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Resolution	By : chrmisha Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 8076 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Resolution : Chapter 2 of 13

It was near morning when her screams woke her once again. Her chest was pounding, her face wet, her hands shaking. Swallowing against the fear that hadn�t yet subsided, she reached for her journal. Maybe if I write it down it will go away.

ENTRY 18: Lucius has found me and I�m back at the Malfoy mansion. Lucius is livid that I escaped and he�s making me pay for it. He has the knife again and he�s cutting me. Draco is screaming for him to stop, but now Lucius knows that Draco is a traitor too. He forces Draco to watch as he marks my skin, drawing blood, smearing it everywhere. The pain is excruciating. The more I scream out, the deeper he cuts. But soon, even that isn�t enough. Lucius decides he wants more of me. He tells me I�m not wet enough for him, not big enough for him. At that, Draco thrashes wildly at the restraints holding him. I�ve long since stopped fighting the invisible bonds that restrain me; there�s no use. Still, as Lucius slowly drags the knife up my inner thigh, a trail of blood following in its wake, I can�t help but struggle as the fear mounts. And then the knife is there, and I scream out in pain as I feel it plunging deep inside of me, once, twice, three times. The world begins to fade to black as pain overwhelms my senses, but Lucius grabs my face, his vicious eyes locking with mine, forcing me to remain conscious as he pulls the knife out and thrusts himself inside of me. I look to Draco then, the pain racking my body etched clearly on his face. �Please kill me, Draco, please�� I beg. �Please.�

Hermione snapped the journal shut, unable to write anymore. This nightmare was the one she had the most. She could see it as clearly during the day as she did at night. She began to wonder if it had really happened or not. The less she slept, the less she was able to distinguish between the reality she lived in and the nightmares that haunted her.

She had started using charms to cover the dark circles under her eyes and putting thumbtacks in her shoes to keep herself awake at meal times when the family kept a close eye on her. When she had no other obligations, like Ron or Harry or Ginny, she would lock herself in her room under the guise of studying. The only book she could manage to concentrate on was a book called Magical Plants and Potion Making by Herbert Seymour. She devoured everything in that book, searching endlessly for some magic combination of herbs that would erase her memory, stop the nightmares, drown out the pain. She had yet to come up with a suitable solution.

She had thought about asking Severus for something, but then she would have to admit to him that she had been living a lie, telling everyone she was just fine when she obviously was not. She could no more admit to him or anyone else that she was struggling than she could admit it to herself.

***

Both Harry and Ron were there that Friday evening, and they insisted on taking Hermione to a Muggle movie.

�No one will know you there, Hermione,� Harry reminded her.

�Yeah, and it will be loads of fun! We�ll go see a comedy.�

Reluctantly, she agreed, knowing she didn�t have much choice. It was an American movie, and it was supposed to be funny. It was a comedy about a high school boy�s fantasies for his older, more experienced school teacher. Harry and Ron thought it was hilarious, but Hermione just cringed at all the sexual jokes, knowing she would never think of sex the same way again. Never would it be carefree and full of fantasies as in this movie; never would it be romantic or enjoyable or intimate.

When they arrived back at the Burrow, she collapsed on her bed in utter exhaustion. She was asleep before she even had a chance to bid the dragons good night.

When she awoke, there was darkness everywhere. She was on the floor: a cold, hard floor. She tried to move, but something was holding her down. She caught a familiar scent but she was too tired to place it. As she fought to stay awake long enough to figure out what was going on, the hair on the back of her neck stood up. There was someone else in the room. She could feel his presence, his tall figure looming over her.

�Welcome back, Miss Granger,� his cold voice drawled. �Did you miss me?�

Her heart slammed into her throat. The scent was that of the Malfoy mansion. Lucius had found her. She thrashed against her bindings but it was no use.

�Where�s Draco?�

�Draco can�t save you now, Miss Granger. The pathetic boy couldn�t even save himself. I�m afraid I had to kill him. He was just too much trouble.�

As the clouds moved across the sky, moonlight filtered in through the only window in the room. In the light and the shadows she could see Lucius standing over her with something in his hand. At first she thought it was his wand, but when the light glinted from its shiny surface, she knew what it was: the dagger.

Trembling in fear, she averted her gaze, only to have it fall upon the lifeless form of Draco lying in the corner.

�You didn�t answer my question, Miss Granger,� Lucius said, stepping forward. �Did you miss me?�

Her throat was dry, no words came. She watched in horror as he approached her, wielding the knife in front of him, taunting her.

�You�ve been a very bad girl, Miss Granger, running away from me like that. You need to be punished.�

She turned her head away, tears springing to her eyes.

She screamed as the dagger slashed across her abdomen. He forced her to look at the wound.

�It�s only a flesh wound, Miss Granger. It won�t kill you.� And then he brought the dagger back down, making another deep cut across her tender skin.

She thrashed wildly against the dagger that continued to slash across her stomach, her legs, her arms. Lucius was speaking to her, but his words were drowned out by her screams.

Suddenly, she was gagging on something. Blood, she thought. He must have slit her throat. Instinctively, she put her hands to her neck. They weren�t bound anymore. She gasped for air and coughed.

Strong arms encircled her from behind, holding her still. She tried to struggle against them, but they were too strong. In the distance she could hear a voice, a man�s voice. It was calling her name, her first name. It was soothing and soft and gentle. She stopped struggling, trying to hear the words.

�Hermione, it�s okay, you�re okay. You�re safe now. I won�t let him hurt you. I promise.�

The strong arms loosened their grip as she relaxed into him. He was rocking her gently, she noted, as she leaned her head back against his firm chest, calmed by the sound of his beating heart.

Was this a dream or was this real? She wasn�t sure. It felt familiar though, like she had been here before. She tried to remember where �here� was, but then she was floating away, her thoughts flitting from her mind.

***

Harry stood silently behind the slightly cracked door, listening in awe to the drawl of the most intimidating professor at Hogwarts. He had never heard Severus Snape speak so gently or so kindly in all his life. He didn�t think the man was capable of it. He had known Hermione had spent the first month after her ordeal with Snape, hidden away in his chambers for her own protection, but Harry had never dreamed that Snape, evil Potions Master extraordinaire, had been anything but civil to her. He listened in stunned disbelief at the caring, concerned tone in his voice as well as his gentle, calming words. Snape was using her first name as well. Maybe the man accidentally ingested some of the potions he had brought for Hermione.

Harry had been against summoning the Potions Professor at first, but no one could seem to wake Hermione from her nightmare and if one of Snape�s potions could help her, he was all for it. Harry couldn�t stand to watch Hermione suffer.

It had been Arthur that had gone to fetch Snape at the castle in the middle of the night. Snape would surely be livid at being interrupted in the middle of the night to help a Muggleborn Gryffindor know-it-all who was suffering from nightmares. And Snape had not dissuaded Harry from his views. Snape arrived in a flurry, as seemingly disgruntled and foul-tempered as ever. He had taken one look at Hermione, cowering on the floor screaming, and ordered everyone out, even mothering Molly, who was quite upset by his dismissal of her. But he had come bearing potions, potions that could help Hermione, so no one dared cross him.

Harry had not been dissuaded in his views until this very moment, when he had crept up the stairs to check on the infamous Potions Professor who had given them all such grief while they were students at Hogwarts. Now Harry stood still, afraid to breath for fear that Snape might discover his presence. This man was not the Potions Master they all knew and hated. This man was someone else entirely.

***

Hermione awoke the next morning feeling well rested for the first time since she had arrived at the Burrow. She stretched in the early morning sunlight, recalling that she�d actually had a good dream the night before. She couldn�t quite recall all of the details, but she remembered feeling safe and protected and loved. She smiled before a frown quickly crossed her face. It wasn�t real. He wasn�t real, whoever he was. And he never would be. No one would ever love her, not after what had happened to her.

Just then, there was a soft knock at the door.

�Come in,� she called.

�Harry? What are you doing here? I thought you went back to your flat last night.� Looking at him closer, she said, �And you look awfully tired.�

He just smiled and sat beside her on the bed. �How are you feeling?�

�Quite well, actually. I had a good dream last night, the first time in a long time.�

Harry smiled. �Anything to do with a man wrapping you up in his arms and making you feel safe?�

Hermione stared at him in disbelief. �How did you know?�

�It wasn�t a dream, Hermione, Professor Snape was here last night.�

Hermione brought her hand to her chest, her heart beating faster. �Here? Why?�

�You were having nightmares and we couldn�t wake you. He gave you a potion to help you sleep.�

�Oh,� was all she said, as everything began to click into place. She had been so tired that she fell asleep without casting the silencing charms on her room.

�He�s not like what I thought. He was very different with you. He didn�t know I was watching.�

Hermione laughed. �Who would have guessed that Professor Snape had a heart?�

At that, they both laughed. Who indeed.

***

Severus had left several potions behind: dreamless sleep potions, anxiety relieving tonics, and various other bottles that Molly had catalogued and carefully put away. Hermione sent Severus a quick owl to thank him for helping her. The letter was short and to the point. She left out the parts about how she missed him, how she longed to be in his arms where she felt safe, how he was the only one who seemed to be able to take away her pain. But she didn�t say any of those things. She was nothing to him, really. Just someone he�d had to keep safe for a short period of time. Surely by now he had moved on with his life. Still, he had come to the Burrow in the middle of the night to ease her pain, and for that, she would be forever grateful.

With the aid of the dreamless sleep potion that Severus had left, as well as some of the calming and anxiety relieving tonics, Hermione was able to enjoy the rest of her summer relatively nightmare free. The occasional flashback would still haunt her, but as time went by, she began to lean on Ginny more and tell her little bits of what had happened. She left out most of the details, but it was still refreshing to have someone to talk to about her fears. Both she and Ginny were heading off to university in less than two weeks. Ginny had a scholarship to Worcester Witches� College in Wales while Hermione would be returning to Gladwick University for Witches and Wizards. She had managed to catch up on most of her subjects now that her ability to concentrate had mostly returned, and she was cautiously looking forward to going back to school and moving on with her life.
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Resolution