The Truth Shall Set You Free

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.

Chapter Six: The Truth Shall Set You Free

“Please, tell me it’s not who I think it is.”

Hermione took Harry’s hand and indicated the chair next to the fireplace. A magical window seeped mid-morning light, and the sunbeam cast a streak across the floor, even though it was the dead of night outside. The false morning did absolutely nothing to warm her bones. The dread of having to explain all of what had happened to her since her departure, to her best friend, daunted her.

“Sit down, Harry,” she commanded and watched as the young man sat heavily onto the overstuffed wingback chair. He looked so forlorn and dejected that she felt her heart rush out to him. This was one of the hardest situations in which she had ever found herself. She paced back and forth between him and the hearth, trying to come up with the best way of saying what she wanted to without sounding like a victim. Yes, she was a victim, but in all honesty, Severus was just as much a victim in this too. She paused before him and spoke softly.

“First off, Harry, it’s not what you are thinking–”

“What do you know of what I’m thinking?” Harry burst out angrily, his eyes flashing. He pointed a jabbing finger toward the door where the taller man exited earlier with the baby. “Is it him? Is he the father of your child?”

Hermione turned away from his fury and felt the dense coldness of the dungeon seeping through her clothing. The combination of the cold, damp dungeon, and the fear of losing one of her friends, caused her to shake violently. Immediately, she felt arms encircling her from behind, turning her around and pulling her close against his chest. She found herself sobbing into her best friend’s chest.

For several minutes, she stood enveloped in Harry’s arms, letting the pain and sorrow out in the form of tears and hiccups. He held onto her and murmured soft words of comfort into her hair. Letting her know that he was there for her and, with just a touch, letting her know also that he always would be.

Forever.

Finally, she pulled back and sniffed loudly. Harry reached into his pocket, pulled out a bright red bandana and handed it to her. She took it gratefully, and wiped at her face with the cloth, giving him a smile of thanks.

“Thank you, Harry. I mean, I think I needed that. I haven’t had a good cry in, oh, hours.” She gave him a tired grin before tucking the cloth into her sleeve to clean before giving it back.

“Tell me now,” said Harry, speaking softly and clamping his hands on her shoulders in a vise-like grip as he did so. “Is Snape the father?”

“Yes, Harry, Professor Snape is the father… but… ”

“What happened?” Harry whispered as he held her close. “Did he force you? Did he rape you? Come on, Hermione. I know you don’t love him or even like him. You wouldn’t have just gone to him willingly.”

She nodded her head sadly. He had already guessed so much. She swallowed hard and turned her back to him once more, not able to look him directly in the eyes, but felt him pulling her back against his chest. She did not resist it and leaned back into the comfort of his body. “You’re partially right, Harry, I was forced. But…” She felt his embrace tighten at her words and felt more than heard the sharp intake of his breath. She clamped down on his arms around her waist to stop him from running out to confront Severus. “But!” she continued. “He wasn’t the one that forced me.”

“What the hell does that mean, Hermione? Didn’t you just say that Snape was the father?” There was confusion in Harry’s voice.

“Yes, but, Harry, in a way, Sev… I mean… Snape was raped too.”

She felt Harry’s arms tighten around her again and felt his breath on the back of her neck as his forehead came down to rest on the top of her head.

“Imperio,” said Harry slowly. It was more of a statement than question as the realization of what she was saying sank in.

“Yes, it was Lucius Malfoy.” She felt a hiss of breath escape from him and she turned back to face the anger in his expression. “So, you see, it’s not Severus’s fault nor mine. It was Malfoy’s.”

His eyes bored into hers. “You’re sure it’s Snape’s? There's absolutely no room for doubt? I mean, Malfoy didn’t… ”

She shook her head at that and looked down at the ground. “No, it’s Severus’s, Harry. I haven’t… ever… before him, and Malfoy, well, he just watched.”

“But why didn’t Snape… I mean, when you disappeared he kind of seemed to revel in it.”

She felt her blood run cold at that and looked back towards the door that the man in question had passed through with their son.

“Reveled?”

“Well, maybe not reveled, but he didn’t seem too concerned that you ran away.”

She sighed again and turned away from him once more. “Because, as far as he was concerned he had no reason to be… worried.”

“But he had just raped you! How the fuck could he not be concerned?” Harry bellowed angrily.

“Because I erased his memory of it!” she bellowed back at him.

Harry paused and stared at her as if she had lost her mind. “Are you mental? Why did you do that?”

“Because… ” she started. She sat heavily in the chair he had abandoned and gave him such a lost expression that he crossed back to her and kneeled before her taking her hand in his. “You didn’t see him after it was over.” She let him run his fingers over her palm as she allowed her mind go back to that fateful day, if only briefly, to remember the face of the broken man who had hidden from her that night. “You didn’t see the man that Malfoy left behind.”

“Tell me,” Harry encouraged but she shook her head.

“I can’t. At least not until I tell him first.” She indicated the door with a nod of her head.

“You mean he still has no idea?”

She frowned and nodded. “He knows that he’s Sebastian’s father, he knows that he took me. But he doesn’t know what happened or how it happened. I haven’t given him back the memories yet. But I will… soon.”

“How soon?”

She looked back at the door as soft sounds started to come from beyond indicating that Sebastian was once more awake.

“Tonight. I don’t think Severus will want to wait too long. I don’t think he’s happy not knowing what happened.”

“Do you want me to… uh… ”

She gave him a smile and patted his hand with her free one. “No, Harry, you won’t have to be here. But I may need you afterward. Are you staying here for good?”

Harry grinned and nodded. “Yeah. Professor Dumbledore owled me this morning, telling me to come back. He said that he felt that something major was going to happen. He pretty much stated that I was to be brought back without fuss. So, what could I do? Here I am, and Ron will be here next week. He was a bit muddled as to why I was asked to return and not him, but now I understand. I think Professor Dumbledore knew that Ron wouldn’t understand this.”

She closed her eyes wondering how she was going to explain all of this to Ron next week.

“Will you help me with Ron? Help me to explain?”

“Of course, Hermione… I–”

They both looked up as the door opened and a very white knuckled Severus stood standing there with a howling baby in his arms.

“Hermione… Help.”