Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters.
A/N: This is my first fiction and will most probably be a one-shot. This is not tragedy or angst cause I'm much to much happy to be depressing. HBP compatible. Oh and this is rated for mature themes and what not, no smut in this one, next time though ;).
Pink and red lined the darkening sky, a feast for the eyes and yet she could not enjoy it. A beautiful backdrop for her last night living and yet she did not see it. Too caught up in her own fear, her eyes far to clouded with tears. Her wrists stayed bound tightly behind a tree, the rope and bark ripping away her soft flesh. She cried, the beautiful sky now fading slowly into black. She shivered, for her eyes could not see them but she knew them to be there. She screamed though she knew they took no pity. Her mind racing so fast she could not think, her wand to far for her to reach, she knew these were to be her last breaths. Finally, a voice broke threw the silence of the forbidden forest, one she knew so very well.
"Hermione Granger, you have been born with having the dirt that runs threw the veins of a muggle, run threw your own and for this you are inferior, for this you must be punished."
She could hear him, but still he and his minions hid in the shadows.
"Snape," she managed to choke.
His head appeared, floating above the ground meters from where she stood bound, his body covered by his invisibility cloak. A twisted grin played across his lips, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"There was never any fooling you mudblood," he said with a chuckle.
Hermione blinked the tears from her eyes; she refused to let him see her cry.
"You can take my life Snape, but the morals for which I stand for will continue to live on, I am not afraid of you," and with that she spat at his feet.
Once again, his laughter rang out and filled the clearing.
"Tsk tsk, Granger. Your morals will die along side Potter and as for you, I have no intention of killing you…yet"
Confused and with her fear mounting she asked him, "If you aren't to kill me, what is it you want from me Snape?"
He only smiled at her now, he let his cloak drop to the ground and he paced in front of her excitedly, "You are far too intelligent for us to allow you to die Hermione."
She cringed at his use of her first name.
"My Lord needs you, you are imperative to his plans. Mustn't give any of that away just yet though. I might not be as smart as you are Granger but I know when to keep quiet," he continued delusion evident in his ranting.
Hermione pulled at her restraints, desperate to get away while he was distracted only to stop suddenly as two more men stepped out of the dark, eyeing her suspiciously.
She breathed heavily; swallowing every few second as though she had ran a marathon. These were the tell tale signs of a panic attack.
"You mustn't panic Hermione, just stay calm, just stay calm…" she repeated in her mind.
"Are you listening to me mudblood," Severus' voice cut threw the chanting in her mind like a searing hot knife.
"Mmm," she muttered nodding her head.
He stopped pacing, the smile disappearing from his face, a smirk slowly replaced it. He moved closer to her, so closer that she could feel his cold breath roll over her neck. He leaned in to her ear, his lips brushing against it.
She tried fruitlessly to pull away.
"Hermione, Hermione, Hermione," he whispered, his breathing became rugged, "you will be oh so very useful, I can see that now but for the time being, my fun with you is over. I must be taking you out of this cold; you have places to be mudblood."
Her skin erupted in tiny bumps and her head spun. The last thing she could remember was Severus Snape's smooth, calm voice whispering 'stupify'.
Hermione woke with a groan, her head thumping and her wrists burning. She covered her eyes with her hands and rubbed them furiously. She looked around herself. Dark. It was so very dark. The ground on which she lay was cold, like concrete. She tried to sit up but the roof stopped her. She tried to stretch out from the ball she current lay in but walls restricted her movement to a few centimetres.
She inhaled sharply. She was trapped in a box. Her skin crawled with fear as the happenings of last night dawned on her.
"I've been kidnapped by Voldemort!"
It took a few more seconds for the severity of her situation to hit her but as it sank in fear gripped her heart and a fierce scream erupted from her throat. Many screams followed until she found herself so exhausted that she collapsed in her box prison and sleep over took her fear wrecked body.
The next time she remembered waking up, a bowl of rice was sitting in the far corner. So hungry she grabbed the bowl and tipped its entire contents into her mouth and finished it in two mouthfuls. She didn't realise till later that it may have been poisoned. Though that, she reasoned, was not likely as Voldemort would gain so much more pleasure out of doing the job himself but, if it was poisoned, she wasn't too sure if she cared.
She slept twice more and on waking up from her second sleep the side of the box was removed and she felt a wand stab her hard in her ribs. She was pulled out and a black bag was immediately shoved over her head. They half led, half carried her, as her legs did not want to seem to work, for so long. She could hear two men arguing, the sounds of their heated voices nearing with every step.
She silently prayed she would not be heading toward these men for she recognized both of their voices, Lucius Malfoy and Lord Voldemort himself. She could only pick up on parts of their conversation.
"He, next, mudblood, won't tolerate it," came Malfoy's angry voice.
"Son, must, punished, don't defy," roared Voldemort's in turn.
Hermione was shocked at Malfoy's audacity. Never had she thought him to have the courage to stand up to his Lord. And were they talking about Draco? Rumour had told of his demise at Voldemort's hands after failing to kill Dumbledore a year ago.
Their voices were clearer now.
"Lucius, Draco has been punished accordingly; he will be freed in 3 days from now."
"But my Lord, you keep the mudblood next-"
Lucius was cut off when Hermione was led into the room.
"I'll hear no more of this, leave us," Voldemort's voice rang out.
She heard shuffling.
"Of course my Lord."
She felt the pressure on her arms grow as the hands of the death eater's tightened their grip.
"My my, what have we got here," He breathed after moments of silence, "a filthy mudblood?"
Hermione summoned all of her courage and managed a "what do you want with me?"
"And they all say you're the brightest witch of your generation, I find myself disappointed. You're of many uses to me. Potter loves you, your disappearance is sure to shake him but I need you for so much more mudblood. Your knowledge of the muggle world is sure to come in handy yes, but your purpose is so much greater. Hermione, you're going to kill Potter for me."
Those were the last word she remembered from her encounter when she awoke in her box. Thoughts of the whole ordeal brewing in her mind, she spent was seemed like hours analysing everything she heard, smelt, felt.
Flash backs of Lucius' and Voldemort's conversation rang in her ears, "But my Lord, you keep the mudblood next-"
It then dawned on her and she began banging on both of the walls, first the right, then the left in a constant rhythm. Her heart skipped a beat when to the left of her, someone knocked back, finishing the beat.
"Can you hear me," she called out, praying the concrete wasn't too thick.
"Only just," came a weak reply.
"Is that you Draco?" she called out.
"Who wants to know," came the reply. He sounded frail.
She laughed with joy, "it is isn't it, it's Hermione, Draco, it's me, the mudblood."
"Granger?"
"Yes, it's me."
"How'd you get here?"
For the first time since before they caught her, she smiled. It was only Malfoy, her childhood nemesis but he was there, and he was in the same tiny box as she was.
"Snape kidnapped me from the school, I woke up here, why are you here?" she said, desperate to keep talking.
For a long time there was silence.
"Hello, Draco?" she called.
"I'm still here, trust me I'm not going anywhere. Why do you think I'm here? I defied my master, didn't I? Couldn't kill Dumbledore…" he trailed off.
"Draco, Draco, how long have you been here?"
"I don't really know," he replied slowly, "how long ago was that night?"
"Almost a year," her voice barely audible.
"Well there you go, I've been here almost a year."
There was quiet.
"Umm, Granger, if you don't mind, all this talking has worn me out."
"No of course, just make sure you talk again soon. Oh and Draco,"
"Yes?"
"Goodnight."
She couldn't sleep. Every now and then she'd call his name, hoping he'd awoken. Ideas of her escape already forming in her mind.
"Very soon Hermione, Snape is going to penetrate the borders of Hogwarts and using this," Voldemort stepped forward and ripped a handful of hair from her head, "he will morph into you and take the life of your precious Potter."
"Polyjuice potion!" Hermione gasped.
She had once again been dragged from her box prison to be in the company of he who must not be named.
"Clever girl. You see, Potter will trust you, he'll keep you close and then at the opportune moment, Snape will end his life and the lives of all he holds close leaving me to attend to more important affairs."
His grotesque face distorted into what vaguely resembled a smile.
"I hate him so much," Draco growled next to her.
"Who do you hate?" Hermione asked.
"Who do you think, Him, my lord, I hate him."
"But, Draco," she paused, "why?"
"Why do you think Granger, look what he has done to me, look. Look at the task he bestowed upon a 16 year old boy. Did he really expect me to be able to go through with it? Now he locks you up and decides he's to cowardice to take on his one true enemy, so he's gonna get Snape to do it."
Hermione thought for a second. She had never known Draco Malfoy to have so much compassion for anything other than himself but now, now it was as though he understood what he never could before. Voldemort was evil.
"Draco, they are setting you free in 2 days."
She wasn't sure if it was the right time to tell him but she needed his trust.
There was silence for quite some time.
"Are you sure?"
Hermione nodded, though she knew he couldn't see her, "positive."
She heard his voice crack a little when he asked how she knew. She told him of her first meeting with Voldemort, how she had over heard him talking to his father.
"Draco? Draco, what's going to happen when you're out, what's going to happen to me?"
"I don't know Granger. I spose I'll go back to my normal life and you'll I dunno, serve your purpose and…be killed I spose."
He said this very slowly, his voice almost hinting at remorse.
She kept quiet for a few seconds.
"Draco, you don't think that you could."
"That I could what Granger, get you out of all this? And how would you suppose I do that? Just magically spring open locks cursed with the most powerful of spells and the two of us will make a run for it in a dungeon inhabited by at least 200 Death eaters at any given time?"
"But Draco, they'll kill me; you know that, they'll kill Harry. The world will be lost to the hands of a man I know you know loathe."
"How would you know, you don't know anything about me. How dare you even insinuate that the man I grew up knowing as my leader is now someone I loathe?!"
Hermione, a bit taken back but still determined said only, "I know that you hate him, you said it yourself," and left it at that.
Hermione and Draco continued to talk although their last conversation had not taken place, neither one bringing it up, neither one wanting to. It had been two days since she had arrived in her box prison and tomorrow her only source of comfort would be leaving her, Draco was to be freed.
Hermione knew for a fact that Draco was as much dreading his release as Hermione was. There was no telling what Voldemort had in store for him once he had been removed from his box.
"Draco," Hermione said on the verge of falling asleep.
"Yeah," he replied, stifling a yawn.
"I'm so glad I got a chance to get to know you before I die, I just wanted you to know that in case you're gone when I wake up. I'll miss your voice."
"Ill miss yours too," she just heard him whisper.
"Goodnight Draco."
"You too Hermione."
Just as Hermione had feared, Draco was gone when she woke up. She called his name until she was hoarse, hoping he was still asleep but after what felt like hours Hermione knew she had only been trying in vain. She was alone again.
As the days past Hermione felt herself slowly going insane. She began talking to herself, muttering erratically. Not having Draco to talk to was starting to take its effect.
She visited Voldemort on three more occasions and every time she gazed into that monsters deep dark eyes, she faded a little more, felt her mind erode, she died inside.
It was only on her third visit that she felt the last of her light spark and a blaze erupted threw her body like wild fire; Draco had escaped, he had rebelled against his lord.
She couldn't have told you how many more hours, days or weeks had past since she had left that box, since her only source of comfort had gone.
Her mind wasn't the only thing feeling the effects of that confined space. Every few hours her body would experience excruciating spasms as her muscles cramped and her stomach would either howl from hunger, making her innards ache or turn, bile rising in her throat from the vile, disgusting smell of lying in her own excrements.
"This is what death feels like, this is what dying is…" she thought to herself many times.
One day, after so many days, she heard a faint but clear thud, the first noise she had heard from her box since Draco voice.
Forgetting about the roof she tried to sit up hastily but was knocked out cold from contacting the hard concrete surface.
When she awoke she could feel a cold draft against her back.
"Oh god," she thought, "He wants to see me again."
But no icy hands gripped her shoulders and waist, no bag was shoved over her face, only defining roars and an oh so familiar voice.
"Draco!" she said aloud.
Not caring about what may happen to her, only thinking about hearing more of that sweet solace, seeing his welcoming face she pushed with all the strength left in her against the wall and she tumbled to the ground, hitting another open prison door below her, causing her to shriek out in pain.
"Hermione!!" three voices called in unison.
With all her might she rolled over to face the other side of the dungeon.
All of the order were there, locked in a fierce battle with mountains of death eaters and not to far from where she lay were Harry, Ron and Draco.
She began to laugh hysterically, what a wonderful beautiful dream this all must be!
Just as she was about to call out to Harry, a green ray of light rushed past him, barely missing his ear. She looked around in shock as she saw herself standing 6 feet from Harry, wand drawn.
"Snape," she croaked.
Harry wasted no time in returning fire.
"We know Hermione, Malfoy told us everything, but this isn't the time or pla-," Ron yelled out to her just as a disarming spell hit him square in the chest knocking him out cold.
Just as she was about to move to help him, arms found their way around her knees and behind her neck, she looked up and saw an angel.
"This is for your own good Granger, I have to make sure you live through this," Draco's voice soothed her pain from being moved and he went to place her back in her box.
Realisation dawned on her.
"No Draco," she screamed, "I'd rather die than go back, please NO!!"
She tried feebly to fight back, succeeding only in hurting herself more.
He placed her ever so gently onto the cold concrete and whispered a promise that he'd return before lightly kissing her filthy forehead, whispering a sleeping charm and closing the heavy steel door.
When Hermione awoke, harsh bright, white light assaulted her eyes. She quickly closed them again.
"I've died, this must be heaven…"
"So glad you can join us Miss Granger," McGonagall's voice rang out.
"Oh god, we've all died, he won!"
"Where am I?" she managed to whisper.
She felt warm hands adjusting the blanket covering her.
"Why St. Mungos of course dear child."
She attempted to cough through the thick fleam in her throat.
"I'm alive?"
"Yes Herms you are," came Ron's voice.
Hearing his voice, she regained enough courage to once again open her eyes.
"Ron? Where's Harry? What happened?" panic in her voice, she tried to sit up but firm hands held her down.
"I'm right here Hermione."
Harry.
Relief flooded her body.
"What happened," she repeated herself.
She heard a heavy sigh.
"Well it's finally over, we did it, he's gone. We lost so many though, almost lost you too."
"We didn't know what to think when you went missing for a week and a half then just showed up. We realise now Snape was impersonating you. He was living with us for 5 weeks, gaining our trust. We told him so many things we shouldn't have, but we didn't know of course. That was until Malfoy showed up. Nearly killed him we did, so lucky Harry is so righteous."
"Gee thanks Ron," Harry laughed, "Anyway he showed up babbling something about how he had spent so long looking for us, that you were trying to kill us. Couldn't make sense of it till we calmed him down and he explained properly. We were hesitant in trusting him-"
"Understanding," Ron cut in.
"Yes understanding," Harry continued, "but we took him to McGonagall and she seemed to think this was all worth investigating. By this time of course Snape aka you, had disappeared so we began to think there was some truth behind his story."
Just as Harry opened his mouth to continue a male nurse rushed himself into the room and began to usher them out saying something about rest.
"We'll finish the story later," Ron called over his shoulder as he was manhandled out the door.
3 days later the nurses had given in to her pleas to see Malfoy and had taken her to his room in a wheel chair and left them be.
"Oh Draco," she whispered into his unconscious ear, lying her head next to his, "I'd have been so lost with out you."
He had suffered major head trauma whilst guarding the box in which she lay. A small cloud hovered above his mouth, replenishing his low oxygen levels and helping him to breath.
Even though it had been 2 weeks since they rescued her, his wounds still looked fresh and painful.
She had been told that there were little hope of him ever waking up, the damage done to his once strong and masculine body was so sever.
She visited him everyday for 4 months, even after they had discharged her from St Mungos with a clean bill of health. And every time she went to him, she found it harder and harder to be close to him.
So by the end of those 4 months she had confined herself to sitting in the further corner of the room, softly whispering his name as tears flooded for the man who had saved her life.
Harry and Ron had soon come to terms with her obsession with Malfoy; they understood what she saw in him and let her grieve for him in peace.
Hermione had come to the conclusion that she could no longer do this to herself; she would visit Draco one more time, for his birthday before abandoning the man who didn't run out on her.
She slowly walked into his room on that day, a weak, fake smile on her face. She talked to him, like she always did when she first arrived at his room.
"Happy birthday handsome," she cooed in a high false voice.
She sat down on the edge of his bed, "I brought you a new blanket, green and black, do you like it? Oh and heres a ring, nothing really, Dad's engagement ring, left it to me in his will, I want you to have it… listen Draco, I have to go away, so I cant see you for a while, you understand don't you?" she asked the limp figure beside her.
She licked her lips, a pain burning in her throat, she was going to cry.
Instead she screamed.
"I can't believe how selfish you are Draco Malfoy! How dare you leave me, you promised you'd come back to me."
She through herself upon him, beating his chest as she broke down. Eventually, exhaustion took its hold and she collapsed, lying on his chest, tears silently rolling down her face and dampening his new blanket, "you promised."
Some time during her melt down, she had fallen asleep; when she awoke she stiffly sat up and brushed dry tears from her cheek. It was time to say good bye.
She grasped his limp hand in hers and bent down so his and her noses touched, "I know you'll live through this Draco," she whispered before leaning forward just that little bit more and pressing her lips full on his, she lingered there, in that moment when everything seemed right.
Just as she was about to lift her head and leave, a monitor gave off a loud beep and his hand tightened around hers.
Lips still pressed to Draco's, her eyes flew open as his mouth began to move against hers.
"Draco!" she screamed before leaping on to his bed and holding him close, tears of joy streaming down her face.
His eyes were barely open and a smile played across his mouth, "didn't think I'd let you walk out on me now," came his hoarse voice, followed by that ever famous smirk.
A/N: so there we have it, the fic that has consumed my thoughts for so long; it's taken me 4 months to be able to finish this. I know things might seem a little rushed but that's just how things worked out and I'm quite happy with myself. Comments would be much appreciated.