Prologue

A/N: Hello to all the people reading this. This is my first fan fiction on this site, it is the second fan fiction that I have written about this pairing; it is one of the many of the stories I have written. I also realize that Snape is much older than his twenties, but for the plot, it is necessary. That being said, I would really appreciate it if you would review.

Disclaimer: I own no Harry Potter characters; they belong of course, to J.K.R. The Cynster family that will come up in the future chapters belong to Stephanie Laurens.

Summary: HGSS Hermione’s life is not everything it seems and when Dumbledore goes to her house with two other teachers and a student, learning the truth, Hermione is forced to live with her least favorite teacher for the summer. When someone from her past turns up, bringing back memories, things get even more complicated. No HBP Spoilers. AU somewhat.

Prologue: New Found Knowledge

Hermione sat in her room, looking out the window as dawn approached, knowingly desperate that her father would wake late. As the sun rose, and Hermione’s alarm went off, she got out of bed to shut if off and get dressed. She pulled her hair into a messy bun and made her way downstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast and her father’s lunch. As eight o’clock came, she heard her father’s footsteps on the stairs just as she set down his plate and bagged lunch on the table. As he sat down, Hermione realized that she had forgotten to put a fork down, and he went off, flying toward her, hitting her so hard that she hit the tile floor and the corner of the wall.

“How many times do we have to go over this.” His voice was low and calm, which meant that he was angry. “When I come downstairs, I expect a cup of coffee, food and a fork on the table. It’s not a hard concept to grasp.” Hermione knew that when his voice grew into a whisper, she would be in trouble; just at the end, it had turned so.

Suddenly, her father picked her up by her shoulders, shaking her in his vice-like grip. He was ready to throw her against the counter when the doorbell rang. He did the only logical thing he could to keep her quiet: he threw her against the corner of the wall where she hit her head and saw black.

Dumbledore rang the doorbell of his new Head Girl and heard a thud with footsteps approaching the door. The door opened a second later to admit Mr. Granger looking rather flustered.

“Good Morning, Mr. Granger,” Dumbledore stated cheerfully as ever. “We’re here to see your daughter.”

Mr. Granger looked around the group and saw an older, severe looking woman, a stern looking man in his mid-twenties and a boy about the age of his daughter with platinum blond hair and grey blue eyes.

Dumbledore noticed his gaze and introduced each one of them. “Where are my manners? This is Minerva McGonagall, a teacher of Hermione’s, Severus Snape, another teacher, and Draco Malfoy, a fellow student of Hermione’s.”

“Well, I would like to let you in, but Hermione is sleeping, and I’m getting ready for work at the moment.” Mr. Granger still blocked the doorway preventing each of them from entering.

“That is quite alright, Mr. Granger. We would be willing to wait for your daughter to wake up this morning; though I do find it odd for her to be sleeping so late. She is usually the first student in the Hall for breakfast at Hogwarts.” Dumbledore made his way inside by pushing past the man blocking his way. He spoke over his shoulder as he walked through the narrow corridor to the kitchen. “We would like something to eat this morning, seeing as we have traveled a long way here.” Dumbledore headed into the kitchen ahead of the rest.

Severus was the last one into the house, closing the door behind him, looking around at the familiar surroundings from his teenage years. He followed everyone else into the kitchen, waiting by the doorframe as Mr. Granger spoke his protests.

“Why don’t you wait in the living room, and I’ll fix it for you and bring it in there for you to eat?” Severus knew something was off at this statement. He had spent too long knowing this man had many secrets he liked to be kept to not know by the sound of his voice that he was keeping one now.

“We are quite capable of getting food ourselves, Richard.”

Before Richard could respond, each of them heard a moan from the other end of the kitchen. They all looked over to see Hermione’s body crumpled on the floor by the wall, blood seeping from the corner where she had hit it, judging by the blood spot on the wall.

Mr. Granger tried to run around Severus, but he grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. Only Dumbledore knew why he was so angry.

“She’s asleep is she? Maybe you would like to go into a more permanent sleep.”

“Severus, enough.” Dumbledore bent down and healed Hermione’s head, then picked up her limp body. “Take him to the Ministry, Severus.”

“What?! Why don’t we just kill him now and get it over with?”

“Because Hermione can see to it that he gets the Dementor’s Kiss if she testifies against him when she wakes up.”

“Well, where are you taking her? Surely not Hogwarts?”

“On the contrary, she will be staying with you.”

“Why him,” Minerva piped in. “Why can’t she stay at The Burrow or Order Headquarters?”

“She may not want anyone to know, Minerva. How do you think she kept it a secret for so long?”

“Well, then let her stay with me, not him.”

“Why, Minerva? Don’t trust me?” Severus had hit Richard so hard that he was unconscious, and he was levitated through the house to the front corridor by Severus.

“It’s not that, but I doubt she would want to stay with you. You haven’t shown her a lot of respect and appreciation over the years, despite her being the smartest student in her year.”

“Hey.” Draco looked at McGonagall with his brows focused into a grimace.

“Sorry to break this up, but we really must be getting Miss Granger somewhere safe.” Dumbledore interjected into what he knew would end up as a shouting match. “The reason she is going to Severus’ house is because she has known him since he was 12 years old and she was four.”

“What are you talking about?”

“There is no time to explain. We need to get her medical attention now.” He disappeared with Hermione.

Severus waited for Minerva and Draco to Disapparate; then he disappeared himself and Richard to the Ministry.