Severus sat down in the Headmaster's office, and buried his head in his hands. "Draco raped her, and hurt her…possibly used the Cruciatus, I don't know that for sure. He admitted the rape to me. It puts us in an interesting position, but even Lucius wouldn't dare defend him since the idiot boy did it at Hogwarts."
"This is very unfortunate, Severus. I know you had intended to try and save the boy from becoming a Death Eater, but not like this. However, you know this presents an opportunity we can ill afford to miss."
"I don't know that he's redeemable, honestly. But he may yet become a Death Eater. If we don't find Miss Granger before the students leave, there won't be anyone to testify against him; he may get off, and there's nothing we can do about that under wizarding law."
"Then, there is no other course of action. We must find Hermione Granger, even if she doesn't wish to be found. This boy has done at least one of the things we consider most unforgivable, and we've potentially lost one of the most promising minds in a century because of it. We need her to help us win this war, and we need certainly don't need Draco to enter it against us. Let us proceed."
Minerva spoke up. "Her parents haven't seen her, and are understandably frantic. They have…called, that's the Muggle term, right?…called any old friends or relatives, but have come up blank."
"She is probably slinking around somewhere in her Animagus form," Severus said.
"I would know if that were the case; I asked around of the other felines in Hogsmeade, and no one has seen her." Minerva spoke tabby, after all, and cats had an odd way of knowing about other cats' whereabouts.
Albus cleared his throat. "She could be anywhere, of course; but I have a theory. I asked Madam Pince for a record of the last few things Hermione had checked out from the library to confirm my thoughts. One of the books she checked out is not accounted for in her dormitory or in the library. It is a book entitled 'Mystical Hideouts: Where to Go when the Worst Has Happened.' It's rubbish, really, and something I wouldn't expect Miss Granger to read unless she was bound and determined to read every single book in the library. But there is a mystical hideout that I believe would have been quite appealing to her in this case, and I suggest we start there."
Severus's eyes narrowed. "What is this place, and why aren't we there right now?"
"You're very anxious. I think I'll let you take the job, then, Severus." The older man let a smile tug at his lips for a moment, even given the gravity of the situation.
"I'm on my way. Where am I headed?" Snape was surprising himself. He told himself that it was a desire to put Malfoy in Azkaban, and nothing more, that was making him go out of his way to find this Gryffindor.
"A convent in Ireland."
Severus sputtered. "A ruddy convent? I take it back. Minerva, she's in your house."
"Oh, no, Severus," Minerva said icily, "your student drove her there. You'd best be on your way post haste."
"Don't worry, Severus," Albus replied mildly. "I will happily go on this errand with you. The Mother Superior there and I have an old acquaintance that I think it's past time to renew."
*~*
"Albus Dumbledore. This is an unexpected pleasure." The Mother Superior knew Albus well, mainly because he was the only person she spoke to when a witch wanted to re-enter the wizarding world after time spent at the convent. She would never, ever give them away without their permission, however. Over the years, several of the British witches had become wistful for their former lives, and had chosen to return. The Mother Superior always contacted Dumbledore to make the arrangements, rather than deal directly with the red tape at the British Ministry (shuddering horrors, having to deal with that imbecile Fudge, and the line of nitwits that had preceded him in the high post.)
"Charming to see you, as always, Mother. Let me present my associate, Professor Snape."
"Professor." Her eyes narrowed, briefly. The Mother Superior was not a witch, but was a keen student of human nature. She could see a great deal of pain and sacrifice on this one's face, and a good deal of the pain was in his eyes right now. "Do have a seat. To what do I owe the honor of this visit? I haven't contacted you about anyone recently."
"I know you are not in the business of divulging the identity of those from my part of the world that end up on your doorstep, but in this case, I beg you to make an exception. The fate of our world is in her hands, even though she's not currently aware of the fact. She's a hurt child, and I would never force her away from here if she could not bear to return, but I must speak to her."
"Albus. You know I cannot break the trust of God and my sisterhood. I cannot tell you if I have this girl among us."
"You must, Mother Superior. This is an unusual case. We must speak with her. You know me well enough to know that I will not cause any difficulties for her. She may not realize the implications of what has happened in the wake of her departure."
"The little ones who come to my door, they all could say that they aren't aware of implications. Families destroyed. Lives overturned. The witches coming here are committing suicide as far as their world is concerned, but usually there is a very good reason for it. You'll have to do better than that to convince me to break a centuries-long tradition of providing a completely safe haven for refugees from your world." The Mother Superior knew they must be talking of her newest arrival, who was off changing nappies and singing songs with one and two year olds. The girl had only been there one morning, but it had become clear immediately that she was very bright and had been incredibly hurt. It didn't take a crystal ball to know that she probably had been raped and was in the aftermath of dealing with it, but part of the bargain at the convent was "Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies."
"Listen, you overgrown penguin," Severus's patience was at an end, "Is the Granger girl here or not? I don't have time to play psuedo-religious niceties while one of my students runs away from her duty and another runs right into the arms of the Dark Lord. Lives are at stake, and I have no patience for your idiotic rules of engagement here. Let us have the girl, and we'll be on our way."
"Dumbledore, you didn't tell me your associate had such a blasphemous temper," She couldn't hide her amusement at his outrage, but Dumbledore was secretly glad Snape had said it. In his experience, she could be insufferably prissy about the witches under her care, and while she performed a service for those women, it didn't come without cost for them. Running away from your problems never solved them. Hermione was hurt, but deep down she was stronger than this. Fortunately for the two men, the Mother Superior was well aware of this. She made a decision against her better judgment.
"All right. Extraordinary circumstances call for unusual actions, but don't think you can call this favor in again, Albus. I will tell the girl you are here, and let her make the choice. If she agrees, you can see her. If she doesn't, you'll need to go on your way, and don't make me have to have Sister Sylvia wave her wand at you." She wasn't sure why she had agreed in this instance when no one else had ever been able to break her down, but she knew Albus Dumbledore well enough to know that he wouldn't be here on a fool's errand. Good Lord, especially in the company of that bat of a man, Professor Snape. Hell's bells, that girl probably ran away just to get away from that frightening vampire. She left the room, and after making sure they weren't following, wandered down to the nursery school.
