Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Old Love, New Hate

"Harry!" Hermione weakly managed to pull herself up into a sitting position against the pillow as Harry entered her room. A black eye patch covered her right eye, and fresh bandages protected her skull.

"Hi, Hermione," Harry returned cautiously, shutting the door gently behind him. "How are you feeling?"

"Me? Oh, I'm fine. Just fine." She smiled broadly at him, and Harry felt his nerves begin to falter. "How's Ron? And Ginny and all them?"

"George thinks they're all going to pull through. Ginny isn't awake yet, though."

"That's good. Really good. Those Death Eaters aren't that great at eating death, are they?"

"Hermione?"

"Harry, can you go to that nightstand over there?" Hermione asked as if he had not spoken. "There's a piece of parchment and some ink over there, with a quill. Will you bring that to me, please?"

"Hermione…"

"Now, please," Hermione said, her voice hardening slightly.

Harry scampered to obey, feeling a knot of dread in his stomach. Hermione snatched the paper out of Harry's hand, nearly giving him a paper cut.

"Dear Viktor," Hermione wrote aloud, pressing the parchment against her knees. "It's Hermione. My parents have killed my parents."

"What?"

"I heard them," Hermione continued without pause. "I heard them screaming."

"Hermione, give me that quill," Harry said, reaching over and taking it by the stem.

"I heard them screaming!" Hermione shrieked, as Harry wrested the quill from her hand, causing a long black trail of ink to streak across the paper. Unhindered, Hermione dipped her finger in the inkwell and began writing with her fingernail.

"I'll kill them. I'll even use Avada Kedavra if I have to. I'll kill them for what they've done."

"Hermione!" Harry ripped the parchment out from under Hermione's hands, letting the inkwell fall to the floor and spill its contents at his feet. He dropped the paper and grabbed Hermione's shoulders.

"They killed my mum and dad."

"Hermione, don't get worked up, you'll hurt yourself!"

"I don't care!" Hermione screeched, struggling to free herself from Harry's grasp. "I don't care, I don't give a damn, they killed my mum and dad, they deserve to die, I'll kill them, I'll…kill them…"

She stopped thrashing for a few seconds and sat, silent, before throwing herself against Harry's chest and sobbing, digging her fingernails into his shirt as if it were a lifeline preventing her from drowning. Harry wrapped his arms around her as she continued to cry, harder and harder with each passing second. Awkwardly he rocked back and forth, like how he thought a mother might comfort a baby.

"We're both orphans now, Harry," Hermione whispered, tears falling into her mouth as she spoke. "My parents killed my mum and dad."

"Hermione, I don't understand," Harry said quietly, not relinquishing his hold on her. "Was it…was it suicide?"

"No!" Hermione yelled, pulling back and grabbing Harry by the wrists. "Harry…Harry, I'm adopted."

"Pardon?"

"Aaron Granger is my dad's brother, and my biological father. He's married to Belicia Crouch. They're pure-bloods, but my dad was a Squib, and my mum was a Muggle. My parents…both sets of them hated each other. Aaron and Belicia took up with Voldemort. My parents had to go into hiding. I was brought to live with them in November after my first birthday, after you brought down Voldemort."

"When did you find out about all this?" Harry demanded, bewildered.

"When I was ten," Hermione said, misery taking over her again. "I found my birth certificate on accident. Ever wonder why I've worked so hard to be perfect? To prove that I'm not Aaron and Belicia's child. My aunt and uncle are my parents. I refuse to have parents that are Death Eaters."

Harry's brain was frantically trying to register Hermione's confession. "Why did you never say anything to Ron and me?"

"If your parents were Death Eaters, would you say anything? I didn't want anyone to know. I didn't even tell Malfoy to make him shut up about me being a Mudblood. If Aaron and Belicia were my alternatives, I'd prefer to be that way. Oh, God, Harry, after they killed my parents, I saw them. I screamed at them; told them I'd rather die than join them. Belicia tried to kill me; she sent a lamp at my head."

"How could she…how can a mother try to kill her own child?"

"Death Eaters don't care about other people's lives. You saw how Bellatrix…her own cousin, and the only thing she felt bad about was failing her Dark Lord. Aaron and Belicia are the same way. All they give a damn about is power. Why should a trivial thing like a daughter or a brother mean anything to them?"

Impulsively Harry threw his arms around Hermione and held her to his chest once more, feeling tears soaking through his shirt.

"We're nothing…we're nothing at all to them…"

"I have to tell you, Petunia, that it's disappointing to see Harry now."

"Headmaster, I—" Petunia started.

"I understand your reasoning, Petunia, I truly do," Dumbledore interrupted gently. "That was a terrible thing to have happen. What Lucius did was unforgivable."

"It wasn't just Malfoy. It was…it was him, too."

"He didn't—"

"He didn't stop them. He laughed. They were dying, and he laughed."

"I won't deny facts, Petunia," Dumbledore said quietly. "But you have to know, that now he's in league with us, and you are going to have to see him again."

Petunia's eyes widened as her jaw dropped.

"Headmaster, I can't do that. I can't see him again. I don't know if I'd be able to control myself—"

"You must, Petunia. Unless you want yours, and Harry's, lives to end, you must."

"I…I can't."

"You must."

"Where's Ronald? Where is he?"

The double doors to the hospital lobby burst open and Luna rushed in, hair even more disheveled than usual. The attack at 12 Grimmauld Place was all over the news, as even an Unplottable building showed up if it exploded. Luna knew it was the site of the Order's headquarters, as her father had just recently been inducted, and she knew the Weasleys were part of the organization.

Immediately she had thought of Ron, and panicked; begging and begging until her father agreed to Apparate her to St. Mungo's and nearly crying with gratitude when he finally gave in.

"Miss, if you don't mind, this is a hospital," the Welcome Witch said, regarding her with obvious disdain.

"I need to see Ronald Weasley!" Luna yelped, collapsing against the receptionist's desk.

"I'm afraid he's in a delicate condition and can see no one until his Healer approves visitation."

"What happened? What's wrong with him?"

"Legally I cannot disclose that information. Kindly take a seat, and I will alert you when he is allowed visitors."

Luna turned away, tears threatening to leak out between her tightly shut eyelids. All sorts of terrible images were running through her mind. Ron on the ground, his entrails leaking out. Ron hanging from the ceiling, bleeding to death.

"Hey, you."

Luna jumped, her mind quickly returning to earth.

"You're Looney Lovegood, aren't you?" Fred continued, as Luna snapped around.

"My name is Luna Artemis Rhiannon Aysel Qamar Bulan Shashi Channary Hilargi Ixchel Jaci Lucine Marama Monday Yuzuki Nguyet Tanith Lovegood," Luna said indignantly, ignoring Fred's shocked face at her name. "And you are Frederick James Weasley. Ronald's brother. How is he?"

"He's not awake yet, but he's holding up."

"That's good." Relief flooded her and swept her dreamy expression back into her eyes. Well used to the type of confused stare Fred was sending her, she idly floated to the nearest chair and sat, letting herself daydream.

"They should be here soon," Dumbledore said, standing up and shutting his pocket watch.

"Who is?" Petunia asked suspiciously.

"The Order. All of them."

"All of them?" Petunia repeated, aghast. "Even—"

"Yes."

"How could you?!"

Before Dumbledore could answer, the body of Remus Lupin tumbled out the hospital's fireplace. Petunia's face went from horrified to relieved that he had been the first to appear.

The last Marauder, in contrast, was whey-faced and grim.

"Who was hurt? Your letter was vague," he directed at Dumbledore.

"Hermione Granger, and Ron, Ginny, Molly, and Arthur Weasley were all injured," Dumbledore informed him.

"And Harry?"

"He escaped unhurt."

"That's good to hear," a new, younger, female voice said, as Nymphadora Tonks followed Remus from the fireplace. Dumbledore's quick eyes saw Tonks' hand lightly graze Remus' own, and he sent a questioning glance to Remus. Remus caught the look, and with steely resolve firmly took Tonks' hand.

Dumbledore bit back a comment. If it meant Remus was finally over his last love…

From the doorway walked Apollo Lovegood, who immediately went to his daughter to receive a hug and a breathless, "He's all right". Following him was Mad-Eye Moody. He glanced at Petunia, regarding her without so much as a nod, and then turned back to Dumbledore.

"Who's dead?" Moody asked bluntly.

"Bill Weasley, and Paul and Helen Granger."

"The Grangers? Don't tell me it was those devils Aaron and Belicia."

"It seems likely.

Petunia's attention was drawn from the conversation at a small puff sound from the fireplace. She turned quickly to see who had arrived.

"You."

She reared back her hand and brought it quickly and solidly against his face.

"Aunt Petunia!"

Petunia turned her head. Harry stood a few feet away from her, mouth agape, having been forced out of Hermione's room by her matronly Healer in time to witness the whole scene.

"Oh, yes, I should introduce you two," she said bitterly. "This is my nephew, Harry Potter. Harry, meet my ex-fiancé. Severus Snape."