Hermione's POV-

"No!" shouted Ron. "You can have me! Keep me!"

"Well, well," Bellatrix sneered. "A... Volunteer. How nice. Fine. Blood traitor is as bad as Mudblood in my book."

She released Hermione and flung her towards Harry and Dean, both of whom were still tied and terrified. With a flick of her wrist she produced a small silver knife from her sleeve with which she proceeded to cut Ron loose from the group. She dragged him into the center of the room. She turned to Greyback and ordered him to take the others to the cellar.

"You will not give orders in my house Bella-" Lucius Malfoy started before he was cut off.

"Oh shut it, Lucius! You have no idea how much trouble we may be in!" Bellatrix screamed at him. She turned to Fenrir. "Do as I say!"

The werewolf dragged the small group while Bellatrix spun her knife and turned to Ron. "No!" Hermione screamed. "Please! No not him! Take me!"

Bellatrix turned to her slowly with a sadistic grin. "Oh don't worry girly. If he dies," the grin widened. "You'll be next."

Fenrir shoved the small group down the stairs. Hermione stifled small cries. She could still see his face, swimming in her eyes, just smiling. But that image switched up on her. Into the look of fear, yet hope. He'd even seen like he didn't mind what was coming because he had-

"Now don't try anything or you'll go the same way as your friend up there." The werewolf jutted a finger towards the ceiling. He snickered as Hermione gave a small cry. Fenrir laughed and dashed back up the steps, locking the door behind him.

"Harry? Hermione?" A familiar and dreamy voice called to them. "Oh no! Ididntwant you to get caught!"

"Luna!" The three captives cried towards their friend. The goblin made no noise. "Can you get us untied?" Dean asked her.

"Oh yes. There's an nail that we found. I'll find it. Mr. Ollivander? Do you know where the nail is?" Who was Luna talking to? Surely not Ollivander the wandmaker? "Oh yes. Here it is."

They could hear shuffling as Luna made her way back towards them as an earsplitting, terrible, gut wrenching mix between a defiant yell and a scream burst through the air.

"Ron!" Hermione yelled. "Oh no!"

"That was Ron!" Luna asked. "Oh no, they have him too!"

"Yes Luna," said Harry with a pained expression. "And we're going to help him can you just get these bindings off of us?"

"Oh yes." Hermione felt the binds drop from her hands. She could hear Harry muttering to nothing "Help us!" as Ron yelled again. This time they could hear Bellatrix screaming, but her words were jumbled together. Ron yelled again and Hermione sobbed into her hands.

Soon the yells and cries of Ron Weasley became Hermione's entire world. She could hear nothing else, not her friends' voices nor anything but the painful cries. She could see, but she could only envision Ron just a floor above them screaming and in pain. She could now make out Bellatrix's cruel words.

"What else did you take! WHAT ELSE!"

Ron yelled right back at the witch torturing him. "WHO SAYS WE DID! WHATS IT TO YOU, YOU-"

"Cruico!" Ron's yells and screams filled the air again. Hermione yelled his name and covered her ears.

She could feel someone's hand on her shoulder. "It's okay," Luna told her in a dreamy voice. Hermione looked at her like she was crazy. "He's tough, he is," Luna told her. "And he'll get through it because he loves you, Hermione. He does."

Hermione didn't respond because just then a loud CRACK! came from the center of the room and suddenly Dobby, the house elf, was standing before them.

"Dobby!" Harry cried. "Can you disapperate out of here as well?"

"Yes, Harry Potter. Dobby can because Dobby is a house elf," the little elf responded.

"Brilliant," Harry breathed. "Dobby, can you take Luna, Dean, and Mr. Ollivander to, uh,..."

"Shell Cottage. Ron- Ron told me that's where Bill and Fleur live. And what about the goblin?" Hermione asked.

"He's looking to see if the swords a fake. I told him to say it was," Harry informed her.

Ron yelled again followed by a cruel laugh from his torturer. "Oh yes, Mudblood!" Bellatrix gleefully called down the stairs as Dobby disapperated with a crack. Lucius Malfoy said something Hermione couldn't make out as Bellatrix yelled down to her. "Looks like it will be your turn. Very soon!"

Hermione turned to Harry who didn't look to great either emotionally. They listened silently as Ron yelled one last time, this time it was directed to them. To Hermione. "Hermione! Hermione!"

They heard the unmistakable sound of Cruico, but Ron didn't yell out again. Hermione ran over to Harry and sobbed into his shoulder. Fear held her in it's tight grasp. Harry held her for a short moment before whispering his plan to her.

"They're sending Wormtail. We'll have to tackle him." Hermione nodded and they took they're places at either side of the staircase. They could hear the heavy footsteps sound louder as they came closer. Ready? Harry mouthed to her. She nodded.

"Stand back! I'll kill you!" Wormtail's squeaky voice cried out. He opened the gate and stood still for a moment illuminated by the small amount of light from the stairs. He looked around confused not to see the prisoners staring back and him when Harry and Hermione hit him with full force. He lashed out grabbing Harry's throat with his metal hand. "You don't want to do that, Wormtail," Harry gasped. "I saved your life. You owe me."

To everyone's surprise the rat like man's hand lowered itself from Harry's neck and to their horror it reached to its own neck. Wormtail gasped and tried, but it appeared like he couldn't control this new hand. He gasped and Harry cried out and tried to pry the hand away, but it was to late. Wormtail keeled over and was gone. Hermione peeled his wand from his hand and grasped it tightly. She watched as Harry closed the man's eyes and started up the stairs.

"Wormtail? What is taking so long?" Lucius Malfoy called out to the man he didn't know was dead.

Hermione burst out into the room , followed by Harry. She saw the Malfoy's, but not Draco, and Bellatrix who was standing. Her back was turned and Hermione could see am arm stretched out around her as if trying to grab Hermione. She could see him laying on the ground bleeding and still. She could've sobbed with sadness, but her gaze was torn to Harry who was creating chaos and shooting spells at the Malfoys and Bellatrix.

"Stop or he dies!" The voice rang out sharply and Hermione slowly turned towards its source. Bellatrix Lestrange stood with an unconscious Ron in her arms with a knife to his throat. "Drop the wands." Harry did as she asked, Hermione could see him out of the corner of her eye. "Draco grab them." Again the order was obeyed. Bellatrix opened her mouth to say more, but just then a small creak came from the chandelier above her and everyone's eyes flitted up towards it. Up there, Dobby sat and unscrewed the bolts that held it together. He jumped and the chandelier fell. Bellatrix shrieked and flung Ron aside. Hermione dashed to his side for he was trapped under the large object now. She pulled him out of the wreckage- and he was definitely breathing. Hermione sighed with relief.

"Hermione! GO!" Harry shouted from Dobby's side. The two disaperated as the knife soared towards them. Hermione followed their lead.

Shell cottage, she thought over and over again. Her grip on Ron was tight as they disapperated.

Ron's POV-

"No!" shouted Ron. "You can have me! Keep me!"

Bellatrix sneered at him. He trembled a little bit before she spoke. "Well, well. A... Volunteer. How nice. A blood traitor is just as bad as a Mudblood in my book."

To Ron's delight and amazement she shoved Hermione, who looked terrified and squeaked "Ron! No!", at the small group. With a flick of her wrist a knife slid into her hand. Ron made a heroic little whimpering noise he hoped no one could hear as Bellatrix's long nails dug into his wrist. She turned to the werewolf who had captured them. "Take them to the cellars."

Ron could see Lucius's mouth moving, but the blood pounding in his ear drowned everything else. Until Hermione started crying out. "Please! No not him! Take me!"

He tried to reach out to her, yet Bellatrix yanked him back. "Oh don't worry, girly," Bellatrix laughed gleefully as she flicked her knife. "If he dies you'll be next."

The group was forced down the stairs as she turned towards him. "So. A Weasley. Blood traitor. Went to school with Draco. Didn't you?"

"Yes," Ron growled. He could see Draco leaving the room out of the corner of his eye.

Bellatrix laughed gleefully. "Oh no need to act so defiant. Your filthy little Mudblood is safe now isn't she? Now that you saved her."

Ron glared at her. He clenched his fists as she snarled.

"Why were you in my vault? What else did you take?"

"Huh?" Ron mumbled startled. He hadn't the slightest idea of what she was talking about.

She flung her knife at him and it grazed his arm. He winced but didn't yell. "You heard me! What else did you take!"

"We never went to your bloody vault!" Ron yelled. "We didn't take anything!"

"Liar," Bellatrix snarled. She raised her wand towards him and screamed: "Cruico!"

Pain exploded throughout his entire body; he yelled out in pain. He heard some call his name below him. Hermione...

Bellatrix laughed and shoved him on the ground. "Willing to talk now? No? Maybe you need a little more convincing!" She laughed gleefully and dropped down next to him. She drove her knife deep into his arm. Awful pain exploded in his arm, but he refused to show any signs of pain. He was going to put up a fight it killed him. It just might.

He clawed at her arm which held the knife, deciding where to strike next. "Oh don't fight back!" Bellatrix cawed. "It might make things worse for your girlfriend below us!"

Ron could hear Hermione calling his name now. "Ron! Ron!" He had to fight back, for her. He had to survive, for her.

"Crucio!" Pain erupted in him again. Bellatrix cackled gleefully before swooping down upon Ron again. "Now are you more willing to speak? WHAT ALL DID YOU TAKE FROM MY VAULT!"

"NOTHING! NOTHING! I TOOK NOTHING FROM YOUR DAMN VAULT. WE'VE NEVER BEEN THERE!" His defiant yells only seemed to convince her more that he was guilty. Which he wasn't.

"Liar!" Bellatrix slashed at him with her knife again. "Tell-" slash "Me-" slash "the truth you stinking little blood traitor!"

Ron turned his head and spit blood in her face. "Better a blood traitor than whatever you are!"

"Crucio! We'll find out for sure soon. Draco- go get the goblin." Footsteps headed towards the staircase. Bellatrix turned back to Ron. "Crucio!"

Again, overwhelmed by pain, Ron cried out. He could hear Hermione screaming for him. As long as she was there he would be to. He had to stay alive, he couldn't leave her.

"Tell the truth now, Weasley. The goblin will be here soon, but it would be easier for you if... You... Just... Confess. WHAT ELSE DID YOU TAKE! WHAT ELSE!"

"WHO SAYS WE DID! WHATS ITS TO YOU, YOU-"

"Cruico!" Ron cried out again tears from the pain escaping his eyes. He could vaguely hear Draco and the goblin enter the room. A loud crack from below shook the floor.

"What was that!" Lucius yelled running towards the stairs.

"It was nothing," Bellatrix snapped. "There's no way they can get out." She dug her knife into Ron's arm once again. A cry escaped his lips against his will. Bellatrix laughed gleefully before calling down the stairs. "Oh yes, Mudblood! It'll be your turn soon!"

"Hermione!" Ron yelled hysterically. "Hermione!"

"Crucio!"

Ron just whispered, "I love you Hermione," before he gave into the pain and blacked out.