Rewrite the past

Chapter 22

Ahead of her lay a very dark and narrow corridor she had already walked along once before. However, she did not recall having felt such dread and loneliness back when Severus had taken her home when they were both younger. 

With uncertain steps she proceeded, drawing her wand to cast some light into this dank place. After a last look cast down the steep staircase, she went to open up the first door which just so happened to be the Snape's bedroom.

The room was dark, not much light finding its way in through the small window. Hermione could easily see that Severus' mother was definitely not in here, and so she walked out again, further venturing into the bathroom located on the other side of the hallway.

The woman trapped in a small girl's body did not know why, but she felt as if the woman she was searching for was going to be laying on the tiled floor. Contrary to what she was anticipating, there was no one in there, either. That only left one more room Eileen could be in —  and that would be Severus' old room.

Carefully tiptoe-ing along the wall she made her way over to the end of the corridor where she knew her friend's room was located. While walking, she turned her head around every so often to make sure there was no one behind her. Even though she knew that Minerva would do her best to keep the brute from discovering her, Hermione could not shake the feeling of eyes staring into her back. 

Wearily she stood in front of the door that was not locked, not even closed properly. This puzzled her mind since Severus had not been here in months. It just did not seem like something he would do — leaving his door open. 

Gently but cautiously she pushed the door open and entered the small, meagrely furnished room. She had to light her wand anew to be able to look around in her best friend's childhood room. 

Oblivious to what was going on downstairs, she walked around and saw someone hunched over near the bed. Quickly she walked over and recognized the skinny frame as Eileen. Even though she had only seen her in one of Severus'memories from when he was a teen, she looked exactly the same. 

"Mrs Snape? Can you hear me? Mrs Snape?" asked Hermione feeling anxious and scared that something had happened to the woman. 

She rushed and kneeled down next to the thin frame and tried to feel a pulse. It took her some time and it was only very faint, but the older witch's heart was still beating. 

Feeling relieved that she was not dead, Hermione turned her around using magic. 

Upon seeing the sallow and sunken face, Hermione was shocked to say the least. Eileen's left eye had obviously been blackened and there were bruises scattered all over her face and down her neck. Scared to find more bruises and scars, she stood back up and levied the woman into her son's bed. Knowing that she was alive and as well as she could be given the circumstances, Hermione opted to head downstairs to aid Minerva. 

As soon as she had decided to do just that, she heard glass shattering and things being broken downstairs. As quickly as possible she went downstairs only to find Minerva cornered by Sev's drunken brute of a father. 

She had barely entered the room when he was cornering her mentor even more, and so she decided to stun him for the time being. She did not want anyone to get seriously hurt. 

It only took a few seconds and the brute was laying unconscious on the floor, his arms and legs bound together.

"Minerva, I found her. She is all beaten up, we need to take her to St. Mungos. Now." 

Without further hesitation, the two women transported Eileen to the magical hospital to get her countless wounds treated. 

A few hours later, the two witches were sitting in hospital chairs, waiting for news concerning Sev's mother. After all, Hermione did not want to have to tell her best friend that his mother was currently in hospital in an uncertain state. 

Minerva had closed her eyes and dozed off maybe an hour ago, but Hermione was too worried to close her eyes. Too worried about Eileen. She had clearly had to take so much beating. Having seen her state, Hermione could not help but to think about what Severus' childhood must have been like, even more so before she indirectly interfered by giving him a safe space to come to when things got rough. 

Just when her thoughts were nearing her memories of the world she had left behind, a young nurse walked up to them. She quickly nudged Minerva, who jolted awake.

"Professor McGonagall? My name is Anna Jackson, I'm the nurse responsible for Madam Snape. I take it you were the one bringing her here?"

Minerva nodded and looked up at the nurse with sleepy eyes. "Yes, we brought her here. How is she?"

"She is stable for now. We treated her wounds as well as we could, given that some were already mending in the wrong way. She is asleep and will be for at least a few hours. If you wish to visit her, you will have to wait for the afternoon. That's all I can do for now. You should probably get back to the castle and get some hours of sleep, professor. You look no better than we as students did, when Gryffindor had won yet another Quidditch Cup," smiled the nurse, before turning around on her heel and walking down the lengthy corridor of St. Mungo's. 

"You know her?"

"Oh yes, she was a student of mine. I believe she graduated five or six years ago. Anna was a chaser in her days as a quidditch player, an excellent one at that," answered Minerva, turning to face Hermione. 

"I would have never thought that someone so fragile-looking could be a chaser but well, I should not judge for I am not exactly who I say I am, either. However, I think she is right. We should probably get some rest. We can come back in the afternoon with Severus. I know that he is worried sick about her."

The two did as she proposed and were both dead asleep in their beds not even ten minutes later. Obviously only after Minerva had excused herself and Hermione from classes that day.