In the Great Hall, Hermione sat across from her friends, pushing her food around her plate and attempting to seem present with the occasional laugh or reassuring glance. She felt eyes on her. It made her uneasy.

She looked up at Ron who was stuffing his face with some sort of potato sludge and recounting a story about yesterday's Quidditch match. She then looked at Harry who was listening intently to Ron's observations and reaching for the pumpkin juice pitcher. She looked around at each of her friends, Ginny, Neville, Seamus…nobody appeared to be staring at her and yet…there it was again, the feeling that she was being thoroughly observed. As she glanced up at the head table, her eyes met the twinkling gaze of Albus Dumbeldore. He smiled coyly and reached for his goblet, turning his attention back to Minerva. She watched them converse for awhile and thought about how much she had once admired them. Surely she still respected them, but lately there had been a certain impatience burning within Hermione that had made her question the rules and regulations she felt were keeping her from unveiling a certain truth that she desperately was searching for.

She scanned the Great Hall and noticed Thomas Crowe stare down at his plate rather quickly. Had he been staring at her? Surely not, unless it was to jest with his fellow Slytherins about the "blatant disregard mud bloods seemed to have for their appearance". Just thinking of this made Hermione a little self conscious of her wild curls and she quickly smoothed her hand over her hair.

"Are you gonna eat that?" Ron asked, pointing to a biscuit on her plate.

"No…go ahead" she mumbled.

Harry eyed her with concern. He was worried about how withdrawn she'd become ever since she received that strange letter a week ago. He had no idea what the contents of the letter had been, only that it upset Hermione very much and she had not been the same since opening it. He wanted to ask her about it, but figured she would come to him when she was ready to talk. She was a big girl after all and Harry knew that he and Ron both had to accept it and push their brotherly instincts aside for awhile.

Hermione stood to leave without saying a word.

"See you later Hermione!" Ginny called from the table.

Hermione turned and flashed a smile "yes- goodnight Ginny". And with that said, she exited the Great Hall, all the while, black eyes following her frizzy hair out the door.

At the back of the library now, Hermione felt a bit more at ease. In fact, she could think of nothing more comforting than to be surrounded with excessive amounts of knowledge, her wand, a paper and pen and no distractions. She opened up her potions book and languidly flipped through the pages. The paper in her potions book was so much thicker than her other textbooks and this made it feel more important- heavier. She loved potions. Even as a child, before she knew anything of Hogwarts or wizards, she always had great fun concocting strange brews in her mother's kitchen and combining ingredients to make really quite astonishingly tasty mud pies. Hermione laughed a little at the silly memory of herself as a youth. "Mother…" she whispered beneath her breath.

"Miss Granger?" a voice like black oil spilled over her shoulders and she turned sharply towards it.

"Professor Snape- I…I didn't know anyone else was back here"

"Indeed…talk to yourself often when no one is around?"

"No…I mean not often…I…I just…"

"Miss Granger I am rather pressed for time at present so I will come to the point. I couldn't help but notice as I was inventorying my stores today that a certain amount…a certain large amount of Veritaserum was missing as well as a bottle of blood replenishing potion and several vials of memory potions which I may add- are in their experimental stages"

"Professor- I assure you I know nothing about it and perhaps you miss-"

"I keep a very close count of my stock, Miss Granger and I will hear nothing more about it from you. If I find anything else missing, I will take matters into my own hands. As for the potions that are unaccounted for…I will see you and Potter in detention tomorrow evening at seven sharp."

"But Professor, Harry had nothing to do with it!" she pleaded not realizing she had just admitted her own guilt.

"Well, well" he hissed.

"Please Professor; I did it on my own. I assure you the potions were not used with malicious intentions, I –"

"I will see you tomorrow at seven. Return my potions and I may be lenient" he turned on his heel and disappeared down a long corridor of books.

How had he known it was her? Did he know what she was up to? Hermione closed her book and shuffled through her notebook. She pulled the envelope out from the notebook pocket. It was so formal looking and had been sealed with the red wax and a gold emblem from Gringott's Wizarding Bank. Her mind was so focused on this letter that she was barely upset by the completely unfair detention she had been given. Hermione carefully lifted the letter out as she had several times since first receiving it.

Hermione Granger,

It has come to our attention here at Gringott's that you have reached the appropriate age of eighteen and are therefore eligible to receive the inheritance left for you by your mother. While certain information must remain confidential due to your mother's specifications, we are obliged to provide you with the key to your mother's safety deposit box here at the bank. Please be expedient in your reply. We will be expecting you.

Respectfully,

Archibald Grout

Bank Manager of Gringott's Wizarding Bank

Hermione read the words over and over and over again, trying to make sense of them. Her mother was Martha Louise Granger…muggle…dentist…homemaker. Hermione could only think of one possible explanation that she hoped was not true; she was adopted.