Disclaimer: I don't own the characters; they are property of JK Rowling.
A/N: Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, hope you'll enjoy this too. Thanks to my beta GeoTube too.
Chapter Ten
"The Heiress"
Harry ran after Hermione, and finally reached her while she was entering the Common Room. Nobody was there, as everyone was in the Great Hall, having breakfast.
Harry touched her shoulder, and she snapped at him.
"Go away, Ron! Leave me alone!"
"Mione, I'm not Ron. I'm Harry" he said softly to her. She suddenly turned, and hugged him, leaning on him. She couldn't stop crying.
"Oh, Harry" she whimpered.
They seated on a couch, and Harry tried his best to comfort her, while she was cuddled with her body in his embrace, her head on his chest. After a while, she started to feel better, in his arms. She felt safe. Harry cared a lot for her, he had always done, and so he will always do. She knew this.
After some time, Harry made her tell him what had happened, even if he had guessed it. She started sobbing again, but told him.
"Yesterday afternoon there has been a Death Eater attack on my house. I don't know who are the ones who did it, but my parents were killed in few moments and the house destroyed. My uncle sent me the letter"
That confirmed what Harry had thought.
He wondered if she could ever get over this tragedy. He had always lived without his parents, but she seemed so shocked by the sudden loss, so frightened…he couldn't think anything to do to help her heal, so he held her close.
Suddenly, Ron entered the room.
"Very well, Potter. First, you ruin the Order, being as an obstacle as a real Death Eater, now you are trying to steal my girlfriend, too…"
Harry interrupted him, doing his best to maintain his control. A fight between them was the last thing Hermione needed to witness.
"Your girlfriend didn't seem so happy to be comforted by you, downstairs in the Great Hall, was she? However, you took more than an hour to find your way here, Weasel, my compliments. You are a very caring boyfriend. Maybe it is better if you exit from this room…"
"You're fool, Potter. I won't let you stay alone with her. And she doesn't want me to leave. Do you want that, Hermione?"
Tears still flowing from her eyes, she said nothing. Ron was disbelieving, he expected her to say he could stay, but he for once said nothing, trying not to start an argument and show Harry he was right, and exited the room, anger quite evident on his face.
All the day Harry made his best to help her, remembering how she cared for him every time he had a problem. And having her in his arms felt so good…but she was still Ron's girlfriend, so she managed to leave, and went searching for Ron. She wanted to apologize with him for her rudeness, and Harry knew that was the right thing to do.
Around two weeks later, Hermione somehow succeed in regaining her usual behaviour, more or less. It was because her huge sorrow was balanced by a huge happiness. Madame Pomfrey confirmed that she was pregnant, like she had thought when she started having morning sickness.
She would be Mum!
The news excited her so much, obviously she was a bit worried about how to finish school and how to maintain her child now that her parents were dead, but still she felt really excited, so she ran immediately to alert Ron, who was as happy as her, he even started to cry. He would be a Dad! Then, he kissed her, and they remained this way a long time, crying for joy, and kissing. The news spread in the school, and after all, Harry was happy for her.
She deserved joy in her life, and Ron managed to give her that, whilst he gave her just sorrow and worries. He would have liked to be the father, but he had already given up so many things, one more would not be a problem. He was used to be unhappy by now.
But during a war, happiness never lasts long, so two more weeks passed, it was by now the half of May, and Hermione received a letter, which remembered her the death of her parents. It was their will, and with it, was a letter, from her mother. She read it, and tears started flowing again on her beautiful face. She was in the library with Harry at the moment, so she gave it to him to read.
"Dear Hermione,
if you are reading this, it means we are dead;
probably, you will blame us for not having
said it to you before, but you seemed so proud
of being our little daughter, we didn't have
the heart to tell you the truth.
But now, the dreadful moment has arrived.
Hermione, we were not your natural parents.
We adopted you, and in those years,
from when you started to go at Hogwarts, I had done
searches on your family, and I found the worst new I
could expect. My dear girl, you are the only Voldemort's
daughter. His only Heiress. He doesn't know of your existence,
since that night he was drunk and got laid with a Muggle
brought to him from one of his faithful Death Eaters to have fun.
She told to me she had you from a man called Tom Riddle, so I
searched and finally I come up with the reply the day Harry told us
about the Chamber of Secrets and Riddle's diary.
Please, forgive me if you can.
Always yours,
Mum"
Harry understood why she was so shocked. She, Hermione Granger, the cleverest witch at Hogwarts, always ready to help who was in need, was the daughter of Voldemort, the Dark Lord! And he had to kill him, or being killed by her natural father!
Harry embraced her, who was still shocked. Few moments later, Ron entered the Library, but didn't notice they were snuggling. Harry silently left her, but Ron saw her dreadful look, so he snapped at him. "What have you done to her, Potter?"
"Nothing, Weasel" Harry replied, standing up, and going away with the letter in his pocket. He didn't want another problem for Hermione, and surely if Ron knew she was Voldemort's Heiress, he would start tormenting her too. "She will tell him the truth as soon as she will feel ready" he thought, and directed himself to the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class.
Next days, Hermione searched for Harry's company every time Ron wasn't in sight, and she discussed with him her real being. He reassured her, and finally convinced her to tell Ron the truth.
"You can't live all your life with this horrid and heavy secret. What if he finds out this, without you telling him? It would ruin your relationship. I'm sure he will understand," he said, concluding a long reasoning on the motives for telling him the truth. He knew in the deep of her heart she already knew it was the right thing to do.
Some days later, Hermione decided to face the problem, so after dinner she took Ron in the Common Room, sending all the others away, and she told him the truth.
"Ron, I've to say something to you. Please, don't be angry at me" she said.
"It's about Potter? If he's done something to you…" the redhead started, but she interrupted him.
"No, Ron. Harry's nothing to do with this"
"So, what's the problem?" Ron said.
Hermione took a deep breath. "I'm the daughter of Voldemort, Ron"
Ron remained some moments astonished, then he started to laugh.
"You're kidding, right?" he said, still laughing. "This is good, you're the daughter of Voldemort!"
But she said nothing, so he realised it was the truth, and started to shout, and then slapped her many times in her face, knocking her down, on the floor.
"You slut! You are just like Potter, like a Death Eater. Go away of my sight, immediately. So now, it is clear the reason for your silly defending him, against every piece of evidence. You are like him, like bloody Potter…" then he pushed her on the nearest wall.
"Ron, please, don't hurt me. I find out this only few days ago…" she managed to say.
"And surely you told it first to him…"
"He read the letter, when it arrived…make it for our baby…"
"You little bitch! I don't want to hear nothing of a baby contaminated with Voldemort's blood and genes…go away and don't speak to me anymore!" and he slapped her so strongly that she fell down on the floor again, hitting her head on the floor.
"This is what you deserve, stupid bitch…" Ron said and was ready to hit her again, kicking her belly, trying to kill the baby, when Harry, who had entered the room, overheard the last sentence.
"Don't dare to touch her, Weasley, or you'll have to pay this to me. And don't insult her, either" he said.
Harry was shaking with rage, his wand raised in his arm, looking ready to kill.
"Oh, Potter. I guess I have to fear you, the Great Harry Potter. Damn you!" Ron said, and then he suddenly cried.
"Petrificus Totalis" but Harry avoided the spell.
"Expelliarmus!" he cried on his own then and Ron flew against the wall, his wand in Harry's hand. He quickly stood up, but Harry was quicker.
"Stupefy!" and Ron's body fell on the ground, stunned.
Then Harry went to Hermione, helping her to her dorm, but before going to bed, he took off the spell from Ron, throwing him back his wand.
The redhead remained there, still dazed for the spell effects and the hit on the wall he had suffered.
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