A/N: I hope you like this chapter. It's took me a while to come up with what it was going to be about aside from the fact of Hermione's memories. Severus is OOC with Hermione now that he knows who she really is. But, he won't be OOC with Harry, Ron, or the other Gryffindors.

Disclaimer: the Cynster family belongs to Stephanie Laurens. All other characters belong to J K Rowling unless otherwise specified. Emma Cynster belongs to me. She is made up with the Cynster family name.

Chapter 3: Broken Memories

Severus stood where he had been standing for the last thirty seconds. "I'm sorry, sir. Perhaps I heard you wrong. Did you just say that the Dark Lord is her real father?"

"Yes, I did Severus."

"That would mean that Emma Cynster is her mother."

"Yes, it would."

Severus sighed and sat down in the wooden chair beside the fire. "So, her brother……does he know?"

"Yes, he knows. He went into hiding because Tom was tracking him to find his daughter." Severus looked up at the old man then. "Yes, Emma told him when he said he wanted a daughter to spoil. So, for the last three months, he has been searching for her."

"Does her brother know that he's searching?"

"Yes. He was told this morning when I went to see him. He should be along shortly with Moody."

The doorbell rang once more and Severus and Dumbledore stood as a man with black hair and a slender muscular frame walked in the house followed by Moody.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Hermione sat at the kitchen table, oblivious to the changes in her appearance. She was going over what she had heard while she stood and cleared the table from the dinner she and Severus had shared and covered the leftovers for the refrigerator. She stopped at the fridge door when four pair of footsteps stopped dead in the kitchen. She turned and stared at three wands that were pointed at her while Dumbledore stood back and remained calm.

"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger," Severus asked as he moved toward her.

Hermione stared at him as if he was crazy, then moved back to put the food away. "Don't even joke about something like that, Professor. I'm really not in the mood."

Severus turned her around and held his wand to her throat as her eyes widened with fear. "I'm not going to ask you again."

"Severus that's enough. It is Miss Granger."

Severus turned Dumbledore who held a mirror in his hands. "No, this is not Miss Granger. She looks completely different"

"She heard our conversation, so she is going to look like she would have if she had grown up with her real parents."

"What are you talking about?" Hermione took the mirror from Dumbledore and looked at herself. The four men covered their ears as Hermione's piercing scream filled the house. She had straight black hair, violet eyes and the Dark Mark was formed at the back left side of her neck. The four men sat her down at the kitchen and explained how Severus Snape knew her brother. She listened as they explained and it all came flooding back.

Flashback:

Hermione stood in a field, watching the trees sways with the wind when a new teenager in black robes came up behind her and swung her around in a circle. Hermione giggled and looked up at a thirteen year old Severus in Hogwarts robes. Then, her brother came over with a small box wrapped in birthday paper. Hermione ripped off the paper and opened the bracelet shaped box. Inside, there was a charm bracelet that held a Raven, a badger, a lion, and a snake. Hermione threw her arms around the two teenagers thanking them. Seventeen year old Hermione read their lips as the said "Happy Fifth Birthday" to her younger self.

New Flashback:

Hermione sat at the kitchen table with her brother to her left and Severus sitting in front of her. Her brother was pointing to the cards in her hands and whispering in her ear. Seventeen year old Hermione looked up as a sixteen year old Severus and knew that she had to be eight years old at the time. They bother put their cards down and Severus pushed the pile of three cookies toward her, but she gave her twenty-eight year old brother one and handed Severus one. They were teaching her to play poker with Oreo cookies.

New Flashback:

Hermione lay in her bed, listening to a story read by Severus who sat in a chair by her bed next to her brother. After he was finished with the story, Severus stood up, put the book back on the shelf in the corner of her room and stood by the doorway to her bedroom while her brother sang her to sleep. James had sorrow filled eyes, something that Hermione hadn't noticed before. When he was done singing to her, he kissed her forehead and headed to the door. With one last look at Hermione's sleeping form, Severus and James left the room, knowing it would be a long time before either of them saw her again.

End Flashbacks

Hermione sat at the table, watching the two men look at her. When she came out of her state of shock, she spoke. "Professor, how were you in school with Harry's parents when you are only eight years older than me?"

"Funny you should ask that now when you've never asked before, not even over the years I knew you. But, I was with them in school because I was pushed ahead. They were in their……sixth year when I was in my first year. Because I was exceeding in my classes without actually doing anything in the classes except Potions, Dumbledore put me in their year. They humiliated me after that, making me feel like I wasn't worthy to be in their year, ridiculing me in front of the other students and even pushing me so far as to try to commit suicide before I finally realized that they weren't worth it. I was friends with your brother the day I went to school, so, that's why I was at your house most of the summer and why I was always trying to protect you when you were young. I didn't realize it was you when you came to Hogwarts until recently. That's why I was always being such a bloody prat."

"OK, good enough, now James, why did you leave? Why did you promise that you would be there in the morning and then disappear from my life with not so much as a letter or a phone call?"

"I wrote you every day. Richard took them before you could see them. I wasn't allowed to call or visit by order of the Ministry. You'll understand why soon enough."

Severus and James still sat as Hermione stood up to pace, muttering to herself about her past. They all watched, shocked, as she bolted out of the room and out the front door, running as fast and as hard as she could. Severus was five feet behind her when he finally came out of his shock. He was screaming her name yelling for her to stop as James was ten feet behind him, calling out for her too. Dumbledore and Moody stood on the lawn of Spinner's end, watching the two men run after the teenage girl.

Hermione ran until she couldn't hear footsteps behind her. She stopped, turned around, and headed to her father's grave.

Severus and James lost Hermione at the park, losing their breath. They stayed out for hours, looking in likely places, and then heading back to Spinner's End. When they got there, Dumbledore and the Order were standing in the kitchen. Severus sighed and sat down. "She's gone. We can't find her. We lost track of her."

"What do you mean you lost track of her?!" Severus turned in his chair to face Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Ginny Weasley, and Fred and George Weasley. Severus turned to Dumbledore and stood up.

"She specifically asked you not to tell them and you did anyway!"

"I had no choice. They may be able to help us find her."

"What makes you say that," Severus asked annoyed and distraught.

"Because I know Hermione," Ginny Weasley spoke as she walked toward them with a bracelet shaped box in her hands. "And I know where she goes when she needs comfort." She set the box on the table and stepped back as James opened it. Inside was the charm bracelet Severus and himself had bought Hermione for her fifth birthday.

"Where did you get this," James asked picking up the bracelet and handing it to Severus.

"Hermione gave it to me for safekeeping when I was twelve."

"Why," Severus asked as he looked up from the bracelet her had helped buy for the girl he cared for more than anyone.

"She said I was the only person that she could trust with it. She didn't want to lose it. She said that someone she couldn't--"

"No, I meant why did she need it in safekeeping?"

"She didn't say. She just said that it was given to her by someone she couldn't remember and someone who had forgotten her."

"What did she mean by that?"

"I don't know. She just said she couldn't explain further and that she couldn't keep it safe anymore."

"Not that this isn't fun, but shouldn't we be looking for Hermione," Harry finally spoke up after becoming irritated by the conversation that he didn't find relevant.

"Mister Potter, this may be critical top finding her. Not only that, but we have already searched for her."

"Well, sorry to tell you, but Gunny knows where she is most likely to be, sir." His voice held sarcasm. Severus was about to retort when Dumbledore shouted.

"ENOUGH!" Everyone immediately shut their mouths, fear in their eyes as not many of them had ever seen him angry before. "Arguing is not going to help us find Miss Granger. Now, if all of you are finished, Miss Weasley will lead us to where Miss Granger is."

They all followed Ginny to Hermione's sanctuary and headed to the graveyard, a block away from spinner's End.

Hermione lay in an Oak tree, five braches from the ground. Her father's grave lay two rows and five gravestones away. She was about to get down to visit it again when she heard people calling her name. Ginny led them to her father's gravesite. Hermione used the opportunity to her advantage. She headed down the tree, careful to stay out of sight and made her way back to Spinner's End. When she got there, she headed back to the room she had stayed in and found a bag in the bottom of the wardrobe and headed for the fridge after taking an oversized t-shirt and pants. Then she headed to the kitchen. When she got a box of cereal, a loaf of bread, some peanut butter, and a butter knife, she left through the back door, forgetting to close the drawers and cupboards. Then, she headed to the roads of London.

The Order searched for hours before returning to headquarters. Severus and James headed to Spinner's End.

"Do you have any firewhiskey," James asked as he put his coat on the couch and headed for the kitchen after Severus. They both stopped as they saw the cupboards and drawers opened. Severus closed each of them after looking inside.

"She was here."

"How do you know, Sev?"

"There is a box of cereal missing, some peanut butter, and a loaf of bread. She probably took a knife, too."

"Where do you think she'd go?"

"How would I know? I'm not even supposed to know who she really is. If I did know, I wouldn't have been so hard on her over the past years."

"You can't change the past, Sev."

"I wish I could."

"Your attracted to her aren't you?"

Severus looked at James outraged. "What?! She is like a sister to me."

"Sure. OK." Severus could hear the sarcasm in his friend's voice.

"Alright, Mister Know-it-all. It's no wonder I've always thought she was really your daughter. She's exactly like you."

"So, when did you find out that it was really her?"

"Huh?"

"You just said that you had always wondered if she was really my daughter."

"Well….I….oh, OK. Well, I first started to suspect it when she was in her third year. Then, over the years, it was little things that gave it away. I just always pushed them aside until we found her in the kitchen with Richard. Then, when we went to talk to her about being Head Girl, Dumbledore gave me the address and I knew my suspicions were correct."

"So, you started liking her when you first suspected it?"

"No, that was recent. When I saw her unconscious in the kitchen, I thought about all the times I had been such a bloody prat to her and I just wanted to help her. I wanted to take care of her as long as I could." There was silence between the two of them after Severus had handed James a bottle of firewhiskey and they started drinking at the counters that Hermione had rectified.

Hermione walked the streets of London, trying to hitch a ride. The sun was coming over the tall buildings around her. The cars were whizzing past her, completely ignoring her. She had no money, and no place to stay. At the moment, she was trying to decide whether or not to go to the Cynster estate at Shomersham Place. She had met Devil Cynster once before when she was seven. He had gone to her mother's wedding to Richard Brown. Devil and his wife, Honoria Prudence Cynster, had been friends with her father. She decided they were logical people to go to seeing as they were the only people that she could trust right now. From what she had overheard from Professor Snape and Dumbledore, she was related to the Cynster family through her real mother, Emma Cynster. Making her decision, Hermione headed to King's Cross station to visit her relatives.

Severus sat up all night, waiting for Hermione to return. By morning, he was tired, cranky, and weak. When James came into the kitchen, Severus he did a refreshment charm on himself and got up. He was somewhat expecting Hermione to have made him breakfast.