conviction | SSHG

one

Hermione Granger was never one to believe in miracles or coincidences. She didn't believe in luck, despite being best friends with the luckiest wizard around, and she paid no mind to karma. But fate was something she always believed in. Everything happened for a reason in her eyes, regardless of whether it's good or bad. She was meant to do all of the things that she's done and will do in her life.

So if fate wanted Hermione Granger to fight in another war, she would do it gladly. But if fate wanted her to rethink everything in her life, well, that's something she would have to seriously consider. But fate had been persistent and decided to make an executive decision on Hermione's behalf. So now Hermione is sitting in her kitchen with a small box of letters and photographs on the table in front of her.

She had found the box in the attic when she was going through her parents' belongings. They had decided to stay in Australia after she returned their memories to them, not fully trusting their daughter. Hermione understood why they stayed but now she was being forced to sell her childhood home. She didn't have enough Muggle money to pay for it and the money she got for the house could help her pay for a pretty decent flat somewhere in London.

Hermione had been in the attic of the house many times as a child but never once tried going through the multiple boxes up there. Most of them were clothes that her parents didn't wear any more or things that just didn't belong in the house anymore- namely Hermione's baby toys and clothes.

So while going through the boxes in the attic, Hermione found this one. It was unlabeled and smaller than all of the others. Her mother labeled everything so she was quite surprised that this one didn't have something written on it in thick black permanent marker.

She brought the box downstairs for further examination and that's where we are now, at a stalemate. Hermione grabbed the stack of letters and put them all on the table in front of her. She then grabbed the few photographs and looked through them. The first photograph was of a man and a woman, both of which Hermione instantly recognized. Why was there a picture of young Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy in a box that was in her attic? She flips the picture over to see that someone had written something on the back. It read 'Narcissa Black and Lucius Malfoy, 1978'.

Why was this in the attic? Hermione pondered the question for a few moments before realizing that she would most likely have the answer once she was done going through the whole box.

The next and last picture was of Lucius and Narcissa and a newborn baby. The baby looked less than a month old but had blue eyes and pale skin, blonde wisps of hair on the top of their head. Hermione flips the picture over and the writing on the back reads 'Narcissa, Lucius, and three week old Ophelia Malfoy, 1979'.

Since there are no more photographs, Hermione grabs the oldest looking letter which is addressed to her. She slowly opens the envelope and takes out the piece of parchment. Then, she reads.

Dearest Hermione,

I realize that you don't even know who I am but I need to write this letter to you. The Grangers have already promised to protect you and make sure that you don't remember anything, they did so at your birth five years ago. I may not be alive when you're finally able to read this so I need to tell you everything now. The Granger's aren't your biological parents, your father and I are. We are Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy and we have sacrificed so much in order for you and your brother to be safe. Your real name is Ophelia Andromeda Malfoy, not Hermione Jean Granger. Your father and I had to give you away or otherwise the Dark Lord would've killed you. No one else knows about this but the four of us and we took all of the necessary precautions. A Glamour Charm was put on you to make it believable that you're Monica and Wendell's daughter. This Charm is due to
come off on your nineteenth birthday. I can't say much more in a letter but I can tell you one more thing. Your younger brother doesn't even know that you exist and he won't, not until you're nineteen. Your father and I love you very much and I hope to send you another letter soon.

Sincerely,

Your mother

Hermione looked at the letter in front of her with wide eyes and an open mouth. That letter had to be a fake because it couldn't possibly be real, right? Hermione couldn't be the biological daughter of the Malfoy's, she just couldn't be. After all the pain that they've caused her, they couldn't be her real family.