Less Than Strangers

Chapter Two

Hermione looked up from her book - Transfiguration Disaster - Or: Why doesn't the teapot stay a bunny? - to see Professor Snape enter the Infirmary. He was the first one to visit her, although she had to remind herself that he was not indeed 'visiting' her, but she'd asked for him to come.

Harry and Ron wouldn't be allowed in until she had spoken to the headmaster.

Sure enough Madam Pomfrey had heard the door open and came out of her office. Upon seeing Professor Snape, she relaxed. "Ah, Severus, I take it you received my note?"

Professor Snape's lips turned into a sneer. "Trust you to state the obvious, Poppy."

Madam Pomfrey huffed and said, "I will be in my office, Miss Granger. Should you need my assistance, just call for me!" With that, she turned on her heel and rushed off.

Silence followed. Finally, Hermione cleared her throat and said, "Good morning, Professor."

"Good morning, Miss Granger," he replied. Professor Snape approached her and, noticing the book, raised an eyebrow inquiringly.

She shrugged, and suppressed the urge to flinch at the sudden pain in her back. "I don't want to fall behind at the start of term. It's my NEWT year, sir."

"I was aware of that fact." Hesitantly, Professor Snape drew his wand and conjured a chair at the foot end of her bed. He sat down.

She was just about to start her thank-yous, when the door was opened and Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, strolled leisurely into the Infirmary. He wore his usual purple robe, and his long beard shimmered slightly in the morning light that seeped into the large room.

"Good morning, Miss Granger," he greeted her solemnly. "Severus." His voice held just the tiniest bit of a question in it.

"Poppy send me a note to come here," Professor Snape said, and Hermione had the impression that he wasn't very comfortable that moment. It even sounded as if he was defending himself. She chose to intervene. "I asked Madam Pomfrey to do so," she said. Both men turned their attention towards her, and while Professor Snape's eyes gave no hint to what he was thinking, Albus Dumbledore's eyes only twinkled like they always did. "Is that so, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore said, and conjured himself a chair. She was oddly aware of the fact that he now sat between herself and Professor Snape.

"Yes," she replied. "I wanted to thank Professor Snape for rescuing me - and was about to do so when you came in." Hermione felt the headmaster's thoughtful gaze upon her.

When she looked him in the eye, he suddenly nodded. "Yes," he said, "that sounds like a good thing to do."

Hermione didn't want to be rude, but sometimes Dumbledore seemed to be too strange to be entirely sane. Of course it was a 'good idea' to thank Professor Snape. He'd saved her life, in the name of Merlin!

But once again, she was interrupted. Madam Pomfrey had been standing a few feet away until now, surveying the scene. Now she chose to address the headmaster. "Albus, I though you had agreed to wait until Miss Granger is ready to be questioned..." The accusation was clearly audible.

The headmaster smiled his merry, disarming smile and turned to Hermione. "Miss Granger, how do you feel about telling me what happened to you?"

Hermione swallowed and took a sip of water. "I was on my way to the platform. My parents hadn't found a free space to park the car, so we said our good-byes outside. My parents left when I entered the station. But when I was on my way to the barrier between platforms nine and ten, I was hit with a curse."

Dumbledore popped a lemon drop into his mouth and nodded. "Do you have any idea what curse this was?" he asked, his pronunciation a bit unclear due to the sweets in his mouth.

She nodded. "I suppose it was the Imperius Curse, sir. I felt a jolt of pain through my back, and then nothing. It was as if it was perfectly okay to be just standing there. I didn't feel afraid." She paused and considered again what happened that day. "I've read about the effect the Imperius Curse has on its victims, and the symptoms match. I felt strangely satisfied, although I knew that something was amiss."

Dumbledore nodded again. "Continue, please. What happened next?"

"There was a man. I didn't see him clearly. I think he put a kind of concealment charm on himself. He took my trunk and then led me out of the station. We entered an alley a few blocks away. And the next thing I remember is the cell in that dungeon."

For a moment, she had the cell in front of her eyes. The high ceiling, the dim light, and the cold. It was distressing, to say the least. She shivered involuntarily. Madam Pomfrey took this as a sign to put a stopper to the interrogation.

"Albus, as you can clearly see it upsets Miss Granger to relive those events. I strongly advise you to leave her a bit more time to recover." The nurse crossed her arms in front of her chest and stood next to Hermione's other side, holding the old wizard's gaze without so much as blinking.

"Please, Madam Pomfrey. I want to get it over with. I'm fine, really," Hermione said in a low voice. She sighed and reported what she knew of her kidnapper. When she came to the most disturbing part of her first day, she forced herself to stay calm. "I hadn't been there for long when he came back. He... I didn't even know he was there. Some kind of charm. I was completely unprepared for the attack. Somehow, my clothes were gone, and... it all happened very fast. I... I don't... I mean, I hadn't... He raped me. And then he told me to put my underclothes back on and be quiet."

Hermione looked up. But the headmaster was not, as she had expected, looking at her, but he studied Professor Snape's face. The Potions Master's gaze was transfixed upon the far wall of the Infirmary. He didn't blink, and he didn't seem to see anything. Hermione wondered if he was reliving some of his memories as a Death Eater. It surely wasn't pleasant. She didn't even want to know in which dark place in his memory he was at the moment.

When she looked back at the headmaster, he was fiddling with his bag of lemon drops. He silently offered her some, but she declined. She went through the three days of torture and rape, her voice strangely impersonal. She didn't want to think about it.

When she finished her report, Dumbledore's eyes hadn't completely lost their twinkle, but the sadness was undoubtedly present. "Miss Granger, I am deeply and genuinely sorry that we didn't have the chance to free you sooner."

Professor Snape seemed to snap out of his trance and snorted. "If I may remind you, Albus, you didn't so much as lift a finger to rescue her. In fact, you didn't even know she was missing."

Hermione frowned. That was strange. Not only did Professor Snape talk back to the headmaster in such an disrespectful manner, but also did he so in front of a student. And what he had said... That couldn't possibly be true. Albus Dumbledore not knowing... That was outright impossible. And Harry and Ron... They would've gone after her, no matter what.

Confused, she turned towards the headmaster.

Albus Dumbledore sighed deeply and Hermione could see in his gaze that Professor Snape hadn't been lying. Not that she'd expected him to. She'd always found he was very honest (except for his spying business), sometimes even up to the point of cruel blatancy.

"Miss Granger, I'm afraid I have to apologise for that, too. Professor Snape is right in saying that we, that is the staff members as well as the students, didn't know that you had been taken." Hermione opened her mouth to ask why, but Dumbledore raised a hand to silence her. "I understand that this might disturb you-" (another snort from Professor Snape) "-but we didn't have a reason to be suspicious of your absence. You see, at the first day of term I received an owl from yourself. You stated that you father had had an accident while driving you to the station, and that you would arrive at a later point. I responded to your letter immediately. I wished your father luck and offered to treat his injuries magically. I also offered you as much time as you wanted - considering your regularly high marks not very surprisingly. You replied that your parents rather had your father treated the Muggle way, and that you would return within the next week. You also asked me to tell Misters Weasley and Potter not to worry. Professor McGonagall confirmed me that it was indeed your handwriting on the letters."

Hermione didn't know what to say. All she could think was that they wouldn't have come. They wouldn't have rescued her. The reasonable analytical part of her brain told her that they'd been tricked into believing her safe at home, but the irrational part screamed betrayal and disappointment. Finally, she managed a weak "Oh!"

Silence settled once again. Madam Pomfrey looked miserable, while Dumbledore proceeded to eat lemon drops. Professor Snape was staring at the wall once again. Hermione began to wonder if there was an extraordinarily ugly spot on it. She couldn't see it from her position on the bed. Suddenly, Professor Snape rose. Hermione jumped slightly.

"Well, if that's all, Albus. Poppy, Miss Granger," he said and wanted to leave.

"Severus!" the headmaster called, making Professor Snape stop in mid-step. "I was planning to pay you a visit later, but since you are here... I would like to know how you found out that Miss Granger was indeed missing. And I think that Miss Granger would like to know that, too."

Professor Snape looked decidedly uncomfortable know. As if he was accused of something, only that Hermione couldn't think of what.

After a short pause, he came back to her bed and sat back down. "I didn't know it was her who was missing. I had a meeting that night with some Death Eaters. I was supposed to supply them with Ability Enhancing Potion, as you well know, Albus. When I waited for the Dark Lord to dismiss us, I heard a few rumours about a kidnapped Hogwarts student. Muggle-born. Female. I couldn't think of anyone who was missing. I hoped that whoever it was had only been captured that evening, and was still relatively unharmed. You know that those meetings can last half the night. However, no one seemed to know much. Only that a few people - I don't even know who - got hold of a student and wanted to torture her. And then dispose of her body in front of the gates - as a warning and a reminder." Professor Snape looked positively sick by now. Hermione wasn't feeling to well, either. They had planned to kill her and expose her body. She shivered.

"I subtly asked around and someone wanted to know that the student was kept in an isolated manor somewhere in Cornwall. It had once belonged to a Muggle who died a few years later. No one was there to inherit it, and the Dark Lord made it unplottable to everyone without a Mark. He used it as... It's basically a prison. But as far as I know, no one was supposed to be there.

"Once the meeting was over, I Apparated there. I watched it for several hours, and cast a few charms to survey the other entrances. There didn't seem to be anyone there. But suddenly, a man Apparated into the front garden. I didn't recognize him. I Stunned him and tied him up. He told me about a girl in the dungeons. I left him in a closet.

"By then it was nearly morning. I went to the dungeons and found Miss Granger. At first, she didn't respond to her name, but once she was fully awake, she told me that there were two more capturers. Due to the Anti-Apparition Spells on the house itself, we had to get outside to Apparate.

"Once outside, I Apparated us to the gates, and brought her here through the back entrance near the greenhouses." Professor Snape ended his report and fished for something inside his cloak pocket. He pulled out a book and handed it over to the headmaster. "I found this with the man I Stunned. He seemed to be afraid that I might take it from him, so I did."

Dumbledore nodded and took the book. He inspected it carefully and finally cast a few spells to make sure it wasn't dangerous. It was then that Hermione got a glance at the book's front.

"I know that book," she said. "It's Future Confounded - A Guide to 20^th Century Prophecies. I read it as a preparation to Divination in my third year. A great load of rubbish, in my opinion. Most of those so-called prophecies made people do the stupidest things, leading to havoc and misery. The only interesting bit was the last chapter, Mysterious Prophecies - Or: What the Future Holds. The prophecies in there are much older, and no one has been able to say what they mean. It's still rubbish, in my opinion, but at least it's entertaining. It didn't help me at all in Divination."

Pensively, the headmaster studied the book in his hands. "Then why would a Death Eater want to keep someone else from seeing it?" he muttered to himself. Professor Snape regarded him shortly and said, "Maybe it was of sentimental value."

Hermione chose to ignore the remark and said, "Or it was something about that special edition or copy of the book. Maybe it's got a letter or something in invisible ink on a blank page or something."

"I already checked it for spells, charms and bewitchments. I can assure you it is not in any way entangled with magic - except for the cover," Professor Snape said impatiently. "Can I go now, Albus?"

The headmaster didn't hear him. He was reading the last chapter of the book and seemed to be completely absorbed. Hermione could tell that Professor Snape was trying not to roll his eyes.

"Albus? I have a few potions to tend to."

"Hm?" Dumbledore looked up, pocketed the book and stood up. "Of course, Severus. If anything else comes to your mind, contact me."

Professor Snape nodded, and left, his black robe billowing behind him. Dumbledore nodded to Madam Pomfrey, said, "I hope you get well soon, Miss Granger", and excused himself.

When they were along, Madam Pomfrey asked if Hermione needed anything, but she just wanted to be alone and think.

***

Hermione finally got up later that day and took another shower. She then dressed in bluejeans and a red jumper, waiting for Harry and Ron to pick her up. Madam Pomfrey had told her that her friends would come and take her to Gryffindor Tower before dinner.

Soon enough, the headmaster walked in, Harry and Ron following him closely. As soon as they saw her, Ron started fidgeting and Harry looked nervous. Hermione sighed inwardly. Those two would surely make a fuss for a while before they could all go back to normal. She appreciated it that they didn't pretend nothing had happened, but she'd much rather not think about anything that happened in the last week. If they would just act like always...

"Miss Granger?" Albus Dumbledore stood beside her bed. She wondered briefly why he was here again. Surely he couldn't have more questions. She had answered absolutely every detail.

Much to her dislike, actually.

"Yes?"

"Misters Potter and Weasley have assured me that they'd treat this business with utmost privacy, and they are now here to see you back to your dormitory," he said solemnly. She raised her eyebrows. Well she knew already that Harry and Ron could keep something private. And that they were here to escort her back - that much was obvious, even without Madam Pomfrey earlier notice. So why exactly was Albus Dumbledore back here?

"But before you can finally leave the Infirmary, I have another matter to discuss with you. The three of you, that is."

Ah, that was it. More 'battle talk', as she called it. Every time Albus Dumbledore had this particular spark in his eyes she knew it was about the Order. Ever since the end of their fourth year they'd known about the Order of the Phoenix. Usually, the headmaster only let them know the basics.

Harry and Ron settled down on chairs beside her bed, and she could see that both of them were eager to talk to her alone, without Madam Pomfrey, Dumbledore or anyone else near. Well, they'd have to wait, wouldn't they?

"I am well aware that you are mostly better informed than you should be," Dumbledore started. Hermione thought back to times of Extendable Ears and exchanged a glance with Harry and Ron, who had obviously been thinking along the same lines. "And as all of you are of age in the wizarding world, the next meeting will decide whether you should be fully introduced to the Order." He raised a hand when Harry wanted to speak and continued uninterrupted. "I cannot promise you that you will be invited to join the Order as that is not my decision alone, but your presence will be required. The meeting will be held next Friday evening. I will inform you of the exact place - but I think we will either Apparate or use a Portkey."

Silence settled. Hermione thought about the promising words. Harry and Ron would probably be eager to join the Order. She wasn't too keen on listening to their babbling about it all the time until next Friday, but it would be a distraction. As for herself, she wasn't sure whether she wanted to be active in the Order. She had tasted the bitter side of battle, and it hadn't been nice. Maybe it would be safer to just stay out of the way.

A snort nearly escaped her. As if she'd ever be able to stand aside and not help! She couldn't not do something. She was, after all, Hermione Granger. Bookworm no 1, supplier of all kinds of knowledge and support, friend of the Boy Who Lived. She had to help, even if it would cost her. She couldn't be distracted by her own fear.

'How very Gryffindor,' a voice in her head said. 'Huh, where did that come from?' she asked herself, but then shrugged mentally. It was a Gryffindor sentiment, after all.

Dumbledore popped a sherbet lemon into his mouth and offered them some. They declined, and Hermione wondered whether anyone had ever accepted his sweets. She couldn't remember one person ever taking sweets from the headmaster. "Well then," he finally said, "I have other matters to attend. I'm sure I'll see you at dinner, Miss Granger. Mister Potter, Mister Weasley." Dumbledore bowed his head slightly and glided over to the doors. He paused and turned around. "Oh, and on your way back I would avoid the right hand corridor on the fourth floor. Mister Filch informed me this morning that Peeves has set up a little trap up there. Apparently a fifth year Ravenclaw got stuck in it already. We haven't managed to get her out yet, and we are not sure how many there are still." With another twinkle, he was gone.

Now the silence was a little awkward, Hermione mused. So she grabbed the books on the nightstand and stood up. "Come on, then," she said, "I want to unpack my things before dinner." She had thought about this, and had come to the solution that her trunk must have been brought up to her dormitory.

Harry and Ron followed her out of the Infirmary, taking her into their middle. They were careful not to touch her, but still emit a sense of protection. She smiled slightly and started talking about school. Soon, the awkwardness had passed and Harry and Ron were teasing her about school while she tried to defend herself, they talked about Quidditch and she pretended to listen, they told her that Parvati had finally made a move towards Dean, and that Malfoy was still his old arrogant self.

She really had the feeling that she could go back to normal.

***

Hermione couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, but after two hours of lying awake, she still couldn't sleep. She'd tried meditation, and other relaxing exercises. She'd tried counting sheep, goats and fluffy bunny rabbits, but she was still awake. She'd got a house elf to bring her warm milk with honey (her mum always said it would work - but it didn't).

Finally, she sighed and pushed away the curtains. She got up and went to the bathroom, careful not to wake Lavender and Parvati. Her roommates had been surprisingly easy to endure today. Both had come up before dinner, asking if her father was alright again. She's made up a short story of a successful operation and they'd left her in peace. Everyone else had seen that she was back at school at dinner. The Parvati and Lavender News Agency had obviously done a perfect job, an done one asked if her father was better. 'Yep. Trust them to spread the word faster than you can actually say "word",' Hermione thought.

She went back to her bed, but since she was wide awake, she simply put on her slippers and a robe and went down into the Common Room.

A fire was still glowing in the hearth, so she walked over and sat down in an armchair.

The rest of the day had been pleasant. After dinner, Harry and Ron had steered her back to the Common Room, where she had told them that she wanted to read some more for next day's classes. Ron had rolled his eyes, and Harry had asked for a game of chess. She'd asked if they'd already done all the homework. Ron had rolled his eyes once more and said, "Yes, mum. I've even made up something for Divination." Which led her to huff and call Divination a whole lot of crap.

She was somewhat surprised that she wasn't feeling bad. In fact, she wasn't really feeling anything. It was somehow like being under the Imperius. She knew that she should be upset in some way or another, but all she felt was... indifferent. Well, she was glad to be back at Hogwarts, and with Harry and Ron. And there was something else she couldn't quite place. But apart from that she was oddly indifferent. Almost removed from the Hermione that had been kidnapped. Every time she thought about it, it was as if she were thinking about someone else. It didn't feel like it had happened to her. Even the pain was completely gone. She supposed that she was still in shock and would sooner or later crack. But the only thing she had to remember now was not to expose her bare back to Lavender and Parvati when she changed into her nightclothes, considering that she still had a large burn mark across it.

Lavender, Parvati, talks about Divination... She suddenly remembered Dumbledore's fascination with the book Professor Snape had found with the kidnapper. Future Confounded. What was it that made the book so special, she wondered. Professor Snape checked it for spells and hexes, so it must've been the contents. She tried to remember what section of the book he had read, and thought it had been the last chapter. She made a mental note to check it out from the library.

A sudden noise from the fire made her jump. Cautiously, she turned around, but found it had only been a chunk of wood shifting its position. Hermione sighed and went over to the portrait hole. She wouldn't be able sleep, and she had lessons next day. It was only reasonable to go to Madam Pomfrey and ask for a mild sleeping potion. And if any of the teachers would see her out of bed after curfew, well, they could hardly punish her now, could they?

"After all, my head could hurt," she murmured to herself. "And no one could prevent me to go to the school nurse for a pain-reliever..."

Walking through the dark corridors and archways, she pulled her robe tighter around her and accelerated her steps. It wouldn't do to be out in the castle longer than necessary, she tried to calm herself. Surely she wasn't afraid alone in the dark.

She grabbed for her wand - intending to cast a Lumos - and noticed that she'd forgotten it, lying on her bedside table. She sighed again, hugged herself and went on. When she finally reached the wooden doors to the Infirmary, she was relieved despite herself.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Hermione called. She didn't know if the nurse slept near the Infirmary. Maybe she wouldn't even hear her. But as soon as the second "Madam Pomfrey?" had left her lips, a door was opened and a slightly sleepy Madam Pomfrey stood in the room, holding a lit wand, an auburn cloak hastily thrown around her shoulders.

"Miss Granger?" Madam Pomfrey came nearer. "Are you alright? Do you feel dizzy, or unwell?" Her voice held now a worried tone.

"No, I'm fine," Hermione assured her. "It's just that I can't sleep, and since I've got classes tomorrow, I thought maybe you had some sleeping potion for me."

"Oh. Why, yes. Of course, Miss Granger. I'll get it." She turned around and walked over to a cupboard. She took a vial out of the cupboard, a clear purple liquid inside. She handed the vial over to Hermione. "Here, Miss Granger. Take it once you are back in bed, all in once."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. Good night."

"Miss Granger, do you want me to escort you back?"

"No, that won't be necessary. I think I still know the way," she said, trying to make the nurse laugh, but Madam Pomfrey just looked at her and nodded. "Good night, Miss Granger."

Then she was back in the corridor and in the dark.

"Miss Granger!" She froze and looked up, a chill running down her spine. She was standing in a second floor corridor, not far from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. She turned around to face her Professor, and wondered briefly why she was so surprised to meet him on her way back. It was well known that Snape patrolled the corridors at night, always trying to catch some troublemakers.

"Yes, Professor?"

"What, for the love of Merlin, are you doing out of Gryffindor Tower at this time of the night?" She couldn't quite place the sentiments that accompanied the question. He was angry, that's for sure. But he also seemed to be.. worried? Snape? Because of her? Surely not.

"Well?"

She blinked. "I was at the Infirmary. For a sleeping potion," she said, feeling the urge to defend herself. She eyed Snape warily. He was, of course, taller than her, and stood looming against the light emitting from his wand.

"Then why are you walking around in complete darkness?"

"I... I forgot my wand, sir," she answered, and added, "I didn't think I would need it."

"You didn't think, obviously." Snape's voice was back to its silky self, an even better disguise for insults and sharp comments than his cold, icy voice. At least in her opinion.

"I'm sorry, sir. I couldn't sleep, and so I thought..."

"Yes, I rather thought you'd need the sleeping potion because you weren't able to sleep," Professor Snape cut her off. He made her sound awfully stupid, and she didn't like it one bit.

But before she could reply, Professor Snape spoke again. "I'll escort you back to your Common Room."

"Thank you, Professor," she said, still wondering why Snape was so nice to her. But then again, he was probably only lenient because he knew what those people had done to her.

Hastily, she ran to catch up with Snape, who - with his longer legs and naturally quicker pace - was already half-way down the corridor. Silently, they went back to Gryffindor Tower, and Hermione was thankful for his presence, although she would never admit it.

They reached the portrait of the fat lady, and Hermione - after a mumbled "Good night, Professor" - went inside.

Before she fell asleep upon drinking the potion, she briefly thought back to the encounter with Professor Snape, and realised he hadn't even taken points from Gryffindor.

End Chapter Two