Note: hi, I'm back with an update for this because the response was PHENOMENAL!! Oh my goodness you guys full my heart. I'm so glad you enjoyed this so much. So just a little bit of a heads up I'm bringing some events of the Order of the Phoenix forwards a few months in the time line. Mainly because it fits with the progression of the story better. Anyway thank-you so much for the reviews. Ya'll are fab.

I will apologise to those of you waiting on updates for my other stories, your patience is very much appreciated and all I can say is I am working on updates for several stories so will post them as soon as I can, don't worry I haven't abandoned any of them and I won't, it's just taking a while.

All my love Nell xoxo

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~ Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry ~

~ November 1st 1995 ~

Hermione huffed a breath as she glared at the annoying pink clad witch in front of her. Professor Dolores Umbridge had become the bane of her existence in recent weeks. At first she had been able to avoid the openly prejudice witches ire but thanks to her so called best friend she had been dragged into her very first detention in the history of her school career.

Which she was furious about because the entire situation was not her fault. In the slightest.

They had been in a Defence Against the Dark Arts class and like usual Umbridge and Harry had begun the lesson glaring at each other. It had been like that since the very first class at the beginning of the term. Their very first class Harry had argued with the insufferable witch about The Dark Lords return. Something the ministry were vehemently denying. She had given him a detention and Harry had spent days fuming about the punishment he had endured.

Umbridge had claimed that as he was a half blood and at least had some respectable blood in him despite his father being a blood traitor he wouldn't get the quill though no one knew what that meant. Instead he was made to swallow two potions that caused him to feel violently sick for three hours straight. A punishment Umbridge claimed as apt because after all if he couldn't stop the vile lies he had spewed in class then he would be forced to suffer a vile taste for hours. Something the pink clad woman had taken great pleasure in administering. Luckily Harry had learned to hold his tongue in class doing nothing but glare at the awful woman. Or so she had thought.

Today he had decided that he had finally had enough of holding his tongue and would in fact make snide comments under his breath about the professor and when Hermione had leant across to tell him to stop before he was punished or worse drew Umbridge attention to her the woman had zeroed in on her. Issuing her with a detention for speaking out of turn.

"Oh do stop glaring, you've brought this on yourself Ms Granger. Now sit, you'll be doing lines for me tonight until the lesson sinks in. The sentence 'I must not speak out of turn and learn to respect my betters' shall do nicely I should think" Umbridge said, pointing smugly to the seat in front if her desk where a single quill and a piece of parchment lay.

The brunette grimaced seeing the quill knowing exactly what it did. Not long After Harry had his detention with the ministry lackey because that is essentially exactly what Umbridge was, a third year muggle-born had come into the dorm sobbing, clutching their hand. She had told them all how Umbridge had forced her to use a blood quill. The words 'I must know my place' carved into her left hand where the quill had magically cut into her skin, meaning she wrote her lines in her own blood. It wasn't all that difficult from there to figure out that the despicable woman was basing her punishments on blood status.

Purebloods were praised and seemed to be unable to do no wrong. Half bloods got the puking potion and muggle born were forced to endure the blood quill.

And thanks to Harry Potter it was now her turn.

Sucking in a deep breath Hermione sat, not sparing Umbridge a second glance as she picked up the blood quill and began writing. Not allowing herself to show just how painful it truly was. Each stroke of the quill on parchment cutting into her skin.

Umbridge seemed to grow frustrated with the younger witches lack of visible response to her method of punishment. Huffing and tutting at regular Intervals under her breath. Truthfully Hermione was finding the woman's constant need to complain more insufferable than the blood quill. Her hand now thoroughly numbed now considering the amount of blood she had been losing and how painful it had become after the first half page.

She had always been like that as a child. Growing up after the pain she was experiencing for whatever reason hit a certain level the affected area would go numb, giving her a reprieve. She knew it was a strange reaction but such was her whole life so Hermione had chosen never to really dwell on it too long.

After what seemed to be hours the brunette finally reached the bottom of the parchment and after a few more thinly viewed insults and threats Umbridge finally deemed her punished enough and sufficiently reminded of her place in life to dismiss her from the room. Something Hermione was more than grateful for. The whole experience had done nothing to alleviate any of the anger and frustration she had felt during the day both her own and the mystery woman's emotions swirling together.

She had noticed more and more that since that night when she had heard the woman in her mind that her feelings had become increasingly similar to her. She felt that the more she tried to suppress the darker thoughts the more resentful and frustrated she became and she wondered if the woman was trying to connect with her seeing as they were becoming parallels of one another. Their emotions matching more often than not.

It was one of the reasons she had thrown herself into discovering as much as she could about whatever linked them together. She was determined to figure it out and she knew she was close. She had to be. The book she had found on bonds and magical links in the restricted section, that she had secretly smuggled out if the library, looked promising and she had every intention of spending the next few days devouring it's contents in hopes of gaining a better understanding.

Which she decided would be somewhat easier to do this term considering Harry was seclusion himself more often than not with Dumbledore seeing as half the school hated him, believing the Ministry of Magic's claim that Dumbledore and Harry where lying about the Dark Lords return and Ron had decided that since she wouldn't date him. Having continuously shot down his vulgar advances, he would turn to the annoying little gossip that was Lavender Brown, Hogwarts easiest lay. Honestly it was a vulgar sight to see the two locking lips in the corridor or wherever really they fancied doing so. At this point Hermione was certain Lavender had been round more of the boys here than she had hot dinners in her life but as long as Ronald Weasley was leaving her well enough alone she really didn't care.

After all she knew now she was decidedly gay, Fleur Delacour had set a precedent in her standards of possible love interests that she highly doubted many would live up to. The witch was glorious, beautiful, smart, sarcastic and oh so in control and Hermione would be lying if she said she hadn't woke more than a few times left wet and wanting from the blondes appearance in her dreams.

So yes it would be entirely easy for the brunette to devour the book she had found and hopefully find some answers. She sped up her walk at the thought, eager to get to her dorm room so she could ward her bed in order to read the book. She had taken to warding all her personal effects since her return after the summer. A precaution so that Dumbledore nor any other professor or student didn't discover the decidedly more dubious books on darker magic she had been reading, bought from Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Ally during her trip there the second week of her summer after she had decided getting away from her parents for a while wasn't a bad thing.

Her thoughts towards them since the end of term had been decidedly worrying. She didn't know how to come to terms with the thought that she had began to detest her muggle parents. Despising her heritage and in turn beginning to despise the people responsible for her heritage. Her parents. John and Jean Granger were muggle dentists, successful ones too but they had little time for her. She didn't doubt they loved her in their own way but her whole childhood she had been left to raise herself pretty much. They were always working. Except from at the weekends where they'd force her into pretty dresses and drag her off to church.

She had also told them she is gay over the summer, something they hadn't taken particularly kindly too. Her mother and father agreeing that it was just a phase or natural teenage curiosity. Reassuring her that she shouldn't worry because she would grow out of it. Their attitude had disgusted her. It highlighted the very reason muggleborns were so hated, their ideas and values disgustingly stifling and Hermione was pretty sure that she could sympathise with the purebloods if this was what they were up against. No wonder the dark lord was trying to purge the world of people like her. Their beliefs sullied the rich culture that existed in magical Britain.

Though she tried her hardest not to think about it all. She wasn't meant to be sympathetic to blood purists. She was a muggle-born for Merlin's sake if the dark lord won she'd die and that was what she had convinced herself had spurred her dark magic study. She had to protect herself somehow right?

And as for the not fearing the man? Well Hermione chose not to think about that at all because what kind of foolishness was that!?

No it wouldn't do at all to have anyone become suspicious of her. She had to be careful because realistically she didn't know who she could trust. Certainly not Dumbledore and his manipulations and Harry and Ron weren't really her friends were they? She had come to terms with the way they used her quite some time ago, though outside them she really didn't have any friends. A few people she spoke to politely in passing and their was that strangely charming Ravenclaw girl the year below her Luna who always seemed to make an effort with her.

She shook her head, refocusing her mind on her stolen book, hurrying towards the dorms. She'd take care of her wounded hand then she'd immerse herself in literature.

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Hermione growled slightly under her breath. Intense anger rushing through her as she listened to the pink toad of a woman speak. Twittering and giggling away as she proudly told all the students present in the great hall for breakfast about a new initiative introduced by the ministry to help them all know more about where they came from and to make it easier for the ministry to keep track of the different bloodlines and so forth. They were to all undertake a heritage test by the end of the day. Year by year they would be called to the infirmary and expected to allow Madame Pomfrey to draw a vial of their blood for ministry tests. The results would be kept private and delivered straight to an individuals dorm by the end of the day.

Though as much as she could care less about having to test her lineage thinking it only a cruel reminder of her muggle heritage, her real concern was that her year were being called in during her free period. The time she had planned on starting the process of strengthening the bond with whomever was in her mind.

She had found the information she had been looking for in her stolen book after all and was eager to get answers. She wanted to know who she was linked too, the reasons they were linked and why who ever it is seemed to particularly hate the headmaster. Which meant that she needed to strengthen their link and to do so shed need the time and privacy she could rarely find in the school. Though she supposed if she was quick in getting her bloods drawn she could get away quickly and still have time to work on the connection before her next class and then she would attempt to use the connection tonight when everyone had gone to bed and she was safely warded in her dorm.

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The brunette trudged towards her dorm room wearily. Her entire body throbbing in overwhelming emotions. Ever since she had done the meditations to strengthen the link between her and the unknown woman earlier that day, she had been able to feel her so much clearer and what she had felt was not particularly pleasant.

Whoever she was linked too had been fluctuating wildly from overwhelming anger and grief to hopefulness and loneliness. She had been able to feel them before the meditation but not to this degree and coupled with her own frustration and growing anger, it was proving a little too much. She didn't know what was causing the woman's emotions to change so rapidly but she did know it was giving her a migraine trying to keep up with the woman's mood swings.

And Harry was just making things so much worse, he had been gloating earlier about his heritage test and how it would only confirm how heroic his parents had been and Ron had been right beside him, talking about how the Weasley clan were part of the sacred twenty eight and therefore seen as one of the best. Helpfully leaving out all information hinting to the fact that the sacred twenty eight had branded the Weasley's as blood traitors and openly despised the family and Hermione really didn't blame them really after all it was those supporting the muggle born ideals that were helping in diluting the rich culture that had existed for thousands of years. So why wouldn't they hate on those who were openly supporting those that would seek to destroy the wizarding world's very way of existing.

She had wished several times that the two insufferable boys would just go away and leave her alone, she wasn't in the mood whatsoever to entertain their ego building today but it seemed that no matter where she turned they were prattling on beside her and she should have known, because of course she should have known, that the only reason they were hanging around her talking incessantly was so they could talk her into doing their homework this weekend coming as they had failed to do theirs yet again. It was disgusting really how they didn't know she had caught on to their patterns now. Knew immediately when they were after something from her because they would show interest in her once more. It had been the same pattern since first year and if the brunette didn't know she would draw the attention of the headmaster she would have kicked the pair to the side long ago.

But such was her lot in life, having to push her own true self down and live up to the expectations of others. It had always been this way and she didn't think it would ever change. Though she knew deep down she wouldn't be able to keep up the pretence much longer, her own beliefs had changed so drastically since she began learning the truth behind pureblood ideology. It was becoming harder to conceal her hatred for the muggle lovers and even her hatred for her own blood.

She hoped that if she could get the connection between her and the unknown woman working properly she would finally have someone she could talk to about all this but that would be her next task right before bed. First though she had to open her heritage results which were sitting neatly in a brown envelope in the middle of her bed with her first name on it.

Curious, the brunette thought scanning the envelopes on the other beds. Everyone else's contained their full name on the envelope front where as hers just had her first name. It peaked her curiosity more than she'd like to admit as she stripped quickly and dressed for the night before hopping up onto her four poster bed and drawing her curtains, warding her area with a silencing and privacy ward.

She pulled the envelope to her, running her fingers gently over her first name before flipping it and prying the seal open and pulling the contents out.

It contained two pieces of parchment, one looked to be a hand written letter with the Gringotts seal on it and the other was the heritage results.

She looked at the Heritage test first and Hermione felt her heart both shatter and soar all at once. She hadn't expected to see what she did in front of her and almost thought she had been dreaming until she pinched herself to make sure she wasn't. Nope, the contents of the parchment hadn't changed.

Her name, her real name, stood out perfectly in bold cursive at the top of the page, her parents names attached to hers and so on and so forth. Though how it was possible she didn't know. She had no suspicion or reason to believe the Grangers weren't her parents. Until now. Until this test and those words.

Hermione Delphini McKinnon-Black

Parents Bellatrix Black and Marlene McKinnon-Black

Other living Relatives: Narcissa Black-Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, Andromeda Black-Tonks, Nymphadora Tonks

She could feel her heart beat faster as she continued to scan the page. Her eyes flickering back and forth between the top two lines and reading down her apparent family tree.

It explained so much but nothing at all. The dark thoughts, her growing hatred of muggles and muggle-borns. Her lack of fear at the Dark Lords return, her hidden appreciation for Bellatrix Black, her growing bitterness towards Harry and Ronald, her suspicions about Dumbledore all now made sense. She wasn't a muggleborn girl despising her own kind, she was a pureblood, just a pureblood who had somehow ended up in the clutches of muggles.

And that was where it came to explain nothing at all. If she was a pureblood how did she end up with the Grangers. Did her parents not want her? Did they send her away or were they left with no choice? Would they laugh at her and be disappointed in who she is now? How would they react if she were to confront them?

Her mind spun. So many questions swirling endlessly, faster and fast. Merlin she could feel the anger rise in her, like a tidal wave about to crash back to land and she feared if she didn't calm the effects would be disastrous as she felt the familiar feeling of her magic flaring in response to her emotions.

She swiped at the tears that had begun to drip down her face relentlessly in her anger and grit her teeth, trying to drag in each breath.

She needed to calm down or she would risk drawing attention to herself. Attention she isn't want. She was glad that the heritage results were being kept private unless the individuals wanted them revealed. She didn't think it would be safe to advertise who her real parents were not until she knew the circumstances around her ending up with the Grangers. And most certainly not before she knew what her real parents thought about it all. For all she knew, her mother or not, Bellatrix would still want her dead, she had been raised by muggles after all. Though as much as she tried to rationalise this, the thought of either of her parents wishing her dead hurt but she knew she couldn't dwell on it, not until she knew the truth.

She sighed, flinging herself backwards from her seated position on her bed and tried to blank her mind. Fighting the sudden exhaustion that washed over her, her day finally catching up with her.

The mind link with the unknown woman would have to wait. She'd try again tomorrow once she had slept and managed to soothe herself enough to think about all this logically.