Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, nor do I own the characters.
Warning: As do all my other stories this will contain physical and sexual abuse of a minor. The story will not always correlate with the correct scenes in the book!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~HPOV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today is my first day of potions class, and I'm listening with fasination as Professor Snape is shouting off questions. All of them are aimed at Harry Potter, I sigh, why would he ever ask me. I'm just a muggle, a nobody. I know all the answers though; might as well raise my hand Harry doesn't seem to know the answers. Waiting is all I can do, finally my Professor catches my eyes and sneers at me. I shiver, I know that look all to well; it's the same look my father gives me. I refuse to back down, so my hand stays in the air.
"Granger, maybe you can save us. Answer my question! Now", Snape hisses.
"The color should be green, and if it is orange to neturalize the potion you should add lace wings. Sir", I say.
"Well at least someone knows the answer", Snape sneers.
"Professor, what if Harry couldn't study, he may not have had time to", I say looking down. I know all to well how some parents can be. My father hates magic, but allows me to study because he says I must get excellent marks or I would be in trouble. Well not every parent is like that, maybe Harry's hate magic and refuse him the chance to study, I say silently to myself.
"Ms. Granger, 10 points from Gryfiendor and a detention for speaking out of turn. Let this be a lesson to all of you, I will not tolerate rudeness", Snape bellows!
Just as I go to say "yes sir" he shoots me a deadlly glare and I shut up immediatly. I gulp, I should know not to speak unless I'm told that is one of the rules of being a girl. Stupid, father always said that being a girl means that you are inferior to men. He also told me that I could talk only when I was talked to, god how could I be so dumb. I'm going to get in so much trouble. Trouble always means pain, lots of pain. Usually it's a whipping until I bleed; or-or well I hope Professor Snape doesn't do that. I would deserve it though, father always said that, that was my job as a girl. I quote him "you are a girl, you are nothing more than a servant. For men's pleasure and men's enjoyment." All throughout class I'm paralyzed in fear. What is he going to do to me? I would rather just be whipped!
Just as class ended Snape said that I must be back to his office by 7:00. I could just not show up; wait no that would just make the punishment worse, it always does. Running to the bathroom I shut the stall and just cry. Sobs and silent tears rack my body. Finishing my self-pitying, I walk out and face the mirror. I gasp, my glammour charms wore off. Taking out my wand I reapply them. Funny right, a muggle knowing such an advanced spell before we are even taught it. Guess that is what being threatened to do great in school will do to you.
Now I must go to my detention, I'm shaking. Hesitantly I knock on the door. I hear Snape say enter and I do just that.
"Ah, Ms. Granger sit down and I will get out your punishment", Snape said.
I nod slowly shakily. This is what he must like, invoking fear by not saying the punishment. Father did that sometimes, and I hate when he does. When Snape comes back, he is leviating cauldrons.
"Wash these Ms. Granger and then you can leave", he says.
I stare at down, confused. Washing cauldrons was going to be my punishment. Yet he's smirking, so he is probably messing with me. Usually when father does this, the punishment is really painful. Father usually has me clean the house, and when he finds something wrong, it's always painful.
Bravely I ask, "Professor, can you just get the punishment over with? Please?" I can't take this I need to know what he is going to do to me. Plus my glammours aren't that strong yet, and I have to reapply them every two hours. I rather him just do what he was going to do, and quick because I won't have him see my other injuries.
"Excuse me, Ms. Granger! What did you just ask me!" Snape bellowed.
"Just, please do the punishement sir. I rather not wait for the inevitable", I whispher.
Snape just looked at me for a second before saying "I am not sure what you mean by punishment Ms. Granger but this is your punishment.
I shake my head and grab the cauldron and he grabs my wrist because I almost fell from shaking so hard. Now his eyes show concern because he notices my flinch. No, no I'm not supposed to do that. Not supposed to show fear. Tears are coming to my eyes but I fiercly wipe them away.
"Ms. Granger sit down, please," he said. "Now why don't you tell me what kind of punishment you think that I'm going to give you?" He asked softly.
I stare down at the floor with wide fearful eyes and say. "I-I well your well your-your going to make me pay for being rude. I'm really sorry Sir, I know the rules by now I really do. Its just that, I well I diregarded them. I deserve to be in pain for my action. Never talk unless your talked to, that's one of the rules."
"If you think that I am going to hurt you, Ms. Granger you are very wrong. This rule you have, is false. You can talk whenever you want just raise your hand. What kind of pain do you think you're going to be in?" He asked me.
"Well-well um-um you know pain. I don't want to talk about it though." I whispher not looking him directly in the eye. I pull my knees up to my chest and put my head on them. I don't know what I said or did, but I think whatever I said clicked in his head because he was looking at me with a sad expression on his face.
Snape asks "Hermoine that rule wasn't your own was it? Perhaps your mothers, or was it you fathers?"
My eyes flew up to meet his. Mine full of fear his calm and sad. Guess I just gave him the answer. As quick as they met his they flew back down. Never supposed to look a man in the eye it shows that you are equal to them, and I'm not. Well at least that has been what I"ve been told.
"Child, look me in the eyes when I speak to you, it's rude not to do so." He says softly.
I look at him uncertainly and ask "Never supposed to look a man in the eye it shows that you are equal to them, and I'm not. Why am I allowed to look you in the eye?"
He is shaking his head at me, maybe because he knows it's true. Quickly I look down again, afraid because I once again spoke without being asked to talk. Gentle fingers find there way under my chin and I'm once more looking into my Professors eye. Immdetly I flinched back from his touch. Not conviced of my own safty yet I try to distance myself from him. Physically and emtionally, because I know that safety means pain.
"I will not harm you intentionally Ms. Granger. That I promise you. Please trust that at least." Snape says.
"Well-well I've trusted people in my life and they always have hurt me. I trusted my father and well he did things that I don't want to talk about. I trusted my old teachers to help me when I told them what my father was doing to me. Want to know what they did, they laughed. They said that I must have been confused because they had met my father and he was a very nice man. I've trusted and been hurt; why should I trust you?" I ask.
"Your Father is a horrible man if he hurt you. Your teachers are just as bad, they are supposed to help you if you ask them. Myself, as a teacher have helped many children like you. No matter what they've told me, I have always believed them. Talk to me child, let me help you." Snape said, almost as if he was pleading with me. "Here let's move this into my living area, you can have a blanket and I could make us some tea".
Unsure of moving, I stay, but just for a moment because for the first time in a while I feel hope. It's tiny but it is there. I sit down and he gives me the blanket. Before I talk he brings in tea just like he said he would. With my knees to my chest and the blanket wrap around me for protection I begin. "It started when my mom died, maybe even before that I don't really know. He blamed me for her death, said so all the time. He began to hit me and whip me for everything I did wrong. At times I think he just did it for the fun because sometimes I had done nothing wrong that deserved punishment. Then he kept saying since I took his wife away he couldn't love her anymore. And since he couldn't love her he would love me. He did to. It hurt though, so if that is what love is than I never what to make love to anyone."
By the end of my story Snape looks furious. I begin to cry, I knew I shouldn't of trusted him. He probably thinks I'm stupid for not knowing that I deserve everything.
"Ms. Granger, I'm not angry with you; I'm angry at your father." With that statement his face softens and then he gasps.
Confused I look up and see shock on his face. I realize that I'm crying and I start to rub my tears away and when I take my hand off my face I see blood. No,no, no my charm wore off.
"Hermoine I don't know why we didn't see that you charmed your apperance. You are very advanced for your age. Impressive, most third years don't know that spell." He says. I go to reapply the charm but he shakes his head no. "I gave my word I would help you, and now you need to go to the hospital wing. You understand the importance of this, yes?" He asks.
I shake my head and we walk to the hospital wing. Once we step inside, Madame Pomfrey takes me over to a bed and I lie down. Her wand is moving back and forth and her voice is going in one ear and out the other. Before I know it the headmaster is here and he is reading over whatever information, my exams showed. I cringed knowing excatly what the words on the chart will say.
"Ms. Granger, it is safe to say that you will not be going back to your father. I will not allow that to happen, as I am sure the people in this room would agree to." The headmaster say.
I didn't even realize that Professor McGonigal was here too until she said, "Dear, you will be staying with both I and Professor Snape from now on."
Looking up I smile the first real smile that graced my face for a long time. "Thank you, but I don't want to be a burden", I say.
"None of that, Hermoine you are not a burden. I gave you my word that I would help you and this was the soultion. The best one that would insure your safety. Is this acceptable to you?" Snape asks.
I nod my head vigoursly and before long I fall asleep with a content smile on my face. Maybe trusting people wasn't such a bad idea. I think I should do it more often.
The end! What do you think? Please review! I love to hear feedback! Bad or good, it helps me to improve my writing! Thanks for reading!
:)