L'amour Toujour
C11: Heritage Isn't Everything
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters
Walking back into Hogwarts was more difficult than she thought it would be after spending nearly three weeks with her family, but she knew her mothers would be disappointed if she neglected her schooling in favor of getting to know the family she was ripped from, or with her mate who had some considerable issues letting her go back this morning.
Never before did Hermione have such reservations to return to her studies, but things had irrevocably changed over the last weeks.
As the sisters took their seats at the Ravenclaw table they couldn't help but smile at each other. "It feels weird being back knowing what we do doesn't it?" Luna asked softly.
Hermione nodded at her. "Yes, it feels like months have passed instead of a few weeks."
Luna nodded and smiled at her. "We should find a moment to talk to Ginny at some point. She's always stood by our side and I doubt that'll change in the future."
"We'll talk to her during the weekend. Everyone will be busy with getting back into a rhythm and the library will probably be deserted. You're still sure you want to tell her the truth?" Hermione asked softly.
"It'll only be to our benefit 'Mione. She'll understand why we've waited to tell her and I am sure that she'll stand by our side." Luna said with a soft smile.
Hermione nodded at that, trusting her sister's insights. "We just have to make sure to ask her when her brother and prat Potter aren't around."
Luna smiled at that. "That speaks for itself Hermione. We wouldn't want them poking around in things they have no business in."
"Exactly, although I doubt they'd understand what we were talking about. Ever since Lavender Brown joined that clique the average IQ has dropped a few percentage points." Hermione said with a soft giggle.
Luna hid her own giggle behind her hand. "That's one way of putting that. I would just say that they compliment each other's stupidity quite well."
Hermione grinned at that, not wanting to laugh out loud right now in fear of attracting Umbridge's ire already. It would definitely not fit with their plans if they managed to get detention before term had officially started.
As dinner appeared both of them couldn't help but sigh softly. "So much for Narcissa's home cooking." Hermione said softly.
Luna smiled at her. "I know, I always have to push down my disappointment when I get back to school. It gets tedious eating the same thing every day."
Hermione nodded at that as they ate in silence, knowing that the more they said, the harder it would become to keep quiet about everything they had learned over the course of the holidays. "Don't I know it. I've never had better breakfasts and dinners than I had at your aunt's house."
Luna smiled and gave the brunette's thigh a squeeze. "I'm still so happy that you in the end chose to accept her invitation. Christmas has never been better."
Hermione smiled at that. "How couldn't I after everything we've shared over the years. It was such a breath of fresh air from everything I was used to that I haven't regretted it for a second."
Luna smiled at her sister as they quietly finished dinner before making their way to Ravenclaw Tower, but not before Luna secretly slipped a note in Ginny's robe pocket so the redhead knew that they wanted to talk to her on the weekend.
As they walked into their room, both Hermione and Luna couldn't help but fall directly onto the brunette's bed. "Sweet Morgana dinner seemed to go on forever. I never thought we would have trouble finding things to talk about." Hermione said with an exasperated sigh.
"That's just because we didn't need to filter ourselves for almost three weeks, and now that we're here in one of our sanctuaries at school, we don't have to either. The more prudent issue however is how are we going to handle our sleeping arrangements?" Luna asked with a soft smile as she cuddled up to her sister.
"Honestly I don't see a reason to change the way we've been sleeping together for the past few weeks. With what we've learned over the last few weeks I don't see any issue with continuing our arrangement, with perhaps one small adjustment if you're okay with that." Hermione said with a soft smile.
Luna turned and looked up at her sister. "And what would that be, my dear sister?"
Hermione smiled at her sister. "I've noticed that we both sleep better without clothes, so from now on we forego clothes, if you're okay with that of course."
"Of course I am. I was actually wondering when you'd bring this up. I've slept without clothes for years, at least when I'm at home. According to aunt Andi it is something all women in our family do." Luna said softly.
Hermione smiled at that. "Well, how about we put our things away and then cuddle up together under the warmth of our covers so you can tell me everything else women in our family do."
Luna nodded and pressed a quick kiss to her sister's cheek. "That's sounds like something we would do, making sure everything is ready for the next day before entertaining the notion of comfort."
Hermione nodded and smiled as the two girls got off the bed to unpack their things, few as they were before they undressed and cuddled up together under the covers of Hermione's bed. "I don't know why but this almost feels natural."
"I know right. Like we should've been doing this for a very long time already. I really like the feeling of your breasts pressing into my back, even if your nipples are hard right now." Luna said dreamily.
Hermione smiled and pressed a kiss to the blonde's neck. "I'm sorry, it's still a bit chilly and they always react first, and it's not like yours aren't rock hard too, little sister."
Luna smiled at her. "I think we're both far too tired to help each other with our hormones tonight, so why don't we cuddle up real close and go to sleep. We have a long day of classes tomorrow, and I know we both need to be at peak performance if we want to survive the next few months with Umbridge, and of course whatever Potter and Ronald are planning."
Hermione only nodded and nuzzled her sister's neck, the two witches falling asleep soon after, both of them with soft smiles gracing their features.
…
The following day the two sisters had just sat down for breakfast when Ginny ran up to them. "Did you two see the new Decree? I swear that woman I becoming more crazy by the day."
"We haven't actually, is it that bad?" Hermione asked softly.
Ginny nodded as she basically pulled the two sisters from the bench and towards the Entrance Hall. "It is, but you have to see it to believe it. I also got your note by the way, and I'll be there right after breakfast."
Luna and Hermione smiled at her. "Good, because we really need to talk. A lot has happened over the holidays that we need to tell you."
Ginny smiled and nodded as she pointed to the Decree in question, and what it said shocked them both.
Educational Decree Number Twenty Seven
All Half Blooded and Muggleborn students are required to undergo a Heritage Test to give The Ministry an insight into the number of students of mixed blood at Hogwarts. These tests will be performed under the supervision of the High Inquisitor
"This can't be legal. Can they just do this?" Hermione asked softly, not wanting to draw too much attention.
"I'm afraid they can, Ms. Granger. With the Ministry tightening its grip on the Wizarding World, they want to know who would be at risk in a possible return of the Dark Lord, even though they still don't want to believe that he already has." Professor McGonagall said kindly, yet sternly.
Hermione sighed softly at that. "I suppose that is a reason, but I can't say that I agree with their reasoning. This sounds more like something either extremely biased or even downright racist."
McGonagall nodded at that. "I agree with you there, dear. But unfortunately there is little we can do. If it makes you feel any better, Madame Pomfrey has been tasked with performing the tests and the results will be known immediately."
Again Hermione nodded at her. "I understand Professor, and on the one hand I'm glad that the Ministry is taking action on possible future threats, but I can't help but wonder if they couldn't have worded it better."
McGonagall merely nodded at that as she led the three girls back into the Great Hall so they could have their breakfast.
In truth she worried a lot for the brilliant young witch who reminded her so much of Bellatrix when she was a student. She could of course never admit it to anyone in school, but she always retained a soft spot for the eldest Black and to this day thought that it had been more than just a little injustice that had been done upon them. Not only had the raven haired witch lost her eldest daughter, who was also her Goddaughter, but also her soulmate.
She still believed that Dumbledore and the majority of the original Order knew what had happened, but she also knew that she would never get an honest answer from the Headmaster or anyone close to him. Last year had made that painfully clear after all.
She also couldn't escape the notion that Hermione often acted a lot like Bellatrix and besides the color of her hair, also looked a lot like the raven haired witch.
It was dangerous to think about, but she would ask the brunette after her Heritage test what the results were, if only to settle her own worried mind, because if it was true that Hermione was her Goddaughter, she would move heaven and earth to ensure that the girl would remain safe. She had made a promise after all.
Unaware of their Professor's inner musings, Hermione and Luna had just finished their breakfast and were making their way out of the Great Hall to get to their classes for the day.
Hermione had a nagging feeling that she would be one of the first to be called up for testing, since she was one of Umbridge's usual preferred targets, even though she tried to play by the rules as much as she possibly could.
Thankfully she didn't have Defense Against the Dark Arts until after lunch, so for the foreseeable future she didn't have to think about the toad or her imposed Heritage tests, but rather about paying attention to Snape and his explanations of a new potion, something she had secretly been looking forward to since the end of the holidays.
With Draco as her partner it was always a lot easier to ensure that their work was as perfect as they could possibly get it, and ever since he knew the truth they had agreed to keep working together for as long as they could possibly get away with.
She also had some questions for her blonde cousin and figured that it would be a good time to ask them while they were working on the practical portion of their potion.
Snape was somewhat lenient with them when it came to talking during that part, since they had long ago proven that they could hold a conversation and pay close attention to their potion at the same time.
As she took a seat next to Draco, she couldn't help but be surprised to see that there for the first time in two years there wasn't a word written on the board yet, since Snape usually prided himself on his preparations for class.
…
It wasn't until Friday evening that Hermione was summoned to the Hospital Wing to have her Heritage test performed by Madame Pomfrey, who apparently in silent protest of that Decree refused to test more than four students a day.
As she entered the Hospital Wing, she couldn't help but be nervous about what was going to come to light today. Secrecy would be out of the window and she was sure that the news of her Heritage would spread like wildfire.
"Ah Ms. Granger, it is good that you are already here. It at least speaks to your character that you are punctual. Please take a seat while I explain how this is going to work, because I doubt a Muggleborn girl like you knows anything about these types of tests." Umbridge said with her false kind tone.
Hermione had to do everything in her power not to roll her eyes, but nodded instead as she took a seat, and judging by the look on Madame Pomfrey's face, she wholly agreed with her.
Umbridge of course didn't notice but instead put on a fake smile. "What we will do is take a little bit of your blood and drop it on this document. This will reveal your parentage and further lineage. It has been enchanted to show the results to us present immediately."
Hermione merely nodded as Madame Pomfrey took an ornate looking dagger. "Your pinky finger if you please Ms. Granger. I only require a few drops."
She winced as Madame Pomfrey carefully collected a few drops before dropping them onto the parchment, it hissing slightly as words began to form.
Name: Hermione Katerina Black-Lovegood
Blood Status: Pureblood
Heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Black
Parents: Bellatrix Black, Pandora Lovegood-Black
Living relatives: Bellatrix Black, Pandora Lovegood-Black, Luna Nova Lovegood-Black, Narcissa Black, Andromeda Black, Nymphadora Black, Draco Malfoy
Umbridge's eyes widened almost comically. "This cannot be. How do you explain this Pomfrey?"
"Blood doesn't lie, Madam High Inquisitor. It appears Ms. Granger doesn't exist but is in fact a daughter of the House of Black and nothing near a Muggleborn." Madame Pomfrey said kindly.
Umbridge huffed at that. "There will be an investigation. Did you know anything about this girl?"
"No Madam High Inquisitor. I am honestly just as surprised as you are." Hermione said softly.
The toad like woman narrowed her eyes but found her truthful. "As I said, there will be an investigation. For now you are not to speak of this to anyone. Once the investigation has been concluded you will be informed of its outcome. I must also urge you not to try and contact your supposed family in any way or there will be dire consequences."
Hermione nodded at her, having no inclination of actually following that order in any way, shape or form. Nothing would keep her away from them anymore. "For now you may return to your dorm, Ms. Black. I will summon you soon to talk about these results further."
"I understand Madam High Inquisitor, good evening." Hermione said dutifully as she stood and made her way back to her bedroom, needing the comfort of her baby sister now more than ever.
Her walk through the halls was silent, and it gave her plenty of time to think too. She somehow needed to get word to her aunts that it would soon be known that their mother was still alive and that at least Umbridge and Pomfrey knew the truth. It worried her that if the Ministry would start prying that their mothers wouldn't be able to come home and she wasn't sure if she could take that right now.
The moment she walked into their bedroom she made a beeline for Luna, who was reading quietly on what had become their bed, pulling the petite blonde into her arms and nuzzling her neck. "It went as well as we expected then?" Luna asked softly as she put away her book.
"Worse. Umbridge is going to do an investigation to the truthfulness of my test and she knows Mummy is still alive. We need to get word to aunt Andi and aunt Cissa because I don't know if I could take it if they couldn't come home because of this. She basically ordered me to keep quiet about my heritage until her investigation has been completed. I did find out our full names though." Hermione said softly.
Luna smiled and turned around in her sister's arms. "We'll call Jupi when you've calmed down a little. Your emotional state is more important to me at this moment. We wouldn't want to destroy our room after all."
Hermione smiled at her sister as she tried to calm down again while Luna undressed her with a flick of her wand, making the brunette jolt in surprise. "Was that necessary?"
"Of course. We both know where this is going to lead and it never hurts to be prepared." The blonde said with a soft smile.
Hermione nodded and pulled the blonde completely into her lap. "As always your ability to look ahead astounds me, sister. You are also very right. I need to have you close after this latest rollercoaster."
Luna smiled and pressed a kiss to her sister's forehead. "Tell me what happened 'Mione. I'm here for you."
"That woman is more than a little infuriating. She treated me like I knew nothing of the Wizarding World, apparently feeling the need to explain every little thing to me. She then had the audacity to doubt the validity of the test while she was there for everything. She then basically ordered me to keep my mouth shut while she does an investigation into what happened, and I worry what she might find. It might force her to clamp down on the school even harder if she finds out that Dumbledore was behind it all. I did find out what our full names are, so that may be the only positive thing of this thing." Hermione said softly.
"If she clamps down on the school because of this, we'll not only be ready for her, but our family will be too. When we send word of this later tonight, our aunts undoubtedly will do everything in their power to send word to Mummy, which might speed things up a little." Luna said softly.
Hermione smiled and nodded. "I hope so, we can only hope that they will be able to reach her in time. Who knows how quickly this might escalate."
Luna nodded at that. "Knowing them, they'll spring into action immediately and will probably send Jupi to find her. From what I've heard he always had a special connection to Mummy."
Hermione smiled at her. "As always you have been able to settle my mind again Lu. Let's hope that things will pick up now."
Luna smiled at her as they laid cuddled up under the covers. "Are you okay now 'Mione, or did you need your sister to help you relax a little?"
Hermione shook her head at that. "No Lu, all I need is to have you in my arms tonight so that I know that my dear baby sister is here for me, but before we go to sleep we need to inform our aunts of what happened."
"Then we'll divide and conquer as always. You write the letter and I'll think of an easy way to get Jupi here. He mentioned that it was difficult to find entry into the Castle last time." Luna said softly.
Hermione nodded and just couldn't resist kissing the blonde softly before summoning her parchment and quill.
…
The following day Hermione and Luna were up later than they had wanted to be, since they were both far too comfortable in bed to actually leave their little bubble. Which left them scrambling to get dressed and make it down to breakfast in time which today was extra important since they had asked Ginny to meet them after breakfast.
"Out of all weekends that we could've chosen to sleep in we sure know how to pick them." Hermione said softly as they rushed into the Great Hall.
Luna only smiled as they hurried to their seats, sharing a quick smile in good morning with Ginny, who smiled knowingly at them. "That's because our beds are far too comfortable, 'Mione."
Hermione just smiled at her as they loaded up their plates, wanting to eat quickly so that they had plenty of time to inform Ginny of everything they had learned over the holidays.
From the corner of their eyes they saw how Ginny made their way out of the Great Hall, which prompted them to quickly finish their breakfast too since it wouldn't do for them to have asked the redhead to talk and then for them to be late.
As they walked into the library a few minutes later, they made a beeline for their corner, which was as far away from the entrance and prying ears as possible. "Sorry we're late, we had some issues getting out of bed this morning." Luna said softly as they took a seat.
Ginny smiled at them. "That's okay. I think most people had that issue this morning. Even my brother and prat Potter weren't up yet."
"I'm not surprised. They both seem pretty lazy." Hermione said softly.
"That is putting it mildly 'Mione. They are far more comfortable in letting their reputation work for them, especially my brother uses the past three years to his advantage." Ginny said softly.
Both Luna and Hermione nodded at that. "We can imagine that, but you are probably wondering why we wanted to talk to you?" Luna asked softly.
Ginny smiled and nodded. "I'll admit that I am most definitely intrigued. I can't remember the last time you two asked to talk to me in private."
Hermione smiled at that. "Trust me that we have a reason Gin. You know that we've been doing research into some of the things that don't add up in Dumbledore's story over the years, and while it is still an ongoing investigation, we did find out a couple of life altering things. Most of which cannot go beyond the three of us and Draco."
"I understand. Does Draco know already since you spent the Holidays with them?" Ginny asked softly.
Hermione nodded at that. "He does, but like we're doing with you we wanted to make sure we had complete privacy for this, which is why we want to let you know now before the results of my Heritage Test becomes public. We don't want you to hear this from anyone but us. The truth is that I am Luna's sister who was ripped away from my family at the tender age of one, presumably by the Headmaster and the Order, but that is a whole other hornet's nest that I'm not ready to poke at. Our mothers are Bellatrix and Pandora Black, and while we knew, Umbridge now knows too because of my test yesterday."
Ginny's eyes widened at that. "You two are sisters? Really. I never saw that one coming, although it makes a lot of sense now that I think about it. You two always seem to be able to communicate without needing words and often one look is enough between you two. How long have you two been sure that you were sisters?"
"Not that long to be honest. We were certain a couple of weeks before Christmas break and we've spent every free hour we had making sure we were right. Everything we found at home only confirmed it more and we've spent most of the two weeks by each other's side." Luna said with a soft smile.
Ginny nodded at that. "With how close you two usually are that doesn't surprise me in the least. I'll of course keep your secret and I will stand by both of you through everything going forward, and I do mean everything."
The two sisters smiled at that. "Thank you Gin. We weren't worried of course, but we were nervous since we didn't have any idea of how you would react, and we want you to know that we will also stand by you, no matter what. You've always been kind to us and we don't want to take that for granted."
The redhead smiled and hugged them both. "And neither of you haven't. I literally wouldn't have made it through last year if it hadn't been for you two."
"Nor would we have made it through last year if it wasn't for you, although watching your brother and Potter fight was pretty funny." Hermione said with a soft giggle.
Ginny nodded at that. "True, but ever since that bimbo wormed their way into that friendship those two are no fun anymore. She just teases both of them with innuendo and they just follow her like little lambs."
"I'm not surprised to be honest. Boys usually think about one thing these days." Hermione said softly.
Luna grinned at that. "They are not the only ones, now are they sis?"
Hermione blushed at that. "No Luna, they're not, but as far as I know they haven't found their soulmate already."
"Wait? Did I miss something here?" Ginny asked softly.
Hermione nodded at that. "That was another thing we wanted to tell you, but this isn't as much of a secret as the other thing. Remember Fleur?"
Ginny nodded at them. "She's hard to forget to be honest. She has quite the present personality."
Hermione smiled at the redhead. "Thats true, but that is a topic for another day. I've learned over the course of the holiday that all Veela have a Soul Mate, and I am Fleur's soul mate, so we spent a lot of time really getting to know each other over Christmas."
Ginny smiled at her. "I'm happy for you 'Mione. From what I've seen from you two together, you two are perfect for each other."
Hermione smiled and gave the redhead a side hug, Luna quickly joining that as they talked about the things Ginny had been up to during Christmas break.
…
The following Friday Hermione was summoned to the Headmaster's office by Umbridge after dinner, which had given her some time to talk things through with Luna beforehand.
Their aunts had also informed them that they had sent Jupi in search of Pandora to get ahead of any potential investigation and that they would keep them updated with any news.
Both Hermione and Luna agreed that for now it would be best if Hermione kept up the charade of not knowing anything before the test had been performed and that it would be best if she didn't ask any questions to the contrary.
With that in mind and her mental shields firmly in place, since she and Luna had been secretly teaching themselves Occlumency since the start of the year, she made her way up the stairs to the Headmaster's office, not sure what to expect from this meeting.
The door was already open when she reached the top of the stairs and with a slight feeling of apprehension she walked in. "Good evening Ms. Black. Please take a seat. Can I interest you in a lemon drop?" Dumbledore asked kindly.
Hermione knew all about the Headmaster's penchant for enchanting candy, so she was quick to decline as she took a seat.
Dumbledore frowned lightly as he couldn't get a proper read on the girl, but put it aside to be investigated later. "You must be wondering why we have asked you to come here tonight, and the answer is quite simple. Your Heritage test showed us that you were not who we thought you were."
"If I may Headmaster Dumbledore. I have already talked about this with Ms. Black at length after the test itself and this is merely to inform her of the results of my investigation." Umbridge said considerably kinder than she had been over the course of the year before turning to Hermione.
"Ms. Black, as you know I have conducted an investigation and it has become clear to me that your test was nothing less than the absolute truth. How it has been possible that you were not raised by family is still unknown at this point in time, but trust me that I will continue to investigate this. This also means that your Muggle parents have been Obliviated and that the Ministry has been in contact with your aunts to take you in for the remainder of your time at school. I as a member of the Ministry cannot express how sorry we are for the turn of events, and I give you my word that those responsible will be punished for this." Umbridge explained kindly, which was honestly a bit disconcerting for the brunette.
Hermione nodded at her. "Thank you for apologizing Madame Umbridge, but you had no fault in these events, nor do I believe the Ministry had anything to do with it."
Umbridge smiled kindly at her. "That is generous of you Ms. Black, but it is a matter of tradition for the Ministry to investigate this. You are the Heir to an Ancient and Noble House and for you to somehow end up among Muggles for the majority of your childhood can not, and should not remain unpunished. It is a gross breach of the Statute of Secrecy."
"That I understand Madame Umbridge, will anything change for me until such time I hear from my family?" Hermione asked softly.
"You are now free to tell those you trust of course, but I doubt there will be any other changes next to your name in class. You certainly were meant to be in Ravenclaw and I see no reason to require a re-sorting. All that I ask is that you tell your sister, who I understand you've shared a room with for three years now about everything you've learned here." Umbridge said kindly.
Hermione nodded as she was dismissed, leaving the Headmaster and Professor to talk in peace while she made her way back to her room and more importantly, her sister whose touch she sorely needed now.
Upon entering their sanctuary she couldn't help but smile at how her sister was splayed over the bed, with not a stitch of clothing on her body. "What's this sister. Starting without me?"
Luna smiled at her. "Of course not, I just figured you could use some visual cheering up when you came back. How did it go?"
Hermione smiled as she too undressed, got on the bed and pulled the petite blonde against her. "Better than expected actually. Umbridge was actually kind for once and she apologized on the Ministry's behalf for everything that happened. They're going to contact our aunts to house me until the end of my time at Hogwarts. She was also very quick to cut off the Headmaster when he said that he was going to explain everything. All she asked me was to inform you of everything."
Luna smiled at that. "Consider me thoroughly informed 'Mione."
Hermione smiled and couldn't resist kissing her sister softly. "I figured you would be, and I'll be honest and say that I'm craving you right now Lu. Want to fool around a little?"
"Like you have to ask. Although I will admit that I'm a bit tired after classes today. History of Magic is so exhausting." Luna said softly.
"I've found something in the library just before we went back to school. It called to my soul much like you did when we first met. I found Mom's diary from when she went to school and it gets pretty explicit. I figured we could do some of these together." Hermione said softly.
"I'm game if you are sister. What did you want to do first?" Luna asked softly, but with a slight husk to her voice.
Hermione grinned at that. "Since we're both pretty horny I figured we could start with something a bit unconventional. According to Mom's diary grinding our pussies together should bring us both a lot of pleasure without taking too much energy.
Luna blushed a little but nodded as they positioned themselves, tangling their legs together until their soaking cores met, both of them moaning loudly as they started grinding against each other.
"Sweet Morgana this feels amazing. You're so wet 'Mione." Luna said with a loud moan.
"So are you Lu. It feels heavenly being able to do this with you." Hermione said with a similarly loud moan.
They both smiled at each other as they leaned forward to kiss each other, neither of them noticing the slight glow that enveloped them as Hermione crawled on top of her sister, being nowhere near done with the blonde yet.