Hey, I've had this idea for a while now but haven't found the time to write it until now. This is my first Harry Potter fic so fingers crossed it will be a success. I love lots of twists and turns so it's never going to be a straight forward. Please let me know if it's too confusing I know what's going on because I made it up but I'm not sure that I've made it clear! It takes place at the end of the seventh film just as they escape from Malfoy manor the only difference being that Bellatrix didn't throw the knife so Dobby's not dead. It will get darker in a couple of chapters, so be warned! Hope you enjoy .

Hermione, the first night in shell cottage.

I felt it the second it happened. I felt the connection with the knife instantly, most people would shake the feeling off saying it was down to the pain or trauma of what had just happened to me; but not me. I knew. I'd been trying to place where I'd seen her knife before; trying to distract myself from what was happening to me. Then when I felt the connection I knew, it hit me. I knew after that if we managed to escape when I would have to run. It broke my heart to leave them, but they had to be safe, I had to protect them.

I knew that after we'd escaped she'd start searching and it wouldn't take long for her to find us, not now she could trace me. We were magically connected now and the only way that would end was…

Shivers snaked up my spin; I couldn't finish that sentence not even in my head. I had to leave. I was putting them in danger every second I stayed with them but I knew they would never let me go willingly. So I planned every second, whilst I waited, until I was sure they were deep in sleep and I could flee.

It was rain, more than raining, pelting it down, for once the whether suited my mood. My tears mixed with the rain water the icy drops sliding down my face. I just hoped they would forgive me for what I was about to do. I was running, not daring to look back. The physical excises helping to free me from my thoughts but I couldn't keep it up for long. My body was still screaming from the pain that it had endured earlier. I stopped eventually gasping for breath and turned to see that I hadn't gotten as far way from the house as I had thought. Quickly I pulled out my wand and with a pop I was gone.

I reappeared in Scotland, not far from the coast, in a place I went on a school trip to before I went to Hogwarts. I was exhausted I didn't care about putting up enchantments; they would do no good now anyway. Instead I slumped down under the nearest tree, my spine resting along the trunk. I couldn't stop my self now; I had nothing else to think of and I was too tired to try so I just let my mind go over what had happened.

Earlier at Malfoy Manor.

My mind raced. I'd been trying to place where I'd seen her knife before; trying to distract myself from what was she was doing to me. It didn't work very well as she dug the knife into my arm again and I let out a scream of pain, too tired to care who heard me now.

At first I'd tried to be brave; to muffle the screams, show that I wasn't scared and it worked, for a couple of seconds before she hit me with the crucio curse. After that there was always pain; some deep and sharp and in-between that it was duller but still worse than any pain I'd experienced before. I had no energy left and she was leaning over me her eyes dancing wildly with excitement demanding an answer about the sword. I was drained I couldn't even think enough to open my mouth let alone answer her but still she leaned over me her weight pressing down on my middle feeling like it was going to tare me apart. Her face was inches from mind her breath hot making me force my head backwards against the hard wooden floor trying to get away from it. All I wanted to do in that moment was die. There wasn't room for thoughts of Ron and Harry all I could feel was pain and all I could think of was Bellatrix.

"How did you get into my fault?" She screeched at me even though her nose was millimetres from mine. I don't know how I managed to open my mouth; I couldn't even think but somehow out came a quivering lie.

"It's a copy, just a copy."

She stood taking her unbearable weight with her but I still felt too heavy to move, my mind still reliving the pain I'd experienced and was experiencing, my memory going over and over every little detail of what she had done to me.

There was commotion around me but I didn't care. I barely heard it until I was dragged to my unwilling feet by my hair.

"Stop," she shouted and everything fell deadly silent. Her cheek brushed against mine. I was repulsed but had no way of getting way from her. I moved slightly needing to get away when suddenly I felt the cold, familiar and sharp edge of her knife at my throat.

That's when I felt the connection; the knife and I, we were connected. It hit me where I'd seen her knife before and I knew that if we managed to escape when I would have to run. If I could have laughed then I would have. I couldn't even support my own weight but I was making plans to run from the only people I had left in the world. It broke my heart to leave them, it really did but I would have to if I didn't want to be the cause of their death.

I jumped at the sound of wands hitting the ground, I had no ideas who's they were. I was trying to care but spots had started dancing in front of my eyes and I was hit with a wave of dizziness forcing me to lean into Bellatrix for support. I could feel her body heat burning against me and I suddenly I wanted nothing more in the world than to be away from her whatever it took. But before I could even act on this sudden need I was pushed from Bellatrix's arms but as I tried to step forwards my legs couldn't support me and fell from underneath me. I fell. I closed my eyes expecting to harshly hit the ground but I didn't; a pair of strong arms caught me and pulled me close. From that moment I felt save. I was still in immense pain but strangely now it was more bearable. I leant into them knowing exactly who's they were and allowed him to move me to where ever we were going, not that I could have stopped him or anyone at that point.

Suddenly it was cold and bright. Salty air whipped around me, burrowing me from the tunnels of pain my mind was stuck in.

"Hermione your alright, we're safe, we're all safe." Harry's voice got closer to me bringing my other senses with him. We were on a beach, sat in the wet sand. Ron and I were stumped together, his arms protectively around me holding onto me so tightly it was like he would never let go. Harry was beside us now hugging us both whilst quickly scanning us both for injuries.

I was shaking, my mind still trying to come to terms with what had just happened to us. My eyes weren't fixed on Harry or Ron. I didn't want to look at them. I knew that they had heard my screams and I didn't want to see the look in their eyes and see whatever they were feeling, I wasn't ready, I was barely coping with my own emotions. Instead my eyes fixed on Dobby. He was stood a couple of meters away from us watching us his big eyes filled with concern. I rapidly looked down at the sand in front of me after seeing in his eyes exactly what I was trying to avoid.

"Ron, Harry, Hermione?" I didn't look round just stayed looking down, inspecting the sand. I felt Ron turn, with out releasing his grip on me, to look at his brother. We were in silence after that, nobody knowing quiet what to say. I felt eyes burning me and I was sure that everyone was watching me. I didn't know what to do. If I looked up then I would have to try and convince everyone that I was ok and at the moment I just didn't have the energy to that. So instead I stayed perfectly still and continued to lean all my weight on Ron and to gaze at the same spot of sand.

Ron

It was excruciating listening to Hermione's screams. I wanted desperately to make them stop; to help her, save her from the torture she was having to endure. I felt so useless hearing those screams, she was in so much pain and I couldn't do anything to make it stop. Then, out of the blue Dobby appeared and I've never been so thankful in my life. I was more than shocked when dobby knocked out Peter Petigrew I never thought him capable of it but my attention quickly turned back to our rescue and escape attempt. Harry and I crept up the stairs. We could hear Bellatrix talking. Stopping just above the top step we peered over the top and onto the scene in front of us. My eyes immediately found Hermione and rested on her lifeless form. There was a pang in my heart looking at her. She looked so small and vulnerable I just wanted to pull her into my arms and make everything better again. I glance over to Bellatrix she was talking to the goblin.

"Who got into my vault, who stole it, who, stole it, well?" she demanded an answer.

I didn't want to talk my eyes of Hermione but I needed to know where Bellatrix was. She was getting angrier her voice getting lower and lower.

"There is no place safer than Gringots," the goblin said, he sounded pissed that she was questioning how well they protected their bank.

"Liar," she screamed slashing his face with her knife.

"Consider your self lucky goblin, the same won't be said for this one." She turned and lured down at Hermione.

"Like hell," I said jumping form our hiding spot unwilling to let Bellatrix lay another hand on her. Harry quickly followed and we began fight our way towards Hermione.

"Stop," Bellatrix shouted and Hermione let out a gasp of pain and then everything fell deadly silent. Harry and I both stood stock still stunned that Bellatrix was holding a knife to Hermione's throat.

"Drop your wands. I said drop em." She shouted, desperate to get the upper hand and pressed the knife into Hermione's throat, to emphasis her point, creating little beads of blood to spill onto the blade and down her neck. Her face erupted into a devilish smirk when we dropped our wands. She had us right where she wanted us. "Pick them up Draco, now. Well, well, well look what we have here. It's harry potter, all bright and shiny and new again just in time for the dark lord." I looked to Harry and his face had gone back to normal.

"Call him. Call him." Bellatrix sounded excited, Draco didn't move to call him but Lucius proudly stepped forward and rolled up the sleeve of his robe. I didn't want to think about how doomed we were in that minuet.

Then there was a squeaking noise coming from above us and everyone in the room looked up towards the chandelier. It was creaking making a strange sound and then I noticed Dobby sitting on top of it tampering with its connection to the ceiling. I looked down to see where it would fall to find Hermione and Bellatrix stood directly underneath it. Dread filled every cell of my being as the chandelier started to fall. Hermione; I was running towards her. In Bellatrix's frantic motion to save herself she'd pushed Hermione from her and towards me and she fell into my arms the chandelier crashing loudly just centimetres behind us spraying the room with shards of glass. I pulled her into me further relieved to have her in my arms. I held onto that moment for a couple of seconds before reality came back to me and I moved us towards Harry so that we could make our escape. Hermione lent into me her legs unable to support her. I held onto her keeping her up right as we stood along side Harry the goblin and Dobby.

"Stupid elf you could have killed me," Bellatrix shouted at Dobby.

"Dobby never meant to kill only, maim or seriously injure." His brave, truthful voice filled the room. Narcissa moved her wand aiming a jinx at us but before the jinx left her wand Dobby snapped it out of her hands and into his.

"How dare you take a witches wand, how dare to defy your maters,"

"Dobby has no master. Dobby is a free elf, and Dobby had come to save Harry Potter and his friends." And with that we all lent into Dobby laying our hands on top of his and we disapparated to shell cottage.

The first thing I felt when we arrived was the salty sea air cutting at my cheeks. I was still tightly holding onto Hermione, although we were now sat, safe in the soggy sand.

"Hermione your alright, we're safe, we're all safe." Harry's voice got closer to us and I looked up to see him making his way towards us. He bent down when he got to us placing his arms around us before pulling back and inspecting us for injuries.

"Were ok," I whispered back. I knew Hermione was far from ok but we didn't have any life threatening injuries. I could feel Hermione shaking in my arms and my heart broke, how could this have happened? I looked down at her, as Harry was doing, to find her staring at Dobby. He was stood a couple of meters away from us watching us, his big eyes filled with concern. When I looked back at Hermione she was staring at the sand in front of her.

"Ron, Harry, Hermione?" I turned, never loosening my hold on Hermione, to look at Bill. Looking at him I could see that he was concerned but I could also see him trying to stop himself from asking questions. So for a while we were in silence. My eyes fell on Hermione and I thought about what had just happened. Then I looked up to find everyone else watching her as well, my eyes rested on Harry who was kneeling in front of us, also looking at Hermione but when he felt my eyes on him he looked up at me. His face was filled with sorrow and guilt. I gave him a grim look back before continuing to look at Hermione. I didn't know what to do.

"Come in side, you'll catch your death out here." Fleur's voice shouted over to us, she was stood somewhere behind us and sounded a lot like mum but with a French accent. I could here her walking towards us so I slowly started moving. Hermione made no attempt to move from where she was leaning against me but Harry realised this and started helping me move her to her feet.

Shell cottage later that evening

I was snapped from my memories by Harry. He had moved from his sleeping bag on the floor and was now opening the bedroom door.

"Where you going?" I whispered trying not to wake Mr Ollivander and Griphook.

"Air," he whispered back before continuing to exit the room. I got up slowly and followed him. I caught up to him in the hall, he was stood still, looking at Hermione's closed door.

"Do you think she's alright?" I knew he wanted reassurance that she would be but I couldn't stop replaying the day's events in my mind and every time I closed my eyes I could hear Hermione's screams. Instead of replying I stepped forward and opened the door revealing one peacefully sleeping girl in the darkness. I looked at Harry, who seemed more relaxed before stepping further into the room. Panic rose in me as I realised the person in the bed wasn't Hermione but Luna. I stepped further into the room searching all four corners for her but it was no use she wasn't there. Luna stirred and sat up, looking at us curiously.

"Luna, where's Hermione?" Harry sounded as panicked as I was. Luna turned to look at the empty space in the bed next to her were Hermione was meant to be, her face quickly turned from sleep filled to concerned.

"She could be down stairs have you checked," she sounded calmed than she looked. With out an answer we turned and rushed down stairs searching the rooms only to find them empty.

So let me know what you think, good, bad?