In all the times Draco Malfoy imagined Hermione Granger writhing around on the floor, screaming, this certainly wasn't what he had in mind. Draco's aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange, straddled the poor witch questioning her relentlessly. A small dagger in her hand which sliced Hermione's skin whenever she didn't answer how Bellatrix wanted her to, also using the Cruciatus Curse just to see the Mudblood squirm. All because of the bloody sword of Godric Gryffindor. If Granger would just tell her where they got it…
Bellatrix gave a sigh of defeat, seeing the Cruciatus Curse wasn't enough to break the Gryffindor witch, before a devilish smile crossed her face. She held down Hermione's head and began to carve something into her arm. Draco could only imagine what it was. The witch's screams changed once again from mostly cries to agonizing, bloodcurdling shrieks that sent shivers down his spine.
He'd already betrayed them. Except only he and the Golden Trio knew. That was Harry Potter locked up in the cellar of Malfoy Manor, but Draco, despite seeing through Granger's clever hex, lied. He really didn't know why. He didn't particularly like Potter, but yet the thought of Voldemort killing Harry without a second glance made Draco's stomach churn.
The image of Dumbledore's fall from the Astronomy Tower still haunted him. He wasn't fond of his old Headmaster, but he would be daft to say that Dumbledore had done nothing for him. Dumbledore had saved him from himself. From killing someone and regretting it for the rest of his life. From fully accepting his place as a Death Eater. Watching the old man fall, almost in slow motion, with his robes flying out around him and the darkness consuming him as he sunk lower and lower to the ground.
Draco hadn't slept well since that night and he doubted he ever would again. Just thinking about it made his skin crawl and made him instinctively curl his fingers around his wand in his pocket.
Bellatrix finished her handiwork and left the witch there on the floor. Hermione stared up at the intricate chandelier just above her. The pain in her left arm throbbed intensely, but she barely noticed as her mind was elsewhere. She knew that based upon what Bellatrix had carved into her arm that her "Penelope Clearwater, half blood" guise expended. Bellatrix sliced into her arm so precisely Hermione didn't even have to glance down to know what it read. She shifted slightly allowing her arm to bleed onto the floor. She hoped that her dirty blood stained.
There was a lull as Peter Pettigrew went down the steps fetch the Gringotts goblin. He glanced at Hermione's crumpled form on the floor of his childhood home. Part of her hair clung to her face, while the rest spread out on the floor and around her like a lion's mane. Figures. Only his parents, Bellatrix, Hermione, and himself remained in the room. The Snatchers had abandoned their guard of the trio's belongings for a moment. As everyone turned to see Peter heading down the steps, he carefully summoned Hermione's bag. Luckily, he was adept at silent spells.
Her eyes caught his. She looked suspicious. Her hazel eyes watching him with burning intensity. She didn't trust him. Why would she? He had bullied her almost relentlessly since first year, although since third year when she punched him the face, he fixated more on Potter and Weasley. They were more fun anyway. Watching as Weasley's face turned the color of his hair as he clutched his wand so tightly his knuckles turned white. Potter always tried to maintain his composure, especially around Granger, but he could always see Harry's green eyes ignite whenever he said something snarky. Draco pressed his index finger to his lips quickly and gave her a knowing look, hoping "The Brightest Witch of Her Age" caught on. The look in her eyes shifted from suspicion and hatred to one of curiosity and maybe, just maybe, somewhere deep down, just a fraction of hope was left in Granger's tattered soul.
Peter reappeared with the goblin. Bellatrix pounced on him and his parents intently watched as Bellatrix questioned him. The goblin remained mostly stoic. The questioning was much shorter this time, the goblin retaining only a small scratch from the soon as Bellatrix turned from the goblin he turned back to Hermione, ready to turn her over to Greyback, who had re-entered the room and looked at the witch hungrily.
Draco knew this was his only chance. He pulled out his wand and quickly stunned Greyback. With the element of surprise on his side he quickly disarmed Bellatrix, knowing his mother, the only other armed witch in the room, would never fight against him.
"Draco! What is the meaning of this?" his aunt screamed as she lunged towards him with her knife still in hand. He moved towards Hermione who still lay on the floor, moving closer and closer to unconsciousness.
"Flipendo!" he casted at the top of the chandelier.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion then, just like at Dumbledore's death. Draco could see his father struggling for his mother's wand, already deciding he was a blood traitor. Bellatrix was running out of the way of the chandelier which was tumbling straight for her. And Granger just lay there, as if she had accepted whatever was about to happen to her. Whether the chandelier came down and crushed her, or whether somehow miraculously, she survived, it didn't matter to her either way. It wasn't as if she could do anything about it. The Cruciatus had left her too weak and jumbled to even think of a spell to stop the chandelier, and even if she could, the pain from the cuts was now excruciating, and who knew what other injuries she had.
Draco ran towards the falling chandelier and in one swift movement grabbed Granger's hand and disapparated before his father could fire a curse at him. Although, a wave of broken glass followed them and sliced their skin as it fell on top of them after they landed.
They ended up in the middle of the forest near a lake. It was one of Draco's favorite spots as a child, but not one which his parents would suspect him to go. Draco immediately laid Hermione onto the ground and rolled up her sleeve seeing the word "Mudblood" carved into her skin.
"Malfoy...no…"
Draco shook his head, confused. "But…"
"Take me back!" she said breathlessly. "Harry and Ron, they need me."
"I can't do that. You know I can't do that. Just hold still…"
She started to cry, feeling helpless. She wondered what happened to Harry and Ron. She knew they were more than capable of getting away, especially if they found help. The wards obviously weren't too strong around the Manor or else Draco wouldn't have been able to disapparate with her. But she couldn't help but worry that Greyback or Bellatrix had gotten to them, especially after Draco's apparent betrayal.
"It's...It's going to scar," Draco said.
She looked down at the new flesh which had grown over her wound. The word still visible and readable. Draco's wand still hovered above her flesh.
"I think Bellatrix cursed it somehow. I think I'm stuck with it…" Her words got quieter and quieter. While Draco had healed her arm the best he could, there were other issues he had to deal with. He quickly used his wand to take a survey of her injuries. A few cuts and heavy bruising on her arms and along her hips where Bellatrix had straddled her. A broken rib. A concussion from her struggles. The Cruciatus had also left her head jumbled and confused. Out of everything that seemed the most tragic; the only person he knew who could keep up in a battle of wits, who had better grades than him, who was smarter than any Pureblood he knew, and she very well could lose her mind if he didn't act quickly.
He opened her bag and started pulling items out, but with the magical extension charm and no idea how her bag was organized, he couldn't find anything. He just began Accio-ing anything that he thought might be useful. He had Dittany, Skele-Gro, and a Sleep Potion. Draco saved the Dittany and instead used his wand to heal the cuts. His wand was made almost especially for healing magic, something which was ironic when you looked at it. Hawthorn unicorn hair 10" reasonably springy.
Draco carefully moved Hermione's bushy brown locks out of her face and tilted her head back slightly. Using his thumb, he carefully opened her mouth and forced the Skele-Gro potion down her throat. The day was turning to night rapidly and they were on the lakeside completely open to attack. Draco remembered a nearby cave and figured it was the best place of any others nearby.
"Wingardium Leviosa," he whispered, smirking to himself as he remembered Granger casting that spell from their first year. He had been so jealous that a girl, and a Mudblood, at that had mastered such a simple spell before him. Watching her feather float high up into the air had solidified his boyhood hatred for the witch.
Hermione's unconscious body rose from the ground and he walked carefully to the cave, keeping her just in front of him as he did. Unable to cast a Lumos, slowed him down, but it was probably from the best. They were probably the most wanted witch and wizard at that moment, probably only underneath Harry Potter himself.
He knew that he had just signed his death sentence. If not to Azkaban, then to Voldemort. After this stunt, all a Death Eater would need is to catch sight of him and he would be dead. Draco hoped there was a way he could play it off. I was trying to deliver her straight to you, My Lord. Or maybe, I wanted to kill her myself. That one would only work if Granger died.
It shouldn't bother him, the thought of Granger dying. She was friends with Harry Potter, a Mudblood, and the only one standing in his way from being top in the class. Yet, all of her knowledge and wit would go to waste. He wasn't some bloody knowledge loving Ravenclaw, but he hated seeing good potential go to waste, even that of a Mudblood.
Once they reached the cave, he sat Granger down carefully and found some blankets in her bag. He laid one on the ground and levitated her onto it before throwing the other two on top of her. She needed them more than he did. He probably wouldn't sleep anyway. He would only dream of the Astronomy Tower and wake up panicked, in a cold sweat.
"Malfoy…" she groaned, turning towards the Slytherin wizard.
"Careful," he said. "Don't move. I gave you some Skele-Gro for your rib."
She nodded and stayed still.
"Here." He moved towards her, holding the sleep potion in his hand. "Drink this. You need to rest. I promise you'll feel better when you wake up."
He placed the bottle to her lips. Her eyes were looking right up at him. They were staring at him, looking through him, like he was window to another dimension.
"What?"
"Why are you doing this, Malfoy? Why are you helping me?"
"I don't know, Clearwater. Just drink."
"Clearwater?"
"That's your name isn't it?"
She stayed quiet and allowed him to pour the potion into her mouth, It didn't take long for the effects to kick in and soon her eyelids began to droop and within minutes Granger was fast asleep.