Title: Hermione's Helping Hand

Rowena's Necklace

As things got worse for Ron in the guilty department, things got better for Hermione. An owl delivered all of Severus mother's effects and they both spent the next week looking through them all. Most had photos of Severus as a baby, which he threatened to kill Hermione if she ever put them out. Hermione vowed she never would.

Petunia started to get into the swing of things at Hogwarts, but one thing she decided that she wasn't going to do, and that was settle in Filches old quarters. She still like things neat and clean and no one at Hogwarts would change that about her. On Friday, when the morning post arrived, a small package was delivered to Hermione. When she took it, she saw that it was addressed to someone at Gringotts. Hermione opened it and read:

Dear Mrs. Snape,

Your father left this in a special vault. He thought that some plan could be used for it. Please take it and good luck.

Flur Weasley

" So what is it?" Harry asked.

" I don't know!"

Hermione opened the box and saw a copper and blue necklace. It looked very pretty and very old. Hermione held it up to the light, and then she had Harry place it around her neck. At once it felt warm, but then the warmth disappeared and it felt perfectly normal.

" Wait until I show Remus," Hermione said. " I'll see you in Charms."

And before Harry could say anything, she was gone.

When Hermione entered the Headmaster's office, Remus almost dropped the mug that he was holding. The necklace flashed in the sunlight and Hermione almost heard the gasp that came from his throat.

" Where did you find that necklace?" Remus asked before Hermione could ask him how he liked it.

Hermione frowned at him.

" My dad left it to me before he died," Hermione answered. " Why do you want to know?"

Remus took a deep breath, and then said, " Hermione, that's Rowena Ravenclaws necklace! It has been lost for five hundred years."

Hermione went pale at those words.

" What again?"

" Hermione, that is Ravenclaws necklace," he repeated. " No one knows what happened to it, not even the former Lord Voldemort. That's why he wasn't after it. Hermione, how could your father, a Muggle have this necklace in his possession?"

" I don't know?" Hermione said, frowning at him. " Look if you want it, then I'll give it to you."

Remus held out his hands.

" The necklace does belong to you," he told her. " However, I must ask you if it felt warm or hot?"

" Warm!"

Remus let out a sigh of relief.

" Why?"

" Because only the heir of Ravenclaw would became to feel the warmth of the necklace, a non-heir would get burned by it."

Hermione went pale again.

" Remus, there is no way that I'm the heir of Ravenclaw," Hermione said. " I'm Muggleborn, that's all."

Remus shook his head.

" Hermione, you're the heir of Ravenclaw!" he told her. " That would explain everything."

Hermione looked at him, not knowing what to say.

It took a long time to get Hermione to return to her quarters. She sat there at the table, trying to process the information that had been given to her. How could she, a Muggleborn witch, be a direct relation to Rowena Ravenclaw? There was no way this could be.

An owl arrived for her, asking her why she hadn't been in Charms. It was from Professor Flintchly, but Hermione just threw it away and went back thinking. Around lunch, Severus dropped it to put some papers away, and almost went past Hermione. He only noticed that she was there when he turned to leave.

" What's wrong?" Severus asked, noticing that she was sulky. " I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"

Hermione shook her head.

" Want to talk about it?"

Hermione lifted her head and showed him the necklace that almost sent Remus to the hospital wing. Severus gasped when he saw it, and then sat down.

" How did you get that necklace?"

" Dad had it put in a vault and Bill's wife sent it to me," Hermione explained. " What am I suppose to do? Remus says that I'm the heir of Ravenclaw. I know I almost went into Ravenclaw, but I didn't think that it meant anything."

Hermione put her head back down and looked at the door.

" Hermione, Remus knows about the heirs and about what they had," Severus said. " I'm sure that he's certain that you're the heir of Ravenclaw."

Hermione turned to him.

" But I'm Muggleborn!" Hermione countered. " There is no way that I'm an heir."

Severus sighed.

" Don't worry about it to much," he told her. " Just don't wear that necklace around the school, or soon everyone will know. Keep it in the family."

He then got up and left. Hermione left a few minutes later, this time, without the necklace.