Once they were seated around the kitchen table at Grimmauld Place with their lunch in front of them, Harry asked Hermione for the letters. Pulling them out of her bag, she handed them to him.
Harry looked through the small stack of letters. He wasn’t sure which one he wanted to read first. He picked one out that had Sirius’ handwriting on it, opening it, he read it out loud to the others.
Lily,
Thanks for the picture of Harry on the broomstick. I knew he would be a better flyer than his father. Sorry about the vase, but if it’s the one I am thinking of, no loss there. Shame about the cat, though. Guess you’ll just have to keep it outside.
Wormy looked down, huh? I’ll check on him for you. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. I’ll try to get up there to visit soon; things are busy here so I’m not sure when it will be.
Give my godson a hug from me and tell him I love him. Tell Prongs, I’ll see what I can do about his Invisibility Cloak. I’m going to see Dumbledore later today.
Hope to see you soon,
Padfoot
Harry folded the letter and put it back in the envelope then looked up at the others. Without saying a word, he looked through the rest of the letters and took out the two others that he knew were from Sirius. Reading through them quickly, he realized that though they were only short notes, Sirius had always sought to reassure his mother while sending sly messages to his father.
When he finished reading the letters from Sirius, he opened one from Remus. It was more of the same, though the tone was different. While Remus also continued to reassure Lily on his safety, he stressed that their safety was the most important. While Sirius tried to find ways to have James join him in missions, Remus emphasised James staying hidden and safe.
Finally, there were only two letters left. Harry had an idea as to whom they were from, but hesitated in finding out if he was right. Hermione, sensing Harry’s indecision, reached over and picked up the remaining letters. Opening the first one, she noted it was from Peter. Slowly, she began to read it to them.
It was shorter than the other letters, but contained basically the same theme. Hermione was struck by the fact that what she had said back in Godric’s Hollow had been the truth. The four Marauders were best friends. There was no hint of dishonesty in these letters. They seemed to be written from a true friend. Hermione’s heart broke. She knew these letters were written from the heart, but they were also written by a man who was about to seal the death warrant on a couple of his friends. She wondered not for the first time, what had driven Peter to betray James and Lily.
“Well, those letters prove what a great liar the traitor was,” Ron said.
Hermione looked over at Harry. He was just sitting staring off into the distance. “Harry? Are you okay?” Hermione realized, as she voiced the question, it was a stupid one.
“Of course he isn’t okay, Hermione,” Ron said sarcastically. “He just had to listen to the words of a traitor claiming to actually care about the people he was about to allow to be murdered.”
Hermione looked taken back at Ron’s words. She opened her mouth to reply, but before she could speak, Harry started talking.
Harry looked at each of them. “I am just wondering… Why he did it? Why did he tell Voldemort where to find them? He must have cared about them; they were friends for years before he became a Death Eater. Why did he turn? What could have possibly made him sell out his friends?”
Neither Ron nor Hermione had answers to these questions. Hermione knew they would probably never know what had transpired in Peter’s life to make him into a traitor.
It was at that moment they heard someone coming down the stairs. Instinct honed to a razor’s edge over the past year had them each standing, moving side by side and drawing their wands.
The door to the kitchen opened and in walked Ginny Weasley.
“She is driving me crazy!” Ginny stormed over to the table and threw herself into a chair.
Lowering their wands, Harry, Ron and Hermione looked questioningly at each other. They walked over to the table to join Ginny. Before Harry sat down, he gathered the letters together and placed them on the sideboard.
“Ginny, what are you talking about? And how did you get here” Ron asked his sister.
“Mum,” she said simply. “She is going insane because she doesn’t think you three should be here instead of at the Burrow. She had Charlie bring me by side-along Apparation on his way to check on Lee at the shop. She wants me to tell you to come home. Today, now in fact. She said to tell you she didn’t want to hear any excuses.”
Hermione’s face showed panic. She wasn’t ready to face Ron’s family. How could she look them in the eye and continue to let them believe the lies about her? She couldn’t tell them the truth, not yet. She was only beginning to accept it herself.
“Ron, I think you better go back with Ginny. I am staying here or if not here, then I will go away somewhere. I’m not ready, yet.” Hermione looked at Ron hoping he would not question and force her to tell Ginny what was going on.
“Hermione, why would you want to stay here alone or go away?” Ginny questioned. “What is going on? It’s more than Ron said when he was at the house yesterday, isn’t it?”
Hermione should have known Ginny would realize something was wrong. She told Ron to go without thinking first about the questions it would raise.
“Ginny, I can’t tell you right now. Please don’t ask. I just have to have some time.” Hermione hoped this would be enough to stop the questions she could see in Ginny’s eyes. She should have known better. Ginny not only inherited the Weasley red hair and temper but also the stubbornness.
“I am asking. Has something else happened? Have you and Ron broke up?” Ginny looked at her brother.
“No, no, it’s nothing like that. I… we found something out when we were at Hogwarts the other day and I just need some time to process it, that’s all.”
“Not something with your parents? Ron’s explanation for your not bringing them home seemed a bit funny to me when he said it.” Ginny’s concern was evident in her voice.
Hermione could feel the tears forming in her eyes again. She knew she was going to tell Ginny what Dumbledore had told her. She had to start facing it and the first step would be telling Ginny.
“My… parents are fine. You are right that the reason Ron gave you was wrong.” She hesitated as she looked over at Harry. At his slight nod, she continued, “Professor Dumbledore told me… he told me the Grangers are not my real parents.” There she said it. Now that she had opened the door, the words flowed out of her quickly. She didn’t even hear Ginny’s exclamation of ‘What?’.
“I was taken by Dumbledore within seconds after my birth and placed with the Grangers. He did it to keep me safe. He fixed it so my birthday was different; in fact, I am months younger than I thought I was.”
As Hermione stopped to take a breath, Ginny broke in, “But who are your parents?”
“My birth parents are… were the Potters. I am Harry’s twin sister,” Hermione finished talking and waited for all the questions she could see Ginny wanted to ask.
“How is that possible? I don’t understand.” Ginny looked from Hermione to Harry.
Hermione having admitted the truth to Ginny couldn’t stop the tears. With a brief look at Harry, she got up and rushed from the kitchen. Ron immediately ran after her.
Ginny started to stand to follow, but Harry reached over to stop her.
“Let them go. I will explain it all to you.” Harry then began to explain how all of this was accomplished.
He had only just begun his explanation when Ron burst back into the room.
“She doesn’t want me up there with her. She told me I didn’t understand and to leave her alone.” Ron’s voice sounded hurt and angry.
Knowing this was not a good combination, Harry said, “Maybe I should go and try to talk to her.”
Ron looked at Harry before replying, “Maybe you should, since it seems you are the only one she wants to talk to anymore.” The jealousy in Ron’s voice was crystal clear.
“Ron, I’m sure that’s not true,” Ginny said immediately. She stopped talking at the glare from Ron.
Harry decided to let the jealousy he heard in Ron’s voice go unanswered. He decided Hermione needed him more than Ron needed reassurance.
“I’ll just go and talk to her. Ron, you can answer Ginny’s questions.” Harry turned and without a backward glance walked out of the kitchen.
***
Hermione heard the soft knock on the bedroom door. Sighing, she debated on not answering it. She just didn’t want to deal with any more today. Hearing Harry call to her, she went and opened the door to him.
“Hermione,” Harry began, “do you want to talk?”
“I don’t know. I guess,” Hermione said in a soft and fragile voice. She walked over and sat on the bed. She slid up and leaned against the headboard, drawing her knees up to her chest and clasping her arms around her legs.
Harry walked over and sat next to her on the bed. He waited for her to start the conversation.
“I don’t know how I am supposed to feel, or act. I just know I am tired of crying all the time. I hate to cry. And I absolutely hate for anyone to see me crying.” Hermione looked down at her knees. “I thought I was finally coming to terms with everything, and then Ginny shows up and I fall apart again. I know I have to talk about this, and I want to tell the rest of Ron’s family, but how? If I can’t even tell Ginny without falling apart, how will I tell the others?”
“Hermione, I think you are being too hard on yourself. It has only been a day since you found out. No one expects you to be all right with it so soon. Just give yourself a break here. Your life, both of our lives have changed. It’s going to take time to get used to it.” Harry reached out and patted her on the knee.
“Harry, there is something else I’ve been thinking about. It’s about Ron.” Hermione didn’t know if she would be able to explain the thoughts running through her head, but she knew if she didn’t try, if she didn’t voice them out loud she would burst.
“Does it have anything to do with the way you have been pushing him away over the past day?” Harry asked.
Hermione turned and looked at Harry. Had she been that obvious? She only just realized she had been doing that a few minutes ago, how did Harry know? Did Ron realize what she was doing?
Hermione saw Harry give her a small smile before he continued, “Hermione, I’ve known you since you were eleven. I’ve watched you and Ron dance around liking each other almost as long. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
She knew Harry was right. He would notice the way she had been acting. Ron, however, she felt he probably had no clue what she had been doing.
“At first, I didn’t realize what I was doing. All I knew was I felt like I wasn’t the same person anymore, so how could Ron feel the same way about me? I still feel like that, but part of it is, I just don’t think he understands what I am going through. How could he? I know I am not being fair to him, but for now, I think it is probably best if we broke up.
“I need to figure out who I am and what I want. I can’t be worried about hurting Ron’s feelings at every turn or trying to explain to him what I am feeling every minute. I just think I need a break.” Hermione looked at Harry waiting for his reaction. When he didn’t immediately speak, she continued with the next and probably the hardest part.
“I think I want to go away, like I told Ginny. I need some time alone.”
“I don’t think that is the answer, either of those choices. First of all, Ron may not understand the way you think he should, but you need to talk to him and give him a chance. As far as going away alone, no way. I won’t even bring the fact it is still dangerous to be on your own because of the renegade Death Eaters, but I will tell you I don’t want you dealing with this by yourself. You are not the only one who has been affected by this. I have too. Part of my life has been taken away and something wonderful has been added to it, you.
“Stay here with me, Hermione. If you think it is so important for you to be alone, fine, you can be alone here. I have agreed to help Kingsley round up the missing Death Eaters so I won’t be around much anyway. Neither will Ron as he said he would help too. So, there is no reason for you to leave the safety of this house.” Harry finished talking and looked at her.
“I don’t know. I guess I could stay here. But I am sticking by my choice about Ron. I honestly wish you would help me convince him to go back to the Burrow. I think it would be easier if he wasn’t here.”
Hermione could tell Harry was torn between what she wanted and Ron. She hated having to put this on him, but just for once in her life, she had to think about herself.
“I don’t like it, and you have to tell him. Try to make him understand. I can’t do that for you, but I can stand by your decision and talk to Ron after you do.” Harry knew convincing Ron to leave and go to the Burrow would not be an easy task.
“I am going to go down and send Ron up. I’ll warn you now though, he wasn’t too happy you sent him away before. I should also tell you, he doesn’t like that it seems you keep turning to me instead of him,” Harry said the last apologetically.
“Okay. Will you do me another favour? Will you apologize to Ginny for me? I just can’t talk to her right now. Will you also ask her not to say anything to anyone?” Hermione asked these questions in a rush as if she feared Harry would say no.
“Of course. I’ll just go and send Ron up.” Harry stood and walked to the door, with a quick glance back at Hermione and a brief smile, he walked out the door.
Who Am I? by mudbloodproud
Chapter Notes: I wish again to thank my wonderful patient beta, Lexi (Harry_Rulz).
Everything you recognize in this story belongs to J. K. Rowling. I am just thankful to get to play in her world.