“We have to tell her. Now, before she finds out on her own, before she reverses the Memory Charm on her parents!” Professor McGonagall spoke to a portrait hanging behind the headmistress’s desk.
“Minerva, there is very little risk that Hermione reversing her Memory Charm will undo the other charm on her parents. That charm has been in place for seventeen years, so why should it be affected now?” Professor Dumbledore smiled down at the new headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
“Albus, I just don’t think we can take that chance. As I said yesterday, she deserves to know the truth. I understand you did not want to tell her before because of the danger she would have been in from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but now there is no reason not to tell her.”
“You still avoid saying Voldemort’s name, Minerva? He is dead. We must encourage the use of his name or the fear that has plagued the Wizarding world will last long after Voldemort himself. As for revealing her true parentage, I do not think any good can come from it; in fact, it may even be harmful to her. Imagine finding out the past seventeen years of your life have been a lie? That the two people you believe are your parents are, in truth, not your blood relatives. That even though your mother ‘remembers’ giving birth to you, in actuality she didn’t. Finding out that the torment you underwent during school was unimaginably uncalled-for.” For a few moments, Dumbledore sat back in his chair deep in thought. Then Dumbledore looked across the room to another portrait that had been just recently hung on the wall.
“Severus, what do you think?” he asked.
“I don’t know what to think. I still do not understand why I was not informed of this. How could you keep this from me, knowing my feelings about . . .” Severus Snape’s voice trailed off. His eyes, while flashing with anger over being kept in the dark on this issue, held the sheen of tears.
“Why didn’t I tell you?” Dumbledore asked. “Why indeed? Your treatment of the girl was bad enough without you having known her true heritage. Would you have treated her better? I think not.” Dumbledore’s voice was harsh, but Snape didn’t look affected by his tone. “While you would have lost your anti-Muggleborn reasoning, you would have gained another, more powerful weapon to use against her. No, keeping this information from you was in her best interest. Can you honestly tell me she would have been better off, that you would have treated her with more respect had you known who her true parents were?”
Snape looked at Dumbledore without replying. He knew that he would have treated Hermione differently had he known. Better? No. He would not have been able to get over his hatred of her father. He would have treated her like he treated Harry Potter, which was certainly not kindly. Snape knew now that it was too late to undo his previous mistakes or to ever make up for his treatment of the boy. Snape was wrong in that and he was ashamed, but he was dead now and there wasn’t any way to change the past.
“Minerva,” Dumbledore said, “contact Hermione. Ask her, along with Harry and Ron, to stop by Hogwarts before she goes to Australia to get her parents. Though I am worried as to the effect the truth will have on her, telling her the truth is long overdue. We will tell her, tell the three of them, the truth.”
Nodding at Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall left the headmistress’s office, heading to the Owlery to send a letter to Hermione immediately.
***
When Professor McGonagall returned to her office, she walked in on a heated discussion between Professors Dumbledore and Snape. Neither man noticed her entrance.
“If I had been told the truth years ago, I would have told you that she should be told the truth, all of it. Why did you keep her in the dark? Did you fear her anger over the secret? Or someone else’s? I don’t think it was solely because of the danger she would have been in from Voldemort. You managed with my help, of course, to keep Harry safe, why wouldn’t you have been able to keep her safe too?” Snape’s voice was cold, filled with the frustration he felt over not being let in on the truth.
“Her anger? Yes, but, Severus, try to understand the guilt and shame that I feel as well. I have been quite uncourageous in keeping this from her for seventeen years.” Dumbledore paused, thinking. “But it is past time to tell her the truth. I should never have done what I did, though it was done with the best intentions. As were many of the things I did over the past seventeen years.” Dumbledore looked over at Severus, and then realizing Professor McGonagall had returned, directed his next comments to her.
“Minerva, I expect they will be here first thing tomorrow. I must, of course, inform the other two people whom this will affect. This will not be easy. No, Severus, I know what you are thinking, and I do not want you to accompany me. Emotions will be running high enough once I reveal the truth to them; I do not think it will be a good idea if you are there. Minerva, I will return by morning.”
With that Professor Dumbledore walked out of his portrait to go to inform Hermione’s true parents that they had a daughter.
Who Am I? by mudbloodproud
Chapter Notes: I wish to thank my wonderful betas, Harry_Rulz (Lexi), iloverupertgrint (Stacey), eleven49. They have been wonderful through the changes I have made.