The War of the Tainted Blood

Summary: Hermione’s life takes a turn for the worse. She learns a few things about who she really is.

Chapter 1: Disruption

Hermione Granger thought herself a pitiful creature. Her hair was thick and frizzy. It refused to be tamed. The thick bristled brush she was currently using was a hindrance and did little to flatten it’s traitorous ways. She was not a beauty by any means. Of course that didn’t necessarily mean that she was ugly either. In fact she was pretty sure that not having a boyfriend had to do with two things. Her overbearing yet protective friends Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, and even then it had mostly to do with her excessive knowledge of many subjects.

Of course Hermione had a much more serious problem. The War of the Tainted Blood: that’s what the ministry of magic and others had begun to call this new civil war. The name was a bit demeaning and uncalled for, but this was the way with wizards who valued little change. Oh and of course because the Minister of magic was a complete and utter fool.

She was rather excited despite the horrifying effects of the war thus far. In fact she was finally going home today! Okay so she was headed off to Hogwarts. For the last six years that was where she considered herself most at home. She kind of felt guilty that she was as excited as she was when it meant leaving her parents. Hermione didn’t dare tell them what was happening in the wizarding world. She doubted that they would be very supportive of her returning, even if she was going to be legal in a few weeks.

Hermione stood and went about making sure that she didn’t forget anything. Nope, she had everything. In fact her room looked extremely bare. She had started packing up everything at the beginning of the summer, and that included all of her childhood memories. She did plan to come back for a week after she graduated, but she really didn’t want to spend her time packing. Of course that could just be an excuse because anyone who knew her would know that she liked to be organized and well prepared.

“Hermione!” She jumped at the sound of her name.

“I’m coming mom.” Hermione replied and gathered up her trunk, thanking the gods that she was smart enough to have acquired a trunk that appeared to be light as a feather. This was one of the many reasons why she enjoyed being a witch. With a quick glance back at her room she was overcome with a sense of loss. It was odd that even though she and her friends had been fighting in the wizarding world since she was twelve, that the loss of her innocence was just now hitting her. Taking in a shuddery breath she closed the door on her past and turned towards her future, at least she hoped that she had one to look forward to. No Hermione! You will survive! So will Harry and Ron. She admonished the very thought from her mind.

Hermione made her way downstairs. Her parents where waiting for her patiently. Her mother stood before her trying to give her a reassuring smile although it didn’t quite reach her eyes, and her mother was clutching her purse to her as if it was her only life line. Her father held the door open, her caged cat in his other hand and he was frowning, his thick bushy eyebrows furrowed together.

The sound of her heart pounding in her chest had Hermione sucking in a deep breath. Did they know about the war? Where they going to make her stay? No of course not, her dad was even holding the door open. “What’s wrong?” She heard herself question.

Evelyn Granger’s forced smile slipped from her face. “Nothing for you to worry about just yet. We should get going if we want to fight the traffic.” She replaced the smile for her daughter’s safe before quickly taking off in to the morning sun and gracefully sliding in to the family car.

Hermione looked at her father trying to discern the gravity of the situation. In must be pretty bad because he wouldn’t even look at her.

“Come on Hermione, the baggage area is open.” Rick Granger said quietly.

Sighing for a dramatic air, she hastily went about placing her magical trunk on top of her muggle one, that they had piled into the cargo hold last night. When she had securely shut her belongings in, Hermione slipped into the back seat with her bedraggled cat, Crookshanks.

Soon they were off, on their last trip to the Hogwarts express. Although this time the trip to the illusively hidden train was strained in silence.

“Mom, Dad did I do something wrong?” Hermione finally asked as they began to unload the trunks.

Evelyn and Rick shared a long look, then Rick spoke softly to his wife, “You two go on and talk I’ll load these on a push cart, and meet you at the entrance in 15 minutes.”

“But…but Rick do we have too?” Evelyn cried.

“You know we do.” Rick replied tersely, before pushing his wife and daughter in the opposite direction of him.

When they were a safe distance away, Evelyn sat on a bench and pulled Hermione down next to her. “Listen here dear,… I…you…what I mean to say is….I’m going to tell you a story okay?” Evelyn forced out.

Hermione nodded hesitantly.

“Uh…when you were about eight months old…Hermione you must understand that your father and I both love you.” Evelyn said breathlessly.

“Of course and I love you guys too. What is going on?”

“Well you see. You came to your father and I when you were eight months old…an old women brought you to us, saying that you needed to be protected and that we weren’t to tell you about it until you were on the train to school for your last year. She explained to us that we would understand what she was referring to when the time came. She said to tell you that you need to seek out information on a man named Geoffrey Weasley, to fulfill the duties of your biological family. I can‘t have children so you were a blessing and we took you in and have loved you like you were really ours.” Evelyn cried and hugged Hermione to her fiercely.

Hermione was still trying to take in all that was said to her, when her mother… no when Evelyn Granger hugged her. Hermione stayed still in shock, refusing to hug the woman she had thought was her mother for as long as she could remember, back. The young lady broke free of the embrace of the older woman and stood, walking away towards the hidden entrance to the platform where she was supposed to get on the train. Leaving the weeping women to cry out. She spotted her fath…no… Rick Granger waiting with her luggage. He nodded to her, “Alright Hermione?”

“No! How can you ask me that?!” She spoke angrily, grabbing the cart and just as she was preparing to enter where the train had docked, she heard. “We do love you, and hope that one day you can forgive us.”

Hermione started crying then, she turned around and hugging her father before quickly spinning about and disappearing.

Her carted trunks where quickly removed by magic and Hermione was suddenly alone with her cat. Her stomach churned as she climbed on to the train.

A horn blew and Hermione was quickly rushed into a compartment. The same compartment hold where she had first stumbled upon Harry and Ron. Except this time it held two Slytherins. She knew the two of them, for Slytherins they were actually quite friendly, of course they were pretty adapt at trickery. “Paige, Copernicus how are you this morning?” She chatted kindly, pushing the pressing issue of her parentage to the back of her mind. She did not want to dwell to hard on it when there were people around and duties to fulfill.

Paige Cook grinned cheekily, “Oh where doing just fine, and yourself?”

Copernicus Cook snickered evilly, and Hermione narrowed her eyes, “What are you two up too?” She thanked the Gods for the window of opportunity for which she easily side stepped the question that had just been delivered to her. She was not a very good liar.