Hello everyone! I apologize for the overdue chapter. Life has been busy between moving states and starting a new semester in grad school. I hope you all do enjoy this chapter. It is a bit longer as I feel I owe you a long one due to my absence. I also split this day into two chapters as I have had a couple of requests to write a long scene of Hermione in the library. I also hope you all find it agreeable about how Hermione is introduced to the library. In this chapter, we learn a bit more about Hermione's past, and we all finally get to see Minerva! I hope you all are pleased with the chapter, and where I am taking the story. Also please follow, favorite and comment! Thank you all, and if you live in America, enjoy your three-day weekend!

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Hermione struggled to open her eyes. She was so comfortable, warm and surrounded by softness. She slowly opened her eyes, pleasantly discovering that it wasn't too bright in her room as someone had been thoughtful enough to close the curtains the night before.

Probably Albus, Hermione thought as she slowly sat up in bed and stretched. Not wanting to get up just yet, she sat happily and looked around her new room. She couldn't help but grin as she reflected on how good of a night's sleep she had gotten. Last night had been the first night in a long time that she had not been plagued by bad dreams; the product of some long forgotten memory that decided to resurface as she would try to go to sleep. She had forgotten what a good night's sleep was, and made a mental note to ask Severus for more of that stuff tonight. Dreamless Sleep potion, Hermione reminded herself.

Looking around for a clock, she finally noticed one on her bedside table and it read 7:05 am. Allowing herself one final stretch, she threw the covers off of her and slid out of bed, albeit a little reluctantly. However, the realization dawned on her as suddenly as the feeling of the cold floor on her feet that she didn't know what time breakfast was supposed to be at, nor when Severus wanted her to be downstairs. Her panic spurred her to quickly use the bathroom, wash her hands, and run out of her room.

After getting to the bottom of the grand staircase, she turned right only to realize that she couldn't quite remember where the kitchen was. She had briefly seen it last evening, and had a vague idea of where to go. She cautiously wandered through the house for a few minutes longer until she saw a door standing ajar ahead of her through the family dining room. She thought she heard a small sound that sounded similar to a piece of flatware lightly tapping a dish. Encouraged, Hermione quickly moved towards the door, but once there she slowly opened it a bit more, peaking her head inside. To her relief she saw Severus sitting at a small, square breakfast table reading the paper and sipping coffee. He was sitting at an angle, facing the door so Hermione could see that he was already dressed for the day. She looked down at her nightgown and bare feet unsure of herself, and wondered if she was supposed to be ready for the day as well. Guessing that she was apparently already late for breakfast seeing that Severus was already there, she figured it would do no harm to run upstairs and quickly get dressed. However, as she moved to leave the doorway, Severus said without looking up from his paper, "Good morning, Hermione. Come in, breakfast is ready."

She sighed in defeat, disappointed that she had been spotted before she could correct her error. She slowly walked into the kitchen, and that was when Severus looked up to greet her properly. However, he didn't say anything as he looked the child up and down. She was standing in front of him still dressed in a little sleeping gown, with no slippers and no robe. He found himself slightly annoyed at the girl, but he had to remind himself that Hermione didn't have much, and to be fair he had yet to tell her the rules of the house. For just this morning he would let this go, but he would correct the fact that she was not properly dressed to walk about the house.

"Have a seat Hermione, and I will transfigure you some slippers and a robe," Severus directed, indicating the empty seat across from him. As Hermione did as she was told, he took two pages of the morning paper he had already read, and with a swish of his wand transfigured them into a small robe and a pair of slippers. He frowned at the white robe and slippers before looking up at Hermione and asked her in a somewhat drawling voice, "What is your favorite color?"

"Oh," Hermione said surprised by his question, "it's, umm, it's green."

"Excellent color," Severus approved, turning the robe a pale green, but he left the slippers white. "Now please put these on. It gets cold in this house in the mornings and evenings sometimes despite the summer weather, and it would not due for you to catch a summer cold."

"Yes, Severus," she answered, quickly jumping up to obey him. In her sudden movements, the neckline of her gown dipped just enough for Severus to catch sight of the tail end of dark, jagged looking scar on her chest that contrasted quite sharply with her pale skin. Not meaning to sound angry he asked in a low hiss, "What is that mark on your chest?"

He could see her surprise at his question and his tone. She quickly brought the robe up around her neck before tying it, and answered quietly looking anywhere but at him, "It's a small scar from a knife, sir." She didn't want him to know just how large the scar was, so she exaggerated its size so that he wouldn't question her further.

"It's Severus," he corrected her smoothly before continuing by asking, "and is that from your mother or father?"

"Father."

Severus glared at the top of Hermione's head. Every day he was discovering more and more about Hermione's abuse that made him want to return to the Granger's and kill them on the spot, consequences be damned. However, he remembered Albus' sentimental ramblings about family last night, and that he and Minerva loved him like a son. He couldn't risk, not only certainly losing Hermione, but Albus and Minerva as well. He let out an impatient and angry sigh as he continued to watch Hermione fidget in her seat. Allowing himself a few seconds to calm down, he finally said in a much less menacing tone, "Let me get your breakfast for you, child. Aggie?! Breakfast for Hermione, please?"

Suddenly a hot plate of bacon, eggs and toast with a small variety of jam appeared in front of Hermione's downcast face. She couldn't help but jump in surprise and sat in awe as she also saw a steaming cup of tea and a glass of milk appear before her too.

"Milk and sugar are here on the table for your tea if you desire any," Severus said as he pointed to the milk bottle and small bowl of sugar that sat upon a wooden lazy Susan.

"Thank you," she said softly, a look of absolute wonder still lingering on her face as she apprehensively started putting jam on her toast as though expecting Severus to cruelly take her plate away, and then hit her for daring to eat his food, at his table, in his presence. Severus ignored her actions as best he could as he folded his paper and softly laid it down on the table beside him. He sipped at his coffee as he continued to study her habits. Her eyes kept darting up at his, her movements were slow and calculated as though she was set to flee at any given moment; she sat hunched over as though protecting herself against an invisible assailant, and when she had prepared her food to her liking, brought her left arm up around her plate protectively like a neglected dog would guard its food bowl. She ate quickly as if she had not eaten in days. Severus seriously even doubted that she had tasted her food, let alone chewed it. In record time, the food seemed to disappear as quickly as it had been put before her. All that was left was her tea and milk; she hadn't even bothered to take a drink while she inhaled her food. This was definitely something that would need to be addressed and worked on as well. All of this reminded him that he needed to ask Albus when the Granger's court hearing was to be held.

When she had finished and the plate vanished from its place setting, Severus stated in a pointed tone, "Now that you have practically inhaled breakfast," Hermione looked down, clearly embarrassed at her eating habits, "I would like to go over the rules for this house."

Hermione looked up and merely nodded her agreement to his statement. Without breaking eye contact he added, "At the end, Hermione, if you have questions feel free to ask me. I will also desire your input as to what your punishments should be if you break any of those rules."

Again she only nodded.

"Very well," he acknowledged, and then he began. "Rule number one is what I told you yesterday. My lab is in the lower level of this house. Unless I am with you, under no circumstances are you to enter my lab. Potions is a very dangerous craft, and the smallest disturbance may have grave consequences. Second, do not enter the dueling area on the top floor. There is no reason for you to be on the top floor anyway. Third, breakfast is at 7am, lunch is at 12:30pm, and dinner is at 6pm. Now that you know the times, I expect you to be at every meal, and to be there on time. There is absolutely no skipping of meals, especially as you are malnourished. A light snack may be had between meals. If you are hungry, I would like for you to eat. If I am not around, the house elves can help you get a snack. However, there is usually fruit out on the counter, and food in the refrigerator that you may get yourself. When you come down for breakfast, you must wear your robe and slippers at the very least. We will always eat meals together here in the kitchen if it is just the two of us. Should there be someone joining us for meals, we will be seated in the informal dining room. Fourth, you will have a curfew. Please feel free to play outside, but you must be in by noon and then by 5:30pm. That gives you time to clean up for lunch and dinner. If you are outside after dinner, then you must be inside for the night by 8:30pm. You will also have a bedtime, which for you at the age of ten will be at 10pm. That being said, that brings me to my fifth rule. My…our home is protected by magic. I have wards put in place so that no one… surprises us… when we least expect it. While within the wards you are protected as well. However, should you wander outside of these wards, you will be outside of the protection. Outside of the wards I cannot protect you as well as I can if you are inside. While I do not expect anyone to want to cause us harm, I would still like for you to take the wards seriously. After you get ready for the day, I will take you for a walk around the property so that I can show you where the property line is, and so that you can experience what leaving the wards feels like. Next, you will respect anyone who comes into this house as a guest. It should also go without saying, but you are to respect me as well. I do not tolerate back talk, and I detest whining. I have asked for your input into your punishments, but depending on the severity of your misbehaviors, your punishment may lie solely with me, and those punishments are final. Lastly, I am positive that you will have the most trouble with this rule, but you and I will be discussing your life with the Grangers, and I will help you process their treatment of you while you were in their 'care'…."

Upon hearing the last rule, Hermione's eyes widened. Severus could see the pure dread that came across her face, along with the lack of color in her skin, and the sheer panic that flooded her eyes. His heart broke a little when he heard her plea in a strained voice, "Please don't make me talk about my parents or what they've done. It wasn't that bad, we don't need to talk about it, I swear!"

Before he could stop himself, Severus leaned forward across the table, and reached out his large hand to take her's. Hesitantly she put her small, trembling hand in his and he lightly squeezed it as he said softly, "If it wasn't that bad, then you would not be reacting the way you are. Believe me, child, when I say that talking about this with someone will be one of the hardest things you will ever do. However, going through the pain with someone now, especially with someone who understands, when you are young will be a lot less painful than going through it alone when you are older. I do not want this to haunt you your entire life. I know it already haunts your dreams, turning them into terrible nightmares."

She stared down at their joined hands as she considered his words. She was silent for a while before she said softly, "They didn't haunt my dreams last night."

Severus nodded as he said, "That was because of the Dreamless Sleep potion I had laid out for you…." He took a deep breath before he continued by saying, "I also want to apologize to you for last night and my abysmal behavior. I know Albus probably told you that it wasn't your fault, but I wanted to reinforce his words by telling you myself that he is right. Last night was not your fault; it was mine entirely. I did not mean to push you away, Hermione, and I am sorry that I did. Do you forgive me?"

Hermione sat in stunned silence, her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. She had never before had an adult ask her to forgive them. It was always her asking for their forgiveness. As her hazel eyes stared into his black eyes, she could tell that he was sincerely asking her for her forgiveness. Unable to really say or do much of anything else, she merely nodded.

Severus gave her a small smile, and lightly squeezed her hand again as he said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you, Hermione. If it is agreeable with you, I do believe I owe you a hug."

He saw her eyes go wide, and a light seemed to have appeared in them. Yet, when she didn't move, Severus thought that maybe he had imagined it, and that after last night he had ruined Hermione's fragile safety and trust that she had begun to feel with him. But in the next moment his arms were suddenly full of a small girl who was gripping him tightly, and burying her face into his neck. He smiled into Hermione's bushy bed head as he rubbed her back, and returned her hug. When they parted, Hermione looked a lot less panicked than she had, but her voice still sounded apprehensive as she asked, "Severus?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think I could have some more of that Dreamless Sleep potion tonight? I really liked not having nightmares."

"I am sure you did. However, I think it would be best not to take it again tonight."

She didn't say anything, but she gave him a sad look as though begging why.

"This is part of the last rule, Hermione. I want to help you process your past. I want to be there for you when you have nightmares, and talk about them with you and comfort you afterwards. I know it was nice to have a good night's sleep, but I would prefer you be able to have that without the use of a potion."

She let out a defeated sigh, but nodded nonetheless. Even though she had just woken up, she dreaded going to sleep tonight. She knew the nightmares would return tenfold, and she was worried that waking Severus up with her screaming would make him realize what a burden she was, and would enlighten him as to one of the many reasons why her parents probably didn't love her. She wanted so much for him to like her, maybe even eventually love her, and she knew that tonight would seal her fate when he saw firsthand how much of a problem she would be to have around. Lost in her thoughts, she was not aware that she was staring off into space, and biting down rather hard on her bottom lip which had worked its way between her teeth.

Gently Severus pulled her lip out from between her teeth, and said in a low, soft rumble, "No bad thoughts, child. Everything will be alright. I will be right there to help you."

Unable to voice her thoughts, she simply nodded. Severus gave her a small, tight lipped smile as he gently pushed her off his lap while saying, "If you are finished, Hermione, then I would appreciate if you would get ready for the day, and then meet me in my study which is on the other side of the family room. I will then give you a tour of the boundaries. Afterwards, you will have some free time to yourself to do as you please, then we will have lunch where we will be discussing what you believe your punishments should entail, and then after lunch Albus will be here with Minerva for a visit."

Hermione nodded as she answered, "Yes, Severus." She walked quickly from the kitchen up to her room. Severus watched her go through the door of the kitchen, and then let out a sigh when he was sure she would be out of earshot. He drained the last of his coffee before gathering the rest of his paper, and moving to his study to await his timid ward.

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Albus was seated at the breakfast table at McGonagall Manor reading the Daily Prophet and sipping tea. He was waiting for Minerva to join him for breakfast as he had quite a bit to discuss with her. Most importantly he needed to tell her that he had divulged to Severus his and Minerva's feelings about him, and their desire of having some sort of family with him and hopefully Hermione as well. Unfortunately, he had not had the opportunity to talk with her the previous evening as she had gotten in late from what she liked to call her "End-of-Year-Last-Minute-Paperwork Party". However, he had it from good sources that she was joined by other professors, namely her old school friends Pomona Sprout, Poppy Pomphrey and Rolanda Hooch, and they would be doing more than merely "paperwork". He tried not to give her a hard time about her little get together; he wasn't even sure if she knew that he was aware of them. Minerva McGonagall was a hardworking and devoted teacher, Head of House, Deputy Headmistress and wife, and she deserved to let loose and have some fun.

As he smiled at that idea, he heard the door to the kitchen swing open, and out of the corner of his eye saw Minerva carefully sit down across from him. He couldn't help but chuckle at her as she looked as though she may be getting over a bit of a hangover. He watched her as she silently reached for a teacup, filled it from the kettle Albus had sitting on the table at the ready, and quietly nursed it with her eyes closed. Feigning concern Albus asked, "My dear, did you get enough rest last night? You don't look as if you slept very well."

"I slept fine, Albus," Minerva answered quietly. "I suppose I am still tired from all the paperwork I had to finish. Gave me a wee bit of a headache."

"Yes, I have heard a lot of paperwork can do that," then unable to control himself, he added off hand, "but I've also heard that wine, gin and tonic, and Firewhiskey can do that to someone too."

It was hard not to laugh outright as he saw Minerva struggle to keep her tea in her mouth and swallow it. When she looked at him, her eyes were wide with shock and embarrassment. Then, however, they narrowed into a shrewd glare as she asked, "Alright, out with it, Albus! Which portrait told you?"

"My dear, I never reveal my informants," he told her kindly, offering her a sweet smile before giving her a wink.

"Well, we were grading papers," Minerva said a little defensively.

Albus chuckled as he acknowledged, "I am sure you and Pomona were, but what would Poppy and Rolanda possibly have to grade? Also what you call grading, others would call a hen party."

"Albus Percival Wul…." Minerva started yelling before she trailed off putting her head in her hands as she finished her thought by saying, "Merlin, you have too many bloody names for me to recite this morning…."

Albus was struggling to keep his composure now as he made his final jab at her by saying, "It should be lovely to introduce you to your potential future granddaughter… 'Hermione, this is Minerva. Don't mind her, dear, she's as pissed as a newt at the moment...'."

"Albus!" Minerva shouted in a threatening tone, her Scottish brogue starting to thicken, "You'd better never say a thing to that wee lass, or so help me…!"

He laughed as she continued to glare at him, leaving her threat unfinished and open to his imagination. However, he soon turned serious as he remembered what he had wanted to tell her from the previous evening as he said, "Well, I have something to tell you that may help you sober up quicker."

Minerva dropped her glare and replaced it with concern as she sat up a little straighter in her seat and asked, "What is it, Albus? What happened? Is everything alright?"

"As far as I know, it is," he answered truthfully, "or at least it was when I left Severus' last night."

The concern only seemed to deepen in her eyes as she asked with a little worry, "Is Severus alright? Is it Hermione?"

Albus sighed as he explained in a resigned tone, "As you know, yesterday Severus and I brought Hermione home to Prince Manor from the hospital. After Severus gave Hermione and I the grand tour, Hermione was upstairs taking time in her new room, so Severus and I felt that it was safe to talk about Severus' visit to Hermione's parent's house. Before he could fully explain what he wanted to tell me he had found while he had been in Hermione's old bedroom, I am afraid that my emotions got the better of me, and I started reprimanding him about wounding the Grangers…."

"He wounded them?" Minerva asked in surprise. "From what you have told me of Hermione's abuse, I cannot say that I am all that surprised or don't think they deserve it, but usually Severus shows greater restraint than that."

"Precisely," Albus agreed, "which also concerned me about the state he may have left them in, and it did make me somewhat angry to think that because of this one time Severus could not restrain himself, would be the one time that he paid most dearly for it: Losing Hermione to go back into the cruel care of the Grangers."

Minerva nodded in agreement. She remained silent, prompting Albus to finish his account.

"We had a bit of a spat which led to some of my…our…more private thoughts tumbling out in response…." Albus finished sheepishly.

When he didn't elaborate on what their "more private thoughts" were that had come to in their disagreement, Minerva impatiently asked, "Well Albus, what were those private thoughts you disclosed to Severus?"

Albus held his breath in apprehension for a bit before he said, "I told him that we loved him like a son, that we wanted to be there for him, and that we wanted to be a family with him and Hermione as we are unlikely to naturally have our own…."

Albus waited with baited breath for his wife's reaction. He saw multiple emotions play across her face from anger to fear to disbelief to skepticism to exasperation and the emotions went on and on. Just as he had begun to admire and wonder how women were able to feel and think so much at one time, Minerva spoke in a soft voice, "Oh my, Albus. What was his reply to all of that?"

"He was unable to form an answer at first, but he then came around to the idea. However, afterwards he and Hermione hit a bit of a rough patch," Albus recounted. "I helped Hermione get ready for bed while Severus recuperated, and then when I came downstairs he had definitely made up his mind to involve both of us in his and Hermione's lives. He said he was thankful he had made that decision."

Minerva looked relieved to say the least. Then a concerned look came over her face as she asked, "What do you mean they 'hit a bit of a rough patch'? Is everything alright between them?"

"I believe so," Albus said with that all-knowing smile. "Severus was overwhelmed with all of the emotions that were happening around him. I had talked to him about how you and I really felt about him, and then Hermione is a bit more of a cuddle bug than I would have thought she would be considering her unpredictable childhood. She likes to give him hugs, which I believe sometimes makes Severus a little uncomfortable. However, I think Severus is adjusting to Hermione better than we thought he would."

"I hope so," Minerva said looking a little concerned. "You know I would have taken her, Albus."

Albus reached his hand across the table, Minerva reaching out to take it as he said, "I know, Min. However, Severus needs someone who will help him heal, and someone he can help in return. As Hermione is already proving, children have an amazing capacity for forgiveness. Hopefully with that fantastic quality she possesses, Severus will learn what forgiveness feels like, and will, in time, also forgive himself for what happened to Lily."

Minerva looked at Albus with a pained expression upon hearing Lily's name. Albus knew that Minerva had been close to Lily, and the news of the Potter's deaths had greatly upset her. When she had learned that their son, Harry, had survived, she had wanted to take the boy in immediately. Albus knew he had broken her heart a little when he had refused her, but he explained that the Blood Wards would be Harry's best chance of survival when Voldemort returned, and grudgingly she had accepted his reasoning.

Before Minerva could ask, Albus answered, "I spoke with Arabella four days ago. She reports that she doesn't see Harry very often, but when she does look after him, he looks very small for his age. She also said that the family doesn't involve him in their family outings, and that he hasn't anything to properly call his own. She sees when his cousin and his cousin's friends bully him, but she cannot say with absolute certainty that Petunia and Vernon physically abuse him. Neglect… yes, but abuse…no."

The sad look Minerva had had only increased as she heard Arabella's report. Albus knew he couldn't offer any comfort to her really, all he could think to say was, "In just one more year, Tabby, he will be at Hogwarts where we can look after him. For the majority of the year, Harry will be away from his aunt and uncle, and will only need to return to strengthen the Blood Wards which will take approximately one month."

Minerva gave him a solemn nod. Before he could say anything else about little Harry Potter, Minerva asked, "So when does Severus want us over at Prince Manor?"

"He requested that we make our appearance after lunch," Albus answered, glad to get her thoughts onto a child she could help at the moment. "He wanted to go over the house rules with Hermione, and be able to sleep in some." Albus chuckled at the last part. He then added, "I also hope he is taking this morning as an opportunity to apologize for his behavior last night."

Minerva nodded silently as she took another sip of tea. Suddenly she asked, "So what did Severus want to tell you that he found in Hermione's old bedroom?"

This time it was Albus who wore a pained expression as he said roughly, "Hermione's abuse is worse than we thought, and it only seems to intensify every day that we have known her. Every day something else comes to light that is absolutely appalling. We will talk more about that this afternoon."

"Won't Hermione be with us?" Minerva asked, giving Albus a strange look. "That seems a bit callous and tasteless to discuss something such as this with her in the room, doesn't it?"

"I am sure she will want to explore," Albus said simply, "and while she is exploring we can speak with Severus more about what he saw at the Granger's, and then I can discuss with him the coming trial."

Minerva was silent for a bit, lost in thought. Quickly looking back at Albus, she said smiling slightly, "Does she like reading?"

"She has one book in her possession, Min," Albus answered sadly. "But it looks well worn, so she may. That book was the only thing she wanted Severus to bring back with him from her parents' house."

"I'll show her the library then," Minerva said, "has she seen it yet?"

"I don't believe so, love," Albus guessed, delighted to see his wife getting excited.

"Well, then that's settled," Minerva concluded, refilling her tea cup. "Hermione and I can bond a little bit in the library."

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Hermione was lying down on her bed for a little bit as she waited to go down to lunch. She was thinking about her outing with Severus that they had just been on as he showed her a little more of the grounds and the security wards. They had walked the perimeter in mostly amicable silence, with the silence be interrupted here and there by Severus explaining something about the wards, and to point out where the property ended near the woods in the back of the manor. Severus had let her experiment with what it felt like to step outside the security wards, and she had to admit that it did feel weird. She hadn't felt anything like this, but if she had to describe the feeling, it almost felt like she had stepped through some sort of science fiction force field. She had felt the pressure of its force as she had stepped outside the boundary, and she felt it again when she stepped back inside. Magic certainly was strange, but the more she was around it, the more fascinated she was by it. She still craved to learn more about this new world she had been thrust into, and she wondered if the magical world had some sort of public library system so she could learn more.

She quickly pushed those thoughts away, and tried to focus on her present task which was to come up with an acceptable punishment should she break any of the house rules. The only punishments she could think of were the ones that her parents had used on her. The usual punishments consisted of starvation, being locked in the shed in the back yard or being tied up outside in the back yard, or some sort of physical punishment like being punched or kicked or cut. Then there were the less severe options, like being ignored for a long time or being "accidentally" left behind at a store if her parents did take her somewhere with them which would result in her walking home, sometimes for many miles. However, she had a feeling that Severus would be upset if she mentioned any of these, and it would only want to make him talk to her about her past even more. She wanted to do everything in her power to prevent those talks, and she told herself that she was ready to take whatever punishment may come her way in order to not talk about her horrible existence. After all, she had survived much worse for far less reasons.

To help with her mental road block, Hermione got up from the bed and paced her room. As she walked around, she stepped on a floorboard that squeaked. She stopped and unable to help it, her survival instincts seeped to the forefront of her thoughts. Bending down, she discovered that she could pry the floorboard up. She examined the space where the floorboard was which was between her bed and bathroom, and figured that since she was the only one who walked in this space, this would be a good place to hide food along with anything else she may come across that she may need, and no one would be the wiser to her hiding place. Pleased with herself, she replaced the board, and then continued to pace to figure out an acceptable punishment. She had heard kids at school talk about being put in "time out" or being "grounded" for things they had done. However, the kids in her class never mentioned what they had done to deserve those punishments, nor what any of those punishments actually entailed. However, she remembered hearing a boy in her class say that he had had television privileges taken from him for a week because he was "grounded". Maybe being grounded just meant that parents took things from their children, but she didn't have much. The only real possession she had was her book, and she definitely wasn't going to lose that. She flung herself back on the bed frustrated. She knew it would result in another talk about her life, but she would just have to go with the punishments she knew. Great, she thought exhaling sharply.

She looked up at the clock on her bedside table and it read 12:20pm. Excited to be able to eat again for the second time that day, she also dreaded it because she knew what the topic of their lunch conversation would be. Sighing, she half-heartedly pushed herself up off the bed, and walked down to the kitchen.

When she entered the kitchen, Severus was seated where he had been that morning. He sat patiently waiting for her to sit down, looking at her all the while. Sometimes Hermione felt that she was being examined or x-rayed. At times, it was nice when she couldn't form words to go with her thoughts, and he seemed to understand and knew what to do or say next. Yet, other times it was disconcerting…like now.

Severus watched as she anxiously sat down at the table, but figured it was only because he had asked her to think of a punishment, and like most children, especially those who had been abused, she didn't really want to talk about punishments. He understood which was why he was going to make this as quick and painless as possible.

When Hermione sat down, a plate of food appeared before her and Severus, and just like at breakfast, he watched her behaviors when eating. He wasn't surprised to see the same behaviors of protecting her food, but he was pleased to see that she seemed to at least be chewing her food this time. He permitted her to eat without interruption, and they ate their lunches in silence.

When Severus had finished his lunch, and then saw that Hermione was done with her's, he cleared his throat and began, "This morning at breakfast I asked you to think about what you believed would be an acceptable punishment should you break any of the house rules. I want your feedback on this because I feel that you will have thought about something that is fair to you, and you will know what to expect should you disobey. Were you able to come up with any?"

Severus wasn't entirely honest with her. He also wanted to find out what other horrors the Grangers had put her through. He hoped that she would list punishments that they had dealt her because he seriously doubted that she was aware of normal, non-abusive punishments. He watched as she stared down at her plate, and saw that her lip had worked its way back in between her teeth. They were both silent for a while as Severus tried to wait patiently, and Hermione debated with herself what she should actually say to him. This conversation was going against every one of her survival instincts.

It was a while more of silence when Severus said in an impatient, low hiss, "Well young lady?"

His tone caused her to jump, and look up at him in alarm. She had never heard that tone directed at her which caused her to panic, and immediately forget about her resolve to not mention any of her previous experiences with various punishments by quickly saying "Well, you could withhold food, sir."

He let out a long, aggravated sigh. Leaning forward, he placed his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers in front of his nose. Just when he thought there was progress with her, something would happen, most times a result of his own actions or words, and she would resort back to her old habits. He closed his eyes for a minute as he repeated to himself that Rome was not built in a day, and he could not realistically expect much change from Hermione yet, or himself for that matter. As he opened his eyes and made eye contact with Hermione, he could see her staring at him with wide eyes, waiting for him to say something. He responded carefully as he slowly said, "Do you think that is an acceptable punishment for breaking the house rules?"

She only nodded. He nodded as well as he asked, "What would another punishment option be?"

Hermione thought for a while before she offered, "You could ignore me?"

"'Ignore you'", Severus echoed back slowly and deliberately, this punishment option bothering him even more than the first. "Does that mean that I pretend you aren't here? Does that mean that I don't check up on you to make sure that you're eating, or that you're safe, or that you get plenty of sleep? Does that mean when you come up to give me a hug that I pretend that you don't exist, and don't let you hug me or I hug you?"

Again Hermione only nodded. Severus sighed to cover up the sound of his heart breaking. This talk was harder than what he thought it would be. Looking at Hermione with immense sadness he asked, "What is another option?"

At this, Hermione looked down at her shoes as she said quietly making Severus have to strain to hear her, "There is physical punishment, sir."

"Severus," he corrected offhand, "and when you say that, what specifically are you thinking I would do to you if you were to receive a 'physical punishment'?"

Hermione swung her legs, still refusing to look at him as she answered, "Well, my parents always used to hit me or kick me or cut me…."

"The important thing here is for you to not confuse me with your parents, first off," Severus hissed impatiently, "and second I will never hit you. Children were not brought into this world for their parents or any other adults to hurt them."

Hearing this Hermione glanced up at him to see how sincere he was in his statement, and he looked to her to be very sincere. Before she could say anything more, Severus quickly stood, dragging his chair to her side of the table where he sat down beside her, and using his large hand, brought her face upwards so that she had to look at him as he said to her, "Child, I will never pretend you are not here. I will never not make sure that you are cared for and safe. I will never starve you as food is not a privilege, it is a right that every man, woman, and child be able to eat. Apart from my failure last night, I will never not hug you ever again. You deserve hugs and need hugs. I will also certainly never physically hurt you. I cannot promise that I won't hurt you emotionally. I will undoubtly do or say something that will hurt you, but I will never do something intentionally to harm you."

After his speech, he opened his arms to her where she didn't hesitate and rushed into them, burying her face in his neck as she usually did. As he stroked her bushy hair he said, "How about I decide what punishments will be suitable. Also as part of the rules, we will talk about your parents' choice of punishments at a later time, but not today. However, thank you for sharing your thoughts, Hermione. You're a good girl."

He heard a muffled "Thank you" come from his neck. What he didn't see, however, was her smiling at his praise. It had been a long time since she had been called a good girl. They didn't move for a while, Severus enjoying the ability to offer her comfort, and Hermione enjoying the ability to take it. Severus didn't know how long they sat there, but they were interrupted when Severus heard what sounded like Albus' voice coming from the living room. Severus gently told Hermione that he thought that Albus was here for his visit, and hearing this quickly scooted off his lap and ran off towards the place she thought Albus may be.

When she got to the living room, she didn't see him, but she heard him say her name. She looked around then looked into the fireplace where she let out a small scream. Severus quickly walked into the room when he heard Hermione to see her standing in the middle of the room staring into the fireplace where Albus' head was floating there smiling. Upon seeing Severus, Albus asked, "Good afternoon, my boy! Is it alright for Minerva and I to come through the Floo?"

"Yes, Albus," Severus allowed, "come on through."

Albus' head then disappeared. Hermione continued to stare at the fireplace, and then jumped back when the fireplace flared up with green flames. She looked on in astonishment as she saw Albus materialize as he stepped out of the fireplace. He raised his wand banishing the soot from his robes, and looking down at Hermione said, "Good afternoon, pet! Do I get a hug?"

Hermione ran forward to give him what he requested. Albus gave her a brief hug, then gently scooted both of them to the side of the fireplace just as it again roared to life with green flames. Hermione unconsciously shrank a little into Albus' robes as she saw a woman materialize out of the fireplace this time, and doing as Albus had done, raised her wand and banished the soot from her long, emerald robes.

Hermione couldn't help but stare at the woman. She appeared to be many years younger than Albus as she had black hair, streaked a little with gray, wrapped in a tight bun. She was tall and slender with a very strict and formidable presence about her. She wore square spectacles which covered emerald green eyes, and she had high cheek bones and thin lips. Since Hermione was off to the side with Albus, and out of the witch's direct line of sight, the woman caught sight of Severus first. Hermione was surprised by the way she greeted Severus as she expected the woman to be very withdrawn and distant; however, she smiled warmly at Severus and she moved to where he was standing and gave him a hug. Hermione immediately loved her Scottish lilt as she said hello to Severus asking how he was doing, and catching up with him a little about his week. Hermione then heard her say, "And where is little Hermione? I've been waiting a while to meet the little lass."

Albus cleared his throat to answer her question, and she turned to him to see part of a little girl protruding from the folds of Albus' bright robes. The witch smiled softly and quickly made her way over to the little girl and her husband. When she was directly standing in front of them, the woman held her hand out to Hermione and said gently, "Hello, Hermione. My name is Minerva McGonagall, and I have heard good things about you from Albus."

Hermione looked up and smiled at Albus, and then looked at Minerva, reaching out and taking her long, slender hand, "Hello, Minerva. Nice to meet you."

Minerva smiled, and then stooped down to look Hermione in the eye and asked, "Hermione, do you like to read?"

Hermione's eyes lit up as she answered, "Yes, ma'am! I have a book in my room that I read all the time!"

"That's lovely, dear," Minerva said, "and do you enjoy reading other books?"

"Yes, whenever I can get them. Usually the only other books I get to read are my textbooks when school starts," Hermione answered very matter-of-factly.

Minerva tried to cover her sadness as she said, "Well, I bet this world of magic is confusing to you?"

"Yes," Hermione answered truthfully, but excitedly added, "it is neat to see magic though! I love it when something magical happens!"

"Yes," Minerva agreed smiling, "it is easy to forget when you are around magic every day, but magic is a wondrous thing."

Hermione nodded enthusiastically, and unbeknownst to her, was slowly moving out of Albus' robes and towards Minerva. Hermione didn't really understand why, but despite the woman's intimidating physical presence, she was now feeling completely comfortable talking to her. "I want to read more about magic, but I don't know where I can read books on it."

"Well, my dear," Minerva said smiling, "I believe I can help you with that."

"You can?" Hermione asked excited.

"Yes," Minerva answered, looking between the two men, "if it is alright with our present company, I would like to take Hermione to see the library."

Albus smiled and Severus nodded. Both Hermione and Minerva grinned, looking like cats that caught the canary. "Come, my dear. We can get lost in there for a bit, and I can give you some books to get started with!"