A/N This story doesn't have a happy beginning-rape and torture in the first couple chapters. If this offends you, I suggest skipping this one. It will get better though! Review pleaseee
Severus sneered into the great hall. The only thing more infuriating than dunderheads in the classroom were dunderheads at dinner, conversing and…laughing. Oh, how he couldn't wait to put his position of Hogwarts' Potion Master behind him after the war. The end of the war, whether it left him alive or dead, meant freedom from the Dark Lord and Albus alike. He yearned for a time when he lived for himself, when he wasn't constantly indebted to another. And if he did not live, well, freedom would still be sweet. He wanted something good in his life—needed something good. Freedom, however, would have to come first, he thought. He focused again on the plate in front of him—the sooner he finished, the faster he could retreat to his quarters, and more to the point, his firewhiskey.
He took another glance around the hall to see if he could catch a troublemaker in action as dessert appeared. He had looked up just in time to see Malfoy waltz in through the entrance and walk proudly to his seat at Slytherin's table. He watched, curiously, as Malfoy sat next to Goyle and Zabini. The latter looked at Malfoy expectantly, to which the arrogant blonde snickered but did not elaborate. His reaction seemed to be enough of an explanation for the two 7th years, because they smirked in response and resumed their meal. Severus glared down at his place setting, resolving to find out the meaning of that occurrence at the Slytherin House meeting that night.
Students and staff stood to exit, and Severus followed suit. He followed the mob of people out of the hall and around the corner to the main staircase where normally, each house went their own ways. On this night, however, the hallway was blocked by the aforementioned mob, and as horrified gasps and whispers sounded through the hall, Severus began to sweep through the crowd, with Minerva not far behind. Severus realized the students had formed a circle—a circle around a bloody heap on the floor. At first, the only thing discernible was a splay of long, honey brown curls. That is, until two of Hogwarts' finest drew out of their shocked reverie and dropped to the third member of the Gold Trio's side.
"Hermione!" Weasley screeched, checking the girl's pulse.
"Help! Someone, help! Alert Pomfrey," Potter said, a little more rationally. Severus watched the female Weasley run in the direction of the hospital wing. He and Minerva rushed forward and knelt down to Hermione Granger.
"Step back; everyone retreat to your dormitories and await further instruction!" Minerva shouted to the smothering crowd. When no one made to leave, Minerva raised her wand. "IMMEDIATELY!" The mob disintegrated, leaving Severus, Minerva, Potter, Weasley, and the Headmaster, who shuddered at the sight before him.
"Mr. Weasley, kindly remove yourself from Miss Granger's side and stand near Mr. Potter," Severus snapped, irritated at the boy's clumsy display of concern when all focus needed to be on the body at their feet. As Weasley obeyed, Severus took his place at Hermione's side. He drew in a sharp breath as he saw the girl. Starting at the top, sections of her hair were matted with blood, which was spilling from an open wound on her forehead. Her eyes were closed, but she was breathing and her pulse was there, albeit weak. Every few seconds, a tremor would shoot through her. His eyes traveled down her body. A large bruise covered the expanse of her throat. Her shirt was unbuttoned, and blood was trickling down her torso. At closer look, Severus realized that in addition to a severely bruised ribcage, Hermione had several long, odd cuts along her stomach going every which way. His eyes continued down. Her skirt was mercifully in place, but her undergarments were not. Her knickers had been ripped down to her knees, and her thighs were smeared with blood. He sighed the sigh of a man that has seen far too much for one lifetime, and hastily unbuttoned his outer robe to drape over the girl—a bit of privacy for her at last. He moved to lift the girl from the ground, but at the last minute thought better of it and levitated her instead. The last thing she would want is the touch of a man, any man, should she wake mid-travels. He spun to his audience, the girl steadily floating behind.
"She's been raped," he hissed quietly, for only Minerva and Ablus's ears. The rest would find out soon enough, he was sure. Minerva's face was solemn and she nodded once, all business, but Severus didn't miss the glistening in her eyes. Albus' sigh mimicked Severus', and at that, they began the short journey to the hospital wing.
Poppy and the Weaslette were waiting near an open bed. Severus gently lowered Miss Granger to the bed and drew the curtain so that Poppy could assess the girl privately. He turned to wait with the expectant group.
Spells, chants, and gasps could be heard from behind the curtain. "How could this fucking happen? At…at Hogwarts! In a main hall! During dinner?" Weasley asked, eloquently as always.
"Language, Mr. Weasley," Minerva admonished half-heartedly. "Perhaps you three should wait in the common room—"
Just then Poppy drew back the curtain. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and her breathing heavy. "Do we suspect who has done this?" she asked shrilly, looking from Albus to Minerva to Severus in turn. When no one responded, she turned fully to Severus, "Severus, I do believe you have stocked me with enough Dreamless Sleep Draught, but I'll need a salve to rid her body of scarring and an anti-conception potion by morning."
The boys drew in breath sharply. Severus replied, "I have the salve in my stores, and can have the other within the hour."
"Thank you. I've cleaned her up as much as I was able to for now." She glanced at Potter, Weasley, and the Weaslette before beckoning the three professors close, out of hearing range of the three students. "She has in fact been raped, brutally. We'll have to wait for her to awaken for the details, and hopefully she remembers them—she's hit her head. What I can say for sure is this: She most likely has a small concussion, nothing serious. She suffers from two broken ribs, which is good news, considering the amount of bruising along her torso. They will mend overnight. She was held tightly around the neck, and 'mudblood' is carved on her stomach, caused by what appears to be a revamped Sectum Sempra," she looked pointedly at Severus, who refused to back down from her glare, even as shame tore through him. "The tremors indicate prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus." She looked sympathetically at the girl in bed. "She was a virgin," Poppy finished, semi-dramatically. Minerva's omnipresent sternness faltered for a moment as the news concerning Hogwarts' most brilliant witch reached her.
"We need to alert the Order," Minerva said, mostly to the Headmaster.
Just as Severus turned to head to his personal stores, a small, shuddering breath was drawn followed by a weak cry of pain. His head lifted and immediately he met the eyes of a horrified Hermione Granger. She clutched his cloak, which he noticed had been replaced over her, up to her chin.
"'Mione!" Weasley screamed as he and The Boy Who Lived To Be An Obstruction ran to either side of her. Questions were spit at her rapid fire from all directions, none giving her the chance to respond if she wanted to, which, Severus gathered, she did not, what with the number of people that were currently surrounding her. He watched as she squeezed her eyes tightly, tears silently slipping down her cheeks.
"Perhaps," Severus drawled over the chaos, his low baritone taking control of the room, "we should let Miss Granger catch her breath before we assault her with questions of the evening." Hermione looked up at him appreciatively. The group looked embarrassed for half a second, and quieted so the girl could wake properly.
Hermione looked slowly around at each of them. To her immediate left was Weasley, who appeared to have a death grip on her hand. Next to him was the Weaslette, who was sniffling even more than Miss Granger. And so it went around her bed, Albus, Minerva, Potter, and finally Poppy at her head. Severus was the only one to keep his distance and not hound the girl. She pulled her knees up to her chest, but apparently did not foresee the pain such an action would bring as she cried out and immediately straightened her legs again. She shut her eyes and Severus watched her try to steady her rapid breathing.
"Miss Granger," Minerva prompted softly, "what do you remember from tonight?"
Miss Granger glanced awkwardly at her three friends for a moment. "Guys, could you do me a favor and fetch my books? It seems I'll be here for the night," she said with an attempted smile, which looked more like a grimace.
Potter and Miss Weasley were reluctant, but loyally turned to exit. The boy Weasley, however, was a stubborn son of a bitch. "I want to be here for you, 'Mione, I want to be here for you always." He stroked both of her hands in his. Severus wondered if anyone else noticed the flash of disgust in her eyes before she schooled her features to neutral, a process that Severus was all too familiar with, but surprised to see in her.
"I…appreciate that Ron, but it'll only take a minute," she said, pulling her hands away a little too forcefully. He lingered for a moment longer before following the other two out the door.
Miss Granger turned back to the professors and medi-witch. Her voice, as she began to speak, was oddly lifeless. She kept her eyes down. "I was leaving the library right at the start of dinner—I hadn't realized the time. I turned the last corner and could see the Great Hall entrance when every part of my body started to throb. I felt I was on fire, everywhere, and I dropped to the ground. I hadn't heard a thing, not even a footstep, and when I thrashed around, there was no one there. But then I was kicked in the stomach and I looked up," she took a deep, steadying breath, absently brushing her curls out of her face, "and all I saw was a death eater mask." Severus' stomach dropped. Had there been a planned attack on the most important part of the Golden Trio, the Dark Lord would have informed him. The fact that he was not informed meant nothing good for Severus in the eyes of the Dark Lord. The Headmaster must have realized the same, for he looked at Severus with a nervous glimmer in his eye. "He unbuttoned my shirt, and then there was a stinging." She absently placed her hand along the cloak, above the carvings in her skin. "He ripped my knickers down and…" she trailed off, biting her bottom lip. Her cheeks flushed as she looked at Minerva. "Afterwards, he cast another Cruciatus before walking away. That's the last thing I remember."
Minerva grasped the girl's hand lightly. "We'll alert the Order straight away. Would you like to contact your parents, Miss Granger?"
"No," the girl said, almost too quickly. "No, they already wanted to keep me from returning this year. I'm nineteen, due to the time turner. I don't think contacting them is entirely necessary."
Minerva looked about to protest, but Albus spoke first. "Of course, my dear. You have been of age for quite some time now. It is up to you." He smiled down at her, twinkle firmly and reassuringly in place. Severus practically rolled his eyes.
"I shall gather the necessary potions now, for Miss Granger's recovery," Severus spoke, turning on his heel but not before he caught Miss Granger's eye a final time. The fear in them rattled even him.