A/N: This coming Tuesday (the 25th) is going to be my birthday ,so in celebration I have posted an extra large chapter for you guys. Obviously I expect just as many reviews.

'Will you STOP fidgeting' Blaise shouted ,annoyed at Hermione ,flinging down his toast firmly 'There is no way that owl would have got to your house and back in one night ,so stop getting so worked up' He scowled at his toast ,annoyed before mumbling 'I don't think I'm even hungry anymore'

'Stop being so dramatic' Pansy rolled her eyes before looking at Hermione seriously 'It's true ,though, Herm.' Her new nickname 'There is no way the owl would be back already and worrying won't help even if it was going to be here.' She looked down the table surreptitiously at the other Slytherins before continuing in a lower voice but still to Hermione 'People are starting to notice ,as well'

Pansy was right. All across the Slytherin table, students were glancing her way and whispering in hushed voices.

'I know there's no point,' Hermione admitted ,gloomily ',but I can't help it. Half of me wants the letter here ,so we can just get it over and done with ,but the other half...' She looked up nervously at the ceiling. It was a cloudy grey.

Noticing where Hermione was looking, Theo said cheerfully 'This weather must be good news for you ,at least' Hermione looked at him questioningly 'There's less chance of us playing Quidditch'

Hermione laughed ,but her voice was strained and she stopped quickly. Laughing was something she felt she couldn't do -not when her life was on the line.

'Oh ,cheer up ,Herms' Theo nudged her ,but nothing so far had seemed to do the trick.

'It's a Friday today and classes end two hours early' Draco said ,looking at her hopefully 'Maybe we can go Hogsmeade and have a bit of fun'

'Don't you guys have homework to do?' Hermione asked ,frowning at the rest of them. Despite her influence, they still weren't entirely on top of their homework ,but ,as Pansy said ,it was a big deal that they were actually doing the homework in the first place'

'We've got the whole weekend ,Herm. Surely we can live a little' Draco encouraged. Hermione frowned ,but Draco set his hands over her own ,sending a rush of some unknown sensation tingling down her fingertips. She suppressed a shiver. 'Please...'

Hermione felt her resolution crumble.

'We'll see' she admitted finally.

'That's the girl' Blaise grinned.

His grin was temporary ;however, as the moment he heard Hermione explain the condition on which she would join them in Hogsmeade, he sunk down in his seat again.

Blaise Zabini didn't like the idea of homework

Blaise groaned ,as he wrote the nine hundredth word on his Divination essay - "Explain and give evidence for the different ways in which the stars are aligned and why it happens"

'At least I know what to get you for Christmas' Hermione smiled jovially ,her anxious mood having dissipated after the fond talk of homework. She had the book about Pureblood heritage ,covered in a dark brown cover, propped up on her lap and was reading it thoroughly. 'Less than three weeks before the holidays'

'Yeah' Theo nodded ,dully ,looking up from his own Divination essay ,which he was proofreading. 'Another few weeks stuck at home with nothing to do other than read and study'

'But it's Christmas' Hermione said ,looking astounded 'Surely you must do something fun?'

'Well, there's the Christmas ball ,but you can only call that fun if you're over forty years-old or like gossiping' Pansy grimaced. She was doing her Transfiguration homework

'Or if you like dancing' Blaise pointed out.

'Dancing must be fun' Hermione said ,hopefully.

Draco laughed. He was sitting opposite Hermione ,reading a considerably thinner book and sucking on a sugar quill surreptitiously ,so the librarian wouldn't see. 'Ballroom dancing ,Granger. Not the kind you're thinking.'

Hermione flushed. Pureblood customs weren't something you could learn from a book ,not that she hadn't given it a go.

'You'll be here for the Christmas ball ,though ,right?' Hermione asked. She didn't want to be the only one there.

'Obviously' Theo scoffed. 'My mum'd have my throat if I didn't attend. It compulsory for us to ,not only attend family gatherings, but also boring school ones'

'Last time's ball wasn't boring' Blaise quipped ,grinning cheekily at Hermione. Draco looked pointedly at the pages of his book.

'Family gatherings are ,though' Pansy said firmly.

'No one could agree more' Draco nodded ,thankful for the expertly changed subject.

'You're so lucky ,though, Draco' Pansy moaned 'You won't have to be there this year. Not with your parents abroad'

Draco smiled proudly ,like it had been all his doing.

'Wouldn't he have to go ,anyway?' Hermione asked ,absolutely confused.

'He could if he wanted ,to represent the Malfoy name ,but as he'll be in Hogwarts and as temporary leave from school is not advised, he has a good enough excuse and he can blame it all on the old codger as well!' Blaise explained enthusiastically ,penning down the last word of his essay and glancing over at it proudly before rolling it up and tossing it in his bag.

'I thought everyone was supposed to like Dumbledore ,though?' Hermione asked frowning ,not moving at all as Blaise made to get up 'I mean, he did defeat Grindelwald ,didn't he?'

'He defeated Grindelwald ,yes ,but there is also proof that he was friends with the dark wizard at a young age and they spent a whole summer together ,in which Dumbledore fuelled Grindelwald's ideas.' Draco explained ,not moving ,but instead returning his book into his bag 'Dumbledore even gave Grindelwald his motto ,which was carved above Nurmengard'

'For the greater good' Hermione breathed ,astounded at the new information.

'Yeah, that was it' Draco nodded ,before continuing 'Dumbledore's family wasn't very clean either. His sister has some sort of illness that caused her to send a spell ,killing their mother; his father was placed in Azkaban for harassing muggles and his brother was condemned for performing illicit charms on a goat'

'With that history, it must've taken ages to get himself the muggle-lover and great wizard titles' Hermione commented.

'Not with his marks' Draco said 'He was top of the class' then he added as an afterthought ',just like the Dark Lord'

'Voldemort was good in class too?' Hermione asked ,perking up. Draco flinched at the name ,but waved off Hermione's apology.

'It's fine. I should be used to it by now' Draco chuckled half-heartedly.

'Come on ,brainy pair' Pansy called ,alerting the two of them to the fact that the other three had already vacated the table and were standing over them 'We've still got to catch Weaselette after her Quidditch training. They should be out by now.'

'We were just talking about Dumbledore' Hermione said quickly ,flushing as she stuffed the large book into her bag.

'We heard' Theo muttered.

The five of them trudged their way down to the grounds ,depositing their bags with a willing gaggle of first years as they past them with instructions to take the contents to the common room.

'I don't know why we had to leave our bags with them' Hermione grumbled ,conscientiously ,as they reached the Quidditch pitch and Ginny flung herself at them. She had already changed back into her casual wear and had been waiting for them.

'Thought you'd forgotten about me' she complained playfully.

'Who'd be so stupid to forget someone like you?' Theo smiled at her ,toothily.

Ginny blushed.

'If it wasn't for Potter, they'd be dating already' Pansy said in an under undertone ,leading their way down to Hogsmeade.

'Trust Potter to mess up everything' Hermione agreed.

'We talking about Harry?' Ginny asked. Theo grimaced at the use of his first name.

'Complaining about him' Pansy corrected.

'I can't believe that after all this time, we can still do that' Ginny laughed.

'What do you mean?' Draco asked.

'We've complained about him so much and still haven't run out of material to do so' Ginny explained.

'That's true' Blaise nodded 'Not once have I ever felt I didn't have a reason to hate Harry Potter'

'Other than the time he defeated Voldemort' Hermione corrected. 'I bet you were singing his praises then'

They all frowned at her.

'What?' she asked.

'Way to ruin a fabulous, Potter bashing moment' Pansy playfully scowled at her.

'It's probably true ,though' Draco said ,matter-of-factly 'I don't think that any of us would've had the heart to insult Potter then'

'Well, obviously you'd defend your chick' Blaise quipped ,but only realised too late what he'd said.

'His chick?' Hermione said ,standing in front of them all ,hands on her hips ,causing them to stop in their tracks 'When was I ever his chick?' she noticed Draco's fractionally hurt look and began back tracking 'But...anyway...forget about that...when was I anyone's chick?'

There was a pause as Blaise tried to form an answer. Pansy took over from him though taking Hermione's arm in her own . 'He just likes to say things like that. I bet in his eyes everyone he knows is paired up with another significant someone' Pansy said ,shooting an exasperated look at Blaise before walking down to Hogsmeade with Hermione.

Draco followed.

'Oh come on, I couldn't resist' Blaise shrugged at Ginny and Theo 'They're absolutely smitten with each other ,just afraid to admit it'

'We know that ,but you don't say it to their face' Ginny reprimanded him in a whisper ,in case the wind carried her voice.

'It's not how you matchmake ,mate' Theo added.

'You need to ease them into it ,slowly' Ginny explained before shaking her head and continuing down the slope with Theo.

'Well, why don't you two ease yourselves into dating as well' Blaise quipped to himself ,as he ran after them 'Hey ,wait up!'

Somewhere half-way through their trip to Hogsmeade, the six of them had split up into two groups of girls and boys. Ginny, Pansy and Hermione went dress shopping for the Winter ball ,while Draco, Blaise and Theo went to the Quidditch store and any other fancies that came over them.

Of course ,as Hermione looked like a boy, her presence in a female-predominant store caused not-so-surreptitious stares and whispers to follow her around as she tried to enjoy her evening out.

'Can't they just mind their own business!' Hermione muttered moodily in an undertone ,glaring at another one of the whisperers.

'They're only curious ,Herms' Ginny said ,placing an arm on her shoulder.

'This is the reason I don't let the press reach me' Hermione continued ,ignoring Ginny 'Everyone starts judging you for your choices and decisions. Why should they care if a boy wants to go dress shopping with his two female friends?'

'It's just unusual' Pansy said ,shrugging ,before perking up. 'Hey ,let's go in there!'

'There' turned out to be an exuberantly decorated store ,filled to the brim in modern, fashionable, dressy robes and dresses for witches.

'Excuse me' Pansy said in a business-like voice ,unlike the one she had been using only seconds before.

Ginny and Hermione stared at her and Pansy giggled at their reaction. She stopped suddenly ;however, when an elderly, make-up clad witch tottered her way.

'Ah!' she cried ,jovially ,beaming at Pansy 'Miss Parkinson! How've you been doing up at that school?'

'Quite alright ,Miss Smithers' Pansy nodded her head formally. Ginny and Hermione looked rather weirded out. Was this witch actually the Pansy Parkinson they knew?

'Fabulous, fabulous' Miss Smithers exclaimed ,rather distractedly.

'Do you know where me and my friends can find a selection of dresses that'd suit us for the Winter Ball this year?' Pansy asked ,still business-like.

'Yes, right at the back ,over here' Miss Smithers called ,leading them to a large selection of differently styled dresses and robes ,with a rather formidable aura around them. 'You and you friend will find many to your liking here and for the handsome young man with you-'

'He doesn't want anything' Pansy cut her off ,rather rudely in Hermione's opinion. 'He's simply here to help us choose'

'Are you sure? We've just got a new-'

'Yes, we're quite sure. You can go now. I will call you if I need anything' Pansy shooed the witch away hastily before turning to the others ,as Miss Smithers tottered away sourly.

'You shouldn't have cut her off like that' Hermione frowned ,looking over the rows of dresses at the elderly lady 'She seemed nice enough'

'She's only like that because I'm pureblood and rich' Pansy scoffed 'If you tried getting a dress here ,you'd be shunned after the first few seconds'

'Still, that was rude' Hermione insisted.

Pansy simply waved her off before turning to the dresses ,which Ginny was already sifting through.

'This'd be nice' Ginny mused ,pulling out a deep green dress and holding it up to her.

'But you just got a green dress in the last shop' Hermione pointed out.

'This is different ,though' Ginny argued ,'Look at the fall. It flares out while the other-'

Hermione zoned out. For once she felt thankful that she was disguised as a boy -at least she had a concrete excuse to not have to change countless times into new dresses. She could just change into the final choice ,to make sure of the fitting and that's that.

Shopping was horribly tiresome.

A darkish hue was visible in the sky ,as Ginny, Hermione, Pansy, Theo, Blaise and Draco trudged out of the 'Three Broomsticks' ,all exhausted after the days events.

Hermione stumbled out after them ,feeling the countless butterbeers addle with her brain ,as her brain seemed to zone in and out of the conversation ,the chatter of her friend's dulling slightly ,so she couldn't hear them properly. Shaking her head in an attempt to get rid of the wooziness, Hermione saw ,from the corner of her eye, Draco stop ,probably to ask her whether she was feeling alright -she still couldn't hear anything properly. The rest of her group stopped as well and Hermione saw the blurred figure of Harry Potter approach them.

It was only when a high-pitched, only too familiar cackle filled her ears, that Hermione realised that it wasn't the butterbeers making her loose her bearings.

'We meet again ,Hermione' Bellatrix cackled patronisingly ,as darkness eventually enveloped Hermione in its midst 'How have you been coping with the things I showed you in our last meeting? Were they helpful?' Hermione could tell that the older witch didn't really care what Hermione thought of it as long as she'd entertained the idea ,even if it was briefly.

'Get out of my head!' Hermione thought angrily ,shouting at Bellatrix. Bellatrix simply laughed at her.

'The vision I showed you of your parents.' Bellatrix continued after a short pause ,her disheveled face appearing in Hermione's mind's eye now. It wasn't a pretty sight. 'Have you asked them about it? What did they tell you? Have you realised your true heritage ,yet? Surely you must know?'

Bellatrix's questions danced around Hermione's brain and ,against her better judgement, Hermione found herself intrigued. Did Bellatrix know about her heritage then ,or was she simply fooling around?

'I've sent them the letter' Hermione told the elder witch ,less harsher than before 'They haven't replied yet'

'Of course they haven't' Bellatrix said scornfully 'So untimely ,them muggles'

Hermione raged with anger 'The owl probably hasn't even delivered it yet!'

'Still defending your unworthy, muggle parents ,Hermione' Bellatrix crooned 'I don't see how they got the noble task of raising you. It should have been me or at least a pureblood.' Hermione watched Bellatrix pick some dirt from her fingernails 'We would've raised you properly. To be a proper pureblood'

Hermione's breath caught in her throat. It couldn't be.

'What do you mean?' she choked out ,her breath constricting her.

'You mean you haven't figured it out yet?' Bellatrix asked 'I thought you would've ta least had an intuition'

Hermione shook her head. They had had an idea ,but Hermione had never really entertained the idea for real. Not until now ,at least.

Bellatrix cackled wickedly 'Why did you think I've been wasting all this time on you ,dear child? I wouldn't lower myself to meddle with a mudblood's brain' Hermione shivered at the word and Bellatrix laughed outrightly 'Don't recoil from the word ,dear Hermione. Embrace it. Embrace your true self ,because you aren't Hermione Granger ,worthless mudblood. No. You are the beacon of light for all us loyal followers out there; you are the North star that we endeavour to follow; you are our only hope ,Hermione Riddle'

Bellatrix said the last two words slowly and emphatically ,pronouncing them so clearly that every single syllable seemed to ricochet off the walls of Hermione's skull.

She was the Lost Daughter.

She was Voldemort's only child.

A/N: Were you expecting that? Probably too much crammed into one chapter ,right? Well, I didn't want to have my chapter's following that boring, predictable, linear sequence that many fanfic chapters seem to follow ,where every chapter has just one new interesting update ,making it more of some kind of bulleted list with a story around each bullet ,than a story. I wanted to make my story flow rather than being like a stop and start button.

Well ,anyway, how did you find it. I hope to see myself bombarded with reviews this week ,seeing as I've gifted you such a long chapter.

Thank you for reading!