Author's Note: I hope all of you are safe and well in these crazy times we're living in. Much love to all of you. Here's the newest chapter for In the Blood, and I hope it gives you some pleasant distractions.

o.o.O.o.o

Hermione took a deep breath, taking a last long look at herself in the mirror. Today was her first trip into public since everything had happened. Her weekend in France had helped her feel more centered and balanced. She had a lot to think about in regards to her father, but getting to see him away from the Dark Lord and watch him interact with her parents had been enlightening. He'd left her back at Oxton late last night, promising to come and see her later in the week.

Today, the plan was to take her to Gringotts to get her vault sorted out, and let her look over the accounts that had been left to languish since her Grandfather's death seven years ago. With her father in Azkaban and no other family available to take control of things, it had been left to sit. Her real birthday was next month, and once she was of age, management of all the Dolohov accounts and interests would fall to her. It was a lot of responsibility, but her Uncle had promised that he'd help her set things up so that it would less day to day work for her in the short term.

Narcissa had sent over this outfit, along with a note to remind her that it was likely that reporters would be there to take photographs and try to get a few comments from her. She'd advised her to say nothing, and let her Uncle do all the talking. They couldn't twist her words if she didn't give them any. The dress was very pretty, a soft blue with cap sleeves that would hit her just below her knee. The skirt flared out a little from a natural waist and there were matching low heels for her to wear. She had a light dove grey outer robe that would frame her figure nicely. At least she'd look pretty when they splashed her photograph across the front of the papers.

She left her hair loose, with wild curls cascading down her back, some small nod to the witch she used to be. Her Uncle was waiting for her in the front hall, dressed formally in dark grey robes, edged in black. He looked her over critically, and then nodded.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"I think so." Hermione crossed the space to join him.

"Just stay close to me, and don't engage with the reporters. If any of them are too aggressive, I'll handle them later," he said and offered her his arm.

Hermione nodded and took hold. With an audible pop, they were standing just outside Gringotts, the towering white building looming overhead. She smiled as her Uncle tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. He patted her hand gently, just as a general hum started from around them. A flashbulb went off to her right, and she tightened her grip on his arm as he started them smartly across the street and up the marble steps. She kept her eyes focused straight ahead, trying to ignore the shouts coming from all around.

"Is it true that you had no idea you were really a pureblood?"

"Miss Dolohov! Did your father really almost murder you inside the Ministry?"

"MISS DOLOHOV! How does it feel to find out muggles stole you from your crib?"

"How is Harry Potter taking it, now that he knows his best friend is really the daughter of a Death Eater?"

The shouted questions grew even stranger and she felt her Uncle slowing down, he leaned down to whisper into her ear. "Go into the Bank and wait in the lobby," he said and turned, marching down the steps to deal with the reporters.

She didn't hesitate and escaped into the calm and quiet of the bank. Even the reporters weren't foolish enough to try and follow her inside, past the armed Goblins at the door. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to try and still the frantic beating of her heart. By the time her Uncle returned, she'd managed to calm down a little.

"Are you alright?" Darius asked as he joined her.

"I wasn't expecting it to be this crazy," Hermione admitted. "How did they even know I was coming?"

"Someone leaked the time and date of our appointment. I got a heads up from a clerk at the Prophet, so at least I knew to expect some press," he said. "Alright, let's go and meet with Speargut." Together, they headed down a set of hallways to the right that Hermione had never honestly noticed before.

A little goblin at the desk there, grunted and waved them through. They entered the fourth door and a heavily scarred Goblin was sitting at his desk. His one good eye seemed to pierce right through her, and she swallowed nervously.

"Sit," The goblin said.

"Thank you for clearing the afternoon for us, Speargut," Darius said and sat down, looking at Hermione.

"Yes, ummm thank you." Hermione moved and sat down in the other chair.

"You'll soon get used to my appearance girl, you'll be seeing a lot of me." The goblin chuckled at her discomfort. "First, this is the Dolohov Heir ring. To claim it, use the dagger to prick your finger and smear the blood around the inside of the band. Place it on your left pinkie finger."

Hermione took the offered ring box and opened it. The ring was made of gold, and proudly displayed a coat of arms. It was an eagle with a pair of wands crossed below its talons. She took the dagger and followed his instructions. As she slipped the ring over her pinkie, a surge of magic played over her skin as the band sized itself properly to her hand. The blood seemed to draw into the ring itself, and for a brief moment the band grew warm, pulsing as if it had a heartbeat of its own.

"Good, that verifies your identity. Welcome back, Miss Dolohov," the Goblin said.

"What would have happened if I wasn't a Dolohov?" she asked.

"It would have killed you," he replied with a toothy grin. He pulled out several folders. "This is a statement of your current vaults and investments. When your Grandfather died, I simply maintained what he had put in place." He handed her the first one. "We'll set another appointment next month to discuss the numbers, once you've had time to familiarize yourself with them. Now, this folder is for all the property owned by your family in Britain. I can put you in touch with the Russian branch for any holdings abroad. As an overview, there is the main estate in Norfolk, a small property in Sussex, and a set of shops currently being leased out in Knockturn Alley." He handed her the folder. "Inside are the deeds and copies of the leases for the shops. The main estate has been placed into stasis, pending either the release of your father or his death…since we were unaware that you were still alive. Orders have been sent out to have it released, ahead of your coming of age next month."

Hermione nodded and took the second folder, opening it to see a few photographs and a basic descriptions of the land.

"Now, the last folder is something that will need attention as well. These are the open betrothal offers for your family." He handed them over.

"What?" Hermione looked over at her uncle.

"Over the years, not all contracts that are agreed upon between parents are fulfilled and a backlog can be created. Now, a witch always has the final choice, but should you not make a decision before your 18th birthday then the oldest outstanding contract would be put into play automatically," Darius said.

"I'm not marrying some stranger." Hermione's eyebrows rose. There was just no way.

"No one is suggesting that you should. Offers can be tendered anytime between now and your eighteenth birthday, and negotiations concerning when the ceremony will actually take place start at any point after that. We can discuss this more at home," Darius said.

"Is there a way to reject them all?" She looked over at the goblin.

"No, you must choose between the valid contracts. You have thirteen months to come to a decision, and you will be notified if any other offers are made. New offers can be rejected," The Goblin said.

"I can't believe that you honestly expect me to marry someone because of some ancient, archaic contract that I have no say in!" Hermione was fuming as she took the folder and opened it. There were four pieces of paper inside, and she made herself turn one over. The whole sheet was dark. "What does this mean?"

"It means that there is no wizard in that family that would qualify to marry you at this time," he said.

Hermione's panic lessened as all four pages were just as dark. "They're all dark." She frowned at the goblin.

"Yes, at this time there are no valid contracts for you. Which means you are under no obligation to marry anyone." The goblin chuckled. "You certainly have your father's temper." He handed over a golden key. "This is for the Dolohov vault, and we can take you down to inspect it now if you wish."

"You could have started off with that," she muttered and then nodded, not terribly impressed as she could tell the grizzled old Goblin had been trying to have some fun at her expense. A look over at her Uncle confirmed that he'd been enjoying her little burst of moral outrage as well.

"We'd appreciate going down, Speargut." Darius said, resisting the urge to chuckle. "She'll need a linked galleon purse, and I think we'll need to make use of the back exit today."

"Yes, there is quite the mob waiting for her on the steps." The old goblin got up and led them out of the office, and down a stairwell to where a few mine carts were waiting. "Your vaults are quite near the bottom of the mine, hold on tightly." He gave her another dark grin as she settled into the seat beside her Uncle.

She tried not to scream as the cart rocketed forward. She'd only ever exchanged muggle money for galleons before. Harry had told her about the carts, of course, but she hadn't been expecting something so honestly terrifiying. She was feeling quite green by the time the cart screeched to a stop. In the darkness below she could see the glimmer of firelight and the intense smell of Sulfur. It reminded her uncomfortably of the First Task, when Harry and the others had nearly been roasted alive for a stupid game.

"Are there Dragons down there?" She looked at her uncle in shock.

"Yes," he said and got out, offering her a hand onto the rocky path.

She frowned a little but didn't say anything as the Goblin unlocked a massive door with a heavy brass key and then handed it to her. The door swung open and a waft of green smoke billowed out around her. The sight revealed was enough to nearly make her jaw fall open, but she managed to repress that. The vault was massive and filled to the brim. Everywhere she looked, treasures glittered in the torchlight.

"This is your key, do not lose it." He said and then handed her a small leather money pouch. "This is your linked galleon pouch. You only need to visit your vault once a year to keep the charm valid. It will magically refill to a set amount, so that you always have money available to you. No one but you will be able to remove money from it, without consequences. Enter the vault and put whatever amount of money you feel you will require into the pouch. That is the amount it will always carry."

Hermione took a breath and stepped into the vault, feeling quite intimidated by the vastness of wealth on display. There were chest full of coins, gold, silver and bronze without number caught her eyes, but what drew her eye more was a shelf filled with old books. She walked over, eyes skimming across the titles. Some were in English, but there were titles in Latin, German, Italian, and even Russian.

"Your grandfather always kept his most valuable books here," Darius said, standing politely by the entrance and giving her time to explore.

Hermione nodded and made herself move away. Another day, she'd have to examine them more closely. She opened the little jewel-encrusted boxes on the shelves, finding jewelry, bags of gems, and delicately carved potions vials made of alabaster and other stones. She shut them all and moved to fill her pouch with some galleons, sickles and knuts. It was hard to believe that this was all hers, and it felt wrong to take anything out of the vault.

"Narcissa is planning a party for your birthday, you should think about taking some jewelry to wear. These are your things now, Hermione," Darius said seeing the hesitation on her face.

Hermione bit her bottom lip and went back over to the shelf and picked up the plainest jewelry box. It was made of rosewood, and set with some simple mother of pearl designs on top. Inside were some pretty, but simple pieces of jewelry. She finally stepped out of the vault and Speargut sealed it behind her.

"The Bank is open at all hours, and simply visit the tellers in the main lobby if you simply wish to visit you vault. Appointments are only necessary if you need to consult with me on your estate business." He explained as they got back into the cart. Hermione held on tightly as they sped along back up to the main level.

"Thank you, Speargut." She got out of the cart on slightly shaky legs.

"I worked well with your grandfather and father, I am sure we will as well," he said. "The back entrance should be free for your use." He looked up at Darius.

"Excellent, we will see you next month," Darius said and gestured for Hermione to precede him through a door to the right. The narrow hallway led into a closed courtyard.

"They use this for clients that can't make use of the public entrances to the bank." Her uncle explained and offered her an arm. "I can apparate us back to Oxton from here."

"Thank you." Hermione moved closer and took a firm grasp of his arm. The moment they were safely back on the steps of her Uncle's home, she felt a wave of relief. At least there would be no reporters hounding her here.

"I'll put these papers in my office, and we can go over them on the weekend. If you'd like?" he offered.

"Thank you, I don't think I'd be able to absorb much else today," she said honestly.

"Understandable. Come find me if you have any questions. I'll be in my study for most of the afternoon," he said warmly.

"Thank you Uncle Darius," Hermione said as they headed into the house together. He headed for his study, and she went up to her room to put her things away in her trunk. It had only taken a little over an hour, but she was completely exhausted by the simple errand. The press of reporters and the flash of bulbs honestly made her feel ill, and she was looking forward to when the furor over her new identity passed and something else came along to grab their attention.

She tucked her galleon purse away in her trunk and settled the jewelry box on her dressing table. She opened it and took a closer look at the contents. There was a pair of black pearl earrings, with a matching necklace and stick pins for her hair. The black pearls were paired with small blue sapphires and silver. Simple, but very beautiful in their own way. Somehow the little touch of blue put her in mind of her mother, who had been a Ravenclaw. She wondered if her mother had ever worn these.

A knock on the open door caught her attention, and she shut the lid of the jewelry box and turned to see Theo leaning there against the door jam.

"How are you doing?" he asked, concern on his face.

"I'm…a little overwhelmed honestly," she said and stood. "I wasn't expecting such a mob at the bank."

"You're big news, unfortunately," Theo said and came in. "Hopefully it'll die down once you're back at Hogwarts."

"Let's hope so," she said.

"Listen, my birthday's in a few days and I'm having a bunch of my friends over. Would you like to join us?" Theo asked.

"Which friends?" she asked a bit warily.

"Blaise, Tracey, Daphne, Draco, Terry Boot and Michael Corner," he said.

"Not Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle?" The inclusion of two Ravenclaws actually surprised her, but given all she'd learned about her cousin this summer, it wasn't really so shocking.

"Hardly." He rolled his eyes. "Pansy gets on my nerves, and those other two…they're not exactly stimulating conversationalists. They've all promised not to pester you about things, so it should just be a fun afternoon. I'd really like you there."

"Then I'd be happy to join the party," Hermione said and was rewarded with one of Theo's rare full smiles.

"Brilliant," he said. "I was just heading down to read on the terrace, if you wanted to join me?"

"Sure, I'll be down in a minute once I get changed," she said.

"See you down there." Theo grinned and left, pulling her door closed as he went.

It was strange, but Oxton was starting to feel like home, bit by bit. It was different than her home in London, but there was a warm feeling that filled her up just being here and spending time with her cousin. Spending time with him was easy, and the fact that they both liked to spend their free time reading was a wonderful bonus. He didn't bug her about it or tease her, just occasionally asked to borrow the text when she was done with it. It was nice to be able to carry on a conversation about magical theory without having to explain every little thing, if she was honest.

It made her feel cheated that she'd missed out on an entire childhood of this with her family. It was a strange feeling, since it wasn't like she regretted growing up in the Granger's home, she loved them, but she also knew she would have loved this too.