Disclaimer: Not mine
Warning: (almost) rape scene
...
It was a draughty evening when Hermione Granger decided to walk home from the local library. She had been studying from the hour it opened, in fact, she had been studying for several days now for her upcoming science test, which wasn't even an important test, but quiz or no quiz, it was like her to treat it just the same. There was the youthful bounce of her untamed hair, the colour of bark, as she charged head-on with a slight hunch and a tight white-grip on the straps of her bag. The crease on her forehead would have suggested the weight of the volumes she carried, but if anything, it was a face of determination etched with worry as she recited formulas in her head that she undoubtedly, already knew. And it was because of this Hermione came to a halt in the middle of street that she did not know.
Thankfully there was a familiar reserve nearby that she knew had a duck pond she visited often with a book and a loaf of bread. An empty canal ran by it, which she would follow to take her to the pond, and once there, in accordance to a certain angle of the trees, the direction which would eventually lead her home. It was a straightforward route… follow the canal, if it weren't for her miscalculating the monstrous size of this body of land. Her steps quickened as the sky darkened and when the sun was no longer out, to her relief, safety came in the form of a clearly lit tunnel. She didn't know how far left she had to go, but no matter, what choice did she have but to keep going. Panicking would be no use, she thought to herself, as her heart pounded in her small ribs.
Hermione was very aware of terrible stories of women being attacked when they were alone at night, but she never truly anticipated that fate would turn against her now that she yelped as a figure leaped from the other side of the tunnel; his voice, thick and gruff, echoing.
"Hello pet. Took your time did you?"
Hermione stumbled backwards and without a second thought twisted around to make a run for it. Surely enough, she had collided into another man's arms whose tattered sleeves reeked of damp alleyways. He flipped her around again, where she saw another two men beside the first, just as filthy and just as terrifying. Eyes narrowed leeringly, and eyes popped from their sockets like a pack of hungry wild animals, like wolves barring their teeth with their awful smiles.
"Right boys," spoke the first one. He was shorter than the two beside him but broader than they. "Well if you don't mind… I'll go first!"
Her captor, shoved her to the ground. Flesh slid across the jagged concrete like cheese being grated. They bent her limp arms behind her with a crack and as she let out an excruciating scream, she felt an ice-cold sensation on one of her wrists that left as quickly as it had come.
A belt buckle unclasped, merciless cackles began to fill the air. Her voice was stolen by the weight that drove her lungs to the ground and only tears could escape her now.
She shut her eyes tight, bit her lip. The blood and the grit of the concrete seeped in her mouth and nose. There was pain everywhere and there was more to come. Just as she felt his fingers hook the band of her pants, a strong gust of wind cut through the tunnel.
"What the?" said one of the others as the man above Hermione gave a short whimper before falling limp onto her. Then her vision blurred, blackening as she was crushed under his weight.
…
"Wake up… wake up."
A new stranger was patting Hermione's cheek lightly.
"Wake up girl."
And at last, Hermione awoke, her brown eyes meeting with blue. The man had long and sleek blond hair, which Hermione instantly noted was uncommon for a man at this day and age. It was touching her person, and when he realised this, he frowned, removing himself altogether from her with the help of his cane.
He looked down at his nose at her, almost disgustedly. She quickly remembered her ruined face, but when she touched it, she found no blood, and everything felt intact. She glanced about and confirmed she wasn't dreaming, there were four unconscious men in unholy positions that made her cringe, scattered along the tunnel.
"Are you stupid girl?" he spoke, bringing her attention back to him. She winced at the hardness in his voice. The strange man wore a black cape and he seemed much too young, and much too able to rely on a cane. Odd indeed.
"Couldn't you have used a more populated route, you utter halfwit?"
"Sorry… I… was… lost… I thought I-"
"You thought you knew what you were doing. Well… you're not as smart as you think you are."
She shook her head.
"Do you know what could have just happened to you then?"
And finally she burst into tears.
He placed his hands on his waist. "Stop it," he muttered.
Hermione apologised, but continued.
"Will you stop that… noise?!" he hissed irritably. "Get up!"
Slowly she got up, sniffed one last time and tried to smile at him.
"Thank you."
He grimaced then lifted an eyebrow questioningly when she noticed her confused expression as she assessed herself.
"I'm sure I was bleeding in several places…"
With that he turned to leave. Hermione's mouth dropped at the briefness.
"Wait!" She called out to him. "Where are you going?"
"Taking you home. Now are you coming or not?"
"My house is just- it's just… somewhere… there," she pointed ahead.
"I know," he replied with gritted teeth.
"You do?"
"This was the direction you were going were you not?" he snapped at her.
She struggled to keep pace with him for he had longer legs than her. She gazed at the unusual stranger, intrigued by the way his hair glistened in the moonlight and the way his black cape billowed in the wind like a creature of the night.
She tripped over something and he whipped around, quick to catch her by the arm.
"Watch where you're going!"
"I can barely see anything! It's easier for you to say you have your cane to help you."
The man raised an eyebrow. She had a point. He continued his stalking.
"My name's Jane," she began, in an attempt to interrupt the awkward silence. "Jane Green. What's yours?"
An unlikely noise came from him. It sounded like a snort.
"… Luther."
"That's an interesting name."
"So is yours."
Hermione thought it was an odd reply, but she didn't think too much about it. Why "Hermione" gave him her middle name and a false surname, only Luther knew, not even "Hermione" herself, and he smirked the secret behind his lips.
"So… what do you do… besides saving stupid girls," she added with a laugh, which he didn't share.
"I'm a warlock."
She made a face, the only face one would make when someone were to tell you something as unexpected and stupid as that.
"Alright then."
"What? You don't believe me?"
"Sure..."
Then she laughed.
"We're almost there," he said. They had reached the duck pond. "I'm sure you can manage from here."
"Oh… so we are. Thank you. Wait… how do you know we're close?"
He turned his heel and began walking back where they came from, and in 3, 2, 1 he dissolved into the dark. She narrowed her eyes. A blue light shot through and hit her square on the forehead. Hermione saw black.