So we've arrived at a chapter that contains some very dark content, very much non-graphic, but I will warn you all that there is the slightest bit of child abuse in this chapter. No, it's not Severus who does it, rest assured. As much as I didn't like having to add it, it's necessary for Hermione's growth as a Dark Lady. ;) I hope you all enjoy!

Father-Daughter Bonding III: Age Seven – Mr. Wagner

In which Muggles are blights on modern day society.

All wizards and witches learned some mathematics in their early days before Hogwarts, as well as reading and writing and magical history, the latter especially if they were pure-blood, and the histories taught tended to be biased, Severus had told her one day when he was oddly open to talking. She thought he might have had some fire whisky, but she wasn't sure why that would be the case. She thought he might have had some Ogdens, as his breath smelled somewhat fiery, but she hadn't been around to see it. It was a little odd that it happened on the day right after her birthday, though she couldn't tell if there was a connection.

On Monday, she met her tutor. Mr. Wagner was a Muggle who Severus had to put up false pretenses for in order to get him to teach Hermione Muggle maths and science. The level of maths and science Mr. Wagner would supposedly be teaching her was supposed to put her leagues ahead of even Muggle-borns. Severus wouldn't explain to her why she had to learn these things when she wouldn't need them, but she didn't actually need an explanation. She would be the best, no matter what anyone else said, and so she devoured the material given to her with a speed and alacrity that seemed to bewilder Mr. Wagner.

Seven months later, Mr. Wagner said he had taught Hermione all he could, that she was in middle-school maths and science now, and he wasn't qualified to teach her any more. He was nervous and sweating, and looked like he couldn't get out of there soon enough. Hermione was pretty sure it was because she had given him boils when he tried to touch her thigh.

Severus had looked at him for a long moment, and his eyes had paused on Mr. Wagner's left hand, which was covered in the boils Hermione had warned him with, and then stared deep into his eyes. Mr. Wagner stood still, looking oddly transfixed. Then, without warning, Severus pointed his wand at the Muggle and muttered, "Obliviate."

Hermione flinched at the cold tone in Severus's voice. Even at his angriest he had never used it on her. Mr. Wagner walked out of the house, as though under the Imperius Curse – she wasn't supposed to know about that, but she had seen it in one of Severus's darker books in his library – and the door slammed shut loudly behind him.

Severus turned to her, his face severe. Hermione had never been more afraid of him in her life, and it occurred to her that this wasn't the Severus she knew. There was something unmistakably Dark about him.

"He touched you?" Severus demanded, although it sounded like he expected an affirmation.

Hermione was surprised for a moment, and then said, confusion lacing her tone, because it really wasn't that big of a deal, "Yeah. He put his hand on my leg today. I gave him boils, though." She thought about this a little more closely. Shortly after that, she realized, he had proclaimed he had taught her everything he could.

"Anywhere else?" Despite his demanding tone, he didn't look surprised, but he did look expectant.

"No," Hermione replied, even more confused now.

"Are you certain? Be absolutely honest about this, Hermione. I need to know."

The use of her name made her realized that this was a Serious Situation.

"Nothing else happened, I swear." And it was true.

"Good. I will be back in a moment." He pointed at the couch in the living room. "Sit there and don't move until I come back."

Completely lost and a little irritated that he was ordering her around so much, Hermione went and took a seat. Five minutes passed and she started to fidget. Another five passed and she was tapping her leg restlessly against the foot of the couch, as her feet couldn't reach the floor while sitting yet. After a total of fifteen minutes, Severus returned, looking satisfied.

"Go to the library," he told her, and Hermione obeyed, as she would have gone there anyways now that she was dismissed.

The new tutor was a woman, though, and as Hermione climbed to greater and greater heights in her education, she noticed that every single tutor afterward was a woman. It wasn't until she read a particularly adult book by a famous Muggle author that had been buried deep in the library that she realized what Severus had been worried about with Mr. Wagner, and afterwards she vomited into the toilet until there was nothing left in her stomach.

The book was Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.

So, now you can probably tell why this had to happen. Also, I've been getting a lot of faves and follows, and I'm very happy about that, but I would love it SO MUCH if you could leave reviews, too! Nothing makes an author happier than hearing readers' thoughts on their work! And seriously, it really does inspire authors to write more of their stories. Leave reviews whenever you can for any story! :) Thanks and I hope you enjoyed!