Hermione never knew anything besides the orphanage. She knew only what she was told. Her parents died when she was 2. No, they did not die; they were murdered. All she had was a ratty green blanket that was almost black with dirt and grime. There used to be a large brown stain in the middle.
So if she doesn't remember, why does she have dreams of silver masks and billowing black capes? She hears screams—aren't there a woman begging for mercy and a man screaming? A cackle of madness, the roar of laughter, the slithering of a snake.
Then one day a woman shows up at the orphanage, says she doesn't belong at the orphanage, says she's a witch, and that one day she will go to an amazing school and make so many friends just like her.
As she walks out of the orphanage hand in hand with her new mother, she sees a head of unruly black hair walking side by side with a shocking mop of red A quartet of girls, each with different hair (red, brown, blonde, and black), friends. Then a boy. A boy with hair as white as a ghost and eyes that remind her of a real silver spoon she saw once in a picture.
In quick succession, bright flashes, she sees snapshots. A boat ride to a huge castle, A flash of a mirror, A wolf howling at the moon, A princess in a blue dress, A woman in pink who isn’t a good witch, The blond boy lying in a pool, the water around him swirling with red ribbons.
But first, she's going home to her new home in Scotland. A new life, a new adventure, even if it scares her more than just a little.