By Reason Of Birth

THE MEETING

Two days later, Hermione, Eugene, and Madeline Granger took the two hour drive into Central London, arriving at their destination half an hour ahead of time, and decided to spend their remaining time together as a family visiting a local coffee house.

They were back at the office at three twenty-five and sat in the waiting room after telling the secretary they were there. Not more than a minute later, they were escorted in to a large office, the Nott family already sitting off to one side of the room.

Theo was seated between his- their- parents, looking just as she remembered him. Their mother was seated to his right. She was wearing immaculate melon-coloured dress robes, the colour perfectly complimenting her skin. Her long, dark brown hair was left loose, flowing down her back in soft waves. Her face held very little makeup, accentuating her best features. She was pretty but not beautiful, and reminded Hermione very much of herself.

Mr. Nott- her father- was on Theo's other side. His build was very like his son's, only with a little more meat on his bones. He looked very nice in his light grey robes. His hair was also clipped short, and Hermione had the sneaking suspicion that the wild hair gene ran through his family. His facial features were strong where his wives were soft, with a square jaw, slightly wide eyes and a long, straight nose, which he had also passed on to his son. He had the type of looks that constables hated- average height, average build and average looks.

Hermione gave them a tentative smile before her attention was brought to a short, stocky man in professional Wizarding robes with beady eyes and a handlebar moustache. "Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger, it's a pleasure to meet with you again," the man said, shaking their hands. "And this lovely young thing must be Hermione. It is nice to finally meet you. My name is Philip Fry, and I am your family's barrister." He lifted her hand and gave her a slight bow, though he didn't try to kiss her hand.


He let her go, motioning for the three newcomers to sit in the chairs across the room from the Nott's. It was a small room though, and there wasn't a gap between the two groupings of chairs. Mr. Fry sat behind his desk and shuffled through some papers. Hermione didn't know if there was a point to it or if he was just trying to look important. It didn't really matter to her either way, she was just looking for something to focus on to try and stop the slight nervous tremble that had wracked her body.

After a minute, Mr. Fry cleared his throat and looked up at his tense employers, noticing how everyone in the room was trying to look at everyone else without being noticed themselves. "You are all here today so we can discuss the arrangements of the change of custody of one Hermione Granger."

He hadn't gotten very far before Hermione cut him off, making an observation. "I'm sorry, Mr. Fry, but did you say 'change of custody'? It would seem to me that if today is actually my birthday rather than in two days from now like I have always believed, then I am legally of age and therefore under my own custody."

"Yes, Miss Granger, that is true. What I am speaking of are really the plans that must be made to remove you and your things from the Granger's home to that of the Nott's." Hermione looked at him suspiciously, more questions popping into her mind, but she nodded at him to continue.

It took an hour just for Mr. Fry to go over the adoption contract with a fine-tooth comb and try to smooth out all the legal details of Hermione's return to her birth family. Her temper had been rising throughout the meeting, everything she said swept aside as though her feelings about what was going on made absolutely no difference whatsoever.

It was when Mr. Fry unceremoniously placed a document in front of Hermione and handed her a quill expecting her to sign it without any questions when she finally blew up. She looked down at the parchment, reading the first line. "No," she said, looking up and staring straight at the barrister. "I refuse to sign this."

"Excuse me?" he asked, taken aback.

"This paper," she repeated, waving the parchment in the air. "I will not sign it."

"Why not?" he asked, genuinely confused as everyone else looked on.

"Why not?! Because if I sign this form I will no longer be a Granger! I may be a Nott by blood, but these two Muggles sitting next to me are my parents, my family. They raised me for my entire life with love and care. Whenever I was hurt, they kissed it better. Whenever I was sad, they made me laugh. Whenever I needed them, they were there. If I sign that parchment, I will be renouncing them and I WILL NOT pretend that I was never their daughter, like they were just a dream."

By the end of Hermione's tirade, during which she stood up, leaning over the desk towards Mr. Fry in an intimidating manner, all four of her parents had tears in their eyes, though Brisco Nott's were the only ones that didn't spill over. The Granger's were crying for the obvious love their daughter held for them and the love they felt in return, while her birth parents were crying because they could not be all of those things for their daughter.

"But, Miss Granger, you have to sign them," the barrister sputtered out. "The adoption agreement clearly states that at the age of seventeen you are to leave the Granger's and fully enter Wizarding society."

"The agreement says so," she mocked, showing her young age. "I didn't sign that contract. I wasn't even alive then! Come up with a different solution if you like, but I won't be signing that as it is. What kind of stupid contract was it to begin with, waiting until I'm of age? I thought you people were Slytherins! If you wanted me to do exactly what I'm being told without argument you should have had this meeting last week when I was still a minor."

"Hermione, dear, you would have still argued a week ago," Madeline pointed out. She and Eugene weren't in the least bit surprised by Hermione's outburst, knowing she wasn't going to take the meeting all too well. Brisco and Caoilinn looked hurt by Hermione's refusal, though they couldn't blame her for her feelings.

Hermione fell back into her chair with a 'harrumph', her arms crossed over her chest and her face glaring at no one in particular.

Theo stood up from his own chair and went behind Hermione's, gazing down at her with a sympathetic look on his face. "Hermione, why don't you come for a walk with me while these five come up with a suitable compromise," he said, speaking for the very first time as he held his hand out for her.

She looked up at him warily, biting her bottom lip before slowly nodding and taking his hand. Once she was standing they each let go and walked out of the room, neither glancing back. Before they left the building, though, Theo stopped at the men's toilets to take off his robes and Shrink them to fit in the pocket of his trouser shorts, happy to finally be allowed to do magic outside of school. His clothes were Wizard made, but fit in well enough when around Muggles.

The two walked out the building and into the early summer heat, Hermione pulling a pair of sunglasses out of her bag. They walked aimlessly through the city, neither really talking, the silence comfortable between them. After a bit, Theo noticed that Hermione was slowing down, taking light steps in the heels her parents had insisted she wore. A block down the road he saw an outdoor cafe and asked if she would like to stop for a bite to eat. She answered with a grateful 'yes' and they made their way over to the cafe.