I had never thought of myself as a coward. In fact many would say she was the exact oposite, Griffendor courage, Ravenclaw Smarts, Huffelpuff determination and Slytherin cunning. However in the current situation I would have to run away, my wand flicked around the room as I shrunk my books and clothes stacking them neatly into the trunk. Crookshanks was already locked inside the cat carrier and was not at all happy, he glared silently at his mistress feeling her unease. The sound of a clinking bottle sounded from the second floor and I startled before pulling on a cloak, grabbing my stuff. I was thankful that I had not only gained two extra years from her time-turning adventures but also for the fact that I could successfully Apparate. The familiar feeling of being squeezed caused me to tremble. In a flash I was standing at the back entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, walking to the bar I moved to the emptiest part of the busy room.
"Tom" I greeted "A warm cup of tea and a room please"
"Will do Miss Granger" He nodded
"I was hoping you would not come back this year" A voice sneered beside me
"Good evening Professor" I accepted the cup of tea "Enjoy the holidays?"
"Hardly" He said "A couple of dunderheads tried to raid my stocks on the last day and I spent the entire summer trying to clean a pot that was hexed. Also you are no longer my student but my colleague so you may call me by my name"
"Yes Severus" The teacup shook in my hands
"What did you do this summer?" I almost chocked on my tea, what I did this summer?
"Well I prepared for my position as the Transfiguration apprentice" I said slowly "Sent my parents to Australia to catch up on some much needed alone time"
He raised an eyebrow "You didn't want to go?"
"They needed some time to recover" I lied "I was afraid that they might develop a form of PTSD after the war and decided it was best for them to spend some time together, de-stress"
"Always were an insufferable know-it-all" He smirked
I dropped her teacup, spraying the cooled tea everywhere. I muttered a quick Evanesco, apologized profusely then bid her ex-professor goodnight. Tom brought me to my room and I quickly shut the door with only a murmured thanks. Pulling off my robe I sank to the floor and took out my wand.
"Reparo" I sobbed "Episky"
I then proceeded to throw every single bloody healing spell I knew at the cuts and bruises that covered my body. Nothing worked, I suspect that both my physical and emotional injuries were somehow blocking my magic from working correctly. Bloody know-it-all! I cursed myself, pulling Crookshanks out of his basket I clutched him to my chest. He didn't protest at all he just placed his paw on my shoulder and snuggled closer to me. I couldn't sleep that night, when had I ever been able to sleep after the day I watched them die? It was because of me and I knew it, I was filled with rage and guilt and a cold hardness that I couldn't seem to banish. There was a knock on my door, casting a quick Tempus charm revealed that it was 7 am. I cast a quick glamour, put my robes back on and opened the door, the imposing for of Severus Snape blocked out the light from the hall. I invited him in, wondering what he could want.
"I figured you'd need someone to tag-along with" He said in a distinctly unhappy voice
"Thank you" I grabbed my stuff and linked my arm through his
They appeared outside the gate of Hogwarts seconds later, took down the wards, put them up again and started off towards the school. I sent my things off to my room ahead and they setled into a leisurly stroll.
"The first years will be arriving tomorrow" Severus frowned in distaste "You have the evening to prepare and do tell those two heroes to not blow up my cauldrons this year"
He strode ahead of me, obviously finished talking and she quickened my steps so that my could reach her new quarters. I frowned slightly at the prospect of seeing my friends again, I loved them dearly but I couldn't let them see me like this. I got to my rooms, they were lovely. Bookcases along an entire wall waiting to be filled with my collection, a fire place linked to the Floo network, a bed with beautiful red silk sheets and a mahogany writing desk. I unpacked immediately, making sure that my affects were in their proper places and set about getting ready for classes tomorrow. When all of my class schedules were done I undressed and put on a nightgown.
"Oh Crooks" I slid down the wall "What am I going to do?"
For the fifth night in a row I was unable to sleep at all, the next day dawned and I decided a day of rest was what I needed the most. Turning on the bath in my on suite I scented the water with lavender essential oils and eased my aching body into it. Washing my hair took longer than I expected as there was a lot of dirt in it and it had lost some of its shine, I used a spell to remedy the lack-luster and another to charm scissors into giving me a proper haircut. I then removed my leg and armpit hair, a painful process as my body was covered in cuts and bruises. When I was finished I donned a beautiful green robe which covered all of the necessary skin, including the words carved into my arm. I cast a glamour on my face so that the bruises wouldn't show, then made my way down to the great hall to greet the first years. I took over Minerva's usual job of introducing the students to the Sorting Hat, but she still stood at my side like a mother hen.
Oh you may not think me pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
A couple students gasped as the hat began to sing it's song. It would have been funny if the world had not seemed to distort around me. Oh god, I thought not now please don't let me fail now.
"Are you alright dear?" Minerva whispered "You look ill"
"I'm perfectly fine Minerva" I said "It'll pa-"
I fell then, my body hitting the floor before anyone could stop my fall. My hair tumbled out of it's perfectly styled up-do and spread like a sea of chestnut-gold curls behind me. Students and teachers alike were crowding around me, I heard a familiar voice growl at everyone, telling them to back up. Someone lifted me into their arms and waves of pain rolled over me. I whimpered slightly, causing the person to release his tight grip on me just a little. I sank into troubled dreams.
-o-O-o-
Snape's POV
"Liquorice Snap" I barked out the man had to find a better way to set his passwords
"Severus" Albus stood from behind his desk
"You wished to see me Headmaster?" I drawled
"Yes, it's about Miss Granger" He offered me a sweet "Lemon Drop?"
"No" I wrinkled my nose "Is this about that ridiculous fainting spell she took?"
"Yes" He hesitated "and no"
"Get on with it I have no time for your cryptic remarks"
"I think it would be better if I showed you" He stepped into the fireplace and I followed "Infirmary"
As soon as we arrived I could tell something was wrong, her face was contorted in pain even though she seemed to be under the affects of a heavy sedative. Albus took out his wand and spelled her clothes away, I blanched slightly. It looked like her body was one big bruise, several cuts looked to be badly infected and I moved to brush a lock of hair away from her neck, where a particularly lage cut seemed to be the most infected. He stopped me before I could, I watched as he cast a protection spell and did it himself. The girl, woman I corrected myself for she could no longer be called a girl, sat up immediately.
"Stupify!" She yelled
The force of the wandless spell was incredible, causing the barrier to shimmer slightly. Poppy moved quickly to administer another dose of sedative, it took effect immediately and the woman in the bed fell back like a puppet with it's strings cut. Poppy looked at the Headmaster and he nodded slowly, she rolled Hermione onto her back and all he could see was red. He was outraged that someone would do this to her, because there were two words carved into he back. Not with a knife or a cutting spell but with what had obviously been a broken bottle.
MURDERING WHORE
"We need you to take care of her Severus" Poppy said "When she was lucid she asked that her friends not see her in this state"
I nodded slowly, I spelled the robes back on her and swept into the fireplace with the girl hanging limply in my arms.