Family Secrets

An hour later I heard a knock on my bedroom door.

"They're here Mya," my mother called softly through the door.

I'd been sitting in that room for the last hour thinking about how they were all going to react to this startling news. What was going to happen to me now? Would I be going back to Hogwarts or would I have to start ruling straight away? I suppose these questions would be answered soon enough.

I walked into the parlour and I saw Ron standing there looking around, fidgeting nervously. All the questions vanished from my head leaving only relief that he was here. I ran straight to him and hugged him. He stiffened for a bit like he always does before he started hugging me back.

"Hermione, what's going on? Are you all right? Have you been hurt? Your mother wouldn't tell us what's wrong," he started asking me urgently.

"I'm fine Ron. There's no need to worry," I said pulling away from him. "Some things have happened and I wanted you all here," I said smiling at him to the other new occupants in the hotel room.

"Miss Granger, is there something you would like to tell us?" Dumbledore asked.

I looked around them all, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Ginny, Ron and Dumbledore. They were looking at me expectantly. And the words to explain flew from my head, so all I could do was raise the hand that my new ring sits upon and show it to them. I looked at their faces awaiting their reactions but only Dumbledore and Arthur seemed to realise what the ring meant, so I spoke to them.

"I wanted people I trust here, because I don't know what I'm supposed to do," I told them. I mean, what do I know about running a continent? It had started to click for the other three that there was something about this ring that had made Dumbledore and Arthur silent.

" What's the M on the ring stand for," Ginny asked me, after seeing her father's reaction to it.

"Medici," Dumbledore answered for me. A light of understanding crossed Ginny's face.

" Why would Hermione have a Medici ring?" Ron asked, still not getting it. I love Ron, I really do, but sometimes he is not the quickest on the uptake.

" Because Alexander Medici was my grandfather Ron," I explained to him. He went white as a sheet when he computed what I said.

" Well this is very interesting don't you think," Dumbledore asked the room, "Why don't we all sit down so everything can be explained to us."

So everyone sat down and my mother started to explain. Ron stared at me the entire time, and for the first time in my life, I couldn't read the expression on his face. It was blank. So I stared back, waiting for a flicker of anything to pass on his face. Nothing. I started to worry then, that Ron was going to take this news badly.

" Well, we always knew Hermione was destined for great things," Ron spoke for the fist time. I could have cried. I ran to him and hugged him again, knowing that I was the luckiest person in the world to have a best friend like Ron. Loyal to a fault he was. To tell you the truth I wasn't sure that he was going to react well to this news. He already felt overshadowed by Harry and now with my new powers, it could have gone badly.

" You know, I could begin to get a complex. My two best friends happen to be two of the most important people in the world."

"What are you going on about Ron, you already had a complex before this," Ginny said cheekily. I had to laugh.

"Hey!" Ron said with mock outrage, "I did not."

"Ronald, you do remember fourth year, don't you? The entire lack of speaking with Harry for months," I reminded him, sniggering still.

"Hey, what is this, dump on Ron day, and to think I travelled thousands of miles to be here, I could have stayed at home and let Fred and George do that. But I'm over it, I realise now I'm thoroughly under appreciated by those in my life, but I can complain about that later, right now I have a question," Ron said in a laughing tone, "Do I have to call you My Lady now and bow every time you walk in to a room." I elbowed him in the stomach. Ha ha.

" Of course not, you idiot, I won't expect that from my friends."

"Ooh, does that mean that you'll make Malfoy do it, 'cause that would be funny," Ginny said with a smirk on her face. Isn't it amazing that we think so much alike?

" Oh, you've got to Hermione, it would be funnier than the whole ferret incident," Ron interjected, "You know you want to." I thought I better interrupt then because Ron was getting that glint in his eye that he gets whenever the prospect comes up about humiliating Malfoy, but I was beaten to the chase.

"If you've all finished?" Nicolas interrupted, he didn't to look amused, unlike the majority of the rest of the room, even Dumbledore had a small smile on his face. But Nicolas was right this wasn't the time for jokes, decisions still needed to be made.

" I think Voldemort just made his gravest mistake," Dumbledore stated to the room at large while looking straight at me, "He killed a ruler who, while being a good man, was not anywhere near as powerful as his ancestors, and replaced him with one of the most powerful witches in the world." I looked at him with shock. I had never though of myself as being very powerful, or at least not to the extent that Dumbledore just implied.

" I need some guidance, and while these three men would give it to me," I said gesturing to the advisors, "as I told them, I don't know them and therefore I don't trust them. This is why I called you here. I trust you all. So I ask for your help. Unlike my grandfather I have no heir to replace me when I'm gone, so no matter how powerful I may be, I am at a disadvantage to him." I was about to continue, when I was once again interrupted.

"This is why My Lady, the best course of action at this time is to find you a husband, so that you can reproduce," Paolo injected. I just stared at him until he started to fidget nervously.

" Please tell me that I did not hear that. I AM 15. Reproducing is not on my list of things to do for at least another ten years, nor is marriage. And did I mention the fact that I am 15," I voiced loudly.

"Hermione, while I understand your concerns, the world is in the middle of a war and the survival of your bloodline is a very important factor. Also a pregnant Lady will raise the spirits of your people, putting their faith in you, their new ruler, instead of Voldemort," Dumbledore stated quietly.

I was about to speak out about this when I looked around the room. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were nodding their heads in agreement with what Dumbledore just said, Ginny just looked at me sympathetically, but I knew she agreed with him to. My mother and father just looked at me and smiled and I knew that no matter what I choose they would stand behind me 100%. The advisors, well I already knew they agreed with Dumbledore, perhaps though not for the same reasons. Last I looked at Ron, hoping to see a sign from him, but his face was once again blank

"This is your decision Hermione, no one else's, you have to make up your own mind," Ron whispered to me, smiling gently. He knew I was looking to others for the right decision and would not give me his opinion. He was right, I was the Lady, my decisions would affect the world, and I could not look to others to make them for me.

Deep inside I knew Dumbledore was right, if I died and Voldemort did manage to get the powers, the world as we know it would be gone. No matter how strong or brave or powerful Harry became, he would not be able to defeat Him. And I would have failed my people, something I made a promise to myself right then that I would never do.

"And who am I to marry, I don't have a boyfriend, if you didn't notice," I spoke up. The relief that crossed the faces of some of those in the room was so obvious.

"Hermione, you're a beautiful, intelligent witch, I don't think you will have any problem finding a husband," my mother spoke up.

"Finding a husband will not be the hard part, finding the love to go along with it will be," I answered her, sadness etched in my voice.