Chapter 7:
School was back in session, students went through the halls noisily talking about their 'eventful' lives. Severus was back to his snarky self, Hermione and the group threw themselves back into their school work, determined to do their best in every subject having each other, minus Ginny, check each other's work. It was late one Thursday evening in the library and the students were scarce, but there was one table crowded with students, those students were the Golden Trio of Gryffindor, Malfoy, Pansy, Milly and Ginny. All were so sucked into their homework that none of them noticed that there was a short figure approaching them.
"Well, Well, if it isn't the little Gryffindor slut and her 'possy'." Said the figure.
"Go away, we are busy," Hermione said not even looking up from her book.
"You got my best friend in trouble and you just expect me to be ok with that?"
"Leave her alone, Crabbe, Goyle did that to himself." Draco said finally looking away from his book.
"No, he told me she made him do it so, actually, it is her fault."
"Crabbe, if you keep picking on Hermione we are going to have a problem," Millicent said.
"WE don't have a problem at all." And with that, he was gone. Not even taking a second look before he was out of site.
The group was sadly mistaken when they thought that Crabbe would leave the group alone. The next day they were traveling through the halls one evening after classes simply walking to take a break from it all. Suddenly there was a rustle behind them and all of them froze.
"Did you hear that?" Pansy asked.
"Yeah," Harry said, "Let's keep moving, it's probably just a first year hiding from a professor or something."
The group trecked on through the halls. With their wands in hand, ready for anything.
"You know, I really thought that a group this big would have had a bigger brain to always take your wands out when there is a suspicious noise behind them," said a so very familiar voice. Suddenly he grabbed Hermione by the arm and pulled her away from the group.
"Crabbe, are you nuts, leave her alone."
"No she needs to be punished just as Greg was," he yelled, "He had potential!"
"and he threw it away because he hit her," Pansy said.
"NO!!!"
"You would be wise to unhand my fiancé Mr. Crabbe, I don't do well when people handle things that don't belong to them."
Everyone turned and out of the shadows came two figures, appeared. They both flicked their wrists and light came out of their wands. Two faces were illuminated, Snape and McGonagall.
"Professors, we were trying but he won't listen to us." Harry said.
"Mr. Crabbe, please release my student," McGonagall said pointing her wand at the two away from the group.
"No, she is going to pay for what she did." He grabbed her wrist and twisted hard, everyone heard a snap and a scream. Hermione collapsed hard to her knees as Crabbe still had a hold of her wrist.
"Stupify!" Severus shouted.
Crabbe collapsed into a heap on the floor in front of Hermione. The two professors went to Hermione's side while the other students took care to get Crabbe out of the way, but the care wasn't toward their old friend, actually as they were propping him up against the wall, they hit his head against the wall, by accident of course.
"Hermione, Hermione look at me," Severus said, dropping his professor persona
She refused to look at him so he lifted her chin gently with his hand, when he saw her face, it broke his heart. She had tears streaming down her face. She realized that a man was touching her and she pulled away but not before screaming again.
"Hermione," Minerva said, "Hermione it's us your alright now, talk to us."
Hermione looked at her mentor and decided that she couldn't hide anymore she broke down. She leaned into Severus and sobbed into his chest.
"Professor McGonagall," Pansy asked, "What can we do?"
"I think it would best if you all went to your common rooms, I will send you all an owl in the morning and let you all know of her condition." And without another word, all took one last look at their friend, they all left the corridor.
Severus scooped up the young girl and he and Minerva walked to the Hospital Wing. There he set her on one of the many open beds in the middle of the room while Minerva went to fetch Poppy. She didn't wipe the tears slowly evaporating on her face, she didn't talk and she didn't look at anyone she just stared straight ahead.
"Hermione, are you going to talk to me?" Nothing. "Hermione I can't help you if you don't talk to me." Still nothing. As if on cue, Minerva and Poppy showed up around the corner.
"How is she Severus," Minerva asked.
"I don't know Minerva, she won't talk to me."
Minerva moved over to her Gryffindor and laid a gentle hand upon her shoulder, "Miss Granger, how are you, can you talk to us." She didn't get a response either.
"OK you two move so that I can help her." She diagnosed that Hermione had a broken wrist and her knees were bruised. "Ok I have healed her and now she needs to eat, her blood sugar is extremely low. Miss Granger can you eat for me." Still no response.
Severus took this moment to announce. "I am going to go finish my rounds."
"Severus, you should be here for her, she needs you."
"Minerva, you saw the way that she reacted in the hall. The last thing she needs right now is a person with a Y chromosome coming over to her begging her to talk to him. Please stay with her, and if she needs me then call for me." And with that he was gone. Minerva turned back toward her student and sighed, this was going to be a long night.
"Hermione, you need to eat please eat." Poppy Pleaded.
"Poppy, you can leave her; I'll take care of her." Poppy disappeared back into her office.
When the door closed, Hermione broke down once again but this time she didn't lean into anyone, she pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face. Minerva looked hurt, she sat on the bed in front of Hermione and rubbed small circles on her back as she cried.
"I can't do this professor," she cried.
"Do what Hermione?"
"Any of it, the marriage, the fighting, the hiding."
"What hiding?"
"I am suffering Professor; I don't sleep, I have visions of him coming back and finishing what he started. Severus can't do anything, he will come for me in time, Crabbe is simply the messenger for now."
"Hermione do you realize, that Severus would jump in front of the killing curse for you?"
"Sure he would, he has a past to make up for, he doesn't deserve me, he deserves someone like Lilly or a perfect Slytherine. I am a mere kitten amongst lions. I can't keep fighting, I'm losing," She buried her face back in her knees and sobbed.
"Hermione," the transfiguration professor dropped her stern look, "Do you realize that you have gone through something almost tragic, most of those Slytherin's can't compare. Mr. Malfoy has an abusive father, that I am sure you know. But his abusive parent isn't one that vowed love; Purebloods like that have their kids for one reason, to continue their name. Goyle promised to protect you, and he didn't. You stood your ground as long as you could; you stood till you couldn't stand anymore."
"I'm scared professor," Hermione admitted to her knees.
"Scared about what, that Severus will do the same," Hermione was silent confirming her answer, "My dear child, first of all, Severus is terrified of hurting you, he feels that anyone bearing the signs of a male cause you pain, hence why he isn't here, second of all. He couldn't hurt a fly, at least one that hadn't done something to him. He had a rough childhood, one that can't be undone and he did something that was almost unforgivable had he not had the reasons he did. I do recall when I first met him as a colleague instead of a student, He admitted to me that he didn't want to bestow his cruel life upon another, it was his personal hell. He swore to me that he would rather die than to do that to another living being."
"People evolve professor, those thoughts could change."
"Even if they did, I can promise you that if he laid one hand to you that wasn't out of love, I would kill him myself, that's not fair to you or to anyone else. I love you as if you were my own daughter, I can swear to you that if I had known what was going on behind your closed door, I would have done something, it wouldn't have gone as far as it did."
Hermione chuckled a little, "I don't think that any man in their right mind would want to upset any Scottish woman with a temper, let alone one that has a wicked tongue and a more vicious wand.
Both women laughed at the thought and then Hermione thought, "So where do we go now professor?"
"I think it would be best if first thing tomorrow you talked to him, don't postpone it, it will only become harder for both of you."
"Ok, could you tell him to be here at eight?"
"Are you sure that you want to do that? You need rest."
"Yes, I actually feel safe when he wakes me, he does it gently, it's better than waking to an awful obnoxious muggle alarm clock," Hermione said thoughtfully smirking.
"Very well, I will go send him an owl now," Minerva said as she got up to leave.
"Professor, do you think that you could stay with me here? I don't want to be alone, even if Crabbe is in a confined area."
"Sure, I will go talk to Poppy." She confirmed her presence for the evening and went back to her student. She held her hand as the young witch fell asleep. As soon as she was breathing evenly, she grabbed her wand and sent her patronous, a cat naturally, to Severus telling him of his fiancé's request. The two slept till morning.