Author's note.

For the purposes of this story Harry is born in 1982. Hermione's birthday is August 1st 1981 but because she had been hidden there was no magical record of her until Severus took her to Jane on the 19th of September 1981 therefore she missed starting school in 1992 and didn't start until 93'. That means she's a nearly a year older than Harry and Ron. Severus Snape, Lily and the marauders all left Hogwarts in 1979. Severus joined Voldemort just before he finished school. Although Severus birthday is in January his parents requested early enrollment so he was the youngest wizard in his year. This means that Severus joined the Death eaters when he was only just 17, his birthday was January 1962 making him only 19 in '81 means that there are 19 years between him and Hermione, which with wizards and witches living well into their Hundreds is a drop in the ocean of age. In the wizarding world I believe that such a match would be unremarked upon and that it's probably not very unusual for such age gaps in wizarding marriages. At the time of writing this J K Rowling had stated that Dumbledore is 150 or so and from description in the book perhaps looks no more than 70, she also stated that Minerva McGonagall was a spritely seventy year old by the time Harry and co start school but the description given of her is perhaps that of only 50, so in my story I'm using the theory that as witches and wizards grow older, the aging process as we see it slows down considerably the older you get. Also point out here that at the time of writing this there had not been any mention of Dumbledore as being involved with Grindelwald, hence the Minerva/Albus pairing.

Ok, Just a reminder I OWN NOTHING. J.K Rowling owns all characters and the world of Harry Potter.

Please review people it helps me write to know there are people interested in what I'm writing. Constructive criticism is as much appreciated as well as praise. Any questions will be answered and all suggestions given much thought. Also if anyone is interested I'm looking for a Beta reader, do please let me know!

On with the show!

September 1992.

Headmaster's Office

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office; Minerva was pouring them some tea. In less than a year, Harry Potter would be back at Hogwarts and somewhere out in the world was the child of another prophecy. He and Minerva were going over the Hogwarts letters that would be leaving over the next two weeks to next year's pupils.

"Only three this month and five the next, Dear. But the first one is rather interesting. It's for a Hermione Granger, she's muggle born too, I wonder how she ended up with such a witch's name." Minerva was saying.

Albus looked up from his piece of lemon tart and raised his brow.

"How unusual, do you know I once knew a witch with just that name. I was at school with her, you'll probably remember her my dear. She was Dorcas Meadows great grandmother, now what was her maiden name, ah yes, Guardbright, Hermione Guardbright, she wrote an amazing book about muggles, oh yes it was called Lord of the Wings, about those planes the muggles fly in, it was most interesting. Do you know she campaigned to have muggle studies included in the curriculum?"

"Yes I remember her, such a strong woman with the most unusual curly hair. Dorcas had hair a little like hers, but more controlled. Was she not the sister of Tom Riddle's maternal Grandmother?" She asked over the lip of her tea cup.

For a moment Albus looked stricken, after a pause he replied with some wistfulness. "Yes, she was, I do believe she was. How curious to have another girl with that name from a muggle family, although you know how it is, some of our more unusual names have found their way into the muggle world before this. But still... When was she born?" He asked carefully.

"September 19th, Albus 1981. You don't suppose she's connected to Dorcas in some way?" Minerva asked tapping her saucer thoughtfully.

Again, it took a beat before he replied, sadness lacing his answer. "I, no it couldn't be possible, Dorcas died that night if she had been pregnant, I would have noticed, I had spoken to her on the floo that morning and she was quite the same. Besides, surly Severus would have said something, he was there that night after the attack, he never mentioned a child. And Voldemort would never have let such a child live. She was the last of his mother's extended bloodline; he has wiped it out because he needed revenge. I always felt he blamed the girl for having a loving family who accepted her and of course for being pure of blood where he was not." He shook his head sadly, "she was such a bright witch, and I know that she had something important to tell me that night, I still believe that somehow she had found a way to stop him. If only we could have met sooner, but.. alas it was not to be."

He sipped his tea and thought again of the losses Tom had wrought. It would be long time before the wizarding world completely recovered from the death toll that had shook their world. He watched as Minerva expertly attached the letter to the owl and sent it off in search of Miss Hermione Granger. In the back of his mind he felt a chill of unease, perhaps things were more complicated than they had first seemed. Ah well, time enough he decided, next year the girl would be here and if she was by some small chance linked to Dorcas he was sure it would be apparent.

Jane Granger sat in her car after pulling into the driveway of her house. Her daughter would be back from school soon and as tonight was a Friday and also the night before her birthday they would celebrate and let her stay up until midnight.

Looking back on the past 10 years she couldn't believe how lucky she had been. Moving from Bunting Wood with her new husband and baby was the best thing they had done. Hermione had been such a good, quiet baby, that shortly after they had moved; Jane had decided to start studying again. She had been a dental nurse before she had married Robert Gallagher and had wanted to become a dentist. She had pursued that wish with determination over the next three years. Keith had been so supportive of her and had been the best of husbands; he had taken Hermione as his own daughter never knowing that she wasn't even Jane's true child. Everything that had happened that night 11 years ago was locked away in the deepest part of her mind, but today for the first time since it had happened she looked back. After the man had left Jane had phoned for an ambulance. True to his word, the baby had to everyone but her seemed like any other newborn and was pronounced to be perfectly healthy. Jane however had not been so lucky; the damage inflicted upon her by her husband had been so severe that it was unlikely she would ever conceive again. She had told Keith this when he had proposed. He had looked at her seriously and told her that it wasn't an issue. He too could never be a father due to a case of mumps when he was seventeen. So now, today, they had what felt like the perfect family. They tried hard not to spoil their only daughter and instilled in her a strong sense of responsibility. They had encouraged her to pursue her dreams and ambitions, but were still a little taken aback at her thirst for knowledge. Jane had finally qualified at a Dentist when Hermione started school. Her first day at their own practice had been Hermione's first at school. On her way to pick Hermione up that day there was crash a few cars in front of her and the hold up had made her nearly twenty minutes late.

Little Hermione waited outside the school. Her mummy was very late, for a moment she wondered if they had forgotten about her. The longer she sat there the more afraid she became. Everyone else had been picked up except her. Feeling frightened and alone she had closed her eyes and wished very hard that she was with her mother. Picturing her clearly in her mind to try and dispel her fear she felt a sudden pull around her and when she opened her eyes she was in the back seat of her mother's car.

Jane Granger had whipped round in her seat at the sudden crack behind her to find Hermione looking a little confused. The noise had reminded her of that day, of the man who had saved her. Hermione's appearing out of thin air was spoken of quietly between mother and daughter. Jane carefully explained to the little girl that what she had done was very clever but that she must try very hard never to do it again unless she was in real danger.

"You're my very own special little miracle Hermione, and you are very different from the other children, but you must never tell a soul of what you can do. We must keep this a secret."

"Can't we tell daddy?" She asked.

"No, not even daddy, it might frighten him. It must be our secret."

Hermione had eventually accepted this and when anything else strange happened to her she tried to hide it and told only her mother of what had occurred.

Shaking her head to dispel her recollections, Jane got out of her car and retrieved the shopping bags. Going into the house she didn't notice the Owl sitting on the roof of her house.

Hermione was walking home from school. The week before she had started high school and she loved all her new classes. She was really enjoying all the new things she was learning. Already the teachers were commenting on her ability to remember everything she was learning and how good her homework was. This one, they said to each other in the staff room, had potential, she would go far. The only thing that was missing in her life was an explanation for the strange things she could cause to occur. Since her first strange appearance in her mother's car she had read as much as she could in an attempt to find out what made her different. But no answers had been forthcoming. Whenever she had tried to ask her mother about it she got the same answer. When the time is right, Hermione, I'll tell you what I know, but you're still too young. Maybe now she might be old enough to know what she was, she would ask her mother again tomorrow as she had on every birthday since she was seven years old.

Hogwarts.

Severus Snape, Potions master and all round greasy git of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry watched the clock on his mantle piece tick closer to midnight.

Tomorrow morning the small child he had placed with muggles would receive her Hogwarts letter. She would be finding out for the first time who or rather what she really was. He had never told the Headmaster of Dorcas and Gideon's daughter, thinking it better to keep the whole thing to himself. If anyone in the order had known of the child they had never mentioned it, neither had any of Dorcas' close friends said a word. Either they had not known or had assumed the child had died in the fire that had burnt her home to its very foundation. Dorcas had kept her child from everyone except perhaps from Prewett who may have died before he could tell anyone. His reasoning in keeping the child a secret at the time had been sound. There had been a spy within the order who had somehow found out where she was and told Voldemort. Dumbledore himself had been the only one privy to that information, which meant even Albus' secrets were at risk of being discovered. Albus had been deeply troubled by her death at Voldemort's hands and had insisted from then on, that all order members in immediate danger be kept under the Fidelius charm. When Voldemort was defeated by the young Harry Potter and Sirius Blacks apparent betrayal, Severus had still kept his mouth shut. Although he was loath to admit it something about Black's betrayal had sat uneasy with him. It just hadn't seemed right. To Severus' mind the whole thing didn't add up. True, he hated Sirius and was glad to see the arrogant bastard locked up, but still it troubled him, Black was too disgustingly Gryffindor to have betrayed them in that fashion. But who would have listened to the suspicions of an ex Death Eater like him? Should he tell the Headmaster now of Hermione, of should he continue to stay silent? The more time went on, the more he worried about it. As long as only he knew of her existence she would be safe. The fear of losing the woman he was destined to come to love held him back. Voldemort might be gone, but he wasn't dead, the fact that his dark mark could still be seen, however dimly on his arm told him that. No, as long as the threat was still present he could tell no one. Not even the child should know yet. Having made his decision he crossed to his desk and pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment. Taking his quill he wrote a short note and addressed it to the muggle that cared for her.

"Nemesis, take this to the home of Jane Granger, give it only to her." He told his sooty owl. Her eyes blinked once in acceptance, her dark face tilting almost in a nod and took off out the window.

After wishing Hermione a happy birthday they had said goodnight and tucked her in.

As Jane and Keith settled into bed there came a tapping as the window. Keith looked at Jane and shared a joint look of puzzlement. Tap-tap-tap, it came again. Warily Keith moved to the window and opened the curtain, there on the ledge sat a large black owl. It looked at him for a long moment and tapped again, this time giving him a look of contempt. Jane joined her husband and looked at the owl. A piece of cream parchment caught her eye. "When the owl comes tapping," she whispered to herself. Opening the window, Nemesis hopped inside and held out her foot. Carefully, frightened of making any sudden moves Jane untied the paper and looked at it.

Jane Granger

The Big Bedroom

34 Brook Street

Stainpip

County Durham.

Keith reached for the letter then pulled his hand back with a sharp hiss.

"That owl bit me!" he said outraged. Nemesis looked superiorly down her short beak at him and hooted angrily.

"Well it is addressed to me dear, perhaps she thinks you were going to take it from me." The owl hooted and nodded its majestic head agreeing with her. With a last hoot of farewell the dark owl spread it's wings and took off into the inky darkness.

With some trepidation Jane broke the wax seal and sat on the edge of the bed to read the missive.

Dear Madam,

You may recall that this same night 11 years ago we met in somewhat tragic circumstances. I must apologise again for your loss, but hope that you were pleased with the outcome of our agreement. I trust that all is well with your charge and that life has treated you easier these past years. I am writing to inform you that the time has come. Tomorrow morning Hermione will receive her letter of Invitation to attend the finest school in Wizarding Britain, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I myself am a teacher at this school and I can assure you that she will be completely safe there when she attends. You must not prevent her from accepting her invitation. Her school fees will be paid magically from her Gringotts account, which I shall arrange with the head Goblin of said bank. The rest will be explained in her letter tomorrow. I trust that you will uphold your end of the bargain and let her go when the time comes. However at this time I do not believe it would be prudent to inform her of her true parentage. The threat of He Who Must Not Be Named, although gone these last eight years still lingers in the shadows and I fear he may return, as such she must remain ignorant until such times as I deem it necessary to inform her. Out of courtesy for your care of her, I shall inform you so that you are present when the time arrives.

S. S.

P.S. Should Hermione not arrive at school next September 1st, I shall come and collect her myself and I will be well within my rights to remove her from your care. This matter is non negotiable.

The last words of the letter were underscored sharply, cutting across the page. Jane's face had drained of all colour. She had feared that this might happen, that she might lose this precious child to her own kind. But it was inevitable. She knew that, Hermione was obsessive about her peculiar differences and would not rest until she knew the truth. But it was so much earlier than she had ever thought.

Keith grabbed the letter and read it angrily.

"What is all this about?" He questioned her, hurt and confused.

Jane looked up at her wonderful husband through her tearful eyes and sighed. From him she could not conceal the truth.

"The night I gave birth, Robert had thrown me down the stairs and beaten me. He locked me in the guest room and left. I was all alone and I gave birth to a girl. She was dead. He'd killed her and left me to die in that room." Jane broke off trying to catch her breath. "A man appeared before me and I thought he was the devil, I told him he could have my soul if he took Robert's life and made him suffer for what he had done. He then pulled out this long pointed piece of wood and I can hardly describe it, he sort of floated me upstairs to my room and into the bed with it, then suddenly I was clean and I'd stopped bleeding. He gave me two vials of liquid and immediately after I felt almost restored. Then he told me he wanted me to make a deal with him. He would promise to destroy my husband and make him suffer, for what had been done to me, if I promised to take in and hide a child who's mother had just been murdered, and raise her as my own. I accepted. He told me he was a wizard and that his own kind hid from us. The child was in danger and that one day when the time was right the truth might be known. He also said that I must let her claim her birthright. I suppose now that this is what he meant, that she would one day go back to her own kind." She trailed off unable to look at her husband.

Keith was stunned, his daughter was… magical? She wasn't Jane's real daughter? His mind was trying to form some sort of sensible response but it couldn't. Who ever heard of an owl carrying letters? It couldn't be true… yet he knew Jane was as sane as he, she never lied to him before.

"But she's never done anything odd" he said out loud, "has she?"

Jane looked at him guiltily and explained about Hermione's sudden appearance in her car.

"But that's amazing… so she really is a Witch?"

"I believe so. I suppose when we get her letter tomorrow there might be more of an explanation." She replied. "I'm so sorry I never told you before but I was frightened that if I did, I might have to give her up.."

"I understand. But I wish you had told me before, what he had done to you, I would have helped you, you know that don't you?" She nodded her head and cried as he held her.

"It will all work out my darling, I won't be angry with you, it must have been a terrifying experience."

"I don't regret the decision I made and I don't feel guilty over his death, I'm glad he suffered those six months…"

"Shhh shhh, I will never judge you my darling I love you. We will never speak of him again. He got what he deserved for what he did to you, I only wish I could have done it myself!" he added vehemently

With Jane clutched close to him he stroked her back and hoped that one day he could shake hands with the man who had saved his wife and given then their precocious daughter.