Tremors


We had been hiding out for a few months, after the war had ended. We thought everything was over. Even though Voldemort was dead, the other Death Eaters wanted revenge. We knew they would try and find us.

They found us eventually; we had been preparing for the moment they did. Escape routes, defensive spells. Everything; I guess it just wasn't enough. They had managed to take one of us away with them before they had to flee.

Hermione was gone.


I've always disliked the smell of blood. Blood that now is caked onto my skin, blood that sticks to my hair. At least the Death Eaters have gone. In a few seconds I realize I'm wrong, I'm dazed and confused from all the previous pain inflicted upon me. I feel something hot against my cheek, and I let out an ear-piercing scream. "Stop it, stop it please." I cry. It burns through the thin layer of flesh. I feel it continue from my cheekbone down to my chin; it only stops when it hits my throat.

I can't die yet. I only get a few seconds of relief, and the pain starts again. I can smell it, something burning. Hair, I think. My hair… I wrinkle my nose as the crackling reaches my scalp. I scream and cry trying to get away. "No... no, please, please stop." My breathing becoming staggered as my eyes start to close.

"WAKE UP!" I hear someone scream. "Crucio." I wake up to a terrible pain coursing through my entire body. "St.. stop." I mumble through tears. "Please."

I feel a blade, drag across my arm, once, twice, I count, finishing at eleven. Warm blood drips down my right arm, just as the blade drags across my left. I whimper, but the pain doesn't let up; it only worsens. I feel a sharp pain in my leg as I hear the snap of bones. I cry out in agony as I realize what's happening.

I wish I could scream but I don't even have the strength for that. I feel the pain in my ankle next. I'm cry out once more. As she backs off, I assume she's finished with me. At least for now.

But I am wrong, dead wrong. The pain does not end there.

One kick to the head, another to the stomach. I feel blood pouring out of the freshly cut wounds. I slowly begin to lose consciousness, but am kept awake by my tormentor. She kneels down before me, dragging her blade across the thin flesh on my forehead, blood rushes over my face and eyes. I look into hers, brightened like they have an idea, and she laughs.

"Well, well looks like you've found yourself in a tight place, Mudblood."

"Leave me alone, Bellatrix," I say my voice shaking. "Wha... what do you wa... want from me…?"

"Well… You're here because your little friend always has to play Hero." She pauses. "Doesn't he?" It wasn't a question. "When he comes, we can kill you both. But I doubt you'll be able tosee him."

My heart pounds rapidly. I see her take out the blade. My body tenses up and I try to stuggle out of her grips.

"Hmm, now what should we do with you, what to do, what to do..."

I feel a lump forming in my throat.

"Draco, has told me you're quite intelligent... 'Brightest Witch of her age' isn't that what they call you?" she pauses for only a moment.

"He also tells me you're quiet the avid reader too, aren't you."

She looks at me, expecting an answer. I try to avoid eye contact with her. "Leave... Leave me.. alone" I stutter.

"I expect you to answer me when I ask you a question! Crucio"

My body tenses up in pain. Knives scrape at me skin, acid runs through my veins. My head pounds in intense pain. I can't concentrate on anything. It seems that all I know is pain. Finally it stops, my body relaxes a little on the cold floor.

"Since you're such a avid little reader, maybe if we take that away from you, you'll learn your lesson."

She picks up the dagger again and drags the flat end across my cheek. I can see the flicker of happiness in her eyes.

"Well then.." She laughs. "We should get started, have fun trying to learn while being blind, Mudblood."

I close my eyes tightly. "Please... don't" I plead with her, whimpering.

But none of it matters.

I feel the blade pierce through the skin hitting my eye. She slowly drags the blade across and then forcefully rips it out. I scream for her to stop. It's probably one of the worst things I've ever been through. "What... do you want?" I ask again, sobbing in pain. "Please… please stop… I... I can't take it.

"Aww, does the little precious mudblood not like it?" Bellatrix sneers.

I moan in pain. "STOP, STOP STOP?" I scream

She digs the knife in further. "Can you feel that, Mudblood. Do you feel that pain?"

I cry. "Stop.. stop it please.. I... I can't take it stop."

Bellatrix glares at me. I can still see her with my one good eye.

"I TOLD YOU TO ANSWER ME WHEN I ASK YOU A QUESTION! Crucio" Bellatrix screams in rage.

"No, no.. please stop" I scream under the pain." It's much worse than before. My body is on fire, acid burns through my lungs. Blood pours out of my open wounds. "STOP IT! STOP IT!" I scream through tears.

"For somebody who been said to be so intelligent, You just never learn do you? Maybe what you need is a little more pain. What do you think."

"No, no please, no more... I.. I can't"

"It's really too bad... You are beneath me why should I care about your opinions."

I stay silent. Not knowing what to say. Bellatrix sighs. "You never learn do you. Crucio."

"Ohh, no, no not again. PLEASE."

Thousands of needles and knives peirce my skin, dragging down my arms, dragging down my legs. My entire body screams in pain. Fire burns every inch of my body. Bones snap, hair is ripped from my scalp.

"Stop, stop, please" I cry choking in my own saliva. "Just stop."

"Can't take the pain then can we? well why don't we continue where we left off before."

I shake me head. "No, just leave me alone... leave me alone. Please."

"Ahh." she says looking ammused. "Seems you've finally learnt to answer my questions... See what pain can do, Granger." she pauses.

"I imagine you've never gone through school without finishing the work you've started.. yes?"

"Yes." I say quietly

"Well just like you, Granger. I don't like to leave my work half finished."

"No." I cry "No, no please... don't... no, no you can't.. you just can't.."

It doesn't seem to matter how much I plead with her. I try and turn away before she can totally blind me. But she keeps me pinned to the ground as she starts on my other eye. I feel it pierce through my eyelid. I feel the blade tearing through my eye. "No, please…" I sob. I feel her tear the knife from my eye, laughing at my pain. Its over... its over.

I feel blood running down my face. I smell it in the air. I taste it on my lips. I slowly try and move my hand up to my forehead, but my arm had been injured earlier and I can't manage more than a few inches off the ground before I have to drop it back down again. My head is now pounding and I feel sick and lightheaded. I can only hope this is the last of it for the day.

I think back to what happened before. All these scars will stay with me forever; the scars on my arms, my forehead. If I ever get out of here, I won't even be able to see my friends again.

I won't see anything again.

I curl up on the floor and cry. Where are my friends? Aren't they coming for me?

My mind wonders off after a while thinking if anyone else would be coming down to torture me once more. I keep wishing that all of it could be over for now. I don't think I could manage any more pain today.

But it feels so early that I know I am wrong.

I hear a door open, but nobody advances towards me. A pained scream echoes from somewhere nearby. This goes on for about two hours.

I hear my door creak open. I am not alone anymore. I prepare myself for the worst.

I know they've done this before, to others... The worst thing is I can't do anything to stop it. They won't allow me to die, every time I reach a point so close to death, they bring me back, they heal me just so they can do it all over again.

I hear somebody walking towards me, they are close... I feel my hand being picked up off the ground.

I looked at her hand, a small, pretty, dainty little hand.

"Hello, Mudblood."

The girl doesn't move, but stays in her little curled-up position whimpering.

"Aw, you scared?" I sing. "Why don't we play a little game?"

"My opinions don't matter," she replies.

"That's right," I coo, "they don't. Every time you scream, I'll rip out one of your pretty—little—nails."

"No... no.. don't please." she screams. "Please... please just leave me alone."

"Aww baby, you know I don't care what you think." I smile

My smile turns into a twisted grin as I begin to pull her nails off. One by one, pained screams fill the air as blood rushes over both of our hands. I finish pulling out the last one.

"Looks like you're not very good at keeping your mouth shut." I laugh. "What to do with you next? Hmm…"

I turn her hands over and make small cuts in her palms tracing over the prominent lines.

"Stop it! Stop it, please," she cries.

"Well, filth, maybe we can try something a little... different. Some say the world will end it fire, other say it will end in ice. So which do you think it will be?" I ask, twirling my wand between my fingertips.

"Will it even matter what I say?" she probes, her voice trembling.

I smirk. "Not particularly."

"First lets see how you take to fire."

She shivers. "Please.." she cries.. "Please just leave me alone.."

"You haven't even seen the worst of what I'm capable of, consider yourself lucky, mudblood." I pause for a moment. "You know what I have here?" I say pressing a metal rod into her skin.

" ... no" She stammers.

I begin to heat the rod up still pressed against her soft skin soon the scent of blistering, charred flesh fills the air and I can't help but smile.

The girl screams in pains as I drag the rod across her skin, still quite weak from all her previous torture to put up a fight. I remove the rod and walk out of the room, giving her a little bit of time to recover before somebody else decides to comes pay her a visit.


"The Death Eaters took her. They took Hermione."

"Harry, it's been a week..." Ron said looking defeated. "What if she's dead? I wouldn't know what to do without her."

"I refuse to believe that she is. I'll get her back. Alive."

"We, don't even know where she is Harry..."Ron said

"No. I know your right,We need to find out where she is first. Chances are she's still alive and if it's me they want, then it's me they'll get, as long as they agree to free her."

"You can't! There must be another way, we can all get out. I'll go, I can get her alone."

I shake my head. "Ron, we really can't waste any more time."

"Oh, so you think I'm a waste of time?" Ron asks.

"You know thats not what I mean Ron, there is not way that the three of us can get out with the time and resources we have. Your Plan is a waste of time." I reply.

"She's my girlfriend! You're my friend. You think I want to chance losing you both."

"RON! I will not let my two best friends die, not because of me. I can fix this.. we just have to find out where they're keeping her."


It is evening; time for us to pay our friend a little visit.

She looks pathetic lying on the ground. Whimpering, Not even notcing that we came into the room. It seems to me that Bella has done a good job with her so far.

As soon as I approach her, I deliver a powerful blow to the side of her head, and one to her stomach. I pick her up by her hair—well, what's left of it at least—and pin her up against the wall, trying to establish eye contact with her. That's when I notice she's had been blinded. I smile at the pain she must be in.

"Get away from me." She screams trying to stuggle.

"Struggling will do you know good, Princess. Don't you understand that? You think just because you're able to stuggle out of my grasp I'll stop your pain. Do you think you can escape?"

She turns her head away from me. Not responding..

"Looks like you need a little more.. Convincing.. Crucio."

I let her drop to the ground as she screams and cries in pain.

"Bella said you might need a little help answering our questions."

"NO, No no please make it stop, make it stop." I cry... "STOP."

I lower my wand and stop the curse.

"You don't like pain much do you?" I ask her.

"No." I she shakes her head.

"STAND UP!" I yell.

She attempts to stand. But falls back over onto the floor. Pathetic, can't even stand up. I grab he arm and forcefully pull her up, pinning her back against the wall.

I pull out a knife and slowly cut into her pale skin, making a thin cut from about her cheekbone to her chin. She cries out in pain, which only makes me laugh.

"Don't you know by now, we enjoy your pain, girl?"

After I'm finished I throw her forcefully to the ground hearing a satisfying snap of bone. I smile as I hear her soft whimpers.

"Somebody will be down to see to your injuries shortly. Wouldn't want you dying on us, would we, before dear Potter comes to try and save you."


He's gone; thank goodness, he's gone. Soon, somebody will come down to heal my more severe injuries to make sure I don't die of infection or blood loss. Then everything will repeat tomorrow. The torture and the pain...

Sometimes I wish that they would just kill me and be done with it; but they won't allow that. Not for me.

Before long somebody is at my side. She forces me to sit up and puts a small cup to my lips. I try to avoid it. I recognize the smell, a blood-replenishing potion. I take a small sip being cautious about what I allow them to force into me. She grabs another small cup from beside her. The potions relieve some of the pain. I feel like I'm floating, my eyes slowly fluttering shut, before I fall into a deep calming and painless sleep.

I wake up, sweaty and shaking. Most of my pain has returned. Somebody comes in and forces me to drink something. I try to avoid it but they are much too strong for me. My eyes flutter shut and I'm forced into unconsciousness once again.

I'm woken by screams, just as I have been every day for the past week. They remind me I'm not the only one, that there are others here. I have never seen them, by the off chance that I escape should I try and help them? I may even know them. But it is still impossible to tell.

The screaming stops, which is a good thing, but the smell of blood and dirt is still quite overpowering. The fact that the cellars are deep down in the basement of the manor makes it extremely dark, damp and cold down here.

"Somebody will be down to see you shortly. You'll have a chance to answer our questions today, so think otherwise and you'll be outthrough all that pain again before we even contemplate giving you another chance."

I close my eyes, Bellatrix had healed my eyes. I still can't see, but the cuts and gashes are gone. I can close my eyelids and blink once again. But even for her it doesn't seem all that irrational. She'd rather kill me herself that letting me die from infection. I whimper, I don't think I can take much more of this. I can't see anything which makes everything I encounter far more terrifying.

I begin to feel that for the amount of time I've been stuck down here, maybe nobody is looking for me. Do my friends think I'm dead already? Have they already given up on me?

Just like they had said before, somebody enters the cellar. The noise of the door opening startles me, and I try to get away but he grabs my ankle.

"Princess, you leaving so soon?"

I struggle even more and he grabs my hand, noticing my nails had been ripped off. The pain since then had been increasing

"What did they do to you here, princess?"

"Leave me alone!" I scream. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"You dare raise your voice at me you discusting filth, Don't you understand! YOU are beneath me. You don't matter, you are worthless to everyone you enconter. Why I wouldn't even be surprised if Potter and Weasley don't even care for you any longer."

"YOU'RE WRONG, My friends will come for me. I know they care I KNOW IT."

"Are you so sure, Mudblood." He pauses. " Just look how long you've been here, look at all the pain you have suffered and they know, yet... they haven't come for thier precious little friend."

I try to kick and get away. He put his hand over my mouth, and squeezes my nose tightly between his fingertips. I try to fight it, mostly by attempting to bite his hand. I kick my feet out at him. But it's no use in trying to get away. Nothing seems to be working.

"You know it takes about three minutes to fall unconscious without oxygen, and about eight to die..."

I stop struggling against him and he finally releases his hand. I gasp for air, coughing.


While she's distracted trying to regain a normal breathing cycle, I walk up behind her and wrench her up by what's left of her burnt, charred hair and pin her against the wall. Even though some of her more severe wounds have been healed, I can still make out the many scars decorating her small face.

I reach for the knife in my pocket and carve into her cheekbone dragging the knife slowly across the rest of her face.

I smirk. I haven't had this much fun in a while.

The girl doesn't move; by now she knows struggling to get away with a knife still sticking in her skin won't do any good.

He makes a small cut in my forehead after that. He throws me down on the ground, only to step on my hand with a great force that shatters some of the bones. The pain is agonizing and I let out a terrible scream as he steps down on my hand again with a much greater force.

Before leaving, he leans down to me and whispers in my ear. "Don't worry, princess. I'll be back before long."

Finally, I'm strong enough to get up. It has been a long time. I prop myself into a semi-upright position against the wall. I can count my bones by slowly tracing them with the fingertips of my un-injured hand. I can feel the blood dripping down my face. I want to be sick. But there is nothing in my body to release.

I sit against the wall and think. Think about how much I hate this place, about how much I fear these people returning to come and torture me again. I wish for it countless times that my friends would come for me. I begin to think, what if they've already been caught? The Death Eaters are keeping me here for their own enjoyment? It certainly seems like something the Death Eaters would do.


"We need to find her, we could ask the remaining order members for help."

"No. The war has ended, we won, but the Death Eaters want revenge and the Ministry has fallen, The Order is through."

"Don't you care about her? She's suffering because we failed to protect her!"

"I know what I have to do, Ron! it's the only way. We make a deal: myself in exchange for Hermione. It's really me that they want, not her."

"We still need to find her Harry! We don't even now where she is!"

"Ron... we will find her." I say slowly. "I promise you... We will find her."

"It's your fault you know." Ron said.

Harry looked over at Ron angry. "How is it my fault?"

"You let them take her away from us, didn't you? You don't really care!"

"Ron, we're trying the best we ca—"

"You aren't trying hard enough!" Ron yelled, cutting off Harry.

I can feel my aching hand, all the bones inside completely crushed only moments ago. The searing pain makes it even more unbearable.

This time the torture was short. They've been trying to get more creative with their methods. They told me I could count myself lucky that I'm still alive. Right now, I'd rather not be.

The moment I hear footsteps, I know. I know their coming downstairs to torture me once more. It has felt like only minutes from my last session, but it must have been hours.

He kneels down before me and presses a glass to my lips. I try to recognize the potion by smell. But that doesn't even work. I turn my head refusing it and he hits me so hard across the face it causes my lip to bleed. Even if I wanted to take it, my hands couldn't even hold it.

The other Death Eaters to advance and pin me to the wall while they pour the liquid down my throat, something that seems to only be water. Still I can't be sure. I struggle, trying to spit the mysterious liquid out. I try to get out of their grip. Kicking, screaming and struggling until I can no longer move. Finally, I have to accept it and let them pour whatever it is down my throat.

But they don't stop at one glass; they make me drink countless. I feel as though my stomach is going to burst. After they let go and let me drop to the floor. One of them kicks my stomach.

"Stop... Please... Please, please stop..." I moan.

But nothing stops, if anything it only gets worse. They continue this until I get sick, all over the floor.

The three laugh kicking me once more in the head before leaving. My head aches, pounding in pain. I feel dizzy and confused. So much pain courses through my veins. My head pounds constantly and will not stop. I move my head and get sick all over the floor again. 'I must have a concussion or something by now' I think. Just one more painful thing to add to my life.

I whimper slightly and try to move. Bad idea, as shooting pain takes over every inch of my body. I begin to cry; I can't control myself anymore, I can't take this... I'm going to go insane down here.

I sob, one of the first times I've completely broken down. I'm done. I want to be done. I can no longer take this. I want my friends to come and save me.

I want to move but every time I try a new pain surges through my body. My stomach rumbles angry, but I haven't eaten properly in about two weeks. The Death Eaters have tried to force something into me several times. I had never accepted anything for fear of what might be in it. Other than that I've only had all of whatever it was they forced into me earlier.

I start to hear things all around me. Voices, crying… screaming from all around me. Screaming in pain, screaming in fear.

"STOP IT PLEASE." I hear someone scream. "NO STOP."

I shudder. 'it's in your head Hermione... It's all in your head. Don't let it get to you."

I figure that I may be going delusional. I've gone through a state of delirium before, when I was first tortured by Bellatrix during the time we were hunting down the Horcruxes. But I had my friends to help me then and the torture had only lasted about thirty minutes.

The thoughts of my friends echoed in my mind. Where were they? What were they doing? Were they looking for me? Were they trying to hatch a plan to come save me from this place? I know they care about me, I care about them, but I wouldn't ask them to risk their lives, not for only a slim chance of saving me. Besides, the Wizarding World always seemed to need them more.

I start to feel sleepy, but try to fight the urge to fall asleep as long as I can. At last I give in. I'm falling in and out of consciousness as I'm dragged across the floor.

My head pounds; my stomach aches.

Somebody throws me into a different room, colder; it must be deep down within the cellars of the Manor. At least it doesn't smell of blood and vomit.

I feel something hot press against my foot, I struggle and try to get away, but my body does not respond. I start at the scent of burning flesh fills the air and I realize I can't move. I continue to lie still.
"STOP IT." I scream. "STOP IT, Haven't you tormented me enough already."

"Maybe so, Mudblood, but haven't I told you before? I don't like to leave my work when it's only half- done."

Before long, she moves to the other foot. She moves up to look at my now tearstained face.

"Don't worry, Princess. You're not allowed to die yet."

I choke on my own saliva. She pulls on my arm, forcing me upwards, so I don't die from lack of oxygen, though once I stop coughing, she throws me back down. I hear the crack of bone echo in the small room as my head makes contact with the hard floor

I feel the flesh on my forehead start to burn. I can't tell what she's doing to me. I try to kick and get away moving my arms, my legs anything to get away from the pain. "Stop... please stop!" I scream. After she's finished with that I can feel her start to trace out the features on my face; the rings around my eyes, the blood dripping down my cheeks. She begins to trace over my lips after that. I can taste blood in my mouth and I want to be sick. The agonizing pain I feel now is nothing compared to some days. Sometimes it's worse. I feel a deep sadness in the pit of my stomach.

My parents are gone. Before being captured, I had travelled to Australia with Harry and Ron to try and find them, only to find that they had both died, before I could even get there. Before I could see them one more time. I can't imagine what they had gone through, the only way I had known they were dead is because, there had been a list of all the casualties, my parents were two of them. Murdered by some psychotic killer who had escaped jail. Killing 53 and injuring 27 people. My parents just happened to be two of them. My parents... who didn't even know they have a daughter.

My friends are all I have left, but they seems that they'll never find me. I've been here over a week and I still haven't been rescued.

I still feel sick to my stomach from having been beaten so much. I'm not sure how far underground I am since they moved me. From what I gather there are about three floors underground, the first with the basement and then, the second floor and third floor cellars; some were under high security. Who knows? Maybe even this one is.

I press my hand tightly against my stomach. The pain returns strong as ever. Somebody kneels down beside me, putting their hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry Princess, all will be well soon."

I sigh heavily as she leaves, pulling up my shirt to see new bruises all over my stomach.


"We need to find her soon. They might not tolerate her for too much longer."

"Harry, I miss her. What if… what if they've killed her? I don't think I could live without her. She means everything to me."

I sigh. "I know she does... I just don't think they would, not yet, not until they have me. I will make it known that my only condition is that they let the both of you go... alive."

"Have any ideas on where she might be?" Ron asks me.

"I might have one..." I reply.