Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Hermione was conscious, but barely. She struggled to keep her eyes open, so she could see what was going on around her, but it was very difficult.
"NOOOOOOO!" Ron yelled, as he and Harry barreled into the room. "Expelliarmus!"
"Stupefy!" she heard Harry yell. Then she was dragged from the floor and held in a standing position.
"STOP OR SHE DIES!" Bellatrix's voice was by her ear. "Drop your wands. Drop them, or we'll see exactly how filthy her blood is." Hermione's eyes slipped closed. After a moment's pause, she repeated, "I said, drop them!"
There was a burning sensation at her throat, but that was a picnic compared to what she had just endured.
"All right," Harry shouted, and there was the sound of wood clattering to the floor. Hermione forced her eyes open. Her friends were standing before her, arms raised in surrender.
"Good!" called Bellatrix. "Draco, pick them up! The Dark Lord is coming, Harry Potter! Your death approaches!"
Hermione knew she was correct, as Harry's face was scrunched up in pain, no doubt feeling Voldemort's glee at their capture.
"Now," said Bellatrix. "Cissy, I think we ought to tie these little heroes up again, while Greyback takes care of Miss Mudblood. I am sure the Dark Lord will not begrudge you the girl, Greyback, after what you have done tonight."
There was a strange noise, coming from above her head, but she had not the strength to investigate the cause. Then the chandelier fell from the ceiling, and there was a vague sense of weight as the room shifted positions. "Hermione!" she heard Ron's voice. She squinted to see him struggling to get to her, but he was blocked by the debris and hexes flying around the room.
From somewhere to her left, she heard Harry cry, "Stupefy!" and then a crash from the opposite side of the room.
"Dobby!" shrieked Narcissa. Dobby? Where had Dobby come from? "You! You dropped the chandelier?"
"You must not hurt Harry Potter," came Dobby's little voice.
"Kill him, Cissy!" Bellatrix yelled, and then a loud crack! "You dirty little monkey! How dare you take a witch's wand, how dare you defy your masters?"
"Dobby has no master! Dobby is a free elf, and Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and his friends!" And despite the utter pain and exhaustion Hermione felt, she had room for a swell of pride at Dobby's declaration. At least her SPEW efforts had not been wasted on him.
"Harry Potter must leave now!" Dobby said frantically.
"No, Dobby! Hermione is still—"
A flash of silver flew across the room, and Bellatrix's inhuman scream filled the air as Dobby took hold of Ron, Harry and Griphook and disappeared.
For a minute, lights flashed, things smashed and Bellatrix screamed. With the focus not on her anymore, Hermione was better able to ascertain her surroundings. Slowly, as the pain began to ebb, terror set in. She had been left behind. She was a Mudblood, and Voldemort would be here any second.
"Bella!" Narcissa finally yelled. "Be calm. The Dark Lord will be here momentarily. He will not be pleased that Harry Potter is not here."
"We can give him Potter's Mudblood instead!" came Lucius's voice.
"Yes, yes!" said Bellatrix, sounding slightly pacified. "She will do."
"Wait." Draco's voice was small, lacking the arrogant drawl that was always present at Hogwarts. "If the Mudblood is dead, Potter has no reason to come back. But if she is alive, they will come back to save her. It's the kind of stupid bravery they always displayed in school. Then we can make sure he doesn't escape," he finished.
"Yes, Draco, that is very astute," his father praised. "Throw her in the cellar. The Dark Lord can get the message to Potter."
The pressure on Hermione's abdomen suddenly disappeared, and she felt herself being levitated. She did her best to ward off the motion sickness. Without warning, she fell hard to the ground.
Then there was warmth next to her ear, and Draco breathed, "I just saved your life, Granger. You better fucking do something with it. I can't live like this anymore." And with that, he was gone, and Hermione gave in to the pull of unconsciousness.
Author's Note: This story started out as a Draco/Hermione story, but as I was perusing the various Harry Potter Fanfiction sites, I noticed a lack of Hermione/Theo stories. So I changed mine a little bit. The title isn't my favorite, but it was the best I could think of. It may change in the future.
Obviously, this scene was based very heavily on the Malfoy Manor scene in Deathly Hallows. Credit for anything you recognize should be given to JK Rowling.
This is just the prologue, so I can see what people might think. Future chapters will be much more substantial. I hope to be able to update once a week.
Some points I would like to make:
-No, this will not be a Dramione story at all. Draco saved her for purely selfish reasons: he is unsatisfied with his life as a Death Eater, and thinks she is his best chance to get out of it. Also, I needed a way to get Hermione to the cellar, and this is how I chose to do it.
-I really like the idea of using Nott as a character, since he is only mentioned a few times in the books. This gives me a lot of room to play with him. Hermione, however, I will be keeping as close to canon as possible. However, since I am neither JK Rowling nor perfect, you will have to forgive anything you don't agree with.
-There is some strong language in this story. Not a lot, but enough that I felt it appropriate to rate this story M. If that is not your cup of tea, I would suggest going somewhere else.
-Finally, I am from the US, so any British readers will have to excuse my "American-isms," as I once saw it called.
Anyway, please leave me a review, as I love to hear what you have to say. Thanks for reading!