Curiouser and Curiouser.
Ok, here it is. I have borrowed a phone line at work so I can post this. I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks for bearing with me. You will all be glad to know that Snape's Saviour is now complete. I will post twice weekly until it is all up, starting on the weekend of the 4th of October.
Thanks for your support and understanding.
Caution is advised by the way. The F word is used in this chapter about 7 paragraphs from the end.
**********************************************************
Hermione knocked on the door with some trepidation and waited. She had raised her hand to knock again when she found herself face to face with the Potions Master clad in his usual black robes and sneer.
"Miss Granger, on time I see." He hissed.
With what little confidence she had managed to build suddenly gone, Hermione couldn't respond. She had been in Snape's chambers before - in fact she had spent quite a bit of time there with Jane - but this was different. Tonight there was an expectation that she would be able to teach the young girl. What if she couldn't? Hermione wondered if she would be punished.
Snape sighed. "Alright then, come in." He stepped aside and held the door open for the witch to pass. He knew it was important for Jane to be educated - it didn't mean he was entirely happy with the situation.
Hermione entered his chambers nervously, and was struck immediately by the tension in the room. What had Snape done? "Is Jane -."
"Jane is fine Miss Granger, and she will be right out." The imposing man answered, cutting off her enquiry.
"She wasn't in class."
"How observant of you to notice." Snape sneered.
It wasn't going well, not at all.
"Sit." Snape ordered, directing Hermione towards a chair.
Hermione did what she was told, not wishing to risk aggravating the moody Potions Master.
"You -."
"I -."
They both started at the same time. "I'm sorry Professor, please continue."
"I was just going to say, Miss Granger, that owing to the amount of work I have, I would appreciate it if you would make use of the library facilities for Jane's lesson."
Hermione was quick to hide her sigh of relief. "Of course Sir."
"Good."
They waited in silence for a few minutes.
"Sir."
Here it comes, he thought. "Yes Miss Granger." Snape kept his voice as even as he could.
"What happened Sir? Why wasn't Jane in class today?"
Snape glared at the girl sitting across from him. Of course she would have to know, she would be responsible for ensuring Jane was safe while they were together. Not, perhaps, responsible for making her safe, but responsible for ensuring she was safe, the distinction was subtle but important. He knew she was more than capable enough for that, but it still irked him to have the young witch meddling in his life.
He pursed his lips before answering. "That would be because Jane had some difficulties with one of the students after class yesterday and was quite upset."
Malfoy! Now Hermione understood Snape's sudden coldness towards the blond haired Slytherin.
"I'm sorry for prying Sir."
Snape had to acknowledge that the girl had sense - perhaps more than he had given her credit for. "You are forgiven this time." He paused, briefly, before continuing. "Of course you realise that you must ensure that Jane is safe while you are together. I don't expect that you will have any problems; I have spoken to the student in question, but I would appreciate it if you kept your guard up. If you have any problems whatsoever, I expect you to come to me immediately."
"Of course Sir."
"Good to hear Miss Granger."
At that moment Jane joined them. She was smiling, but Hermione thought she saw something else flash briefly in her eyes. Was it uncertainty, or perhaps fear?
**********
Jane was quiet as they made their way to the library, but Hermione didn't push her to speak. Rather than pressing the girl, Hermione filled the silence with a quiet prattle about the history of the school and witchcraft, and waited while Jane slowly relaxed.
It was fairly late, and the library was empty when they arrived, most students having chosen to retire to their common rooms to study, or not, Hermione thought. She chose a table in the middle of the library, well within the view of Miss Prince. Hermione was quite sure that she wouldn't have any trouble, at least not this night, so soon after Snape had put the fear of the Gods into Draco, but she wanted that extra assurance that somebody else was watching, if something did happen.
Jane sat and waited calmly, even though her insides were churning, while Hermione unpacked her parchment and quills.
"Are you ready to do this Jane? We can always start tomorrow night if you don't feel like it."
Jane shook her head. "No. I want to start now. You can't finish until you start."
Hermione looked at Jane sideways, thinking her comment was somewhat strange, but she didn't push the girl for more information. She was certain there was more to Jane's tenseness than just being attacked by Draco the previous day. It was abundantly clear that something had happened just prior to her arrival at Snape's chambers.
Having seen Jane and Snape together, as hard as it was to believe, she didn't think Snape would hurt her. For all the bullying and torment he directed at the students, both in class and out, Hermione knew Jane was different. She had somehow managed to break through the Potions Master's barriers, and the affect was so great that it was even transforming his notoriously spiteful in-class demeanour.
"Alright then, if you are ready we shall begin. This is A for apple." Hermione wrote the letter 'A' a few times, then picked up her wand and waved it, producing a perfect apple to go with her row of perfect letter A's. "Your turn now."
Jane, who had watched her like a hawk, took the quill in her trembling hand and tried to emulate Hermione's perfectly straight lines. All she got for her trouble was an ink blot. She tried again, with the same result, and then looked up. "I can't do it."
Hermione took the quill and repeated the process. Dip the nib in the ink, tap, tap, tap, and three straight lines. Easy. She passed the quill back to Jane.
Jane tried again, and again she failed to get more than ink blots to appear on the paper. She pushed the parchment away, and threw the quill to the desk in exasperation. "I can't do it! What's the point anyway?"
Hermione looked at Jane and sighed, capping her ink bottle. It was obvious that they would get no work done until Jane got whatever was on her mind off her mind. She was suddenly glad she had asked her parents to send her some Muggle psychology textbooks. "What is really wrong Jane?"
"Nothing," came the girl's sullen response.
"Jane."
With a suddenness that surprised Hermione, Jane started to cry. "I broke something, just before you arrived. I - I mean he fixed it with magic, but what if I break something he can't fix?"
"Jane, look. I know I told you what he was like to students, and I am sorry if that frightened you, but I have seen the two of you together, and as hard as it is for me to believe, I don't think he would ever treat you like that. He would certainly never hurt you."
"How can you be sure?"
"Easy. No matter how bad he is to the students, he has never hurt any of us. Considering how angry he gets, that is quite surprising, and something I don't really understand, but if he hasn't resorted to using violence against us so far, I can't imagine he will with you."
"Maybe it is just because he would get into trouble if he hurt a student. I am not a student, and nobody would care if he hit me anyway. Nobody cares."
Hermione looked at Jane. "That is where you are wrong," she said earnestly. "HE cares and you know it."
Jane wiped her face and nodded. "I know, it's just - sometimes I get scared." She admitted quietly.
"That's not surprising. Lots of things have changed for you and it will take a while for you to grow accustomed to everything. The only thing you have to remember is that he cares for you. He cared enough to bring you here with him, and that was a big risk for him, for a lot of reasons."
"Professor Dumbledore was angry."
"I don't know for sure, I don't think he was, but he could have been. I think he was more concerned about the implications of your arrival than angry."
"Because Voldemort hurt him?"
"Yes, and because if Voldemort found out he had a weakness he could use it against him."
Jane nodded, understanding how a weakness could increase another's power over a person. She had used people's vulnerabilities for her own gain, just as her weaknesses had been used against her. Suddenly Jane was filled with a deep, unrestrained gratitude towards her saviour, and she decided she would work hard to make him proud. It was all she could do to repay his kindness.
Jane reached for the quill and parchment. "A is for apple."
Hermione watched as Jane, now unburdened, produced a row of A's. They weren't perfect, but they were a start. They worked solidly for three hours, and by the end, Jane had learned the letters A through to K. Now she would have something to do with all the time on her hands. She had never realised before, just how much of her time ha d been spent just struggling to find enough food to survive. Life on the streets had kept her pretty busy, and free time was something she wasn't accustomed to.
Unnoticed, a large black bird also watched the girls from its perch on the library windowsill.
**********
As Jane and Hermione made their way back to Snape's chambers, Hermione finally worked up the courage to ask her companion the question that had been burning within her since Snape had told her about Draco's attack.
"Jane, what did Draco do to you?"
Jane stopped. "How did you know?"
"Professor Snape told me a student attacked you. I guessed it was Draco - he doesn't like non-pure blood wizards and witches.. I can't imagine he would like Muggles more."
Jane nodded. "He cornered me after class yesterday and tried to cast a spell on me. Then he called me a whore." She whispered.
"What do you mean TRIED to cast a spell?"
"It didn't work."
"Curiouser and curiouser." Hermione contemplated the information. Snape's magic worked, Draco's didn't. That just wasn't possible. She would have to look into it - there had to be an explanation.
"Curiouser and curiouser?"
"It is from a book called Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It is about a girl that follows a rabbit and ends up in wonderland. It is a bit strange, the guy who wrote it was on drugs at the time, and you can tell. We will have to read it when you finish learning your letters, it is a lot of fun."
"I'd like that." The two girls briefly continued in silence. "You didn't ask if it was true."
"Pardon?"
"You didn't ask me if I had been a Tom. I figured you would, coming from my world and all."
"Why would I think you had been?"
"Because most people like you think we all are."
Hermione didn't have to ask what 'people like you' were. Jane meant white and middle class - she really meant rich snobs that had everything, but the young girl would never say that. "Do you want me to ask?"
Jane ignored the question. "I wasn't. I didn't need to be. I was quick enough to steal what I needed, and I didn't do drugs - I tried once, but they made me too sick to steal food, so I never tried them again. I would never take money for sex, and besides the sort of scum that would pay a child for sex isn't worth fucking." She finished angrily.
Hermione blushed at Jane's language. She was more embarrassed by the fact that the word seemed to come so naturally to the girl. It reminded her of just how hard Jane's previous life must have been. Hermione shuddered at the thought of having to survive the same type of treatment. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Jane answered quietly, turning from the older girl to hide the tears lurking in her eyes.
Hermione reached out and touched Janes arm, but the young girl pulled away nervously. Hermione let her arm drop uncomfortably, surprised by Jane's reaction, and there was an uncomfortable silence for a minute or so.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you."
Jane shook her head. "No, I overreacted. I'm not really used to people touching me. I am the one who should be sorry."
"No one will hurt you here Jane."
"I know."
The two girls arrived at the Potion Master's chambers and said goodnight. Both had minds full to overflowing with new information to consider. Neither would get much sleep that night.
Ok, here it is. I have borrowed a phone line at work so I can post this. I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks for bearing with me. You will all be glad to know that Snape's Saviour is now complete. I will post twice weekly until it is all up, starting on the weekend of the 4th of October.
Thanks for your support and understanding.
Caution is advised by the way. The F word is used in this chapter about 7 paragraphs from the end.
**********************************************************
Hermione knocked on the door with some trepidation and waited. She had raised her hand to knock again when she found herself face to face with the Potions Master clad in his usual black robes and sneer.
"Miss Granger, on time I see." He hissed.
With what little confidence she had managed to build suddenly gone, Hermione couldn't respond. She had been in Snape's chambers before - in fact she had spent quite a bit of time there with Jane - but this was different. Tonight there was an expectation that she would be able to teach the young girl. What if she couldn't? Hermione wondered if she would be punished.
Snape sighed. "Alright then, come in." He stepped aside and held the door open for the witch to pass. He knew it was important for Jane to be educated - it didn't mean he was entirely happy with the situation.
Hermione entered his chambers nervously, and was struck immediately by the tension in the room. What had Snape done? "Is Jane -."
"Jane is fine Miss Granger, and she will be right out." The imposing man answered, cutting off her enquiry.
"She wasn't in class."
"How observant of you to notice." Snape sneered.
It wasn't going well, not at all.
"Sit." Snape ordered, directing Hermione towards a chair.
Hermione did what she was told, not wishing to risk aggravating the moody Potions Master.
"You -."
"I -."
They both started at the same time. "I'm sorry Professor, please continue."
"I was just going to say, Miss Granger, that owing to the amount of work I have, I would appreciate it if you would make use of the library facilities for Jane's lesson."
Hermione was quick to hide her sigh of relief. "Of course Sir."
"Good."
They waited in silence for a few minutes.
"Sir."
Here it comes, he thought. "Yes Miss Granger." Snape kept his voice as even as he could.
"What happened Sir? Why wasn't Jane in class today?"
Snape glared at the girl sitting across from him. Of course she would have to know, she would be responsible for ensuring Jane was safe while they were together. Not, perhaps, responsible for making her safe, but responsible for ensuring she was safe, the distinction was subtle but important. He knew she was more than capable enough for that, but it still irked him to have the young witch meddling in his life.
He pursed his lips before answering. "That would be because Jane had some difficulties with one of the students after class yesterday and was quite upset."
Malfoy! Now Hermione understood Snape's sudden coldness towards the blond haired Slytherin.
"I'm sorry for prying Sir."
Snape had to acknowledge that the girl had sense - perhaps more than he had given her credit for. "You are forgiven this time." He paused, briefly, before continuing. "Of course you realise that you must ensure that Jane is safe while you are together. I don't expect that you will have any problems; I have spoken to the student in question, but I would appreciate it if you kept your guard up. If you have any problems whatsoever, I expect you to come to me immediately."
"Of course Sir."
"Good to hear Miss Granger."
At that moment Jane joined them. She was smiling, but Hermione thought she saw something else flash briefly in her eyes. Was it uncertainty, or perhaps fear?
**********
Jane was quiet as they made their way to the library, but Hermione didn't push her to speak. Rather than pressing the girl, Hermione filled the silence with a quiet prattle about the history of the school and witchcraft, and waited while Jane slowly relaxed.
It was fairly late, and the library was empty when they arrived, most students having chosen to retire to their common rooms to study, or not, Hermione thought. She chose a table in the middle of the library, well within the view of Miss Prince. Hermione was quite sure that she wouldn't have any trouble, at least not this night, so soon after Snape had put the fear of the Gods into Draco, but she wanted that extra assurance that somebody else was watching, if something did happen.
Jane sat and waited calmly, even though her insides were churning, while Hermione unpacked her parchment and quills.
"Are you ready to do this Jane? We can always start tomorrow night if you don't feel like it."
Jane shook her head. "No. I want to start now. You can't finish until you start."
Hermione looked at Jane sideways, thinking her comment was somewhat strange, but she didn't push the girl for more information. She was certain there was more to Jane's tenseness than just being attacked by Draco the previous day. It was abundantly clear that something had happened just prior to her arrival at Snape's chambers.
Having seen Jane and Snape together, as hard as it was to believe, she didn't think Snape would hurt her. For all the bullying and torment he directed at the students, both in class and out, Hermione knew Jane was different. She had somehow managed to break through the Potions Master's barriers, and the affect was so great that it was even transforming his notoriously spiteful in-class demeanour.
"Alright then, if you are ready we shall begin. This is A for apple." Hermione wrote the letter 'A' a few times, then picked up her wand and waved it, producing a perfect apple to go with her row of perfect letter A's. "Your turn now."
Jane, who had watched her like a hawk, took the quill in her trembling hand and tried to emulate Hermione's perfectly straight lines. All she got for her trouble was an ink blot. She tried again, with the same result, and then looked up. "I can't do it."
Hermione took the quill and repeated the process. Dip the nib in the ink, tap, tap, tap, and three straight lines. Easy. She passed the quill back to Jane.
Jane tried again, and again she failed to get more than ink blots to appear on the paper. She pushed the parchment away, and threw the quill to the desk in exasperation. "I can't do it! What's the point anyway?"
Hermione looked at Jane and sighed, capping her ink bottle. It was obvious that they would get no work done until Jane got whatever was on her mind off her mind. She was suddenly glad she had asked her parents to send her some Muggle psychology textbooks. "What is really wrong Jane?"
"Nothing," came the girl's sullen response.
"Jane."
With a suddenness that surprised Hermione, Jane started to cry. "I broke something, just before you arrived. I - I mean he fixed it with magic, but what if I break something he can't fix?"
"Jane, look. I know I told you what he was like to students, and I am sorry if that frightened you, but I have seen the two of you together, and as hard as it is for me to believe, I don't think he would ever treat you like that. He would certainly never hurt you."
"How can you be sure?"
"Easy. No matter how bad he is to the students, he has never hurt any of us. Considering how angry he gets, that is quite surprising, and something I don't really understand, but if he hasn't resorted to using violence against us so far, I can't imagine he will with you."
"Maybe it is just because he would get into trouble if he hurt a student. I am not a student, and nobody would care if he hit me anyway. Nobody cares."
Hermione looked at Jane. "That is where you are wrong," she said earnestly. "HE cares and you know it."
Jane wiped her face and nodded. "I know, it's just - sometimes I get scared." She admitted quietly.
"That's not surprising. Lots of things have changed for you and it will take a while for you to grow accustomed to everything. The only thing you have to remember is that he cares for you. He cared enough to bring you here with him, and that was a big risk for him, for a lot of reasons."
"Professor Dumbledore was angry."
"I don't know for sure, I don't think he was, but he could have been. I think he was more concerned about the implications of your arrival than angry."
"Because Voldemort hurt him?"
"Yes, and because if Voldemort found out he had a weakness he could use it against him."
Jane nodded, understanding how a weakness could increase another's power over a person. She had used people's vulnerabilities for her own gain, just as her weaknesses had been used against her. Suddenly Jane was filled with a deep, unrestrained gratitude towards her saviour, and she decided she would work hard to make him proud. It was all she could do to repay his kindness.
Jane reached for the quill and parchment. "A is for apple."
Hermione watched as Jane, now unburdened, produced a row of A's. They weren't perfect, but they were a start. They worked solidly for three hours, and by the end, Jane had learned the letters A through to K. Now she would have something to do with all the time on her hands. She had never realised before, just how much of her time ha d been spent just struggling to find enough food to survive. Life on the streets had kept her pretty busy, and free time was something she wasn't accustomed to.
Unnoticed, a large black bird also watched the girls from its perch on the library windowsill.
**********
As Jane and Hermione made their way back to Snape's chambers, Hermione finally worked up the courage to ask her companion the question that had been burning within her since Snape had told her about Draco's attack.
"Jane, what did Draco do to you?"
Jane stopped. "How did you know?"
"Professor Snape told me a student attacked you. I guessed it was Draco - he doesn't like non-pure blood wizards and witches.. I can't imagine he would like Muggles more."
Jane nodded. "He cornered me after class yesterday and tried to cast a spell on me. Then he called me a whore." She whispered.
"What do you mean TRIED to cast a spell?"
"It didn't work."
"Curiouser and curiouser." Hermione contemplated the information. Snape's magic worked, Draco's didn't. That just wasn't possible. She would have to look into it - there had to be an explanation.
"Curiouser and curiouser?"
"It is from a book called Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It is about a girl that follows a rabbit and ends up in wonderland. It is a bit strange, the guy who wrote it was on drugs at the time, and you can tell. We will have to read it when you finish learning your letters, it is a lot of fun."
"I'd like that." The two girls briefly continued in silence. "You didn't ask if it was true."
"Pardon?"
"You didn't ask me if I had been a Tom. I figured you would, coming from my world and all."
"Why would I think you had been?"
"Because most people like you think we all are."
Hermione didn't have to ask what 'people like you' were. Jane meant white and middle class - she really meant rich snobs that had everything, but the young girl would never say that. "Do you want me to ask?"
Jane ignored the question. "I wasn't. I didn't need to be. I was quick enough to steal what I needed, and I didn't do drugs - I tried once, but they made me too sick to steal food, so I never tried them again. I would never take money for sex, and besides the sort of scum that would pay a child for sex isn't worth fucking." She finished angrily.
Hermione blushed at Jane's language. She was more embarrassed by the fact that the word seemed to come so naturally to the girl. It reminded her of just how hard Jane's previous life must have been. Hermione shuddered at the thought of having to survive the same type of treatment. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Jane answered quietly, turning from the older girl to hide the tears lurking in her eyes.
Hermione reached out and touched Janes arm, but the young girl pulled away nervously. Hermione let her arm drop uncomfortably, surprised by Jane's reaction, and there was an uncomfortable silence for a minute or so.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you."
Jane shook her head. "No, I overreacted. I'm not really used to people touching me. I am the one who should be sorry."
"No one will hurt you here Jane."
"I know."
The two girls arrived at the Potion Master's chambers and said goodnight. Both had minds full to overflowing with new information to consider. Neither would get much sleep that night.