The Dark Heiress

Hermione Bellatrix Riddle watched from inside her mom's closet as her mom poured a potion into the mouth of a dirty, Imperiused, Muggle child. The child changed to look like Hermione. A few seconds later, several people burst into the room. "It's over, Bellatrix," Dumbledore said. None of the new arrivals knew of the hidden child. They believed the Imperiused child to be the real Hermione.

"Never! The Dark Lord WILL return and his heir WILL be magnificent! My child will continue his work when she's old enough and she will be more powerful than you could ever imagine!" Bellatrix Lestrange started to cackle. Dumbledore used a spell to disarm Bellatrix as McGonagall used a different spell to tie her up. Dumbledore pointed his wand at the fake Hermione.

"Albus! What are you doing!?" McGonagall asks.

"What needs to be done. What if Bellatrix is right? We can't risk it!" Dumbledore shot the killing curse at the child and it fell dead.

"NO! You bastard! You will pay for this!" Bellatrix spat as she was inwardly full of glee knowing she had fooled Dumbledore and her child, her Lord's heir, was safe. She knew Dumbledore would try something like this. Her sister would be by in an hour to pick up her daughter and raise her the way she should be. Her daughter will be a proper Pureblood, a worthy member of House Black and a worthy heir to the Dark Lord. The Order members left with Bellatrix still yelling at them. Hermione stayed in the closet, terrified by what she had seen, knowing it would be a long time before she got to see her mom again...

I heard someone enter the room and I stayed as quiet as I could. I closed my eyes. The closet door opened and I screamed as I was pulled into someone's arms. "Shh, Mia. It's just me. Remember? Your mom asked me to come and pick you up before..."

"Mommy. She... She's..." I cried as I looked up at Aunt Cissy. "When can I see mommy?"

"It... It will probably be a while, Mia. But, you WILL see your mom again. However, for now, you are to come home with me. Draco misses you." I smiled at her.

"I miss Dray, too."

...

I arrived with Aunt Cissy at Malfoy Manor. We see Dray and the mean guy. I don't know why Aunt Cissy puts up with him. He's horrible to her and me and mommy and even Dray sometimes! "Lucius, Draco. Bella was taken by the Order but Hermione is okay. She's going to stay with us until Bella comes back."

"No, absolutely not!" The mean guy yells. "I don't want your horrible sister's spawn in my house!"

"Lucius! May I remind you that she may be Bella's child but she is also the Dark Lord's heir. What do you think he'll do when he returns to find out that we didn't take her in? Who else is going to!? She's family."

"She's not in my family and you will do well to remember your place, wife!" Aunt Cissy flinched as the mean guy raised his hand and slapped her.

"Stop! Stop! Leave her alone!" I yelled at him.

"Or what?" The mean guy asked as he walked up to me.

"Lucius, she's the Dark Lord's heir. Don't hurt her!" The mean guy stormed off and Dray started crying. I walked up to Dray and pulled him into a hug before pulling Aunt Cissy in too.

"It's okay, cuz. I'll always protect my family." Dray and Aunt Cissy smiled at me as we all hugged.

...

Since the old guy (I now know is called Dumbledore) took my mom away, I've been living in Malfoy Manor as Cassiopeia Narcissa Black as Aunt Cissy had insisted on getting me a new name to hide me from Dumbledore and the Order. She's been telling people that I'm cousin Regulus' daughter. She had given me her name as a middle name because she and cousin Regulus had gotten along really well before he disappeared. As my filthy blood traitor cousin (Sirius) was in Azkaban, that meant that Aunt Cissy and her filthy blood traitor sister (Andromeda) were 'Cassiopeia's' closest relatives and Aunt Cissy had been closer with Regulus than the blood traitor. This means instead of being first cousins, Draco and I are second cousins and Aunt Cissy is my first cousin once removed (but I just call them both 'cousin' when we're in public as it's easier).

Today, Aunt Cissy, Draco and I are at Diagon Alley. It's mom's birthday next week and the three of us always celebrate it. That was Aunt Cissy's idea. I think she's doing it to make us all feel better. I miss my mom every day and I know Aunt Cissy does too. I hate that I'm forgetting more about her the older I get. I don't remember much anymore and it was only six years ago that mom was taken. I miss my father sometimes too but I hardly remember him. Mom's birthday is on January 9th. She'd be 37 this year.

I look up at Gringott's and what I see makes me freeze. Mom? That's not possible... She's with a purple-haired girl probably in her fifth year at Hogwarts. Oh... That must be my blood traitor Aunt Andromeda. I know Aunt Cissy said she looks like mom but still. I just... I didn't expect to... "Hermione?" I look up at Aunt Cissy. I didn't notice that I was crying until now. I know Aunt Cissy's realized too. She looked where I was looking a second ago and looked back at me. I know she knows what had just happened. "Sweetie..." She guides me and Draco to her favourite spot on Knockturn Alley: A pub called The White Wyvern. We're immediately taken to Aunt Cissy's private room at the back of the pub. She told us the last time we came here that she has her room because she bought the place four years ago. It's a nice room for such a bad place but that's probably because Aunt Cissy decorated it herself. We spend the rest of the day there with Aunt Cissy trying (and succeeding) to cheer me up.

...

I watched as mom yelled at Dumbledore. I watched as Dumbledore disarmed mom and the old woman (that I now know to be called McGonagall) ties mom up. I try to scream but nothing happened. I saw Dumbledore kill the child before he looked my way. He pulled open the doors and I saw my mom scared. "No!" My mom yelled. "Leave her alone! She hasn't done anything wrong! Don't hurt her! Please! Leave my daughter alone!" Then, I heard Dumbledore say the words that would end my life.

"Avada Kedavra!" I shot up awake with my Aunt Cissy looking at me. She looked scared and had only just come into my room. This happens a lot.

"Again?" I nodded. I've had many different dreams about that night since it happened almost nine years ago.

"I'm scared... And, I miss mom."

"Me too, sweetie. Me too."

"Why do you put up with him?" I didn't want to keep talking about mom.

"What do you mean?" I traced the bruise on her face that Lucius had given her right before I had gone to bed.

"You know what I mean, Aunt Cissy. Why don't you just leave him? Or stand up to him more?" Aunt Cissy got on the bed and started cuddling with me. I love it when this happens. I like being held but I also like holding others... Well, Draco and Aunt Cissy and no one else, but it still counts!

"I don't have a choice, Mia. He's my husband. In a traditional, Pureblood marriage, the husband has to be obeyed by his wife. If I don't do as he asks, he can punish me in any way he sees fit. If I leave him, he gets custody of Draco. I can't do that to Draco and I can't lose my son, Mia. You'd never be allowed to see him, either."

"But... But... But, he's an asshole!"

"Hermione Bellatrix Riddle! Language!"

"Still true, though." I pouted at her and she chuckled.

"Yes, but you shouldn't be using that kind of language at your age."

"So, when I'm older I can?" I gave her a hopeful look and she chuckled again.

"Since you're mature for your age and you're Bella's daughter, not mine... Sixteen. You can swear at sixteen."

"But, that's ages away! And, it's only one year before I'm of age!"

"Seventeen, then."

"No! No. Sixteen's fine." Aunt Cissy chuckled again and smiled at me. She tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear.

"Don't ever change, Mia. You're perfect the way you are." I smiled at her for a few seconds before frowning.

"Aunt Cissy... You're relationship with him... Will I be in a relationship like that?" A dark look passed over her face.

"No," she said, firmly. "Bella and I would never put you in that position. Our parents were horrible people. They hated us for being born girls and even more when Andromeda left with her Mudblood."

"Andromeda... That's yours and mom's blood traitor sister, right?"

"Yes. Our parents didn't want us to do what she did, so they forced us to marry the traditional way even though neither of us wanted to. We preferred each others' company over anyone else's."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll understand when you're older, Mia." I nodded at her words.

"Aunt Cissy?"

"Yes, Mia?"

"What will happen if I go to Hogwarts and I'm not Sorted into Slytherin?" Aunt Cissy pulled me closer to her.

"Is this because of what Lucius said earlier?"

"Yes. I'm sorry he hurt you because of me." I thought about the incident earlier that day...

I heard a bang as someone pushed open the doors to the library a little too harshly. I put my book down. There's only one person who would do that. "Where are you!?" Lucius shouted. I hoped he would just leave but he didn't. He came into view. "When I ask you a question, you answer it! Draco said it was you who killed one of my precious babies." I struggle not to laugh as he references his stupid peacocks. Draco must've accidentally killed one and didn't want to get into trouble. If he had said it was him, Lucius would've hit him by now.

"Yes. And?" Lucius' face went a little red in his anger.

"You worthless, good for nothing, little bookworm! I bet that's what you were doing before I came in, isn't it? Reading. You'll be Sorted into Ravenclaw at this rate and I'll make sure I tell everyone about how your worthless ass couldn't even make it into Slytherin. You'll be disowned and you won't be allowed anywhere near Narcissa or Draco again!"

"Lucius Abraxas Malfoy! Stop yelling at the Dark Lord's heir. He will come back eventually and when he finds out how you've treated his daughter, he will torture you, if not kill you." Lucius faced Aunt Cissy and hit her.

"YOU WILL NOT TELL ME HOW TO ACT! ESPECIALLY IN MY OWN HOME!" Lucius stormed out and I comforted Aunt Cissy for a bit before she sent me to bed.

"Look... As intelligent as you are, Hermione, I have no doubt you'll be Sorted into Slytherin. Your father is an heir of Slytherin. YOU are an heir of Slytherin. Being a Slytherin is your birthright. You have all the qualities of a good Slytherin. However, if you were Sorted elsewhere, Ravenclaw wouldn't be that bad, Mia. Ravenclaws are intelligent and have a lot of wisdom and wit. Ravenclaw is a great House. Lucius is wrong and nothing will happen if you are Sorted into Ravenclaw. But, again, I have no doubt you'll be a Slytherin."

"Okay. Thanks, Aunt Cissy." I cuddled up to Cissy and we fell asleep.