Hermione always told people that she had been a late in life surprise for her parents, but she’d always left out the fact that she had been an unwelcome surprise. They’d never said that they hadn’t wanted a child, but it had been clear in the way that everything about their day-to-day life reflected their prior child-free lifestyle. Very little changed when Hermione was born. The only praise she ever received from them was when she demonstrated intelligence and maturity, when she showed that she didn’t need them to do anything for her.