They Apparated to the side yard of the Burrow. Taking Hermione’s hand in his, Harry walked over to the kitchen door and knocked. The door was opened within seconds by Mrs Weasley. The shock on her face lasted only the briefest of moments, before both of them were enveloped in a hug. As Molly released them, she grabbed an arm of each and dragged them into the house. Closing the door quickly as if she was fearful they would leave, she turned to them.
“We weren’t expecting you until tomorrow. Oh, I am so happy you are here,” she said on a rush. Looking at both of them closely, her mother’s instincts kicked in. She had suspected from the very first day, Ron was not telling her the truth. He was hiding something and Molly was going to find out before the night was over.
“Mrs Weasley, there is something I need to…” Hermione’s voice trailed off as she struggled with the words that would seal her fate in telling the truth.
“Where is everyone?” Harry asked to give Hermione a few moments to compose herself.
“What? Oh, Arthur is out back in his little shed, he is working on that damn bike of Sirius’. Yes, I know he has it hidden out there. The boys, Ginny and Fleur are up in the back field playing Quidditch,” Molly answered absently, her eyes never leaving Hermione’s face.
“Why don’t I go and get them?” Harry started towards the kitchen door, as he passed Hermione, he gave her shoulder a quick squeeze.
“Come sit down, dear,” Molly took Hermione’s hand and led her over to the table. “How about a cup of tea while we wait?”
Molly set about making Hermione a cup of tea. She knew there was something very wrong with Hermione. She couldn’t help but notice how Harry had sought to reassure her before leaving the house.
She also knew there was something wrong between Hermione and Ron. Ron wouldn’t talk about it and had even gone so far as to tell her, his own mother, to stay out of it. He firmly refused to talk about Hermione since he moved back home and wouldn’t even stay in the room if her name came up.
Placing a cup of tea in front of Hermione, Molly said, “I’ll just go out and fetch Arthur. I love to see him scramble to hide what he is doing when I surprise him by coming out there.” With a smile, Molly turned and left the kitchen.
***
As Harry approached the field where the impromptu game of Quidditch was being held, he could see several broomsticks in the air. As he walked, he tried to identify who was who. Ginny was easily the most recognizable being the only girl flying. As he picked out each of the Weasley brothers, his eyes spotted the one with the beater bat. At first his mind tried to figure out which twin it was. Then reality crashed down on him and he stopped walking abruptly. He took a moment to let the wave of grief pass, concentrating on the fact that George was actually playing in the game. Smiling, he continued on.
Topping the hill, he spotted Fleur sitting under a nearby tree. As he approached her, he could hear curses flying through the air. Turning, he saw Ron and Ginny in a heated debate. Though he could not clearly understand everything being said, he knew Ginny was berating Ron for letting a goal through.
“Better watch out Ron, you know how good she is at a Bat-Bogey Hex,” Harry called up to them.
Amid shouts of greetings, the five players flew down in front of Harry.
“Harry, just the man we need. We can use another Seeker,” Bill said to him.
“I’m not here to play. I came up to get all of you. Hermione is down at the house and she wants to talk to everyone.”
Ron and Ginny looked at Harry with questions clearly written on their faces. He nodded his head at them.
“You mean we are finally going to find out just what in Merlin’s name is going on?” the question came from Charlie.
“It seems so,” said Ron. “But no matter what she says, please just support her.”
Each of Ron’s brothers looked questioningly at him. Shaking his head, Ron started walking down to the house. Harry and Ginny hurried to catch up with him leaving the others to follow behind them.
***
Hermione sat quietly alone at the kitchen table. Arthur had come in and after greeting her, went to clean up. Molly had followed after him saying something about how could he get so dirty when he was only supposed to be feeding the chickens.
Hermione looked up as the door opened and Harry and the Weasleys including Fleur walked in. Though each of them greeted her, she could sense the questions and uncertainty in their hellos.
Harry immediately sat down on Hermione’s right and Ron took the seat on her left. Ginny quickly took the seat directly across from her. Hermione appreciated their unspoken support.
As everyone settled into chairs, Mr and Mrs Weasley came into the kitchen. Mrs Weasley took in the crowded table and asked if Hermione wanted to go into the sitting room to talk. Shaking her head, Hermione didn’t reply.
“Hermione, do you want me to send for Percy? If you want him here, too, I can Floo him at his apartment. He can be here in moments,” Mrs Weasley asked.
“No, it’s okay. I need to tell you all something,” Hermione said. “But, first of all, I want to apologize to all of you, especially to you, Ron,” Hermione looked at Ron. “Ron has been lying to all of you for the past month. He did it for me.” Hermione took a deep breath.
“The day we left here and went to Hogwarts, we didn’t go to find out if I could go back to school, though I did ask before we left and I am going back in September. We went because Professor McGonagall asked us to come up before I went to get my… to get my…” Hermione’s voice faltered. Harry lifted his arm and put it around her shoulder.
This move was not lost on Molly whose eyes flashed fire for a moment.
“Before I went to get my parents from Australia. She said Professor Dumbledore needed to talk to us first. When we got there, Professor Dumbledore told me, he told us the truth.”
“The truth, dear? The truth about what?” Mrs Weasley asked gently.
As Ron reached over and took one of Hermione’s cold hands in his, Hermione took another deep breath. She knew she had to say it, just say it and get it out in the open.
“The Grangers are not my birth parents. I was taken from my birth family moments after I was born and placed with them to raise as their own. With lots of Memory charms, the Grangers never knew I wasn’t their biological daughter.”
There were gasps around the table as what she said sunk in. Before anyone could ask the obvious question, Hermione rushed on, “James and Lily Potter are my birth parents, I am Harry’s twin sister.” There she said it, everyone knew now.
Harry tightened his hold on Hermione slightly. He caught her eye and smiled at her. Around the table there was complete silence. Then out of nowhere, there came a voice.
“Hermione, I don’t know how to tell you this, but… this means that great bullying git, Dudley, is your cousin, too.” George’s voice held a note of amusement.
If the silence was thick before, it was nothing compared to what descended on the kitchen as soon as George stopped speaking. No one had expected a joke to come from him and he looked quite shocked the words had come out of his mouth.
Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other before bursting into fits of laughter. Everyone went from looking at George, to staring at them. Harry knew he better explain quickly before they all thought they had lost their minds.
“When we got back to Grimmauld Place from Hogwarts, I made almost the same joke to Hermione. It was as if…” Harry stopped in his explanation as he didn’t know how the family would react to Fred’s name.
“Fred’s voice came out of your mouth,” George finished Harry’s sentence.
“Exactly,” Harry stated glad George at least understood the weird coincidence.
George gave Harry a brief smile and for a moment, Harry’s mind was flooded with memories of another man with the same smile, the same face.
Molly looked from George to Harry, to Ron then at Hermione. Without a word, she walked over to Hermione. Removing Harry’s arm from around her, she pulled Hermione to her feet and drew her into her embrace.
When Molly’s arms closed around her, Hermione’s shaky control broke. She suddenly found herself sobbing on Molly’s shoulder. Molly gently led her into the sitting room and over to the couch.
“There, there, it’s going to be okay. Everything will be fine. Let it all out,” Molly gently soothed her. Molly knew heartbreak when she saw it, and this poor girl’s heart was shattered. Molly continued to speak quiet words of comfort as she let Hermione cry.
Though her voice was soothing, inside Molly was angry. How could Dumbledore do this to her? To Harry? To Lily and James? These questions ran through Molly’s mind and as she thought of what each of these people lost, she became angrier and angrier. Molly knew she had to control this anger as this little girl in her arms was hurt enough by all this and didn’t need the added drama of Molly losing control over her own emotions.
As Hermione’s tear subsided, she took a few shuttering breaths before pulling out of Molly’s warm embrace.
“I’m sorry; I thought I had cried all my tears.”
“Hush, child, it is perfectly understandable why you were crying.” Molly pushed Hermione’s apology aside.
“Now before we go back into the kitchen, I have something I want to say to you.” It was now Molly’s turn to hesitate.
“I want to say, thank you.” Hermione’s questioning look gave Molly the needed push to finish.
“Tonight was the first time I have heard a joke come out of George’s mouth. For a moment there, it was as if these past few months had never happened.” Molly’s eyes filled with tears, and Hermione knew it would be a bit longer before they went back into the kitchen.
Reaching out, she put her arms around Molly and they both gave into the tears born on loss.
***
In the kitchen, though the voices were kept low, the questions didn’t stop. Harry with Ron’s help tried to explain everything Professor Dumbledore did and why. They also told of their trip to Godric’s Hollow.
When the subject turned to the letters they found, Harry asked the question that had taken root in his mind when he heard the letters from Peter.
“Mr Weasley, is there anyway to find out why Wormtail turned on my parents?”
“Because he was a lousy, lying murderous-” Ron’s voice was cut off by his father’s.
“Ron! Harry, I don’t know. I won’t say the subject hasn’t been discussed because it has. Sirius and I had a long conversation one night with Remus about that very subject. From what Remus could find out, Peter’s mother disappeared just before your parents were killed.
“Remus thinks Voldemort may have been threatening her and that is why Peter did what he did. I just don’t know. We probably will never know.” Arthur looked at Harry wishing there was a way he could help him with this.
For a few moments, Harry didn’t speak. Finally, he looked at Mr Weasley and then at Ron as he said, “I know Remus would probably think me foolish, but I would like to think that is the reason he did what he did. It doesn’t excuse him, nor will I ever forgive him for what he did, but maybe just maybe he wasn’t all bad,” Harry’s said with a question in his tone.
No one answered. Ron looked dubious, but didn’t voice any opinion. After a few minutes, the silence was broken by Mrs Weasley and Hermione coming back into the kitchen.
Molly went over to the sink, turning she asked, “Does anyone want a cup of tea? Or something to eat?”
Smiling, Hermione knew everything was going to be okay. She looked at Harry and he smiled back at her. Yes, everything was going to be fine, she had a brother and her little announcement hadn’t changed a thing with the Weasleys.
Who Am I? by mudbloodproud
Chapter Notes: Once again, I want to thank my beta, Lexi (Harry_Rulz). Without you, this story would not be what it is.
I do not own anything you recognize in this story. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling. I am just thankful to be able to play in her world for a little while.