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Chapter Text

Hog's Head Inn

June 30, 1980

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to the kind of whom he so despise, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal in every way. He will have power the Dark Lord knows not…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…."

Dumbledore's scalp prickled, the hair on his arms rose up as he listened to Sybil Trelawney reciting a prophecy about a boy, who would put an end to Tom Riddle's reign of terror.

He couldn't quash the feelings of hope surging in him as the seer recited the prophecy for the second time.

Trelawney's eyes remained unseeing, her face blank.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to the kind whom the Dark Lord despise, born as the seventh month dies…"

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Standing in a flight of stairs that led to the upper floors of the Hog's Head Inn, Severus Snape was able to hear parts of the conversation, as well as the unexpected prophecy that the woman had started spouting.

He had been hanging carefully to Trelawney's words, and committing everything to memory, when Aberforth – the owner of the Hog's Head Inn, and Dumbledore's brother – saw him and suddenly started manhandling him away from the stairs.

"What are you doing here?!" Aberforth growled, taking him by the arm and began pulling him out of hearing range.

"What is your business here this time of night?"

Severus, of course, had come prepared with an alibi to explain his presence if he was caught eavesdropping.

He shook his arm off from the other man and turned to face him.

"I had come for Dumbledore. I have an urgent message that I must deliver to him in person lest –"

"FOOL!" Aberforth burst out without warning, pushing and hauling him towards the door. "If you need to talk to Albus, you best wait in Hogwarts! These are dark times, and dark matters are better left spoken in secure location where there are no ears on the walls. Now, get out!"

Aberforth threw him out the door.

But Severus didn't do as the old man had suggested. He didn't wait for Dumbledore in Hogwarts, instead he immediately disappeared and reported back to his Master.

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"Severus, what is it do you want?" Voldemort asked, drumming his long fingers against the armrest. Red eyes staring at the man kneeling before him.

"My Lord, I came to report of matters that might be...relevant to our cause." Severus began, keeping his head bowed. "I have followed Dumbledore to the Hog's Head Inn, where he met the seer – Sybil Trelawney – and heard a prophecy that you might find interesting."

"Prophecy?" Voldemort sat up straight. "A prophecy about what?"

"The prophecy of a child that was said to have an unknown power to defeat you."

Voldemort stiffened at the news. His mind came to a screeching halt.

There was an unsettling silence that followed.

Severus didn't look up as he waited for the Dark Lord to respond.

"Are you able to remember the prophecy, Severus? Word for word?" Voldemort asked in a slow, icy tone.

"Yes,"

"Let me hear it then."

Severus recited it to him.

.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to the kind of whom he so despise, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal in every way. He will have power the Dark Lord knows not…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…."

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Voldemort sat there, silently contemplating what this prophecy could do to his plans, plans that he had already set in motion.

He didn't really believe in prophecies. However, if this child had an unknown power to defeat him, Voldemort couldn't very well ignore it.

Apart from Albus Dumbledore, he needed to make certain that there was no one out there who would dare oppose him.

He won't leave it to chance.

The child must die.

It didn't take him long when a plan began to form in his mind.

The only way to know about a child born at the end of July - other than the birth registry in the hospitals all across Great Britain, or even perhaps the world - was the Book of Admittance within one of the towers at Hogwarts.

The book that would report the birth of a magical child, as confirmed and written by the Quill of Acceptance.

"Severus, I want you to find a way to enter the tower that has the Book of Admittance. Keep a constant eye on it and make sure that you check if the Quill of Acceptance has written any name on the book by the end of July, or even afterwards."

"I understand, my Lord."

Born to the kind of whom he so despise.

From the seer's words, Voldemort deduced that the prophecy spoke of a child, who would either be a half-blood, or the son of a blood traitor. Voldemort refused to believe that it was a mudblood since the prophecy had clearly stated that the child had the power that Voldemort was unaware of.

It meant that the child must have magic in their blood.

"One more thing, Severus. If a name is, indeed, written on the Book of Admittance, then you must verify that the child is born on the exact day, and whether he is a half-blood or born from bloodtraitors. Once you have confirmed it, I want you to search for his location and report back to me."

"Yes, my Lord." Severus replied in a monotonous voice.

It was a daunting task to be sure, but one Severus must do to serve his master.

"I will do everything you ask of me, my Lord."

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After Severus was gone, Voldemort called his other Death Eaters who had connection to other Wizarding Schools from all across the world. He ordered them to contact the Headmasters or Headmistresses of the schools, and used whatever means necessary - blackmail, death threats or whatever diabolical concoction they could come up with – to get information.

Other than the Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance, the other Wizarding schools had their own methods in knowing the birth of a magical child, who deserved to be admitted in their school once they were of age.

Voldemort was going to fully exploit the Wizarding Schools Admission System.

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Later that night, Severus decided to meet up with Dumbledore at Hogwarts. This was as good as any to enter the Castle and cast a spell around the tower containing the Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance.

For certain Aberforth must have already informed Dumbledore that he had spotted Severus at the Hog's Head Inn.

In which case, Severus would have to meet the Headmaster and give him a piece of information as he had them believe.

"What were the important thing that you wanted to tell me, Severus?" came Albus Dumbledore's question while he sat back in his high back chair, with his hands entwined in front of him.

The head master's eyes held no warmth for Severus as he met his stare unflinchingly above the wizard's half-moon glasses.

"The Dark Lord knows about the prophecy, Dumbledore." Severus began. "He has an informant who had used the seer's Aunt to extract the memory of her hearing the prophecy in passing. The Dark Lord has been informed of the child."

It was half the truth. The informant had only heard about Sybil's Aunt mentioning about her niece spouting out prophecy about the Dark Lord, but never the exact detail, which was why Severus was sent to confirm this before he could inform the Dark Lord, and Severus had trailed after the woman when she went to the Hogshead Inn and listen to her supposed job interview.

Dumbledore's deep, piercing blue eyes stared straight into Severus'.

Carefully, and with expert subtlety, Severus kept his mind completely calm and blank. He hid those fleeting images of him talking to the Dark Lord.

"Why have you come to inform me about this, Severus? Now…after all this time?"

Severus was prepared with yet another explanation if Dumbledore wasn't easily convince. He knew Dumbledore was a sentimental fool, and everyone remembered Severus Snape for carrying a blazing torch for a certain redhead muggleborn when he was at school, and added to that, was the fact that Severus was still in love with the woman. Surely, Dumbledore would believe him if he let his emotions show in this case?

"For Lily…." Even until now, saying her name out loud made Severus' chest constrict, his throat to tighten with an emotion that he had become familiar with - bitterness, but also savage, and terrible longing.

Lily..

"It's for her…" Severus said, swallowing audibly, trying to shake off the lingering emotion that rush through him. Despite that, however, the knot in his chest remained, as if the wound of Lily's decision would forever remain fresh and aching.

Hidden beneath the long sleeves of his robes, his hands were clenched into fists.

"I couldn't care less what happens to her son and husband. But I want you to do everything you can to protect Lily Evans, Dumbledore…"

His voice cracked at the end, inspite of the fact that he was there for another reason altogether, and not really for the woman who rejected him.

Yet…it was always Lily who elicited these unwanted emotions from him – emotions that remained unrequited.

He was a fool for still loving a woman who was already taken.

"Protect her at all cost. I beg of you…"

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Severus had been sincere about his thoughts regarding Lily's protection. Perhaps it was the reason that Dumbledore had easily believed him.

And also, because Dumbledore had given him a mission.

Severus was asked to spy for the Order: to become a double agent.

Since it was the only way to keep up with his deception, he had agreed.

Afterward, Severus bid his farewell and did what he came to do.

Sticking to the shadowed halls of the castle, he found a way to enter the tower that had the magical Book and the Quill, without raising an alarm.

Hastily, he cast a spell and planted – of what looked to be a drawing of an eye and only visible by its maker – on the wall that would give him the entire view of the room, as well as allow him to peer closely and read what the Quill of Acceptance would write on the Book of Admittance.

Severus had then cast another spell that would instantly notify him when the Quill started moving, without the need to be physically present within the room.

And as swift as he arrived, and silent as death, Severus slipped out from the castle like a shadow in the night.

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Later, through the eye on the wall, Severus saw Dumbledore casting a detection charm around the tower, as if to remove hidden spells that were already put in place.

Fortunately, the spell that Severus had cast was of his own making; it was simple, undetectable, where he only could see, yet very powerful.

After deducing that there were no spells at work within the tower, Dumbledore cast his own spell – a different kind than Severus' eye – but with the same intent.

It looked like Dumbledore had the same thought as Voldemort, to make use of the Book of Admittance and Quill of Acceptance to know the name of the child.

Now, the waiting begins.

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At exactly midnight, as the clock struck twelve, it was the end of July.

The day when the prophesied child was said to be born.

The first one, who would be able to get a hold of the child, would have the power to end or win the war.

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Severus was at his home.

The clock said it was already 3:33 am when his 'Hidden Eye' notified him that the Quill of Admittance was already moving – no, writing – on the Book of Admittance.

He muttered a spell to connect his vision with the eye. A heartbeat later, Severus observed how the magical Quill scribbled on the yellowing pages of the Book of Admittance.

He frowned when he saw the name.

It wasn't a he like the prophecy had said.

But a she.

…

Hermione Jean Granger

Chapter Text

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The prophecy was a tricky thing.

Ambiguous at best.

And therein lay, the crux of the matter.

Nonetheless, Severus wasn't going to stay put simply because the name was female.

He would search for the child and verify that she was born from those whom the Dark Lord despised, either she was a daughter of a blood traitor or a half-blood.

But considering that he had never heard her family name before, she must be…

A muggleborn.

One of the kind whom the Dark Lord had left out from the list, perhaps dismissing them as too low to even have the possibility to defeat him.

An oversight which would certainly cost the Dark Lord direly.

Not unless Severus brought this to the Dark Lord's attention.

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During his inquiries, Severus didn't find her records in St. Mungo's birth registry. But when he had finally gotten a hold of it in the Muggle's Statistical Office, he had been too late.

Dumbledore had gotten to the child first, which was the only confirmation that Severus needed to know the girl was, indeed, the child from the prophecy.

So far, the Quill of Acceptance had only written one name that day, and neither had he heard anything from the healer at St. Mungo's to tell him that a child was born under the specific category that he had provided.

Severus suspected the Head Master to have acquired the names of all pregnant women who were expected to give birth around that month.

As to how Dumbledore manage to accomplish the feat in such a short time, Severus could only surmise that the Order leader's vast connection had contributed to his immediate success in obtaining those records.

Admittedly, Severus had been bested, and now, he dreaded the moment when he would report back to the Dark Lord.

He knew Lord Voldemort would not take this well.

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As expected, the Dark Lord was livid, to say the least, about this turn of events.

Fortunately for him, Lord Voldemort was more furious about Dumbledore and the mudblood child, than he was with Severus, leaving him mostly unpunished for his failure.

He could sense the Dark Lord's surprise after he had told him about the girl's origin. And then, he had felt the wizard's seething, malevolent rage as if this fact alone had been the last insult to Lord Voldemort's existence; to have his greatest rival be a muggleborn, a female, and plus, an infant no less –the whole humiliating package - would prove to be a laughing matter in some circles within the Death Eater ranks.

The others would talk behind Lord Voldemort's back, there was no doubt about that. Others would only assume the worst and would think the Dark Lord too frightened of the child if they realized the true nature of the search, as surely as if the Dark Lord had announced to all of them that he had planned to murder a defenseless infant.

Certainly, many would think the Dark Lord a coward, though they would not dare say it to his face.

These thoughts must what made the Dark Lord decide to keep this fact undisclosed, and only divulge this to his most loyal followers.

Severus was one of the eight, whom the Dark Lord had called upon. The others, Lucius Malfoy, the Lestranges - Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange – and Evan Rosier, Clifford Mulciber and finally Llyod Nott, were the only ones who knew about the prophecy, and of the girl.

All eight of them were ordered to look for her and all returned with nothing.

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It was not until four months later, when Peter Pettigrew sought a private audience with the Dark Lord that they discovered where Dumbledore had hidden her away.

As Severus listened to Peter Pettigrew recount what Dumbledore had done, his face lost its color, becoming pale. His mind a whirlwind of frantic thoughts while a deluge of emotions lashed at him like a tidal wave, leaving him adrift, not knowing what to do next, and torn apart by loyalties that he began to question.

"So that is where Dumbledore has hidden her all along, I see."

Distantly, Severus heard the Dark Lord remarked to Peter Pettigrew.

The rat!

Severus' stomach churned, any other thoughts that he might have in that instance were completely drowned by the surge of fear and anxiety that swept through him.

Severus was frightened. More than he wanted to show.

Not for his life, but for someone else's.

Sooner that Severus would have like; Voldemort was already giving out his orders.

"Peter, I want you to lead them out of the house - and anyone who plans to interfere from the Order - to an ambush." Voldemort commanded as he sat on his throne-like chair. "Lie to them if you must, and direct them to where four of my Death Eaters are lying in wait at a muggle village. Bella will show you where it is. Remember it clearly Peter, as you are going to lead our enemy to that area. The village will be a perfect battleground where the Order members have more reason to be cautious than any other place, with them trying to reduce the damage and death count to a minimum if muggles are to be involve."

Severus was white as sheet by this time, his entire body growing cold by the second as he continued to listen to Voldemort speak.

"I will kill the child without anyone interfering. Do you understand Peter? Do you understand everything that I've ordered you to do?" Voldemort asked the small man in front of him.

Peter Pettigrew was cowering, nibbling his nails like a rat that he was.

"Yes, my lord." The small man squeaked, his wide, watery eyes were gleaming in part anticipation and part fear.

Severus wanted to kill him.

And as the Dark Lord was about to leave that night, desperation prompted Severus to act.

"My Lord," Severus said, his voice hoarse, cracking at the edges, nearly choking with his turbulent emotions. Swallowing, he immediately knelt down in front of the Dark Lord in supplication, his forehead touching the cold floor. "If you could spare a moment, please hear me out…"

Yet Severus knew, he knew, in the roiling depths of his mind, there was no amount of interference, or any kind of machinations on his part, that could stop the cruel Fates from doing as they pleased.

Everything had been decided – no, prophesied, Severus would soon realize, a little too late. And soon, he would be alone with the decisions that he had made, and would forever regret for the rest of his life.

Always.

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"Step aside!" Voldemort snapped impatiently, his voice like a crack of thunder in the gloom. His bony, white wand leveled at the woman who stood protecting the infant in the crib. "Severus has asked me not to kill you, but if you continue to defy me, I will not hesitate – "

"Please, don't! Not her!" the red-haired woman begged. Her pathetic, weaponless hand lifted up in appeal and defense, as if to stop him from coming closer to the child behind her.

"Not my daughter! She's only a baby! My baby! Please!"

Through the dimly-lit room, the woman's tears glimmered like fine-cut diamonds as it rolled down her cheeks; her emerald eyes swimming, gleaming with a wealth full of emotions, rich with her anguish, her helplessness, and her maternal instinct to protect the babe that was not truly hers.

If only the woman knew that her emotions were misplaced; her begging wasted - useless, given to an infant unworthy of any of those luxuries, much less deserving a chance at life.

"She is not your daughter, foolish woman! Now, stand aside!" Voldemort's voice, though even, cut like a deadly steel; its edges razor sharp. But his patience was wearing thin.

A momentary confusion fleeted on the woman's eyes, a faint knit of her brows was the only temporary crack on her alabaster face, but needlessly to say, she seemed to ignore his words and resumed her begging, "Please! Not her! Not my Hermi–"

Voldemort's patience finally snapped, his ruby-tinted eyes flaring - burning with menace, with tempered violence.

And with a twist of his wand, he said, "Avada Kedavra!"

At once, the room was bathed with a green light as the killing curse shot out from his wand.

"NO!" the woman shouted, half-turning towards the crib in the last effort to save the child.

How little it will do her.

"HER - MYYY – NEEE!"

Her voice seemed to echo, drawn out at the last syllable, a tune almost melodious when the killing curse slammed into her. The force of it pushed her savagely against the crib. It shook at the impact. The woman's terrified scream was cut off instantly and her emerald eyes were aglow, as if she had captured the killing curse in her gaze.

An unearthly stillness and quiet followed, that the sound of a needle dropping would have been deafening, right before the woman's body crumbled on the floor with a finality of a death knell.

"The girl is not your daughter." Voldemort informed her coldly, observing as the light from the woman's eyes slowly stuttered out, until he could no longer see a soul peering out at him from those killing-curse-eyes.

"You died for no reason at all other than to protect a child who is not yours. You died for the wrong child."

He didn't know whether the woman heard his final words or not, but it brought him immense satisfaction to see her gone, her annoying voice finally silenced at last.

Voldemort stared at her for a second. The mudblood's crimson hair was fanned out around her as she lay there staring emptily at the ceiling, her hair like the color of spilled blood on the carpeted floor.

A pity… Severus was so adamant to save you. Voldemort thought in complete detachment, stepping around the dead woman. But you were in my way, and that, is something I can't accept. No matter how much Severus had beg me to spare you.

His ruby gaze landed on the infant, where a pair of curious eyes stared back at him.

And you, you are an obstacle that I have yet to destroy. Voldemort halted in front of the infant.

At around six months old, there was nothing remarkable about her.

He took note of her brown hair - which was beginning to curl on her small head - a pair of brown eyes, and even browner skin.

Everything about her was brown, like the color of mud, or the dirt beneath his feet, or perhaps the color of freshly-dug earth, where he supposed, the girl would end up. Dead like the woman who had tried to protect her.

In silence, Voldemort continued to inspect her, trying to discover what set her apart from the other children.

To his greatest disappointment, he saw nothing.

There was nothing about her that could threaten his very existence.

Nothing at all.

Regardless…

Voldemort pointed his wand at the infant's chest.

The girl simply stared right back, remaining curious and unafraid.

She might become a thorn on my side if I allow her to live and grow, Voldemort thought and there was not a hint of remorse in his gaze when he finally uttered the killing curse.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Once more, the room was illuminated with an eerie, vibrant green.

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Almost in slow motion, Voldemort watched as another color bloomed in the girl's ordinary, brown eyes.

It was the reflection of death as it came for her in the color of green.

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He remembered the emerald jet of light hitting the infant, even recalled the child's piercing cry. He remembered it so vividly that he knew it was real - that this was real.

But then, to his complete and absolute horror, the curse rebounded.

Impossible, was the only thing his astonished mind could muster, in that split second, as the killing curse barreled back towards him.

In all his years as the most feared Dark Wizard of all time, Voldemort was hit by a killing curse – a killing curse of his own making.

There was an explosion that took half of the house.

And then, agony - sheer, utter, excruciating pain that could only be felt when his soul fragmented. It enveloped his entire being, ripping him apart and shredding his corporeal form into smithereens.

An agony that was so unlike he had experience when he had made his horcruxes.

He was in pieces, in tatters.

Voldemort felt himself die.

He sensed Death's unwelcome embrace.

And frightened of this, Voldemort fled, swiftly slipping out from Death's cold and deadly fingers.

Voldemort caught a last glimpse of the child crying in the crib just before he disappeared.

The girl was still alive.

At the sight of her still seemingly unharmed, all-consuming hatred simmered beneath the surface of what he had turned into - a shade, and Voldemort vowed he would find another way to kill the girl once he regained his power

Chapter Text

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WHITE OUT

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Green.

The color of growth, of balance and harmony.

The color of spring, of renewal and rebirth.

Yet the killing curse – it's emerald, iridescent light - was the color of death; a light to put an end to things, things that had once been full of vitality, of beauty, of life.

Voldemort didn't know that it could mean his own death.

His fall.

His end.

But for the girl, it meant her rebirth.

Her rise.

Her beginning.

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Green

The color of envy and greed, to want to own things, or people, that you were not supposed to own.

Green meant possessiveness.

As Voldemort had unknowingly marked the girl as his.

He had made her as his equal.

His   equal in every way.

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Lastly, Green symbolized hope, like the green sapling - or a rebellious weed that sprout out from barren earth.

A promised for a better future.

A beginning to every end.

A prophecy.

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FADE TO BLACK

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Dumbledore knew Severus had been lying when the man had come to Hogwarts.

He knew,   yet he had made Severus believe otherwise.

Dumbledore had allowed him to leave, to make Severus feel secure in his knowledge that he had fooled him, him – Albus Dumbledore - when in fact, Dumbledore had him by the thread all along.

The man was another weft he could fill through, over and under the warp threads in the tapestry of lies and half-truths that he had intricately and meticulously interwoven together; a tapestry full of warp ends that needed to be hidden away immediately upon completion.

It would be incredibly difficult for anyone, who didn't know warp-faced weaving as well as he, to completely figure out which color was essential, and which was not – to discard or use - amongst the limited color placement for the convoluted design that Dumbledore had set out to weave.

In the end, however, it all amounted to one dye: Kermes.

Or simply the color… red.

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A month after Dumbledore had taken the Grangers under his protection, he had then begun his preparation in securing a second fail-safe plan.

Dumbledore knew Tom would handle the slaying of an innocent child by his own hand, perhaps out of the misbegotten sense of duty - or to gloat of his invincibility, to show that there was no man, or anything out there, who could stop his rise to power – not even a child from a prophecy.

Tom would not leave it to his followers to kill the girl. Dumbledore was certain of this. Mayhap Tom would order his Death Eaters to look for her, but that would be all.

He understood Tom Riddle well enough to know how his mind worked.

And Dumbledore knew, too, where Tom was weak.

So he made his decision.

Dumbledore would have the child protected by an ancient and powerful magic, of which Tom knew, of which Tom despised, and of which Tom had always underestimated.

Something which would cost Tom Marvolo Riddle dearly.

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The requirements for the powerful and long-lasting counter-charm, Sacrificial Protection, can only be applied successfully, and become fully-form, if the victim is given a choice to live, but has ultimately chosen death instead, sacrificing his or her life out of deep and pure love to save the person they want to protect.

The second condition for the charm to work is for the victim to possess an innate magic in able for him, or her, to transfer and endow the charm on the beneficiary, wherein the magic will last even after the victim dies.

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Severus Snape was someone Dumbledore could use by his side. He had only need to prod him in the right direction and he would have the man's loyalty.

He needed Severus as his spy in the instance if all his plans failed.

But Dumbledore could only do that if the man turned his back against his Master.

This would mean using Lily - the only person whom Severus cared the most.

And if something were to ever happen to her…surely Severus would not so easily forgive and forget.

Then, there was that 'promise' that Dumbledore had made for Severus. He ought to remember that.

Severus had asked him to protect Lily Potter.

It was a minor wrinkle in his plans, yes, but it was one that could be straighten up easily with a few tweaks and pulls, and a bit of warping of truth.

But Dumbledore could hardly stop Lily Potter if she did something noble, could he? Knowing the woman, Lily would do exactly what Dumbledore predicted - both James and her. And Severus would only have to hear the part of Lily's sacrifice, and not every detail that led to it.

Then, he would have the spy working for him.

And guilt…guilt was another weapon that Dumbledore could use, a blade he could hang over the man as a constant reminder of Lily's sacrifice, to remind Severus not to let Lily's death be in vain, to force him to fight for the light as Lily had died for it.

Thus, Dumbledore would have to arrange a tragic incident. However, he would have to weave the thread gently and cautiously, measure the lengths equally, and pretend to keep the tension at an even distribution, to ensure that no one would blame him entirely when one coiled thread snapped out from the loom.

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It would mean killing two birds with one stone, which was something Albus Dumbledore occasionally indulge in, when no one was looking.

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exit

The requirements for the powerful and long-lasting counter-charm,  Sacrificial Protection , can only be applied successfully, and become fully-form, if the victim is given a choice to live, but has ultimately chosen death instead, sacrificing his or her life out of deep and pure love to save the person they want to protect.

The second condition for the charm to work is for the victim  to possess an innate magic  in able for him, or her, to transfer and endow the Sacrificial Protection charm on the beneficiary, wherein the spell will last even after the victim dies. Moreover, it will prevent the victim's murderer from ever touching the beneficiary, whose blood has been imbued with this ancient and powerful magic.

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The victim must be magical, Dumbledore thought wearily, taking his half-moon glasses off from the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes after reading the only copy of 'Lost and Unheard Magical Arts', lent to him by his long-time friend, Nicholas Flamel.

The child's parents are muggles. Dumbledore digressed. They won't be able to cast the Sacrificial Protection charm on the child at all. They will simply become victims if Tom finds a way to get to them, and the child will die. Something that I will not let happen.

Dumbledore rubbed his fingers against his brows, staring at the brass inkpot sitting on his desk, thinking deeply.

Unless…

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It's for the greater good, Dumbledore decided later as a plan took root in his head, a scheme so machiavellian that even he could feel the ghost of a certain blonde man's hand patting his shoulder, as if to say, that he whole-heartedly agreed to this scheming.

And there was no amount of convincing that would change Dumbledore's mind from walking down the dark path.

His morals had been question before and this wouldn't be the last.

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"We can protect her, Dumbledore." James suggested, something which Dumbledore had anticipated and hoped after subtly planting the idea in their heads.

"It's the least we can do for the child. She's the only hope we have left against Voldemort whose campaign of terror seem to have no end in sight."

"I thank you for offering to protect her, James, Lily…." Dumbledore said warmly to the couple sitting opposite him. "I know both of you would understand that keeping the girl with her muggleborn parents is unwise, most certainly when Alison and John Granger have no means to protect themselves from Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

There was a temporary pause as Dumbledore weighed in what he was about to say next. This was the delicate part where he needed to convince both James and Lily that his plan was the best option that they have, for both the Granger's and their sake.

"However, leaving Hermione in your home, while you have a son to take care of, is not something that I have in mind to ensure your family and the Granger's safety." Dumbledore began, choosing his words carefully.

Dumbledore noted the couple exchanging a look.

"Then, what do you advise we do?" Lily asked at length.

"A form of misdirection..." Dumbledore responded, though his eyes didn't twinkle. This was no light matter that he wanted to discuss with them.

This was something he knew the Potters would strongly object.

"Misdirection?" Lily echoed in uncertainty.

"Yes," Dumbledore responded in even tones.

If Lily Potter was left confused, James, on the other hand, understood well what Dumbledore was about to ask of them.

Dumbledore noticed the troubled look that had fallen over James' face.

.

It took Dumbledore a lot of time to persuade James and Lily, but in the end, they finally gave in.

"We understand that this is necessary, Dumbledore." James said grimly after Dumbledore had assured them that he would protect Harry, and become the Granger's secret-keeper - a responsibility of which the Potter's had held previously. "And we trust your judgement in this... We will take care of the girl."

Lily Potter was pale, when she too, agreed, "We will look after her, Dumbledore. We promise to take care of Hermione like she is our own."

"I am so sorry that it has to come to this James, Lily," Dumbledore said sadly. "But this is the only way to keep Voldemort and his spies from truly knowing where the child is hidden away. Voldemort will not suspect me switching her with another child, most certainly with them being so young – a one-month old and a one-year-old. In fact, he probably thinks that I will have the girl secreted away with her parents, as I am bound to do often when it came to families who needs a refuge, a place to hide. I keep families together, not separate them. This switch will be something Voldemort won't be anticipating."

"We understand, but Dumbledore…" Lily started, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears at the thought of Harry being taken care off by strangers, "May I – may I suggest that you modify the memories of Hermione's parents?"

Dumbledore didn't appear astonish at her suggestion, unlike James Potter, who stared at his wife in shock.

Lily saw James' reaction and explained, her voice quavering: "James and I do not know these muggles that well, though I am sure Hermione's parents are lovely people, but I don't want my son to feel that these people are taking care of him out of duty, out of obligation, even if it is a temporary arrangement. I want Harry to feel love – truly love by a mother and father who cares for him."

The red-head finished, her sea-green eyes welling up with silent tears. Dumbledore observed as James wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulder, but didn't say anything, merely nodded his head in quiet concession.

The Head Master regarded them both before saying, "If this is what you want, Lily… will you, and James, allow yourselves to be subjected with the same charms as well? To have your memories modified? For you to treat Hermione like she is truly yours?"

It was James' Potter who answered immediately before Lily could.

"No."

Dumbledore's gaze turned to the dark-haired man.

"No," James repeated, meeting the old man's gaze, "We don't need our memories altered, Dumbledore. We will take care of the girl like she is our own daughter. You have our word."

Dumbledore just nodded his head, unsmiling, his mind working furiously at this momentary set-back.

A little later than I planned, Dumbledore sighed inwardly, but knew Lily won't be able to handle being separated from Harry for long.

Dumbledore would wait for her to break, perhaps it would take months for that to happen, and once Lily was overcome with her sorrow, Dumbledore would broach the subject to James and hope that he would finally accept his suggestion: for either one of them, or both of them, to have their memories altered.

Of course, he would find reasons to become very busy if they tried to contact him, eliminating the chance of allowing them to see Harry. He had already provided them a poor estimation of how long they would serve as Hermione's parents, telling them that the temporary arrangement would only last around five months, when in truth, it could end up being years.

Hence, he had shared a little bit of what he had been doing in the past weeks. Dumbledore had told them that he was setting up a place for Hermione to stay if the moment arises when she might need another place to hide.

That was no lie. He was, in fact, doing something along those lines, and this undertaking would require most of his time and attention, something that he could use as a convenient excuse for his prolong absence, and for his failure to answer any of Lily's and James' inquiries in the future.

This is for the greater good, his mind echoed hollowly when another pang of guilt managed to seep into his carefully-guarded mind as his plans slowly locked into place.

James and Lily had already agreed, and now, he had just to throw the key into the river of Lethe and have it done.

The war must be won. No matter how many betrayals I have to make, or how many friends I must let die, as I wage this war with secrets and lying smiles, Voldemort must not emerge victorious.

And with those last thoughts, Dumbledore turned his attention to the present and looked at Lily.

"As to your suggestion, Lily. Rest-assured that both Alison and John Granger have both agreed to have their memories modified. They thought it prudent to temporarily forget their daughter as to keep up with the pretense. The switch is for their daughter's protection, after all. Moreover, John Granger had mentioned about preventing his wife from experiencing, of what I dimly recall as – what was it again?" Dumbledore paused, pretending to think deeply.

"Ah…" he said, pointing his index finger upwards as if the thought just came to him, "I remember the word. John called it post-nartum violet…" Dumbledore said in bemusement and looking at Lily Potter, waiting, waiting for the moment where she would correct him.

It didn't take long.

"It's post-partum blues," Lily said, a small smile tagging at corners of her mouth.

"Oh yes, yes, post-partum blues. Thank you for that, my dear. Forgive this old man for the lapse of memory." Dumbledore said, relieve to see Lily smile, as he had been afraid that the Potters would start acting coldly around him due to what he had enforce upon them.

"John didn't want his wife to feel depress or anxious, especially after childbirth." Dumbledore explained at length, "Hence, the memory alteration. They will take care and love Harry as you had hoped, Lily."

Dumbledore met the woman's gaze above his spectacles.

"No need to worry for Harry's well-being. I'm sure he will be in good hands."

At Dumbledore's words, Lily could finally relax and breathe easily, and nodded her head in gratefulness.

"Thank you."

Dumbledore gave her congenial smile, his eyes seeping in the warmth and the familiar twinkle that people had most often seen in his gaze.

Slowly, he rose up to his feet. The Potters did the same, with James letting Lily lean on him.

"Well," Dumbledore said, his tone light as he clasped his hands in front of him, his eyes still twinkling. "I won't say my farewell yet since I will be seeing you both again tonight when I bring Hermione here."

And take Harry to his new home, He conveyed in silence when he met their eyes.

Dumbledore saw Lily gripping her hands tightly and understood her distress. A part of him feel regretful for putting her and James through this, but this was vital to his plans, one of which he couldn't dismiss so easily.

"Who do you trust most with this secret?" The Head Master asked, looking at both of them.

"My friends. Sirius, Remus and Peter." James said automatically.

"Frank and Alice Longbottom." Lily added.

"Members of the Order," Dumbledore nodded his head in approval. "Even so, these secret must remain to only but a few. Choose only three to have with you as your emergency contact in the event if you are under attack."

Looking miserable than ever, the couple inclined their heads to show that they understood.

.

Dumbledore left and came back with Hermione, along with her things that same night.

It was the moment when Dumbledore would switch the children.

And when the moment finally arrived, Lily Potter was crying and hugging her son close to her while James wrapped his arms around them both.

Dumbledore gave them the privacy that they needed.

As James and Lily said their goodbyes, Dumbledore sat beside the baby carrier where the other child was fast asleep.

He looked at the girl and felt the weight of the world pressing down on him, hammering unto him that his spine might have bowed.

Here was the child who could tip the scales of the war, the child who could bring about the fall of Lord Voldemort.

If only Dumbledore could share half the burden to her. Yet as an infant, she would be of more use. Defenseless and vulnerable and weak, as she was, the child would the perfect bait that Voldemort would fall for, while James and Lily, on the other hand, would be the necessary sacrifice to spring in the trap; they would save many lives without them truly knowing about it.

And it would be with a heavy heart that Dumbledore would watch all of this unfold in the sidelines.

He looked up when, at last, Lily and James walked towards him. Lily was crying, her shoulders heaving from the sobs that she tried to repress. And Harry, unlike Hermione, the one-year old was still wide awake.

Dumbledore stood up and watched as James had to pry Lily's hold on Harry for Dumbledore to take him.

"All his stuff is in there," James said with a grim face, nodding his head towards the black bag sitting on top of the sofa. "Lily has created a list in there as well. You need to read them Dumbledore before you alter the Grangers memories. It's mostly about Harry, and what he likes and don't like, what food he's allergic to, and other things that Lily has written."

Dumbledore just nodded his head, carrying the small boy in his arms.

"I can't thank you enough for agreeing to do this." Dumbledore said, his eyes sad. Truly, this was a decision that he would forever remember and carry to his grave.

"I will be in touch…and I highly advice you against using the Owl Post and the Floo Network, for I fear Voldemort had both under heavy watch. The Ministry can no longer be trusted."

And with that, he left with Harry.

.

Chapter Text

Lily Potter hadn't stopped crying even after Dumbledore had left.

That was five hours ago.

"We will see Harry again soon, Lils...We will see him again…" James said, rubbing her back.

"It won't be soon, James. Not when there's still a war raging on." Lily said, her voice muffled against his chest.

James fell silent.

He already missed his son despite the fact that it had only been a few hours.

"I'm sure Dumbledore will allow us to visit Harry." He tried to assure her and heard her sniff in response, feeling the trickle of more tears on his chest.

James sighed and brought his wife closer to him, placing his chin at the top of her head.

"Harry will be fine," James said soothingly. "In the meantime, let's take care of Hermione."

I hope you keep your promise, Dumbledore.

.

"She is the only hope we have left to defeat the Dark Lord."James and Lilly told each other repeatedly as they welcome Hermione into her new home.

It was a relief that the child seemed to have easily accepted them as her parents.

Then again, she was only a one-month old baby after all.

.

Time seemed to crawl slowly for them as both James and Lily settled into a rhythm of domesticity, with them taking turns in watching over Hermione.

Yet the gaping hole that Harry's absence had left behind could never be filled with another child, even if they tried.

Hermione Granger would make a beautiful daughter, yes, but in the end, she was not theirs. But they treat her as one and provided her the love that her true parents would have wanted. Though more out of duty than anything.

A month had passed since the switch and James began to feel Lily gradually withdrawing and getting depress. It was palpable in the way she held Hermione, the way her eyes seemed to glaze in remembrance, and at night when he saw hear her crying over the blanket that had once belonged to their son.

In these moments, James would go to her, wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and try to comfort her as best he could.

He would listen to her cry and feel her pain like it was his own.

He, too, missed Harry, but he could hardly do anything with Dumbledore's absence.

.

James and Lily weren't allowed to see their son.

They soon found out when Dumbledore sent them a patronus six weeks later.

"I am so sorry, Lily. James. The risk is too great," came Dumbledore's voice from the patronus. "It will only draw attention if you are seen visiting a muggle's home, most certainly if you use the Floo Network, someone from the other side could still be monitoring those. They will be alerted when they discovered that a Floo network is recently establish in a muggle fireplace that isn't in their records. As to my phoenix, Fawkes, she is in no condition for taking you to the Grangers at this point. I've been using her to send messages and transporting me from one place to the next that I fear that I might have overtaxed her. It is the main reason that I've use the patronus to respond to your inquiry."

Lily, in turn, was upset after hearing Dumbledore's words but directed her attention into taking care of Hermione instead.

These days, James Potter kept a careful guard over his wife, noticing the growing shadows beneath her eyes, the pallor on her face, and the hallows on her cheeks.

He began to wonder if it was better to have Lily's memories altered as Dumbledore had suggested, but he shook the thought away before it completely solidify.

.

James leaned outside the door, listening to his wife cry again.

Bowing his head, he stared at the floor, his hands clenched tight.

He finally decided.

.

"I ask you this, Lily because I don't want to see you hurting. I asked Dumbledore, and he told me how the charms are done. It is a delicate process, but it can be reverse. I am sure I am able to do it on my own. Trust me, Lily. Think of Hermione, your mood can affect her as well. Hermione can sense your negative emotions and it won't be good for her - to an infant - you told me that remember?"

Lily was tight-lipped, but ultimately agreed.

A little later, James watched Lily playing with Hermione. Everything about her was changed; her smile, her face, the aura around her, she was completely changed.

The woman she had been, when Harry was still around, was back.

James was relieved to see her happy yet at the same time it sickened James to see her acting and thinking that Hermione was their daughter, he couldn't watch her do it. He was angry with himself that he had to result to altering Lily's memories, to stop her from spiraling down and straight into depression.

Dumbledore said that it was normal for a woman who had given birth to experience this. However, sometimes there were instances when the woman just simply snapped, and James didn't want to see Lily ending like that.

And Dumbledore had agreed that it was for the best.

.

A letter arrived from Dumbledore via Fawkes two weeks later.

Dear Lily and James,

My sincerest apologies for failing to respond to…

The letter began. They already know what they would expect, so they simply skimmed over the rest and only paused in the middle.

The construction is not completed, at this rate, I won't be able to pay you both a visit anytime soon. Though, after considering this for a while, perhaps, it is best that you choose a new secret-keeper, who can regularly bring you both news from the outside and allow your friends to visit your home, so long as they are members of the Order.

Given that I am serving as the secret-keeper to both you and the Grangers, it has become very difficult for me to find time...

In truth, I am working under time-constraints, and there are more matters that needed my attention, and the war…the war can't be won by itself.

It will be your choice if you accept my advice or not, as of now, I will hold responsibility for protecting both families until such a time when you have finally decided to choose a new secret-keeper.

.

It was in this moment that Lily and James decided that they might, indeed, need a new secret-keeper.

.

"Sirius will be an obvious choice."

"Then, Peter it is. We will choose him as our secret-keeper."

"Shall we tell Dumbledore?"

James considered this for a short while, before saying, "No."

.

Upon James request, Peter brought Sirius to Godric's Hollow so that James could tell him about Harry and…Lily.

"YOU WHAT?!" Sirius shouted after James was done telling him. He had made sure to cast a muffliato charm to prevent Lily from overhearing their conversation. "Did you just leave your son under the care of some strange muggles? My godson?! My godson! James, you are a complete idiot! You should have told Dumbledore to shove it up his arse! Not give in to his demands! That scheming old man! You and Lily might be the members of the Order but you still have the right to say no!"

"Sirius, seriously, calm down." James said, half-amused and half in dismay as Sirius' shout had woken up Hermione whom he was currently carrying in his arms. "Keep your voice low or Hermione will start crying."

Sirius instantly clamped his mouth shut. His blue-gray eyes settling on the infant in James' arms.

Lily was cooking Lunch in the kitchen and James was tasked to watch over Hermione in the meantime. Peter was watching them from the living room sofa and eating.

"When did the switch occur?" Sirius asked, slowly walking towards him to peer down on the baby.

"Three months ago." James answered, carefully arranging Hermione in his arms so that Sirius could look at her properly.

"And you just informed me now?" Sirius glared at him.

"Dumbledore was very busy." James responded, clenching his jaw. "Lily and I can hardly go out to buy groceries, much less allow a guest inside. He has forbidden us to go out of the house for fear of someone spotting us."

"How do you manage to survive these past three months?"

"Dumbledore has suggested that we stock the pantry with food that will last for a year."

Silence reigned which was only broken by the sound of Peter eating noisily.

"I was worried sick, you know." Sirius admitted, glancing at his friend. "Dumbledore has not answered any of my letters regarding you, Lily - and Harry. I wasn't even informed anything about a prophecy, at. all…and Lily? Why did you do it, James?"

James didn't have an answer to Sirius question, and avoided looking him in the eye, overwhelmed by guilt.

As if sensing his sullen mood, Sirius didn't press the subject and just turned to regard Hermione with a thoughtful expression.

For an infant, Hermione Granger, was a rather serious child, though at the moment, she was looking at Sirius with curiosity in her big brown eyes.

"Here let me have a close look at the baby," Sirius said, reaching out.

James reluctantly handed her over.

Sirius gently deposited her into his arms, already knowing how to hold a child since after his godson, Harry, was born.

In a moment of silence, Sirius stared at the girl, tilting his head from side to side. For her part, Hermione just blinked up at him. Sirius reached out and started tickling her under the chin.

The infant let out a soft giggle, showing her pink, toothless gums.

"Aww…she's cute," Sirius cooed, pinching her left cheek. "May I bring her with me?"

"What is she? Some puppy to you?" James asked, bemused, trying to take the baby away from him, but Sirius pulled Hermione out of reach, laughing.

"Yes, a puppy! Might I remind you that my animagus form is a dog? So it's only fitting that she will be my pup! Can you just imagine her tagging along after me?"

Sirius laughed again, his blue-grey eyes dancing in mirth.

Then, he looked back at the baby in his arms and said in all seriousness, "Hmn…but are you sure she isn't your daughter, James? Because she has your eyes and –"

James punched his shoulder, scowling.

"Not funny, Padfoot!"

"Ouch!" Sirius said, rubbing the spot where James had hit him. "Ok, she's not your daughter then, because surely, you can never sire someone as cute as Hermione! Look at that smile! And those gums! Have you ever seen such cute gums before James? Because yours, James, is not –"

James just gave Sirius a friendly shove, more amuse than ever.

"I think I will call her gummy bear, or shall I call her gummy pup?" Sirius said, grinning wide.

.

"Sirius, what in merlin's name are you doing?!" Lily asked almost horrified as she watched the man whirl around Hermione, who looked cross-eyed and probably even dizzy.

Lily strode quickly into the living room. Where is James? Lily looked around and didn't see her husband, only Peter nibbling on a sandwich.

He must have gone upstairs. She realized.

"I'm trying to make her laugh again, but she won't," she heard Sirius explained, sounding disappointed.

Lily walked towards him just as he stopped turning around on the spot, holding Hermione with outstretched arms.

"She doesn't squeal or giggle like Har –," quickly realizing what he was about to say, Sirius finished in a lame tone. "I mean… Hermione just look constipated."

"Hermione doesn't like to be whirled around! So give her to me before you make her sick." Lily demanded.

Sirius hastily handed Hermione to her, watching Lily with wary eyes.

"I can tell that Hermione's not going to be no fun when she's older. She'll probably be like you, Lily." Sirius said, trying to see if she would remember. "A stickler to rules."

Lily just shook her head at him, "Then, it's a good thing that she doesn't take after her trouble-making father, Sirius."

.

Disguised as muggles, Dumbledore and James stared up ahead.

"I've asked a friend of mine to take care of the construction." Dumbledore said as James surveyed the building. He could see muggles working on the place with their odd muggle tools and vehicles.

"All of this. The money, the paper works, the labor and the time spent, everything must be done the muggle way, James, you must understand." Dumbledore looked at the other man beside him. "This is a reason why I wasn't able to visit you and Lily."

James was silent, deep in thought.

"I see…but how are you able to withdraw money from Gringotts Bank without raising suspicion, Dumbledore?" James wondered out loud. "For certain, it has cost you quite a sum to renovate the place. The Goblins must be wondering what you did with those galleons, and perhaps one of them might have already reported your activity to Voldemort as we speak."

At this, Dumbledore merely chuckled.

James was startled.

"I did not use galleons for this, James." He said lightly, waving his hand towards the place. "My friend, whose name must remain a secret, has means to create gold and convert them to muggle money. That is all you need to know."

"And no one suspects that you are behind all of the renovation?"

"None." Dumbledore smiled, eyes twinkling. "My friend has many identities that he has kept in his years, as both muggle and wizard for his own purposes, and he has more connections than I have. He has made certain that everything cannot be trace back to me, or him."

For a while, James was silent, until he faced Dumbledore with his eyes hard.

"Then, do you intend to send Hermione's parents away after the place is finish?" James asked, his brows furrowing in disapproval.

Dumbledore's face turned somber when he said, "Let's hope that it will never come to that, James. Let's hope Voldemort is defeated and the war ended, and the place can never be used to house Hermione, except for what it was previously built for years ago."

"And how do you plan to end the war, Dumbledore?" James asked sharply, "What other things have you been doing aside from this?"

Instead of answering the question, the old man said to him: "James, do not worry. Hermione and her parents will be reunited after Voldemort is truly defeated, as you will be with your son. Other than overlooking the building's construction, I have already made arrangement to end Voldemort's reign."

This time, James' face was set into a hard line.

He could tell that Dumbledore was avoiding the question.

.

"James, what's wrong?" James heard Lily asked from the doorway.

He looked up and said, "Nothing."

Lily raised her brows, unconvinced.

"Ok, it's not nothing…" James sighed, watching as his wife walked towards him.

"Then, what is it?" Lily inquired, settling down to sit next to him.

"I've a got a feeling that Dumbledore is not telling us everything. He told me that he has plans to end the war, though I don't know what it is, but something about his words troubles me."

"Perhaps let's leave Dumbledore to his plotting, and you won't get yourself a migraine for it, dear James." Lily said gently, slipping an arm through his and placed her head over his shoulder.

"I am sure Dumbledore's plans are all well and good. You need not worry over it."

.

CRACK!

"JAMES! LILY! HURRY! HURRY!" Peter shouted the moment he arrived at Godric's Hollow. "THE GRANGERS ARE IN DANGER! DUMBLEDORE HAS FALLEN AND VOLDEMORT IS ON HIS WAY TO –"

"Peter!" James said as he came running, followed by Lily who was carrying the infant Hermione.

Peter's eyes landed on the child.

No one is to interfere when I kill the child, Peter. He remembered what the Dark Lord had ordered him. You must lead them out of the house and into the muggle village for an ambush.

"What do you mean the Granger's are in danger?!"

Peter was brought to the present by James' voice.

"James!" He exclaimed, sweat dotting his brows, his eyes skittering this way and that, instantly nervous of the lie that he was about to say.

They have to believe. They have to believe me. Or the Dark Lord will kill me if I failed. I had to get them out the house. Perhaps not both of them. Peter thought as he glanced at Lily. Of course, James' will leave Lily behind with the child, but I'm sure Voldemort can handle in killing her.

"Dumbledore has sent me a message through his phoenix, Fawkes." Peter informed, sweating still. "Voldemort has discovered a way to the Granger's location and is moving in to kill them! He is going to kill Harry!"

.

"Lily, I want you to stay here." James told his wife. "I will get Harry and I will not let anything happen to him."

"I understand, James." Lily said worriedly, holding Hermione close to her. "I hope you get to him before Voldemort does. That poor boy, to have been burden with such a terrible prophecy."

He is our son! Our son! James wanted to shout, to remind her, but this was not the time, instead, he hugged his wife close to him. His eyes stinging with tears, his heart thundering in a staccato beat against his chest, akin to war drums before battle.

Perhaps he was going to war.

James released her and looked down at the child in Lily's arms.

Hermione Granger.

All of this was because of her.

James Potter began to wonder if he should hate her.

.

After getting Sirius Black and Frank Longbottom, they followed Peter to the muggle village, where the Grangers were supposed to have been hidden by Dumbledore, not knowing that it was an ambush.

.

Chapter Text

.

Peter had betrayed us. James thought as he fought against three death eaters who were there to ambush him and Sirius.

Sirius had already taken care of Bellatrix Lestrange, who had been cackling like an insane woman, right before Sirius had sent her crushing into a nearby house. James had heard some bones break and Bellatrix had not gotten up ever since. Though James was sure she was still alive.

Now, there was only Rabastan, Peter Pettigrew, Rosier and Mulciber to fight against.

James had already taken out Rodolphus Lestrange.

Years of discipline, and Auror training, had taught Sirius and James to move in accord. As soon as they had seen the masks figures surrounding them, James and Sirius had swiftly made to position themselves back-to-back, guarding each other sides while they immediately fell into a relentless rhythm of attack and defend.

Minutes had trickled by and they had stayed in the same position, even when their enemies tried to break their formation, trying to draw one of them out through a bit of provocation or a powerful spell that nearly caught them off guard.

Both Sirius and James knew that

Red, green, purple, orange and other colors flashing in the late hours of the morning as they fought in one of the muggle villages in London, where Peter had falsely told them where the Granger had lived.

Of course, they didn't know that it had been a trap.

Peter had lied to them, told them that the Granger's were under attack and Dumbledore had been taken.

Harry, James' son, was with the muggles - Hermione's parents, and James had been too damn worried, and Sirius as well, that they had trusted Peter's words so easily without checking first.

After all, there was no reason for Peter to lie or betray them.

How wrong they were.

James and Sirius' were both fools for trusting Peter, and now Lily was left alone with Hermione.

I have to get out of here.

James stood back-to-back with his friend, exchanging fire with the

that the Granger was under attack and Dumbledore had been taken.

The traitor had led them to a place where

There was a loud CRACK as another person appeared.

"The Dark Lord is heading to your house!"

It was Severus Snape who just arrived and his sudden appearance startled the other Death Eaters so much that James and Sirius were able to hit them with curses that should immobilize them.

"POTTER! BLACK! The Dark Lord is heading to Godric's Hollow!" Snape repeated and just like that James and Sirius burst into action.

Pulling his best friend beside him, the two side-along apparated together.

CRACK! CRACK!

Both James Potter and Sirius Black appeared at Godric's Hollow.

The instant James saw the destruction on the second floor of his house, he bolted for the front door.

He didn't shout or call his wife's name. It would have been foolish of him to do so. If he did, it would have surely announced Sirius' and his presence to any enemy who was still inside the house.

They moved purposefully and methodically to enter the house.

After being certified Aurors for years, it was already second nature to them to muffle their footsteps with a simple charm.

And like this was another house that they were going to search, James and Sirius fell into a familiar rhythm. They moved in tandem, silently signaling each other using their eyes and hands.

The enemy would be expecting them barge into the front door or the back door.

Hence, both decided to enter into the house in the unconventional way.

Through the windows.

CRASH! CRASH!

In a shower of glass, James and Sirius burst through the windows. Sirius from the front window while James from the side of the house.

They both arrived in the living room.

They tucked in and rolled and ended up in a crouching position with their wands at the ready.

Sirius was only able to enter the house after James had given him permission.

And so without a pause, they stood up. Their bodies coiled tight with tension and adrenaline surging in their veins. James swiftly casted a detection charm, like they had agreed upon, while Sirius covered for him.

For a few heart-thumping seconds, they waited for the result of the spell.

Soon, they discovered that there was only one live human within the house.

And no one else.

James went cold.

The only sound they could hear as they listen closely was the sound of a child crying upstairs.

"James! Let's take Hermione and leave from here before someone arrives!" Sirius said urgently, shaking his friend who seemed to have frozen. "Remember Dumbledore's orders! We must get her to somewheresafe!"

It was only through Sirius prompting that James was able to move, but the Black heir had to do with force.

They went upstairs to retrieve the crying Hermione and instantly apparated to the place where Dumbledore had said to take her.

The place Dumbledore had shown James before when it was still being renovated.

To Wool's Orphanage.

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"Her parents are well-known Dentists in their town." Dumbledore told his friend, Nicholas Flamel months ago. "Voldemort's followers must have acquired their names by now, and their description. They will find a way to look for them, and then her, even if I try to hide them amongst the muggle community or anywhere else. It will not be enough. I cannot risk them tracking the Grangers down. That place is a good place as any to hide Hermione, where no one will question her history. If something goes wrong with my plans, I will place her under the care of Ms. Figg, who has agreed to manage the place. Once Hermione has settled there, I will send Order members to keep tabs on the girl, which is the reason that I have included an animal enclosure of sorts at the back; a good enough explanation if wild animals are seen roaming about the place."

"And her parents?"

"I plan to give her parents new identities and send them to Australia. A blank slate for Alison and John Granger. They will not remember their daughter, nor they will look for her, as they should."

"I cannot say that I approve of this, Dumbledore." Dumbledore recalled Nicholas telling him in a grave tone, "Your methods is, without a doubt, sound but…it is utterly heartless, even for you. However, if this must be done to protect the girl and bring about Voldemort's fall, then I will help you achieve it."

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"Severus Snape: The Mass Murderer." Sirius read out loud as he gazed at the picture of Snape at the front page of the Daily Prophet. "You know he didn't do all of this Dumbledore."

He turned to the old man who was also reading his own issue of the Daily Prophet.

"James said he saw her holding Lily's lifeless body when he arrived back at Godric's Hollow." Sirius told the Headmaster. "Soon after that, Snape told James that he will find Peter Pettigrew and capture him. This must be the result of that confrontation. Peter must have murdered all those muggles but it was blame on Severus Snape when the Aurors arrive on the scene."

"Yes, you are probably quite right, Sirius." Dumbledore replied. "And we must remedy this matter. I shall sway the opinion of the public in favor of Severus. We shan't tolerate this hogwash."

.

"Severus needed our testimony, Dumbledore." Sirius said, "I never liked the man even when we were still in Hogwarts, but he warned us…he was the one who caught the Death Eaters off-guard and gave James and I enough time to escape, even though he had acted in Lily's best interest. He had warned us to go to the house. My mind can not rest if we do not testify in his behalf."

"And James? Does James want to testify too in his behalf?"

"James is still in mourning." Sirius said, his blue-grey eyes sorrowful. "Lily's death has been truly devastating for him. He no longer response to my mails at all. He seems to be isolating himself from the world."

"I see…Let James be for a while, Sirius. Give him time to grieve for his wife. As for Severus, I will testify for him. You don't need to worry. However, no one can know where Severus' loyalty truly lies. I shan't tell the court, or the press that he was the one that inform you and James of Voldemort's intention to act on that night of the tragedy. However, he will be of use to us if everyone believes that he's been serving as a Double Agent for the Order and Voldemort.

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"Severus Snape did not kill those muggles." Dumbledore testified to the audience at large. His voice clear and strong, reverting throughout the hollowed cavern of the court room. His unwavering eyes looked from one man to the next to show that he was telling the truth. "And he did not kill Peter Pettigrew as well. He was serving as a spy for the Order of the Phoenix. It was Peter who had sold the Potters to Voldemort and set-up an ambush for James and other Order members."

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NEWS HEADLINES

Albus Dumbledore testifies for Severus Snape

Severus Snape released from Azkaban Prison

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"You promised me to protect her, Dumbledore." Snape said, not even trying to hide his anger. "You promised me that you would. Then, why was the child in their home? Why was she place under their care when you knew that Voldemort was after her?!"

"I did, Severus." Dumbledore began calmly. "I was their secret-keeper before, but they had expressed their wishes to transfer the responsibility to someone else, someone who had the time to spare and bring them news to them from the outside."

Dumbledore's eyes took in a forlorn look. "I had been busy in preparing for another home for the girl that I failed to inform you of this development. Lily and James volunteered to take care of the child and to protect her too….I didn't expect for Peter to betray them, however."

"Then, you failed them Dumbledore. You failed them both."

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"We mustn't let the world know that it was the girl Voldemort was after and it was her that had defeated the Dark Lord. Let them believe that it was James and Lily's son, Harry Potter, who have vanquished the Dark Lord, and not a muggle-born girl." Dumbledore told the Order members, and turn to James Potter who is still grieving for his wife. "James, Harry must take up the role and become the poster boy for the Order. He must be known as the savior of the Wizarding World. No one can know of the switch that occurred before the night of the tragedy."

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NEWS HEADLINES

HARRY POTTER: THE BOY-WHO-LIVED

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"James, I know you have a lot on your plate at the moment. But I ask that you tell your son the truth about his role in all of this. He must know that he will be Hermione's true protector and shield against the coming darkness. A shield against Voldemort and his followers."

"If you want my son to become the girl's shield, then who have you chosen to be Hermione's sword?"

"Alice and Frank Longbottom's son. His name is Neville Longbottom and will be Hermione's sword once they go to school. Other than the Order members who will be keeping tabs on the girl at the Wool's Orphanage, I have chosen both Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom as Hermione's future protectors when they attend Hogwarts. It's an extra precaution that I will implement considering that some of Voldemort's inner circle are made aware of the switch, and would use this opportunity to kill Hermione when she's vulnerable. And this, I can't let happen."

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"It is the place where Tom Riddle will never care to look. A place he abhors and will never set foot again. The Wool's Orphanage. It's a perfect place to hide Hermione Granger…the Girl-Who-Lived."

Chapter Text

Every morning, Hermione Granger has developed a habit of looking at herself in the mirror. Not because she is vain, but because of the unusual scar she has at the center of her chest. A scar that never fades even after years has gone by. It's still remain an angry red. The shape was odd too. It was circular in shape. A shape that doesn't have an end or a beginning. It looks like a target was branded on her chest, and she wonders who would want to mark her for death?

Hermione doesn't even know how she acquired it, no matter how many times she asks Ms. Figg, the Head Director of Wool's Orphanage.

"You've had it since you came here, child. Perhaps you were even born with that mark." Ms. Figg had said when Hermione was still five years old, but she knew for the lie it was.

Hermione knows that it wasn't a birth mark, for she did her research and she saw pictures of birth marks and not one of them look like hers. What she has is a scar, even Mr. Moony - the librarian in the Orphanage - agreed that it is scar, and not a birthmark.

"I don't know what happen to you, Hermione." Mr. Moony had said, "But something bad must have happened when you acquired that scar."

After staring at the scar for a while, Hermione begins to dress herself for the morning and goes to her dresser where she has hidden away her secret stash of stolen goods. Hermione counts the little trinkets and makes certain that all are still there. Even now at the age of six, Hermione has become a creature of habit since she does this every morning too, for some reason, like it has been ingrain in her that she steals things from other children, or perhaps it is the voice in Hermione's head that forces her to do these deeds.

As much as she tries to shut off the insidious voice in her head, it always trickles to the surface of her mind which is hard for Hermione to ignore. Sometimes she even feels a throbbing pain in her chest every time she tries to refuse the voice, like it is threatening to shut down her heart if she doesn't do what it wants.

Like what happens yesterday when Hermione was reading a book in the children's library when Matt and his gang had come to taunt her.

"Weirdo," they called her while Hermione tried to ignore them as best as she could.

However, when Matt suddenly snatched the book she was reading from her hands and tossed it aside. It was in that moment when Hermione snapped.

Something dark inside her just broke free and she lose control. The voice inside her head told Hermione to hurt Matt, and so she did.

There was a snapping sound and the next thing she knew Matt was crying and holding his arm in a strange way, like it was broken by an unforeseen force.

Hermione was shaken by the incident that she ran into the woods, an enclosure built at the back of the Orphanage, where she hid amongst the foliage.

She was sobbing at that time when a big, black dog suddenly appeared beside her. At first, she was wary of it, but the dog looked friendly enough, so she allowed the dog to sit by her while she cried.

Hermione cried for a long time until she finally fell silent.

That was when Hermione decided to tell the dog what happened.

"I hurt someone," she said to it, and saw from the corner of her eyes that the dog seemed to look alarmed after hearing her words. "I hurt him because he took my book and toss it away. I don't know what happened next, but I heard – heard a voice telling me to hurt him. And so I did….Something happened afterward. I don't know what I did, but Matt was in pain, and I saw the look in his eyes…it is all my fault."

Hermione began to sniffle, but she felt a nudge on her shoulder and saw the dog raising its two paws up as if the dog wanted to give her a hug.

In response, Hermione simply laughed and then slowly hug the dog.

That was when Hermione knew that she made a friend for the first time.

However, she will soon discover that the dog will not only be her friend, but Hermione will soon meet others like him, such as a white rabbit, a cat, a weasel, or a white crow.

What's more, whoever rebuilt the Wool's Orphanage, they must be rich. Hermione heard that there were several people who had poured money to include a small wooded enclosure and placed some animals behind the orphanage, where she often saw her animal friends. There are also some mysterious rich patrons who are donating to make the orphanage more comfortable that they even had the library expanded to cater to all ages, to Hermione's delight.

After the incident, the black dog would often visit her twice a week, and the rest of her animal companions as well. And that was mostly how Hermione's day went as a six-year old child.

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The day after the incident, Sirius Black is torn whether to report to Dumbledore about what happened or not. He is one of the Order members who have been assign to monitor Hermione that week. At first, the days has gone by like it usually does, but the other day was different.

Hermione Granger commited an accidental magic and hurt someone in the process.

Dumbledore will probably know more about what happened from Ms. Figg. Or Moony by now. Sirius thought. The boy who was injured probably told Ms. Figg already of what Hermione did.

In the end, however, Sirius decided to tell the old man the truth. More than that, there is no longer a point in lying to the old man when Dumbledore will soon find out from the other Order members about what truly happen.

"She told me that she hurt someone by accident." Sirius admits to Dumbledore when he arrived in Dumbledore's office at Hogwarts. "I know she didn't mean it, Dumbledore. It probably was an accident."

"It probably was, but it doesn't remove the fact that someone was hurt." Dumbledore responded. "I believe we must start watching the girl closely from here on. Perhaps increase our number of visits every week since we don't know what else she might do next."

Chapter Text

She was eight when the Orphanage had a camping trip out in the Forest Dean in the Summer. What she found more interesting was the fact that someone donated camping tents, survival kits and guidebooks to the Orphanage children, and whoever they were, Hermione felt grateful for their generosity.

The camping trip had lasted for five days, where Mr. Moony, and another three guest Chaperones, such as One-eyed Mr. Myrlin Moor, the serious Mr. Lee Bolt, and lastly, the severe-looking Ms. Artemis McGovern, taught the Orphanage children some interesting things like how to survive in the wild outdoors.

Hermione listened to the chaperones with interest the entire time they went hiking in the woods where the Chaperones point out some edible plants that they can eat when they ran out of food, or how to light up camp fire by using rocks, or to judge the time by looking at the shadows cast by the sun, and to use the constellations to know the directions from North to South when someone gets lost in the forest at night.

However, what Hermione found unusual was the three guest chaperones seemed to keep track of her whereabouts and seemed to be watching her constantly more so than the other children. Other than that, the three all wore strange-clothing sometimes and she noted the sticks they carry in their pockets when they thought no one was looking at them.

When she had asked Mr. Moony about the sticks the three chaperones carried, all Mr. Moony said was, "Oh, those are nothing Hermione. I believe they carry those sticks for protection against evil spirits. They are a superstitious lot."

"They're weird." Hermione had told Mr. Moony as much, who just laughed at her blunt statement.

"Indeed," Mr. Moony had said while he had patted her head affectionately.

Hermione knew that she wasn't supposed to wander by herself in the forest, but the chaperones constant watchful gazes were stifling and so she often secretly went to a certain brook just eight minutes away from the main camping site, where Hermione saw a stag for the first time.

The stag obviously didn't like her because every time Hermione tried to go near it, it would just snort and stomp its hooves on the ground and then leave. Yet Hermione didn't give up on befriending the stag, which seemed to frequent the brook the same as her.

"You don't like me, do you?" Hermione had asked the stag when she had tried to reach for its face on the third day. The Stag, in turn, simply bared its strong teeth in a threatening way before stomping away.

It was only on the fourth day that the Stag seemed to soften up towards her, perhaps it was mainly because Hermione had ended up crying again after being called a "Monster'' by Matt, who hadn't forgiven her after what she had done to him when they were six years old, and he would constantly remind Hermione that he hated her at every opportunity.

Hermione was crying her heart out near the brook when the Stag arrived. At the sight of her crying, the Stag seemed to drop its own guard and finally went near her.

"Why does everyone seemed to hate me?" She asked the Stag as she met its dark brown eyes with her tearful ones. "I tried my best to be good since the accident three years ago, but it seems I'm still a monster in their eyes no matter what I do."

Hermione continued to cry until she heard the snort of the Stag and stomp of one of its hooves. She turned and saw the Stag lowering its head and shoulder at her, as if silently telling her to climb on its back.

"You want me to climb on your back?" She asked, sniffling still.

The Stag responded by jerking its head to the side before lowering its head and shoulders once more.

"Alright," Hermione said, wiping the tears from her eyes. She then walked forward and carefully climbed unto the Stag's back and use its antlers to hold herself upright.

"What are we going to do now?" She asked the Stag once she was seated on its back.

In response, the Stag simply began to trot at first. Thereafter, it increased its speed until they were galloping in the forest.

Hermione suddenly let out a laugh, feeling exhilarated and happy while the wind whipped through her hair.

Since the day she met the black dog at the enclosure of the Orphanage, Hermione had never wondered why certain animals seemed to go near her, or why they seemed to keep coming back to her at times when she needed them the most.

Hermione just knew that she was special somehow.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the treetops a big white crow was watching the child and the Stag run through the woods, while on the other side of the forest, a doe was observing them from the distance as well.

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Sometime in the night the white crow and the doe transformed.

Moonlight caught the gleam of white-gold hair and raven-black of the two, tall men in dark robes.

"Why have you been secretly donating to the Orphanage, Lucius?"

"It's simple Severus, really. It's for my investment."

"You mean the girl."

"Yes, the muggleborn girl…the one who vanquished the Dark Lord."

"I see…You've taken an interest on the girl – same as others - because you're curious of what will become of her once she grows into power, am I correct?"

"Yes," Lucius replied. "But more than that, I want to know how she did it…How she was able to vanquish the most powerful dark wizard of all time."

"Perhaps we will know once she attends the school."

"Indeed, Severus, and I will make certain that my son, Draco, will keep an eye on her on my behalf."

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"I know you hate her, James." Sirius said, "You blamed the girl for Lily's death."

"No, I don't."

"But you do, James." Sirius stated, "I noticed that every time you arrive from watching over the girl, you seemed to be more withdrawn than usual."

"Padfoot, its none of your business whether I hate the girl or not. Just please…let it be."

"I can't…She's only a girl, James. You shouldn't blame her for the death of your –"

"Why shouldn't I blame her when she's the main reason why Voldemort came to Godric's Hollow in the first place?!" James burst out angrily. "Lily wouldn't have died that night if we hadn't taken the muggleborn girl under our protection! Lily wouldn't have sacrifice herself for the girl, whom she thought was her own daughter! Lily died for nothing but a lie!"

"Lily didn't die for a lie, James! She died for the cause, the good cause! To protect the prophesied child! She died for Hermione who defeated Voldemort!"

"I don't care who the girl is to the world, Sirius! To me, she is the main reason why Lily died! I blame her for leaving Harry without a mother, and me, without a wife!"

"Then, why do you even accept these missions to watch over her when Dumbledore ask you to?!"

"I only accepted the missions because I don't want Lily's sacrifice to be for naught if something else happens to the girl!"

Chapter Text

Hermione was nine when she saw a small garden snake in the enclosure for the first time.

"Hello there little one." She said to it as she crouched low in front of the snake, and was shocked to hear the little snake talking right back.

"Human, how come you are able to speak the language of the snakes?" it asked while Hermione was still recovering from her shock of hearing the snake talk.

So she responded after a moment of gathering her thoughts.

"I don't know how, but I think I'm just special somehow." Hermione replied excitedly.

"Really? I don't see anything special about you, human." It said haughtily, although that didn't stop Hermione from offering her friendship.

"Do you want to become my friend?" She asked the snake.

"Will this friendship entail giving me food among other things?" The snaked inquired.

"Certainly, if that's what you want." Hermione told it.

"Then, I won't mind being your friend." The snake replied and Hermione's smile widened like she just received a Christmas present.

Thereafter, Hermione had a new friend to look forward to visiting her.

Hermione told Softfoot this, her big black dog, the next time the dog came to visit her.

"I can talk to snake, Softfoot." She told the big, black dog, which seemed to tense when the dog heard about her new ability. "And I've made a new friend too. Can't you believe that Softfoot?"

Oddly, Softfoot didn't reply right back, even just wagging his tail or barking loudly, instead the dog was just silent, and Hermione felt like she had said something wrong.

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Once more, Sirius didn't know if he should report this to Dumbledore.

Speaking to snakes is a mark of being a dark wizard, as what Sirius was led to believe a long time ago, but he knew that Hermione wasn't going to be a dark witch someday.

He just knew it.

However, when he finally reported back to Dumbledore about the snake and Hermione being a Parcelmouth. Sirius Black didn't expect for Dumbledore to react negatively and would order him to have the snake killed at once.

Sirius was beyond furious and told the old man as much about his opinions on the matter.

"That snake is Hermione's friend!" Sirius snapped angrily at Dumbledore, "The children in the orphanage are afraid of her and don't like her. The only friend she has are the Order members in their animagus form, and now the snake as well! I just can't kill the snake, Dumbledore! Hermione will be devastated once it's done!"

"Still, it certainly will be a terrible idea if we allow Hermione to bring the snake to school as her pet animal. We can't let the snake influence her decision further, for she will definitely choose Slytherin as her house once she goes to Hogwarts, and once she has read the history of Salazar Slytherin. We both know that it would become too dangerous for her if a muggleborn ends up in the Slytherin house, Sirius. With her being in the Slytherin House it will rouse suspicion as well, and soon, someone from that House will know that Hermione can talk to snakes…Thus, we must prevent that from ever happening, Sirius. The snake must be killed."

"There must be another way to keep the snake away from her, Dumbledore." Sirius said desperately. "Why can't I leave the snake far from the Orphanage?"

"The snake will only keep on coming back for Hermione, Sirius, and you know it. Once it has return to its mistress, it will immediately report to her about what it has witness, of you turning into your animagus form." Dumbledore said, "You don't have a choice but to kill it, Sirius."

Despite his misgiving, Sirius Black killed the snake.

Once the deed was done, Sirius cleaned himself. He felt sick to his stomach. He felt like he just murdered a person.

He didn't show up in the Orphanage for a week. He couldn't face Hermione. He wondered what she was doing right now.

That poor kid...she must be crying right now  . Sirius thought in worry.

And unable to resist anymore, Sirius went back and discovered that Hermione wasn't crying like he had assumed.

It was worst. She had locked herself.

She had become cold and emotionless. As if she was the one who had killed the snake.

That night, Sirius slept at the foot of Hermione's bed, regretting what he did to the snake.

He does his best to cheer her up but it wasn't working .

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Hermione discovered the snake lying dead in the backyard. At first, she had cried when she discovered the dead body of her friend. However, when she realized that someone must have killed it, she turned to cold revenge.

One of the kids in the Orphanage must have killed her friend. A voice inside her was whispering to her, strongly than ever, to hurt someone, to seek revenge and so Hermione followed what the voice was telling her.

A few days later, the children's pets have gone missing, a hamster, a rabbit, a frog, and whatever else Hermione could find. She took their pets and hid it in the abandoned fridge on the basement. She tied them up. She starved them, she didn't give them food, until they began eating the rotting corpses of their dead companions.

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Soon, Sirius found out what Hermione had been doing and was horrified.

"Did I do this to her?"   Sirius asked himself, feeling sick when he discovered the fridge full of dead animals.

Not wanting for Hermione to continue as she was now, Sirius finally altered Hermione's memories and took the memories she had of the snake, wanting her to become who she was before.

Sirius wanted the old Hermione back.

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"I want to adopt her, Dumbledore." Sirius told the Headmaster after considering it for a while. "She doesn't need to live in that awful orphanage. The children there hates her. And I don't want to see her hurt again."

"And do you think no one will wonder the reason if you do?" Dumbledore asked him.

"I will tell the people that she is my daughter that I had with a muggle woman, who died giving birth to her and left her in an Orphanage." Sirius replied.

"Voldemort's remaining followers, who remain loyal to him, will suspect who she truly is. You will draw the eyes of the Wizarding World to her if a man like you, a bachelor, who suddenly adopts a muggleborn child." Dumbledore said calmly. "You can't adopt her, Sirius."

Sirius Black instantly lost his temper and told him, "You know what killing the snake did to her?! Do you?! You have no idea how it broke her! I - I turned her into a -!" He didn't finish what he was about to say, instead Sirius Black walked away, slamming the door behind him.

He returned back to Hermione, where he slept at the foot of her bed in his animagus form once more.

He hoped that Hermione won't remember about the snake and what she did afterward.

Sirius could only hope.

Chapter Text

She was ten when the children went on a school trip to the zoo, where Hermione met two boys who was a year older than her.

Hermione was just looking into the lion's den when the two boys appeared at her side.

"Do you think they like being inside a cage?" a boy with glasses suddenly asked her as he stood on her left side.

"I don't think so…" was Hermione's uncertain response, surprised to be talking to a strange boy she didn't know.

"I think they need to be set free," said the other boy standing to Hermione's right. "They look sad inside there."

Hermione glanced at the other boy who had spoken. He was plump around the middle but he had a kind face as he looked at Hermione with his dark brown eyes.

"Oh, we forget to introduce ourselves Harry." The boy said, exchanging a glance with the other boy.

"My name is Neville." The plump boy said to her, extending his hand for Hermione to shake.

Hermione eyed his hand warily for a moment before deciding to shake it.

"Hermione Granger," she told him.

"It is nice to meet you, Hermione." The boy said warmly as he shook her hand.

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Harry Potter watched the girl in front of him. He knew who she was, and his father had warned him not to give his complete name to her. Neville was told the same thing by his own father.

Harry didn't know the reason behind the secrecy but he trusted his father. So he would do what his father said.

After hearing Neville introduced himself, Harry then extended his hand and said to the girl, "My name is Harry."

"Hello Harry. My name is Hermione." The girl said to him, reaching out to shake his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Hermione." He said to her cordially. "Are you by any chance alone?"

"No, I am not." She replied.

The girl was still gazing at them rather suspiciously. Harry wondered what made the girl so untrusting of others.

"I may appear alone at the moment, but I came here with the rest of the children from the Orphanage," the girl informed them. "Since I don't want to be in a group tour, I've decided to explore the zoo by myself so that's why I'm alone."

"Oh, I see." Harry responded, meeting the girl's brown eyes. "So you are in a school trip then?"

"Yes, I am." She said to him, "But how about you two? Are you in a school trip as well?"

"No, we aren't," Neville said, "Our fathers brought us here. It's a family trip."

"Where are your parents then?" the girl inquired curiously.

"They are probably somewhere around here." Harry replied with a shrug.

"Won't they be worried that you two left their watchful eyes?"

"No, they won't," Neville assured Hermione. "They won't be worried since they know we are headed."

"Do you want to join us?" Harry asked hurriedly, changing the subject "We know this zoo better than anyone. We've been here countless of times that we know the place like the back of our hand."

"Yes, you should totally come with us," Neville said, trying to sound convincing, "We could show you the most interesting animals here."

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Hermione looked from one boy to the other, uncertain whether to go with them or not. However, after a while of contemplation, she finally decided to go with them.

The two boys seemed so happy when she agreed.

Afterward, they began to explore the zoo. Harry and Neville showed and pointed out the animals to her while Hermione simply followed after the excited duo.

They talked about the animals that they saw and anything in particular that draw their interest. They also talked about school stuff and then their hobbies. Soon, Hermione was even beginning to wonder if she had made friends.

The two boys seemed friendly enough towards her.

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Harry and Neville steered their new friend clear away from the glasses containing the snakes. Their parents had warned them about Hermione speaking Parceltongue so they made certain that they avoided the snake pit where anything could happen.

Still, the boys enjoyed themselves around Hermione and talked about keeping in touch with her afterwards.

Sure enough, they were able to reach an accord and exchanged mailing addresses where they could send letters via the muggle way in the following days.

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Hermione noticed the man with messy black hair who was staring at her rather coldly as she bid her good byes to her new friends.

"Don't forget to send me a letter, Hermione." Harry was saying to her while Hermione tried her best not to frown at the man, who must be Harry's father.

"I won't forget Harry. I promise." She told him as she shifted her attention back towards the bespectacled boy.

"I'll be expecting a letter as well, Hermione." Neville said, smiling genially at her.

"Don't worry, Neville. I will write to you as soon as I can," was Hermione's reply.

Thereafter, the boys left together with their fathers and Hermione went back to the Orphanage with a happy feeling that she made new friends.

That night, she told her rabbit friend about the two boys she met that day.

Meanwhile, Alice Longbottom, who had disguised herself as a rabbit, listened to the girl talked about her son and Harry Potter, and she couldn't help but feel fondness for the girl who was happy to have new friends.

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Harry, Neville and Hermione exchange letters throughout the entire months afterward.

And it was through a letter that Hermione found out that Neville loved the subject Herbology.

Trying to understand what drew Neville's interest to the subject, she went to the library looking for books about Herbs.

Mr. Moony, the librarian, easily lent her the book.

"Thank you, Mr. Moony," she told him as he handed the book to her.

"You are welcome, Hermione." The man said to her, giving her a kind smile.

Hermione regarded the mysterious man for a moment and she always wondered where Mr. Moony had gotten those scars on his face.

"Is there anything else your need, Hermione?" Mr. Moony asked curiously, probably noticing her stare.

"Oh, nothing Mr. Moony." She said hurriedly, "I was just leaving."

"Alright then, Hermione. Enjoy your day." He said to her.

"You too, Mr. Moony. You have a great day." She responded before leaving.

Mr. Moony was always very kind to her. He was always lending her books, which she often never returned, since Hermione was still hoarding the things she had taken from the library and from other children.

Nonetheless, after she looked at her secret hoard, she was contemplating about returning them. However, there was that other part inside her that was always whispering insidious things to her, to keep the books and other objects with her as a trophy.

Hence, she didn't return the things she had taken from the other children, which was mostly children's books.

.

.

.

Hermione had anticipated to be invited to celebrate Christmas or even New Year with her new friends.

However, what she didn't know was that Dumbledore had advised both the Potters and Longbottoms not to do so.

Thus, Hermione celebrated Christmas at the Orphanage alongside the other children while she receive gifts from her friends and more packages from unknown people during Christmas.

And so that year, Hermione Granger became depressed at the fact that she hadn't even seen her friends at all since the zoo, and wondered the reason behind it.

Chapter Text

Time passed by in nearly similar fashion. Hermione continued with her schooling and studied everything that drew her interest. She visited the library in the Orphanage and 'borrowed' some more books.

When she was ten, she was informed by Neville and Harry that they would have a hard time sending letters because they were going to a private boarding school in Scotland that year.

Hermione felt sad about the news and she became withdrawn all the more.

What's the use of having friends when they couldn't write to me often or even meet me in person? Perhaps it would be better if I didn't have friends at all. She thought to herself.

.

.

.

In that same year, Hermione started noticing something odd about her animal friends. They seemed to visit her more often after she had stopped writing letters to Harry and Neville. The animals probably sense her withdrawn state of mind.

What was more strange was finally noting a white crow which appeared to visit her twice in a month.

One night, Hermione saw the white crow perched on the tree just outside her bedroom window. It's white wings a stark contrast to the dark backdrop of the forest.

She instantly knew that there was something special about the bird.

Opening her window with curiosity, Hermione raised her arm and gestured for the beautiful bird to come fly down in her arm. The crow simply cocked its head and Hermione met its intelligent eyes; eyes the color of silver.

Almost reluctantly, the bird flew and landed on her arm. Hermione then reached out and rubbed the bird's feathers.

It was a beautiful bird, and she told it so.

"Beautiful..." She said.

The bird appeared to preen in pleasure and made a crowing sound.

Hermione smiled in amusement.

After that day, she began to look forward to the crow's visit twice a month.

.

.

.

Right before she turned eleven, Hermione received a strange letter. At first, she thought someone had just played a prank on her when she began to read the contents of the letter.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Ms. Granger,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

.

On the second page, Hermione read the following requirements for the said magic school.

.

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)   by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS

ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

Yours sincerely,

Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus

Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions

.

Magic? Wizards and Witches? How absurd! Hermione thought after reading the letter. Whoever sent this must be completely and utterly mad. Who would dare easily believe such nonsense?!

However, Hermione would soon realize the entire truth when an old man would come to visit her.

.

.

.

Albus Dumbledore stared at the eleven year old girl and said to her, "Yes, Ms. Granger. You are, for the lack of a better term, a witch."

At his words, the girl simply gazed at Dumbledore in disbelief.

"That's hard for me to believe, Sir. However, if what you say is true, I want you to prove it." The girl, Hermione, ordered him with such shocking force that left Dumbledore mildly alarmed and speechless.

He sensed the strong magical compulsion in the girl's last statement. If Dumbledore had a weak mind, he knew that he wouldn't be able to resist such compulsion.

For a moment, Dumbledore regarded the girl. Although her way of speaking was not as imperious as Tom's. It was tempered somehow, but Dumbledore couldn't help but notice the uncanny similarities between her and the young Tom Riddle.

"As you wish, Miss Granger," He said. Dumbledore then took out of his wand from his pocket and waved it towards the girl's dresser.

A moment later, the dresser burst into flames and began to shake. The girl instantly gasped at the sight.

"I believe you have something to show me, Ms. Granger," Dumbledore said while he watched when one of the drawers of the dresser suddenly surge opened to reveal the things the girl had stolen and kept as a trophy.

"What do you mean, Sir?" The girl asked, almost innocently, but Dumbledore could see right through her pretense.

"Those things you kept in that drawer are not truly yours." Dumbledore pointed out at the contents of the drawer. "You must return them to its rightful owners, especially the books."

The girl glared at him before he heard her answer, "I was planning to return the books and the other items, Sir, but something always comes up."

"Then, you should make it your priority to return them," was Dumbledore's answer as he met the girl's eyes. "Because I, and the rest of the staff at Hogwarts, won't tolerate this kind of behavior from a student, Ms. Granger. Thievery of this extent is considered a crime."

"I didn't steal those things! I was simply 'borrowing' them, especially the books!" The girl replied defensively. "Ask Mr. Moony. He knows that I'm borrowing those books indefinitely!"

"I know the man you speak of. From what I understand, Mr. Moony has a soft spot for you. It's for this reason alone that you are able to borrow the books for long periods of time without fear of repercussions. However, you should not take advantage of the situation. That's another thing that you need to change once you start studying at Hogwarts."

"First of all, I'm not taking advantage of Mr. Moony. Second of all, how are you so confident that I will go to this school, Sir? I haven't even decided about going yet." The girl told him.

"Its compulsory that you go to Hogwarts, Ms. Granger. If not to learn about magic, but perhaps for you to harness your true potential as a witch."

"The school sounds interesting enough, but I believe it's too restrictive for me. Other than that, I don't have the funds for studying in such a prestigious school."

"In able to uphold our reputation as the best Wizarding school in all Europe, our school's rules and our competitive curriculum are there to produce outstanding witches and wizards. You might find the school restrictive, but it's only for the benefit of all our students. And in regards to the lack of funds, you need not worry, the school will provide the funding for you and all the requirements that you need to purchase."

"So am I to believe that the school are simply going to provide me with funds that I need without anything in return? And how do I go about purchasing all these requirements? I don't know a place that sells those kinds of items."

"Yes, the school is willing to provide funding to any magical students who have special circumstances, which means you, Miss Granger. As for purchasing your requirements, there's a wizarding place where you can buy those items. It's called Diagon Alley."

"And how do I go there?"

"You only have to go through Leaky Cauldron to access the wizarding shopping district."

"Where is this Leaky Cauldron?"

And so it went, with Dumbledore providing the girl with answers while Hermione Granger continued to inquire about the Wizarding World.

The girl's hostile behavior towards him hadn't faded away, but Dumbledore considered it a success for convincing the girl to attend Hogwarts.

.

.

.

After her first meeting with the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Hermione Granger made it her mission to learn more about the Wizarding World.

It's for this reason that Hermione declined Dumbledore's offer in sending someone who could help Hermione with purchasing her school requirements.

Thus, Hermione found herself alone in entering the place called Diagon Alley. Anyone would find it intimidating to be alone in a new, strange place, but not Hermione Granger. Instead she was excited to explore the place by herself.

The first thing that she needed to do was buy a wand. So Hermione asked a few people for direction towards Ollivanders Wandshop. Fortunately, the people there were kind enough to help Hermione locate the place.

"Welcome to Ollivanders." the man behind the counter immediately said the moment Hermione entered the shop. "How may I help you, Miss?"

"I'm here to purchase a wand," Hermione replied as she walked towards the counter.

"Of course," the white-haired man said, "but before I sort through the wands, let me measure your wand arm first."

Hermione stretched out her right arm towards the man and she watched when the man took her measurements.

"I will be back," the man said after he was done and he instantly disappeared to the back of the shop.

He came back a moment later with a slim box carried in his hand. Hermione observed how he laid down the box at the counter before he opened it.

"10 ¾ long, made of vine wood and it possessed a dragon heartstring core." The man informed her as he gave the wand to Hermione.

Hermione accepted the wand in fascination.

"Now, give it a wave," the man suggested to her.

She did as instructed and waved her wand.

However, nothing happened.

She saw the man frowned.

"Try doing it again," the man advised.

Hermione repeated the process but still got no results.

"Perhaps you require a different wand," the man told her.

Then, he went back and began selecting wands for her to test.

Hermione tested each and every one of the wands but nothing seems to happen and she was getting impatient as a pile of wands grew at the counter.

Until...

"I wonder…" She heard the man said as he brought a new box to her. He opened it and presented the wand inside for Hermione to take.

Slowly, she reached out and took the wand from the box. The moment Hermione touched the wand, she felt a surge of power and watched with wide eyes when light emanated from the wand in her hand.

"Who are you child?" The man suddenly asked as he stared at Hermione with a puzzled expression.

"My name is Hermione Granger," came her immediate response.

"Curious, very curious." The man muttered. "The wand did not react to Harry Potter when he came to my shop, but now it does so to you...and I wonder the reason behind such a strange occurrence. It's very curious indeed."

"Sorry, but what is so curious about it." She inquired.

"I remember every wand that I sold, Miss Granger. It's so happens that the Phoenix, whose tail feather resides in your wand, gave another feather, just one other. It is curious for you to be destined for this wand when it's brother is owned by You-know-who." The man informed her.

"Who?" Hermione asked, frowning.

"We do not speak his name, but he is known throughout the entire Wizarding World as a Dark Wizard." The man said, "The wand chooses the witch, Miss Granger. It is not always clear as to why that is. However, it is clear that we can expect great things from you. Afterall, He-Who-Must-Not-be-Named did great things, terrible things, but great…"

Hermione stared at the man and wondered who he was talking about. In all her eleven years of life, she hadn't heard anything about a dark wizard who inspired terror from a person that they fear to speak his name.

Chapter Text

Hermione was choosing her own cauldron inside Potage’s Cauldron Shop when she heard the sound of another girl speaking nearby. 

“I hope that we won’t see that stupid Harry Potter and his friends today. The sight of them always ruins my day,” a girl with shoulder length black hair said to another girl, who had long blonde curls. 

Both girls were browsing at cauldrons as well but they weren’t able to notice Hermione looking at them yet.

“I am sure they won’t be shopping the same day as us, Pansy..” the blonde haired girl replied. 

Hermione became somewhat interested when the name Harry was mentioned. It reminded her of her own friend Harry, who was supposed to study at a private school in Scotland alongside Neville. 

I wonder how he and Neville are doing right now…It’s been a while since they wrote to me… She thought to herself. 

Then, her mood soured at the thought of her so-called friends, who she hadn’t heard for a long time. 

Forget it…They must have already forgotten about me… She told herself dejectedly.

She wondered why they hadn’t corresponded with her even after the school term was over. The last time they wrote a letter to her was during the holidays in December but that was it. 

She decided not to dwell on it soon after or else it was just going to put her in a terrible mood.

A moment later, she finally picked a cauldron to buy and went to the counter to pay for it. Fortunately, the school wasn’t stingy in providing her the money for buying her school supplies. In fact, the school was very generous to orphans like her. So Hermione didn’t hesitate to buy new school supplies instead of second hand items. 

After buying her cauldron, she then moved to look for a bookstore and ended up in Flourish and Blotts. 

She was just searching for the First Year section in the bookstore when a familiar pair of boys suddenly appeared before her. 

“Hermione!” 

A boy with messy black hair suddenly exclaimed the instant he saw Hermione. The chubby boy beside him also gasped in surprise at the sight of her. 

“Hermione, what are you doing here?” The chubby boy, who could only be Neville, asked her. 

At the other boy’s question, she couldn’t help but frown and say, “I’m here to buy my First Year school books…but why are you both here as well? Does it mean that you two are wizards?”

Harry and Neville glanced at each other before one of them finally admitted the truth, “Yeah, we are both wizards.”

“So when you said in your letters that you are going to a private school in Scotland, you meant that you were going to attend Hogwarts at that time?” She asked them, suddenly realizing the truth behind the lack of correspondence between them. 

“Yes, we went to school at Hogwarts last school year,” Harry replied. “We really wanted to tell you the truth but there were certain rules that caused us not to reveal the truth to you.”

“Was it because you both thought that I was not magical right? Is that the reason why you didn’t tell me the truth?” was her next inquiry while she casted an upset look at her so-called friends. 

“Yes, that’s the main reason, Hermione. We are sorry that we had to lie to you about it,” Harry said, looking at her apologetically. 

Hermione opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by the sound of a man's voice. 

“Is this another friend of yours, Harry?” A handsome dark haired man came and asked Harry.

Hermione looked up at the man and met his warm grey eyes with her own chocolate brown orbs. 

“Yes, Sirius. This is the friend I told you about whom Neville and I met at the zoo last year,” Harry told the older man.

“Hello, young lady. My name is Sirius Black. I’m Harry’s Godfather,” Sirius introduced himself.

“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Black,” she replied politely. “My name is Hermione Granger.”

“It’s great to meet you as well, Miss Granger,” the man answered, smiling at her kindly. “Are you shopping for school supplies on your own or are your parents around here somewhere?” 

“I’m shopping on my own since I’m an orphan, Mr. Black,” she informed him blandly.

The three became silent when Hermione’s orphan status was mentioned. It was only broken by Neville who instantly didn't like the sudden silence that fell among them.

“You are on your own Hermione? Do you want to come shopping with us instead?” came Neville’s suggestion. 

Hermione froze at Neville’s suggestion. She really no longer wanted to associate with the two boys after how they treated her these past months but she still hesitated for a moment. She had to grudgingly admit that she missed having friends to talk to and her resolve slowly weakened at the thought of spending time with the two boys.

It was only Harry, who decided for her when he suddenly grabbed her hand and stated eagerly, “Let’s go search for your First Year school books, Hermione! We know where it is!”

Thereafter, she could only reluctantly follow the two boys as they directed her to the First Year section. Meanwhile, Mr. Black simply watched them in amusement before leaving them to their own devices inside the bookstore.

In no time, she was able to find the required books for her year while the two boys dragged her towards the Second Year section to buy theirs. 

After the book store, the group then went and entered the Magical Menagerie to choose their own pets. 

Hermione didn’t know if she wanted one, but she was curious to see what Harry and Neville were going to choose from the selection of interesting animals inside the shop. They both said that their parents allowed them to buy one this year. 

“What do you think of this spider, Hermione?” Harry asked her and she peered at the thing inside the tank. 

She wrinkled her nose in disgust when she looked at the many legs and the creepy eyes of the crawling spiders inside. 

Hermione just shook her head at Harry and did not say anything else. 

“How about a toad, Hermione?” Neville pointed at a slimy brown toad at another tank.

Once more, she expressed her disapproval by shaking her head at Neville. 

She observed the way Neville’s shoulders slumped down at her answer. Hermione silently wondered if he really wanted to buy the toad but he still asked for her opinion on the choices of pets.

“What about a rat, Hermione?” Harry asked while pointing towards the rat inside a cage just right next to the reptile tank.

.

.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room inside the Magical Menagerie shop, a certain blonde haired boy is currently looking at the owls alongside his mother. 

“What about a rat, Hermione?” 

Draco heard a very familiar voice asked. He looked up to see who had spoken and he immediately saw the idiot Potter speaking to a girl with bushy brown hair.

A scowl instantly appeared on his face when he saw Potter but then he froze when he heard what Potter said next. 

“Do you think it is a good idea to have a rat as a pet, Hermione?” 

Hermione? Is she the same girl that father wants me to watch out for? Draco thought, frowning as he glanced at the girl.

Draco also noticed the way his mother, who was standing beside him, looked curiously at the girl when her name was mentioned. 

Thereafter, he decided to go near Potter and his friends while pretending to browse around. He was really interested in this girl, Hermione. He wanted to look at her closely and satisfy his curiosity. He noted his mother’s frown of disapproval when he approached the snake tanks. 

Draco recalled his father saying that he could buy a snake as a pet. 

Still trying to pretend to be browsing, he called the shop owner. “Sir, can you take out this green snake so that I can inspect it closely?”

“Of course,” the shop owner swiftly moved to do as Draco ordered, considering the man already knew who Draco and his mother were. 

Potter and his friends must have seen him because they stopped talking only to glare at him shortly after. Well, except the Hermione girl, who simply looked uninterested in the animals. 

Draco pretended that he hadn’t seen the group of friends and observed how the shop owner took out the snake from the tank while it started to hiss. 

He incidentally glanced at the girl at that moment and he quickly noted the surprised look on her face. She met his gaze and Draco narrowed his eyes at her. 

He knew at once that she could understand the snake after what she said next. 

.

.

“Where do you think you are taking me, you filthy human?!” 

She heard the snake hissing at the shop owner and she was surprised to understand the words spoken clearly by the snake. In that moment, Hermione’s eyes met the blonde boy’s gaze, when she noticed him looking at her.

Hermione furrowed her brows and said softly to herself, "It can talk…"

Dimly, something niggled at the back of her mind. Some faded memories began to surface but it wasn’t completely clear yet to her. 

She frowned as blurry images flashed before her mind’s eyes. 

Hermione needed to remember what it was and – 

“Look Hermione! A beautiful cat!” 

A loud voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts while the man – Sirius Black – shortly grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the particular ginger cat with a grumpy-looking face at the corner of the shop. 

Hermione looked up at Harry’s Godfather in surprise and frowned when she briefly noted the strange expression on the man’s pale face. 

“I’ll buy this lovely cat for you, Hermione. What do you think?” The man, Sirius, asked her. 

It doesn’t look lovely , Hermione could only inwardly complain as she regarded the ginger cat in front of her. 

But it has a certain charm to it… She grudgingly admitted as she continued to inspect the ginger cat. It looked lonely. Just like her when she was at the Orphanage.

It was probably desperate for a companion, or an owner.  

“You don’t need to, Mr. Black,” she told Harry's Godfather thereafter. 

“As a friend of Harry’s, I insist on buying this cat for you. Think of it as a belated birthday gift,” The man replied, giving her a smile. 

Hermione noted that his smile looked strained and it didn’t reach his eyes. In fact, the man was acting strange towards her for an unfathomable reason. 

“Yeah, Hermione. Let Sirius buy you that cat,” Harry encouraged. 

She looked at Harry, who smiled at her. 

Once more, she hesitated right before she finally said to Sirius, “Oh, alright…” 

The man looked somewhat relieved to hear her response for some reason. He actually beamed at her afterward.

After Sirius bought the ginger cat, which Hermione named Crookshanks, Harry also bought a snowy white owl he named Hedwig and Neville bought the toad he showed Hermione earlier, which he named Trevor.  Hermione, of course, expressed her gratitude towards the man and Sirius merely smiled at her.

“Let’s go and meet the Weasleys at the Leaky Cauldron for lunch,” Sirius told them as they exited the Magical Menagerie Shop, but not before Harry and Neville exchanged a glare with the blonde haired boy, who was holding a cage with an Eurasian Eagle-Owl in his hand. 

Both boys told her that the blonde boy's name was Draco Malfoy and he was someone who always find a way to bully both Neville and Harry. 

Hermione decided right then and there to avoid the blonde boy. Or completely ignore him when he tried to bully her as well.

The group entered the crowded Leaky Cauldron and Hermione found herself being introduced to a large family of red heads. 

“Everyone. This is Hermione Granger. Harry’s and Neville’s friend,” Sirius Black introduced her to the Weasley family, who easily welcomed her rather warmly. 

“It’s nice to meet you, dear,” Mrs. Weasley stated, smiling at her. “I would also like you to meet my youngest. Her name is Ginny Weasley. She’s going to be in the same year as you.” 

The woman said as she pushed a red headed girl in front of her and introduced her to Hermione. 

The other girl looked at Hermione curiously and Hermione did the same to her. 

“Hello,” She simply said to the girl and Ginny Weasley just smiled and waved at her. 

“And these are my sons. Percy…Fred and George, and the last one is Ron,” The woman continued to introduce the rest of the Weasley family members and Hermione suddenly felt overwhelmed. 

This was the first time that she was introduced to a lot of people but she didn’t utter a complaint. Instead she greeted each and everyone of the Weasley boys. 

“It’s nice to meet you Percy, Fred, George and Ron,” she said politely while the Weasley boys replied just as politely.

“Nice to meet you as well, Hermione..” The boys said in various ways. 

Thereafter, Hermione joined the group for lunch and she couldn’t help but soon feel a growing warmth settling in her bones when she watched and listened to the members of the group speak around each other. 

She was surprised that she was included in their conversations. At their treatment of her, she suddenly felt undeniably like she belonged for the first time. 

She didn’t want to forget this feeling. Ever.  

The feeling of belongingness drove the darkness away from within her and she was grateful for the company. 

She hoped it would last for a long, long time.

However, she knew that she shouldn’t get her hopes up or else she would be disappointed in the end. 

Still...she just couldn’t help herself and looked forward to seeing and interacting with these people again in the future.

Later…

Wiltshire, England

Malfoy Manor 

"Who is she, father?" Draco instantly asked his father about the girl Hermione he met in Diagon Alley the moment he got home.

He was so curious about the girl that he could no longer stop himself from asking. 

"Like I said before, she is someone you should watch out for, Draco…” His father replied. “I want you to report to me how she does at school. How she behaves... every detail. "

Draco frowned at his father’s orders while his curiosity for the girl only deepened. So he dared ask the reason behind his father’s orders. 

"Why?" 

"No questions asked, Draco. You must do as you're told. And don't tell anyone else about what I ordered you to do,” his father said sternly. 

Draco was even more puzzled by his father’s words. The girl looked like an ordinary girl, yet his father and mother seemed to know things about her that made her so different. 

Who is she? He inwardly wondered and he recalled that the girl could understand parceltongue. 

She must be really special… He thought next and wanted to know more about her. 

He really wanted to know so desperately that he couldn’t wait for the school to start just to understand the girl better.