Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves/David Yates are the leaders and I would never dare stealing anything from them.
‚Leave the mudblood. Let's have a word, shall we?'
It took a few moments for Hermione to realise what it meant. Ron's fingers squeezed in a matter of seconds around her shaky hands as they were bound back to back to each other. She stared as Bellatrix pulled out a dagger, shoved Hermione aside and cut the ropes between her and Ron. As he was, free, he immediately enclosed his arms around his love protectively and refused to let her go. Bellatrix grinned menacingly: ‚Oh, how sweet. Greyback, you'll lead the lover boy into the cellar.' Greyback snarled and walked over to the couple and ripped Ron apart, leaving deep gashes in both their palms. Ron attempted to fight against Greyback's restraint, but given the lack of food in the past few weeks and a general exhaustion, it was pointless and soon, he stopped struggling, staring at Hermione, who was now in Bellatrix's arms, looking back at him, breathing heavily and shaking in fear. ‚Say goodbye, ginger,' Bellatrix laughed shrilly and started dragging Hermione away. Hermione struggled desperately. Ron fought Greyback as well. The couple was granted one last look at each other before Ron's red mane disappeared on the way down the cellar, where Harry and the other prisoners went before as well. Bellatrix pushed Hermione to the wall. Hermione stared down at the knife that almost threatened to run through her chest.
The dark witch grabbed her by her bushy hair and drew her face up close to hers. ‚This can be over soon if you'll tell me where did you get that sword.' Hermione winced at that sudden pain running through her scalp. The pulling at the roots of her hair suddenly stopped as though a time for her to answer was given. Bellatrix grabbed her chin roughly and forced her to look up at her. Hermione tried to supress a few tears that formed in her eyes and attempted to struggle free. It only resulted in Bellatrix squeezing her jaw with more force, causing Hermione to whimper involuntarily. She shook her head and stuttered: ‚I don't know.' She hardly even noticed the blow across the face Bellatrix gave her until her cheek started stinging. Hermione cried out and staggered to the side, suprised and scared. Bellatrix kicked her and Hermione hit the ground with her knees. ‚Crucio,' escaped Bellatrix's lips. A split second after, Hermione felt like someone poured a barrel of petrol on her and then set her on fire. It burned, it hurt, it ripped her insides apart, turnt her skin inside out and back again, it was like acid ran through her veins and like every cell of her body turned into burning coal. And then it was over.
Hermione couldn' t tell if it lasted for a minute or for an hour. When it finished, she lay on her stomach, the fingers on the right hand bled as she scratched the marble floor with them when she was under the curse and her throat was hoarse. She caught her breath and heard a clicking noise of high heels behind her, getting closer. The sound itself made her flinch. Bellatrix marched slowly over to her. Hermione couldn't see her, just her black boots stroding past her limp form on the floor. Then she stepped on her right palm and Hermione couldn't help but cry out. Then someone grabbed her shoulder. It hurt as the effects of the Cruciatus curse still lingered upon her. Hermione flailed her arms in a desperate attempt to set herself free from the cold grip. Her shoes squeaked and she found herself being violently turned around. She gave a cry and then the world almost blacked out as her head hit the hard marble. She lay down in a spread-eagled position. Bellatrix got down and got on top of her. Hermione started to panic and attempted to wiggle her way out from under the older witch's body. But Bellatrix squeezed Hermione's hips between her knees and pinned her down by putting her hands on Hermione's chest, the knife in one of them. Hermione started feeling tears rolling down her cheeks as the terror within her reached the red alert. Suddenly, she realised Ron was screaming her name. It came from down below. It looked like Bellatrix got distracted, too. ‚RON!' Hermione suddenly shouted on top of her lungs, so Ron could hear her. As a reward, there was another smack, this time, it left her cheek bright red. Her hot tears made the irritated skin even more sensitive. Hermione stared up and as Bellatrix lowered down her head, Hermione flinched and closed her eyes shut as tightly as she could.
‚That sword is meant to be in my vault at Gringott's, how did you get it?' Bellatrix didn't even finish her question and Hermione already broke into a faint sobbing. When she was supposed to give an answer, her sobs grew in volume as panic seized her even more. Bellatrix didn't give her any more time and still continued in the low, whispering voice: ‚What else did you and your friends…' by that time, Hermione started freaking out, because she just realized, what exactly was going on. She shook her head again and shivered. ‚…take FROM MY VAULT?' The dark witch grew impatient and screamed her last words as well as squeezing the girl's hips more tightly together to keep her in place. Hermione's voice grew small as she was the most scared she has ever been in her life: ‚We didn't take anything. Please,' as a couple more sobs escaped, she found herself out of breath. She didn't know what Bellatrix's reaction was, her eyes were still closed shut. Her hips hurt by being pressed together by her tormentor's sharp knees and the locks of black curly hair tickled her cheeks and her nose. Hermione took a massive breath, although Bellatrix leaning on her rib cage made it rather difficult and tried to move herself a little to get free from the pain, because it was blocking her brain from thinking of a way out. It didn't help, though. Bellatrix knew exactly what she was doing. A new set of tears rolled down her cheeks as she wasn't able to figure out anything. ‚I didn't take anything!' ‚I don't believe it.' She heard Bellatrix utter and suddenly, she saw more light through her eyelids. The pressure on her chest disappeared, too, and her hips were granted a little bit of freedom.
It was obvious Bellatrix has shifted. Hermione tried to picture quickly, what could happen. She felt the left sleeve of her coat and her sweater being rolled up. Then it struck her. A brief moment after the thought came, it happened. A sharp pain shot up her forearm and Hermione screamed and turned to the side to see, what was happening, although she already knew. Bellatrix cackled, and slammed her head to the other side, refreshing the pressure put to the young witch's hips as Hermione kicked her legs and hit the free arm against the floor. Not knowing exactly, what was happening, was probably the worst and Bellatrix knew it. Hermione gave another scream and Bellatrix yelled: ‚How did you get into my vault?' ‚We found the sword, we found it, PLEASE!' Hermione shouted quickly, thinking it might save her another painful moment. ‚PLEASE!' she immediately scolded herself for begging. ‚LIAR!' Bellatrix shouted and cut her arm again. ‚Please, you are mistaken!' Hermione tried everything, wishing it could stop, but it only drove Bellatrix more insane and angry, the cuts went deeper and Hermione's screams echoed off the walls and tears streamed down her face. The cuts have stopped. Her arm throbbed and Bellatrix sat upright and then got up. Hermione finally opened her eyes and kept staring at her, not wanting to know what her arm looked like.
That was more pain than a regular cut would ever give her. Just to be sure, she wiggled her fingers. It was hard, but possible. She saw Bellatrix's wide grin. She has enchanted the knife. Hermione crawled a bit back when Bellatrix swooped in again. ‚Tell the truth you filthy mudblood.' Hermione's throat was dry from screaming and constant sobbing. ‚I am telling the truth,' she said huskily and then coughed. She couldn't even hear Bellatrix say the incantation and her body was in terrible pain again. Hermione screamed again, worse than before. She arched her back and Bellatrix released the curse a bit just to let her talk, but still feel the pain. ‚The sword is a copy, it's just a copy!' Hermione shouted so it was clear and in all sanity, she was proud of herself coming up with anything like this. If nothing else, it would give her some time to recover, because she already felt like giving up. The worse it got when she saw Bellatrix brandishing the knife again and coming close. ‚But we can find that out easily,' that was Lucius Malfoy. Hermione forgot completely that the whole torture commenced before their eyes. She twisted her head a little. Her eyes found Draco's. He was cowered in the corner, his eyes fixed upon her, white as a wall, his mother's hand on his shoulder. Hermione couldn't believe they all watched it. Suddenly, her head started spinning. She rolled to her side and tried to curl herself up in a ball. She found herself completely exhausted already halfway. What she didn't want was a nice view at her wounded arm from this angle. Hermione's eyes started swimming in tears and she couldn't even make out the scarlet cuts. It looked they formed something. She blinked a few times to clear her vision and found out they stood out there in a single word: Mudblood. Hermione wanted to cry and shout for help and she felt sick. It felt impossible. That couldn't be true. A tear rolled down her cheek and she started to lose consciousness. Of course, she told herself, when she saw a puddle of her own blood beneath her arm. She was glad she would lose herself for a while.
Hermione found herself conscious again. She couldn't figure out where she was. But her body ached and the pain increased as Hermione tried to remember what was happening. She could hardly move. Her muscles protested in spasms and she felt absolutely exhausted. Her eyelids were so heavy. It felt like she slept for days, although really, it was just a couple of minutes. Suddenly, her ears got pierced by a woman's screech. Hermione's blood froze and so did her whole body as a cold-ice chill ran down her spine. Bellatrix. It all played in her mind like a short film. It wasn't over. She was just given a short break before the terror continued. She felt her wounded arm bleeding and wondered, how much blood she lost already and if it was enough to die. She prayed for Harry and Ron. They could've been gone already. Ron has stopped screaming her name midway through the torture. Or hasn't she just heard him, because her sanity has begun slipping away? Hermione was wondering if thinking like this was normal or not. Another quick thought of Harry and Ron escaping Malfoy Manor and then she opened her eyes. What she saw were the scarlet letters standing against her pale skin, red and angry, the irritated, delicate skin burning red. 'LIAR!' Bellatrix shouted again and Hermione took a breath. Her voice in any form was like a spike running through her stomach. 'Consider yourself lucky, goblin.' Hermione started feeling really uncomfortable just lying there. But her muscles gave up. She heard the clicking of high heels going closer and circling her, looking at her like at a piece of meat at the butcher's. 'The same won't be said for this one.' Said Bellatrix and Hermione raised her eyes at the dark figure with a wand in hand leaning above her and embraced herself for the worst to come.
In the next second, however, she heard the unbelievable. 'Like hell.' It was Ron. Ron, who came to save her. He disarmed Bellatrix. Hermione tried to roll over and heard Harry stun someone. She tried to find the red haired young man, but got hoisted up by her stomach. She wondered if it was the boy she searched for. But this was too harsh. The pressure on her ribs was really painful and Hermione flinched silently, knowing who it was. She wanted to scream, but she felt hot lips brush against her neck, whispering: 'A single word and you'll get it.' Before Hermione could react, the pressure on her stomach disappeared and someone pressed on her forehead and tilted her head back until it rested on Bellatrix's shoulder. Then she felt a blade on her throat. She realised this was Bellatrix's moment. She heard the sound of battle around her. It all made her panic and Hermione desperately tried to struggle away from the blade. She grabbed Bellatrix's hand and tried to pull the dagger away. Bellatrix reacted immediately. She kicked Hermione's right ankle. Hermione gave a little moan and as she couldn't stand at all now, Bellatrix had a full control over her limp body. She grabbed her jaw roughly, tilted her head back so violently Hermione thought she was going to snap her neck and the blade dug deeper. 'STOP!' Bellatrix shouted and Hermione's breath stopped as she realised she was at the brink of life and death. 'Drop your wands.' An awful silence seemed to stretch forever. Hermione felt the thin skin slowly slicing apart and wondered in which point it might hit the vessel. 'I said DROP THEM!' An immediate clatter followed and Hermione felt relieved. She didn't want Ron to see her die like this. Bellatrix ordered Draco to pick up the wands. Suddenly, she nudged Hermione forward. She had to walk and make tiny steps so the blade wouldn't cut too deep. It was difficult since her ankle was in a sharp pain and she was sure Bellatrix had quite a good fun.
She removed the knife, stil moving forward. 'Well well well, look who we have here.' She moved the blade towards Hermione's throat again, the girl gasping and backing away. Bellatrix drew her face close to hers. 'It's Harry Potter!' She whispered in a childish voice. 'So bright and shiny and new again. Just in time for the Dark Lord. Call him.' Hermione gave a few sobs as she held it all within herself and she felt the blade cutting her and didn't know what was going to happen and what to do. She stared directly at the ceiling above her and suddenly, she saw a tiny houself silently apparate onto the large and luxury crystal chandelier above her head. He made a gesture at her to be quiet, swung himself onto the chain and started unscrewing. Hermione was trying to act the least suspiciously she could, but it was hard for Dobby to cover up the squeaking of the old screws. With some additional clinking, the chandelier began falling down. Bellatrix screeched and dived aside and Hermione was left there, buried under the large metal construction and in the glass dust and shards. She heard voices, screams, sounds of wand fight. She heard Ron scream for her. She heard Dobby. Then she heard a disapparating sound and then there was silence.
N/A: Any R&R appreciated. I've got the next chapter down already and I shall publish it very soon if you like this one :)