A/N: I don't own Harry Potter

This is for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Assignment #7 Ghost Hunting - Task #2 - Helena Ravenclaw -Write about a long kept secret.

Writing Club October

Assorted Appreciation: 4 - "You know who I am. You felt it."

All Sorts of Space: 18 - "You may think I'm small, but I have a universe inside my mind." ― Yoko Ono

Scamander's Case: 6 - (quote) "Another day, another destiny." - One Day More, Les Miserables

Lyric Alley: 8 - Will I slow down?

Word Count: 1088

Hermione stared at the potion boiling over from her cauldron. She barely registered as it coated the table and dripped onto the stone floor.

"Miss Granger, what is the meaning of this?" Professor Snape ordered snapping Hermione back to reality.

"I'm sorry, sir," she whispered vanishing the mess before anyone could say anything about the color of her potion.

"Stay after class, Miss Granger."

"Yes, sir," she replied numbly starting to gather her things. Harry and Ron were laughing about something and barely seemed to notice that something was wrong. Their potions had revealed nothing of interest, both turning the proper color for their blood statuses.

Once the classroom was empty, Hermione approached Professor Snape's desk.

"Sir?"

"Did you know?"

"No. I never believed I was anything other than Muggle-born, sir. There must be some mistake."

"No. I do not believe there is, Miss Granger. I highly doubt you misbrewed the potion. You are a Pure-blood." Hermione felt the floor seem to fall out from under her. Professor Snape rushed forward and caught her as she fell.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Hermione struggled to open her eyes. The whole day was running through her brain. The potion, the shock of finding out she wasn't who she thought, the look on Professor Snape's face when he'd seen what color her potion had turned. That thought made her open her eyes.

A quick glance around told her she was in the infirmary.

"He knows," she whispered softly sitting up. She didn't see anyone else. The room was empty. "He knows who I am," she said again taking a deep breath.

"Miss Granger, you're awake," Madame Pomfrey stated walking into the room. Hermione bit her tongue from making a snide remark.

"What happened?" she asked as if she had not been replaying the whole scene in her head.

"You fainted. Professor Snape caught you and brought you here. He said you suffered a great shock?"

"Potions, heritage potions," Hermione said. "Mine was different than I thought it would be. Do... is there a way to run a DNA test?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Right, it's a Muggle method of testing someone's blood to see blood relatives. Is there something similar in the wizarding world?" Hermione asked scooting the the edge of her bed.

"There is such a spell, Miss Granger, are you sure, however you wish to know?" Professor Snape asked stepping into the room. Madame Pomfrey stepped aside. Hermione looked up at the professor.

"Or you could just tell me, sir."

"Whatever do you mean, Miss Granger?"

"You know who I am. You felt it. I saw it in your eyes before I fainted. Who am I?" Severus sank into the chair next to Hermione's bed.

"Someone who should be dead," he answered. "Someone who if I had known still lived..."

"Professor, I'm not having a good day. My whole world has been flipped upside down, now either do the spell or give me a straight answer." Professor Snape nodded and drew his wand. He waved it over Hermione.

"I need a drop of blood, onto this sheet of parchment, Miss Granger." She nodded and complied watching as the blood droplet spread across the creamy sheet of parchment. Slowly lines and names started to appear. She watched in fascination as her own name finally appeared. Once the blood stopped moving, the letters and lines glowed brightly becoming permanent on the page.

"This is your family tree, Miss Granger." She took it and started reading the names, her eyes widening as she read.

"My mother... no, no, that's not possible... Wait, what do you mean I'm supposed to be dead?" she asked turning her attention back to Professor Snape.

"Shortly after you were born, there was an attack. The Order attacked a Death Eater stronghold believing Lord Voldemort was there. Your nursery was caught in the crossfire. The manor burned. You perished in the battle."

"Apparently I didn't. How long have you known, sir?"

"I beg your pardon, Miss Granger?" She raised her head and stared him straight in the eyes.

"How long have you known I was Bellatrix's daughter? Before the potion?" He nodded slowly.

"There is a resemblance. Your magic, there's a similar signature. No one knew you existed outside the Death Eaters."

Hermione smiled, a slightly crooked smile.

"Death Eaters like you, then?"

"Yes."

"Who else knows about me? Who else knows the truth, Dumbledore?"

"I do not know. I would not be surprised at all if he did know." Hermione nodded.

"That hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, should have known something was wrong then," she muttered. "What do I do now?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because, Professor Snape, you're the only one who knows the truth, the only one I can currently trust not to break that trust by telling anyone. What should I do?"

"Pretend you don't know, forget everything you learned. No good will come from it, Miss Granger. If you reveal who are truly are, you will paint an even larger target on yourself." Hermione nodded slightly.

"For now, I agree. I'm already a target because of my friendship with Harry. If the Death Eaters learn I'm alive, they'd try to make me one wouldn't they?"

"Yes. They would try. Miss Granger, even when you were baby, Bellatrix... let's just say she wasn't mother material even then. I doubt her time in Azkaban has changed that."

"Is me being her daughter going to change anything, will it change anything in the war?"

"If you swear your alliance to the Dark Lord..."

"That will never happen. You're right, sir. For now, at the very least, it would be wiser to keep this hidden." Professor Snape nodded in agreement. He stood and turned to leave.

"One question, sir, before you leave."

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"What was my name, sir, before...?"

"Mira, Mira Drusilla Lestrange."

"Thank you, sir," Hermione whispered as he left. She made sure she was alone before she rose to her feet. She walked over to the mirror on the wall and stared at reflection. Nothing had changed, her hair still frizzed around her face, her eyes still held the same intelligence, and her mouth was still a little too thin in her opinion.

"Mira Lestrange," she whispered touching the glass. "Don't worry, I won't forget my name and one of these days, I'm going to face Mother dearest in the battlefield and I will win for the light and redeem my new family name," she added a small, slightly mad looking, smile crossing her face.