Chapter 1
Hermione took a deep breath, trying to curve the anxiety that had spiked in her a few days ago. Every time she left the house to go to the local library or book shop, she felt like she was being followed. She told herself that she was just paranoid, that no one from the Wizarding World would venture that far into the Muggle World. Clouds gathered outside her window, and she finally pulled herself away from it to head downstairs. She had to talk to her dad. He was standing at the stove pouring broth into a pot. She smiled, he was making their favorite soup.
"Dad?" She called out gently, moving to sit on one of the stools at the island across from him.
"Hey Pumpkin, what's up?" Her dad asked, shooting her a soft smile as he stirred the pot.
She twiddled her thumbs. She told her dad everything, and her dad knew more than she did about the Wizarding World. So with a deep breath, she gathered the legendary Gryffindor Courage. "Dad, I know that we talked about the Death Eaters and the war that's coming, but I think someone has been following me."
Her dad stopped what he was doing, pulling out his wand and casting a charm to make the spoon continue stirring in the pot, before he turned to face her fully. "Tell me everything."
"Every time I left the house, I felt like someone was watching me. No one was around when I turned to look though. I don't think it's anyone good either."
Her dad conjured a stool to sit across from her, his fingers entwining as he rested his chin against them and contemplated what to say. "In the first war, Dumbledore created a rebellious group called the Order of the Phoenix. Your Uncle Sirius, your old Professor Lupin, and Harry's parents were apart of it. Along with Wormtail obviously. Is there any chance it could be them?"
Hermione shook her head. "If it was something like that, you know McGonagall would have stopped by to tell us. She knows it's important for you to stay away from the Wizarding World. Besides, Snape would say something as well. He would do anything for us, even if he can't help me at school." She sighed as the coil in her stomach tightened.
"Maybe you should write to Fred. I'm sure he would be able to help you figure out what's going on." Her dad said with a small smile, reaching his hand out to hold hers for a moment before moving back to the stove. Hermione nodded to herself and headed upstairs. Her dad calling out to her saying that dinner would be done in ten minutes. When she got to her room, she pulled out a quill and some parchment.
Dear Fred,
I know you can't tell me much, but I was hoping you could tell me if Dumbledore put a tail on me. The last couple days I felt like I was being followed. Maybe it's paranoia from the last task. Maybe it's fear from the axe hanging over my head. I'm not too sure. Please write and let me know.
Thank you,
Hermione
Sealing it, Hermione attached it to Hedwig, along with the letter she had already written out to Harry, before heading back downstairs. With a deep breath, she settled into her chair at the dinning table and waited for her mum to join her. She watched as her parents interacted in the kitchen, grinning when her dad twirled her mum around and pressed a kiss to her cheek, before shooing her out of the kitchen. Her mum walked over and sat in the seat across from Hermione, smiling at her gently.
"How was your day, Hermione?" Her mum asked gently. Helena was not blind, her knew something was bothering her daughter. Her husband now had the same tension in his shoulders as she did.
"Mum, I'm just going to tell you. I already talked it out with dad and owled Fred, but I think someone is following me. I've had this feeling for a couple days now. I thought it was no big deal, but I just have this really bad feeling that it's not right." Hermione sighed, looking at her mum with a sad look. Her mum and her had a long talk the day her father told them that he was a wizard and how he came to be in the care of the Grangers (her maternal grandparents). They both made a deal that no one would know who her father is, and that they would protect him no matter what. Her mother, who had been in the Queens Army through her schooling to become a dentist, the glint in her eyes turned murderess at the implication that her family could be threatened. So much so, that there was a secret hiding spot built into the house for the off occasion an attack did happen. When Hermione was younger she was told to go inside with her father and not come out. When she entered the Wizarding World, she had Flitwick, McGonagall, and Snape teach her every Defense and Offensive that could be used to protect her family. They were the only ones that knew who her father really was. Now, she wouldn't be running from a fight. Her father came in and broke the tension in the air, by serving dinner with a soft smile to his wife and daughter.
A few hours later, Hermione was helping clean up in the kitchen when the door was blasted in. She pulled her wand out and shoved her father towards the hidden room. She heard her mothers gun being fired from upstairs and the shouts of men in her living room. As soon as the door shut between Hermione and her father, she took a deep breath and moved towards the doorway. Summoning her Patronus charm and sent her otter to Snape.
"They're here. Hurry." Taking one more deep breath she moved into the Death Eater's line of sight. "Stupify!"
The fight began. One Death Eater fell at the hands on her mother gun, one by the stunning spell. One after the other fell, then more appeared. Then the deep laugh of someone she never wanted to fight. Her cousin Lucious. Her shock costed her.
"Crucio!"
She fell to the floor, her lips pinched together to prevent herself from screaming. She clutched at her wand, desperate to keep it in her hands. She just had to hold on, until Severus could get here. She prayed to Morgana that her father stayed where he was. But the curse intensified, and the scream she released pierced the air of her home. Her body fell forwards, twitching and screaming as the pain consumed her. Distantly she heard her mother scream, followed by the sound of her gun. The curse stopped, but the pain did not fade. Even as she twitched and her body screamed for her to stay down, she forced herself up and began to thrown more spells against the Death Eaters. She was done playing nice.
"Bomborda!"
Her living room floor blew up, scorch marks lined the walls. Not a single body in sight. She took a deep breath and collapsed back to the ground. Her wand still firmly gripped in her hand. Her mother was next to her instantly, brushing the hair away from her daughters face. But she had to stay focused. That's when she saw Severus rush through the front door.
"HELENA!" He called out.
"Over here!" She called back.
Hermione's wand was up before he could rush towards them. "What was the one thing you said to me when you learned who my father really was?"
Severus froze, unsure if he should say anything with the other Order members present, but nodded his head. "That he was stronger than people gave him credit for. Especially your uncle."
With that, Hermione collapsed completely against her mother. Tears streamed down her face as her twitching, aching body shook with the aftershocks of the Cruciotus Cruse. Severus dropped to his knees, running his wand over her body and sucking in a harsh breath. "We need to get you back to headquarters. Poppy and I can work on you there."
"The room-" Hermione croaked.
Helena passed her daughter to Severus and rushed to the hidden room to release her father. In a blur of unruly black hair, her father fell down to his knees beside her and cradled her face in his hands.
"It's ok, Pumpkin. We'll deal with everything once you're treated." Her father whispered comfortingly.
"Dad-You have to-leave-" She croaked, trying to curling further into her father.
"Shhh, it's alright. We'll go to headquarters and get you treated. One step at a time, remember?" He whispered gently, but Hermione could see the fear in his eyes.
"Regulus?"
Regulus and Hermione turned to see Remus Lupin standing in the doorway watching them all closely.
"Been a long time, Lupin." Hermione's father nodded his head acknowledging the werewolf.
Hermione's shaking got worse, and Severus eased her back into his arms, rummaging through his pocket and muttering a silent and wandless enlarging charm on a pencil. He then handed a piece of paper to Regulus and Helena, telling them to memorize the address before stuffing it back into his pocket and gesturing for everyone to hold onto the pencil.
"Hermione, I'm going to stun you so we don't accidently splinch you. You'll wake once Poppy and I have patched you up." Severus whispered gently to his goddaughter.
She nodded her head, gave a weak smile towards her family before Severus stunned her. Regulus wrapped his arm around Helena and directed her to grab the object. The other order members grabbed ahold of it as well, and with a quick tap and muttered password they disappeared.
~~~~
Regulus held onto Helena the entire time the portkey was activated, and well after they landed into his childhood home. In fact, his wand was pointed towards the red haired family that was gathered before them. He stood in between Severus, Hermione, and Helena, and the group before them. He recognized some of them. Molly and Aurther of course, and some of them from the pictures Hermione had in her room. He could hear Severus cursing under his breath as he worked on Hermione. Helena gripped Regulus's hand gently and guided his wand arm down.
"They are Hermione's friends, we're safe, Rabbit." His wife whispered into his ear.
"How did they find us?" He whispered to Helena, but directed the question to Severus.
"Reg, I'll try to answer all your questions after Poppy and I stable Hermione." He whispered back. "Will someone Floo Poppy!" He called to the group before them. A girl with bubblegum pink hair dashed away. Two minutes later, Poppy rushed in and headed to Severus and Hermione.
There was a tense smile within the room, as the two worked on Hermione. Regulus remained the barrier between his family and the group before them. It was then that he saw the other black haired man enter the room. And his entire body froze at the sight of his brother. He wanted to rush up to him and hug him tightly, tell him everything that had happened since he left in his sixth year. He wanted to act like a boy again and throw his arms around his older brother and cry from all the pain he suffered. But he couldn't. His brother hated him. And he couldn't move until Hermione was ok. Sirius opened his mouth to say something, but Remus rushed over and dragged him out of the room. Five minutes later, and Hermione was stable enough to revive. She woke with a groan, curling up into Severus like she did when she was a child. It was at her groan that Regulus and Helena moved, turning towards their daughter and pulling her into their arms. Regulus began to cry in relief that his little girl was alright. Helena simply stroked both of her loves wild hair and kissed their foreheads. She silently prepped for the oncoming nightmares that would visit both her and her husband when they inevitably fell asleep.
"I'm ok." Hermione whispered to her parents after a moment.
"I'm sorry." Her father whispered.
"It's not your fault. They were after me, not you. It's ok." Hermione whispered, happy that she and her parents were ok.
A throat cleared behind them, and they turned to see the Weasleys, along with the entire order, standing there watching them. Regulus's fear sparked through him again, as it finally sunk in just where he was. He gripped his wife and daughter tighter and buried his face in their shoulders. Panic gripped him, his breathing coming out in short breathes. Hermione and Helena shared a single glance before they both began to take deep calming breathes to help him calm down. This wasn't the first time he had a panic attack while he talked about his past, but being thrust into it head on definitely triggered this one. When Regulus calmed down, Hermione took the lead and slowly stood up. With the help of Severus, she moved to sit in a chair not far from her parents but far enough that it took the Order's eyes off of them.
"Ask me your questions. Leave them be until my dad can calm down." She stated simply, settling back and taking the pain potion Severus offered.
But it wasn't questions that were hurtled at Hermione, instead Fred and George rushed over and wrapped her in their arms. She hugged them back just as tightly as they dared to hold her, and sighed in relief.
"We got your owl a few minutes before your Patronus appeared. You've been holding out on us, Granger." Fred whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead as they pulled away from each other.
"I'm ok, guys."
"Yeah, because you appearing unconscious on the floor is ok." George rolled his eyes.
"Well, technically I was stunned so I wasn't necessarily unconscious." Hermione shrugged with a smile.
Fred narrowed his eyes and could see she was still slightly trembling. "What happened?"
"Death Eaters attacked my home. My mum and I managed to take them out, but I managed to get on the wrong end of an unforgivable." She said with a sigh.
"So, who is your dad?" George asked.
"And why does he have a wand?" Fred asked.
"In the muggle world, he goes by Daniel Granger. In the Wizarding World, he goes by Regulus Black." She whispered softly.
"So that makes you-"
"The niece to Sirius Black, yes."
"But isn't Regulus supposed to be dead?" Molly chimed in, looking back and forth between Hermione and her parents.
"Regulus is a turncoat. In fact, my dad was forced to join the death eaters by punishment of death. He was good friends with Lily until she and Severus had the falling out. When Sirius left him home during Hogwarts, my dad was forced to take the place he was supposed to have. Thing is neither of the Black son's wanted anything to do with that place. So when my dad had the chance to fake his death he took it. Even cut his arm off so he was no longer affected by the Dark Mark." She explained.
"So you have know this whole time about the Wizarding World? I've known who he actually was? This whole time?" Arthur asked.
Hermione nodded. "Yes. When my first bout of accidental magic happened, dad told me and mum everything. He doesn't like the Magic World at all. When he escaped my mums parents found him and took him in. Mum came home one day and found out they had a roommate. They ended up bickering, and he told them about magic. Before long they fell in love. No one knew he was alive until McGonagall came to give me my letter. After that, Severus found out." She shrugged her shoulders. "It's better if my dad explains it when he's had a chance to process all of this."
Hermione took a deep breath, as exhaustion and the aftershocks shredded the last of her will to keep speaking. Fred, noticing this, scooped her up into his arms. "Mr. and Mrs. Granger, if you want I can show you to the room you will be staying in. It's right next to Hermione's." He said gently to the couple that was still huddled on the floor. With a nod from Hermione's mum, she helped her husband stand and followed Fred up the winding stairs. With a flick of his wand Fred cleared all the dust from the room that was directly across from his and Georges room. He laid Hermione on top of the covers, whispering a promise to be back in a moment, before heading back into the hallway and guiding her parents into the room directly to the right. With a quick flick of his wand, the room was cleaned and the sheets washed in an instant. Helena murmured a thank you before they ducked into their room. Fred took a deep breath and headed back to Hermione. With another flick from his wand, her clothes were transfigured into comfortable shorts and a tank top. Gently, he maneuvered her under the covers. When he turned to leave, he was stopped by her hand tugging on his wrist.
"Will you stay with me tonight?" She whispered softly.
"Of course." He replied, transfiguring his own clothes into something comfortable, before climbing into bed beside her; his arms wrapped tightly around her waist as she rested her head against his chest. "Good night."
"Night, Fred."