A/N - I just want to thank people for reading, and for supporting this story. I love writing a dark Hermione, so I'm so thrilled that my dark stories always get so much love and support. In this chapter, the bold italic writing at the beginning is the letter from Harry.


Hermione,

I just needed you to know that I know everything, and it doesn't change anything. You're still my best friend and I still love you. I arrived from my Aunt and Uncle's yesterday, and I was told everything – what had happened to you as a baby, and what had happened over the summer. I want you to know that I am so sorry for everything that you've been through, and I want to let you know that I don't agree with anything that's been done to you. Sadly, I can't say the same for Ron and he hates you for who your father is. But I don't, I could never hate you Hermione.

I wasn't sure if you knew exactly what had happened to you as a baby, and even though I'm sure there's things I haven't been told, I thought I could tell you what I was told. Apparently back during the first war the Order heard lots of rumours about Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and they investigated them all to find out if they were true. One of the rumours was about the fact he had a wife and they were expecting a baby. When they find out the rumours were true, Sirius befriended the witch they'd hired as your nanny and got her on side. She informed them when you were born, and she helped them fake an illness when your parents were out of the country, so that they could take you from St Mungo's.

Personally, I think the whole idea is evil, and it doesn't matter whose child you were, they had no right to kidnap you. I would like to say that they can now see the error of their ways, but to be honest the only person who seems repentant is Remus. Even Molly and Sirius aren't sorry for what they planned to do to you.

Out of everything I learnt, that was the biggest shock. I can't believe Molly and Sirius thought it was okay to plot to kill you. I am so relieved you overheard their plan and got away before they did something to you. I'm only sorry that I wasn't there to help you. Because, I would have helped you, Hermione. I would never have stood back and let them hurt you, and I will make sure that they now don't get the chance.

I'm sort of stuck with the Order because I have nowhere else to go, I don't know the way back to my Aunt and Uncle's, and I need the Order to ensure that I'm not kicked out of Hogwarts. But I want you to know that I don't support anything they're doing. I've lost all respect for them, or at least those involved with your kidnapping as there are people here who didn't know anything about it, and they're just as appalled as I am.

I don't know when, or even if I'll see you again, but I needed to tell you that you will always be the sister I never had. I will never forget the times you saved my life, and the unwavering support you've given me. I love you, Hermione. Keep yourself safe and I will do everything I can to keep the Order away from you. Thank Professor Snape from me, I may not like him, but I'm so grateful that he saved you. I'm also grateful for the Malfoys for taking you in, and even though I never thought I would say this, I know they will keep you safe, Hermione. I'm sure your father will as well, and even though I can't bring myself to say anything nice about him, I am pleased that you've found each other.

Your loving best friend, Harry. xxx.

Gently, Hermione placed Harry's letter down on the desk in the room she was staying in. She'd read it dozens of times since she'd received it the previous afternoon, and she could now recite it word for word. Still, she kept reading it as it meant a lot to her that Harry didn't hate her. She wasn't at all surprised to hear that Ron did hate her, but it meant so much to her that not only did Harry not hate her, but he could see how badly she'd been treated. She just wished he wasn't now stuck with a bunch of people who had proved untrustworthy, and even dangerous.

"Maybe he doesn't have to be," she muttered to herself.

So far Draco was the only one who knew about her letter from Harry. Obviously he'd been with her when she'd received it, and she'd told him the basics of what it contained. However, he'd been the perfect friend and had respected her privacy by not mentioning the letter to anyone else. That meant that no-one else knew of the letter, including her father who had joined them for dinner the previous evening. So maybe if she showed Voldemort the letter, he could be persuaded that Harry could be saved from the Order and kept safe with them. Although, that did also rely on her convincing him that Harry wasn't his enemy and killing him wasn't going to achieve anything.

"I'm going to try, Harry," Hermione whispered to the empty room as she picked up the letter from her best friend and marched resolutely out of the bedroom.

Paying closer attention to her surroundings then she had the previous day, Hermione found herself on the ground floor of the manor without too much problem. She then had the problem of finding either Lucius or Narcissa and asking for their help in contacting her father. So far Lucius had been around every day, but Hermione had always gotten the impression from Draco that his father ran a business of some sort, meaning there was no guarantee that he was even at the manor.

Fortunately for Hermione, luck was on her side and when she found Narcissa, she was informed that Lucius was indeed at the manor. According to Narcissa, her husband would be working at home for the foreseeable future as they weren't sure when to next expect a visit from the Ministry.

"Do you think I'll be able to talk to my father?" Hermione asked.

"Now?" Narcissa checked.

"As soon as possible," Hermione replied.

"Let's go and see Lucius, and I'm sure he can get in touch with The Dark Lord," Narcissa offered with a warm smile.

Lucius was busy working in his office, but when his wife appeared with Hermione asking to speak to her father, he dropped everything and summoned The Dark Lord. Hermione had expected it to take a while for her father to arrive, but she'd barely sat down when the floo network lit up and Voldemort alighted from the flames.

"What's wrong?" he demanded breathlessly, his red eyes darting from Lucius to Hermione. "Is it the Ministry? Are they going to cause problems?"

"We haven't heard anything from the Ministry," Lucius assured Voldemort. "To be honest, I don't expect to hear from them for a few days. It's going to take time for them to start an investigation and find that Dumbledore isn't the man he pretends to be."

"I was the one who wanted to talk to you," Hermione said. "Sorry for panicking you."

"I just worry that I'm going to lose you again," Voldemort admitted in a small voice as he sat down next to Hermione. "Even now, I can't quite believe that you're back."

"Narcissa and I will leave you too it," Lucius said as he and his wife headed for the door.

"You can stay," Hermione offered. "After everything the pair of you have done for me, I don't have anything to hide from you."

Accepting the offer to stay and find out what was on Hermione's mind, Lucius and Narcissa grabbed some chairs and placed them so they they were sitting opposite Voldemort and his daughter. Once everyone was settled, Hermione pulled Harry's letter from her pocket and handing it over to Voldemort, she explained that it had arrived the previous day.

Hermione saw Voldemort's eyes dart to the sender of the letter before he returned and read it properly. As he read, she could see the surprise on his face, and once he was finished he asked for permission to hand it over to Lucius. Once Lucius and Narcissa had also read the letter, it was returned to Hermione, who carefully put it back in her pocket.

"Well?" Hermione asked, looking around at the three adults. "What do you think?"

"What am I supposed to think?" Voldemort asked with a frown. His initial attention had been drawn to the information about Hermione's nanny, and his mind was already going over plans to find her and make her pay for her part in the scheme to kidnap his daughter, however he knew that Hope's focus would be on the other parts of the letter.

"Do you not think it's pretty amazing that Harry is still supporting me, even though he knows I'm the daughter of the wizard who killed his parents and has tried to kill him on numerous times?" Hermione questioned, not bothering to sugar coat Voldemort's past actions, even though it was something they'd yet to deal with.

"It is surprising," Voldemort admitted, showing no remorse for his past actions. "If of course it's true."

"You think Harry is lying to me," Hermione gasped.

"It's something you're going to have to consider," Lucius said gently, his mind on the same track as Voldemort's. "Don't forget that yesterday we blew Dumbledore's plans to get you back out of the water. We also set the Ministry onto the truth. The Order are likely very desperate, and maybe they think Potter is the key to getting you back with them. After all, if they managed to get hold of you again, they could force you to recant your statement to the Ministry."

"Harry wouldn't do that to me," Hermione insisted fiercely. "You saw his letter, he's disgusted with everything the Order have done."

"So he says," Voldemort replied quietly. "And even if this is quite true at the moment, who's to say it's going to stay that way. Don't forget these are people who consider Potter family. They will go to any lengths to get him back onside. Even if he means every word today, there's no guarantee he will in a few weeks time."

"He will if we get him away from the Order," Hermione argued. "I know you think you have to kill him in order to win, but it doesn't have to be like that. You don't have to fight each other, not now you've got something in common. You both love me, and if you carry on as enemies one of you is going to break my heart by killing the other one."

"So what do you suggest, that we bring Potter to the manor and all become one big happy family?" Voldemort scoffed with an inelegant snort.

"I'm not stupid, I know the best I can ever hope for is tolerance between you and Harry," Hermione retorted. "But I will do everything I can to make that happen. I've just found you, I don't want to lose you again. But I don't want to lose Harry."

"Maybe we can come to some sort of agreement about Potter," Voldemort conceded with a frown, even though right at this moment he couldn't think of what sort of agreement would suit both himself and his daughter. "But your plan to take him from the Order is a no go."

"Why?" Hermione asked with a pout.

"Several reasons," Voldemort replied with a chuckle. "First of all, how would we get hold of him? Severus is no longer welcome with the Order, and we have no other connections we can use. Secondly, and most importantly, they could trace you thanks to the fact you're under-age, so they can do the same with Potter. You're still here because the Grangers agreed once they'd heard the truth, and even if they hadn't, we have DNA proof that you're my daughter. If I had to, I would have made my presence known and insisted you stay with Lucius and Narcissa. We can't do that with Potter, we're no relations of his and we're certainly not his guardians. Lucius would be arrested for kidnapping, and you don't want that, do you?"

"No," Hermione replied with a sigh as she saw all her hopes of being reunited with Harry go out of the window. "But I'm worried about Harry. I know you said that the Order will try and get him back onside, but what if they can't? What if Harry can't forgive them for what they've done to me? He'd be danger to them."

"Even if they can't get him back onside, they would never do anything to him," Lucius said confidently. "Don't forget that he's their saviour. None of them believe they can defeat your father without him. No matter what he thinks of them, the Order will look after Potter."

"Lucius is right," Voldemort said. "Potter is safe with the Order. No matter what dramas are going on, they won't turn on him."

"But if he doesn't accept what they've done, he's going to be so alone," Hermione whispered sadly. She was thrilled that Harry had supported her and could see the evil within the Order, but it broke her heart to think of how he could end up isolated if he continued to be loyal to her. "Ron already hates me, and if Harry refuses to agree with him, he'll walk away. Harry will lose both of his best friends."

"But you didn't walk away from him," Narcissa gently pointed out. "He knows why you left, and if his letter is truthful, he understands and supports you. If the worst does happen and he ends up alone, it's not your fault."

"It feels like it," Hermione whispered. "I started all of this. None of this would be happening if I hadn't overheard Sirius and Molly talking."

"If you hadn't overheard them talking, you would be walking around with a target on your back," Voldemort said, swallowing hard to hide the anguish he felt at the thought of someone hurting his daughter. It had been hard enough to deal with her dying when he thought it was natural causes and no-one was to blame, but the thought of someone physically hurting his daughter made his blood boil. "You didn't start this, Hope. Dumbledore and his Order started this the second they kidnapped you as a baby. And I'm sorry we can't do anything about Potter, but our hands are tied. At least you know he's okay."

"I guess," Hermione said with a sigh. "And I'll see him myself once we go back to school."

"Actually that remains to be seen," Voldemort said.

"What remains to be seen? If I see Harry, or if I go back to Hogwarts?" Hermione asked. Truthfully she knew that it wasn't going to be as simple as just going back to school as though nothing had happened, but she hated to think of never going back to Hogwarts.

"Both, but mainly going back to Hogwarts," Voldemort replied. "Before we make any decisions, let's wait and see what the Ministry dig up on Dumbledore and his Order. If everything goes out way, you'll be able to go back to school as normal."

"And if it doesn't?" Hermione asked.

"We're discussing contingency plans," Voldemort said. "But don't worry, you and Draco will be included in any decision we have to make."

"Draco?" Hermione frowned. "We're dragging Draco into this?"

"He's involved, Hope," Lucius said softly. "We're all going to stick together, and that includes Draco. But don't worry about something that might never happen. If the Ministry pulls their finger out, they should have enough evidence against Dumbledore to charge him with multiple crimes long before it's time to return to Hogwarts."

Wondering what sort of contingency plans her father and the Malfoys were coming up, Hermione accepted that the conversation about Harry was over. Saying her goodbyes she left the room to send a letter back to Harry, just to let him know that she appreciated the support and that she still loved him as her best friend. She then intended to find Draco and warn him that thanks to her, his return to Hogwarts was in jeopardy.