Unbreakable
By patronsaintof
Disclaimer: My name is not JK Rowling therefore these characters are not mine.
Author's Note: I had a fit of inspiration, so I had to sate the need to continue this.
Chapter Three
Grievance
A week had passed since the initial disappearance of Hermione Granger. The Order of the Phoenix wasted no time in attempting to find her, but their search thus far had turned up nothing useful. Not wanting to cause great alarm, the ministry refrained from publishing anything on her disappearance in the newspaper. All leads were found through careful prying and interrogation of known Death Eaters brought in for questioning for various reasons. The lack of progress was expected but not welcome. For Ron Weasley, it was torture.
It had been two years since his graduation from Hogwarts; two years since he had confessed his feelings for Hermione. They had developed affection for one another that went beyond merely friendship. Marriage had been mentioned, quite often in the previous months. It was no surprise to anyone who had grown up with the two at Hogwarts. The constant tension that had caused fights and disagreements when they were younger had been caused by an unspoken attraction between the two. That tension had faded, not completely but mostly, and had been replaced by a sweet understanding.
The sudden separation from the woman he loved was driving Ron mad. He couldn't sleep at night, and found that even food had lost its appeal for him. The few hours he was able to sleep were plagued by dreams in which Hermione lay broken and bleeding in a dark room. She would sometimes speak to him, but only briefly. She was always accompanied by a certain smell, but he couldn't place it. He knew it was some kind of flower, but the name escaped him when he tried to remember. She was always sad, touching him softly and telling him she would be fine, that he needn't worry. But she was always crying.
When Ginny Weasley walked up the steps to her brother's room at the Burrow she expected for him to be as he had been most days the past week, and she was right. He sat lethargically on his bed, pale faced and trembling. With a soft sigh, Ginny made her way through the room towards him, sitting gently on the bed beside Ron. She touched his hands. He was cold. He barely glanced at her, his eyes instead being fixed on a photograph of himself and Hermione that sat on a dresser across from him. They were both smiling and laughing. Ginny watched as Hermione threw her arms around Ron and kissed him on the mouth. She had to look away as tears blurred the sight.
"Ron." Ginny said softly. He made no notice that he heard her. She put a hand on his shoulder, the other on his face, trying to turn his head to look at her. He did sharply and she moved away from him at his sudden movement. His eyes were filled with sorrow and something Ginny couldn't quite place.
"What do you want?" Ron demanded harshly. Ginny blinked, placing her hands in her lap, looking at the floor.
"Mum wanted me to tell you she made you some food." Her voice was barely a whisper, but his response was evidence enough that he had heard her.
"I don't want it. Until Hermione's sitting at that table with me, I don't want anything!" Ron nearly shouted, his hands clenched in fists. Ginny flinched at the anguish mixed with rage in his voice. She contemplated saying more, but merely nodded her acknowledgment of his words and stood. She glanced at her brother as she walked from the room to see him hunched over, elbows on his thighs, face buried in his hands. He was crying, and as she closed to door behind her, she heard him whisper Hermione's name.
His footsteps echoed through the hall as Draco Malfoy walked. He stopped before a tall wooden door, lifting his fist to rap on the wood with his knuckles. The door however, opened of its own accord. It made no noise as it swung on its hinges to reveal a room filled with the flickering light of candles. He stepped into the room, glancing around him. It was large, but bare. There were several wooden seats to his left, beside an indentation in the wall that resembled a window, but there was only more stone wall, and to his right there was a single wooden chair beside a wooden table. A man sat in the chair, one arm resting on the tabletop, the other resting across his stomach. As Draco neared him, the man, Severus Snape, inclined his head slightly.
Draco dipped his head in greeting. It was obvious from the lack of a second chair that Snape wished for Draco to stand, knowing this, Draco pulled his wand from a pocket on the inside of his jacket. "Accio chair." He said, with a pointed look at Snape. The chair slid noisily from one side of the room to the other, stopping directly beside Draco. With a satisfied smile, he replaced his wand in his pocket. "Good afternoon, Professor." Draco said amiably as he seated himself.
Snape glared at him, pursing his lips in annoyance. "How many times do I have to tell you to not call me Professor, Draco?" He asked. Draco shrugged.
"I guess as many times as it takes me to stop saying it, Professor." He answered, a smirk on his face. Snape's eyes darkened with irritation. Draco pretended he didn't notice. Leaning forward, he lowered his voice, asking "You called me here for a reason?"
"Yes, Draco. I heard of your little run in with the Dark Lord." Snape said. Draco sat upright and nodded.
"Yes, and I'm sure you also heard that I took care of it immediately." Draco replied, leaning back against the chair, slouching slightly and crossing his ankles. He appeared bored.
"I heard something of the sort, but wasn't informed on what it is you initially did not want to do. Care to explain?" Snape inquired, curious. Draco raised an eyebrow, his smirk widening.
"You mean He didn't tell you, Professor? Why, I thought you were within his inner circle, that you knew all his dirty little secrets." Draco drawled, his words slightly taunting. Snape was not amused. His hand on the tabletop tightened into a fist.
"You insolent boy, you'd do well to mind your tongue," Snape began, but Draco laughed causing him to stop.
"Professor, there's no need to become angry. I was merely joking. The Dark Lord asked me to locate a family connected with the Order and eliminate them. I had a moment of misdirection, but it's been taken care of." Draco said, the smirk gone from his face.
"I see."
"But, we both know that isn't why you called me here, Professor." Draco said, reminding Snape of the reason he had come. Snape nodded, taking a deep breath. When he looked at Draco, his eyes glinted with excitement. It surprised Draco.
"I have something to show you." Snape said quickly, rising to his feet. Draco frowned, wondering what it is that Severus Snape could possibly be so excited about. Almost reluctantly Draco rose to his feet and followed. It didn't take him long to catch up to Snape as they walked, but it took quite some time for them to reach their destination. They were in a series of stone tunnels that ran slightly under ground. It reminded Draco of the Slytherin dungeons. Perhaps that was why Snape had chosen it, in the first place, as a residence. It still baffled Draco as to why it was located in a Muggle town.
They walked in relative silence, with only small conversation peaking here and there. Snape halted before a door, turned to Draco and smiled. The sight made Draco flinch. There was something disconcertingly wrong about the way Snape's face twisted when he smiled. He didn't have long to dwell on that observation though, because Snape let out a small noise, placing a hand on the door's rusted handle. He still didn't speak, but opened the door quickly. The room was dark, but Draco saw that on the wall directly opposite them there was a small window through which he could dimly see a line of trees far away. It appeared that the window was level with the grass outside the building, which meant this room was only partially beneath the ground.
It took him a moment to register the crumpled figure that lay beneath the window and when he did register it, it took him longer to recognize it as a person. He frowned, taking in the torn, dirty clothes that clung to a bruised and battered body. Thick, curly hair obscured the face of what appeared to be a woman; the hair was matted and tangled in places. A slender hand lay on the stone floor, one finger protruding at an odd angle. Draco turned to Snape, who was watching him.
"Who is this?" Draco asked. Snape smiled at him again. There was the sound of movement behind him and Draco turned to see the woman move, but a tortured groan escaped from her, as if it hurt too badly to move. One hand did continue to move though, to push the tangled mess of hair away from her face and Draco blinked in surprise. "Hermione Granger?" he asked. There was no mistaking that it was her. Though her jaw was badly bruised and swollen, with dry blood splotching her skin in various places. Her eyelids lowered as if it took too much effort to keep them open, her lips parting as she exhaled deeply. He was overcome with a strong sense of pity as he carefully studied her.
"My own little assignment from our Lord." Snape said softly. Draco turned to him, quickly making the frown that had marred his features disappear. "Isn't it lovely to see her so broken?" He asked, chuckling softly. Draco couldn't help the twinge of disgust that hit him.
"Indeed. Why are you showing me this?" Draco questioned, biting back the urge to flee from the room. He began to notice a certain smell rising from the heap that was Hermione Granger. It was far from pleasant.
"In another two weeks I'll be needed elsewhere, to take care of some other unfinished business. I need someone I can trust here, to watch her." Snape said, motioning with his head to Hermione. Draco nodded his understanding. "So it's settled then? You'll be here in two weeks?" He didn't wait for an answer, ushering Draco from the room and into the hall. He closed the door behind them, not bothering to lock it. Why should he? There was no way Hermione would be getting up and walking anywhere any time soon.