Disclaimer: Please see previous chapters.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Ali 647, Crimsonwolf520, and ariahchan. I think you will like this one; or at least I hope you all do! More thanks to come. Thank you to all who read and reviewed thus far. Haven't heard from some of you in a while; hope you're still reading and enjoying. You're all amazing for the number of reviews, favs, and follows- just broke 400! Edited this quickly; please forgive any little mistakes.

Chapter 25: Witnesses

"Miss Granger."

"Yes, Madam." Hermione aptly replied, looking pointedly across the round room to the speaker in the stands. She did not look down. Somewhere below the witness box, held secure, was Rex Forthright.

"You have been called forth to testify on the matter of Rex Forthright, minor, accused of Physical Attack. What knowledge have you of this matter?"

"I was Mr. Forthright's intended victim."

"Intended? Do you mean to say Mr. Forthright did not attack you?"

"He did attack me, ma'am, but he intended to—"

"Miss Granger, please restrict your comments to the things you have knowledge of and do not speculate on Mr. Forthright's intentions."

"I'm not speculating." Her voice rose slightly in outrage. "He told me exactly what he intended to do to me."

There were a few gasps.

"He had time to do so?" The inquisitor asked.

"Yes. I was knocked out then tied up. We were alone in a room for…I'd estimate twenty or thirty minutes altogether."

"Your testimony, Miss Granger, is that a fifth year student was able to single handedly lure you, disarm you, restrain you, and attack you without sustaining any injury himself?"

"Yes. Well," She added weakly. "I did hit him in the face."

"And yet during that time he did not attempt to kill you?"

"No, his stated intention was to violate me."

"And why would he do that?"

"I was instructed not to speculate as to his intentions."

She was sharply told: "Did he say why?"

"Yes. It was his intention to teach muggleborns a lesson. He first attempted, he admitted to me, to kill or maim professor Snape and myself through sending us cursed rings as anonymous gifts. He then lured me into an empty room using a muggle projection nightlight and a Weasley's voice mimic device. I thought Miss Weasley was in trouble and followed her voice. Mr. Forthright claimed when I ran into him that he had heard it too. When we entered the room, he hit me in the head."

"Not true!" A voice yelled from below, bouncing off the walls.

"Silence, Mr. Forthright."

"When I came to," Hermione continued as if his voice had not struck her right in the chest. "He told me his intention was to violate me and leave me for Harry to find. He would try to cover me with my cloak, receiving a curse. Forthright expressed," she said coldly. "That he knew we would survive, but my memory being erased, he would hurt both of us, and that was satisfactory to him. He expressed he would not be tried for murder, but would have his revenge."

"Revenge? Did he speak to his motive?"

"He did, ma'am. He said Alistair Moody, auror and member of the Order of the Phoenix, killed his mother early in the war."

"Was he successful?"

"He hurt me."

"Please describe." The inquisitor said coldly. The others looked on without blinking. She struggled. Clearing her mind, she imagined speaking directly to Severus. She would just repeat exactly what she had said that night as he checked her injuries.

"Miss Granger?" The inquisitor called.

"She liked it." Rex snarled. "She was wet."

Hermione's face burned so brightly, throat painfully constricted. "I—I can't."

"Miss Granger, you alone were present. If you do not testify to what Mr. Forthright did…"

She was confused. Something was not right. "I—"

"Hermione," A voice said from the stands around the inquisitor.

"Silence." The stern woman ordered as a slight commotion stirred up.

It was Harry. He nodded to Hermione, his face fierce, strong. She returned the nod, looking only at him.

She let herself fall into darkness, feel nothing, heard her voice in the distance reciting: "He tied my hands tightly. The ropes hurt them. He knocked me out, giving me a cut, bump, and concussion. He ripped off my clothes, burned them with magic. He manhandled me, kissed me hard against my will. He told me to scream, but I wouldn't. He hit me. My lip was bleeding. I had bruises all over my body, scratch marks, my arms was bleeding from that, his fingernail prints in my scar." She was startled by the tears she felt sting her cheeks.

"And he stopped?"

"He was thrown off me by a spell."

"And who cast the spell?"

"Draco Malfoy."

More murmurs followed, a few shaking of heads.

"The defected Death Eater, the one who enable the Battle of the Astronomy Tower?"

"Yes, further proving his true loyalties. When I first saw him in the doorway, I was afraid he might be helping Rex. Malfoy and I never got along at school. But he stumbled across it, and he couldn't just stand there and watch it happen. Even to me."

"And did you go to the hospital wing?"

"No. Professor Snape helped me."

"Why did you not go to the hospital wing?"

"I was embarrassed and I did not want to trouble anyone."

"You went to Professor Snape's private rooms?" She opened her mouth to object and say his office, but it was a lie. She was more than willing to lie to protect his reputation, but he would not lie to protect his own and their stories must match.

She nodded.

"Miss Granger, did your professor see you in your undressed state?"

"No. Of course not. I stayed covered."

"Yet he was able to heal you."

"Except for minor bruises and scratches, yes."

"What were the nature of your private lessons with Professor Snape?"

"Madam?" Hermione asked. She was sure she had misheard the question.

The woman with the long, slim nose and glasses repeated the question with the exact same intonation as before.

"I fail to see how that has to do with the matter at hand—"

"Just answer the question, please." The woman did not sound agitated, and somehow that made it worse.

"He was helping me learn some Occlumency in preparation for trying his healing potion."

"For mental trauma?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Miss Granger, were you and Rex Forthright dating?"

She did not hide the shock crossing her face before "No."

"You had not been on a date or you were not dating when he attacked you?"

"We had spent a … we had been on a date." She admitted. "We were never together and we were not dating at the time."

"Had you been intimate?"

"Sorry?"

"Had you and Mr. Forthright been intimate before you say he attacked you?"

"No."

"Never?" The woman looked up from her notes. Her incredulous tone offended Hermione.

Her eyes stung with humiliation. "I've — no."

"I see." At least they did not make her finish the sentence.

"Miss Granger," Her tone softened as she changed her posture. One arm held her glasses and she looked directly at Hermione, not writing anymore. The witness felt herself relax. "Are you currently writing for the publication The Quibbler?"

"Um, yes." Again, she was confused. She'd laid awake in bed at night imaging questions. This was not one of them.

"The same publication that ran the article "Vampire Army Attempts to Infiltrate Ministry of Magic"?"

"I was not on that exact publication."

"That is the same Quibbler, is it not?"

"It is." She answered carefully, not sure where they were going.

"You also gave an interview in that publication that you were tortured during the war, correct?"

"Yes."

"And you sought the help of your professor with that potion?"

"Yes."

"Have you been treated or evaluated by St. Mungo's?"

"No." The word came out slowly, like a question.

"You were offered a job at the Ministry of Magic?"

"Yes."

"But you work for the magazine and in a bookstore, correct?"

"I do, but what does that have to—" The sympathy in her voice was making Hermione's stomach turn. For the first time, she looked down at Rex—only for a second. He was relaxed, confident. It suddenly dawned on her what was happening.

"Miss Granger, you lost both your parents? Have no family, correct?"

"That is."

"You do not live alone?"

"I live with Harry and Ron."

People exchanged looks.

"And you ended things with your boyfriend, Ronald Weasley?"

"That—that's not relevant."

"That will be all, Miss Granger. We thank you for your time and your many sacrifices."

"But that's not why we were here." She felt her breath coming in quicker gasps. Outrage and embarrassment coursed through her stunned body. Other than unsteady breathing, she found it difficult to move. That was not how this was supposed to go.

"It's alright, Miss Granger." She patronized as if talking to a confused elderly person who had wandered off.

"But, but he tried to rape me!" She hissed.

"We have your testimony, Miss Granger. All of those questions were submitted and had to be asked. None of it will leave this room."

Screaming at them how dare they put her on trial would make her look crazier. So she stood instead, with as much dignity and calm she could muster, trying to recall the feel of Severus hands on hers the smell of lavender in a dark room. Until she stepped out of the courtroom, she did not feel anything. She was just a hollow ball floating into the hall.

She had seen Harry get up angrily as soon as the inquiry was over, before they were dismissed, in a swish of robes. It would take him a few minutes to reach the other side where she would be waiting. As soon as she stepped out of the courtroom, she tried to walk past the couple of people there, not seeing them.

"Hermione?" Ron stood expectantly, his face concerned. "You alright?"

He was there for her, she realized. What could she say? Surprise shattered her emptiness. She felt and the shame overtake her. She jumped into her friends open arms. Ron petted her hair as tears leaked into his shirtfront.

"It was horrible, Ron." She struggled to say.

"It's alright, Hermione." He tried pathetically. She was glad it was her friends who were there. If it had been Severus, she might have tried to keep it together so he didn't think her a child or an emotional basket case. Ron understood her, but did not understand women. All their reactions were as puzzling as this was to him in that moment.

"Harry!" He said gratefully. "What happened in there?" She felt Harry's hand on her shoulder.

"Let's get out of here." He said darkly.

She did not see much as they led her past the press into a fireplace and vanished to the garden of the Burrow. From there, they floo-ed at once to Grim. She went directly to her chair and pouted.

Harry huffed over to the cabinet and began pouring drinks. "They tried to make her out to be crazy." He growled.

"What?" Ron asked, his voice high in disbelief. He made some puffing noises.

"Practically a nutter." Hermione confirmed, taking a swig of the drink in her glass and grimacing. It did not just burn; it tasted awful. "We need a bottle of wine."

"I'll get one." Ron made himself useful.

Harry sat down, kicking a table leg. "Shit!" He ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry, Hermione. I had no idea it was going to be like that. I would have warned you."

"It's okay, Harry. I did not do too awful, did I?"

He shook his head, swallowing more of the nasty drink. "You were brilliant as usual." He lied. "And everyone's story will match yours. I hope they don't go at Snape like that."

"Snape?"

"Wine." Ron smiled, uncorking the bottle and summoning some glasses without his wand. Harry was right; he got better at magic every day.

"How'd you get it so fast, Ron?" Harry asked.

"Got it from mum, actually. Just apparated home and told her we needed wine. It was an emergency." He grinned widely.

Mrs. Weasley was generous as ever. The wine was excellent. Hermione recalled each question with the aide of wine and Harry while his impersonation of the inquisitor that had Ron in tatters.

"Severus Snape, you are here to testify on the matter of Rex Forthright, minor, accused of Physical Attack. What knowledge have you of this matter?"

"I and some others came upon Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, and Mr. Forthright. I also treated Miss Granger's injuries." He explained as emotionless as possible.

"Please detail without speculation exactly what you saw when you entered the room."

"Miss Granger appeared to be unsteady on her feet and very pale. Her mouth was bleeding and she was wearing Mr. Malfoy's traveling cloak. Mr. Malfoy was several feet from her, his hair askew and shirt wrinkled as if he had been moving. Mr. Forthright was on the floor, unconscious."

"Did Mr. Forthright appear to be injured?"

"I could not tell." He replied honestly, but smelled a trap. One of the questioners wanted to know if the student was hurt.

"Did you witness any of the events that allegedly transpired just prior to this?"

"No." He answered not trying to explain it away. He would not sound defensive. Being defensive would make him sound as though he personally wanted them to conclude a certain way.

"How did you deduce what had happened?"

"Those present were alerted by Miss Granger's disheveled appearance. Headmistress McGonagall asked what had happened and Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger explained."

"What did they say?"

Severus lip twitched. Hearsay. "Miss Granger said Mr. Forthright attacked her, Mr. Malfoy detailed that he found her on the floor, feet spread apart, legs magically stuck in place. Her hands were bound by rope. Mr. Malfoy said he saw Mr. forthright strike Ms. Granger across the face when he entered. Her clothes had been removed and when he entered Mr. Malfoy said Mr. Forthright was positioned on top of her, in the proper position to penetrate her sexually." They did not appreciate his word choice. Too bad. It was true. If it was uncomfortable to hear, they could just imagine how uncomfortable it was to walk in on, let alone experience.

"Did Mr. Malfoy indicate that Miss Granger said that this was against her will?" He grimaced.

"He indicated that from what he saw and heard from the pair of them, that much was obvious. Miss Granger herself also indicated this."

"Then what did you witness?"

"Concerned for Miss Granger's physical and emotional state, and given there were aurors present, I made to escort her to the hospital wing, as instructed by the Headmistress."

"But you did not take her to the hospital wing as instructed, did you?" She asked already knowing the answer.

"I did not." He gave her simply.

"Why not?" She paused in her writing.

"Miss Granger was not having it. I knew better than to argue with any member of the trio." He remarked sourly. Speaking of, where was that damn Potter? He had said he'd be there for the entire trial.

"So you took her to your private chambers."

He held in a sigh. He had no idea what Granger had said, may have lied for him. She would know, however, that he would not lie for himself. Therefore, she most likely told the truth.

"I did. I took her where she would be safe."

"Can you describe her injuries?" It was not really a question.

He took a moment to answer. "She had a considerable bump on her head, a cut there, and minor concussion. Her lip was cut, face red and bruising. The skin was rubbed raw from her wrists. There were fingernail marks on her arm where she had a scar. I healed these and applied a salve.

"She was also trembling so I gave her a calming draft and a potion for bruises and soreness. I did not examine her further but did insist she tell someone immediately if she had further injuries and offered her a potion if her attacker had violated her. She insisted he did not."

"Did you believe she was being truthful?"

"I have taught Hermione Granger for years. I would know if she were lying."

"You know Miss Granger very well, do you not?"

"Pardon?"

"What was the nature of the private lessons you were giving Miss Granger around this time?"

"That is private. You will have to ask Miss Granger."

"We have." She said haughtily. "We are asking you."

"I did as the Headmistress instructed." He answered, which was technically true. "If I betrayed the confidence of my students—especially when they were the victim of a crime— not many would confide in me, would they?"

"And do many of your students confide in you?" He did not like the way she said confide.

"Not many."

"So only the ones you take a special interest in?" He glared at them until they looked up. The one actually opened her mouth to retract the question she had read aloud. He answered very softly, forcing them to listen.

"I tutored Mr. Potter in Occlumency in his fifth year at Dumbledore's request in preparation for his ongoing fight with Riddle. I'm sure he will confirm. When a student seeks help in any capacity and it is within my ability to help them it is my duty to—"

"Have you had a romantic relationship with Miss Granger?"

"I'm sorry, are you asking me if I broke both my word to Albus Dumbledore,"

"The man you killed?"

"And the law in order to date one of my students while being a spy and a full time teacher and Head of House? That. Is. Absurd."

"And what about after her graduation?"

He was caught. Did their dinner, their work, a few walks constitute… "I fail to see how that has anything to do with—"

"Is it possible that your bias towards Miss Granger—"

"Let me be clear, Granger, Miss Granger," he corrected himself. "Stole potion ingredients from my stores in her and Mr. Potter's second year. This resulted in a botched polyjuice potion experiment during which she got herself half turned into a cat. She also got herself petrified trying to figure out who opened the Chamber of Secrets.

"The subsequent year," He droned on as bored as possible. "She and her friends nearly got themselves killed tracking escaped convict Sirius Black had I not stepped into to save them, and Granger assaulted a student in my own house, the same student who came to her aide in this circumstance. In her fifth year, she and Mr. Potter rushed into the Department of Mysteries to face Riddle alone and may have a hand in Dolores Umbridge's unhinging…

"I won't go on, but suffice it to say that aside from being an excellent student, she with her friends were a constant thorn in my side until her final year; I took more points from Gryffindor due to the three of them and Mr. Longbottom than any person in their house, their year, possibly the entire school. So the answer to your question is no. Even if I had a bias and even if it I would allow such a thing to interfere with my perception of such a clear and serious situation, it would not be in favor of Miss Granger." He lied.

"Thank you, professor. This court thanks you for your time and for your sacrifice." She looked at him seriously. He wanted to through it back in her face. His sacrifice indeed! They had no idea. "You may go."

Blood boiling, he threw them another glare as he left. Potter was no where to be found, but he was going to track that boy down and give him a piece of his mind…

He knocked impatiently on the door to 12 Grimmauld Place. When it opened, he barged inside without invitation. Ron Weasley moved aside.

"Yeah, come on in…" He mumbled, shutting the door. "Harry's upstairs in the den."

Harry Potter was lounging in a fat chair with his feet on the table, bottle in hand. Severus crossed the room, took the bottle and tossed it in the fire without comment.

"Hey!" Potter protested without moving.

"Where were you?"

"I left after Hermione's."

"She was pretty torn up." Weasley explained.

Of course. They would have been at least as hard on her, and she had to face her attacker at the same time, he realized. At least her friend had been there.

"Hey, I'm sorry." Potter stood, mistaking his concern for distress. "Was it bad?"

"Never mind. Tell me about Miss Granger." Severus took a seat on the sofa. "What did they ask her?"

Harry shrugged, retaking his seat. Weasley sat at the other end of the sofa. "It was bad. They tried to make it out like," he lowered his voice. "Like she was mad. Paranoid maybe. Asked her a bunch of unrelated things."

"Did they ask if the two of us were carrying on romantically whilst she was a student?"

His green eyes darted to his friend only a second before he shook his head no. "I take it that was yours?"

He nodded once.

"Blimey." Weasley remarked.

"I need to know exactly what they asked and how. Forthright's barrister must have offered another theory, hence the questions."

"In mine," Potter said. "They clearly wondered if I flew off the handle, attacked the bastard because I discovered his background."

"Then they think I was involved with Granger, so I took her side." Severus thought aloud.

"They sort of implied she might have been sleeping with Rex before, so I'm sure that was his story." Ron offered.

"Yes, they seemed to be interested in why we thought her being tied up and slapped was not consensual." Potter snarled.

Weasley cracked his knuckles.

"We'll know more after the finish interviewing everyone tomorrow." Potter said as the door swung open.

Miss Granger sauntered in smiling, wobbly a little at the knees. She had a playful smile on her lips and her eyes gleamed as she swung a nearly empty bottle of wine at her hips. Her robe was open, little silk shorts and thin light pink top visible underneath.

"What are we talking about?" She asked, lifting the bottle to her lips. They wrapped around it as she drank leaving them wet and red.

"Theories." Potter answered skeptically, raising one eyebrow at his friend. Ron shot Severus an apologetic glance. Really, she was a little drunk. It was not the end of the world.

"On why they were more interested in implying you were mad and I was a pervert than on what Mr. Forthright did." Severus told her.

"They called you a pervert?" She shook her head, hair falling into it. She brushed it away impatiently. He offered her a small smile as Weasley stood.

"Hermione, why don't you lie down?" He proposed, taking the bottle, as if embarrassed by her unwinding when Severus had seen that boy nearly unintelligible after a quidditch win.

"Okay." She agreed easily. Then to their surprise, she pranced over to the couch and lied down, placing her head on his lap and closing her eyes. Perhaps she was more effected than he thought.

He steeled his expression, and his body, from reacting to the heat of her breath on his thigh, her hair sprawled across his lap.

"Miss Granger," He slipped a hand under her arm. She made a small noise of protest. "Your shoulder will get sore." He said quietly, readjusting her position to be less uncomfortable for them both and setting a small pillow under her, between the two of them. She nestled against him.

Harry stared at him astonished that he had not stood in fright and thrown her onto the floor. Perhaps he should have. He kept his hands awkwardly away from his body to keep from touching her as she slept on him.

He looked as trapped as possible at Potter who snorted with laughter. Weasley tried to eat his own lips to keep from laughing under his glare.

"Boy, your day gets better and better." The redhead muttered, giggling at his expense.

The doorbell rang. "Ron can you get that? I think Severus is…stuck."

Weasley snorted and went to answer the door.

"Why in the hell did they accuse me of setting up the whole thing to look a hero?" Draco demanded, losing his cool.

"Mr. Malfoy, lower your voice, please." Three faces gawked at Severus. He knew how unusual he looked, but he was at a loss of how to escape out from under and already upset Hermione Granger. "If Miss Granger wakes," he explained, using her surname. "I do not know if she will scream at us or cry, but either way there will be suffering."

Draco nodded, looking relieved at his reasoning.

"They said I attacked him, put blame on him to take him down out of vengeance." Potter explained, which seemed to cool Malfoy a bit.

"They said I was bias out of jealousy." Weasley admitted.

"They claimed Hermione was either off her rocker or into kinky sex."

"Yes, they kept asking how I knew she did not want it." Draco said with disgust.

"What did you say?" Potter asked.

"That I've heard people tortured and I heard women who wanted it a little rough, and I knew the difference."

"Not bad."

"What about you?" Draco nodded to his mentor.

"I was accused of being blinded by my passion for Miss Granger." He drawled.

Draco looked as if someone pulled his nose. "Well, then, looks as if they have nothing." He announced. "If the little slug has a dozen conspiracy theories and his best one is pure, little Granger was whoring around and into being tied up and tortured after having been actually tied up and tortured… then we should be hearing it's over soon."

Severus nodded in agreement, relieved as Draco looked.

"Drink?" Potter asked. "I think Hermione finished off most of the wine.

"No, thank you." He wrinkled his nose. "I better be going. Severus, mother and I would like to invite you to dinner tomorrow evening."

"I accept."

"See you then." He added. "Potter."

He was gone.

"Still rude to me." Weasley muttered.

"Do you think one of you might be steady enough to manage her to her bed?" Severus sighed.

Potter raised his wand. "Don't levicorpus her! She's not a corpse." He snapped.

"Oi! Hermione." Weasley called. She jolted. He winced. As he feared, she seemed to have forgotten falling sleep on him.

"Really," he stood, lifting her and shaking the hair from his face. "It's incredible how either of you manage to win favor with a female, tactless dunderheads that you are." A sleepy Hermione giggled against his chest. "Her room?" He asked annoyed.

"At the top. White door." Potter blurted, and they watched him carry her up as if he were on a tightrope. He laid her on her bed and left the room abruptly, shutting the door without a sound.

A/N: Trying to contain my excitement about this chapter, really I am. Please let me know if enjoyed it too. Thoughts on Rex? The moment at the end there? A lot more happened this chapter than last time, and more is to come... Can't wait to post the next chapter and all it's surprises.

Yours,

Elsie