Warning: violence and depictions of attempted sexual assault.

AN: Hope you are all well! I updated a bit early because the other update was shorter than normal. I also have final exams coming up so my updating schedule might be a bit weird until those are over. But I'll do my best to keep up!

We are back to Penny's POV :)

"Get into your room now, girl," her uncle snarled as she closed the door behind her.

He seemed to be in a particularly foul mood, even for him. She wondered what must have set him off, but made no response. It was better to just do rather than say when her uncle got like this.

As she passed the door to the kitchen and saw her Aunt Petunia wiping her cousin Dudley's face with a rag, noting how oddly pale Dudley looked. She didn't linger long because her Uncle pushed her toward the stairs, "GET!"

Stumbling, she caught herself on the railing and then took the stairs two at a time, sliding quickly into her and Harry's room. One glance at him told her he was in another of his moods. Since returning to the Privet Drive, Harry had been having serious temperament issues. She tried to be understanding, but sometimes it was difficult, and Penny was guilty of turning to solitude and avoiding him because she did not have the emotional energy for it.

He was obsessed with figuring out what Voldemort was doing, which Penny could not really blame him for, after all, she did not know, much less could imagine what escaping death felt like, nor living with the weight of knowing the most evil wizard walking the earth wanted to kill you. However, there had been no news, which Penny figured should be considered a good sign, because who hopes to read about mass killings? But it only served to unsettle Harry more.

It did not help that Dumbledore had apparently deemed it necessary that they stay with their aunt and uncle at Privet Drive for an extended period, while Harry's friends appeared, via their letters, to be together, assumedly at Ron's house, the Burrow. Penny could have kicked all of them for damning her to his fury at being treated like a useless kid. Nothing brought out the righteous indignation in Harry like the insinuation he should act like a normal teenager and not concern himself with the plotting of Voldemort.

He turned from the window from which Hedwig flew, turning to meet her.

"About time, were you attacked too?" he said, looking her over.

"Attacked?" Penny asked, bemused. "Who would be attacking me here?"

"Dementors!" he said, rather impatiently, shutting the window more forcefully than was necessary.

"Hang on, you ran into dementors, here?"

"Yes! They attacked me and Dudley."

"Are you alright?" Penny said, taking a seat on their bed, feeling worry replacing the dull ache in her chest.

"Oh, I dunno, I only nearly got kissed by a dementor; found out Dumbledore has had someone tailing me this entire summer; had to drag Dudley home only for our aunt and uncle to have a go at me; oh, and the ministry intends to expel me, pending a hearing. All the while, still no one wants to tell me anything, so I suppose I'm fine," Harry said, all of his pent up anger bursting forth from him.

"Well, that's a lot to unpack. . ." Penny said, sardonically.

She was exhausted and not in the mood to be the punching bag for Harry's frustration.

"Who was tailing you?" Penny said, cutting him off before he could begin another tirade.

"Mrs. Figg!"

"She knows magic?" Penny asked in utter disbelief.

"She's a squib," he said, beginning to pace before her.

"Interesting. I knew there had to be someone missing from my list, there just weren't enough of them to cover the entire day with the rotations they had," Penny mused out loud.

Harry stopped dead in his tracks and turned on her, his eyes angry and incredulous.

"You knew and didn't say anything?" he demanded.

"What was there to say?"

"They've been following us secretly on Dumbledore's orders! You didn't think we should confront them? Why wouldn't you tell me."

"It's not my fault you're oblivious, it's not like they've been particularly careful about going unnoticed, and I figured why they were doing it was obvious," Penny snapped, her irritation getting the better of her.

"WHAT WOULD BE OBVIOUS ABOUT SPYING ON US?" He bellowed.

"A mass murderer wants you DEAD Harry. Did you really think Dumbledore was gonna leave you unprotected!"

He watched her for a moment and then returned to his pacing. "I didn't ask for this," he said quietly.

"And I didn't ask for you to bite my head off for other people's choices," Penny replied.

He grunted in what Penny assumed was an abysmal attempt at an apology that did nothing to make her less irritated with him.

"I assume the ministry hearing is about the misuse of magic? Did you perform a patronus?"

"Yes," he said shortly.

"Of course Fudge wanted any opportunity to try and expel you. If only I'd been there, they can't detect my magic," Penny sighed, rubbing her hands across her face.

"Yeah well, the only thing you're good for lately is crying," he said, kicking the trash can in the corner.

Penny sprang to her feet, her hands balled into shaking fists at her side.

"I get that you're upset that Dumbledore is treating you like some dumb kid, but I am trying," she said through gritted teeth.

"How is pretending Cedric's not dead, trying! You've pushed us all away and spent all your time hiding from reality, and don't tell me it's not true because I've seen the letters from Lupin. Have you even tried to respond to one?" Harry said, his voice whipping Penny across the face like a hand would. "Look at you, Penny. You're not alright and there's nothing I can do about it because. . .because I'm the reason he's-"

"Shut up!" Penny demanded, pressing her hands over her ears as though that would somehow stop the agony that had been unleashed from it's cage, from spilling over.

"I won't, Penny, this isn't healthy," he said, taking a tentative step toward her.

"And what would you know of it? We all can't be immune to how fucked up it all is, like you Harry! You don't know how hard it is, how hard it is to want to share something with him only to realize I can't-" she whispered, her voice breaking from the effort to suppress the tears that were brimming in her eyes.

Harry reached for her, but it was too late, Penny's flight response had already kicked in. She turned and was out the door before he could reach her mind. With all haste she walked the length of the hallway past all the other bedrooms to the room that sat around the corner. It was Aunt Petunia's craft room until she'd realized the neighbors might talk if they learned that Harry and Penny were sharing a room. So she'd placed a small single bed in the corner and allowed Penny to sleep there, though she still used the room for her crafts.

Penny previously had not spent much time there, preferring to share a room with Harry. They'd spent the first 11 years of their life squished in a cupboard together, having their own rooms just feel strange after that. Lately, though, Penny sought the solitude of her own room, preferring to deal with her nightmares and restless sleep alone.

The room was dark when she entered, but she did not bother to turn the light on. Shutting the door, she made for the closet and shut herself inside, sitting in the corner against the wall. The all consuming dread was in her chest, making it nearly impossible for her to breathe. She panted and gasped, closing her eyes, trying to remind herself she was okay.

Submerged in the dark, she felt the first wave crash over her, the image of Cedric laughing appearing before her eyes. Clasping her hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle her sobs, she let the tears loose, knowing it was futile to resist them any longer.

The light of dawn finally creeped across Penny's room, peaking through the crack in the closet, pulling her from her partial consciousness. It beckoned her toward freedom, freedom from the torture of her night. It had been a worse night than most and she found very little sleep. She rubbed her eyes, and stretched her stiff limbs so she could quickly change before leaving.

Escaping the house, for whatever reason, allowed her to escape the pressure in her chest. She moved with a purpose, the only purpose she had these days. The one thing she was able to look forward to within the haze that was life now. When she'd begun her ritual of sitting in that cafe it'd been out of a desperate attempt to feel closer to Cedric, to cling to his memory in fear that if life continued to move on without him, he'd cease to exist completely. So she sat there, determined to make their promises come to fruition to give life to him, to hold onto him a little bit longer.

Penny did not like the verb-age used to describe grieving, because all of it centered on this idea of 'moving on,' but she did not want to leave Cedric behind and did not understand why everyone insisted she had to. The idea she must forget to be whole again made her more distraught than anything else. Cedric had been a part of her and she did not want to go on into a life where that was no longer true. In fact, she refused. That's why she needed this ritual.

However, the day Snape arrived, the experience changed in meaning completely. The way he'd sat beside her, avoiding the space across from her as naturally as if Cedric were actually there, caught her attention, even in the darkness that surrounded her. What Snape asked of her did not evoke the pain, (like the others who looked on her with pity, as though she were broken beyond repair, damaged by her love for a boy who met a tragic end.) But, not to Snape, he looked at her as he always had, while not denying the change in her when doing so. His company affirmed what she felt deep inside-she was different now-but he also went further, he pushed her to figure out how to live being different.

His company was the only thing that made sense to Penny. Though he typically remained silent and read some paper in another language while he drank his coffee, he filled the space around her, pulling Penny from the bareness of herself. It was the only time Penny did not feel overcome by the emotions thinking about Cedric summoned. It was bearable when he was around, and for that small amount of time that they sat there like that, Penny felt hopeful, like one day she might no longer feel so crippled by it all. Life might yet contain happiness for her.

She went through the day's ritual completely dazed, only realizing where she was when he sat beside her. She glanced at him, catching his attention. His eyes conveyed annoyance, probably due to her haggard appearance. She'd seen her own reflection only briefly and knew it was bad.

"It's time to try a sleeping potion." It wasn't a question.

"I don't need one, I'm fine without it," Penny mumbled.

Not being able to escape her dreams was a worse prospect than the trouble she currently had sleeping.

"Indeed. Nevertheless, I'd encourage you to reconsider that position. I have brewed one that will allow you to use it without the worry of the problematic side effects. However, once you are moved you will not see me again until you return to Hogwarts," Snape said, pulling a small blue vial from his pocket to dangle tantalizingly in her face.

Heart suddenly thumping as though she'd run a race, she turned on him, ignoring the bottle completely. She did not care if she ever slept again.

"Moved? I don't want to go anywhere, why would I be moved?" Penny said.

"Suddenly find this muggle hellhole charming, do we?" replied Snape, his eyebrow arched.

"At least it's quiet," Penny said, turning definitely away from him.

"I think what you meant to say was, at least no one questions your habits here," he said, laying a delicate stress on his insinuation.

"You didn't answer my other question," Penny scowled, ignoring his jab.

"I would have thought it obvious. Precious Potter was attacked by dementors, so naturally the sea must be part to maintain his charmed life," Snape replied, a sneer forming on his lips.

"Then he can go, but I'm staying," Penny said, pulling her mug toward her to wrap her hands around it as though to warm them, though the contents were lukewarm by now.

"A cute display of teenage rebellion that will nonetheless be futile when that half-breed shows up tonight," Snape said, lazily, turning to his reading, his free hand tapping its fingers rhythmically on the table.

Penny watched them, trying to imagine waking up tomorrow without this to look forward to, without him and that paper of his. The prospect made her sick to her stomach, she could not face the others, could not pretend to be fine. The thought of it made Penny feel as though she were splitting in two.

"I don't want this to end," she thought, not realizing the words left her mouth.

"Everything comes to an end, Ms. Potter, that is the point I have been trying to impress upon you," he said, looking over his paper at her.

Without acknowledging what he said, she turned back to the cup in her hand, the small bubbles of the foam dissolving slowly, one air bubble at a time. This ritual was essential to her, but she did not know if it was the ritual or the company that made it comforting.

"Oh don't look so misunderstood," Snape sighed. "As useless as Black is, I'm sure he can manage getting that house-elf of his to make you coffee in the mornings."

Sure, she could pour a cup for Cedric anywhere she was, but would it be the same? Without Snape's presence, his dark probing eyes and annoying comments, would she feel the same, or would her usual despair wash over her and drown her like it did in the evenings?

Penny nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She did not know how to feel, or what she was so upset about. Lupin was one of her favorite people in the world, she should be excited to see him. Not to mention, Penny always counted down the days in the summer until her and Harry would be free of the Dursleys again. And yet, she could not help the fact that she desperately did not want to go.

Penny and Snape did not continue their conversation but returned to their usual silence, Penny mulling over many things, forgetting how exhausted she was. Snape ignored her, absorbed in his reading until she finally mustered up the strength to share her one thought about Cedric that day. With that, Snape folded up his newspaper and made his way to the door.

For some reason the lack of a farewell disturbed Penny to her core and she felt compelled to run after him, stopping him just outside.

"What now, Potter?" Snape said, looking down his hooked nose on her.

"I won't see you tomorrow," Penny faltered.

"Astute."

Penny shifted uncomfortably beneath the dark eyes, uncertain how to say what was pressing on her mind.

"You know what, never mind, enjoy your summer," Penny said, feeling suddenly irritated.

"What's the matter, Potter, going to miss me?" he said, a smirk twisting across his lips.

"Hardly," she said, wryly.

"Good, because I'm not your crutch," he said, and then he turned on his heel and disapparated, leaving Penny seething on the spot.

She should have known his sudden thoughtfulness could not last, should not have been surprised by his insensitivity. Now she would have to wait until the start of term to pay him back, the cowardly man, disapparating like that, clearly he was just afraid Penny would have the last word.

For several blissful hours, Penny wandered Surrey, dwelling on her irritation at the potions master, and fantasizing about all the ways she would repay him, completely forgetting herself and her despair. But as she ascended the stairs to her and Harry's room, reality crashed in on her along with her exhaustion. The dark hallway stretched on ominously, reminding Penny of the tunnel that haunted her dreams. A tunnel she was always trying to escape.

Harry's door was locked, so Penny reached with her magic and let herself in. Harry was flat on his back on the bed, staring upward at the ceiling, looking thoroughly despondent. Hedwig was still missing, which surprised Penny. She expected someone would have replied to him immediately, considering the circumstances.

Feeling guilty for the night before, Penny stayed at the door, uncertain how to proceed, or whether or not it was a good idea to divulge to him she knew people were coming for them tonight. On the one hand, the information would certainly improve his mood, but on the other he would demand to know where she had received such information and Penny did not much fancy divulging to him how she'd been seeing Snape every morning. It just got into complicated territory, not only broaching his dislike of their potions master, but also getting uncomfortably close to the subject of grief.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

"No," he grunted, not bothering to look at her.

"Not eating won't make you feel better," Penny pressed.

"Funny, I've been telling you that all summer."

Not wanting to get into another row, Penny backed out of the room and made for her own room, locking herself in and plopping onto the bed. She stared at the dark ceiling, letting her exhausted mind fade out as she tried to recall the information from the potions book Snape had given to her when she'd been sent to the department of mysteries.

"Baruffio's Brain Elixir, designed to increase brain power, but difficult to get right. . .90% of the time has little to no effect. . ." she muttered to herself.

When she could stand this no longer, she sat up. The Dursley's had just left for some lawn competition and she could hear their car leaving the driveway. Waiting for Lupin to find her here like this on her bed was driving her insane. She knew those eyes would be full of emotions that would only prod the beast within her.

Perhaps the idea was stupid, compulsive, and ill-planned, but Penny found herself pulling open her window. A trellis was attached to the wall just below it. If she were careful, she could scale it and be long gone before anyone showed up. They could not take her if she was not there. Sure, it would be a hard thing to explain to her Aunt and Uncle come morning, but that task seemed much more doable than explaining to Lupin, the Weasleys and Hermione what she had been doing for her grief all summer.

With surprising agility, Penny made it down the entire trellis, jumping the last couple of feet. She'd thoroughly expected to fall and break something and was very proud of her effort. Muttering an apology to Harry's window, she jumped the garden wall and made a run for the street. She jogged for some time, enjoying the burning in her lungs and the pain in her legs. Anything that reminded her that a feeling other than the one in her chest existed was a welcome distraction.

Huffing and puffing, Penny stopped at a park and sat herself in an empty swing. The sky was clear and the stars were visible, something Penny hadn't seen since leaving Hogwarts. Wondering vaguely what life existed on those stars, she heard several loud voices come over the top of the hill and make their way toward the park.

It wasn't until they were several feet from her that Penny realized they were a group of boys who looked to be older than she was, like Cedric's age. . .

Penny's chest contracted and she got to her feet, she didn't know-to where-but she needed to go. Her abrupt movement caught their attention and they yelled at her.

"Where are you going honey, the party is over here!"

While Penny moved quickly, she did not move quickly enough. One of the boys caught her arm and forced her back around, the others closing in around her. Her vision blurring from the lack of oxygen, Penny tried to focus. Now was not the time for a panic attack, she needed to focus. But it was too far gone and there was no pulling herself free of the dread that was crashing over her, setting her senses on fire.

"She's a babe!," one boy said, stepping in to get a better look at her.

The one who had grabbed her took a hold of her other arm to keep her from escaping.

"Let me go," Penny choked, trying to pull free of his grip.

"Don't worry cutie, we're just here for a good time," he said, pulling her with him towards the playground equipment.

He twisted her around, and forced her onto the slide, pinning her to it, one hand pressing firmly on her stomach, the other reaching for his zipper.

"Oh, shit!" "Get it man!" came from behind him.

Fear twisted in Penny's gut beneath the vile hand that held her. Blinking hard against the stars in her vision, she counted four heads, awful odds. She could not use magic against them, afraid of the repercussions for breaking the statue of underage magic. In any normal situation, she could go undetected, but how was she going to explain magic to these muggles? The ministry would surely be on the scene before she figured it out.

Penny decided her best chance was to avoid a contest of strength, but she needed to pull herself together quickly because he was already forcing her legs roughly apart.

"I love skirts," he said, said, pushing hers up.

"You're disgusting!" Penny snarled, still trying to get a hold of her breathing. Being exposed already, she brought her leg as far back as possible and kicked her assailant in the nose. His hand preoccupied stroking himself, he took the blow full force, nose cracking beneath her shoe. Blood spurted from it and he yowled in pain.

Rolling over, Penny scrambled up the slide to the top of the equipment.

"Get the bitch!" followed her as the others began scaling the sides of the jungle gym. Penny gave one a good elbow to the jaw as she passed him, and stumbled as another tried to grab her ankle from between the bars. She broke free just as the third made it up the side and sprinted toward her. Penny scrambled away at full speed, flinging herself from the equipment, hoping to god she did not break her ankle when she landed on the cement.

The impact was hard, but she did not stop moving, listening to the yells and footfalls making chase. Penny was an excellent runner and loved it. However, she had not eaten properly for over a month, including not eating anything today, not to mention was exhausted from getting no sleep the night before. Because of this, she could feel herself losing steam and knew the boys would overtake her in no time. There was no way she would make it all the way home. In a last ditch effort, she took a sharp turn and entered the stretch of dark, back alleys that separated the park from 4 Privet Drive. She skidded around several corners, hoping to lose them. To her despair, the third turn Penny took was actually be a dead-end, a barbed wire fence standing between her and freedom.

Could she scale it? Their jeering was getting closer and backtracking could wind her up in their lap. Before she came to a decision, a cold hand closed on her mouth, pulling her backward into a tall frame.

"Quiet" the familiar voice hissed, stopping Penny's fear in her tracks.

Relief spread over her body, starting from the electric shock that came from his skin on hers.

She felt his slow breathing hot on her ear, so different from the hand clenching her mouth so hard, it was painful. He shook with rage, the kind of rage Penny normally ran away from, but this time it was not directed at her. They stood in the shadows like this, listening.

"You idiot, why'd you let her get away. Did you see how hot she was? Imagine those doe-eyes with my c*ck six inches in," one of them joked, sickening Penny.

At these words, his bruising hand released her, almost tossing her away from him into the wall behind her. She collided with it painfully, looking up momentarily to see the vehemence flash across his face.

"Stay here," he said, his voice so low, so calm, and so full of violent intent, that Penny did not need telling twice.

Looking at him. Penny suddenly understood who Severus Snape the Death Eater had been. Though Penny could not see what was happening, the yelling and pleading told her all she needed to know. She tried to close her ears, but her fight or flight response made her brain too alert.

After a few minutes, the scuffling and cries of pain died down, leaving an eerie silence in their place. Penny waited, trying to get her shaking under control, but Snape was looming over her before she managed to make any changes. Instinctively, she stepped back, but she was already pressed firmly against the wall.

He still had that look, the look of a Snape Penny did know and did not want to become acquainted with.

"Explain yourself," he said, quietly.

"I didn't want to go-I wasn't thinking," Penny stuttered.

"That much is evident. Do you know what vermin like that do to stupid girls?" spat Snape.

"Im not stupid," Penny said, standing up a bit straighter.

"Could have fooled me."

"Spare me your victim blaming," Penny said through gritted teeth, scanning the scene before her to determine the best way to escape the man.

"Ah, yes, I forgot, Penny Potter doesn't think common sense applies to her. No, she thinks reality should conform itself to her whims!" Snape said, his voice rising in anger.

"I went for a walk! You act like I put out an advert for mass murderers," Penny said, scathingly.

"You have been foolish and you refuse to admit it because you have been coddled, but what you have just narrowly avoided-" he seethed, hands in tight balls, shaking violently at his sides. "What they would have done to you-" he spat out, as though the words tainted him somehow.

"What are you looking for, a, thank-you-prince-charming-for-saving-my-virtue?" Penny said with a dry laugh. "That kind of thinking is as toxic as theirs," Penny went on, making her attempt to get past him.

"Where do you think you are going," he said, his lips barely moving, and his arm stretching out before her to stop her progress.

"We aren't at school, you don't get to tell me what to do," Penny said, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"That would be true if you had not left your house like a moron. Tasking me with the wasting of my evening on returning you to that good-for-nothing godfather of yours," Snape sneered.

"Well, I'm not going," Penny challenged. "Now get out of my way."

"No," he whispered.

He'd gone still, his voice in that danger zone. It was probably scarier than the fury she'd seen shaking through him a few minutes prior but she did not care.

"You will come with me and discontinue this useless tantrum of yours."

"Tantrum! That's rich considering you conveniently ignored me when I tried to tell you this morning why I didn't want to go! Were you scared, Severus ? Afraid that if you let me tell you how I felt you couldn't ridicule me later?"

The vein in his temple throbbed, but something flashed across his face when his name left her lips and left before Penny could decipher what it was.

"You'll excuse me if I don't wait with bated-breath on the musings of an arrogant child. I'm too accustomed to your emotional displays being a poorly veiled attempt at attention seeking," Snape said in a searing tone.

"I guess you are right, I am a fool. An utter fool for letting myself believe you actually cared enough to see me. These past weeks, the only time I've felt like I could breathe again was in your company, and today-I was afraid to wake up tomorrow not seeing the one person who makes me feel like living again," Penny said, quietly. "But I see now I was a complete idiot, and you're just a jackass who gets off on feeling superior. Now get out of my way," she growled, pushing against his arm.

His posture changed, the stiffness receding.

"Wait-"

"No!" Penny yelled, stomping hard on his foot.

Snape grunted and reached for the hurting extremity, allowing her passage. For the second time that night, she bolted. She knew he could easily immobilize her with a spell, but Penny had a hunch he would't. Using magic to restrain her would be a new low, even for him.

Penny rounded the corner at full speed and collided painfully with a solid form, nearly tumbling to her butt, but his pincer-like grasp imprisoned her.

"How the hell did you do that!"

He did not answer, instead, turning on his heel and taking her with him. Apparition was not Penny's favorite way to travel and she felt very close to vomiting when they landed. He started dragging her before she could even find her footing again, waving his wand to surround them in some sort of mist, which he assumed was to prevent attention from being drawn to them.

"You psychopath! You know this is kidnapping!"

"I asked nicely the first time," he said, coldly.

"You didn't ask at all, you just turned straight to violence. Didn't they ever teach you in preschool that violence solves NOTHING," Penny said, indignantly, tripping over herself to keep up with his pace.

"Shut up, Potter, I've heard enough of your nonsense for today," Snape snarled.

"And I've had enough of your manhandling, so if you'd get off me I'd be on my way!"

"SHUT UP!" he screamed, yanking her up some stairs, stopping in front of a door to wave his wand across.

It opened and he hoisted her across the threshold and dropped her unkindly on the floor, turning back to the door to wave his wind over it again, securing it back in place. Rolling onto her bum and rubbing her palms, she looked up into his seething features. At least she'd succeeded in pissing him off. Then she glanced around, they were not at the Burrow that was for sure.

They had stepped directly into a tiny sitting room, which had the feeling of a dark padded cell. The walls were completely covered in books, most of them bound in old black or brown leather; a threadbare sofa, an old armchair and a rickety table stood grouped together in a pool of dim light cast by a candle-filled lamp hung from the ceiling. The place had an air of neglect, as though it was not usually inhabited.

"You will be staying with me," he said, answering the question before it had even formed on her lips.

She stared at him, bewildered and then looked back at her surroundings-she was really sitting on the floor of Severus Snape's home.

The description of Snape's house was taken directly from HBP ITS NOT MY WORK!

AN: There will likely be quite a bit devoted to the summer because there have been so many things I've been looking forward to writing LIKE SIRIUS PENNY LUPIN AND SNAPE all in a room. The dynamics will be glorious :) But for now, I couldn't resist the staying at Snape's place trope.