Hey all! Here is another chapter for you! This one took longer than expected, but, here it is. I hope you enjoy it :)

Again, thank you so much for the favorites, follows, and comments!

Now, without further ado, enjoy!

Chapter 13

Perspective is a term that refers to a person's view point and what they had experienced. And getting a bit of perspective was concept that calls for an individual to look beyond themselves and try to understand the other's person's view point and what past experiences had caused their words and actions. It asks for the person to, essentially, put themselves in the other person's shoes. However, finding perspective, practicing this concept, was a difficult task for most people.

When emotions are affected traumatically (small or big), it can be difficult to see past our own hurt. And in this situation, that could be easily said for one, Hermione Ryann Lyra Ronan. Typically, it wasn't hard for the curly haired witch to put herself into someone else's shoes; sympathize with their view point. However, right now, in this case, it was. Her mind was full of pain, confusion, and anger. So much has been done to her and her family and for the life of her, she cannot understand why or how someone could that.

This morning's meeting was supposed to be fruitful, or at least that would be what one would suppose. But, it involved nothing but signing and initially a few pieces of parchment and more questions popping up in Hermione's mind. Entirely, it had just confused her and only left her with more questions. And now, as she sat beside the window in her cabin, she silently watched as the scenery went by as the train made its way from the Scottish Highlands to London's Kings Cross State.

However, as she gazed out absentmindedly, she couldn't help but recount the events of what happened in that meeting. Yes, the majority of the legalities surrounding her newly acquired estates of the Ronans and Whelans had been settled. Though, she still needed to visit Gringotts for the rest of those matters, specifically. There were a great many other discoveries that the young witch had made while she had sat there, watching and listening to the 'squabble' between most of the adults within that room.

Andromeda Tonks, while a seemingly motherly and kind woman, there was something off about her. The older brunette witch had been an apparent major contributor to her parents' murders and her kidnapping, but Hermione couldn't help but feel like there was more to that story; more than just a simple 'hopefully this child of two of the darkest wizarding couples will grow up seeing the light if she were to grow up away from their influence'.

That may have been the reason for most of the Order members that were involved, aside from Dumbledore, but for Andromeda, Hermione could tell that there was something personal there. From the way the brunette witch had talked about her mother and the way her sisters react whenever the middle sister was ever mentioned, the teen witch knew that to be true. But, why? Why was it so personal? Intimate? And why did it all have to center around her?

The sound of the compartment's door sliding open pulled Hermione's attention away from the scenery outside the window, and with that, from her thoughts as well. Turning her head, the light brown haired witch found her friends Luna and Neville smiling at her as they entered and took their seats in the cabin. It had been an hour into the train ride, and it seems that the pair had finally managed to find her.

It was safe to say that the pair had made their quick rounds of greeting their friends. However, considering that that number was limited to a very few, it made sense that it only took this short amount of time. Though, regardless, it did please her greatly at being able spend some more time before they went their separate ways for winter break.

Shortly after Neville and Luna's arrival and greetings, the door slid open one more time, but this time, it was a certain, missing red head witch.

"Hey, guys," Ginny greeted, sheepishly, as she took the spot by the window, directly opposite of Hermione.

"Hey," Neville greeted.

"Hello, Ginny," Luna gave the girl a smile and head nod before she looked down at her copy of the recent edition of the Quibbler.

"Hey, Gin," Hermione greeted lastly. "I didn't see you yesterday nor this morning." It was a casual statement, though, the hidden question behind it was clear to everyone.

"It was actually wanting to talk to you about that," came Red's reply and at seeing a well sculpted eyebrow arch high, she continued. "I had hoped to have found you last night at dinner, but you weren't there-understandable though, of course. But, since you weren't there, I tried looking for you this morning. I waited in the common room, but you never came down. So, I went down to the Great Hall to check if you were there, but Luna told me you had just left for your meeting with Dumbledore."

Hermione looked towards Luna, who nodded her head, confirming the statement.

"I wanted to tell you that I had received a letter from my mum yesterday. It was about the article. That's why you didn't see me at breakfast."

"Curious," Hermione commented, thoughtfully. "Isn't it strange that she would send you a letter about the article at the same time the article was sent. What did she write?"

"It was a bit weird, really. She told me to be cautious around you; that I have to be careful whenever I am around you. She wrote that your family was a very dark family and now that you know who you really are, you are going to follow in their footsteps and join up with Voldemort."

Neville flinched at the name.

"However," Ginny continued, "she also wrote that I have to look for any possibility to ensure that you are bound to the Order and Dumbledore. It's strange. They want us to be cautious around you, but they still want us to be around you. It doesn't make sense."

Well, it did to Hermione. It made perfect sense to her. The Weasley matriarch had always been an extremely judgmental woman, especially in concerns to the curly haired witch. She was also particularly loquacious about announcing her feelings when she is distrustful and hating something, especially if it has to do with what she perceives as evil and 'immoral'.

Molly Weasley, having been there that night fourteen years ago, knew exactly who Hermione was and she had known since the beginning. And due to Hermione's family and their associations and history, the bigoted witch believed the young witch would follow her family's footsteps. She had always been quick to judge ger, And this letter to her daughter was a testament to that belief. However, it did make Hermione curious about why the woman was pushing her youngest son so hard to couple him up with her.

Despite the contents of the letter, Hermione, however, was hopeful and somewhat pleased. Ginny's confusion seemed genuine, seemingly truly puzzled by her mother's words. Maybe Ginny won't betray her in the end. Maybe, if I tell them what transpired that night, I will finally know their true allegiances, Hermione thought.

Sighing, Hermione cleared her throat and looked at her three friends. "I think I might know what may help you understand what you mum meant. There is something I think I can tell you, now."

The three of them nodded their heads.

The curly haired witch observed them critically; analyzing each one of them before nodding to herself. She turned to the door and with a flick of her wand, the blinds for all three windows slammed shut and warded the door, giving them much needed privacy. "Muffliato," she muttered as she slashed her wand diagonally through the air.

Finished, she turned her attention back to the other three. "Alright, before I tell you, I need each of you to take the unbreakable vow before I say anything."

"Of course," came Luna's immediate reply.

"Sure, I'll do it," Ginny said next.

"Certainly," Neville replied, his tone strong instead of his typical awkward stutter.

Soon enough, all three vows were taken before Hermione started. "Right, you three already know that I am dating Beckett." Ginny and Neville nodded their heads whilst Luna simply smiled. "Well, she was the one who essentially told me of my true identity."

"What do you mean? How did Beckett know who you really are?" Ginny asked, confused.

And with that question, Hermione went into the story of her discovery of who she really is; all the way from her initial meeting with Beckett in Diagon Alley to what had transpired in the Headmaster's office. It was a complicated story to explain, with Beckett's involvement, her relationship with the Black family-or more specifically, Bellatrix-their parents' actions upon her family. Surprisingly enough, Neville and Ginny were taking the news of her new, amicable relationship with the Black sisters particularly well, especially Neville with Bellatrix. When the part of that event that resulted with the murders of her parents and her kidnapping came up, Hermione wanted to spare Ginny and Neville of the harsh realities of their parents' actions. But, it was a harsh reality that they needed and deserved to know.

"After Bellatrix and Narcissa told you about you and your parents' murders. They told you who did it, right?" Neville asked, surprisingly eager to know. "Who did it?

Hermione cleared her throat, looking out the window. She swallowed thickly before looking back at her friends and listed the names: "Dumbledore…James Potter…Sirius Black…Andromeda Tonks…Molly and Arthur Weasley…and Frank Longbottom." The list was met with silence, and Hermione didn't know how to think about it. The silence itself made her want to flinch, but, she held herself steadfast. After a few minutes of silence, a voice finally interrupted it.

"What, why would he-wait, is that why the Lestranges' and Crouch tortured my parents?" Neville asked with a hard, thick tone.

Hermione only nodded as she looked at the boy.

"I don't understand why he would do this. Grandmother always spoke highly of him, always speaking of his honor, and my mother's." He continued on with a pained voice.

Hermione knew that he had more to say, but he didn't say it-allowing for another pregnant pause to encase the compartment before he spoke again. And what he said shocked the witch.

"But, that doesn't change anything for me, Hermione." His voice didn't waver but his tone sounded like it was full of pain. Nevertheless, the truth was evident in his words, and his eyes. They were boring in to Hermione's and he wasn't blinking. "Though it was unfortunate that I was unable to grow up with them, I do not personally know them. I don't know their personalities, nor their beliefs or intentions. I only know of what others have told me of them. I barely have any memories of them-I mean I was two at the time. But, I do know you, Hermione. And you have never given me a reason to not believe you or side against you.

"You have always stayed true to yourself and your beliefs, unapologetically, unwavering. And you have always done right by your actions. So…I'm with you." He swallowed thickly, but his eyes were burning with conviction. "What the Order has done to you and your family is disgusting. I could never side with someone who would do that to an innocent child, regardless of who their family was." He stared, hard, at Hermione.

There was still no wavering in his tone, in his eyes. His words were honest and true for his friend, Hermione knew that much.

"Though, I'm not sure if I'll ever be on good terms with Bellatrix," he said. "I know you said that she didn't actually participate and that she had saved my life. It will be hard to go from hating a woman for so long to all of sudden forgiving her and appreciating her. That will be hard,'' he finished. And Hermione nodded in understanding.

It was fair of him to say that, Hermione admitted to herself. She was actually surprised that he would go against his own family and the trauma he has faced for the past fourteen years. He was going against everything he had been raised to believe and chose to stay true with his own experiences and his heart.

Neville Longbottom was a true Gryffindor at heart, courageous and just, but Hermione could sense an inner, deeper Hufflepuff in the boy. His loyalty rivaled that of most in the house of yellow and black. And it was this quality that allowed for Hermione to release a small, soft sigh of relief. She gave the boy a small smile of appreciation, which she received in return.

Hermione's smile dropped a little as she turned her attention to ginger witch. The girl opposite of her had been leaning back in her seat with her eyes, downcast, to the floor and a frown planted on her face. "Ginny?"

The calling of her name snapped the girl out of her reverie. Listlessly, Ginny looked up to her friend. "Hermione, I can't lie and say that I am completely shocked by what my parents have done, especially my mother. But, I am disgusted by their actions. They have willingly followed Dumbledore to commit atrocious against you and your family. My mother would do anything for wealth and power, and if that means being a mother to her precious baby boy's best friend, the Boy-Who-Lived and committing crimes against innocent babies and toddlers, she's not above that."

As she spoke, Ginny turned her attention from her friend to where she was staring out the window, watching as the landscape pass by. "Hermione," she looked back to the witch, "I don't agree with her actions, and I never will. My parents have never given me any reason to ever truly trust their actions and words, and by extension, agree with them. But, Hermione, for me, it's like what Neville said. You have never given me any reason to doubt you. You have always been clear about your beliefs, and have always been authentic. Like I told you after the welcome feast, I side with you, no matter what and on whatever side you choose to be on. You are my best friend and there was never a day where I doubted that. I'm with you."

Hermione couldn't help but tear up. Typically, it was…what was that saying? Blood is always thicker than water… but, in this case, it apparently wasn't so for the other two Gryffindors. They chose loyalty to their friend over their families. It meant a lot to her. The three people she considered herself to be close too are actually sticking by her. However, before she could think more about it, she quickly remembered of the presence of that fourth, silent, occupant of the compartment. Luna had been silent this entire time, but when Hermione looked over to her friend to find her smiling knowingly.

"Luna, why do you seem so calm about all of this?"

The addressed blonde haired witch maintained her smile. "I am calm, or rather relaxed because I already knew about you, or rather I knew Ryann. We were friends, back then. My mother used to tell me of our play dates, weekly from what she said. Well, that was until that night. I don't remember a lot, but I do remember a consistent presence of a girl, a little other than myself, and laughing and playing in a garden. That was something we both liked to do, as my mother told."

Luna's tone was very light with a timbre reminiscent of familiarity and fondness. It was as if she was reliving a blissful moment from when she was younger. "I do know of your godmother, she apparently watched us upon occasion. She wasn't the same woman we saw at the ministry, exact opposite actually. I'm also aware of your close relations with the Malfoys. And then, of course, I know of Beckett; though, then she was going by a different name. During our play dates, she would be there a lot of times.

"When I started at Hogwarts, I obviously wasn't the most popular girl, by far actually. But when we met in the library my first year, I already like you. I knew we were going to be good friends. And I told you so, too." Luna paused a moment as her friend nodded her head, her eyes full of that particular memory.

Hermione had been holed up in there, looking for clues, researching the possibilities of what Salazar Slytherin's creature could be when the curious first year walked upon her spot. The blonde had just sat down next to the curly haired witch, picked up one of Hermione's books and began reading. When the time came for them to separate, leaving for supper, Luna had told her of their promised, future friendship.

"When I found out that it was you, who was the girl from my memories and stories my mother told me, Ryann, it just strengthened the image that I have for our friendship. I don't feel I need to say this, but you're my friend, my first friends-if I remember correctly-so, I'm with you."

Hermione smiled at her sincere, and typically, wistful, friend. She never had to doubt her friendship with Luna, and the blonde's words just then solidified that. While, at the time, after their initial meeting, she was a little off putted by the younger witch, but as time went on, that promise became more and more true as time went on. And now, Hermione could understand why, because they had always been friends, from the beginning.

The brunette's attention was soon pulled away from the blonde as Ginny spoke. "Hold on, earlier, you said that this explanation would help me understand as to why Mum told me to try to find something that would keep you around despite being cautious around you. How does all of this explain her hypocrisy?"

"Well, it's as you said earlier. Your mum would do anything for wealth and power. And I'm going to make a very confident and safe assumption that the rest of the Order is the same way-especially Dumbledore. I asked the Dark Lord as to why they kidnapped me rather than kill me along with my parents. He essentially asked, 'why kill the last heir to one of the most wealthy, powerful, and influential houses when they could simply use said heir for their own personal gain'?"

Ginny's mouth formed the perfect shape of an 'o' at Hermione's proposed question. It was true. Why destroy something when you can gain a profit? The realization set in the ginger witch's wide eyes. "Wow. When you put it in that way, it makes entire sense. Their hypocritical ideals and actions make sense." She numbly nodded her head as her eyes looked lost in thought. "But, Mione? What are you going to do?"

Hermione tilted her head, confused.

"I mean, like, what name are you going to go by? Where will you live? You said that your godmother is Bellatrix, no doubt she would want you to live with her. And then what are you going to do about the Order, about Ron and Harry?" Ginny's questions came out in rapid fire, despite her attempts to keep her anticipation in. As worried as she was, she was very curious as to what her friend was going to do from here on out.

Hermione was prepared for these questions. She had been since the end of her meeting with the Minister and the Headmaster. And they were questions that had kept popping up in her mind. "Well for my name, I've decided to go with Hermione Ryann Lyra Ronan. At this point, I am okay with people referring to me as either Hermione or Ryann. Surprisingly, I like the sound of Ryann, but there is a part of me that cannot seem to let go of the life that I grew up with before finding out all of this."

"That's completely understandable, Ryann. You've only known one name for fourteen years. So, it is no surprise that you would still allow people to refer to you as Hermione. Though, personally, I think Ryann suits you better." Luna spoke with what some would consider an offhanded tone, however, that was the typical wistful and sincere tone of the light blonde witch.

"What makes you say that, Luna?" Ginny asked.

"Well, directly translating her name, Ryann is the feminine version of Ryan-R-Y-A-N-which means 'little king'. And knowing that, I believe it suits her personality: intelligent, unapologetic, unyielding, and powerful in more than one way." Luna explained with a smile.

"That makes a lot of sense, Luna. Though, I don't believe that I will be able to get myself out of the habit of calling you, Hermione." Neville spoke up, gaining an echoing of 'same' from Ginny.

"And that's perfectly okay. And Luna, I didn't know that. I only knew that Ronan means 'little seal'." Hermione replied to which she received another smile from the fair haired witch. Turning away, the nutmeg haired witch continued on with her answers for Ginny's questions. "As for where I am going to live, I'm not sure. While the Grangers do have legal parents care over me, I also now have a magical guardian. Whether or not a magical guardian supersedes muggle guardianship, it's a bit foggy. That part wasn't discussed during the meeting. During break, however, I will be with my godmother, and no doubt that the Malfoys will be there with us as well, Beckett, too."

"But, Mione, who do you want to live with?" Ginny asked, pressing lightly.

Hermione hummed a moment. "Bellatrix. I'd rather be with her." She didn't elaborate more from there. It was obvious to the other three individuals that there was more behind that simple declaration. There was a hidden message, but by the resolute, yet sullen expression on their friend's face.

Not pressing the matter, Neville steered his question in a different direction. "But, Hermione, even though I understand the motives behind why she tortured my parents, but don't you think it would be dangerous to live with her?" He understood as to why she would rather live with her godmother and spend out her winter holiday in such a way, however, he still didn't feel comfortable with his friend living with a very manic and deadly witch.

Smiling, noting his worry, Hermione shook her head. "Neville, I will be fine. Believe when I say that I was in the same position as you when I initially spoke with her. However, I saw a side of her that contrasts the image that the Order has been painting of her. Yes, she embraces her lethal dark side; she has admit that. But, is she a danger to me? No, she's not. And it was odd. When I was in that library, I have never felt anymore safer than I did there, being surrounded by the four of them."

"I understand," Neville nodded. "It's weird hearing someone speak so…kindly and compassionate of her. But, since I trust you, I can't help but think that maybe in the sometime future, I'll be able to say the same thing as you do for her." Neville said, his voice strained, and gave Hermione a tentative smile. "Now," he cleared his throat, "what are you going to do about Harry and Ron, and the Order?"

"For right now, I'm going to continue to do what I have been doing with them. I really don't want to deal with them, especially now with this revelation of my real name and heritage. So, right now, I am going to steer of them, and any members of the Order, as best as I can, especially Dumbledore. He would, no doubt, try to convince me to make up with them, as well as ensure that I continue to see the light." Hermione was going to say more but she noticed that they had just pulled into the Kings Cross Station.

Sighing as she looked out to the crowd of awaiting families, she spoke up again. "I guess, it's time to go," Hermione quickly took down her wards and silencing charm. "Ginny, what are you going to do while you're with your family?" The curly haired witch wanted to make sure her friend is safe during the holiday. As she had said earlier, she didn't trust the Order, and it wouldn't be a surprise if they tried to do something to her.

"Oh, I'll be fine. I don't think they will try anything on me. While she is the way she is, she has been very adamant about me not being involved in any of the Order business; says I'm too young. But, regardless, I'll be careful." Ginny spoke with an unconcerned tone; she's smart, she knows how to handle her family.

Hermione reluctantly nodded before getting up. "Alright then, if you're sure. I don't believe we will be able to do this on the platform, so, I'll say this here." She said before giving each of them a hug. "I hope you three have a lovely holiday." Her farewells were greeted with the same before they all stepped out onto the platform. Once her feet landed on the cement, the whispering of the surrounding families began as she made her way over to the luggage car, though she ignored them. Quick enough, however, she found that her trunk had already been picked up.

Sighing, she walked over to where Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Draco were standing, waiting for her. As she approached, she made sure to pose as stiffly as possible. It wouldn't do to clue in the Order about her already knowing and being happy acquainted with her real family, so to speak. She took note of the smiles she received from the elder Malfoys and the broad grin from her godmother.

With a raised hand, Bellatrix addressed Hermione. "Hello, my dear, are you ready to go?" Hermione simply nodded before taking the raven haired witch's hand. The dark witch's smile broadens much further before they walked out of the platform and the station, entirely, to apparate them home.