She who walks in Darkness

Her heart rate quickened as she felt a lump come to her throat, nerves overtaking her. Her fingers trembled as she felt her palms become damp with sweat and there it was once again, the inexplicable warmth brushing against her as if an external force was trying to comfort her. Summoning her courage she opened up the piece of parchment and flattened it out, gazing over it waiting for her eyes to focus. It was a formal document from the Ministry, signed and letter headed by the DMA – the Department of Magical Adoption. A whimper came from Hermione’s mouth as she read down further.

Thea Adriana - - - - - - -

The custody of the above named child is to be transferred to the foster parents agreed below for the amount of time required before the birth parents are able to reclaim their rights.

In the instance that the parents of the above are deceased then a formal adoption will be completed (see final signatures). If only one is deceased or otherwise incapacitated the remaining birth parent will regain official custody of the child at a time in which they are able to care for it.

As requested the child is to be placed into the custody of Muggles, given the circumstances surrounding its protection. The Muggles will be forewarned of the magical world and be in contact with the Guarantors/Witnesses of this Adoption for further advice if required. The Guarantors/Witnesses shall only be named out of the necessity for available information for the foster parents. There will be no direct contact between the foster parents and the Birth parents unless initiated by the Birth Parents. The above will not be informed of the adoption until he/she comes of age in order to further guarantee his/her protection.

A glamour charm is to be placed on the above by the Birth Parents in order to garner resemblance between the above and the foster parents for the sake of propriety. A point will be set by the Birth Parents for the removal of the glamour.

If and when the child is returned to the Birth Parents, the foster parents are to have no further contact to ensure their own safety and to have their memories modified as well as receiving sufficient compensation.

Signed by:

Persephone Floros                         - - - - - - - - - - -

Mother                                                                 Father

Jeanne Granger                             Charles Granger

Foster Mother                                                   Foster Father

Witnessed by:

Severus Snape

Lord Lucius Malfoy

Lord Alonzo Zabini

Completion of official Adoption following the death of the Birth Parents:

Adopted Mother                                                              Adopted Father

Hermione looked down and steadied herself, she wasn’t stupid, it was clear that these were her adoption papers, that the baby in the photographs was her and she’d simply made the Ministries job easy by obliviating her parents…..her foster parents before they had left. However, just because she understood the paper laying in front of her didn’t make it any easier to absorb, her whole life had been a lie because of the signatures on this paper, her upbringing as a Muggleborn, her name, even the way she looked judging by the baby in the photograph. She scanned the paper again looking for anything that could give her identify more depth, more clarity. Her name was Greek as was her Birth Mother’s. She recalled the legends her father…..no, her foster father, had read her as a child. Tales of great heroes and Gods, of the beautiful Persephone, daughter of the Goddess Ceres, who fell to the darkness, to the Lord Hades who kept her trapped in the underworld with him for six months each year until she grew to love him. She wondered if her mother’s experience had been similar. From the smattering of Greek she had learnt for translation purposes in potions her name meant ‘Light’ for Thea and ‘Dark’ for Adriana. A wry smile crept over her face as she looked down at the two words, almost as if they were giving her a choice.

From the witnesses she could clarify she was most likely Pureblood, and powerful at that. She tried to think back over well-known Pure Bloods, well known Death Eaters, to see if any were of Greek origin but none came to mind. She could at least rule out the three witnesses as potential fathers. Where her father’s name should have been, and indeed where her own surname should be was the mysterious mist again that had blurred the figures in the photo album. Clearly someone had gone to a lot of trouble to keep all identities hidden from her. Glancing down to the bottom of the page Hermione caught her breath as she realised that, as no formal adoption had been signed for or taken place that meant her parents were still alive! A well of excitement bubbled up within her until unwelcome memories flashed across her mind, the clear picture of her mother against the other blurred figures in the album, the clear name on the certificate against the blurred one of her father’s. Maybe only one of her parent’s was living, after all, no one can hurt the dead, they don’t need their identity concealed.