise sounded before she surrendered to the all encompassing hug she found herself in and allowed her tears to fall. "I would have been here if I had known," she whispered brokenly. "I would have raised you."
"Of that I have no doubt," Hermione answered back emotionally. Minerva McGonagall would have never walked away from any responsibility especially children to care for.