Snape's Saviour

Chapter 5 - The New World

Conscious crept up slowly on Galatea, but something was strange. She wasn't cold, nor was the floor hard. She rolled over, or at least she tried to, but she was pinned down. He was holding her down. She'd fallen to sleep and now she was in trouble. She knew he couldn't be trusted! She tried to struggle, but she had no energy. She remembered then that she had given all the food. That was great - he was stronger, and now he was repaying her kindness with brutality and her foolishness was being punished.

Terror rising, she screamed. It may have been a pathetic whimper, she didn't know, but it dragged the last shreds of sleep from her and she opened her eyes, blinking and looking around, terrified. Galatea was startled to find she wasn't at home. Slowly her memory began to return, but she couldn't decide if the truth was scarier or the dream.

"You're awake then I see." Snape reached out and stroked her face gently until the fear left her eyes.

"Severus?" she whispered, hardly daring to believe that this wasn't another dream.

He smiled gently, it was a sight that would have struck fear into his students, but Galatea just smiled back. "Who else were you expecting?"

"I don't understand how this can be true - you were so sick. Now you are sitting there like nothing happened. Is this a dream?" Snape watched as the little girl struggled against confusion.

"It's not a dream, it is magic. I have taken some potions. I am not fully recovered yet, but I am well on the way. You on the other hand have me more concerned, collapsing like that. Why didn't you tell me you hadn't been eating?"

"It was my job to protect you, you were really sick, I didn't want you to worry." She closed her eyes as a wave of weariness hit her, then struggled to open them again, to check he was in fact real.

"And now YOU are really sick and I am VERY worried," he admonished gently. Reaching out, he stroked her face tenderly hoping to ease her trepidation and uncertainty. She sighed with relief, the gentle contact making him real, and smiled again, closing her eyes. Magic, that was right, he was magic... maybe it was real after all. Safe, warm and comfortable, she relaxed and allowed her abused body to return to sleep, relieved of the immediate need to continue in its constant struggle for survival.

Snape leaned back in the chair and watched as the child slept peacefully. "You deserve this little one," he whispered gently to the sleeping girl.

"So do you Severus." Startled, Snape turned to see Dumbledore watching him from the shadows. He moved forward and rested his hand on the young wizard's shoulder.

"How long have you been there, old man?" Snape asked wearily.

Dumbledore smiled. Snape's words were harsh, he hated being treated like a child, but his tone had meant he hadn't taken offence at the older wizard's undisclosed scrutiny of his actions. "Long enough Severus, long enough." Dumbledore squeezed Snape's shoulder, directing some of his energy into the exhausted wizard. "Don't forget to rest yourself, Severus, you aren't fully recovered yet," the old wizard cautioned.

"Don't be such a mother hen Albus," Snape growled softly. He would never let the old man realise how much he appreciated his concern, never. It would be an indication of a weakness he could not afford to have. Not when he was being so closely watched by both the dark and the light, and especially not when he was responsible for the girl's safety.

***

"So what do we do about the girl Albus?"

Dumbledore looked at the witch and shrugged. "What can we do?"

"Arrangements will have to be made," the Witch retorted.

"I agree and have already begun. It is taking more time than I expected, but our security measures will be just as effective as they were before her arrival."

"I didn't mean that."

"I know."

"She will have to be educated."

"Of course."

"Albus! I will need more than two word answers if we are to have a meaningful conversation on this subject."

"I am sorry Minerva. I am just finding it difficult to know how to progress. Severus has said little about the girl except that she has spent more of her life on the streets than off. Surely, how we progress is dependent upon her current education. Besides, we can hardly teach her magic. Even if that was possible, it would be impossible."

"I agree. That is why I suggest we call Miss Granger in to help."

"Miss Granger?" Dumbledore raised his eyebrows and looked puzzled at the choice.

"Yes Albus. We both know that Severus will quickly run out of patience with the child if he has to teach her basic skills like reading and writing. Miss Granger has the skills and the temperament. After all she is a clever student here and I can hardly imagine that she was any less clever as a student before she came to us. She also has the advantage of having Muggle parents, so she will be able to help the child adjust more quickly to our magical world."

Dumbledore looked appreciatively at the witch. She had quickly progressed from surprise, to more practical matters, that was a sign of her Scottish upbringing at work. "Yes, I see your point. I expect we will have to ask Miss Granger if she is willing to assist then, I shall speak to her tomorrow."

"Actually Headmaster I took the liberty of asking Miss Granger to attend this evening."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Of course." There was a slightly hesitant knock on the door. "Come in Miss Granger."

Hermione stepped into the Headmaster's office, wondering about the late night summons. "Good evening Headmaster, Professor."

"Good evening Miss Granger, please take a seat." Hermione did as she was told and waited with trepidation. It was unusual to be summoned by the Headmaster, normally only Harry had that pleasure, and then it was generally because Voldemort was up to something new. She wondered if she was in trouble.

"Miss Granger I am sure you are aware that Professor Snape has returned," the Headmaster began.

"Yes Sir," the girl answered nervously.

"As it is a secret, I expect you are also aware that he brought a young girl back with him."

Hermione looked shocked at this. Surely Snape wouldn't have kidnapped someone! "No Headmaster, I wasn't aware of that."

Dumbledore smiled at the girl's shocked look, knowing its source. "Relax Miss Granger, the young lady in question is here as Professor Snape's guest, not his prisoner." Dumbledore secretly had to admit that he was somewhat surprised that the school population at large was not yet aware of this surprising turn of events. It was unusual for secrets to remain so for long.

"That is a relief, Sir," she said, comforted.

"Indeed it is, Miss Granger. The only problem is that the young lady has little in the way of education. We were wondering if you would be interested in helping us in that area and teaching her some basic skills."

"Magic, do you mean teach her basic magic?" The girl looked incredulous, somewhat proud and extraordinarily enthusiastic.

"No Miss Granger. I mean basic skills - reading, writing and mathematics. The young lady in question is a Muggle."

Hermione stared at the Headmaster. "A Muggle!" she gasped incredulously.

"Yes Miss Granger."

"But I thought - Professor Snape - " The girl's mind was working quickly trying to figure out just what the pureblood, Muggle-hating Professor Snape was doing bringing a Muggle child to Hogwarts.

"Yes Hermione," McGonagall interrupted the young girl. "We are all surprised at the turn of events, but we are trying to make the most of this unexpected situation."

"But Professor, isn't it dangerous having a Muggle here? I thought Hogwarts was protected against Muggles, that they couldn't see the castle because it was protected by magic, so how can she be here?"

"That, Hermione, is a very good question, and at the moment we are not entirely sure of the answer. It may be that she trusts Professor Snape implicitly, and that has allowed her to become part of Hogwarts environment; perhaps she was very close to being a witch herself, borne of Muggle parents as you were, but without the good fortune to become capable of magic as you did. We really don't know, but rest assured she poses no threat to our safety."

Hermione nodded, considering McGonagall's answer. "Interesting."

Dumbledore looked at McGonagall, slightly amused. Hermione was already considering the implications of what she had been told, deciding for herself the most likely combination of events that would lead to a Muggle child being at Hogwarts. It wasn't a surprise that the clever girl had taken the information and run with it. She was one of the most intelligent students they had had the pleasure of teaching. She was innately clever but added to that she had a strong desire to succeed so worked hard.

"I will do whatever I can to help. In fact I think it will be an interesting challenge. When do you want me to start?"

Dumbledore smiled at the eager Gryffindor, grateful for her unbridled enthusiasm. "Sadly, the young lady is quite ill at the moment. We hope she recovers quickly, but unfortunately magic healing has had little effect on the child, so we are unable to give a precise answer to that question."

McGonagall entered the discussion then. "Hermione, perhaps you could prepare a lesson plan and bring it to me to look over while you are waiting for her to recover. I will help you where I can. Our understanding is that the child lacks even the most basic reading and writing skills, perhaps that would be a good place to start. She will also need a basic introduction to Hogwarts, although I expect Professor Snape will be more than willing to take care of that side of things. He may need some assistance in explaining the distinctions between this world and the Muggle world. You should be quite helpful there, I expect, having had a Muggle upbringing yourself."

Hermione almost glowed with enthusiasm for the challenge. She was extremely proud that the Headmaster had selected her for this task. "I will do everything within my powers to help the girl. Thank you for considering me for this. I won't let you down."

"I know you won't Hermione. Now, you should return to your dormitory, it is quite late," Dumbledore suggested.

"Yes Sir." Hermione turned and moved to the door.

"Oh, and Hermione, we would appreciate it if you would keep our discussion to yourself. All will be revealed to the general school population in good time. At the present moment, I think it would be helpful for all involved if the amount of conjecture on the subject was kept to a minimum."

"Of course Headmaster." Hermione opened the door and exited the Headmaster's office.

***

"Oh Gods Albus, why her? Of all the students, why her?"

Dumbledore rested his hand on Snape's shoulder, only to have the young man pull away in irritation.

"Simply because Miss Granger is the perfect person for the job."

"She's a Gryffindor."

"And Galatea knows nothing of house rivalry. I think it would be good to keep it that way, if possible, don't you?"

Reluctantly, Snape had to agree.

"Severus, surely you must agree that Miss Granger is the best choice for the role of tutor. She's a brilliant scholar. I have no doubt that she is more than capable of teaching Galatea the basics like reading and writing. Beyond that we will have to make alternative arrangements, but I am quite certain Hermione will be satisfactory, at least in the short term. I certainly doubt you would have the patience required to fulfil the role of tutor, irrespective of your intentions."

Snape sighed, beaten again by the Headmaster's far superior understanding of his own temperament. "As always you are correct Albus."

"Not always Severus, not always." He shook his head. "I know it will be difficult for you Severus, but it really will be best for the girl, and surely that is what is most important here."

Snape nodded. "Yes Headmaster, that is true."