An abused, five year old Hermione is sent to live with her estranged uncle after her parents pass away in a car accident. After months of abuse from her uncle, Hermione decides to run away. Homeless, starving and nowhere to go, Hermione spots an older woman on the streets feeding stray cats. Thinking of a plan to get her out of poverty, Hermione turns into her Animagus and pretends to be a kitten in order to get off the streets. Rating M for abuse, violence and neglect. Minerva/Hermione - Mother/daughter pairing.

I do not own anything related to Harry Potter.

Chapter 1: The beginning

A five year old girl sat there in a lone alleyway just perched off the side of one of the main streets in London. Her swollen and dirtied fingers fiddled with with tufts off her worn-down teddy bear. A meditative en-devour of contemplation of where she would get her next meal.

She had spent the last three days curled up on the side of the nearby street with a hat and a sign laid out in front of her.

'Please help me. I'm hungry and homeless. Anything helps. God bless you'.

She had only received scraps; a few loose coins. Enough to buy her a warm tea at the local 7/11. Still, she was starving. Her ragged clothes hung loosely to her skeletal frame. She wore a once white long-sleeved shirt that was 3 sizes too big for her. It now was yellow, stained with sweat, dirt and blood from a previous dispute with her uncle. Her black sweat pants had were doing a little better for wear though. Only a few rips where her knobby knees kept out. She huddled in the corner next to the bin for warmth.

She had left her uncle's home just over two weeks ago and was not faring well. After her parents had passed away six months ago she had been sent to live with him. He was her father's estranged brother, however he had no children; no wife and a barely put together job. He lived in West Sussex and worked as a farm hand, part-time.

Her parents had not spoken about him before. She had no real family. No friends. No uncles or aunts except him. He had shooed her in the first day she had come after being accompanied by the social worker to his home. She had sat down with both of them for an hour.

Hermione still no quiet understanding where her parents were and her uncle attempting to comprehend that he would be taking care of his traitor of a brothers' offspring. He had nodded throughout the conversation, not speaking much. They had sat in his living room. An almost man-cave in the sense.

A messy house, black furniture, red walls, completely dark rooms, a t-v in the corner. It was nothing like her previous residence where her parents had wanted the light to pierce every crevice of the house. Her stomach fluttered as she had thought back to them. Her loving parents that had comforted her at every moment they could. She knew that they wouldn't leave her. Not without a good reason. When she had been informed that her parents were in heaven she could not believe it. It was like a horrible nightmare that her parents had not awoken her up from. She subtly leaned over, pinching her forearm to check.

She watched as his eyes narrowed in on her.

He, he didn't seem anything like her father. Her uncle had black hair, piercing blue eyes and a 5'oclock shave. He wore stained blue jeans, black shoes with a black undershirt and a leather bombers jacket. Her father had brunette hair, brown eyes, the same as her and always looked his best. Usually dressing in a white collared shirt with a cashmere sweater over top.

"...Unfortunately, another driver had crashed into them...her parents had left no will and you are her only family left" The social worker had explained. The man's eyes seemingly apathetic to the situation. He had not spoken to his brother in a very long time. He had not even realised he had been married, let alone had a child.

He took a sip of his beer and glanced towards the small bushy haired girl attempting to suss her out, but all he could see was his brother's eyes. Everything else she seemed to have inherited from her mother.

She caught him staring at her. She glanced back at him nervous, curling her arms around her teddy bear further. She could tell instantly he did not want her. It was the same look other children at school had given her after she had answered all the questions in class.

"So, do you have any questions?" The young social worker had asked gently. Her blonde, wavy hair curled over her left shoulder as she smiled brightly towards the gentleman. He shook his head and kindly concluded their conversation before guiding the woman out of his home.

She gave Hermione one last smile before leaving.

"If you need anything, don't be afraid to call. We have a parent helpline if required" She stated, handing him her card before driving off.

Her uncle had returned to the room before stepping over to her noticing a small child size backpack and a suitcase in the corner next to his nightstand. She huddled herself into a ball, hugging her teddy and praying that he would at least have some acceptance about her. She had only ever met grown-ups that had been nice to her.

Her next door neighbors, for example; an old lovely couple who used to care for her when her parents were away on business trips and conventions.

They had been the first ones to step in and ask for her to be theirs, however her parents had failed to sign anything over in their will and the judicial system had decided family was more important than an old couple on their last legs.

She turned back to him as he picked up her back-pack, opening it before spilling the contents onto the floor. Hermione gasped at the mess, something her parents would have never done. He stared down at the contents before glaring at her.

Her red-rimmed eyes took a quick look over to where he had stared before answering.

"M-my stuff"

"Stuff?"

She stared at her brown teddy bear breathing deeply.

"M-my books, clothes and...and toys"

He sniffed the air before taking another sip of his beer and commanding her to follow her. She quietly slip off the couch carrying her teddy bear with her as she went. He walked into the kitchen first opening the fridge and finding it quiet empty except for a few eggs, milk and bacon.

"Can you cook?" He asked non-chantey.

Hermione hesitated before he glared at her for an answer. 'Of course she couldn't cook she was five' she felt like answering.

"N-no" She avoided his overbearing gaze staring down at her teddy bear.

"No what?"

"No... Sir?" She bit her lip. Calling this man her uncle seemed unnatural. He didn't seem like family.

"Can you clean?"

In truth, her parents had not forced her to do chores. She was really only in charge of making her bed and cleaning her room. Sometimes she would attempt to copy her mother and try sweeping but she ended up making more mess than was there.

"I-I make my bed and... mummy and daddy insist I keep my room clean" She answered back. He gritted his teeth in anger.

"Then what use are you?" He muttered under his breath slamming the fridge shut. She jumped back, scared by the sudden violent action.

"You will be learning how to clean this whole house. You will cook at least two meals a day"

She stared up at him concerned.

"But what about school?"

"You won't be going to school"

What? No! She loved school even if she was ridiculed for her intelligence.

"BUT THAT'S NOT FAIR" She screamed at him angrily.

SLAP!

The girls head spun. She fell to the floor, tears prickling her vision. She held her face, glancing back at him and noticing his hunched, angry expression.

"You will not talk back to me" He grabbed her shirt, hurling her forward. "You will be home schooled and that's final" Tears fell from her eyes.

"Y-you hit me"

He slapped her again.

"Stop!" She begged. He hit her again, this time his nails raking her cheeks leaving scratch marks. She began to cry, sobbing into her hands.

"I mean it girl. You will not complain or talk back. Now I will show you to your room where you are to stay for the rest of the day"

"But it's 3pm" She bit back angrily. He smacked her again, seeing as the lesson was not sinking yet into the girls thick skull. She yelped in pain, feeling her head spin.

She was led to a door just next to the kitchen. He flicked on a light illuminating the downstairs to the basement. Hermione gulped, taking a step back. There was no way she was going down there. He took the first three steps before he noticed the lack of pitter pattering tiny feet. He turned to see the nervous girl. A spitting image of her mother. A woman he had craved after for most of his life, only for it to be taken away by his brother. She had bushy hair like her, Yes! but her eyes. The brown eyes with a speckle of gold in them. Just like his adoptive brothers.

He gritted his teeth snarling before grabbing her arm and hauling her downstairs. She yelped as her shins hit the concrete steps. Tears streaking down her flushed cheeks. He pushed her down the final step before turning to a small door that was just under the staircase. He opened it, showing her the existing small, dark room with one light that turned on from the outside.

"This is where you'll be staying"

Hermione shook her head in defiance.

"Can I pweeze stay somewhere else? I'm scared of the dark!" She begged with her hands clasped together.

"I don't have any other rooms" He tried to nudge her in.

"I could sleep on the couch" She pleaded, tears falling from her eyes.

"No!"

"B-but there's no bed" She retorted. That was an understatement. The only thing that was in the cupboard was dust, a few spider webs in the corners between the concrete and wooden walls and an aluminum bucket in the furthest left hand corner.

"You won't be needing one" He retorted before pushing her in. She screamed as he slammed the door on her. She instantly ran to the door slapping her hands against it and begging to be let out. She heard a latch slam closed before his voice boomed.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOU FOR THE REST OF THE DAY"

She screamed her lungs out that evening, begging him to release her. After 4 hours and three panic attacks from the claustrophic space she had finally succumed to a restless sleep on the cold floor.

First chapter up. Please review. I will update the next chapter soon.