bastard!

reminded me of something that happened when i was 9 or thereabouts, i can't remember exactly when although i did tell a friend when i was 12. and then another friend in my 20s. but the culprit was repentant. and he did get punished. and he did stay away after that. it would be better had i not been so traumatised by it though.

Well done...respectful treatment of a topic that is so often misrepresented in these fanfics.  Thank you

I know I would do the same thing having found myself in a similar situation with my 13 year old sister-in-law... May all these kind of monsters all around the world, be banished from earth... one way or another

On a lighter note, I loved the story and the characterization

I wish my parents had protected me like this..instead I was blamed and punished..at 8 years old...

brilliantly handled

thank you for posting

I wonder sometimes how many of us there are out there?  I can think of a few people I would make beg for death if I ever caught them with both eyes on one of my children.  I like the story even though it's difficult to believe Severus would have been so restrained.  I can see Hermione with Severus' response and Severus with hers.

thumbs up for daring to tackle this subject, and a round of applause for doing such a great job at it. I would have done exactly the same thing in this situation.

Personally I'd recommend slow torture for people who do this to children (or to anyone at all, for that matter). Of course we're not supposed to approve of the sort of revenge Hermione and Severus took in your story, but I don't know that I could stop myself if my children were involved. Why should fanfic always be pleasant? Thanks for sharing this.

Absolutely terrible. I don't know what I would in such a situation. I don't believe in death sentence but when it involves children and sexual agressions I could change my mind drastically.

As a parent, one must have constant vigilance! That Hermione noticed her daughter acting out of character is one step that either the parent misses or the child is better at hiding in their fear and shame.I totally agree with you ... when my kids were young I watched them like a hawk and they were never allowed to wander from my side while in crowds. I am in disbelief at women who let their children run rampant in malls!I appreciate their way of handling the problem of Uncle Charlie.

Brilliant story. Hard but it happens and I loved that Severus knew exactly what had been going on and got his revenge.

Very well done.  I'm glad someone has finally written an honest, truthful account of sexual molestation.  Making the perp "Uncle Charlie" was a masterful stroke.  As so many of us unfortunately know, most abusers are our relatives or close family friends.  Please - if you read this and think your or someone you love is being abused, get help.  Rainn.org is one of the best sites available and has a toll free crisis line.  Don't let this happen to another child. Thank you again, Southern Witch, for taking what we sometimes think of as just a medium for light entertainment and using it so powerfully to make the world a better place.  Bravo.

Wow. This was a very powerful piece, and then your question at the end... just wow. What would any of us do in such a situation? I myself do not have a child, but I have a much beloved little niece. If anything happened to her, I think the entire family would do the same as Hermione and Severus. I think that any of us are capable of this when it comes to protecting the people we love. "It felt liberating. It felt horrible." Sums it up. But then, I keep asking myself if I could actually kill someone. Kill them, no matter how despicable they are, no matter how much they deserve it. I quite simply don't know. Hopefully, I am never put into a position where I find out.

how could one ever blame a parent for reacting that way.  i don't even see it as revenge but mearly eliminating a piece of filthy vermin.  the christian in me has a hard time with that attitude but i don't think people like that can ever be cured.  a very though provoking story.  thanks so much

Gritty stuff, SW. Nicely done.

Wow! What a power packed story.  Indeed, I agree with Hermione's ire, but I applaud Severus' methods.  Quick and clean would have been too good for him.  I have often thought of rather vicious punishments for those who prey on children... all of them would land me in prison.

I'm with you. I've been there, too. If I had the power and someone did that to one of my girls, I would be sorely tempted to take matters into my own hands. You described the body language, facial expressions, feelings of shame and filth on the part of the victim to a tee. I wish I had someone to defend me at the time. I never did. A provocative piece, well written.

All I could think was now Elizabeth will never have the chance to face her abuser. That was the ultimate healing point for me, when I could say it to his face when I was stronger and not let it eat away at my mind.I feel Hermione and Severus did just what Charlie did. They took away their daughter's choice. With some help, she may have been able to be strong and expose what kind of person he was. The Weasley family deserved to know the truth about one of their own and if they turned their back on the Snapes, well you know who your friends are, don't you?Now Elizabeth has to live with this heavy on her heart. She won't be able to talk about it with the authorities, that will bring the law down on her family, for sure with Severus' past. Also, she won't have that satisfaction of looking at him in the face and telling him what she thought of him.So, I guess I wish things would have been handled differently. The secrecy, "don't tell dad", "Don't tell the Weasleys" was just what Charlie wanted, to keep her silent. Elizabeth will be the one to suffer down the line. Just because the abuser is out of the picture doesn't erase the damage done.Livvy

Truth be told, I read the other reviews before I writing mine - I just didn't know how to respond.  Sorry this is so long but after reading a fair few of them I decided to write the following...I don't remember everything that happened to me when I was a child - I'm glad and not so glad at the same time, as it just makes things more confusing.  After my second miscarriage it all came flooding back to me like a dam had burst in my soul.  I couldn't look at a child without wondering who might have hurt him/her.  Because I was also date raped when I was older, I couldn't look at a young girl without wondering what sadistic bastard had hurt her.  Although rare now, this still happens from time to time and I've no doubt that should I ever have children of my own I will be over-protective. Even though I don't have children, I do have a beautiful niece and nephew.  I hope I would have the strength not to murder the "vilest-piece-of-excrement-on-the-planet" that did this to them but I would be lying if I said the thought has never crossed my mind. The part you wrote about Hermione wondering what effects this would have on her daughter really struck me.  I went through both the "loose" phase in college and the "frigid" stage once I was married.  For the most part I have healed but still struggle here and there.  Although I believe that I, and every person who experiences something like this, can heal, I don't think it will ever leave one completely.  Thanks for writing this and for those of you reading this review, thanks for putting up with my ranting - this topic just makes me do that.  Although I would never wish this situation on anyone (being the abused, being the parent of the abused, or both) it always helps to know that I am not alone - that none of us are...that healing is possible, that our feelings are normal, and that we will become stronger.  For those of you who have experienced such discraces-to-the-human-race...THERE IS HOPE.  Although it may feel embarrassing or shameful, seeking professional guidance really Does help And you most certainly Are Not Alone.  All of that aside, your story was well written and, quite obviously, thought provoking - as I'm sure you intended.  Dear Severus, being the Severus that he is, reacted in the way I think he would...as well as the way I think he should.  Always the Slytherin and you gotta love him for it! Oh, and by the way,  for those of you who live in the states there is government financial assistance for any therapy or rehab you need.  I did not know this until someone told me about it.  I believe you can even be reimbursed for any money you have already spent.  All you need to do is submit a police report to your states "Victim Assistance" organization and provide any other information they need and then work it from there.  You can find the information online by doing a search or you can contact me and I will give you the website.Thanks again to Southern_Witch_69 for such a thought provoking, real story and to those of you who actually made your way through my uninteded diatribe.  Hugs to all!

I have three beautiful daughters, one aged 15, and if this ever happened to them, I would definitely be tempted to take matters into my own hands.    I think your description of their feelings "It felt liberating, it felt horrible," are very true to the mark.Ultimately, I don't think I could do this, though.  I would rather leave things in the hands of the authorities.  Granted, many times the authorities don't do the right thing.  I would hope that they would, though.  If they didn't it would obviously be much more tempting to take things into my own hands.  I still don't think I could do it though.  I couldn't live with the guilt.  I know the perpetrator wouldn't have the same guilty complex, nor regrets, but that's just how I am.Sorry to hear that you've had to deal with such a thing.  No one should ever have to go through such ordeals.  Unfortunately, our world is sometimes very cruel and people are uncaring when they want something for themselves.

any child predator should be delt with the same, if not with more pain involved

I am so right with you on everything~~ Thanks

What would I do? Exactly what I did. In the end, the bastard died in prison. It felt good to know that I put him there, even though I was married to him for 14 years before I knew who he really was. Always remember : The best revenge is a life well lived.You do what you know you have to do, and you go on. You live your life, and you help your children to fully live theirs.Trust me, it can be done. Thank you for your courage in writing this story.

In my own family's case, the victim was my 12-year-old cousin, and the ratfuck bastard who touched her was a priest. There are no words to describe the horrific betrayal and shame my poor cousin felt, nor my uncle's rage, a rage shared by my father and their brothers. This happened in the early 1970s, long before the current scandals (which in many cases are the results of assaults committed in the 1970s). The priest in question wasn't killed, but my uncle and two of his brothers (not my father) jumped him in the parking lot of our church, took him someplace -- I never learned where -- and kicked the living crap out of him. Asshole was in hospital for three months with a smashed pelvis and a ruptured spleen, among other things. Strange, how no charges were ever filed, and the priest in question disappeared from the diocese after he was released.
I've heard all the platitudes about vigilante justice. To some extent, I believe them. And yet, my cousin has often said that she was able to put things behind her (and become the strong, wonderful woman she is) in large part because she felt that her rapist had been sufficiently punished -- something that might not have happened if the courts, or the diocese, had been charged with retribution and restitution. It's all very well to say you'll let the "proper authorities" take care of things. But what if the authorities are part of the problem?

I loved this story, and I felt no regret reading about Charlie's demise or Severus's and Hermione's actions. I know there are many others in this world who'll never face any sort of consequences for actions very like what Charlie did in this story. Thanks for a good read and a little bit of catharsis on a Saturday night.

I have had the good fortune (at least to this point in my life) to not be touched by this kind of evil. I am a peaceful forgiving person but if I was ever in their position I fear I could easily commit murder. 'No court in the land would convict' I have often heard as a response to this evil.