A New Family

I had previously posted this under the same name but took it down to make some changes.

Disclaimer: you all know the drill I don't own anything you recognize so everything that belongs to J.K. Rowling and I'm just playing with them and will return them mostly unharmed…

Hermione's P.O.V.

I collapse into my bed at my parents house and have to bite down on my lip to keep from screaming in pain. My father has just beaten me. I didn't get time to do the laundry because of my homework from the holidays, this angered him, he thought that I cared more about that "freak school," as he called it, than my own parents.

His belt had cut deep in he skin on my back, I now had welts there that would probably scar.

I'm only a first year at Hogwarts, I am at the top of my year.

I find myself wishing my transfiguration teacher was my mother. Professor McGonagall is a wonderful teacher, I do better I her class than any other student.

My father has abused me since I was six years old and my powers started to show. He has never raped me but he has gotten drunk and come close more times than I can count. My body is covered in bruises and scars and cuts. He is careful to keep most of them where they will stay hidden, however I do have a few on my face. When I return to school I will cover them with makeup until I can cast a glamour over myself.

I don't want to go to the infirmary because Madam Pomfrey will ask me what happened, I don't like to lie to adults I care about.

&&&O_O&&&

It's Christmas morning and I'm laying in bed, bleeding. My father decided that I'm not worth getting anything for Christmas. I'm bleeding because I cut myself. It wasn't an accident. My trusty razor blade left a thin red line across my wrist. I have decided that life isn't worth this torture. I won't actually kill myself until possibly this summer, right now I just need to relieve myself of this torment.

I wear ribbons around my wrists to cover the scars that aren't covered by my sleeves.

^_^

I'm going back to Hogwarts today, I say a quick prayer to whatever gods might be listening that today will go well.

Minerva's P.O.V.

The first day back after the holiday break and I see Miss Granger back to doing the same thing she did at the beginning of the year, she wasn't eating very much and looked very pale. As I eat I watch her push her food around on her plate. She looks frail and ill, this worries me, I have only known the girl for a short time but I can tell there is something wrong. I have come to love her like the daughter Albus and I can't have.

It was two years ago that I lost our baby, and I was told by the healers at St. Mungo's that i would never be able to have kids. I've always wanted a daughter. The thought makes my eyes blur with tears.

Albus reaches for my hand under the table and squeezes it. He had also wanted kids. He wanted to spoil them with the candy he loved so much.

When the students were leaving the Great Hall I see Hermione limping. I hope she isn't too hurt. I decide to go talk to her.

I catch her at the door to Gryffindor tower, she seems to pale further when I call her name. "can I see you in my office Miss Granger?" she nods and follows me to my office. I abandon my chair to sit next to her on the couch.

"What's wrong?" I ask her.

"what do you mean professor?" she looks at me with that inquisitive look on her face.

"You haven't eaten much and I saw you limping" now the inquisitive look is gone and is replaced by a look that for lack of better term I must call horror.

"I tripped on the train and hurt my ankle, and I had a stomach bug over the holidays and I can't eat much yet."

I can tell she's wearing a glamour. I wave my hand and the glamour disappears. She looks at me in shock, anger and even a little relief. I gasp and feel tears come to my eyes at the sight of her, she's not just thin, she's emaciated. I see large, dark, angry bruises covering her face and I know on the rest of her body.

She turns to run but I pull her back down, gently so as not to hurt her.

"What happened and why did you lie to me? " she knows that I realize that the girl sitting next to me is severely mistreated.

"because I like you. My father did this, he threatened to kill me if anyone contacted him about me."