A/N: Here we go! Like I said in the last note, things start to get a little more dark. Thanks for the reviews! You guys are great! Just a heads up, I'll probably update chapter three since after reading through it, I found some straight up dumb mistakes that are really bugging me/ kinda wanna reword a few sentences. Anyways, as always, I appreciate the reviews and hope you all enjoy this chapter!
ADMIRABLE SENTIMENTS
CHAPTER 4
Her breath was briefly stolen from her. The slightly familiar pull at the center of her stomach was the only warning Hermione had as to what was happening. Lucius had drawn her to his side, looping an arm around her waist, holding her firmly in place. It all seemed like a dream. A really bad dream. She could feel it turning into a nightmare as her stomach felt like it was suddenly being pulled to the right while the rest of her body went left before swirling around itself. It was when nausea finally hit her that Hermione realized she was being taken somewhere else by side-along apparition.
As soon as it had begun, it was over. Hermione gasped for breath as Lucius released her from his grip. Staying on her feet became nearly impossible between feeling sick and being pushed away from the man who stood beside her. However, she managed to not fall completely over as her brown eyes took in her surroundings.
The first thing she noticed was the cool wood floor beneath her hands. The color was dark and the finish was impeccable. And as she stood upright, the next thing that caught her eyes was the sheer size of the room she was in.
It was easily just over one-fourth of the quidditch pitch at Hogwarts and there were large marble pillars that seemingly loomed overhead. As her eyes continued to sweep the room, Hermione took note of just how ornate the rug by the fireplace was as well as how lavish all the furniture appeared to be.
Drawing her eyes up to the ceiling, Hermione found a large chandelier hanging high above her. The glass was so clear, so beautiful, so delicate. Once more, she felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her as Hermione realized where she had been taken.
Her stomach dropped to her feet all over again as a new found sense of panic washed over her. It made it's way from the top of her head and into her chest. It seeped through her stomach before rushing down her thighs. Everything became incredibly hot as her throat felt as if it were closing up. She was at the manor. The infamous Malfoy Manor. She was in Lucius's home.
Finally locking her gaze on the tall, blonde wizard, there was only one thing she felt she could do. All rational thoughts had been thrown out the window as his eyes found hers. It would have been easy to say they looked emotionless...if it weren't for the subtle bloodthirsty glint that was eerily charming at the same time.
Lucius gave her a once over before slightly turning away from her to take hold of something. What was he doing? What was he planning? What was he reaching for and-
She couldn't take it anymore. She hadn't even been there more than a minute before the overwhelming need to escape sent Hermione bolting toward whatever door she could reach. The panic had finally made it to her feet. This was it. Her one chance to get home if she dared. And dare she did.
There was no way fate truly intended her to see out the rest of her life here. At his mercy, or lack thereof. But just as her hands came to rest on the smooth door handle, Hermione was jerked backward with such force that her high-pitched yelp seemed to echo throughout the room. She kicked and struggled to just even touch the handle again. It was barely out of reach. But something tightened uncomfortably around her middle. Breathing became that much harder. She felt like she was being crushed. Head snapping down, her eyes found an arm around her once more. A strong one at that.
"Please!" She begged. Her tone was heavily laced with fear as she practically choked out her words. "Please, let me go! Let me go!"
Hermione clawed at his arm, trying so very desperately to remove it. To somehow wiggle free from his iron grip. She tugged and squirmed while wishing extremely hard that she'd be able to hold back the sobs that formed a lump in her throat. It was hard to swallow. However, none of it did her any good as an amused and eloquent chuckle came from behind her. It was all she could hear.
"And to have thought you might have actually been bright."
Merlin, he was so close.
"Please, I-"
Hermione made to continue her pleas before Lucius's face was once more the only thing she could see. He had turned her around so fast she hadn't had any time to blink. Her back hit the door hard and she gave a sharp yelp as the door handle made painful contact with her middle of her back. Lucius pushed Hermione against it harder as a thick forearm came to lay upon her chest, pinning her upper body in place. All of his actions were abrasive. It was all Hermione could do to not cry out.
His eyes held such contempt that it made her want to vomit. To have such an emotion solely directed at her was almost too much to take it. She suddenly just wanted to pass out. Or to wake up now if this were a dream. But this felt too real to ever be just a dream. Not when she could feel his hot breath cascading down her face, pushing her hair back each time he exhaled.
"Tell me, did you actually believe you'd be able to escape, hm? That there was even a chance?"
Hermione watched as his charming disposition took on a rather offended look as that infamous Malfoy sneer took over his features.
"Did you truly think I'd simply let you walk out the door?"
In reality, he brought up a good point. Where along the way had she thought she could get away with doing just that? By walking out the door? To be fair, the whole situation had put her brain in a stupor. There was a part of Hermione that found herself mad. How logical had her decision been?
Come to think of it, how could she think at all when he was absolutely terrifying? He hadn't even done much. Yet here she was, pinned against a door with the handle practically impaling her. And then the thought struck her. Her wand!
Letting a hand drop from trying to tear Lucius's arm from her upper chest, Hermione made to take hold of the one thing she thought might be able to save her. A scowl formed on her face and a bit of courage surfaced. Lucius in turn scowled and pulled his head back as he watched the expression of defiance form on her face.
"Sod off! I'm wouldn't be so cocky just yet, Malfoy. Not when I still have my-"
And then she faltered. Hermione's voice sounded small as the next word she stuttered came out barely above that of a whisper.
"W-w-wand..."
It wasn't in her pocket. Her hand searched but produced nothing. She had no wand! She had spoken too soon! Her mouth hung open slightly as disbelief and shock played out on her features. Fear was once more in her eyes as her chest began to rise and fall almost rapidly. She had no wand. Her only line of magical defense wasn't there, it was-
A predatory laugh erupted from the man before her. The muggle witch couldn't tear her eyes away from the twisted smile that was plastered on his handsome face. Lucius inched his face down closer to her own. This wasn't ok. This wasn't ok at all. She had slightly insulted him. She told him off and called him cocky. And now, she truly had nothing to back herself up with. The fire in his eyes felt almost tangible.
"What was that, Mudblood?" He mocked before producing the very thing she had been searching for in his free hand. "Were you looking for this?"
"My wand!" Hermione muttered.
"So it would seem." Lucius mumbled more so to himself as a blank stare was briefly cast at her wand before finally removing his arm from Hermione.
She fell forward quickly, putting distance between her poor back and the door handle. Why had he let her go? While it was obvious he would just catch her again if she ran, that didn't mean she wouldn't try it again. However, as Hermione cast glances between Lucius and her wand, the half snort Lucius gave while eying her wand did not go unnoticed. The gears in Hermione's head began turning as her eyes widened. He wouldn't dareā¦
"No, don't-!"
But even though she held a hand up in protest, Lucius's mind had already been made up. The sight and sound of Lucius Malfoy snapping her wand in two pieces like a mere twig were sickening. That was her wand! It had chosen her when she was just eleven! That was her everything, her-
And then, Hermione leaped at him. Rage consumed her being as she let the weight of her body slam into him. Upon contact, a small sound of surprise came from Lucius as his body fell to the ground. A bewildered look sprung forth on his usually composed features. Her hands were balled up into fists as she smacked away at his upper body. There was no doubt in Lucius's mind that she was attempting to aim for his face as one of her nails scratched his right cheek. Her voice was shrill in his ears as she began to screech.
"How dare you! You bastard! That was my wand! My wand! How could you? You vile, vile man! You-"
As her assault continued Lucius managed to catch both of her wrists, putting an end to her onslaught. A growl of annoyance burst from him as Lucius rolled over, taking Hermione with him. How dare she attack him! Had she lost her mind already? The word 'unbecoming' was an understatement for her current behavioral display. And to put it simply, Lucius was done.
With Hermione on her back, Lucius reared his head back as the wrist he'd briefly lost his grip on made to swipe him. And to her credit, he was nearly hit. Growing increasingly impatient, Lucius held fast to her other wrist as he took the opportunity to produce his own wand.
"Enough." He seethed.
The tone Lucius used was enough to frighten Hermione altogether. He didn't bellow. He didn't need to. The raw rage Hermione felt when he almost whispered the word sent a shiver down her spine. And if that wasn't enough, the sight of his wand made her go rigid. Her actions ceased immediately. Her jaw was still set in a defensive manner as Lucius brought his wand that much closer to her throat. Any second now. Any second and Hermione was certain she'd feel a curse rippling through her body.
Sneering down from his nose, Hermione could have sworn his silent rage was worse than anything she had encountered yet. And when his face suddenly drew closer to hers, she shut her eyes as tightly as she could manage. It was just too much. But, Hermione opened them all too quickly as she gasped audibly. His mouth was almost pressed against her ear. Lucius poured all the malice he could into the words he spoke next from behind clenched teeth.
"In case it's escaped your notice, Mudblood..." He paused to press the tip of his wand to Hermione's throat. "I don't play Nice."
She didn't have time to draw in another breath. She didn't have time to blink. She didn't have to move an inch. She only barely had time to halfway hear the curse he hissed before the sensation overwhelmed her senses.
It hit her all at once. There was no build up. Nothing. Just the sheer agony of the cruciatus curse. It was like she was being crushed by walls from all angles. And not just any wall. Oh no, this wall would have been covered with thousands, millions of needles all pressing into her at the same time. Over, and over, and over again.
And what made it worse was the pulsating effect. But then a new sensation was added. Hermione's limbs felt like they were being torn from her body in opposite directions. It hurt like nothing she had ever felt before. She could have then sworn that someone was repeatedly bringing a hammer down to secure nails deep into her skull.
Audible screams erupted from Hermione when she was able. Half the time her screams were silent. She couldn't get anything out it hurt so bad. But after what felt like an eternity, the curse was lifted. While it had left her mind numb, Hermione was only vaguely aware of the fact that the pain was ebbing ever so slightly. Her heart was hammering against the walls of her chest as she lay motionless on the ground.
Her vision was black but slowly coming back. And as it did, the first shape her brown eyes were able to make out was Lucius's form. He was standing now. And while she couldn't be sure of his expression yet, Hermione was positive she'd be greeted with a sneer. The sneer that was mainly reserved for 'Mudbloods' and 'Blood-traitors'.
As the witch was able to focus, the look on his aristocratic face wasn't what she was expecting at all. There was no sneer. In fact, his expression was rather blank and emotionless. To say the least, Hermione would have found herself surprised if she had been able to register any kind of feeling at all.
As she lay there, neither one of them were aware that the expression that was being given to the other was the same. But, the looks were given for very different reasons. While Hermione stared from the sensation of being numb, Lucius's dead stare was worth questioning if one dared. However, Hermione wasn't at all comprehensive as her eyes started to roll back in her head.
Black spots began to take over her vision as Hermione fought as best she could to stay conscious. There was no telling what could or would happen should she pass out. What if his ceiling was the last thing she'd ever see? Would this truly be the last time she was on this Earth? Would she never see another person again?
As her vision faded that much more, Hermione used the last of her energy before she lost control. Her eyes found Lucius. If she were to die, seeing another human at the end was more comforting than the chandelier above her. Even if it was him, it was better than nothing...right?
Staying locked on his form for as long as she could, Hermione finally succumbed to unconsciousness. Her eyes closed, leaving Lucius to tower above her. And if she would have fought it just a little bit longer, perhaps she would have seen him swallow in an almost uncomfortable manner. However, the curse proved to be too much for her. The only sign she wasn't dead was the slight rise and fall of her chest.
Staring down at her for what would have seemed to be an uncomfortably long time, Lucius finally put his wand away before considering his next course of action. While he would have loved to just leave her there, he stooped low and lifted her from the hardwood floor. The truth was if she stayed put she'd end up dead faster than he could say, Merlin. Too many Death Eaters came and went from his impressive residence and Lucius doubted that anyone of them would seize the opportunity to rape, torture, and kill her on the spot.
And while he normally wouldn't care, especially since this was the girl was Potter's muggle and bested his son in school, Lucius was given a task. To break her. This was his last chance to win back the grace of his Dark Lord. He'd be damned if he slipped up. And so, as the look of annoyance settled on his features, Lucius carried Hermione from the parlor toward the grand staircase. Lucius had learned long ago that if one wanted to keep their things, they'd better keep track of them.
Pushing open a door to one of the many rooms in the manor, Lucius walked in and only stayed long enough to pace Hermione's limp form on the bed that sat in the middle of the small room before turning around to make his exit. Placing his hand on the rounded doorknob, Lucius closed the door quietly. This was far from over.
AUTHORS NOTE:
ok. hopefully this to your liking! It's a bit shorter than I intended. Before I write another chapter I'm gonna take a sec to flush out some details so I'm not blindly writing. While I have a general outline, I'm gonna come up with a few ideas, test em out, and the update a chapter once I've sorted some stuff out. Hope you'll all review! I love reading them and it's super encouraging! As far as Lucius and Hermione are concerned...things are gonna get worse before they get better...IF they get better...;]
