I wanted to try something darker than my usual stories. So here you go. An emotionally broken Hermione and Draco. Romance eventually.

Disclaimer - I own nothing but the plot of this fanfic, and make no money off this.

Pain

Chapter One

Reason

Howls, cheers and gleeful chants filled the enormous room. Figures garbed in gray robes with black masks whisked around the room, hugging and congratulating each other. Save one.

Draco Malfoy sat alone in the corner of the room. He had been in a confused and unhappy stupor for weeks. During the showdown between Potter and the Dark Lord, he had been hiding away, and unsuccessfully trying to help people escape, instead of cursing them. Many times, he had just hidden himself in obscure parts of the school, trying to soothe his shaky fits. He was not a murderer. He was not a torturer, and never wanted to be.

Potter was dead. The Dark Lord had won. Draco trembled at the very thought. Presently, it was all celebration. All the people who had been against the Dark Lord had been imprisoned in one room of the enormous building they were in, held tightly by charms and guards. Anyone who tried to escape, would die.

Draco held his knees to his chest. This wasn't supposed to have happened. All those innocent people shouldn't have died. Tears streamed down the poor boy's cheeks and spilled onto his robes as he wished he had never been born and subjected to a life of killing and torture with no way out.

He looked up as the room grew silent. All the Death Eaters sank into bows. He hastily scrambled to his feet and bowed too, feeling his heart pound.

"Well done my faithful servants," went the raspy voice of the Dark Lord. "You all have done extremely well by yourselves tonight. The Boy Who Lived is now The Boy Who Died at the hands of the most powerful wizard of all time. I owe half my success to my dear servants. You shall all have your rewards without further delay. Step forward Draco."

Draco froze. His heart sank to the bottom of his stomach. The entire room turned to look at him.

"I said...step forward, Draco."

"Go," hissed Lucius' harsh voice.

Draco swallowed and stood up. His legs shook like jelly as he approached his master. The Dark Lord smiled cruelly.

"You could have done far better, Draco," he said, sounding disappointed. "It would have been your family's greatest honor should you have killed the old fool. However, you did fix the Vanishing Cabinet, and so paved the way for the Death Eaters to enter Hogwarts. That is sufficient duty for someone your age. So I will forgive you your failures."

Draco felt some of his anxiety reduce.

"You shall be awarded. I hear from Lucius that you have a particular hatred for a Mudblood who attended Hogwarts...one of Potter's closest friends?"

Draco raised an eyebrow. Granger? What was the Dark Lord going to make him do with Granger?

"Yes Master," he answered blankly.

"Your reward is this. You will steal her."

Draco's heart stopped. "S-steal her, Master?"

"Destroy her filthy, unworthy chastity. You will positively devour her."

Draco's mouth went dry as he realized what the Dark Lord was saying. "R-rape her, Master?"

"Is that a simpler term? Very well. Draco, you shall rape the Mudblood."

Some people howled. Draco was hardly aware of anything but how disturbed and fearful he felt. Granger was...unworthy, definitely, but no girl deserved to be hurt so badly.

"What is wrong, Draco?" asked the Dark Lord with a touch of boredom to his voice.

"N-nothing, Master."

"Your eyes reflect fear...are you afraid of a Mudblood, son of Lucius?"

"M-Master, I am...I am just..."

"You feel it is beyond your age, such a reward, correct?"

Draco latched onto the excuse wholeheartedly. "Yes, yes Sir. I think it's too...too much for me to do."

"You don't pity her, do you?"

The atmosphere tensed up. Draco pursed his lips.

"Do you, Draco?"

"No, no, Master!" exclaimed Draco. His entire posture softened in dismay. "I...I'll do it."

"Good. You can do it right now, there are many large rooms in this...home of the Lord and his servants."

Draco felt nauseous as he exited the room. Once out of sight, he removed his mask and sank down against the wall. This was the limit. Granger was disgusting and irritating, but she didn't deserve something this traumatic. But he had to do it. The Dark Lord would be keeping an eye on him.

He strode towards the room where all the prisoners were kept. Most of the British wizarding world was trapped in there, he thought dully. The large door had two Death Eaters standing on either side.

"Son of Lucius," grunted one. "Show us your mark."

Draco lifted up his left robe sleeve, displaying the hideous mark that was permanently printed on his skin. The Death Eater went to manage the doors and Draco looked around the cold, forbidding atmosphere. He looked out at the windows. It was very early in the morning, the sun had not even risen and fog blurred the sight of the grounds of wherever they were.

He turned around to see the doors wide open, revealing thousands of people huddled up on the floor. All of them looked anxious and scared. Some children were crying as their parents held them close and tried to comfort them. Some children were crying alone.

Draco felt like ripping his heart out of his chest for the newly made orphans. But he had to maintain an image of coldness, if he wanted to survive. He straightened up, plastered an emotionless expression onto his face and strode in, hoping his eyes weren't too red.

He entered and surveyed the crowd, looking for the Hogwarts students. They were right next to the door, all holding each other. Most of them whimpered as he looked at them, others gave him powerful looks of hatred. His gaze settled on Granger. She was huddled in the middle of the group, staring blankly at the floor.

"Granger," he said loudly and clearly.

She looked up at him slowly. Her eyes were dead.

"Get up," he snapped, trying to restore hate and disgust for her.

She continued staring at him.

"I said...get up," said Draco, pointing his wand at her.

She got to her feet, holding her head high.

"Come with me," said Draco. His voice cracked a little and he gulped, hoping it wasn't too noticeable.

"Why should she?" asked Ronald Weasley, scrambling to his feet.

Draco threw him a cruel look. If the Dark Lord could have given him a reward, it would have been to torture that weasel. The Weasel in question winced slightly but stood his ground. Draco pointed his wand at him. "My business with the Mudblood is between her and I. It has nothing to do with you."

Hermione said something to her friend in a low voice and he sat back down, looking angered nevertheless. She made her way to Draco, looking emotionless and dead. "What is it, Malfoy?"

"Follow me," he said in a low, regretful voice.

He turned around and exited the room, walking down the corridor to the next room. His mind raced as he heard Granger's footsteps behind him. He stopped outside a room with its doors thrown wide open.

"Come in here," he said blankly, walking inside himself.

Granger walked in and he turned around, passed her and closed the doors.

"Going to use the Cruciatus curse on me, Malfoy?"
He stared at her. "No."

"Insult me till I go insane?"

Draco's hands trembled at the uncaring touch to her voice. She wasn't afraid of anything. The worst that could happen had already happened to her.

"The Dark Lord has...has ordered me to...to rape you."

He swallowed, watching her expression carefully.

"So do it then."