Rewritten Destiny

Hermione awoke in a soft bed, her mind clouded by remnants of the rite of inheritance. Pain throbbed through her body, but it was overshadowed by the weight of realisation pressing down on her consciousness. As she sat up, the memories of ancient magic and overwhelming emotions swirled in her mind like dark clouds gathering for a storm.

 

While she lay there, she replayed the conversation with Tifnang in her mind, occluding and reviewing the memory in detail. Her thoughts were sharp, her focus absolute. She needed to analyse every word and nuance to better understand her situation. As she sifted through the interaction, one phrase echoed in her mind: “You are not from Squibs. The previous Head of the family destroyed their magical cores.”

 

The implications of that statement sank in like a stone in deep water. Could it mean that Hector Dagworth-Granger hadn’t just influenced her father’s family but also her mother’s? For a brief, horrifying moment, Hermione’s mind raced to the possibility that her parents were somehow related—an unsettling thought, one she quickly pushed aside. Just because the wizarding world had a rather unhealthy relationship with marrying cousins, didn’t mean that had happened to her parents, far more likely that Hector had attacked other families for other reasons.

 

Begrudgingly, Hermione swung her legs out of bed and stood, ignoring the lingering pain in her muscles. She needed to find the goblins and get to the bottom of this. The revelation about Hector destroying magical cores in her family had shaken her, but if it extended to her mother’s lineage, the implications could be even more profound. She signalled the nurse who was busy reading some notes, and asked to be taken to Tifnang.

 

As she walked through the ancient corridors, her steps quickened. The sooner she had answers, the sooner she could make sense of the tangled web of her family’s history.

 

It wasn’t long before Hermione found herself in the presence of Tifnang and several other goblins, their sharp eyes reflecting the dim light of the chamber. They had been expecting her.

 

“You have questions,” Tifnang stated, his voice low and gravelly.

 

Hermione nodded, her expression tense. “I need to know more about what you said earlier. About Hector destroying magical cores. Did he also affect my mother’s family?”

 

Tifnang exchanged a glance with the other goblins before nodding slowly. “Yes. Your mother’s family was also affected.”

 

Hermione felt her breath catch in her throat. “How? What connection does my mother’s family have to this?”

 

Tifnang stepped forward, his expression serious. “Your mother, Emma Granger, is not merely of Muggle descent. Her grandmother—your great-grandmother—was a Squib, but she was born into one of the most infamous wizarding families in history: the Gaunt family.”

 

Hermione’s heart pounded in her chest. The Gaunts.“You mean… the family of Salazar Slytherin? The same family Voldemort came from?”

 

“Yes,” Tifnang confirmed. “Your great-grandmother, Estella Gaunt, was the sister of Merope Gaunt, who gave birth to Tom Riddle, later known as Lord Voldemort. Though Estella was a Squib, the Blood of Slytherin still flowed in her veins. The magic was suppressed in her generation, but it could have reappeared in her descendants.”

 

Hermione’s mind raced. “So my mother… should have been a witch?”

 

Tifnang nodded gravely. “Indeed. But her potential was stolen from her before she was even born. Tom Riddle discovered that he had a living cousin—a potential threat. But instead of killing her outright, he chose another path.”

 

“Why didn’t he just kill her?” Hermione asked, a tremor in her voice. “Wouldn’t that have been simpler?”

 

Tifnang’s gaze hardened. “Killing her would have eliminated the threat, yes, but it would have also destroyed the potential to use her Blood in dark rituals. Family bonds, especially those of powerful bloodlines, can be harnessed in dark magic to restore health, enhance power, or even extend life. Voldemort knew this, and he recognised the value of keeping your mother alive—her bloodline intact—while ensuring she could never wield the magic herself.”

 

Hermione felt a cold dread settle in her stomach. “So he had her magic destroyed instead?”

 

“Exactly,” Tifnang replied. “He enlisted Hector Dagworth-Granger. We do not know the full scope of what he did for Voldemort, but we believe it was related to potions.”

 

Hermione’s fists clenched as the truth sank in. Her mother had been robbed of her birthright, her magic stripped away by the combined evil of Hector and Voldemort. It wasn’t enough for Voldemort to have wreaked havoc on the wizarding world—he had reached into her own family, corrupting and destroying even before Hermione was born.

 

“And Hector… he did this for what? For power?” Hermione’s voice was tight with barely suppressed fury.

 

“For power and knowledge,” Tifnang confirmed. “Voldemort offered Hector access to forbidden knowledge in exchange for his help. Hector’s ambitions were twisted, and he saw this as a way to secure his legacy, just as Voldemort sought to secure his own.”

 

Hermione’s mind spun with the implications. Her mother, Emma Granger, had been a victim of this dark alliance, her magical potential destroyed before she could ever realise it.

 

“He.” She choked on her words, “He took my mother’s Magic from her?” Hermione whispered through clenched teeth, occlumency shields slipping with the weight of that revelation. The air around Hermione became heavy and some of the items in the office started trembling from the accidental magic coming from Hermione.

 

Tifnang looked worried as his desk started to rise “He did, but please calm yourself, your magic is unstable after the rite you went through.”

 

Hermione blinked and realised what was happening in the room, the shock of that was enough to pull her out of her mood and the items fell back down. She looked down at the desk and realise a crack had formed along one of the legs. “Ah, please excuse me, I didn’t mean to cause any damage”

 

The goblin chuckled “Do not worry about it, while we goblins have a reputation, we also respect anger over family, it is always a pleasure to see a Witch who values her family so much she loses control of her temper and magic, especially when your magical reserves should be empty after the rite.”

 

Hermione nodded in response, it would make sense Goblins would value family and strength “I will find those who did this” she stated these words with a coldness she did not know herself capable of.

 

Tifnang nodded, a flicker of respect in his sharp eyes. “Then may the strength of your ancestors guide you, young witch.”

 

Hermione stepped out of Gringotts, the ancient tome safely stowed in her enchanted bag, and into the bustling heart of Diagon Alley. The usual vibrancy of the wizarding market was lost on her today, as her mind was consumed with the revelations she had just uncovered. She needed space to think, to process everything, and to determine her next steps. The weight of her newfound knowledge pressed heavily on her, and she knew there was only one place she could go to sort through it all.

 

She made her way down the cobbled streets, her footsteps quick and purposeful as she navigated through the crowd. The familiar sights of Diagon Alley blurred past her as she focused on her destination: Carkitt Market. It wasn’t far from the Leaky Cauldron and nestled within it was a small, quiet park that most witches and wizards passed by without a second thought. It was an unassuming place, marked by a large, ancient oak tree that stood like a sentinel amidst the greenery.

 

As she entered the park, the noise of the bustling market began to fade, replaced by the gentle rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of birds. Hermione walked toward the oak tree, her thoughts swirling with the dark revelations she had just uncovered. The tree’s massive roots spread across the ground like gnarled fingers, offering a secluded spot beneath its sprawling branches.

 

She sat down on one of the roots, leaning back against the tree's rough bark, and closed her eyes. The park's quiet starkly contrasted the turmoil within her, but it was exactly what she needed to think clearly.

 

For so long, her battle against Voldemort had been about doing what was right, protecting the wizarding world, defending the defenceless, and fighting against the dark forces that sought to enslave and destroy, the smart money would have been to run away the second she got here, and she would be lying if she had never had these thoughts to herself. But now, it was different. Now, it was personal.

 

She had always known that Voldemort was a monster, that he had caused unimaginable suffering to countless people. But until now, she hadn’t realised how deeply his evil had penetrated her life. The knowledge that her mother’s magic had been destroyed before she was even born, that both Hector and Voldemort had targeted her family, filled her with a cold, burning fury. Voldemort had taken something precious from her, from her family, and the thought of it made her Blood boil.

 

Hermione felt the true depth of her conviction to the fight against Voldemort for the first time. It wasn’t just about stopping a madman anymore—he had attacked her mother, whilst she was not the original Hermione, she was her now, and this was her family, and no one hurt her family and got away with it.

 

Her fists clenched as she stared out at the park, her mind racing with the implications of what she had learned. Someone had already taken care of Hector, so she felt a grim sense of satisfaction and frustration at that. But Voldemort… he was still out there, still a threat. And now, more than ever, Hermione was determined to see him brought down.

 

She had a personal stake in this fight now, and she wasn’t going to rest until justice was served—not just for the wizarding world, but for her mother, for her family, for everything they had been robbed of.

 

She took out her Blood-bound book and reviewed the list she had made.

To-Do List

 

• Steal the Philosopher's Stone to prevent Voldemort from getting it.
• Capture Peter Pettigrew and free Sirius Black, ensuring Sirius knows it was thanks to her to secure a favour owed.
• Destroy the Philosopher's Stone to prevent Voldemort from getting it.
• Help Harry Potter – Escape or Remove the Abuse? Blood Wards are too strong to remove entirely. Interference from Albus ‘too many names’ Dumbledore will likely prevent removal from home.
• Ease relations between Black and Malfoys.

Looking at it, she realised how pathetic this list was; yes, the items in it were important, but there was so much more she needed to add.

 

• Steal the Philosopher's Stone to prevent Voldemort from getting it.
• Capture Peter Pettigrew and free Sirius Black, ensuring Sirius knows it was thanks to her to secure a favour owed.
• Destroy the Philosopher's Stone to prevent Voldemort from getting it.
• Help Harry Potter – Escape or Remove the Abuse? Blood Wards are too strong to remove entirely. Interference from Albus ‘too many names’ Dumbledore will likely prevent removal from home.
• Ease relations between Black and Malfoys.
• Find a way to safely move Horcrux’s

• • • The Diary (Malfoy Manor? – Ginny Weasley)

• • • The Cup (Gringotts)

• • • The Locket (Grimmauld Place)

• • • The Diadem (Hogwarts)

• • • The Ring (Marvalo Shack – Resurrection Stone – My Inheritance?)

• • • Harry Potter (?)

• • Destroy or Save?

• • • Basilisk Venom to destroy – Easy

• • • Save? (Unknown how to. If it is even possible, would it work on a person?)
• Discover more about family legacy.
• Make progress on Enchanting. Need to drain core.
• Find Parselmagic Text.
• Obtain a list and dossiers on all Death Eaters, known and suspected.
• Check Voting history in Wizengamot to see who was corrupt or just an inbred idiot. Eliminate?

 

Yes, this seemed better. It was not perfect, but it gave her a list of what needed to be done. She would need to investigate Gringotts's Laws and Agreements, along with any treaties, to see how she could get the Cup. That would arguably be the hardest. She didn’t fancy doing what they had in the Movies. Although, flying on the back of a Dragon mowing down Death Eaters would certainly send a message, and sometimes, sending a message was more important than winning, they needed to know what would happen if they kept on their path.

 

She had to address to elephant in the room, was saving Harry Potter worth the risk? How reliable where prophecy’s, and if they were right, then did that mean she couldn’t be the one to end this and she had to rely on a child to do the job? Hard decisions would have to be made but there was more data needed before she could make a decision.

 

It wasn’t enough to just destroy Voldemort now, though. That wasn’t so hard, honestly, but that was no longer enough for her. She wanted him to feel fear. She wanted to dismantle his legacy apart piece by piece, along with any who supported him. She would need a list of all Death Eaters. She didn’t have the resources to get this information, but it would be something to work towards. She needed to send a message, that’s what the Morsmordre spell did, so she would need her own symbol, one to strike fear into them.

They would all pay for this.