Chapter 1
“Miss Granger… What in Merlin’s name have you done to your eye?” Professor Severus Snape asked.
After the winter break, Hermione Granger from Gryffindor returned to Hogwarts with a massive black eye. She tried to hide it with her long, brown, frizzy hair, but she obviously failed.
“Um, sir… I-I accidentally fell off the stairs during the holidays…” Hermione answered guiltily, her eyes meeting Professor Snape’s as he lifted her chin to see her eye properly.
“Foolish girl,” Professor Snape said, then made his dramatic exit, leaving Hermione shocked by his action.
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“Bloody hell! That black eye is even worse than mine when I got kicked by George!” Ron Weasley exclaimed.
“I’m fine, Ron… Don’t worry, it only looks bad, but it doesn’t actually hurt that much,” Hermione lied. The massive black eye ached, causing her to blink more often.
“Are you sure you fell off the stairs? Because it looks more like someone punched you in the face,” Harry Potter said, noticing something was wrong.
“I’m fine! How many times do I have to repeat myself? Just leave my eye alone and pretend nothing happened!” Hermione was annoyed—annoyed at how everyone kept asking about it and how she had to keep repeating herself that she was fine.
She stood up, leaving Harry and Ron sitting there in frustration as she exited the crowded Great Hall. Hermione rushed off to her dormitory. She felt like she needed to put some cream on her eye as it started aching again. As she turned the corner of the corridor, she bumped into a tall, black figure, causing her to fall backward.
“Ouch…”
“Miss Granger, I assume you are aware that students are not allowed to run in corridors.” Hermione had bumped into the worst possible person—Professor Snape, her Potions teacher.
“I’m so sorry, Professor. I was in a rush, and I’m still in a rush right now. So please excuse me, I need to get to my dormitory,” she said, trying not to make eye contact with the tall man.
“Not so quick. I have something to discuss with you. Come to my office tonight at 8 p.m.,” Professor Snape said as Hermione was about to walk off. He gestured for Hermione to leave, and she walked away curiously. However, the black eye didn’t give her a chance to think—she ran off to her dormitory, quickly grabbed an ice pack, and applied some cream to it.
Knock. Knock.
It was Hermione, knocking on Professor Snape’s office door at 8 p.m. for their meeting.
“Come in.” A loud, posh voice came from the room, instructing the Gryffindor student to enter.
“Professor, I’m here for my meeting,” she said, dropping her books onto the chair.
“Yes, I know, Miss Granger. Please take a seat,” the man said.
Hermione sat down with her hands on her lap, carefully looking around her Potions teacher’s office, complaining in her mind about how tidy it was. She had always been called “Little Miss Perfect” by Ron and Harry, but after seeing Professor Snape’s office, she thought he might want to take that crown from her.
“I can tell your black eye isn’t from an accident, is it? Who punched you?” This made Hermione jump. He knew everything, and she knew she couldn’t hide from him.
“My boyfriend punched me after I told him we should break up,” Hermione said.
“Why did you break up with him?” Professor Snape asked. Hermione wasn’t sure why her professor was so interested in her love life, but she still told him the reason.
“He always used violence on me—constantly abusing me, slapping me, and punching me when he was in a bad mood. I asked him over and over again to stop, but he ignored me. So, I told him I had enough of this nonsense, and I broke up with him.”
Professor Snape was shocked—shocked at how this young girl had experienced so many things she shouldn’t have at her age. He slowly stood up, walked toward her, and gently touched her face with his fingertips. He wiped her tears away with his thumb, brushing against her bright cheek. Hermione didn’t know what to do—she froze. She squirmed, trying to push Professor Snape away, but she failed.
“Stop moving,” the man said, taking out a jar of cream and applying it gently to Hermione’s black eye.
“This is a special cream that I invented. It will heal your eye faster than that useless cream you’ve been applying, and it will reduce the pain.” Hermione sat there, watching as Professor Snape carefully applied the cream.
“…Thank you… Professor,” she said. Then, grabbing the cream, she ran out of his office quickly, leaving her books behind on the chair. Professor Snape remained in his office, staring after her as she slammed the door behind her. He couldn’t help but let out a small sigh.
“Foolish girl.”