A/N: Wow! I am so excited about the response on this story so far! Huge thanks to everyone who left reviews, favorites and follows. And a big thanks to lanamarymack for alpha/beta reading this chapter! You can find me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.
Please let me know what you thought of chapter two and be on the lookout for chapter three soon!
When Orion explained that they would be going to see his Head of House to figure out what to do with her, Hermione was not exactly in a position to argue. After all, she was in the past without a single sickle to her name and without any means to get back to her proper time. Orion had also taken possession of her wand, and at this point, had made no moves to return to her.
To her surprise, Walburga and Orion were treating her well, though begrudgingly so. Walburga had called for Kreacher to prepare her breakfast, which she was happy to eat, seeing as it had been a long time since she'd last eaten. It turns out that dueling makes you pretty hungry. Orion questioned her about who she was, exactly, and patiently listened to her answers. When she explained that she had just finished her fifth year at Hogwarts, the Blacks shared a happy little smile between the two of them.
"Regulus is just finishing his fifth year, as well," Walburga explained, before going on a tangent about her perfect son.
She was glad for the little hint of context that gave her. Sirius would just be finishing his sixth year, but she could not remember if this meant he had already gone to live with the Potters. Hermione supposed that he must have, because Walburga made no mention of her eldest son.
Orion was very disciplined and did not ask her for any details on his life in the future. Hermione got the impression that he was very intelligent and despite any burning curiosities he might have, he did not seem willing to mess with something as dangerous as time.
After breakfast, he was the one to shuffle her off towards the massive floo in the parlor so that they could go visit Arcturus Black — the eldest male relative, the Head of the Family who was apparently in charge of them all. Walburga made a remark about Hermione's unusual clothing, but mostly seemed concerned about the strange interloper that had stumbled into their home making the best possible impression that she could.
When they arrived, it seemed as if nearly the entire Black family had been hastily assembled in the country manor that Acrturus apparently inhabited. Hermione found herself cataloging each of them, trying to remember who they were and how they were all interrelated.
They were immediately approached by Orion's elder sister, Lucretia, who looked at her strangely. "So this is our long lost cousin," she said with a silly sort of smile. She grabbed Hermione's chin and turned her this way and that, looking for any features of note. "She does have the look."
Hermione hated that she talked about her like she wasn't even standing there, and took a step back. "I'm sure this is all a big misunderstanding," she explained. "I promise I'm not related to you."
"Save your arguments for Arcturus. That one doesn't know anything," an older woman crowed, from her throne seated next to a blazing fireplace.
"Well, then, we should begin figuring this out," a commanding voice said, getting the attention of everyone in the room. He looked rather similar to Orion, but all of his hair had long since gone grey. "Hermione Granger, was it? My son says that you appeared in Grimmauld Place, which means that you must be family, despite your protests."
Hermione cleared her throat and took a step forward, until she was in the middle of the room. "I think this is just a big mistake. I've come from the future after a little... trouble with a time turner," she said. "In my time, no such blood wards exist on Grimmauld Place. So, it seems obvious that I would have entered Grimmauld Place and then went back in time, depositing me within the blood wards, without ever crossing them."
"How could you be so careless with a time turner? Aren't you aware how dangerous they are?" asked a sharp voice — Irma, if Hermione remembered correctly. She thought that was Walburga's mother.
"Of course, I do," Hermione snapped, unable to help herself. "I didn't say that it was me who had trouble with the time turner. I was dueling and Be— my opponent grabbed it." She was glad that she caught herself before revealing that she and Bellatrix were enemies. It wouldn't do any good to antagonize them needlessly.
"Could this be some sort of... play to get access to an inheritance?" Pollux asked, looking at her with an uncertain expression.
"Well, that would be silly, seeing as she'd have her share reduced to a pittance should she marry," the older woman by the fireplace said.
"Look, if you just take me to Hogwarts, I'm sure that I can be out of your—"
Before Hermione could finish her question, the other "young" wizard had approached her and grabbed her by the wrist. "No point in speculating. Let's just figure it out for ourselves," he said matter-of-factly. He conjured a vial effortlessly, before using his wand to prick the tip of her finger, catching several drops in the glass.
"Hey!" Hermione said, pulling her hand back from him. She immediately stuck her hurt finger into her mouth to soothe the pain. "Don't you know that's rude?"
Cygnus — she remembered... the father of Bellatrix, Narcissa and Andromeda — didn't seem phased by her annoyed reaction and instead brought the vial to Arcturus. "This should be enough to complete the spell," he said, looking at it.
Arcturus had obviously been prepared for this and pulled out a small potions kit. He began mixing several liquids together, before eventually adding her blood. Despite herself, Hermione found herself very curious about what he was doing, exactly. Blood magic was forbidden, obviously, as it was dark magic, though she'd always been interested in it.
Once the potion had been completed, Arcturus dipped a quill into the blood mixture and set it on a blank piece of parchment. Even though she was well familiar with magic by this point, Hermione could not stop her gasp when the quill stood up on its own and began writing furiously. Walking over, Hermione found herself side by side with Arcturus, before the rest of the Blacks crowded around to read what was revealed.
Hermione Granger. 19 September 1979.
She watched as her parents' details were filled in as well, with no real surprises there. But when it got to her grandparents, that's where things got interesting. Because there could be no denying the name that was listed as being her maternal grandfather.
Marius Black. 3 June 1918.
A gasp went through the room when another name followed for her maternal grandmother. Amelia Selwyn. 25 November 1922.
But then, her paternal grandparents' names were revealed and another ripple of surprise went through the Blacks.
Owen Montague. 21 December 1912. Lastly, Elspeth Urquart. 10 April 1920.
"What... no..." Hermione trailed off, thinking about her mother's parents. Her friendly grandparents couldn't be. "Grandpa Mark and Grandma Amelia weren't... Their last name was Baker, not Black. And he wasn't a wizard... he worked as a clerk."
"You are right, he wasn't a wizard," the old woman said with a triumphant look on her face. "He was a squib. Amelia was, too. Thrown out by both of their families, when they could not produce magic."
"Well, it must be wrong because my grandfather was called Owen Granger, not Montague," Hermione insisted, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Her mind conjured a Slytherin classmate, Graham Montague, and she refused to believe that she could be related to him in any way.
"The Montagues had a squib, too," Irma said, meanly. "But they got rid of him earlier. Could have been Owen. And the Urquart."
"I need to sit down," Hermione said, feeling as though the world was swaying underneath her. Orion was at her side, then, helping her to one of the recently vacated settees. "I'm not... I'm a muggleborn," she repeated, insistently, not caring that she was in the presence of one of the most staunchly pureblood families in England.
"As I said, you aren't as muggleborn as you think. In fact, I'd say you're even a pureblood," Orion explained, gently. "Blood magic doesn't lie."
"Hardly," Irma snapped, clearly finding her more muggle than witch still.
"Well, now we've settled who she is," Arcturus said, now that the spell was completed. "But what remains is deciding what to do with her."
Hermione felt her blood run cold as nine pairs of eyes turned to stare at her. She was suddenly reminded of their house words and that she was likely a stain on their family tree, seeing as she was some sort of abomination born of squibs. "I didn't know, I swear it," she said, needing them to understand. "Grandpa Mark never mentioned it, not even when I got my Hogwarts letter. I won't cause any issues for you, I promise. Just let me go."
Arcturus snorted at her. "We can't just let you go. Despite your unfortunate heritage, you are still a Black. One misplaced in time," he explained with a huff.
"She is not a Black," Irma said with a huff.
"No, not in name. She will still be known as a Granger," he agreed. "But, it's not like we can just turn her out. Think of all the knowledge that she has. No, someone in the family will have to take care of her. It's not as if she can go back to where she came from."
"Cygnus and Druella should take her in," Pollux insisted forcefully. "Marius was my brother after all. That makes Hermione my great-niece."
"Did you forget that Marius was my brother as well?" Cassiopeia, the older woman asked. "Give the witch to me, Arcturus. I have use for a companion now that I am getting older."
Hermione blinked, wondering why all of them were fighting over her. Wouldn't she be a terrible burden? Despite the secrets her blood had revealed, she was still muggle-raised.
"Ha, a spinster like you wouldn't know the first thing about caring for a child," Pollux argued back, looking down on his sister with disdain.
"I know more about being a witch than you do, Pol," Cassiopeia answered with a huff.
"And Cygnus and Druella know more about raising daughters than you do," he countered. "They already have three of their own. Obviously, they have the experience needed for this task. Hermione would have playmates her own age."
Hermione made a noise at the thought of being playmates with the likes of Narcissa and Bellatrix. "I don't need a playmate," she snapped, unable to stop from speaking up now that they were fighting over her like she was a piece of meat. "I'm not a child."
"See, she doesn't want to go with your pompous son in the first place," Cassiopeia said triumphantly. "Arcturus, do the reasonable thing and give Hermione to me. I will take good care of her."
Arcturus was looking at her curiously. "Cygnus and his wife do have experience raising a child," he mused, before his eyes flickered over to Orion and Walburga. "But, so does my son. And I believe Hermione would be of an age with Regulus."
"They raised one blood traitor already," Pollux snarled. "They certainly can't be considered."
"And your son has raised a blood traitor, as well," Arcturus countered. "Or have you completely forgotten the unpleasant business with Andromeda and her mudblood?"
Hermione flinched at the word, used to having it hurled at herself. She did not particularly want to go with any of this family. She wanted to find a way to speak with Dumbledore, certain that he'd be able to get her back to her proper time if she was just able to explain to him what had happened.
"Besides, Hermione showed up at Grimmauld Place," Arcturus continued. "So she must have some familiarity with the place. Have you lived there, Hermione?"
"Um, yes, but just for a short—"
"Then it's settled. It will be easier for her to adjust in somewhere familiar," Arcturus said, effectively silencing all the rest of the discussion. "Hermione will be in the care of Orion and Walburga. I'm sure that they will be up to the task."
Pollux looked like he wanted to argue some more, but then he seemed to be reminded that Walburga was also his daughter. Cassiopeia looked hurt to be pushed aside, but was not willing to go against her Head of House.
Orion cleared his throat from his place next to her, ignoring the rather stricken look that his wife wore. "Thank you father," he said, with a nod. "I promise that we will take our new responsibility very seriously. Hermione will be like a daughter to us, despite how she came into the family."
"Good," Arcturus said, pleased that the matter was settled. "Now, why don't you take her home. I'm sure you have much to discuss."
"And get her some proper robes," Irma squawked, obviously still disappointed at having to accept her into the family.
Hermione wanted to say something, but Walburga was wrapping an arm around her shoulder, leading her back to the fireplace so they could floo back to Grimmauld Place. She followed her, one foot in front of the other, all while she tried to figure out what the hell had just happened.