Black Roses -Fleurmione

Chapter 2

Saturday 1th July 1991

Hermione awoke with a start,  breathing heavily. She was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and it took her a while to realise why she wasn't in her purple bedroom with her parents. Of course, once yesterday's events came crashing back, she couldn't help the tears, curling into herself.

Her parents - if she dared called them that - left her. 12 years old, left alone on a train platform.

Maybe it was all a mistake, Hermione wondered. Maybe her parents got the days mixed up. Maybe they were there today - wondering where she was.

Her tears were coming more now, picturing her parents, her loving, kind, parents, crying on the same bench she was on yesterday. Or maybe, they weren't as accepting as they seemed about their only daughter being a witch. Or going to Hogwarts. Maybe it was all too much for them.

Hermione laughed to herself, still buried in her covers. She was the brightest witch of her age. Surely she could work out when her own family don't want her around anymore. Hermione didn't feel that smart anymore.

A thought suddenly struck the witch. A horrible thought, causing Hermione to quickly grab her wand off the side. Ros was a complete stranger.

A nice stranger admittedly. But a stranger. And Hermione, the supposedly smartest witch of age. Just left with her. To a random house. And she didn't even know the woman's last name.

Just great, Hermione thought darkly, she's just gone and ignored every stranger danger lesson she had to sit through in her primary school. The witch gripped her wand tighter, knuckles turning white against the wood.

Hermione berated herself quietly, imaging what Ron and Harry would say to her if they had known what she did.

A knock at the door made Hermione jump, her wand suddenly pointing at it. She wasn't sure what spell she could even use. She couldn't even use magic outside of Hogwarts with the Trace.

Hermione racked her brains, trying to think of some way she could possibly beat the older witch without getting herself expelled from Hogwarts.

Another knock, and then the door was pushed open slightly. A familiar head popped around, glancing at the wand Hermione still had pointed at the door. Katie Bell, the second year Gryffindor, walked just inside the room, hands up in surrender.

"Hermione, you alright? You're safe here, trust me." The witch walked carefully over, reaching over to push the wand slowly down.

"Katie - what  where Hermione stuttered, still feeling not quite like the bright witch she was meant to be.

"Ros brought you here last night. She owns this house,  heiress of her line, or something" Katie started, sitting down next to the younger girl.

She bit her lip, thinking about how to continue. "Ros decided, years ago, that rather than living it large with her partner, they'd invite people to stay. Well, Hogwarts students specifically."

Katie's own eyes had a glimmer of tears in, and she looked out the window, rather than at Hermione. She took a deep breath before continuing. "They take in students whose parents don't want them. Whether that's muggle parents who don't want the nonsense of the magical world.

Or students who aren't quite up to their parents standards. My mum died, just before I started my first year. Dad's a muggle, and didn't understand anything. Mum was a witch. Dad didn't want me to go to Hogwarts, or do anything magical really. Just followed mum because he loved her so much. Couldn't look me in my eyes after she died."

Hermione went to interrupt, as a tear spilled down Katie's cheek. However, the second year continued talking. "He just didn't understand it. I spent the whole year trying to work out a way to stay, or somewhere to go.