Chapter 5

A/N: Again, my humble thanks to my beta, Shellsnapeluver, and to all of you who have continued to read and review!

***

"Hermione! This isn't fair! You can't take up all the hot water!" whined Lavender Brown, who was standing in front of the bathroom door, yelling at it.

Pavarti rushed in and said to the furious girl, "What is wrong?"

"I'm trying to get in to take a damn shower before bed and Hermione has warded the fucking door! Bitch!" she screamed loudly as she gave the door a kick in frustration.

Pavarti rolled her eyes. "I'll get Ginny. She knows how to undo Hermione's wards."

A moment later, Ginny walked into the dorm room, looking concerned, pushed Lavender aside, and began to remove Hermione's complicated wards.

"What the hell?" said Lavender after Ginny had pushed her aside. "Who the hell do you think you are?" she snapped.

"Shut it, Lavender," snapped Ginny as she concentrated on the wards.

Finally, the redheaded girl successfully broke the wards, slammed open the door and ran inside. A horrific scream pierced Lavender's ears, and a chill shot up her spine. Lavender looked at Pavarti in alarm and together the two Gryffindors dashed inside. Lavender heard mumbling coming from the final shower stall and motioned for Pavarti to her side. They yanked back the curtain and screamed when they discovered a soaking wet Ginny holding a naked, bloody Hermione. There was blood everywhere, streaming from Hermione's body. Lavender couldn't tell where the injury had originated from; it seemed every vein in her body had burst and she was bleeding to death. Lavender knelt down next to Ginny's side. The water was freezing cold now, so she quickly turned the water off. Ginny yelled for a towel, and Pavarti ran back to cabinet where the all the linens were kept. Lavender sat frozen as she watched Ginny cradle her best friend. She could see Hermione was murmuring something to Ginny, and the redhead was nodding in return. Lavender felt her brain was numb. She couldn't make any sense of the mangled mess Hermione had made of her body.

Ginny shook her out of her stupor. "Lavender, get help, now! Get McGonagall!" she yelled.

Lavender ran out of the bedroom, in her dressing robe, ignoring the wolf whistles as she ran past the common room and dashed out the door. She was beside herself. Okay, okay, I have to get McGonagall! she thought hurriedly.

She ran down the corridor towards the staircases and saw Professor Snape coming around the corner. Oh shit! She tried to run past him, but he stuck his arm out, blocking her path, catching her by the waist. She began to scream for him to release her and fruitlessly tried to kick him in order to fight off his grip.

"Miss Brown!" he thundered. "You will desist this minute!"

Lavender was desperate to find Professor McGonagall. She didn't want Snape knowing what was happening in Gryffindor Tower. She continued to strain against him whilst sobbing. She felt herself begin to hyperventilate. Snape must have noticed her distress. He began to shush her and took hold of her arms gently.

"Miss Brown," he said kindly. "Miss Brown, calm down," he whispered softly as he stroked her arms and straightened her robe. "Tell me what is wrong," he said, coaxing her to regain self-control.

Lavender gulped and took a breath. "I have to get McGonagall! I-It's H-Hermione Granger! Blood, dying, I-I...she was in the s-shower and Ginny, blood everywhere!" She started to cry again when she saw Snape's face go pale with alarm. He grabbed her wrist and made her run back with him back to Gryffindor Tower.

"Password, girl!" he snarled as they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Willy-Nilly" she said breathlessly.

The door opened to the common room as gasps, and shrieks came out from the crowd as Professor Snape strode in with Lavender Brown in tow. He had her by her upper arm in a death grip, but she wasn't going to dare struggle from him.

Whispers came from everyone. What the bloody hell is going on? Why was Professor Snape in Gryffindor Tower? Why was he with Lavender? Didn't she just run out of here? Are they shagging? Naw, he wouldn't be seen with her if he were shagging her, you pillock!

The muttering continued as Lavender led the Professor up to the seventh-year girls' dormitory.

***

Lavender Brown led Snape toward the bathroom, where he threw open the door. His eyes darted around the room, and noticed Miss Patil sitting in a corner of the bathroom covered in blood, sobbing. She pointed a shaky, bloody hand to a shower stall. He braced himself as he strode towards the far stall. He gathered his thoughts as he ripped the curtain back. His eyes made immediate contact with Miss Weasley, and in her arms lay Hermione, covered in copious amounts of thick, dark, blood. Her face was pale as death. It was too much for his mind to comprehend. His heart felt it was going to burst from the pain that racked his chest. He tried to remain in control of his feelings, but his voice betrayed him. He let out an anguished choke at the sight in front of him.

Ginny Weasley was clutching the naked, limp, and bloody form of Hermione like she were a broken doll in need of tender handling. She was holding her gently and looked at her soothingly, whispering words of comfort to the unconscious girl. Ginny was soaked to the skin and was shivering terribly. However, she seemed unaware of her own condition; Hermione was all that mattered to her. Her red hair clung to her face as she smoothed the blood-matted hair of Hermione's away from her face. There was a blood soaked towel that had been used and discarded in the corner of the stall. The witch's body was a mangled mess of slashes and blood. Ginny tried to keep Hermione modest while Professor Snape conjured a stretcher and levitated her on it. Miss Patil handed him another towel, and he laid it over her, covering her nakedness as he levitated her out and into the common room. The three girls followed.

They came down the stairs back into the common room. The Gryffindors there rushed towards them, talking at once.

"Ginny, what happened?"

"Lavender, why was Snape dragging you back here?"

"Professor," began one student.

"GET BACK!" Snape barked as he continued to levitate Hermione's stretcher out of the common room. He stood glaring at the students with barely concealed fury. "One more word, and I shall remove every house point you own!" he threatened viciously.

The Gryffindors backed down and got out of the way. Some looked at the girls curiously. However, they all shook their heads tersely and remained silent, following Professor Snape silently to the infirmary as if mourners.

***

Snape banged through the doors of the hospital wing. The wooden doors crashed against the walls as he strode like a thunderstorm through the entrance.

"POPPY!" he bellowed as he went about getting Hermione settled in a bed. He circled around looking for the best place to put her where she could have privacy. He levitated the stretcher to the far wall and snapped his fingers at the three girls to follow him.

Madam Pomfrey dashed of her office, breathless, saying, "My goodness, Professor Snape! Must you..." She stopped and quickly sped over to the stretcher and looked at the pale face of Hermione Granger. She looked at the two bloodstained girls and signaled Snape to get the girl onto a bed.

He stripped down the blankets and sheets with one hand while he continued to levitate the stretcher with his wand hand. As he worked, he heard Madam Pomfrey sharply question the girls. They were all talking at once.

"Door locked..."

"Ginny came and unwarded it..."

"Hermione bleeding from cutting and collapsed!"

"Severus, go into my personal stores and get Blood-Replenishing Potion. Here...take my wand. You can't access my stores without it," she explained as she pressed the thin rod into Snape's palm.

Without a word, he strode towards the back room while Poppy gently pulled back the towel. He glanced out of corner of his eye the mediwitch's gasp of horror at the bloody sight before her. He wished he could just snap his fingers and Hermione's body would be pristine and whole. He wanted to stop and return to her bedside and remain with her, but he couldn't. He hurried to the large wooden door and unwarded it. He searched the many small drawers and cupboards and saw the label for Blood- Replenishing Potion. He grabbed a large full beaker and dashed back into the infirmary where he could see the full extent of the witch's injuries.

An ashen-faced Hermione lay with cut marks all over her arms and thighs. On her stomach was the word UGLY that appeared recent but not from this night. Above her breasts was the word SWOT. It was fresh and recently clotted.

Poppy gasped and tried to cover her from Snape's eyes, but he pushed her aside. He balled up his anger, revulsion, and fear and forced it down inside him where he could control it while he began to administer the Blood-Replenishing Potion to Hermione. It was uncommonly quiet. There were no more hushed whimpers and sobs. He glanced upwards and saw the three girls looking at him with concern and fear.

Madam Pomfrey had been standing in shock until this point. She placed her hand on Snape's shoulder. "Professor Snape!" Madam Pomfrey screeched. "This is most irregular! You should not be seeing her in this condition!" she hissed.

"Poppy, shut up!" he bellowed as he began testing her vitals. He opened one of the unconscious girl's eyelids open and passed his palm over it and removed it quickly to check the dilation of her eyes. "Get me more Potion!" he growled to the mediwitch as he absent-mindedly thrust her wand back into her hand. His eyes never left Hermione's face. Her lips were gray, he noted, as he passed a thumb over them. He stripped off his teaching robes and overcoat and began to examine the wounds. He noticed blood slowly seeping from between her legs. He gently pushed her legs apart to see the inside of her thighs.

"Shit!" he swore softly.

He jerked his head towards the three girls who had been silently staring at him with wide, concerned eyes and glowered at them. "Well, what do have to say? You are all her friends, right? Why the bloody hell didn't you inform anyone about this?" he shouted in a fit of rage. He wanted to throttle all of them for being so blind and stupid!

Ginny stepped forward, apparently not afraid of the wizard.

"We didn't know, and believe me, we tried to find out! All we knew was that something was wrong. Even though she was looking more posh with her new hair-do and make-up, we still knew something was wrong, but we never thought this!" she said in whispered horror.

Snape glided his hands lightly across the words carved on her body.

"Professor, do you think someone did this at first and then she just began doing to herself?" Pavarti asked softly.

"No, Miss Patil. I think this is all self-inflicted," he whispered softly, never taking his eyes once off her body as he spoke.

"Why?" cried out Lavender suddenly. "Why would anyone want to carve such things on their body?"

Snape winced. Ginny caught it as it flashed across his face. He watched as the redhead glared at him accusingly. He waited for her to accuse him, hex him, or scream. She did nothing. Poppy returned with more potion. Snape broke his eye contact with the young Miss Weasley as he ripped the bottle from Poppy's hands and focused again on Hermione's care. He forced more Blood Replenishing Potion down her throat and rechecked her vitals. Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at his hands, noticed that they had been shaking the whole time.

"She's going to be fine," he announced with a sigh of relief.

He allowed himself a moment to control himself and then bent over and began to whisper an incantation over her body to heal her cuts. His voice carried like a song as he gently and patiently magically erased each cut from her flesh. If it had been any other situation, it would have been very erotic to be so close to her sex. His voice breathed warm air over her tiny curls, and his sensitive nose could detect a hint of her feminine musk over the blood. However, he was not thinking of such things. All he could think on was saving her life and undoing the damage she had inflicted upon herself.

Poppy began to make another protest about the indecency of a male professor healing a naked girl between her legs, but surprisingly, Ginny shushed her.

"You will not speak to me in this manner, my girl! Now you get yourself out of here back to Gryffindor Tower and take these two with you!" Poppy ordered.

Snape rose from between Hermione's thighs.

"Will you shut up!" he hissed at the mediwitch. He bent his dark head back down to Hermione's thighs and said, "Let them stay, they are witnesses. If you are so damned concerned, then get the headmaster here," he growled.

"Why? This is unthinkable! Why would Hermione do such a thing?" Lavender asked again.

"I don't know, Lavender," Ginny said softly. "However, I'm positive someone knows."

Snape glanced up at Miss Weasley. She was glaring darkly down at him with her arms crossed imperiously across her chest. He lowered his head and returned to healing the unconscious witch.

Dumbledore and Minerva finally arrived. Lavender and Pavarti quickly told them everything that had happened in bathroom while Ginny kept her vigil at Hermione's unconscious side, keeping her glaring eyes upon the Potions master. Snape could feel her eyes boring into his head. He wasn't about to be intimidated. He glanced up again at the girl and narrowed his eyes at her before returning his eyes back onto Hermione.

Dumbledore walked around while McGonagall tried calming the young ladies down and was confronted by Madam Pomfrey.

"Headmaster, this is indecent! I insist you make Professor Snape end this at once!" she said shrilly.

"No, Poppy, Severus is very good at healing deep slashes," he said absent-mindedly as he took in the words carved into Miss Granger's flesh.

"Her innocence and modesty, headmaster? Do those things not mean anything?"

"Damn it, woman! Shut the bloody hell up!" Severus bellowed with irritation as he lifted his head to glare at the mediwitch.

Dumbledore patted the mediwitch on the shoulder as Snape continued to glare at her. "Poppy, I think it would be best to leave this with Severus. I shall call you when he is done with the healing," he said calmly.

"Fine!" she snapped as she stormed off.

Dumbledore looked at the young Miss Weasley.

"Ginny?" he called.

"Yes, Headmaster?" she asked angrily.

"Do you have any information that would be of any use?" he asked gently.

"No," she said, her voice dripping with hostility. "Ask him!" she accused. Snape noticed she was pointing an accusing finger at him, but he did not retort. He was starting to work on the first word...UGLY...as Dumbledore continued his questioning.

"You think Professor Snape had something to do with this?" he prodded.

"I do! I think that something happened that was very bad two months ago...that day she went missing in Hogsmeade. Hermione hasn't been the same since! I think HE knows what happened and won't tell," she said snidely.

Ginny made her way back to the bed where Hermione lay unconscious. "Tell me, Professor, how does it make you feel finally seeing the outcome of the abuse you heap on those who don't deserve it?" she said viciously.

He remained silent, but it was getting difficult to ignore the chit, but he continued to focus on Hermione as healed her sliced and mangled body.

Professor McGonagall grabbed Ginny by the forearm, but she shook her off violently and leaned closer towards Professor Snape. "Tell me, Professor, how is it that a beautiful and talented witch comes to sink so low that she cuts words like UGLY and SWOT into her flesh?" she cried, yelling louder and louder with each accusation.

"You will mind your cheek, Miss Weasley!" he finally shouted angrily, abandoning his task.

'Oh, but I haven't even started yet, sir," she threatened.

McGonagall started to go after Ginny again, but Dumbledore held her back. Snape had looked up to chastise the Weasley girl again when he saw Minerva try to contain her and was halted by Dumbledore. He looked at the old wizard suspiciously. He was looking at Miss Weasley with a very curious expression, as if her were trying to sort out a puzzle.

Snape finally turned his narrowed eyes onto the young girl. The witch and wizard locked eyes in rage. Dumbledore finally broke the tension and said, "Severus, please finish attending to Miss Granger." Then, he nodded for McGonagall to intervene.

"Miss Weasley, I think you, Miss Brown, and Miss Patil need to return to your dormitories," said Professor McGonagall sharply.

"Fine," she said curtly, never taking her eyes off the Potions master. She leaned over the supine body of her unconscious friend and whispered, "This isn't over, Snape. Not remotely, close. And if you think you can intimidate me like you can my boyfriend, you are an even bigger fool than I thought," she said coldly.

She straightened herself and walked out without looking back.

"Severus, you may have eluded the Dark Lord, but you have a new enemy to watch out for. We shall talk more on this later," Dumbledore said angrily.

Cursing all and sundry under his breath, Snape bent over to start healing the word SWOT.

If only I could do this to her mind as well...

***

When the danger had finally passed, Severus made his way down to the dungeons to relieve his panic. His hands had begun to shake terribly now that the need for him to force a calm face in front of the spectators had passed. He just couldn't get the images of Hermione out of his mind. He had barely closed the door of his private rooms before the tears came down his face. The guilt was eating away at him. He had done this. He had pushed her too hard, had been too cruel.

He made his way to his liquor cabinet and poured himself a drink. He had been ordered by Dumbledore to help her. "Hermione is special, and although she is young, she has much to offer the Order." Snape had never accepted her admittance, never gave her a chance, blaming her for every little thing that went wrong. Always, hiding, always lying...afraid to be found out how much he really cared.

He sat down and brooded as he stared into the fire. He closed his eyes. The truth always hurts the most. Why can't we just keep on lying? he thought bitterly. The truth was Hermione was everything that he thought was refreshing and bright about the world around him. There was so much doom and gloom, and he was so very weary. Then one day, she marched in like a mist of water on a hot summer day. The perpetual winter inside him basked in the summer sun that he saw in her eyes as she had repeated her Oath of Allegiance to the Order of the Phoenix.

Tonight those eyes had threatened to grow as cold as he. Even if he could never tell her how alive she made him feel, how happy and awake he felt whenever she was in his presence, he could bask in the sunshine of her brilliance and feel warm and free...