SHADOWS

Hey peoples! I know, I know, you were expecting an update on I Missed You. But I have decided to start this instead. It's nothing like my first one, but I like this one more so far. So, read on, and let me know if it totally sucks and I should burn in hell!

Chapter 1: Pain

Pain. That one, little, 4-letter word can mean so much. That word swept through her entire body. It was all she could feel. Not just physically, either. The emotional pain by far outnumbered the physical pain most of the time. A feeling of internal pain crept into her mind and settled. It had been there since she was old enough to understand. And she learned to understand pretty quickly, as she was the brightest witch of her age, as some had come to call her.

Hermione Granger's life was nowhere near as perfect as everyone expected. It was so far away from perfect, in fact, that she could barely keep her home life hidden anymore. All because of her drunken bastard of a father.

It had started when she was only 7 years old. Up until then, it had only been verbal tongue lashings with a few smacks across the face now and then. But then her father lost his trial for drunk driving and had to pay a huge fine. He also got his license revoked for quite some time.

That night, he got home late and was way over the legal limit. He slammed the door, and kicked a hole through the wall. Picking up an antique china figurine, he threw it against the wall under the stairs. Running out of her room (more like her broom closet) and flying down the stairs at the sound of his slurred voice, her face blanched at the hatred shown in his face.

"You! This is your fault! You caused this to happen with this freaky stuff you've been doing lately!" He screamed, right up in her face. In the past year, she had been conducting odd events, and she couldn't make sense of them. It was nothing big, just things like running extra fast away from her father, or getting food when she was locked in her so called room. One time when her father was drunk and chasing her, she got really scared and tried to hide in a nook between a chair and the wall, but even though she was severely malnourished, she was still to big to fit. She was terrified by the thought of what could happen, until she transformed into a cinnamon colored small wolf pup, and was able to fit easily. Luckily, her father had such a large hangover the next day, he couldn't remember a thing, and it hadn't happened again.

She had never been as scared in her life as she was right then. Her fathered staggered up to her and struck her, right across the face. It hurt like hell. She could smell the acrid smell of alcohol on his breath. When he shoved her to the floor and started kicking her in the ribs, she curled up into the fetal position and wondered what she did to deserve this sick form of punishment. It was then that she noticed her mother standing in the kitchen, pulling the shades down over the windows so that the neighbors wouldn't see, no emotion showing on her face. At that moment, as her father's foot connected with her head, setting stars in front of her eyes, she decided that her life would never be the same.

It was about a month before she was to go back to school for her seventh year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. She had gotten a message along with her school letter yesterday, informing her that an order member would be coming to pick her up sometime today.

She didn't know what she would do. She was covered in cuts and bruises; while she was sure she had at least three broken ribs from her father's latest beating. Muscles she had never even thought about ached from when her father's friends came over. Her father let them do whatever they wanted with her. Shuddering at the memories (some old, most new), she started layering on make-up to hide her life. No matter how much she caked on, however, she was still as pale as someone on their deathbed.

Sighing, she decided her pallid face wouldn't magically conjure more color, and went to find her least raggedy clothes to wear.

Pulling on trip pants with lime green liner, a black t-shirt with a My Chemical Romance hoodie, she was careful to not look in the mirror. She really did not want to face the truth.

A few hours later, she heard her father answer the door. 'Oh, how wonderful, another of his many friends is probably here. Well, at least they won't try anything, I'm going back, and dad doesn't want anyone to find out.'

"Girl! Get down here! Her father's voice could be heard even over her Evanescence CD.

'Could he get any louder? Ugh. Better take my stuff down now. That way I can get out of here faster later.'

"Hey, Bitch! I said get down here!"

Giving a frustrated sigh, she screamed, "I'm coming!"

"Don't you dare scream at me, you worthless pile of shit!"

As she groaned and ran a hand through her hair, she thought, 'I wonder if someone came for me early, and it's not one of his friends. Hopefully.' She gave half a laugh and a snort. 'Yeah, but I've been hoping that all summer.

As she pulled her trunk down the stairs, she strained her neck to see who was there before her father saw her, she let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. It was only 'Mad Eye' Moody.

Coming all the way down, Moody saw her first and scrutinized her carefully. Letting her hair fall over her face (even though she new Mad Eye could see through it), she came face-to-face with her father. She cringed when spit flew in her face.

"What took you so long? Apologize to me, now, Bitch!" He screamed in a drunken rage.

"Sorry," she said, barely above a whisper.

"Sorry, sir," she quickly added as an afterthought when he looked like he was about to hit her.

Moody, raising an eyebrow at her, nodded towards the door.

She couldn't get to the door fast enough.

The unlikely twosome soon came to a deserted ally. Turning to her, Moody said, "We're going by side-along apparition. Grab my arm, and concentrate on where we were last summer."

Doing as she was told, Hermione soon found she was unable to breathe. Close to panicking, because it felt way too much like her father's large hands squeezing tighter, tighter, around her throat, she was relieved when the choking sensation stopped. However, that was not enough to keep her upright.

Luckily, a pair of strong arms caught her on the way down, and held her close to the owner of those arms, until she could compose herself once more.

Looking up, she saw the one face that she didn't want to see.

"Hi, Remus," she whispered.

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