Chapter 10-Confessions

Hermione opened the door before Professor Snape could knock. "Professor," Hermione let him in.

"Miss Granger, I have a calming potion if you need it," Snape said pulling out a tiny bottle, "Also, a dreamless sleep potion."

"Professor I need to talk to you in private," Hermione said quickly, "Could you maybe find a time where we could talk without everyone one in this house know we are doing it."

Snape seemed to take some time to think about it. Then said, "I will be back in 30 minutes Miss Granger."

Smiling Hermione said, "Thank you, sir."

Severus went back down to the kitchen, "She took both the calming draft and dreamless sleep. She'll be down for the night. She probably needs the sleep."

"Of course, Snivellus, we will let her sleep," Sirius said as most of the table nodded.

Severus noticed two teenagers that just scaled. This wasn't boding well for the Gryffindor upstairs. Severus took his leave and disillusioned himself at the door opening it and then closing it as if he was leaving. He then went back up to his student's chambers. Again, she meets him at the door.

"Now what is it Miss Granger?" Snape snapped not liking what was going on, "I have other masters to attend to and little time for all this."

"Professor, I don't want to stay here," Hermione confided, "I know I am under a microscope and my friends have turned against me. I don't know what to do. Plus, my mother told me in her diary that I can trust you. One of her biggest regret is that she had to leave you."

"Don't play games with me child," Snape snapped, "I never knew your mother. The only time I had meet your mother was the other day when they picked you up from here."

"Professor, she wasn't my birth mother," Hermione whispered, "The Grangers' adopted me the night I was born. My birth mother died almost 17 years ago."

To say that shocked Severus was an understatement. Severus tried to process the information. His brain was reeling. Doing the math following what she said. "Diana," Severus whispered finally knowing why Hermione looked so familiar, "We knew she died but never knew what happened."

"Well I can answer most of it due to her diary," Hermione answered, "but some is her suspicions. There is no proof."

Snape was shocked. "You know running away will not help," Snape said, "The two red heads down there are stirring the cauldron every time you leave the room. Not sure what you did but I also don't think it was you."

"I figured all that. I also know what it is," Hermione shared, "They are jealous. Both think I'm too pretty. Ginny is afraid shell loose her status in Gryffindor and Ron is afraid now the people will not only notice me for my brains."

Snape was laughing. Gryffindor was so readable. He knew it was petty but not this petty. He wanted to help the girl. "I can't help you get out until there is a reason unfortunately. No one in the order will agree to what your asking," Snape explained, "Especially with how Dumbledore is acting."

"Professor you cannot tell the Headmaster about this," Hermione gasped forgetting about the headmaster, "He is the one who cursed my mother while she was pregnant with me. He is the reason she died."

"What?" Snape exclaimed.

Hermione then explained what she had learned from her mother's diary. How Her mother thought Bellatrix set her up. Playing her against the Dark Lord. Then where her mission failed, and Dumbledore caught up with her. How he had cursed her and left her for dead. Then the Grangers' saving Diana. Finally, she told him about her birth and what really happened during her growth. "I swear I will not let the headmaster know," Severus rushed at the end.

He didn't want to hear more about how he failed his childhood friend. He refuses to lose this link to his past and refused to let either of his masters know about her until she felt otherwise. Dumbledore already either wants to control her or get rid of her and the Dark Lord would love to use her for her power. "I have to leave now," Severus said.

"Professor, is there a way you can inform Lucius without telling the Dark Lord," Hermione asked shyly, "I want to meet that part of my family, but I am afraid too."

"We will see," Snape said, "and in private Hermione call me Severus."

"Yes, sir," Hermione smiled and watched him leave. She wondered what she should do. As much as she wanted to sleep in her trunk where it felt safe, she devised a plan to see if her fearless Gryffindor friends took her bait.