Mudblood No More

A Broken Promise

"Mummy! Daddy!" a two year old little girl cried. She ran towards her parents who were preparing to leave for the evening. As any two year old would be, she was reluctant to let her parents go, because.. well, they were her parents, and she loved them far too much. "See! I wanna go, I have ta-oo!" 

Hermione Lestrange was holding out her arm, which, indeed, had scribbles on it, no doubt the girl's attempt to draw a Dark Mark. Hermione knew that this was a special meeting, meant only for people with this "ta-oo", but she didn't know what it truly represented. She didn't know that the people with this Mark were attempting to destroy lives, but she was willing to take it anyway, if it meant that she could be with her parents. 

"Hermione, darling, we'll be back soon, I promise. Mummy and Daddy will be home to tuck you in tonight," Bellatrix kneeled down to hug her daughter. Hermione was the most precious thing to her, and she most certainly intended to keep her promise. Ever since Hermione was born, Bella had never once missed a "tucking in", and she had no intention of missing tonight's. 

Rodolphus Lestrange could never have imagined being a father. In fact, he knew that Bella had never wanted to be a mother, either. The plan had been to work together as husband and wife, and rise up the ranks in the Dark Lord's army. However, the day that Hermione was born, he remembered holding her, still resenting the fact that he now had a child to weigh him down. Then, the tiny baby sleeping in his arms had subconsciously reached up, grabbed a section of his robes in her small fist, and used it to pull herself closer to him. Her large doe eyes had then fluttered open, giving him a clear look at her beautiful dark-brown, almost black eyes, just like his wife's. She had yawned then, and as her tiny mouth made an "o" shape, he had realized that the Dark Lord didn't quite matter as much anymore. Something in his heart just jumped when the baby snuggled into him even more. He realized that she trusted him to keep her safe, and that was what he would do. He could spare love for Hermione. 

Looking at her now, her dark curls were all over the place, and her beautiful eyes were pleading. He had learned over the years that he could not say "no" to his daughter, no matter how hard he tried. She, of course, knew that, and often attempted to use it to her advantage. His wife would scold him regularly for spoiling her, but even she could not resist the girl's charm. After all, she was the daughter of the Lestranges; she could be quite charming and cunning when she wanted to be. 

"Hermione, we don't want to leave you, but we have to. Mummy promised that we'd be back, didn't she? And Mummy never breaks her promises." 

"No," Hermione admitted grudgingly. She couldn't understand why she couldn't go with her parents. "Why I can't go? I been bad?" 

"No, my sweetheart, you haven't been bad. Not at all! Mummy and Daddy have got to go run a boring.. errand, darling. We thought you wouldn't like it. Besides, you're going to Auntie Cissa's for the night! Aren't you excited to see Draco?" 

Hermione's eyes lit up. She and Draco got along very well, and were the best of playmates. Both Bella and Narcissa used this to their advantage, so that when they needed either child to do something, a playtime with their cousin was promised. 

"Monty!" the mother called, and within a moment, a house elf wearing a torn dishtowel appeared. 

"Mistress called for Monty?" 

"Yes. After we leave, take Hermione to my sister's house. The wards should let you in." 

"Very well, Mistress. Monty will take Little Mistress to Miss Narcissa's house." the elf said, before popping away. 

"There, Hermione. Are you pleased, my darling?"

Hermione nodded her head vigorously. She may not have gotten exactly what she had wanted originally, though she had been given something better than she had expected. 

Bella picked up the little girl, and pulled her in tight. "I promise, Mummy and Daddy will be in time to tuck you in for bed. We always will be." 

Rodolphus cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with having to interrupt the mother-daughter moment. "Bella, dear, we must be going. Barty will be expecting us any minute now." 

"Yes, alright." Reluctantly, Bellatrix let go of her baby, setting her down on the ground. She knew that there was nothing to worry about, but she just had this strange feeling. She just wanted Hermione to know how much she loved her, just in case, though it was highly unlikely that their mission would go in a different direction. 

The minute that Hermione's feet touched the ground, she headed to her father. As much as she loved her mummy, she truly was a daddy's girl, and nothing would ever change that. Her father picked her up, just as her mother had before, and embraced her. She wrapped her chubby arms around his neck, and gave him a sloppy kiss on his cheek. He chuckled, before setting her down as well. 

"Alright, Hermione. We'll see you at bedtime. Be good for your Aunt Cissa, and don't forget to use your manners." Rodolphus reminded the girl again, just as he always did before she went anywhere.

"'Course, Daddy." 

Next came a chorus of last minute "bye"s, and Bella and Rodolphus were off. They Apparated directly to their destination, and just as Rodolphus had predicted, Barty Crouch Jr. was awaiting their arrival. 

Meanwhile, Hermione latched onto Monty's arm, as he brought them to Malfoy Manor. To most, the manor would seem dark and dreary, but to Hermione, it meant fun times were ahead. The elf brought her to the front door, having Apparated past the gate, as the wards had let them through, and waited for someone to answer the door. 

"Hermione! What a surprise, dear! Come in, come in!" Narcissa Malfoy exclaimed, ushering her niece inside. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed the elf that had brought Hermione, then focused on the little girl before her. 

Taking the small coat and hanging it up, Narcissa offered Hermione a mug of hot chocolate, but to the girl, there wasn't a minute to spare. She politely refused, just as her mother had taught her, and trotted off to find Draco. 

***

Hours later, Hermione was exhausted. She and Draco had created many adventures, but she was still looking forward to seeing her parents. She had no doubt that her mummy and daddy would keep their promise, and, being the smart child that she was, figured that they must have been running a bit late. She decided that she would wait for her parents, and when they arrived, it would be worth it.

However, much time passed, and not a single clue of her parents. Hermione was physically unable to stay awake any longer. Draco had been put to bed by his mother and father, and Narcissa had offered to find Hermione some nightclothes, but she had refused. She insisted that her own parents would be here soon to take her home. They had promised, and they never broke any promises. 

***

About a half hour later, when Hermione was forced to pinch herself to stay awake, the loud, creaky knocker pounded on the front door three times. Her uncle, Lucius Malfoy, sauntered to the door, and Hermione followed sleepily, expecting her mummy and daddy. 

It wasn't them. Instead, there were about half a dozen men in dark robes, brandishing their wands. The one in the front held a document, which Lucius insisted on seeing. Hermione was confused. Her uncle was getting paler by the second, and the other man's loud, powerful voice wasn't helping to soothe her. 

Tugging on her uncle's robes, she asked, "Uncle Cius, what happening?"

Instead of replying, he pulled her behind him, and turning his head slightly, he called for his wife. Narcissa arrived within moments. She knew that whatever it was was urgent, so she made sure to waste not even a second. "What is it, Lucius?"