Same Disclaimer: I own nothing, and get no money for it. Just the happiness of someone reading my fiction of fiction. thank you.

777

About Half an hour passed and then Poppy looked up at everyone. "Well, it appears that a mystery has been solved. Ariadne Heloise Pucey has been found in the guise of Hermione Jean Granger. I must… I must send this information to St. Mungo's and the Ministry." She cleared her throat and walked away towards her desk.

Harry sat on the edge of Hermione's… no, no, Ariadne's bed. His mind felt like it had expanded and then been squished back into his skull. He looked up, and at Adrian Pucey, who stood silent and still, in total shock.

"All of these past seven years," Harry spoke softly as he ran his fingers over the scar on her left arm; the scar that read 'Mudblood'. "All of these years, being belittled, called horrible names, treated like less than a dog, and even tortured for being Muggle-born, and she isn't one."

"We didn't-"Draco began, but stopped. It didn't matter if they knew or not. They'd done it, and even if she had been Muggle-born, she didn't deserve any of it. "I'm so sorry, Potter." He ended up whispering. "With, or without, the bloodline she was a fantastic witch... IS a fantastic witch."

Harry looked up again, "I thought Malfoys didn't apologize?"

"We should when we're in the wrong."

Adrian finally moved, coming to kneel on the ground next to his sister's bed. Memories were flashing through his mind, and now, looking at her, he could see pieces of his parents in her features. "She'll hate us," he whispered.

"No she won't," Harry told the other man. "It might take her awhile to adjust, but in the end she won't hate you. 'Mione is the most forgiving person I know. Look how many times she forgave Ron for his treatment of her…" Harry choked up as he said his very former friend's name, "look how many times she forgave me. She even forgave Malfoy… that should tell you a lot right there. She's an amazing witch, and I thank all the gods, and Merlin for giving her to me to be my best friend. She's like my sister. She'll want to know you, Pucey."

"I don't even know her. She was here, like you said, for seven years, and I had no clue… I had given up…" Adrian reached out hesitantly to touch her face, as if making sure she was real. He jumped back as she began to regain consciousness, her body twitching.

"Harry," she slurred out the words. "I hurt… I hurt, Harry. The man is coming to get me. Harry, don't let him get me again! He took me so far away… made me drink horrible things!" her voice was heavy with fear.

"No one is going to get you, sweetheart," he murmured. She was reaching out for his hand, so he took her hand gently. "I'm right here. We all are. And I know you hurt, but we'll make you better soon."

She started weeping, "Why?... Why?"

Ginny started sobbing and skidded onto the floor next to Adrian, reaching out and stroking Hermione's hair. "I'm so sorry, 'Mione. So, so sorry. I shouldn't have let you go alone."

"Not your fault." Hermione sobbed. "Not your fault… but who is the dark man… who is that man?" Moments later her eyes opened into slits.

"Ms. Granger, I'm so glad you're awake. I have several potions I need you to take," Poppy was gentle in her approach. "Your recovery is going to be quite a long road."

Harry and Adrian helped her sit up slightly so she could swallow. It only took moments for her bruises and lacerations on the outside to begin to heal.

Hermione sighed in relief, and then her eyes widened slightly as she took in the rather large crowd sitting or standing in the infirmary. "What's going on? Why is everyone here? Pansy? Is Pansy okay?" strong anxiety threatened to take over her voice.

"I'm fine, Granger. You saved me." The other girl's voice was soft, and slightly confused.

"We should wait to talk to you about all of this once you're feeling better, 'Mione." Harry murmured, exchanging glances with Adrian who was nodding with him. "Madame Pomphrey says it might take a little while for you to fully heal."

Hermione noticed the looks and nods and frowned. "Wait for what? Oh Merlin! Am I dying? Did he cast something that will kill me?" Panic began to rip through Hermione, and it felt like she couldn't breathe.

"You idiots!" Draco snapped. "Now look what you've done! Put the girl all in a panic! Granger, you're not dying!" He told her firmly, taking her shoulder, and making her look at him. "It turns out that… well, you said something to Adrian when you were injured, on the way here, and Madame Pomphrey ran some tests on you…" Now Draco wasn't sure how to continue. "You're not muggle-born, Granger."

She blinked at him in silence for a moment and then snickered. "All right, honestly, what is going on?" she looked at everyone as if they were crazy. "And that's not the cleverest joke you could have come up with, Malfoy."

He blinked at her, almost looking offended, "This is no joke! Do you really think I'd joke at a time like this?" for a moment it looked like a vein in his forehead might explode.

Hermione looked at all of the faces in the room. All of the Slytherins… Her Gryffindor friends… friends from other houses… the 'adults' as she thought of them. And… and why was Adrian Pucey kneeling at her bedside. A flash of pain took her unawares, and she brought her hand up to rub her forehead. She closed her eyes and opened them again, and for just a moment, instead of the young adult Adrian, a little boy of perhaps seven or eight knelt in his place. Hermione's eyes widened. "Adie?"

There was a quiet uproar in the room as she said this.

"Quiet!" Pomphrey yelled. "Quiet or I will make you all leave."

Molly moved forward slowly. "Hermione, love, did you remember something?" she brushed a lock of hair off of the injured girl's forehead.

Hermione released Harry's hand, still holding Adrian's, and gripped the older woman's hand to her. "Mrs. Weasley," the girl sobbed. She basked in the older woman's motherly love for a few moments before answering. "I'm not sure. For a moment I thought I saw a little boy… instead of Adrian."

Adrian cleared his throat. "When I was a little boy," he began, making sure to keep eye contact, "I had a little sister; Ariadne. She was two years younger, and I adored her… we all did, me and my mates." Adrian's eyes flickered to the Slytherins across the room. "She was taken from us. My parents were so desperate to find her… eventually the Department of Magical Law Enforcement gave up. They said the child, my sister, was nowhere to be found… probably dead. My parents were heartbroken. So was I. So was everyone who knew her."

"And you all think I'm this… Ariadne?" Hermione looked confused. "But I'm not adopted. And my parents are kind and loving…"

Poppy knelt closer to the cot, watching her charge, making sure this news wasn't too much for the girl to take in. "I ran the tests, Ms. Granger. You are Ariadne Heloise Pucey. Gone for over 13 years."

Hermione's mouth closed. She knew the tests that Madame Pomphrey would have performed. They were one hundred percent accurate. Never wrong. "But… I don't understand. My…"

"Don't worry, 'Mione, we'll get everything figured out," Harry promised.

Ginny moved forward, still next to Adrian, and stroked her hand down Hermione's hair. "We'll do whatever you need us to do."

Poppy moved forward now to run some more diagnostic tests on Ms. Granger. "Ms. Granger… Pucey, needs her rest. As does Ms. Parkinson."

Everyone in the room knew that tone of voice. It was time to clear out of the infirmary.

"Please let me stay," Adrian asked in a soft voice.

Poppy sighed. "Pansy and Hermione may have three visitors each. There is to be no stress for either."

In the end Harry, Ginny and Adrian stayed for Hermione, and Daphne, Blaise and Draco stayed for Pansy. Hermione kept dozing in and out, Adrian was over talking to Blaise, Daphne to Ginny, and Harry to Pansy. Hermione opened her eyes again to find Draco sitting on the floor, looking at her.

"How are you feeling?" he murmured.

"I hurt. I hurt everywhere," she told him honestly. "I don't think a single part of my body doesn't ache. And my heart," she choked up for a moment before taking a deep breath, blinking away tears, and trying again. "My heart aches just as bad."

"I'm sorry, Granger," he told her. "I'm sorry for so many things, but I'm sorry he did this. I know he was one of your closest friends next to Potter. And I just don't understand why, or how he could hurt you."

"You never liked him," she whispered. "Maybe you're a better judge of character than I gave you credit for."

He snorted lightly. "Please. I didn't like him because he buddied up to Potter, and then I had no chance of being Potter's friend. I didn't like him because he was an idiot. I didn't like him because he had true friends, people who cared about him, but he didn't have an issue dropping any of you like that," Draco snapped his fingers. "It just seemed like he got everything that I wanted. So I guess I didn't like him because I was jealous."

Hermione gave him a soft smile. The moonlight was spilling into the room and lighting his hair beautifully. She decided to lighten the mood. "He got everything you wanted? Even Lavender Brown?"

Draco's face paled and looked terrified. "That's not even funny, Granger! They might have to put me in this infirmary now! I might have heart failure at the picture that puts in my head! I think you're going to have to obliviate me!"

She started laughing lightly, and winced.

"Are you alright?" his voice was so gentle. "Do you need me to get something, or someone for you?"

"I know we're sort of friends now, and I hope you don't take offense when I say this," she whispered. "But I never knew you could be so kind."

He shrugged, and blushed a little. "Right now I think kind is the most important thing you need."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears, and he watched with compassion in his eyes. "It's all just so much, you know? The end of the war, Ron doing this, and almost doing… that, finding out I'm not a Granger…"

"You'll always be Granger to me, Hermione; always," he promised. "But the Puceys… they aren't bad people. They didn't join Riddle's side, instead staying neutral. And that wasn't easy for any Pureblood family. I know Death Eaters were sent to persuade them. But they made it out."

"How?" she asked. Hermione knew that when people were sent in to persuade, that meant Fenrir Greyback and the three LeStranges. Draco had avoided elaborating, she knew, because of what Bellatrix did to her. Hermione didn't think she'd heard him say the woman's name since that night. When he'd called Dobby to aid them.

"My father," he said softly. "We had already turned, so my father managed to warn them. They have always been close friends, no matter ideology. They are good people."

Hermione thought for a moment. By the time she was ready to speak, they had grown an audience, and both Blaise and Adrian had approached and now sat on the floor near Draco. Hermione looked at Adrian. "Besides you, and I suppose me, did your… our parents have any more children?"

He shook his head. "No. Mother was crushed when you were taken, and there wasn't a trace. We didn't know who would have done it. She and Father couldn't bear to have any more children; on the off chance they'd also be taken. They even began watching me like hawks. The whole world changed when you weren't there anymore." He had reached out, and she let him take her hand. "I'm so sorry, Hermione. I should have known. I should have protected you. Instead my whole house made your life hell. We attacked you verbally, and with hexes. I had always promised to protect you! And then what that mad woman did to your arm," anguish filled Adrian's voice.

"Adrian… Adie," Hermione's soft voice grabbed his attention. "I'm all right. I'm strong. I gave just as much abuse to the Slytherins as you did me. We all did. We were taught to hate each other from the beginning. You couldn't know who I was. I didn't know who I was. As for Bellatrix Lestrange," she almost paused as barely audible sounds escaped all of the boys' mouths, including Harry's. "She's gone. Killed by Mrs. Weasley. And this scar? All this scar does is show me how strong I really am. I survived. And I told her nothing." She gave them all a small smile.

"I don't think I would have lived through my first year of school without Hermione," Harry smiled in reminiscence. "Or every year after that really."

"Oh, stop," she waved him off. "Adrian, tell me about them… our parents."

Adrian spent the next two hours talking about Archibald and Roswynn Pucey. Everyone else had drifted off to his quiet voice telling her of tales of their lives. "You were always Father's little princess," he told her. And Mother, well, she loved you fiercely. Loves us both fiercely. Our home was filled with pure grief when you were taken."

"Do I… look like them at all?"

He started nodding. "Now that I know? Yes. I can see quite a bit of them in you."

"And they're both still alive?" she asked quietly, scared to know.

"Oh yes. This… finding you… you can't begin to know how happy this will make them." Her brother smiled at her.

Thinking that. Thinking of the words 'her brother' made her think of her parents. Or, of the people who'd always told her they were her parents. She would have to speak with them. She wanted to understand why they hadn't ever told her. Did they think she wouldn't love them anymore?

"There is something that I should tell you," Adrian frowned slightly. "Or, well, they should tell you, but… I'm going to anyway. It is common in our family to have betrothal contracts." His face was deadly serious. "When you were born, there was such a contract." For a moment Adrian felt horrible for telling her this. Her face had paled a bit.

"What?" she asked, her voice filled with confusion.

"I'm sorry."

Hermione knew she'd find a way out of it. There were always loopholes. "Who?"

"Gregory Goyle."

Now she felt panic enveloping her. A scream wanted to boil up the back of her throat and pour out furiously. "That's just not going to happen!" she snapped, horrified.

Adrian held the look for another moment before a wide grin split across his face. "You're right it isn't. Our parents would never put you into an arranged marriage. They believe in love matches." He started chuckling as he thought of the face she'd made. "I'm sorry, I was just teasing."

Hermione breathed out a huge sigh. "I don't know if I'd rather hit or hug you! Gregory Goyle," she muttered and gave a shudder.