Chapter 9: Snape Leaves, Tensions Rise and Hermione Breaks

A/N WARNING – Distressing Content Ahead, scenes of rape, violence, cutting and bad language - this chapter is NOT for those who are sensitive to such issues. This is a trigger chapter and earns its M rating here! Also, thank you for your continued support and comments, you're all amazing!

Severus' last day at Grimmauld Place, in his opinion, was bittersweet. He hated everything about this place, especially the owner of this place. But, on the other hand, he had made a friend here and he had finally felt some small emotion and came to the conclusion that his icy black heart had thawed, and had been pumping to a happy beat for the first time in many years.

As he checked one last time that he had all of his belongings packed and ready to go, he paused and thought about the school year to come. There was going to be more Death Eater meetings now, which meant more lies he would have to tell, which meant more injuries and scars and crucio curses. He sighed; he didn't want to think on it at the moment, the Dark Lord had been quiet, still too weak to do any major damage. Also, now that nobody believed Potter, the Dark Lord was using his Slytherin traits and being subtle and calculating every single move he made.

Another problem was the Umbridge woman, she was like hell wrapped in shiny paper and literally came with a pretty pink bow. Snape knew the school was going to shit this year. According to Dumbledore, the new defence programme was only going to be theory. The students would read about the spells, but would not get to practice them, a fat lot of good that's going to do in the future.

Severus then thought about the young witch, who was currently taking up most of his time at the moment. He enjoyed her company and didn't think he would have it again until at least Christmas, and that was only if she decided not to stay at the castle. He was going to miss her, although he was agitated to admit it. Who knew that the bushy haired, buck toothed, know-it-all, stubborn chit of a bookworm would intrigue him so much?

It wasn't that she was just like Lily; it's because she was so much more than that, and it bothered him that he didn't really think much about Lily now. In fact, Granger reminded him of his mother, kind, stunning in her own way, brave in the face of danger but Granger was so much stronger than his mother had been and was going to make sure it stayed that way.

Severus was also angry at everyone around him, on behalf of the Granger girl. He hated Albus, for ignoring a crime so great that it could destroy a person. He hated Lupin, a true adult friend for Granger, who had been angry at her and snapped at her and immediately taken Harry's side. Granger's so called 'friends' who only talked to her when they needed her. Sirius Black - let's not even go there. The Weasley's, they had adopted her into the family but were still in another world to her because they didn't understand the muggle world and so didn't get her.

Then there was him. He had tried to help her as much as he possibly could and hoped he had done enough for her. He didn't want to watch her wither and fade, he wanted her to thrive. She was destined for greatness and she would get there.

With those thoughts he headed for the stairs, he wanted food. He was about to head down them when and red faced Potter stormed past him on the landing.

"Manners Potter" Severus shouted at the boy.

Harry glared.

"Where's Hermione? I need to speak to her" he said through gritted teeth.

Severus didn't like this, what the hell could have happened now?

"Is she in her room? Or is she in yours?" Harry turned and looked at him with a tone of disapproval and a look of disgust.

Severus' eyes narrowed.

"What exactly are you suggesting, Mr Potter?" Severus glared at the arrogant schoolboy.

"Well you clearly can't get anyone your own age..." Harry trailed off.

Severus' eye twitched, actually twitched, he was so close to throwing the boy down the stairs for good measure.

"I don't know where she is, Mr Potter. I would guess her room, but I'm not certain as I have not seen her yet today" Severus told him coolly, trying to keep the upper hand and take the higher road as it were.

Harry have one last loathing look towards his potions master, and headed for the room Sirius had told him was hers. Severus watched the boy, wondering what had brought him up here in the first place.

"Hermione Granger, you'd better get out here now you Jezebel!" Harry yelled maliciously.

Severus stood there confused, not understanding the situation, but guessed it wasn't going to be good. So he stood and watched what was going to happen, he could also hear the footsteps downstairs coming towards the stairs, clearly hearing the shout of the chosen one.

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A wide eyed Hermione opened her bedroom door and stepped out. She recoiled slightly at the look on Harry's face.

"I knew you were trying to steal my godfather away from me, I knew it, and now that I have proof, you are nothing but a common whore" Harry screamed at her.

The other members of the household had now gathered upstairs and we're watching the two students intently as if they were watching a film, all that was missing was the popcorn.

Hermione paled at Harry's comments, she had been called that before, and it wasn't in the most positive of circumstances, and now she was hurt.

"Harry, what on earth are you talking about?" She asked him, keeping her voice quiet as she could see the audience that had now gathered.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! The twins told me about your little crush on Sirius. You've probably been spending lots of 'quality' time with him doing Merlin knows what" Harry exploded at her.

There were gasps from the others. Ron and Ginny looked shocked but quickly took Harry's side, as usual. Molly and Arthur looked ever the epitome of disappointed parents. Lupin looked shocked and slightly sick, and shook his head at Hermione in disapproval. Sirius looked shocked. The twins looked slightly ashamed that they had blabbed and caused her this humiliation, and Severus looked murderous at Harry and was concerned for Hermione.

"Harry, I told them when they were teasing me about this, it isn't true. I swear it. I don't have a crush on your godfather, and I am most definitely not trying to take him away from you" she pleaded, begging anyone to believe her.

"I think you're lonely Hermione. Your parents have been sent away, you've had to live alone in this place for the summer with only Snape, Remus and Sirius as company. I know Remus was away for most of it, and Snape would have kept away from you all so that only leaves Sirius. On those lonely nights when you were feeling down, it was him you desired to look after you and take the loneliness away. Am I right?" Harry told her his thoughts. Hermione was speechless and she was shaking her head, no. He was wrong, so wrong.

"You're so wrong Harry, you have it completely wrong" she whispered.

Harry looked at her like he might believe her for a second, and then changed his mind and looked at her in disgust. He turned his back on her and walked down the stairs and everyone followed except Severus, the Weasley twins, Remus and Sirius.

"Hermione, do you know how very wrong it is to desire a much older man?" Remus asked her. Lupin had clearly realised that in accusing Severus of harming Hermione, he hadn't considered that she might have consensually sought out the comfort of Sirius, his best friend.

"You are underage and this crush thing you have on Sirius is completely unfair. You are a minor and he can't do anything about it. Sirius can't leave the house and so the temptation is there but at least Sirius has learned restraint" Remus told her almost crossly.

Severus wanted to snort and shake the wolf, but he knew it would give Hermione away to Sirius that she had told someone.

"Maybe you should get help, Hermione. Go and see someone and get a little bit of advice, yes?" Sirius addressed her directly with a hidden smirk that only she could see.

Severus wanted to beat the shit out of him and then kill him. How dare he tell her she needs help! How dare he even address her directly! Severus was fuming.

"Come on Padfoot, let's leave her to her be now, she will make the right choices in the end" Lupin said as he slung his arm around his best friend and they headed downstairs.

"Hermione, we apologise. We had no idea Harry would blow up like that. We were only joking and messing about, teasing, trying to embarrass you" they told the girl who looked as though the shining light from her eyes had gone out. She was still staring ahead with a blank expression on her face. She felt sick.

"Don't you think you two have done enough damage? Away with the both of you" Severus told them sternly, leaving no room for argument.

The boys nodded, feeling guilty about what they had done to their friend and they headed upstairs to their rooms.

Snape turned to Hermione, who was still out of it, and he steered her into their living room and sat her down at the table and summoned some tea and cake for the girl.

He didn't say anything to her, or make any comments. He waited for her to be ready to talk to him, he knew she would when she was ready he just had to wait it out.

"This is going to be all round school when we go back" she whispered upset, she didn't want that. She just wanted to be another face in the crowd but after that, Ginny would tell and it would spread like wildfire.

She would be the freakish bookworm, who was into older men and spent her time planning how to seduce them. They would call her a slut and other horrible slurs. Rita Skeeter would throw a party when she caught wind of this.

Hermione refused to cry about it, she was bottling up the emotions for now and would find a healthy way to let them all out later.

Severus placed a hand upon hers and she felt comforted. Severus knew how nasty the students could be to each other and Hermione didn't need to feel isolated, she needed to be surrounded by those close to her and have laughter and joy in her world. She was in for a difficult beginning of the year, Severus knew that. He would help her as much as he could without being noticed, he was not going to let this bright light go out.

Neither Severus nor Hermione spoke, they just enjoyed each other's presence and eventually the sun began to set over the park outside and shadows grew longer.

"Miss Granger, I regret this but I must take my leave now. I must be back at the school before eight o'clock. The first staff meeting follows shortly after that.

Hermione sighed sadly but nodded, she understood that and she knew it had been coming. It didn't make it any less difficult to say goodbye, the only comfort was that it would only be tomorrow that she wouldn't see him and then she would be back at school and near him again.

Severus stood up to make his leave and Hermione made a strangled sort of noise and dived in for one last hug, breathing in his strong scent of sandalwood that had become familiar to her. He patted her back and they said their final goodbyes and Severus Snape was gone.

Hermione wiped a tear that had made its way down her face and shivered. Had the room always been this cold in summer?

Hermione didn't know what else to do so she headed back to her room. She looked at the room that had been occupied by the potions professor, and found that the door had been left wide open; it looked like nobody had ever stayed in it. Hermione walked into her room, and quietly shut the door and then flopped down on her bed, she felt lonelier now than she had ever done and didn't know what to do.

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As she turned to hug her pillow, she felt something underneath it and snatched her hand back not expecting the unfamiliar texture.

She pulled her pillow back and found a package lying there. She opened the neat parcel and found her favourite chocolate bars. There was a small note attached.

'I appreciated your pleasant company this summer. Thank you, Miss Granger' the note said.

Hermione smiled and giggled at the thought of the feared potions professor, standing in a confectionary aisle contemplating what chocolate to buy.

"Thank you professor" she said to the empty room.

Hermione stashed her chocolate away for another day and then headed to the bathroom for a shower. She was tired from the day's events and wanted to get to bed. No one had called for her, no one had come to see her and she didn't think anyone really cared all that much.

As she climbed into bed she couldn't help but wish for tomorrow to be over quickly. This time tomorrow she would be preparing to go back to school and would be excited for the Hogwarts Express journey the following morning. Hermione closed her eyes and went to sleep.

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Hermione opened her eyes; she had an odd dream that she couldn't quite remember something about Jack and the Beanstalk. Whatever it was she had dreamed had caused her to jolt awake. She adjusted to the darkness of the room and looked at her clock; it was well after three in the morning.

She yawned and prepared to force herself back to sleep.

"So you have a crush on me" a voice said in the dark.

Hermione's eyes bulged out of her head, and she reached for her wand as a form of protection. She didn't care about the underage magic law; if she had to use it she would always claim self-defence. She couldn't find it. Where was her wand?

"Looking for something?" Sirius approached her, and used magic to turn the lights on, he then held out her wand towards her teasingly.

How dare he violate her wand with his magic!?

Hermione didn't know what to do; she was quite literally trapped in the corner of the room and had nowhere to go.

Sirius bound her and levitated her to her bed.

'NO NO NO! Not again! I won't allow it' Hermione screamed at herself internally. But she didn't have much of a choice. She was bound and powerless to stop his onslaught of her body.

She closed her eyes and thought about her day out in London with Severus, and the happiness she had felt, she remembered the lunch they had got in trouble for on Monday. She thought about the day her and Severus had just sat in a comforting silence, and just read for the afternoon. She remembered all their shared meals and when he'd make her cook for him. She remembered how comforted she felt by his embrace. She kept repeating these memories in her mind as Sirius assaulted her once more. She was oblivious to what he was doing until he roughly entered her again, and the pain overrode her mind.

She screamed at the pain, and couldn't help but let the tears fall.

"There's a good girl" Sirius cooed at her as she sobbed.

Sirius found his climax quickly and was determined to finish what he had started, and destroy the girl.

Sirius' hand reached for her clitoris and began to rub the small bundle of nerves that were there. He then teased her nipples with the other hand and gently kisses the sweet spots on her thighs.

Hermione tried to fight against it but no matter what she did, her body betrayed her and she began responding favourably to Sirius' ministrations.

Her body was being brought closer and closer to the edge; she was on the brink of orgasm.

"No, no, no. Don't make me do this, don't cause this please" she begged him.

Sirius just smiled lazily at her, and suddenly rolled her clit in between his thumb and forefinger and that's all it took, Hermione was over the edge.

She cried tears of humiliation, as her body became unhinged and the pleasurable waves of ecstasy washed over her.

She sobbed at the betrayal of her own body, and immediately collapsed into a heap, what had she done wrong in the world to deserve this? She wanted to scream to the heavens. There was nothing left anymore, just the darkness and the fear. She huddled up into a protective ball and looked fearfully up at her tormentor.

He was grinning at her.

"Glad you enjoyed it as much as I did" he winked at her and left her there alone and naked and terrified.

After his footsteps had gone, Hermione fled to the bathroom and immediately threw up whilst tears still streamed down her face. She wanted to die; she wanted to die right there and right now. She was bleeding again and she couldn't help wonder if there was even more damage or if the stitches were now ruined. She didn't want to think about it, she didn't want to think about anything.

She acted on autopilot. How dare her body betray her? How dare it? She hated her body now, hated it and without thinking she lunged for her razor and tested the sharp blade.

Without hesitation she ran it across her left wrist, nothing happened. Hermione had never even thought about cutting before, and didn't think it would be this difficult. She tried twice more and there it was; blood began to seep from her wrist. She applied pressure to her other wrist, making that one bleed as well. She didn't know how long she sat there staring at the crimson blood, as it fell on the bathroom tiles but she started to feel slightly lightheaded.

Completely broken, Hermione Granger passed out.