Author's Note: Many, many apologies for how long it took for me to get this chapter up! I've been quite busy lately, but on a brighter note: I have about a quarter of the story left to edit and then I will only have to find time to post them! Just the other day, I realized that I have already posted half of the story. I really wish Forgotten Memories was longer. But my next fic, which you can find information about on my website, is 34 chapters long, including a prologue and epilogue.

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Chapter Eight:

"Truths"

Three months later…

Hermione sat on the floor humming to herself a song that her mother used to sing her when she was little and when she would cry herself to sleep over the loss of her child. Sighing to herself, she looked over to where Lauran lay. The last few months, she'd done some thinking. Could it be possible that she is my daughter? Could it be possible that Ron and Ginny were right? No! Don't think about them! They left you here to die! They never came back like Harry promised! Lauran sat up and yawned while stretching. Hermione couldn't help but laugh. The girl was exactly like her. Struggling to pull herself to her feet, Hermione walked over to her, almost dreading the conversation to come.

Lauran looked questioningly up at her, "What?"

Hermione sighed, "Can I try a spell on you?"

"What spell?"

Hermione looked away, almost ashamed to go on, "Well…you know how you said you were adopted and you've never met your real mum?"

"Yeah…"

Hermione sighed again, "I know a way you can find out who she is, that way when we get out of here we can go find her."

Lauran almost smiled, "I'd love that."

Hermione smiled back, they'd grown quite close in the time they'd spent together being locked in this dungeon; Hermione was almost motherly to the girl.

Lauran got a pensive look on her face, "I still can't believe they let you keep your wand."

Hermione chuckled, the girl was ever the thoughtful one, "I think it's because they know that I don't know the magic required to get out of here."

Lauran almost laughed out loud, "That's a first."

Hermione smiled, "Ready? Stand up."

Lauran did so and Hermione pointed her wand at the girl and said, "Expertus Maternitatis."

Suddenly, Hermione's wand pointed towards a wall and a picture erupted out of it. Hermione gasped, while Lauran appeared transfixed, apparently oblivious to what the picture meant.

"She looks just like me," she said, "Only her hair is more bushy than mine. She looks so young, but of course I knew she was young. Even still…"

Hermione stepped forward to where the girl was now standing, "Lauran…do you know what this means?"

"That my mother is the girl in the picture? But I don't see how this helps…we didn't get a name."

Hermione sighed, "We don't need one. I have that picture. I look at it sadly every night. Lauran, the girl in the picture is me."

Lauran looked stunned, "Wait! You have a daughter?! I'm your daughter? Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I didn't even know."

Lauran glared, "Why didn't you ever try to contact me?"

"I would have, had I known where to write! Where to go! Don't think I never wanted you; I wanted and loved you with all my heart! And even now, I still love you! You are my daughter, why would I not?!"

Lauran's face softened, "So this is it? All these months, from when I got my letter from Hogwarts until now, I've been wondering who my birth mother could be and she was right in front of me all along? She was you?"

"And after all these years, I've been hoping of meeting my daughter and here you are?"

Lauran ran up to Hermione and hugged her close. Hermione was shocked for a moment, but wrapped her arms around the now sobbing girl and allowed the dam of emotions building in her to break. It did not take long for both to be on the floor crying in each others arms.

***

Lauran was sleeping in her mother's arms. It was such a surreal feeling to be this content. Despite that they were locked in a dungeon because of her abilities, she felt this was the happiest she had ever been. Her whole life, she'd just known that she had not belonged with the family who had claimed her. She was to different from them, not just in physical aspects but in personality as well. They loved the things she hated and vise versa. And then, the older she became, the more weird things began to happen around her. She recalled that their troubled faces had made little sense to her, she was enthused that she could do things that were not normal…she'd never wanted to be normal. Now she realized, they'd known she was a witch all along and they did not approve of it. And now she had a mother who understood her, who was just like her. It was strange and yet she would never complain; just so long as someone loved her.

A thunderous bang sounded in the distance, followed by loud shouts. Lauran jumped at the unexpected noises, causing Hermione to wake. Another bang sounded and Hermione's face became puzzled. Voices rang out in the night, some very clearly saying, "Kill them!" Maternal instinct making full appearance, she told Lauran to get behind her. When the girl complained, she grabbed her shoulders and softly put her against a wall and stood in front of her. There stood Hermione, wand at the ready, numerous spells and curses running throughout her mind. The door swung open, obviously forced. Hermione backed up closer to her daughter. A small, quiet chuckle could be heard throughout the cell. Hermione smiled with recognition.

"Well, now dear. No need to be so uptight, it's just me."

Hermione threw herself into the woman's arms, "Molly!"

"Hermione, dear, have you become a little pudgy?"

Hermione sighed, "I'll explain that later. For now, let's get out of here, shall we?"

Molly quickly smiled, but then her smile fell, "Where's the girl? Lauran? Oh dear, she's not…"

Hermione couldn't help but gasp, "Oh no! She's just fine, right behind me. Lauran, love, it's safe to come out now."

Lauran stepped out from behind her mother and into the light of the open door. Molly nearly gasped and jumped at the appearance of the girl.

"Well, we'll just have get you clean and well fed. You're all skin and bones! Come on. Out the door. It's fine dear, Arthur's just outside. Go on," Molly was telling Lauran. When Lauran was out of earshot, she asked Hermione, "Hermione, dear, she's not your--"

Hermione smiled knowingly, "My daughter? Yes, she is. We found out just last night, thanks to the 'Expertus Maternitatis' spell."

Molly looked as if she might burst from excitement, "Well, then, I guess we'll just have to have a little party to celebrate."

With that, she led Hermione out into the hallway with the stairs. Sure enough, Arthur was waiting just outside the door, only now he was accompanied by Lauran. Hermione also saw about half of the Order of Phoenix, which made her smile. And there stood Ron, smiling at her. She ran up to him and gave him a big hug.

He laughed, "We promised we'd come back for you. We're just sorry it took so long. We had to get the OK from the Ministry. And you know how difficult they like to be."

He was no longer smiling and Hermione searched for the reason why. He was staring at her now pudgy stomach. Her smile fell too as she whispered in his ear, "I'll explain that later."

He simply nodded and tried to smile, "Let's get you out of here."

When they finally made it out of the large estate, Hermione saw Harry and Ginny, who both ran up to her and hugged her at the same time. Both, of course, eyed her stomach suspiciously, but she just said she'd tell them all later. Finally, they made it to the field where they could Apparate from. Hermione was smiling at the thought of getting out of that place and going back to teach at Hogwarts, when she was forced to sink to the ground in blinding pain. She clutched at her womb, where her unborn child was and cried. For the second time in her life, she was loosing a child she'd only had for a short amount of time.

***

Hermione awoke in a bed at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries feeling quite ill. She opened her eyes to see Ron asleep in a chair beside her bed, which made her smile. Trying to sit up, she made quite a lot of noise and was silently cursing herself when his eyes popped open. He smiled at her.

"You're awake."

Hermione yawned, "What happened?"

"You had a miscarriage," his eyes looked fairly hurt, "Why didn't you tell us you were pregnant?"

"I lost the baby?"

"I'm sorry," and then he grabbed a quill and some parchment, "I'm sure you'd like to write to the father and explain what happened."

Hermione was shocked, "You think I slept with someone and got pregnant? Ronald Weasley, you know me better than that!"

"You mean you're not seeing anyone?"

"No Ronald! One of the Death Eaters raped me," she shuddered at the memory, "Honestly, Ronald, give me some credit."

"I'm sorry. It's just--"

She raised an eyebrow, "It's just what?"

At that time a Healer came into the room and said that visiting hours were over. Ron left sulking and Hermione rolled over in her bed feeling quite annoyed.

Author's Note: Expertus Maternitatis means "Mother Test," I believe. Hopefully, I will get chapter nine up tomorrow but we will just have to see how things go.