Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and never will
Hermione Granger was cold and wet as she sat chained in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor. She had been captured by the snatchers, she had sacrificed herself to let Harry and Ron get away. She had been there waiting to live or die for a week. She hadn't had anything to eat and could only drink what moisture collected on the walls. Bellatrix LeStrange had come down to torture her a few times with curses or mostly knives. She had many cuts all along her body but what she hated the most was the word 'Mudblood' which had been carved on her arm. She assumed that this day would have been just like the others if it weren't for the commotion above her.
"It's amazing isn't it?" she heard a strained voice say outside her cell
"What?" said Bellatrix practically shouting
"That we swim in the same gene pool." Said the strained voice. Hermione heard some commotion anjd then a scream
"How dare you take my wand! And tell lies!" said Bellatrix
"Galatea Algoria Black doesn't lie…Avanda Kendarva!" said this person, Galatea. Hermione heard a thud and then her someone trying to open her cell.
"Galatea, we have to go!" said a much higher voice. Hermione heard some footsteps and assumed that at least three people were outside her cell.
"Sister, cousin you know we have to free all prisoners." Said Galatea crossly
"Why so cross?" asked a soft, colf voice
"I just killed a member of my family!"
"You've killed death eaters before and much less quickly." Said the first voice
"Portia! Cousin of mine! It's different!" said Galatea again. Hermione tried to call out but found her voice to dry. She couldn't even muster the strength to make any type of noise.
"How?" asked Portia. Hermione tried to drag herself to the door
"We had the same eyes." Said Galatea quietly
"Well, it's war. This is the risk we took when we became Aurors. What are you snickering at, Persephone?" Said Portia
"This is all very touching but we really should be getting our prisoners to the Palace of Justice before they, you know…escape!" said Persephone
"You have a point, let's go. The Ministry can handle any prisoners." Said Galatea. Hermione heard them disapperate with a pop and her hopes of escape. Just as she was about to give up she heard her door open. She mustered enough strength to mover herself so she could see either her rescuer or her executioner.
"Merlin you're in bad shape." Said a hazy figure in her vision. Her got close rand she recognized him. It was Peter Pettigrew. Hermione tried to choke out something, anything but she was hurt, naked, and without a wand.
"No." said Hermione as she forced herself into a sitting position.
"Come on, you really want to stay down here? The order could take days to get here considering that many of them are in hiding and Death Eaters have taken over the ministry. When Remordereian Aurors come they'll question and then send you on your way considering your…background." Said Peter as he took off his cloak and put it around her.
"N-No." said Hermione again. She was grateful for the warmth his cloak provided. Above them a loud bang could be heard. He picked her up and she noticed that he didn't have a silver hand.
"Come with me if you want to live…I've always wanted to say that." Said Peter as they disapperated. The force of disapperating pushed Hermione over the edge and she passed out.
"Please don't be dead…please don't be dead…Merlin! Please don't be dead!" was the first thing Hermione heard before she woke up. Without opening her eyes the first thing she noticed was that she was warm and she was on an unbelievably soft surface, it was like sleeping on a feathery cloud. She moved around and realized that she was in a bed and that she was wearing a silk night gown.
"Ron?" asked Hermione not sure of where she was or what was happening. For a moment she thought she was back at camp with Ron and Harry.
"You're alive!" said Peter as he put a warm washcloth on her head.
"Where am i!" shouted Hermione jumping off of the bed. She fell onto her back, her nightgown noting about her waist. It was then that she realized that she wasn't wearing anything else.
"You're in my home, in room, on the floor." Said Peter covering his eyes as she stood up. She didn't care that she didn't have a wand or any idea of where she was beyond the floor in Peter Pettigrew's house.
"Where?" said Hermione picking up the oil lamp by the bed and brandishing it dangerously.
"Remordere. Please will you put that down before you burn the house down." Said Peter as he put his hands up defensively.
"Where is that?" said Hermione
"An island in the Netherlands and U.K. Well, it's actually several muggle repellant islands and some territories but we're in Nomanisan Island. The town is called Portsland. This is the main Pettigrew house and I'm Peter Pettigrew. You're Harry Potters clever friend, I remember. Now that You know where you are will you please stop that. You see, that's a paraffin lamp and this room is made out of wood and stone…" said Peter. When Hermione didn't put it down he took out his wand and summoned it. He put it on the wardrobe far away from them.
"Let me go!" said Hermione looking for something else she could use as a weapon. She picked a shoe up off the ground. She knew that she must have looked ridiculous and she stood no chance to fighting him off with a shoe but she didn't care.
"Go where?" asked Peter pointing to the window. Hermione looked out the window and saw a thick fog.
"I won't tell you anything! You'll have to kill me if you want information about Harry!" said Hermione. Peter rolled his eyes, the one prisoner he saves turns out to hate him.
"I don't want information about Harry, don't you understand? I just wanted to help you! Now, will you please put my shoe down." Said Peter. He put his wand back into his sleeve as a defensive move. She lowered the shoe but didn't put it down.
"What do you want? Why am I naked?" said Hermione fearing the worst. Peter blushed and looked down at his stocking feet.
"Were." Said Peter
"What?"
"You were naked but I found one of my sister's old nightgowns that should fit you."
"Why did you do that for me?" asked Hermione as she noticed the nightgown. It had a Ravenclaw pattern that seemed to be afraid.
"You can't be naked, it's not right." Said Peter
"Why aren't I wearing underwear?" asked Hermione self-consciously covering herself
"Ladies underwear is just too complicated, alright?" said Peter. Hermione gave him a long look and then noticed the room she was in. everything seemed to be both a hundred years old. She knew that the Wizarding world still seemed like it was the middle ages but this felt more antiquated somehow. She looked at Peter and noticed that he looked like he was in a costume drama. His clothes were both new and fancy but old-fashioned.
"What do you want with me?" asked Hermione. Peter sighed.
"You really like to ask questions, don't you?" asked Peter tiredly. He wondered why Harry Potter or
Ron could have been the prisoner. At least he knew how to work with them. He'd just have to deflected hexes, lock the door, and give them food until they got better or the fog let up.
"Answer the question, traitor!" yelled Hermione. Peter's eyes flared dangerously and his wand sparked but he calmed down. He reminded himself that she had probably been told Sirius' version of what happened.
"I just wanted to atone to fate what I had done by nursing you back to health and taking care of you. Also, I'm not a traitor but I know you won't believe me." Said Peter walking towards the door.
"Where are you going?" asked Hermione as he walked towards the door.
"I'm going to let you calm down. There's a wash closet through that door and I'll bring you some proper clothes later on." Said Peter. Hermione heard a lock click and then footsteps walking away. She looked around for a way out. The window was too high up and even if she got away the fog was too thick. She wished that she had her wand. She then had an idea. She walked over to the door and tried to do a wandless Alohamora but it didn't work. Either she didn't do it right or the door was warded somehow. She felt her magic going to the door and she tried other spells. This weakened her exponentially and she collapsed on the bed to a fevered sleep.
"Why did ladies have to invent such complicated underwear." Muttered Peter. He had come into the room an hour later with an armful of clothes he had managed to collect from his sister's old wardrobe. She had tried to wake her but she was fats asleep so he set off trying to dress her. The combinations had been self-explanatory and blush worthy as he buttoned her knickers but the corset proved to be a challenge. He had tried to get it laced and then set off for his sister's old things to try and find a spell or something to self-lace it. It was times like these he wished that most of the servants and women hadn't been evacuated to their territories in India and Africa. He found a how to book and laced her up. He didn't tight lace it because he knew that he could hurt her in his inexperience. He decided that he had a new respect for women when it came time for the hoop skirt and petticoat. It had been almost an hour and the dress itself still wasn't on. He wondered how she could have slept through all of that. She woke up when he had just finished dressing her.
"What are you doing?" asked Hermione as she jumped up from the bed. She had woken up to fin Peter Pettigrew muttering as he dressed her.
"Dressing you. I say that you'll be happy to hear that you are in fact now wearing underwear." Said Peter recalling the earlier conversation that they had. They both blushed furiously.
"You've seen me naked." Said Hermione quietly. Peter put his hand on her shoulder
"Don't feel bad, most everyone in Malfoy's Manor saw you naked. Besides, it's nothing I haven't seen before." Said Peter. Hermione gave him a pointed look
"That doesn't make it alright!" said Hermione loudly. Peter patted her on the back.
"Well, you did need to wear something though I suppose that those clothes are a bit out of date. The ladies don't wear hoops anymore but who'll see you besides me."
"What about servants?"
"Servants?"
"You seem like a rich man, where are all of your servants."
"The women, children, Squibs, and generally weak have all evacuated to our territories. I stayed because of my work. My nieces and daughters are out there working with our Aurors and I dare say they're kicking arse. Pardon my speaking." Said Peter
"Daughter? Nieces?"
"My daughter Portia is your age, Persephone is my niece and a year younger while my other niece Galatea is a year older."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?"
"Look at the picture on the nightstand." Said Peter. Hermione turned around and saw Peter, two women, three girls, a blonde little boys and girl, and a boy that looked like a pixie.
"Who are they?"
"My wife Addie, sister Margareta, daughters Portia and Priscilla, son Beadle, nieces Persephone and Galatea, and Galatea's half breed son Timothy. You can't tell but my wife is pregnant in that picture. The baby's name is Clarinda." Said Peter pointing towards each person as he spoke.
"Beadle?" said Hermione crinkling her nose at the name
"My favorite book is Beadle the Bard." Explained Peter like it was the most obvious thing in the world
"You said you daughter was an Auror." Said Hermione
"Yes, but she's not a very good one considering the fact that her mother and I kind of made it impossible for her to feel fear but she gets the job done." Said Peter
"What do you mean, how is she still alive? Fear is self preservation."
"We were always afraid. These were dark times she was born in so we thought it would be for the best. Of course my wife had been in labor for twenty hours and I hadn't gotten any rest so maybe that contributed to our decision."
"How could you have had all of these children if you're a Death Eater?"
"I'm not a Death Eater! I'm a mole! A very bad mole!" said Peter. He then tried to gain his composure as he saw the fright in her eyes.
"You brought him back." Said Hermione quietly.
"The only thing I know about that is that it involved the Tri-Wizard Tournament and a port key. I won't talk about this anymore. Ask any question of me no matter how personal but don't ask about that." Said Peter in a voice that clearly said he was putting his foot down about the matter. Hermione gave him a dark look.
"Are you going to sleep with me?" said Hermione. Peter became flustered.
"I know that's not what you mean but you get that side of the bed." Said Peter. Hermione got scared
"You won't have your way with me!" sadi Hermione as she tried to hit him. He grabbed her arm and put it at her side. He rolled his eyes and she became confused.
"Who said anything about me having my way with you? I just said that you get that side of the bed. I can't sleep alone, never have." Said Peter
"Then how did you go to Hogwarts?" asked Hermione as visions of all the Marauders spooning on one bed came to mind.
"Addie was a Gryffindor too. Girls can get into the boys dorms but not the other way around." Said Peter blushing as he remembered fumbling nights in his sixth year. He chuckled a bit as he remembered Sirius clearing everyone out when they realized what was happening.
"When are you going to let me leave? Or do I just have to escape on my own?" asked Hermione with a determined look on your face.
"I'm not sure when I can let you go and I guarantee you won't get very far through this fog without a wand. Or course you'd want to leave. Everyone leaves this damned island." Said Peter hatefully under his breath as he started out the window.
"Um, Wormtail?" asked Hermione as he got a distant and hateful look in his eyes. It wasn't directed at her but at the world its self.
"The family and most of the servants are gone…even the seagulls have gone quiet. The entire islands apparition wards are closed now too. I'm beginning to totally feel cut off from the world…" muttered Peter.
"Are you alright?" asked Hermione more worried for herself than him.
"It's just that this house can become maddening." Said Peter resentfully. The house seemed to radiate disapproval.
"Maddening?" asked Hermione quietly grabbing the cloth of the Bedspread. She didn't like the way he was talking. He sounded almost dangerous.
"It's been so empty since the family left. My parents and siblings are either married off or dead. My friends either hate me or are dead and on top of it my sister had to go and have that Persephone with my brother Templeton.
"Brother?" asked Hermione disgusted
"After Sirius Black refused to marry Margareta my parents disowned her but my deranged brother took her in, married her, and had Persephone. He's rotting in the asylum now. Didn't stop him from having that girl." Muttered Peter darkly not looking at Hermione.
"What's wrong with Persephone." Asked Hermione. She remembered hearing people with the names he mentioned. It felt like years ago even though it was probably a few days ago at the most.
"Nothing now, they finally found a cure." Said Peter sound very grateful. To Hermione he sounded like she just said that the war was over.
"Cure?" asked Hermione
"For her condition. People with aristocratic, not necessarily pure blood, marry their cousins but in most cases siblings."
"Siblings?" said Hermione disgusted
"I married my cousin Addie and my children don't have the …abnormalities that pop up in this family."
"Abnormalities?" asked Hermione remembering the hemophilia that seemed to affect European royal families. She wondered what could affect wizarding families.
"Xeroderma Pigmentosum pops up a lot. That's an allergy to light but we get a few mediums and people who are just plain mad." Said Peter
"What's wrong with Persephone?"
"What isn't wrong with her? She was born with a light allergy but they finally found a cure, I think she's a medium but I wasn't there for her childhood so I only have my daughters word to go on for that and I think she may be a but mad at least from spending the first twelve years of her life in the dark. Most people were afraid to go near her, it's considered a bad omen."
"Why not just ask her mother?"
"It's not the kind of question a brother asks of his sister."
"How did she become an Auror if all of these things are wrong with her?"
"She's not. She just works with them and they do get the job done."
"Oh."
"Well, let's get to dinner." Said Peter Pettigrew as he led her by the arm. She followed thining of all the thngs he had told her.