The resulting silence would have been deafening had it not been for Severus' phone and the music emanating from it.
"Excuse me?" Severus' voice was deadly steel wrapped in velvet, and sharp as a blade. If one didn't know him or hadn't had him as a teacher for their seven years at Hogwarts, they would be unaware of the anger warring behind the hope that his ears had deceived him, like a rubber band waiting to snap.
"I was raped." Her voice was small and meek in comparison.
"When." He growled, the question sounding more like a statement.
"After the ministry gala, two weeks ago." She began fidgeting with her fingers and chewing her lip, a nervous tick he noticed years ago. Fear was written plainly across her face, and Severus forced himself to let go of a miniscule amount of his anger. Bringing up his occlumency shields, he steadied himself for the next question.
"Who was it, Miss. Granger?" He saw her tremble and begin a war in herself that he had seen on many a face of half-blood Slytherins in his care over the years. Quickly, he took a liberty.
"Hermione. Don't you dare defend whoever it was. I believe you. Hermione, I believe you." He did not touch her, did not offer more comfort than his words, and they seemed to be enough and she was grateful.
"We were drunk. I kept saying 'no', kept trying to get him off me but." Her words stuttered to the tears falling freely down her face. "He didn't listen, he wouldn't move."
"His name, Hermione. Being drunk excuses nothing." His voice was calm, almost soothing, and she trembled.
"It was Ron. I didn't want to hurt him, figured if I laid still, he would stop, ask what was wrong. But he didn't. I was a virgin. He took that from me." She sobbed hard with that last admission. She was frustrated, hurt, and in front of Professor Snape. But she had no where to run, no one to believe her. Snape said he did. She trusted him. If he said he believed her, she believed him. Severus could see the gears turning in the young woman's head, could see the relief that sagged her perfect posture, even in crying.
"Hermione, if I may?" She nodded. "You were friends with him for most of your childhood. Did you foresee this to happen?"
"No, I knew he liked me, but I knew we were wrong for each other. I may have kissed him in celebration as I did everyone, but never sober and never to lead him on."
"Why did you not go to Molly? From what I remember, she is fond of you."
"Fond in public. That trash Skeeter wrote of me in our fourth year during the Triwizard Tournament? She believed it. Ron is her baby boy; she'd never believe me over him." Her voice was gaining strength, her tears slowed to a trickle.
"Did you not go to your own parents? What about Ginerva and Potter?"
"Ginny and Harry are busy being parents, Ron is their brother. I can't ruin that for them. My parents.. My parents don't know they have a daughter and they live in Australia."
"Hermione, you mean to tell me you Obliviated them? During the war, it must've been your sixth year?"
"Yes, I had to keep them safe." Severus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, he motioned to the couch. He stood while she sat.
"Is there anything you aren't telling me? Like perhaps, why you need my expertise?"
Hermione fidgeted again, tense and unsure. "I think I might be pregnant." Severus stared, once again dumbstruck.
"And what could I do about that?" Severus asked, curious to her answer. Hermione let the silence linger, staring past Snape and into the crème colored wall behind him. Her voice took on a robotic quality when she spoke, "I want it gone."
AN: Another cliffy I know. Stick with me if you can, it does get better and less messy. However, if you aren't pro-choice or open-minded, I suggest you stop here. This topic isn't for debating in my reviews/comments. Ive gone through some stuff, as such I'm not interested in your views on that. Constructive crit welcome, of course. Nothing is mine, just the plot and any OC's. Ciao!