Disclaimer: I own jack.

A/N:Back in action folks! Sorry guys, but I've been pretty friggin sick for the past week and a half but made my way back to my keyboard today and wrote this lil piece. I like it a lot, it lets out a lot of info I've been dying to spill about Hermione's empath ability and this let me finally reveal it to ya! Enjoy!

Thanks to my reviewers, you are small in number, but big in my heart (

(hint hint everyone else...)

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bacey," Hermione heard someone saying distantly. She mumbled something under her breath, and then sat up. She rubbed her eyes for a second and yawned. When she finally looked up she saw that Draco was standing by the bed with a tray.

"Here, brunch," he said, resting the tray on her lap. Hermione looked down at its contents, an egg platter with a bagel. She began to munch away at her food. She glanced over at the clock. "10:45, wow, I slept in," she thought to herself, "I'm not going to mention anything about last night, maybe he'll just let it lie." "Everything's packed," he said, "We need to leave soon." Hermione glanced up at him over her bagel. He was wearing the same pajama bottoms from last night and a grey sweatshirt that said "Malfoy Quidditch Co. 1776."

"Your family's in Quidditch?" Hermione asked.

"Yep, specialized robes and brooms," he answered.

"I always wondered what your father did," Hermione said.

"Oh, well, he does quite a lot. We own several businesses and are deeply rooted in numerous organizations," Draco said with considerate pride.

"What did your folks do?" he asked.

"They were dentists. Both specialized in dental surgery," Hermione answered.

"Do dentists make a lot of money?" Draco continued.

"Well, I don't see why that matters, but yes, they do," Hermione snapped.

"Just asking," Draco said defensively.

He stood up and moved a few bags around, passing the time.

When Hermione had finished eating she quickly dressed and began packing her things. After an awkward silence of a little over and eternity Hermione announced, "Done!" Draco nodded at her and led them downstairs. He paid the inn manager at the bar and they took their porkey back to the manor. Their bags followed by floo, brought by several nervous looking elves. Many of the manor's elves swarmed the bags of new clothes and school things and dispersed the relocate them.

Hermione sighed. She didn't remember the way to her room! Maybe she could ask one of the elves to lead her, but the Malfoy elves were obviously used to being illusive, you barely saw any of them. She didn't want to ask Draco for help. She just wanted to be alone for the first time in a few days. She had to sort out everything. She began walking, up several flights of stairs, turning down aimless corridors and hallways. Paintings glared and smirked at her as she passed, confused. Draco had headed immediately to his room on his carpet.

Wandering, Hermione took another left and up a few more flights of stairs. She had lost count as to how many stories up she was. She was so frustrated, so angry at the world. So pent up with emotion and fatigue at living that she couldn't contain it anymore now that she had let it surface. Images flashed in her eyes, explosions, hiding, screaming. Then childhood memories, old dance recitals, school events, Christmases and Easters.

She began running, as fast as her body would take her. She ran down halls and up stairs. Across bridges and through rooms, her hair whipping behind her. The only sound she heard other than her feet hitting the stone floors was the whisper of the paintings behind her. Her breath eluded her now, she still ran, panting and gasping for air, her calves aching from the abuse. She forced an ancient cedar door open and fell into a listless room, long forgotten. It seemed to be something of a bedroom, but the furniture was covered with dust and cobwebs. The walls were peeling and a thin scent of days long ago hit her nostrils.

Slowly, Hermione's feet treaded softly across the carpet. An old French door at the other end of the room led her onto a balcony. Hermione exhaled for the first time in seemingly hours as she leaned against the banister and looked out at the grey late August day. She was at the top of one of the towers in the manor. From her view, she could see farther than she had ever seen, even at Hogwart's. The land behind Malfoy Manor was enchanting. Lush gardens lay directly below her around the edges of the castle. Lush fields extended for what seemed like a mile outside the stonewall surrounding the manor. What sunlight there was streamed through the clouds to the south, making great rays of heaven shine down on a sparkling lake. After that, an ancient forest stretched for as far as the eye could see into the craggy mountains to the west.

Hermione smiled her most genuine smile in months. A few tears fell from her eyes as she closed them and let the cool breeze waft her face and carry her hair off her shoulders. As she memorized every speck of the horizon, she thought to herself. "What is a world if it can not be adored? What is the use in having a home if you do not know it? How can people not grasp this... this... beauty that is the world? Every fiber of it created for each individual and their consciousness of the universe. Why does one world control that universe with incantations and potions, while the other only destroys theirs? Is there no way to just, exist? I don't want to be a muggle who fights for power and destroys the world, but I don't want to be a witch who controls the forces of the world. Why can't I just be Hermione? Why can't I just exist?"

The sun was slowly descending into the mountains. Hughes or pink and yellow shimmered off Hermione as she filled the sky with her thoughts. "If I could say a spell and be here for an eternity, I'd do it in a heartbeat." She whispered to the rising moon.

"Master Draco sir, Reeny is so sorry to tells you this sir, but Miss Hermione is missing sir," the terrified house elf squeaked. The book Draco was reading snapped shut as he set it down in anger.

"What do you mean missing?" Draco roared. He stood up and grabbed a pair of shoes.

"Well sir, no one has seen her since she arrived, she left the grand hall and no ones seen her since," the elf said, now cowering in fear.

"Inform all the house elves to begin searching the manor, I want every room searched!" Draco ordered as he left and began storming down the hall. "You!" he yelled to a nearby picture of a man riding a horse, "Tell all the paintings Hermione is missing, I want anyone who saw where she went to report to me!"

Draco continued to ramble down the hallway, fuming.

"Mother," he said harshly as he found Persephone in his parent's chambers, "Hermione is missing."

"What?" she asked, astonished as she stood from the chair where she had been sewing.

"No one's seen her since our arrival earlier today," Draco strained.

"Oh, okay, calm down Blitzen, she's around here somewhere. Calm down, we'll find her, she probably just got lost," Persephone cooed. Draco nodded and laughed a little, he could imagine Hermione wandering aimlessly around the castle, and frustrated at not knowing where she was.

"I'm going to start searching the lower levels," Draco said as he left quickly. Persephone slowly put on her shoes and a silk bathrobe and exited the room into the hallway. She smoothly made her way up a few levels. She asked the portraits along the way if they'd seen Hermione. Eventually, one said yes.

"I saw her, yes I did, I saw her myself! She came running by like the wind headed every which way!" said a portrait of Draco's cousin Ramsey when he was about 7. Persephone nodded and began to follow the paintings directions. After a little over an hour of walking, Persephone came to the room Hermione had entered. She silently nudged the door open.

Moonlight streamed into the abandoned room. A soft breeze lifted Persephone's hair from the balcony door that had been left open. And there, fast asleep on the dusty bed was Hermione. Persephone adventured a little further and leaned herself gently onto the bed. She looked down at the young woman who had survived so much. War, death, and change had all lined her face when they had met before, but something was different about the young empathy now. The soft moonlight glow on her face reflected a divine peacefulness. It seemed her soul had found serenity in this lost room of the manor.

Persephone rested her hand on Hermione's shoulder and gently shook her.

"Hermione," she whispered. Hermione awoke silently and looked up. Her honey-brown eyes met with Persephone's ocean blue eyes. "Come on, let's go," Persephone said as she stood. Hermione slid out of the bed and followed her out into the hallway, closing the door behind her. She glanced back as if to memorize which door it was so she might return there someday and see her perfect world again. They walked for a ways before Persephone finally spoke.

"No one knew where you were. We were worried," Persephone said.

"I didn't want anyone to know where I was. I needed to be with myself for a while," Hermione explained.

"I understand," Persephone responded, "Well, did you tell yourself anything?"

"In a way, I guess so," Hermione said, with a soft smile.

"You seem different, more tranquil, more in-control," Persephone added. Hermione nodded. "Have you made your peace?"

"You know what? I think I just may have," Hermione said softly.

"It is a crazy time, and a crazy age," Persephone explained, "You've seen a lot. It takes time to corporate what you've experienced, believe me."

"How's that? What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Oh well, we've both seen our fair share of war and death at a young age. We both know what it feels like to be caught on the losing side," Persephone said.

Hermione did understand. They had both seen war a death, Persephone's was just years back, the war with Voldemort. Hermione had known all along that Persephone had been on Voldemort's side and lost, but maybe she was trying to say that it hadn't been her choice to join that side, she probably just had to follow Lucius. Hey, no one had signed her up for the side she had to take in the muggle war, it was just a given.

"So, Draco tells me you used to be a nurse," Hermione said, changing the subject.

"Why yes, I did," Persephone said with a smile. "I was a nurse in a private hospital. I met Lucius when he was there one time after he got in a particularly bad scrape. After that, we courted for a few months and then got married."

"Did you know each other at Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.

"Oh no, we went at different times. Lucius is 10 years older for me, so we had never met," she explained.

"I see, were you a Slytherin?" Hermione inquired.

"No, I was actually in Ravenclaw. I'm sure Slytherin was a close second for me. I'm from a proud pureblood family, but I guess I was more fit for one than the other," Persephone answered.

"I believe it was the same with me," Hermione said.

"Why's that?" Persephone asked.

"Well, I'm smarter and when I was being sorted the hat wanted to put me in Ravenclaw at first, but changed its mind and put me in Gryffindor at the last minute," Hermione said.

"Oh, well, you possess many good qualities my dear. You could easily have been put in any of the four houses and have excelled there," Persephone said.

"Well, all but Slytherin of course," Hermione said with a chuckle.

"Why not Slytherin?" Persephone queried.

"I'm muggle-born, which makes most Slytherins despise me altogether, imagine what it would have been like if I'd been put in their house. I'd be the scourge and the green and silver," Hermione explained.

"You're not muggle-born," Persephone said simply.

Hermione gawked at her, "What are you talking about? My parents were both muggle dentists."

"You're an empath, empaths can only be half-bloods," Persephone said.

"But, no, that's impossible. My mom and dad were muggles. Even if one of them was a witch or wizard and never told me, they would have done magic during the war, they could have saved themselves, they would have tried to save my brothers and me," Hermione defended.

"Well, perhaps the mother and father you had were both muggles, but maybe your genetic father or mother was a wizard or witch," Persephone said.

"So you're saying one of my parents had an affair, well, it would have to have been my mother, I think my mom would have noticed if a baby appeared in the house," Hermione said, halfway to herself.

"Must have been," Persephone murmured.

"But why, she and my dad were in love! She wouldn't have cheated on him for anything! Much less lied about it," Hermione shouted.

"Everyone makes mistakes my dear, an affair can happen so quickly and easily and be just as easily forgotten when no one knew. If she did have an affair, and the man had been a wizard, then you'd be half-blood," Persephone said.

"Just great, finally, when I figure everything out, something else has to come along and mess it up!" Hermione snapped.

"Sweet Hermione, did you love your father?" Persephone asked.

"Yes," Hermione said easily.

"Did you love your mother?" Persephone continued.

"Yes," Hermione answered, even more easily.

"Then that is all that is needed to be known. Your birth father is just a man, just a name. You had your parents, they loved you, and you loved them. There is no need for any overcomplicating. It's as simple as that," Persephone said.

Hermione nodded, "You're right. But is there any way to know who he is, just so I can no who he was, get a Christmas card out of him or something?"

Persephone smiled. "Yes, there's a way," she said, "I'll show you."

They came up to Hermione's room. "Oh, here it is," Hermione joked.

"Yes, the manor is quite a maze, took me years to just be able to get to the dining room by myself. That's why I like the carpets so much," Persephone said with a smile.

"Georgio Armani," Hermione told the astronomy witch.

"Glad to see you're back miss, we thought one of the guard monsters had gotten you!" the astronomy witch said.

Hermione's eyebrows raised, "guard monster," she whimpered.

Persephone started laughing, "Guard monsters, oh she's just joking dear," Persephone said as she nudged Hermione into the room.

"Oh, right," Hermione said with a fake laugh as she entered, only she didn't catch Persephone making a motion that looked a lot like a knife and a throat to the painting as it closed. The astronomy witch's eyes grew large and she dove back into her calculations, not daring to look back.

"Okay, so you want to know who your birth father is," Persephone said as they entered. She took off her silk robe and hung it on the back of a chair, revealing a matching powder blue silk nightgown that hung to her feet. Two thin spaghetti straps on her shoulders held it up. Persephone was deathly pale, but had a nice figure. She could have been a model, Hermione observed.

Going over to the now unpacked bags, Persephone retrieved Hermione's potions materials. She grabbed a cauldron and started heating it over the fire and began tossing ingredients in a cutting and shaving a few roots. Persephone explained the potion to the ever-curious Hermione. When these have begun to boil, you will have to cut yourself and let blood fall in the potion for 10 seconds. After that it will be ready. We then dip a quill in it and the quill will write the name of your father. If you'd like to see him, we can pour it over a crystal ball and his face will appear. Hermione nodded and took the letter opener Persephone had handed her. When the potion was bubbling, Hermione held her breath and sliced open a small part of her left arm. She watched as a thin stream of blood drizzled into the orange potion. After 10 seconds, she pulled it away and wrapped a thin bandage around it. The potion turned to a thick black substance and then shrunk in size. Persephone dipped a quill into the ink like potion and handed it to Hermione. Hermione took it and placed it on a piece of parchment. "Here we go," she thought. The quill flicked quickly as it wrote out her father's name.

"Antonin Dolohov," appeared on the parchment.

"Would you like to see what he looks like?" Persephone asked as she recognized the name.

"No need, I already know what he looks like," Hermione said stiffly, "He tried to kill me."

Persephone didn't respond, she knew the man and knew what he was capable of doing. Capable of killing his own daughter.