Sign the letter Hermione come on focus.
She patted down her curly mane that was drenched in sweat, her eyes twitched and she jumped at every small noise.
Hurry up before they wake up.
Hermione laid the note on the table next to her cot and she walked out of the tent. Her labored breathing causing her paranoia to only become worse making her stumble across branches and fall down the hill. She felt small cuts all across her bare skin. The nauseating feeling in her stomach carried on and she let out a sob of frustration and slammed her hand against the cold dirt ground.
Just get up, pull out your wand and do the spell
She was being so stupid, she was magical! Why had she not just performed the spell in the first place.
But what if it had woken the boys? Come on Hermione get yourself together.
Hermione wiped off her face and stood herself up. She crushed off the dirt of her old torn jeans took out her wand and apparated to a specific manor. A manor that should have thrown her out before she could even touch ground but instead let her right in.
ooOoo
Hermione laid on the cold manor floors with Voldemort circling around her, swells of fear were crashing into her but she couldn't find it in her to focus on that. Her mind was no longer held on her aching that lead her to this home in a dizzy fit. She no longer felt drugged or paranoid and that was all that mattered.
The only thing going through her mind at that moment was the beauty of the ray of light coming from the chandelier above her. As odd as that may sound she couldn't find it in her to look at her killer, so she found something else to stare at. God did she hate being in this position, she felt so weak and not at all true to her Gryffindor pride. So she just laid there, her chest heaving from the painful gasps for air as she waited to die. The cruciatus curse was not given enough credit. What was taking him so long? It was just so cruel leaving her there to await the painful sting of the curse. Would it sting though? Or on the off chance would it be peaceful? The sounds of his pacing stopped and Hermione took in a soft gasp of air clinching her eyes shut.
"I'm not going to kill you." The words hung in the air piercing Hermione's glazed over mind.
"Pardon?" She squeaked out opening on eye.
"I said I'm not going to kill you."
"What? Why not?" She asked. "Not that I'm not grateful but it just-"
"Do you honestly think you would be in the right to ask me anything? You need to remember you are irrelevant and will remain so. Close your mouth it's very unbecoming." She clinched her jaw shut and shot a glare at him. "I imagine you dear friend Harry would prefer to have his mud blood by his side."
"He won't come." She said immediately. Voldemort scoffed, his eyes flashing a bright crimson.
"Harry Potter wouldn't let his best friend die."
"They won't let him, the Order will know it's a stupid and Ill-conceived trap."
"Crucio." He hissed his wand directed towards the now shriveling girl. His lips turned up at the corner as he watched her cry out in pain. She was everything he had been waiting for and he had been waiting for so long. Now look at her. She had finally come to him. She was sharp-tongued, he liked that but the girl would have to be broken. He let off the curse and again watched as she struggled to maintain her strong facade.
"You're insane." She spat. He could not help the chuckle that escaped from him at her petty words.
"Insanity it is then, at least I am capable of getting what needs to be done, done. Your Order has failed countless times to achieve their goals and they still come up empty handed. Tell me, when have they ever once accomplished something important?" Hermione sat herself up chewing on her lip. She couldn't tell him about the horcrox's
"The prophecy, we destroyed it before you got it."
"Please dear girl, find something I cared about! I knew the stupid prophecy before any of you daft imbeciles even knew it existed. Did you think I had not known of what I had created that night? I'll admit I was surprised at first but I recognized what mistake I had made but then I thought. A human is far from expected, no one will guess to look there and what do you know? He goes by unnoticed."
"B-but what about all the attempts on his life?" Hermione sputtered her body aching in pain.
"I do want him dead, only because he is going against me and my plans. That is something I cannot have." Voldemort shrugged waving it away. "Now, you will stay at my manor, I will not keep you in this...place. I know how much you long to be with me." He reached down and yanked her arm, pulling her off the floor and cutting off any long winded speech Hermione might have had ready. Exhaustion was raging through her as she battled to stand on her feet; she had already lost so much blood.
What did he say? Did-could he know about the strange feelings? Was he the reason?
"You will be fed and given a place to sleep and you will diminish all thoughts of escape." He clasped his pale white hand onto her wrist and she felt a cold metal ring cling to her skin. She jumped back but his grip was stronger and she could not pull away no matter how hard she fought.
No he couldn't have. I am not that important.
"What did you do?"
"Now Miss Granger if you don't mind please shut your mouth." He grinned wrapping an arm around her waist and apparating both of them away.
When Hermione placed her feet on solid ground again she found her weakened body clinging to him for balance. She looked up to find him sneering at her. He gripped her arm again and began pulling her down a dark corridor. Hermione took in all of her surroundings and found herself surprised by what she saw. It wasn't all dark and gloomy like she had expected. It was big and lighted, with colors more than just green and silver. It was then that Hermione had wished she had been paying attention to her pathway because at that moment she felt her self being shoved into sharp wooden table. Hissing in pain she held her hand to her ribs and turned herself around to glare at him.
"You will stay here for a short time tonight. Perhaps you should, for the time being, look into immortality linkage to potions if you, in fact, have such a need to help your precious Order. I have something that is need of my intention at the moment and you are not a top priority. If you need anything, touch your bracelet and someone will come." Hermione felt a shiver down her spine at his words, 'someone will come', who would that someone be? She swallowed her fears nodded and watched as he vanished in that wispy black smoke of his. She turned around and took in the room she had been placed in, she was taken back.
"Oh my god." She gasped her eyes widening. Rows and rows of book cases filled this area; it was bigger than Hogwarts library! Hermione let out a soft giggle and she ran down the pathway between two of the largest shelves she had ever glanced upon. Her fingers grazed upon the spines of the book as she took in her newest oasis. That's when she halted.
Immortality linkage to potions?
Why was he giving her clues to help Harry if he was attempting to become immortal? She tried thinking on the brighter side of things, if there was one, at least she wouldn't be helping him. Then she thought about how she was, after all reading with the intentions to help Harry but if she found a way to help he could use that against them.
A thick layer of guilt and self-hatred fell upon her. She had been so stupid to go alone last night! What had come over her, why was she feeling such a way? The boys wouldn't survive two days without her! She began panicking, searching the room for some kind of escape. She ran as fast as she could to each wall searching for an exit, all she found was a small window. She threw it open and looked out; below the window was a pretty long drop into a frothy ocean.
Where the hell was she?! Hermione looked around her then back out the window, it would be irrational of her to jump but she also didn't want to stay here she knew she was going to die anyway, why not now? Then again she would be of no help to her friends if she did do this, and there would be no promise of finding a way to land so she could escape. She let out a defeated sigh and turned back to the shelves. The more promising option was to stay here. She would indeed end up helping him no matter the information she looked at, however, she didn't have to efficiently help him. She couldn't give him the wrong information because he was a smart man and he wouldn't take that but she could slow him down. Grinning ear to ear with her new plan she made her way to the stacks.
Hermione had of course found several keys to his answer by her own curiosity; however she was not going to tell him a thing.
"Good evening." Her head jerked up to meet his red eyes.
"Back so soon?" She joked slamming the book she held in her hand shut.
"Quite the attitude you have." He said with a sly smirk on his pale lips.
"Here to torture me some more?" Voldemort raised a brow at her and stepped closer. Hermione jumped a bit at his movement and she cursed herself for giving up her strength.
"Oh please dear if you're going to fake strength at least try to...maintain appearances." Hermione's cheeks began to burn. "Tell me did you find anything." It was Hermione's turn to throw a smirk out.
"No I haven't."
"Really now? The brightest witch of her age cannot find a simple linkage? Now that I find a bit hard to believe." He had closed in on her now and she had started to tremble. "Pathetic." Her eyes narrowed.
"I am not pathetic, if anything you are! An old man looking for a way to live forever. That's pathetic." She could see his face twitch in anger. Great now she'd done it. She clinched her eyes shut tight waiting for the pain.
"I'm not going to hurt you, I like you. You at least manage to get out what your insult is before cowering in fear. I suppose you do have some kind of bravery in there after all considering how quickly I could kill you." Hermione gasped and stumbled back hitting against the shelf behind her. "Maybe I have misspoken about the courage?" Hermione lowered her eyes to the floor as he ran his hand across her bruised cheek.
Oh how Voldemort loved the feel of her porcelain skin beneath his hand and he loved every second of it. He felt an overwhelming sense of pride to have her back in his arms; it was all he had worked for. Hermione and the magical world at his reach.
"You disgust me." She pushed out.
"Crucio." He whispered looking into her beautiful brown eyes. He held her still as she screamed and hissed in pain, taking in the howls of pain in pleasure. That was until she bit her lip and held in her screams. He brought a sharp gaze upon her and slammed her against the shelves trying to force her to release her hold on her lip. Instead she bit down harder blood dripping down her chin. Voldemort dropped her to the ground withdrawing his curse.
"Why?" He heard her whimper.
"Why what!"
"Why won't you just kill me?! There are plenty of others, many more wiser than I am! There is no need to keep me!" She cried wiping the blood and tears from her face. He took a second to ponder her words and then looked back down at the girl.
"Let's just say you intrigue me." He said with a sharp grin. He was obsessed with the girl not just intrigued but he was in love with the equivocation so he would continue with his games.
"What?" She stammered her fingers wrapping around the wood of the shelves trying to lift herself.
"I do not like to repeat myself girl. Now tell me what it is you've learned."
"I told you already."
"Yes however I know for a fact that's not true." Hermione shivered as he moved around her shoving her forward so he could circle her. She hated how he moved, it was like a snake slithering around its prey.
"Seeing how supposedly brilliant you are, I'm sure you already know the answer. My input in your own research is just so you can get a chuckle." Voldemort grinned at her words. Such confidence he thought running his eyes down her frame. Beautiful.
He could see her fight a grimace as she shifted in her firm stance. "Tell me miss Granger, why is it you left your two friends in the woods alone? What did you hope to accomplish by coming to the Malfoy's?"
"I'm sure you already know that, I don't see the reason in asking." She snapped.
"I'd rather truths be admitted out loud." He stopped circling meeting her eye to eye. "Did you think Draco would help you? Did you believe giving yourself up would keep us from finding your friends?" He saw her lip quiver.
"Know this Miss Granger, your stupid friends will never be safe and i know where they are."
"...Then why haven't you taken us yet?" She croaked.
"I have not found the reason to waste my time on you. What you're doing is meaningless to me." Hermione's brows furrowed.
"You have no idea what you're talking about."
"So you would think!" He laughed moving away from her allowing her to relax. "I can't believe you thought I would leave such valuable items just lying about for little annoying children to find and destroy!"
"But-"
"But what little girl?! Have your plans gone wrong now? Did you hope for something different? Did you think you and your friends would live happily ever after?" He mocked. "Well guess what, this is reality and the reality is You. Don't. Win!" Hermione chewed on the inside of her cheek as he spat his cruel words at her. It was becoming clearer and clearer that everything they had been told was all lies, all a clever disguise to what lay at hand. How had they not put it together? How had she not put it together?! It all made sense! He was way too clever to leave such items of importance lying about and she had missed that. "Putting it together are we?" She shook her head.
"We should have realized..."
"Yes indeed, but all is forgiven. After all I do have a very wise witch in my hands now despite your thoughtless past you are wise and very useful." He paused and closed in on her again. "You have wasted the days light and I'm sure you are close to unconsciousness seeing as you spent half of this day being gutted with a knife and tortured with unforgivables. Follow me and I will take you to your room." Hermione stubborn though she may be, decided it was a bad idea to keep him waiting considering her condition, the ache becoming more noticeable with his mentioning.
