Thanks to all my reviewers. And my best friend, Padfoot, who is spending the night at my house tonight. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 6: Back to the Beginning

The rest of the night passed without much turmoil. Harley woke up at around 8:30 when Harry and Hermione were getting ready for bed.

"That boy better not be sleeping in there!" He yelled and stalked off. Harry looked at Hermione, who just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"He abuses me, but he still doesn't trust me with boys," she said, once they heard the front door slam shut, causing Harry to smile and shake his head as well.

"Where's he going?"

"Work. I forgot, today he works for about two hours in the morning and about four hours tonight," Hermione explained, "It switches from day to day. Just one word of caution: Don't cross his path tomorrow morning."

"That's six words," Harry said, counting on his fingers, causing Hermione to throw her pillow at him. He caught it using his Quidditch reflexes, and just laid down on it and closed his eyes, as though to go to sleep.

A minute later, Harry heard Hermione utter something, but he couldn't understand what, so he just ignored her and continued to lay there. That is, until Hermione's pillow flew out from under his head.

He sat up, rubbing the back of his head, only to see Hermione (in her pajamas and sitting cross-legged on her bed) who had a look of mock-innocence on her face. Her wand was hidden (as in slightly sticking out so Harry could see it) behind her back. Harry would have bought her look if it hadn't been for her wand, and the fact that she was trying not to laugh.

With a playful growl, Harry jumped up onto Hermione's bed and started tickling her (he knew her weaknesses), but the more she squirmed, the more her shirt rode up, so Harry could see all the bruises and cuts on her stomach and lower back.

"Hermione..." Harry said (forgetting his playful manner) and tracing a particularly large bruise on her side with his finger. Hermione, now embarrassed, quickly pulled down her shirt and sat up.

"Hermione, when did all this start? I mean, when did your dad start abusing you and your mum?"

Hermione considered this question for a moment before answering, and when she spoke, she did so slowly.

"Well, I can't really remember, but I'm pretty sure it was when I was six or seven. I do remember it was when my dad came home from a party on Christmas Eve with his friends. How he got home, I have no idea, because him and, from what I saw, every one of his friends were drunk," she finished, not looking at him, as though ashamed at what she had just said.

"So he's been abusing you for ten years! What about your mum?"
"I think the only reason he hurts my mum, is because she's trying to protect me," Hermione said, finally looking at him with tears in her eyes, making them seem glassy and blurred.

Harry didn't know what to say. All these years he'd thought he'd known his best friend (and now she was more than that) and in one day he learns something he never knew. Something he never imagined.

They spent the rest of the night talking, not knowing that, in the next few days, their lives would change forever.

A/N:

I know! Short! The next chapter will be about the same length, then they will get a bit longer again. I know because I finished this story about a year ago, I am just taking my sweet time posting it, so don't bug me about it! TTFN