𝑀𝒶 𝒷𝑒𝓁𝓁𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑒

𝐹𝒾𝒻𝓉𝓎

Hermione and Madam Marie-Rose walked through the Lemaître gardens, her black silk dress brushed her ankles with every step as her curly hair tickled her shoulders with every breath of wind that passed

"I need to ask...why did you leave me?" Hermione asked

Madam Marie-Rose led Hermione to a bench, they sat down and Madam Marie-Rose quickly fixed Hermione's knees, an old habit that Hermione had reluctantly missed

"I never wanted to leave you mon amour, but a few months prior to your tenth birthday I was approached by Professor Dumbledore who told me that I would hold you back" she confessed, Hermione opened her mouth but was silence when Madam Marie-Rose raised her hand

"He said that Professor Trelawney saw it in a vision, that if I stayed in your life, you would have never befriended Harry Potter and he wouldn't have gotten to experience such a magnificent witch" she explained, cupping Hermione's cheek, Hermione smiled softly

"But I did find a way to make sure you were never hurt" she continued, Hermione furrowed her eyebrows "like I always said, birds could see what we couldn't" she said, Hermione gasped

"You're the bird, the one that guided Draco to me when I got hurt!" Hermione exclaimed, Madam Marie-Rose nodded

"I always knew that you were brilliant" she smiled proudly "I couldn't bear the fear of leaving you alone, especially when word had reached me that you got attacked by a troll, so I used my Animagus skills to keep an eye on you, and might I say young lady, you have had a magnetic pull for danger, those two boys, putting you in harms way with their thick skulls" Madam Marie scolded, Hermione cowered like a little child

"I'm sorry" Hermione apologized

"Look at me mon précieux" Madam Marie-Rose instructed softly, Hermione raised her head and saw her guardian smiling at her "I am so proud of you, ma fière lionne, Gryffindor was the house for you" she whispered

Hermione felt her eyes tear up, she quickly sniffed and wiped her dry eyes, making sure not to ruin her makeup

"Let's go back to the party mon enfant, your friends will surely be looking for you"

"I missed you Madam Marie-Rose..." Hermione whispered

"And I you, but trust when I say that I will never leave you again" she promised, Hermione hugged her again

They walked back to the Lemaître Manor, Hermione played with the heirloom and finally gathered the courage to ask

"Why did you make me the heir? Surely there is another" Hermione stated

"There isn't, I am the last of my family, and I must truly confess that I saw you more like a daughter than a student"

Hermione smiled

"I saw you more like mother than my actual mother" Hermione told her

They entered the ball room, Hermione saw all her friends talking and mingling with everyone, she saw Harry and Ron gawking at the Quidditch teams that had come, they looked like fan girls seeing their celebrity crushes

Arthur was talking with the muggleborn prime minister of New Zealand who was explaining something while Arthur looked like a child on Christmas

Ginny, Luna and Pansy were talking with a couple of well known fashion designers who had enthusiastically agreed to help design Hermione's wardrobe

Neville and Charlie Weasley were talking to none other than Newt Scamander and his grandson, Rolf Scamander

George was talking with one of Blaise's sisters, they were closer to the back, whatever they were talking about seemed to help George considering that he had a small smile on his face, Hermione was glad that he looked happy