Hello lovelies! Finally, you guys will meet Hermione. This is one of the chapters that I just wrote recently because I realized that the beginning of the story focused too much on Draco and it took too many chapters before Hermione's appearance. This chapter is important and you will soon find out why! Reviews are really loved, thank you so much!

Chapter 4 - Unremembered

Hermione gently closed the wooden doors without a sound. Not even the hum of her breathing could be heard. She took measured steps on the path to the white-washed picket fence. She swallowed, but she felt like something was blocking her throat, a warning that tears would soon escape her eyes. She decided to stop midway to admire the lawn and the flower beds that both her parents tended well. She also watched as the tall trees and petite bushes seemed to sway with the wind. In that moment, she realized that staying was too hard, too painful. She decided to run, to escape the home she knew all her life as soon as she possibly could.

It hurt her, pained her more than she could have imagined, thinking that she would forevermore remember her parents and, on the other hand, she would not cross their mind at all. While she could drown in nostalgia and wallow in longing, they would never know that she ever existed at all. It was a difficult decision, probably the most grueling choice she had to make in her life. Especially that it was she who chose for them, that she used her judgment to ascertain their future. What assurance did she have that she did the right thing? She thought about it, lost sleep because of it, and devoted countless hours of research for it. She was positive that she did things correctly. She read all the books about memory modifications known to man. Despite the success of what she had done, she still doubted if it was really the right thing to do.

She wanted them safe; to be in a place that was free from war, liberated from Voldemort's grasp. To do that, she modified their memories without their permission. She took away years worth of her presence and memories from their lives. Although she tried to preserve their traits, likes and dislikes. She did not change anything that did not concern her. They were still dentists, and behind the new names, they still bore the same faces and the same personalities. She decided that it was the best thing to do, that it was the only choice. But the guilt of taking too much from them was crippling her almost literally.

She ran despite the trembling of her body. She needed to get away. She was afraid that if she stayed, she would undo the memory charm. She started to cry. Breathing started to be a challenge. Still, she forced herself to dash and abandon what she had always known all her life. She laughed. She imagined she looked like a maniac. It was not really her who was leaving. Her parents were deserting everything, even their own daughter, all because of her own doing. She sobbed so hard, people were already staring. She stopped to catch her breath and to rest her buckling knees.

She had no destination in mind. She just wanted to find a dark place where she could Disapparate. In two weeks time, she was supposed to go to the Burrow. A part of her wanted to go the Burrow earlier, but there was so much family in that place, she didn't think she'd be able to stand it. A few days ago, she decided to owl Tonks and ask her if she could stay at their place until the agony of what she had done ebbed away.

A few steps after halting from her exhausting run, she found a dark alley. She looked around, made sure that no one was there to witness her vanish into thin air. When she was certain that she was alone, she held her wand so tight she feared it was going to break, and pictured her destination in her mind. She felt herself being pulled into her wand, into an immense black hole. She felt her insides spinning as if she was no more.

She almost fell to her knees. She could still feel the weakness her sprint had brought. She took a few moments before she examined where she had landed. She let her eyes wander and realized that she was too distraught to Apparate properly. From a distance, she could see an old castle. She had heard Tonks tell stories about it but the details seemed to escape her mind. She scanned the landscape once more and found the house that she had been looking for. It was still far from her but she did not mind a little walk. She needed to clear her head anyway.

Hermione counted her steps: one, two, three, four, five, six… But she never reached thirty. She was so distressed and so flummoxed by her own thoughts, that her brain already lost the capacity to count continuously. She would start again at one, and after reaching twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, her wits would lose its power and she would have to start back from one again.

After what seemed like days, she was near enough to the house. She closed her eyes for a while and inhaled deeply, taking in the beauty of the paradise. She painted a picture of the place in her mind. The golden sun that gave light to everything that it touched, the vast azure sky that was illuminated by it, and the infinite blue sea that glistened as if diamonds were buried deep within. She loved a lot of places but this haven was different. Maybe it was because of the turmoil in her life that she considered this place a sanctuary. She slowly exhaled. She took another deep breath, taking with it the splendor of everything.

When Hermione opened her eyes, she caught a glimpse of a familiar, gorgeous woman with snowy skin and flowing flaxen hair, in an elegant black robe and grasping her wand. Hermione raised her own wand and yelled, "Stupefy!" but in the next moment, the woman had disappeared into oblivion, leaving the blast of red to vanish into nothingness.

"Tonks! Tonks! Tonks! Narcissa! Narcissa Malfoy was here! Is everyone —" She gasped at the sight of Andromeda Tonks crying while she was being held by her husband. "Okay." She was unable to keep herself from uttering the last two syllables of her statement. The husband and wife stared at her. She looked at her feet. "Good afternoon. I am Hermione Granger. I am a friend of Nymphadora Tonks. Erm.. Narcissa Malfoy was here. Are you okay? I tried to Stupefy her but I was too late. I am sorry."

"There is nothing to worry about Miss Granger. Everything is fine. My wife here is just… sad." Ted looked at his wife empathetically and held her tighter. "Do make yourself comfortable. We've already arranged a room for you upstairs."

Hermione was, at best, perplexed with all that had happened. First, her parents, albeit unknowingly, had lost their daughter. Second, she opted to stay at the Tonks' place instead of the Burrow. Third, she saw Narcissa Malfoy leave it. Fourth, she found Andromeda Tonks crying mere moments after. She did not know how to feel or think about any of it. She climbed the stairs and decided to find solace under the covers of her bed. She opted to sleep rather than to stay up and wait for Tonks. She wanted to avoid her overstimulated brain while awake. She didn't want to over-think or to bask in her miseries. She also did not want the mystery that was Narcissa Malfoy lurking in her mind. She closed her eyes and let her mind be surrounded by nothingness.

Hermione did not realize that falling asleep would mean nightmares. She dreamt of her parents, in the beautiful place of Sydney, Australia. She had never been there, but she had read enough for it to be real in her mind. In her dream, they were just like any tourists, wearing matching summer shirts and shorts. They were wearing their favorite sunglasses and white hats to protect themselves from the heat of the sun. They were awed by the beauty of the place. She saw genuine smiles on their faces. They wanted a souvenir, so they looked around to find someone that would take their picture together. Her parents found a man, wearing a dark hood and an ivory mask. At that moment, Hermione wanted to yell at them, but in her dream, she had no voice. The man took the camera, waited for her parents to smile, then he took out his wand and yelled with a joyous voice, as if attempting to mock her, "Avada Kedavra!" In the next moment, her parents were on the floor, staring into space and lifeless.

She was so terrified. All of a sudden, she had lost the distinction between dreams and reality. She was not so sure she was only in the world of her thoughts. Her eyes were fixed on her parents' unmoving bodies. She neared them and tried to move them but nothing happened. She hugged them and shed desperate tears.

She felt her body shake, then the whole world quavered. She opened her eyes, and there was only the room she previously entered. There was no Australia, no Death Eaters and no dead parents. Her face was still wet from her tears and all the pain that she felt. She was now aware that she had a nightmare. She was so stunned by the horridness of it all, she was not able to take in anything from the real world. She just stared blankly while sobbing as if there was no tomorrow.

"Hermione, it was just a dream. Hush now." Tonks hugged Hermione and kissed the top of her head.

She looked at the woman who held her. It took a while before she was able to recognize who she was. When she was certain that it was a friend, she cried even harder. "The-they were de-dead." It took every ounce of strength she had to utter those three words. She wanted to say more but her body could only take so much.

"It was just a dream, my dear. I am here now. I will not let anyone hurt you."

"No, no, no. Not me. M-my pa-parents." Hermione stuttered.

"Accio Calming Draught." Tonks waited for the vial to be in her hand, then continued. "You have to drink this, Hermione. I need to know what's frightening you so I can help you, okay?"

"O-okay." Hermione drank the potion and felt her whole body relax a little. Her breathing slowed and the quavering of her body ceased. She let a few moments pass before she continued. She waited for her heart to stop beating so wildly. She put her hand on her chest as she waited.

"Better? Now, could you tell me?" Tonks' eyes did not leave Hermione's. Tonks really wanted to understand what was happening to her young friend.

Hermione nodded her head and said, "Tonks, I did something. I modified my parents' memories and sent them to Australia. I am terrified of what Voldemort will do to them if he finds them. I just don't want them to suffer. I want them to be safe."

"Were they aware?"

"N-no." Hermione's voice and lips started to tremble. She inhaled slowly, afraid that she would have another panic attack.

"Calm down, Hermione." Tonks held her tighter. "I understand. You wanted them to be safe. Sometimes, we just do what we have to do. Once all of this is over, after you've explained, they will realize that."

"You're certain?" Hermione gazed at Tonks with pleading eyes.

"Positive." Tonks smiled at her and held her hand.

"Erm, Tonks… I need to tell you something." Hermione looked away from Tonks, anxious of her response.

"There is more?" Tonks raised her eyebrow.

"Erm… Yeah, but not about me anymore," Hermione murmured.

"What is it, Hermione?" Tonks asked. She was curious. She wanted to find out what was causing Hermione's troubles aside from her parents.

"This afternoon, I saw Narcissa Malfoy outside your house." She paused, uncertain of how she would continue. After a few seconds and one deep breath, she carried on. "I panicked, and when I entered your home, I found your mother crying. I asked what was wrong, but your father said that she was just sad."

"The Blacks are not that easy to decipher. I would like to think that I know my mother, but there are times that she completely astounds me." Tonks gave Hermione a small smile, "Don't worry too much, Hermione. You've got too much on your mind already."

"Just make sure she's okay."

"Of course, I will. You need to rest again. Just summon a vial of Dreamless Sleep Potion if you don't want any nightmares anymore. I will just go check on my mother." Tonks kissed Hermione's forehead. She almost cringed, for it brought back memories of the nights when it was her mother and father kissing her goodnight.

Hermione was too stubborn to want the nightmares to go away. She wanted no horrors, but in the back of her mind and in the depths of her heart, she felt like she deserved it. She was also afraid that if the bad dreams ceased, she would stop thinking about her parents. She feared that they would be buried deeper and deeper in her head, and there would come a time that they would not exist to her anymore. She held on to the horrors as badly as she clung to their wonderful memories. As the door closed, she rested her eyes and wished that her slumber be a restful one.

Tonks had heard the story of her mother's estrangement from the Black family countless times. She heard it from neighbors, from classmates in Hogwarts and from friends, but never from her own parents. She had never heard her mother speak ill of her family or speak of them entirely. When she was younger, she used to wonder why. There was a time when she asked her mother, and all she got was a stern look coupled with silence, which to her, equaled being screamed at. She never dared to inquire about it again, even as a grown woman. But now, the situation required it, and she was dead nervous about asking. Nymphadora Tonks was a brave woman, but her mother had a look that never failed to make her cringe.

She quietly left Hermione's room and searched for her mother in the house. She first checked her mother and father's bedroom, but only her father was there, snoring quite loudly. She quietly closed the door then proceeded to the kitchen. Andromeda Tonks loved tea, so it was not a surprise that Tonks found her there. From a short distance, she could see her mother wiping tears with an embroidered handkerchief.

"Is something wrong?" She slowly approached Andromeda and touched her shoulder.

"Nothing is wrong, my daughter." Andromeda forced a smile.

"Is that water on your eyes?" Tonks raised an eyebrow.

"I am conflicted, torn between being happy and sad." Andromeda poured herself a cup of tea and then led her daughter to the dining table. She took a seat and sipped her tea.

"May I ask what is making my beautiful mother weep?" Tonks walked towards Andromeda and hugged her from the back.

"You know, you already did ask." Andromeda chuckled and wiped tears from the corner of her eyes.

Tonks took a seat across from her mother and gazed at her.

"Mother, Hermione told me Narcissa Malfoy was here." Tonks' tone was serious, but the concern was overflowing.

"You must not show disrespect to your aunt, Dora." Andromeda gave her daughter a stern look. Tonks almost cringed.

Tonks looked at her hands on the table and murmured, "I'm sorry." She took a deep breath. "Okay. So, Aunt Narcissa was here," Tonks said dryly. "What did she want?"

"She just needed help with Draco," Andromeda stated.

"But-"

"We are going to help her." Andromeda continued without giving her daughter a chance to finish.

"We?" Tonks was so astounded that, for a few seconds, she forgot to close her mouth.

"Yes. In a matter of days, Draco will be staying here," Andromeda declared.

"But he is a Death Eater!" Tonks protested.

"He is only a child that was scared into his decision." Andromeda shook her head, then continued. "Most of all, Draco is family, Dora."

"Tell me what's really going on, Mother."

"Narcissa," Andromeda stated. She sighed and said, "You know when you are certain you have lost something? I was sure I had lost everything that tied me to the Black family. It was my choice to leave, but that never meant they were not or they stopped being important. I do not regret choosing you and your father, but if I could have only kept both, I would." Andromeda trailed into silence.

Andromeda proceeded to tell the tale of a mother who would want to save her almost-fallen son from the wrath of her Lord. Andromeda shed silent tears, feeling compassion for her sister and for her nephew. Tonks held her mother. After a few moments, her eyes were glistening as well, and she felt empathy for a family she never believed she had.