Chapter Six
"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked as Ron sat down for breakfast,
"She'll be down in a minute or two" Ron said, "She's running a little slow! She told me to come down." He started to eat but was interrupted as the mail arrived. Owls swooped down from every direction. Hermione's usual copy of the Daily Prophet dropped down over her empty seat. Harry picked it up and unwrapped it reading it.
"Ron! Look at this!" Harry cried pointing immediately at the front page. Looking over Ron spit out all of his food all over his plate. In bold letters the paper read, "The Rise of You-Know-Who". Harry and Ron stared at the picture of the dark mark shooting into the sky over and over again.
The two skimmed the article quickly. Many of the other students in the hall were doing the same with their copies of the paper as well.
"What is going on?" Hermione asked noticing the erratic behavior in the hall that morning. She looked at the article surprised to see the two of them reading on their own will. She took the paper from them to finish reading the article.
"He left a note!" Harry told Ron, "Nobody knows what it says though. It was taken immediately to Fudge!"
Hermione looked up from reading, "It's scary! But why did he wait so long to make it known!" she asked, "He's been back since our 4th year! Now we are in our 6th year!"
"Probably trying to be strong enough to kill Harry!" Ron said, he looked Harry, "sorry!" he added.
Harry shook his head, "It is odd that he would wait this long" he said. He looked down to read the article again.
At 1:00 am this morning, the dark mark rose into the sky over the town of Godric's Hollow. Godric's Hollow is where Voldemort met his downfall to Harry Potter, the boy who lived. The mark hovered over the burnt out ground where the Potter's house once stood. When ministry officials arrived, a scroll was lying in the dirt of the ground. The scroll was taken to minister of magic Cornelius Fudge immediately. Fudge says he has spoken to Dumbledore about watching Harry Potter at school. The ministry is currently checking if the claims made by residents that they saw Voldemort are indeed true. While very little is known at this time, we can only hope and pray that like 2 years ago at the World Cup, there is no danger.
None of the students saw Dumbledore that day. They all assumed he was busy working with the ministry. Hermione couldn't help but notice that Draco Malfoy was staring at her with this wicked smirk on his face. The entire day people were a little unsure about everything.
In the hall that evening, they kept staring at Dumbledore's empty seat. Hermione couldn't help but notice Snape hadn't eaten a thing, but kept staring at the doors to the hall. Until they opened and Cornelius Fudge entered with a dementor following him. Hermione felt a sharp darkness cloud her mind. She began to hear the sound of herself crying. She was shaking uncontrollably when Harry smacked her back to reality. She opened her eyes just in time to see Dumbledore shoving the dementor from the hall.
"I was expecting you to come soon" Dumbledore said to Fudge, "Sit down, and have a drink"
Fudge looked across the students and pulled out a scroll from under his robes.
"You don't think that's the scroll?" Hermione asked Harry. He shrugged to say he wasn't sure.
"I'm her on business, I don't have time for drinks" he said. Dumbledore nodded quickly.
"Then we shall go to my office and we can sort out whatever business it is that you are here on" Dumbledore said. Fudge didn't follow. He looked around at the students, "This won't take long!" he said, "Which one of you is Hermione Granger?"
Hermione stood up timidly as she noticed all of the students whispering amongst each other, "I'm Hermione Granger" she said quietly.
Dumbledore stepped forward quickly "Cornelius, we can discuss this in my office" he said, "not here, not now"
Fudge shoved past Dumbledore and approached Hermione, "Is it true that you were sexually assaulted several weeks ago and didn't not report it?" he demanded.
The blood drained from Hermione's face. She felt herself go cold. "I- what?" she managed to choke out. She felt Harry stand squeeze her hand supportively. Dumbledore approached with a grim look of determination in his face.
"Cornelius, you may discuss your concerns in my office away from the ears of the students" he said.
Fudge glared at Dumbledore, "I have 6 hours left until he strikes again! According to this note, Miss Granger was raped, and whoever her assaulter was may be able to help us"
The students in the hall gasped at the mention of rape. Hermione felt her breath leave her. Her mind was beginning to panic desperately. She saw the looks of everyone on her, "I can't help you! I don't know who it was!" Hermione said feeling tears trickle from her eyes to her cheeks. Before Fudge could speak Hermione turned and ran from the hall, too scared to hear what he would say next.
From the moment Fudge walked in the hall, Snape knew there was going to be trouble. He had figured that Fudge knew about Hermione's rape from the note left last night. Snape watched as Dumbledore managed to get Fudge to leave the hall and go to his office. Students all then reported to their houses. Snape went to find Hermione.
He already knew where she was. Something just told him where she would go. He was right, she was on the edge of Hagrid's hut and the forest. The same place she had tried to kill herself before. She sat staring at the knife still pushed in the soil of the ground.
"How'd you know I would be here?" Hermione asked quietly.
"I didn't" Snape lied.
"What am I going to do?" Hermione cried, "I don't know what to do! Everyone knows now! Soon the entire magic community is going to know!"
Snape shook his head, "I don't know" he said, "It's not going to be easy"
Hermione looked at him. Her eyes red with tears and filled with fear and pain, "I've never been so scared in my life! How am I going to be able to show my face again!? They'll think I'm a disgrace"
Snape looked at the ground hesitantly. Remembering when he had faced being shunned by society. How he had felt that way, but he was still there, "Hermione! I know you're scared, but you can't let that ruin your life!" he said, "You are a strong girl and get through this"
"What if I can't? I'm scared I'll fail! I've never failed before" Hermione said.
Snape sighed, "You're never going to stop being scared. But that's what living is. Its what we all face. We all do it!"
"Do what?"
"Live beyond our fears" Snape said, "Look past our fears and live through them!"
Hermione's eyes looked at him quietly, an understanding hit her. An understanding of a shadow of Snape's past crossed her. She realized that's what he had learned to do himself and was now showing her. She wasn't quite sure how it happened, but she found herself crying into Snape. He had wrapped his arm around her tenderly and comfortingly. Without thinking, the two leaned into each other and kissed.
As their lips met, a sensation flowed through both of them. Neither one of them could explain it but they held each other close. Snape frowned painfully, knowing that he had caused every bit of misery Hermione was feeling. His guilt overflowing, and yet he knew now that he would never forget her. He loved her and cared for her as if he had known her forever.
Hermione ended their kiss and looked into his eyes. She held onto him tightly realizing the love that had found a home in her heart. As her eyes searched his, she saw pain, misery, guilt, and countless emotions that haunted him. Reading it quietly, the feeling of him against her felt so right. So perfect as if they had been together before. Her eyes locked into his intensely. The feeling of his touch was strangely familiar, too familiar! She tensed and ripped herself away in paralyzing fear. She could hardly breathe and she realized she was going to faint momentarily.
"Hermione?" Snape asked, stepping towards her.
"Ohmigod!" she whispered stepping back in terror. She tried to speak but her breath failed her and she blacked out.
Authors note: Thanks for all the encouragement. I'm sorry that it took so long for the next chapters. But there are two new ones so hopefully that will help! Anyway I will have the next chapter up next weekend.
Sara-Malfoy-I can understand that the beginning part can be very unappealing. But I'm trying to move the story above that to a higher message.
Marionie Hearts-Thanks for the compliments. I don't really know what a person goes through in this trauma. I imagine it must be very difficult. But I have a friend who went through depression, so she helped me understand how that feels a little in writing this.
Hermione-Snape- Thanks for the support. I really hope people will like the story to the end. I'm trying my best to keep my ending somewhat original. I don't know if anyone else has written anything like it, but I'm trying.
SpookyKasper-Thanks for reviewing. I think people mix real life problems with Harry Potter to add a sense of realism to the wizarding world. If they exist in the muggle world, it could happen to them as well. I do not intend to focus the entire story to Hermione's rape. I intend on taking the plot past that.
Echo-Smythe-Thanks for the kind words. I update on weekends, so you can check then!
Spike-lover- I hope the stories will continue to interest you. I'll keep your offer in mind! I don't have beta. But I switched the document type, hopefully those weird errors in the earlier chapters will be less frequent then.
Aemos- I hope these chapters are good. I updated a little later than I expected, but your compliments and support are so great! Thanks so much!
Andrea Spencer-Thanks for the review. I hope you'll continue to read the story.
So thanks again to everyone. I will write notes to everyone who reviews so please review. Feedback is really helpful. Even if it is to tell me that you didn't like the story or something of the sort.
"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked as Ron sat down for breakfast,
"She'll be down in a minute or two" Ron said, "She's running a little slow! She told me to come down." He started to eat but was interrupted as the mail arrived. Owls swooped down from every direction. Hermione's usual copy of the Daily Prophet dropped down over her empty seat. Harry picked it up and unwrapped it reading it.
"Ron! Look at this!" Harry cried pointing immediately at the front page. Looking over Ron spit out all of his food all over his plate. In bold letters the paper read, "The Rise of You-Know-Who". Harry and Ron stared at the picture of the dark mark shooting into the sky over and over again.
The two skimmed the article quickly. Many of the other students in the hall were doing the same with their copies of the paper as well.
"What is going on?" Hermione asked noticing the erratic behavior in the hall that morning. She looked at the article surprised to see the two of them reading on their own will. She took the paper from them to finish reading the article.
"He left a note!" Harry told Ron, "Nobody knows what it says though. It was taken immediately to Fudge!"
Hermione looked up from reading, "It's scary! But why did he wait so long to make it known!" she asked, "He's been back since our 4th year! Now we are in our 6th year!"
"Probably trying to be strong enough to kill Harry!" Ron said, he looked Harry, "sorry!" he added.
Harry shook his head, "It is odd that he would wait this long" he said. He looked down to read the article again.
At 1:00 am this morning, the dark mark rose into the sky over the town of Godric's Hollow. Godric's Hollow is where Voldemort met his downfall to Harry Potter, the boy who lived. The mark hovered over the burnt out ground where the Potter's house once stood. When ministry officials arrived, a scroll was lying in the dirt of the ground. The scroll was taken to minister of magic Cornelius Fudge immediately. Fudge says he has spoken to Dumbledore about watching Harry Potter at school. The ministry is currently checking if the claims made by residents that they saw Voldemort are indeed true. While very little is known at this time, we can only hope and pray that like 2 years ago at the World Cup, there is no danger.
None of the students saw Dumbledore that day. They all assumed he was busy working with the ministry. Hermione couldn't help but notice that Draco Malfoy was staring at her with this wicked smirk on his face. The entire day people were a little unsure about everything.
In the hall that evening, they kept staring at Dumbledore's empty seat. Hermione couldn't help but notice Snape hadn't eaten a thing, but kept staring at the doors to the hall. Until they opened and Cornelius Fudge entered with a dementor following him. Hermione felt a sharp darkness cloud her mind. She began to hear the sound of herself crying. She was shaking uncontrollably when Harry smacked her back to reality. She opened her eyes just in time to see Dumbledore shoving the dementor from the hall.
"I was expecting you to come soon" Dumbledore said to Fudge, "Sit down, and have a drink"
Fudge looked across the students and pulled out a scroll from under his robes.
"You don't think that's the scroll?" Hermione asked Harry. He shrugged to say he wasn't sure.
"I'm her on business, I don't have time for drinks" he said. Dumbledore nodded quickly.
"Then we shall go to my office and we can sort out whatever business it is that you are here on" Dumbledore said. Fudge didn't follow. He looked around at the students, "This won't take long!" he said, "Which one of you is Hermione Granger?"
Hermione stood up timidly as she noticed all of the students whispering amongst each other, "I'm Hermione Granger" she said quietly.
Dumbledore stepped forward quickly "Cornelius, we can discuss this in my office" he said, "not here, not now"
Fudge shoved past Dumbledore and approached Hermione, "Is it true that you were sexually assaulted several weeks ago and didn't not report it?" he demanded.
The blood drained from Hermione's face. She felt herself go cold. "I- what?" she managed to choke out. She felt Harry stand squeeze her hand supportively. Dumbledore approached with a grim look of determination in his face.
"Cornelius, you may discuss your concerns in my office away from the ears of the students" he said.
Fudge glared at Dumbledore, "I have 6 hours left until he strikes again! According to this note, Miss Granger was raped, and whoever her assaulter was may be able to help us"
The students in the hall gasped at the mention of rape. Hermione felt her breath leave her. Her mind was beginning to panic desperately. She saw the looks of everyone on her, "I can't help you! I don't know who it was!" Hermione said feeling tears trickle from her eyes to her cheeks. Before Fudge could speak Hermione turned and ran from the hall, too scared to hear what he would say next.
From the moment Fudge walked in the hall, Snape knew there was going to be trouble. He had figured that Fudge knew about Hermione's rape from the note left last night. Snape watched as Dumbledore managed to get Fudge to leave the hall and go to his office. Students all then reported to their houses. Snape went to find Hermione.
He already knew where she was. Something just told him where she would go. He was right, she was on the edge of Hagrid's hut and the forest. The same place she had tried to kill herself before. She sat staring at the knife still pushed in the soil of the ground.
"How'd you know I would be here?" Hermione asked quietly.
"I didn't" Snape lied.
"What am I going to do?" Hermione cried, "I don't know what to do! Everyone knows now! Soon the entire magic community is going to know!"
Snape shook his head, "I don't know" he said, "It's not going to be easy"
Hermione looked at him. Her eyes red with tears and filled with fear and pain, "I've never been so scared in my life! How am I going to be able to show my face again!? They'll think I'm a disgrace"
Snape looked at the ground hesitantly. Remembering when he had faced being shunned by society. How he had felt that way, but he was still there, "Hermione! I know you're scared, but you can't let that ruin your life!" he said, "You are a strong girl and get through this"
"What if I can't? I'm scared I'll fail! I've never failed before" Hermione said.
Snape sighed, "You're never going to stop being scared. But that's what living is. Its what we all face. We all do it!"
"Do what?"
"Live beyond our fears" Snape said, "Look past our fears and live through them!"
Hermione's eyes looked at him quietly, an understanding hit her. An understanding of a shadow of Snape's past crossed her. She realized that's what he had learned to do himself and was now showing her. She wasn't quite sure how it happened, but she found herself crying into Snape. He had wrapped his arm around her tenderly and comfortingly. Without thinking, the two leaned into each other and kissed.
As their lips met, a sensation flowed through both of them. Neither one of them could explain it but they held each other close. Snape frowned painfully, knowing that he had caused every bit of misery Hermione was feeling. His guilt overflowing, and yet he knew now that he would never forget her. He loved her and cared for her as if he had known her forever.
Hermione ended their kiss and looked into his eyes. She held onto him tightly realizing the love that had found a home in her heart. As her eyes searched his, she saw pain, misery, guilt, and countless emotions that haunted him. Reading it quietly, the feeling of him against her felt so right. So perfect as if they had been together before. Her eyes locked into his intensely. The feeling of his touch was strangely familiar, too familiar! She tensed and ripped herself away in paralyzing fear. She could hardly breathe and she realized she was going to faint momentarily.
"Hermione?" Snape asked, stepping towards her.
"Ohmigod!" she whispered stepping back in terror. She tried to speak but her breath failed her and she blacked out.
Authors note: Thanks for all the encouragement. I'm sorry that it took so long for the next chapters. But there are two new ones so hopefully that will help! Anyway I will have the next chapter up next weekend.
Sara-Malfoy-I can understand that the beginning part can be very unappealing. But I'm trying to move the story above that to a higher message.
Marionie Hearts-Thanks for the compliments. I don't really know what a person goes through in this trauma. I imagine it must be very difficult. But I have a friend who went through depression, so she helped me understand how that feels a little in writing this.
Hermione-Snape- Thanks for the support. I really hope people will like the story to the end. I'm trying my best to keep my ending somewhat original. I don't know if anyone else has written anything like it, but I'm trying.
SpookyKasper-Thanks for reviewing. I think people mix real life problems with Harry Potter to add a sense of realism to the wizarding world. If they exist in the muggle world, it could happen to them as well. I do not intend to focus the entire story to Hermione's rape. I intend on taking the plot past that.
Echo-Smythe-Thanks for the kind words. I update on weekends, so you can check then!
Spike-lover- I hope the stories will continue to interest you. I'll keep your offer in mind! I don't have beta. But I switched the document type, hopefully those weird errors in the earlier chapters will be less frequent then.
Aemos- I hope these chapters are good. I updated a little later than I expected, but your compliments and support are so great! Thanks so much!
Andrea Spencer-Thanks for the review. I hope you'll continue to read the story.
So thanks again to everyone. I will write notes to everyone who reviews so please review. Feedback is really helpful. Even if it is to tell me that you didn't like the story or something of the sort.