A man had tied me in a dark place. He must have snatched me and taken me here. But I had no memory of that happening. I had no memory at all. I scrabbled in my brain, but it was blank- an empty room, an abandoned house, no echoes. Nothing, except for Draco.
A sob rose in my throat. I mustn't cry again. I must think, but carefully now, hold back the fear. I must not go deep down. I must stay on the surface. Just think of what I know. Facts. Slowly I will make up a picture and then I'll be able to look at it.
My name is Hermione- Mione. I am seventeen years old, and I have no parents. I have a boyfriend, Ronald, Ron Weasley. He'll probably be worried. My friends will be worried, too. They'll tell the Order. They will say I'm missing. They'll come save me.
Stop.
Just facts.
I go to Hogwarts. It's my last year. I'm Head Girl. I have my own dorm with Draco Malfoy. Draco…Tears welled up again.
Calm down, Hermione. You're going to be okay.
Okay. When was I last at Hogwarts? It seemed impossibly far away, like a dream that disappears when you try to hold on to it; like someone else's life. I couldn't remember. How long had I lain here? An hour, or a day, or a week? It was September, I knew that- at least I thought I knew that.
Outside, it was cold and the days were slowly growing shorter. Maybe the leaves would be falling. The sun shining on the oranges, reds, yellows like flames of a fire. No, I mustn't think of things like that.
Stick to what I know; September, but I couldn't tell if it was day or night. Or perhaps it was October now. I tried to think of the last day I clearly remembered, but it was like looking into a thick fog with indistinct shapes looming.
Start with September first. Going to Kings Cross. Meeting Harry and Ron. Going to the Heads compartment. Draco. Kissing. Bare skin.
Alright stop thinking of all that. After Kings Cross…I remember the Welcoming feast. Going back to the Heads dorm, drinking hot chocolate with Harry, having a row with Ron over something imprudent. Avoiding Draco all day. After that it was all blurred.
I tried to shift. My toes felt stiff with cold and my neck ached. My pulse was thudding behind my eyes, head pounding in time with my heartbeat. The taste in my mouth was foul. Why was I here and what was going to happen to me? I was laid out on my back like a sacrifice, arms and legs pinned down. Dread ran through me. He could starve me. He could rape me. He could torture me. I pressed myself against the floor and whimpered deep down in my throat. Two tears escaped from my eyes and I felt them tickle and sting as they ran down towards my ears.
Don't cry, Hermione. You mustn't cry.