Hello, everybody. Well this is my first fanfic, I hope you like it! So basically what I wanted to do here is to get a look into Hermione's perspective if Bellatrix had agreed to keep Ron instead of torturing Hermione at the Malfoy Manor. I hope you enjoy!

"Wait," said Bellatrix sharply. "All except…except for the mudblood."

Greyback gave a grunt of pleasure.

"NO!" Both Hermione and Harry had both snapped their heads round to see who had spoken. There, in full view, was Ron, sweating nervously, though he looked like he would accept the torture, maybe even welcome it – for Hermione. "You can have me, keep me!"

Bellatrix hit him round the face, and the blow echoed throughout the room; he staggered and Hermione winced as she was about to strike him yet again.

"Don't!" said Narcissa's harsh whisper, and she grabbed Bellatrix's wrist. "You shall have your fun with him, Bella, but we need the mudblood!"

"Aha!" Bellatrix scoffed savagely as she stared at Hermione, as though she were an item being ready to purchase at a local Knockturn Alley window shop. "You speak of blood purity, Cissy, in your own house, even! And yet you still allow me to even interrogate it" – she indicated Hermione – "even though it is clear that she knows not, even does not belong, in our world?"

"But she could!" argued Lucius. "Draco has been telling me of Ms. Granger, Bella. She is above her standard as a mudblood – and a pretty smart one at that, too!"

"But think!" said Bellatrix, shoving her wand into Hermione's throat. "Think, Cissy! The Weasel boy is the only one that Greyback has caught whose blood is pure! It tortures me inside to know that I shall torture one of my own kind, but think, he could know more about our world than any of the other prisoners!"

"I … I suppose," said Lucius Malfoy.

Narcissa turned to Greyback. "Take them to the cellar, Greyback."

Bellatrix gave a little 'cough'. "Don't do anything to them yet, especially the mudblood. If this traitor is of no use, then we'll use her. And I reckon that won't take too long."

Greyback grunted in displeasure. "I suppose, mistress. But mind me; I do prefer young girls to gingers."

Hermione had suddenly snapped to reality. She had thought, for a split second, that she was going to be tortured. Right there. Humiliated. But Ron had sacrificed – sacrificed – and that needed to end. If it was she who had the information, she should step forward. For Ron's good, and for Harry's.

She was struggling, debating in her mind, whether or whether not to stand up for herself.

It was too late. "Take them away!" ordered Bellatrix, but not before taking out a short silver knife and digging into the ropes binding the prisoners together. She dug deeper and deeper until a loud snap filled the room, causing Hermione to wince. Hermione opened her eyes to see Bellatrix dragging Ron to the middle of the drawing room and setting him to a kneeling position. "What are you waiting for?" demanded Bellatrix. "Go!"

Greyback did not hasten to obey, and dragged the remaining prisoners to the cellar that Bellatrix had indicated. Hermione and Harry were now tied into one pile, and Dean and Griphook in the other. Greyback chose to drag Hermione and Harry first; there, he took his chance. "Reckon that Ginger will survive through those?" he snarled at Hermione. "Your boyfriend better be dead soon, because I can't take another look at you without my mouth watering, girly."

Harry shook in rage, and Hermione whimpered. What had he meant by 'those'?

He opened the cellar's door lazily by kicking it with his foot and practically threw Harry and Hermione into the dark room, so that they were stuck there back-to-back lying on the floor.

"Harry?" Hermione whispered cautiously through the darkness. "D-d'you think he'll get through?"

Harry knew who she was indicating. "He's a fighter, Hermione. Of course."

Apparently Harry had chosen the wrong time to say that, for above them, commotion had begun.

"You blood-traitorous idiot!" Hermione heard Bellatrix screech from above. "I grant your wish to take you instead of that mudblood and you defy me! Crucio!"

Hermione winced as she heard Bellatrix's wand blast; Ron's recognizable yell had roared from upward and Hermione started struggling against the bindings tying her to Harry. "Ron!" she exclaimed, not loud as for Bellatrix to hear her, but quite loud indeed. "Ron!"

"Hermione, no!" Harry said, staggering as Hermione tried to stand up. "Hermione, please!"

"Ron!"

"HERMIONE!" Harry said, and Hermione froze with fear. "We'll work this out, we'll get to him, just please, let's think of a plan!"

"No – time –" Hermione said, now trying to break free of the ropes bounding her wrists.

Harry couldn't believe his ears, but it wasn't helping that Bellatrix was continuing the interrogation. "Have your filthy, blood-traitorous parents forgotten to teach you manners, Weasley?" she demanded. "Or shall I just call for the mudblood instead?"

"NO!" Ron said. "Please…not Hermione."

"Then answer the question!" demanded Bellatrix. "Where did you get the sword? Crucio!"

Ron's screams from above where piercing into Hermione' head thoroughly. "Ron!" she couldn't believe what he had done. "Ron!"

"S…stop," Harry ordered, tired. "We can figure this out, 'Mione!"

"Alright," she squeaked, wiping her tears with her dingy sleeve.

"We need to get out of these ropes first," he proposed, trying to pry them off. "Search around for hard edges."

Hermione did so, still sobbing; she could now hear Bellatrix screaming at Ron again, but her words were too hard to hear out.

"Harry?" suddenly came a voice from the darkness. "H-Hermione?"

"Luna!"

"It is you!" Luna exclaimed excitedly, even in her state. "Where's Ronald - ?"

At that precise moment, Bellatrix had started screaming, "Tell me where it is!"

"It's – it's not Godric's!" Ron had managed to say through the intense pain. "It's an old family artifact, I brought it so that we could cut firewood, I –"

"Liar," hissed Bellatrix. "Tell the truth, filth! Crucio!"

Ron's yells had still not died down; the pain had become more certain.

"Oh dear," Luna said quietly, as Hermione screamed, "Ron! Ron! RON!"

"Hermione, shut it!" Harry exclaimed. "We need to get these ropes off, Luna, could you - ?"

But Luna had disappeared; when she returned she was accompanied with a rather large, rusty old nail. "We use this on anyone else who's been captured," she explained quickly. "I hope it will work with you, it's nearly worn out."

"It's worth a shot," said Harry. "Give it a go then, Luna."

Luna nodded and started cutting at the ropes; Ron's yells were still audible and Hermione struggled even more to get the ropes off. A small cling was heard; Luna had dropped the nail. "Hermione, please hold still! This isn't very easy," she pointed out.

"One. More. Time," spat Bellatrix. "Where did you get this? Have you broken into my vault?"

"I've never been to Gringotts!" Ron said hoarsely. "The sword…it's fake!"

"Very likely," Bellatrix screamed with awful sarcasm. "Fetch me the knife sharpener, Draco! Perhaps that will speed things up a bit."

Hermione struggled even more, causing Luna to topple back. "Hermione, please! I can't see what I'm doing!" pleaded Luna, searching for the rusty old nail. "It's too dark!"

"Hermione!" Harry ordered, frustrated. "The sooner you settle the better!"

"I shall run you through with this knife if you further on defy me!" warned Bellatrix, and Hermione could hear scraping against sharpening stone. She struggled even more, but then the cellar's door flung open and Greyback marched inside; Luna hastily picked up the rusty nail and hid it beneath her long blond hair.

"Mistress orders your presence," grunted Greyback, and he took out his wand and pointed it at the ropes binding Hermione and Harry together – they broke, and Greyback dragged Hermione by the hair out of the cellar and shut the door behind him.

He pinned her against the aging wall. "You're so mouthwatering," he declared, grabbing a fistful of her hair and twisting it hungrily in place. "Surely Mistress won't mind if I take a bite or two." She was helpless and was breathing heavily against the cold wall, a werewolf all over her and Ron at stake. She tried breaking free of his strong grip, but it was of no use.

"Damn you!" she spat, trying to throw his dirty hands off of her.

"Oh, feisty, I see!" said Greyback, backing away an inch. "I wouldn't want to have to guarantee you a fate as dreadful as your boyfriend's, girly."

"He's – he's not my boyfriend," said Hermione, shifting uncomfortably in his grip.

"See, that," said, inching closer to her and sniffing her hair hungrily, "prompts me."

"NO!" she cried; Greyback had opened his mouth, exposing his dirty yellow teeth and was about to savagely bite into her pale neck, but she had knocked him out of the way with her elbow and started running up the stair's slippery steps.

"Get back here, mudblood!" Greyback shouted, and he grabbed her hair violently this time; she whimpered and felt several hairs fall off as she pulled free from his grip. "Damn!"

She ran, sweating and wandless through the Manor's long hallway, filled with portraits. She was panting heavily and the sound of both Bellatrix's and Ron's screams prompted her to run faster in search of the drawing room. "Shit," she muttered under her breath as she ran across the hall; it was quite hard in the darkness. Not only that, she had to get back to Harry, Luna and the others.

She came across a stained window and ducked; Bellatrix was in the room. It was a gigantic room at that, and Ron was kneeling in the middle, looking ready to collapse at any second; the room also welcomed the presence of the Malfoys and some other snatchers. "Where the hell is that stupid old wolf?" demanded Bealltrix at Lucius. "I swear, you tell him to fetch a mudblood and he takes this long!"

"Just wait," said Lucius, watching Ron uneasily.

"Hm," Bellatrix coughed. She turned to Ron. "Are you ready to tell me what the hell you're doing with this sword? That you've broken into my vault at Gringotts?"

Ron looked up weakly. "I – "

The door on the other side of the room had opened and Draco came striding in with Griphook, who looked sick and disgusted to be in Bellatrix's presence.

"Nice, Draco," whispered Bellatrix, turning away from Ron to face the goblin. "Now, you're a goblin. And you work at Gringotts. Has this boy, or his filthy friends ever been in my vault? And the sword, what about the sword?" she shrieked hysterically.

Griphook grunted and examined the sword in the gleaming light. "As I can recall, nobody has ever broken into your Gringotts storage room."

Hermione released a sigh from her hiding spot and thought about how thankful she would be of Griphook after escaping.

"But the Weasley boy…his brother works at Gringotts."

Hermione's head snapped up. No!, she thought. Was Griphook framing them?

Bellatrix, infuriated, turned to face Ron. "You were lying to me?" she said, pulling his hair back so that they were face-to-face. She took out her short silver knife. She pressed the blade to his throat clearly. Hermione gasped in shock and anguish. "I will guarantee you a fate worse than death! Crucio!" Bellatrix screamed. Ron fell to the floor and was writhing in pain.

Hermione was now crying hysterically into the palms of her hands.

As Bellatrix was about to strike Ron, Griphook interpreted. "But, what I mean to say is that the boy's brother has never been in your vault either, mistress. He works overseas in Gringott's headquarters in Slovakia."

Hermione whimpered in delight. She thanked Griphook silently and her tears turned to joyful ones.

"I see," spat Bellatrix, and she dropped Ron to the hard, marble floor. At that point Hermione wished to kick something. "Well, we don't need the traitor any more, I suppose. We should bring up the mudblood next; meanwhile, just leave him in courtyard, Draco."

"Gotcha!" Hermione turned around to find Greyback, now badly bruised grab her sweater; she gasped and was forcefully pulled up so that Bellatrix and the Malfoys could see her through the window.

Greyback forced her into the room and shoved her in front of Bellatrix. "This feisty one shoved me while I was trying to bring her up here!"

"Did she?" scoffed Bellatrix, as Greyback threw Hermione across the room; she hit the marble floor just like Ron had and landed next to his motionless body. "I was about to use her next anyway. Thank you, Greyback; if you want, you may have the boy."

Greyback shook in disgust as he threw a disapproving look at Ron's body.

"Now that we can resume," yawned Bellatrix, circling Hermione, "your boyfriend sure knows how to come up with lies, mudblood. I expect you to do the opposite."

Hermione crawled towards Ron and was about to take his wrist for a pulse, but Bellatrix lazily kicked it away and said, "Ah! I don't think so. Your boyfriend's going to suffer much sooner, so I reckon you don't even look at him."

Hermione was boiling with fear and rage. She was trapped. She couldn't disapparate; she couldn't leave Ron and Harry in the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange. She stifled a cry beneath her sweater and started thinking of a way to trick Bellatrix into thinking that she was telling the truth. "The sword's a fake. It's a copy!" she declared to the whole room, circling around in search of a believer.

Bellatrix turned to Griphook. "Well?"

Griphook, who was busy twisting the sword in his long fingers, came to his senses. "Yes, it is a fake created by wizards; a goblin's design is much more complex."

Hermione turned to face Griphook. "Thank you," she mouthed to him, before Bellatrix started speaking again.

"You two better be telling the truth," she said simply and started to walk away.

There was a sudden burst of light and Hermione and Bellatrix spun round; Harry was now in the drawing room's entrance with a wand in his hand. Hermione smiled and Harry non-verbally stunned Lucius Malfoy and two other snatchers; he caught one of the snatcher's wands and threw it at her; she hastened to obey and started dueling with one other snatcher, forgetting Bellatrix, who was screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Stupefy!" she yelled at Greyback, and he hit the room's back wall and slid down, traces of blood visible at the back of his head.

"Stop or he dies!" Harry and Hermione turned on the spot to face Bellatrix, who was holding Ron up by the hair; he was now fully unconscious and Bellatrix was pressing the blade into his pale throat. "Drop your wands; drop them, or I will kill him like a muggle!"

Hermione knew the muggle-killing theory. She shuddered and remained clutching the wand; she just wanted Ron in her arms again.

"Drop them!"

"Fine!" Harry yelled across the room, and he dropped his wand with a plunk as it hit the marble floor. Hermione grudgingly did the same.

Bellatrix smiled evilly and turned to Draco, Ron still in her savage clutches. "Pick them up, Draco, fast! And tie them up!"

She turned back to Hermione and Harry. "The dark lord is coming, Potter!" she shrieked. "Your death approaches! And as for you, mudblood," she added at Hermione. "I'll deal with you now." She raised her wand and only reached "Avada" when the ceiling started to crumble.

Harry, Hermione, Bellatrix and Griphook all looked up to see the chandelier trembling in place; Bellatrix screamed and shoved herself out of the way, leaving Ron and Griphook directly beneath it; it collapsed with a terrifying crash and crystals and remains scattered across the room, and Hermione shielded her face from harm, but that didn't matter.

"Ron!" she screamed, and ran in search of him in the rubble. She ignored a groaning Bellatrix who was lifting herself off the marble floor and found his motionless body and shook it. "Don't be a prat, Ron!" she muttered. "Breathe, breathe…" she searched for a pulse on his neck and miraculously found one, but he was still in critical condition.

She turned round to see Dobby the house-elf shaking his head at the mess he had made, but otherwise looking accomplished. "You will not hurt Harry Potter or his friends!"

"You insolent –" began Bellatrix; she was wandless but still had the silver knife clutched in her hand.

"HERMIONE!" Harry yelled and she spun round; a wand was flying towards her and her first reflex was to dodge it, but she caught it as Harry screamed, "Shell Cottage, and fast!" She obeyed, and, being a skilled witch, turned on the spot while clutching Ron around the shoulders thinking to herself, Shell Cottage, Shell Cottage…

She heard a thud as she landed onto land from the uncomfortable vortex, but she had landed on top of Ron, who was breathing heavily. She smelled saltwater and felt sand on her spare hand; it was a success, and she had escaped Malfoy Manor without much harm. She needed to get Ron inside the cottage she remembered he had mentioned belonged to Bill and Fleur and scrambled to her feet.

She ran up the mini sand dunes as quick as she could; she couldn't support Ron's dead weight and would call Bill and Fleur to support her. She knocked five times on the hard, wooden door, to Bill Weasley who was paralyzed in shock at the sight of her. "Hermione – what - ?"

"Long story," she muttered tiredly, and she saw Fleur in her night robes hurrying towards the door. "It's Ron. He's been hurt."

Ok so this is just chapter 1. There will be 3 chapters, and the next one will be Ron's awakening/recovery and how the both of them take Dobby's death. I hope you enjoy my first fanfic!