Chapter 14

As a little girl Hermione Granger had not had many friends, it was true she didn't have as few friends as Severus had, but she was devoid of the girly contact so many of the other girls at school had. When the girls at school were having sleep over's with nail varnish and fruity lip gloss, Hermione would spend her time at home with her parents or browsing the local library for books well above her reading age. Hermione's mind had made her susceptible to being treated older than her years, her parents at age ten allowed her the freedom to choose her own foods and clothes, the independence to go short distances alone and the chance to attend as many parties as she would like. However, being Hermione the party invites didn't come her way on a weekly basis as they did with the other girls at her primary school, her clothes were mismatched and odd having no female friends to aid her in her choices and the furthest she would travel would have been the library.

It was on one of her journeys to the library that she had met Lucian Belgrade. To look at Lucian one would depict a cherub with black tresses, high cheekbones and a strong intellect, he was fourteen. Hermione had been caught off guard by this exotic looking boy, he was loitering with a group of males on the steps against the bars of the library, his skin and attitude seem flawless to her. Clutching her books on chemistry closer to her chest she had dropped her head as she hurried past the group, daring to sneak a glance at Lucian as she went. Often she would find him there on her travels and had once overheard the librarian give him a name, a name she fantasised over in her diary on the long cold nights whilst her parents were sitting downstairs.

It was on one of these particularly dark and cold evenings that Hermione realised her books were over due, this was unlike her being so punctual in all her endeavours. In a panic she had slipped on a pair of red sand shoes and a little pink coat, with her books under her arm she had snuck out into the night towards the library which was almost closing. To her dismay upon her arrival she had found it closed due to a PTA meeting and was forced to turn around, it was then she ran into Lucian. Lucian was devoid of his usual group of friends and somehow seemed older and more powerful in the darkness. Hermione looked him full in the face before attempting to hurry past him back home; he stopped her with a powerful hand, much too forceful for a fourteen year old.

"What's the rush little girl?" he asked his voice creaky on the verge of being broken.

"Nothing," Hermione muttered under her breath, she had thought on this moment many a time, fantasising about the elusive Lucian, now it was here she felt sick to her stomach.

"What books have we got here then?" he tugged the books from Hermione's arms and they fell to the ground, she gasped quietly as they splashed into a dirty puddle.

"Theory of relativity? Surely not? You really are a fully blown geek aren't you little girl?" Hermione didn't respond she felt cold and stoic.

"You do know that not boys would ever go near a geek like you don't you little girl?" he continued. Hermione shook her head, her mind told her to agree with everything this boy, man, was saying.

"I could change that you know little girl?" Hermione's breath caught in her chest and the blood rushed to her ears.

"Let me help you on with this little problem, geeks always need a little push!" with emphasis on the word push Lucian had thrown Hermione against the brick wall, she had cried out in terror.

"Such a geeky little girl," Lucian had begun to unbutton her coat and stroke her hair, Hermione began to cry.

"Please leave me alone," she begged quietly.

"Why should I do that little girl? You're dressed all wrong I think it would be better if we undressed you and started again," Lucian menaced.

Hermione's blood began to boil in her ears, she had always known that something was different about her but had never been able to tell anyone about the 'magic' she felt she possessed somewhere in her body. Calling in desperation on this inner 'magic' she prayed to God to get Lucian away from her so she could run. With the blood pounding so thickly in her ears she had failed to hear the wind whip up around them, Lucian however had halted his molestation for the moment to glance up at a tall oak above him. The power lines had begun to waft towards the oak and sparks emitted from their branches, Hermione closed her eyes as a flash of light struck to the left of Lucian, he dived out of the way and rolled down the curb, all became still.

"You!" he screamed at her rubbing the mud from his cheek, a sharp gash had appeared marring the sleek skin.

"You did that you...freak!" Lucian's eyes burn black, Hermione looked up she swore she saw fear in them, he was afraid of her, she really was a freak.

Taking the chance of Lucian's distraction as he wiped the blood from his neck, she ran. Hermione ran until she got home and snuck in the door, her parents were both fast asleep on the sofa unaware of the events that had just occurred to their only daughter. Completely petrified and shaking visibly Hermione threw the coat and the shoes in the bin, she never wanted to see the items again they would remind her too much of that night. Tiptoeing up the stairs she sponged off the much from her hands and slowly changed into a long oversized black t-shirt with my little pony endorsed on it. She crept into bed and tucked her feet up under her arms and rocked, she stayed like this for almost an hour before the rocking gave way to tears and she began to think again, it was then she realised that the books were still in the puddle, she cried harder. It was the very next day that she received her Hogwarts letter and her life changed.

Now at the age of seventeen having had to just experience another similar event Hermione began to rock once more on the bed of Severus Snape. He had not spoken to her since she had begun to cry in his arms over the events of the evening.

"Hermione," he whispered. "I can see your thoughts," Hermione looked up, the rocking desisted when her brain became active again as it had that night, she had forgotten Snape was an accomplished Occulumens.

"I wish I could see yours," was her only reply.

Snape closed his eyes, what he had witnessed the ten year old Hermione experience had made the bile rise up to his throat, it reminded him so much of his own childhood, he wanted to share with Hermione the pain he had experienced as a child, the desire to have friends just as she had, the need for books, the same trips to the library and hours alone hiding from his home life.

"One day," came his reply.