The Veriteserum was wearing off, Hermione knew that. But she couldn't let Ron find out. She and Ron were torturing information out of Harry Potter. The Dark Lord had reason to believe Harry was working with Albus Dumbledore, a troublemaking Dark wizard, greedy for power. Dumbledore believes that muggles, muggleborns, and halfbloods, shouldn't be shunned from the wizarding world. He was also the Headmaster of Hogwarts. That's the school that Ron Draco, and I attended. Harry too. We used to be the best of friends, but then Harry (allegedly) started defying the Dark Lord, and (allegedly) allied with Dumbledore and The Order. I won't say it aloud, but I'm not sure HE is the dark wizard.
As a hardly concious Harry sat slumped over, strapped to a chair in the middle of a dark room, somewhere within the catacombs of Burrow, he began to quietly mutter to Hermione, Ron had walked up from the cellar, reporting the news to Draco. Harry wouldn't budge, wouldn't release a single secret. I don't think he knows anything at all. I believe that he was falsely acsused of treason (once again), by Malfoy. Anyone who knew him, knew that he would say ANYTHING to get Harry out of the Dark Lord's good graces. Draco was constantly competing with Harry for everthing, even the Dark Lord's attention. But I have had my doubts too. Harry was always so outgoing, so courageous, so willing to take risks. Hermione admired that about him, as did everyone else, as did Lord Voldemort. Especially the Dark Lord. As soon as they graduated from Hogwarts, the Dark Lord finally came to power. He revealed the ugly-truth about Dumbledore, and everyone flocked to him, including Ron, Harry, and I. Harry didn't want to believe it, but eventually he came around. Then the Dark Lord started asking more... personal...more important favors of him. He did it all with enthusiasm, glad to help fight the war against the blood-traitor. But then, somewhere along the way, he snagged. He got captured by the Order, and they believe his mind was modifyed by them, to believe their filthy lies. I don't know what I believe, I just want the old Harry back, so I won't have to pretend to enjoy torturing the new one.
I turn my attention to Harry, hoping that Ron has a long report and wont be back for a while. Harry starts to coughing, blood spilling out of his mouth, threatening to drown him. I quickly grab a towel from a nearby stool and wipe Harry's face free of blood. I conjure up a glass of water and a bucket, then begin the tedious process of rinsing his mouth. He resists at first, but then realizes I am only trying to help. I whisper as I refill the glass and empty the bucket. " I am so sorry Harry. It's just Dra-" I get choked up and tears start falling down my cheeks. He looks up at me face unreadable (due to all of the beatings and blood), " Hermione, I know, I am skilled at mindreading you know." He said jokingly. Although I didn't laugh, because it really annoyed me when someone invaded my mind. I closed him off from my thoughts and continued. " Well then you already know that I am on your side, no matter what." I say with a tone of annoyance. " I am reasurred that you have my back, Hermione, but that isn't wise of you unless you plan to betray Riddle." Betray Lord Voldemort? Riddle? Oh no, not that nonsense again. " Harry, you know that I can't do that. Even if I believed Albus, I couldn't leave Ron. Not after his family-" I start to tear up again, angry that I'm letting myself get this upset in front of Harry. His shoulders slump and his gaze is to the floor. I place the towel back in time for Ron and Draco to enter the badly lit basement.
" Well, if it isn't The-boy-who-went-soft?" Malfoy spit, his voice full of venom. Harry's shoulders shook in laughter, causing his nose to bleed again. " I'm not soft Malfoy, I just know the truth. And the truth is, Tom Marvo-" Malfoy then angrily conjured a wooden club, and swung hard for Harry's jaw. The blow awful. Harry's head whipped to the side, blood and several teeth flew from is mouth. He was once again slumped over, choking on his own crimson blood. " You no good-filthy-blood-traitor!" Malfoy yelled, each pause signifying another painful impact frm the club. He threw the club across the dim-lit room, so hard that it put a dent in the drywall. He was shaking in anger, Harry's blood spalttered on his pure white button-up. " How...dare you...even..." He starts, his fist balling up, ready to stike Harry once more. He was most likely seeing red now. Draco was easily the most loyal servant of the Dark Lord, second to Harry of course. He killed his own father for speaking ill of our Lord when he was 16. All Draco ever wanted was to have an undercover mission, like Harry has. But the Dark Lord refuses him, saying he is not ready yet. Of course Draco would never question his decisions, but you can tell he resents Harry for it. "How dare you speak that...that...foul name! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" He was sweating, a crazed grimace on his face. He often gets furious when someone disrespects our Lord, we all do really. But he takes it to a whole new level.
Draco whips out his wand and points it roughly at Harry throat, after forcing his head up. " Look at me, you filthy blood traitor!" He barked at him. Ron was rolling with laughter, forgetting that this was our best friend we were torturing! Even Draco had grown on us, his competitve attitude with Harry became friendly. Until it wasn't. I knew I had to stop him, before he did something too drastic.
" Draco. While Ron was reporting to you, I got Harry to talk. He didn't tell me anything of value, but if you give me another chance, I might get something out of him. I hate this new Harry just as much as the both of you," I send a pointed look to the cackling ginger. " But we'll never be able to save our friend, if you kill him." Draco was still staring at Harry, his wand jabbing his throat. He then stood slowly and turned to me, his cold blue eyes piercing into my own brown ones, as if searching my soul. " But Grang-Hermione, he...disrespected the Dark Lord!" He spat at me, as if my name left a bad tast in his mouth. " No need to get that tone with me! I'm just saying that if you kill him, we can't help him, save him." I respond quickly, my temper growing. The anger behind his eyes quickly goes out, as he just stares at me soberly.
" I think Hermione has a point. As much as I'd like to blow the slimy git to peices, we should at least find out if his mind was...altered." Ron's comment left Draco's jaw on the floor, while I only managed to blink. Ron has never been brilliant, but he was a loyal friend, and a loyal servant to the Dark Lord. After he lost his entire family in the war (they fought for the light), he knew it was a lost cause to try and unify the Mudbloods and those of Pureblood descent. We are just too different, and when he was asked to give a reason to fight against the Dark Lord, he didn't have one. He had no one left to fight for.
" Yeah...Alright. But if he speaks out about Lord Voldemort again, I'll carve his Dark Mark right off his skin...with the sword of Slytherin!" Gloated Malfoy triumphantly. I swear I saw a small smile traced on Harry's beaten face. It was an inside joke between the two. In their sixth year (when Draco talked Harry into going to the "proper side of the spectrum"), Harry and Draco had become really close. Them, against Crabbe and Goyle, Zambini and Ron, along with Pansy and Me, were competing for the best end of term prank against the Gryffindor House. Crabbe and Goyle came in fourth by jinxing a bludger at Gryffindor Quidditch practice, injuring their keeper, Cormac Mclaggen. He was out of the hospital wing in time to win the game against Hufflepuff. Ron and Blaise came in third after using polyjuice potion to pose as to Gryffindor third years, who recklessy and constantly lost the house over 200 points. They were never caught, but had to obliviate quite a few prefects. Pansy and I came in second with a genius ploy. We bewitch a dozen barn owls to deliver hundreds of fake love letters to various Gryffindor guys and girls. They were all doused in Amorentia, but each modified for a certain pairing. We also did weeks of reseach to see who was smitten and who absolutely hated each other, and paired them accordingly (*wink*). The professors never suspected anything, instead they just blamed the sudden behavior on " raging hormones" as Professor Sprout put it. Severus knew what we were up to, he was our secret supplier of the love potion! But he turned a blind eye when he saw the Gryffindors acting out, only sneering at how foolish they would look when it wore off a week later.
Draco and Harry. They caused more mischief than even Harry's foolish father and his gang of "Marauders"! They had started planning their prank the day we devised the plan, during our train ride before term. Their plan was risky, rewarding, and very...very permenant. And they succeeded, even earning a slap on the back from Snape and every other Slytherin. They wouldn't give any of us details but what they did was pretty major. They successfully transfigured the Sword of Godric Gryffindor into one of Salazar Slytherin, the beloved founder of our house.