I won't say anything else, but I know this is going to be hard. I repeat: you're warned. Thanks for taking your time. Please, read and review.

Chapter 4.

Play Numb-Linkin Park

Hermione did not breathe until the Knight Bus arrived outside of 'The Leaky Cauldron'. She had assumed that she would need some knuts for an emergency after Harry's threat, so she had just the right amount to make her quick getaway in case he were there.

Hermione stood there a moment out in the street, trying to get her heart rate to stop beating furiously against her chest and looked up at the sky to see that it had turned to a reddish color. She still had to walk a long way to return to her abandoned shelter and the sky was making her nervous. She inhaled and exhaled several times, and calmly walked away from there, leaving the Leaky Cauldron behind.

The walk helped her relax a lot, but also to think about everything that Luna had told her. She came to the conclusion that she, Hermione Granger, was making the right decision: go away and let the life cycle commence. Now she could do it without looking back. If there was an association for women in her situation, she neither knew, nor wanted no part in it. She didn't want to be a statistic, be another number in a long list of young women just out of school who got pregnant. Hermione didn't want to be seen or assisted, she wanted to go into obscurity. She didn't want or need anyone to help her, she could do this, or so she was trying to convince herself. If she repeated it enough times, she could almost believe it.

After two hours of walking, Hermione finally arrived at the abandoned house, the one she found the previous night. As she had already removed the door lock, she hadn't had the need to take out her wand.

With a deep sigh, she sat in front of the purple flames of the fireplace, covering the inside of the house with a creepy light. Again, her mind wandered to distant memories at Hogwarts, but especially Harry. The weight of knowing he was engaged ate her mind, but she just smiled to herself, finally convinced that things were getting onto their natural order.

Suddenly, she felt the space around her condensed into something she hadn't felt in months. Hermione could feel presences in the same place as her, but could not hear anything out of the ordinary. Startled, she started turning around and looked; five figures barely visible were standing where she had entered. Hermione didn't know who they could be, but then she was horror struck when one of the figures proved true when he spoke. "Long time no see, Mudblood."

The cold voice of Draco Malfoy echoed and pierced her soul like a shard of ice.

"What do... what are you doing here?" Hermione asked scared "How did-"

"We followed you," replied Zabini indifferently. "Nott saw you getting out of the Knight Bus from the Leaky Cauldron and followed you. We didn't know you were now homeless ... the great prefect and Head Girl of Hogwarts." The others laughed at the insidious mockery.

Malfoy started walking towards her until the firelight lit his face: the shadows made his smirk look even more sinister and suddenly brought the memory of that Saturday ... Hermione's breathing became agitated and she hated herself for letting herself fear them.

"Why are you following me?" she asked her voice small and scared.

"Well ... I thought we could have some fun, don't you think?" Malfoy suggested as though having a simple conversation with an old friend. "We wanted to ensure that everything was fine. You know? You've been a good girl by not unleashing your tongue, but that's not enough!"

"What do you want?" Hermione asked stepping back.

"What can you offer?"

"I have nothing."

"I don't think so." With two long strides, Malfoy approached Hermione and threw her against the wall behind her, making her head banged against the hard concrete. The girl, even though her vision blurred for a moment, pulled her wand out from her pocket's coat but Malfoy's, with his hand, snatched it from hers and slapped her with it. The blond pressed his body against hers, grabbed Hermione's face with one hand and with the other stroked her body viciously from her neck sliding down, "we can still have some fun. There are things I still want to do -" Malfoy paused as his hand touched her belly and felt the small bump hiding under her clothing. "What is this? Are you fat?"

"N-no, don't ... please." Hermione's voice cracked with fear thinking they may be there to hurt her.

Malfoy pushed her belly with his hand and the girl let out a cry of pain. "You live like homeless ... but, you're getting fat? ... wait-" Malfoy's eyes widened in surprise, "You're with child!"

From the mouths of the other boys came sounds of surprise as Malfoy's face was contorted into a mixture of fun, surprise and nausea.

"Please ... no, don't hurt us!" begged Hermione in a whisper, but this seemed to make Malfoy furious and he slapped her again. One hand gripped the girl's hair and he threw her to the floor where Hermione could barely put her hands to protect her belly and not make contact with the hard, cold floor.

"I'm under the impression that you liked the experience of that day ... so you kept a "souvenir". Sorry to say that you can't keep it!" Malfoy's cold voice reached her with a latent menace. The girl looked up from the ground with her honey eyes begging for mercy. "So you had such a good time that you didn't want to get rid of that thing?"

"I'm not a killer."

"Oh, but you tried! ... I found out what you did on the train ... that's why you had to go. That's why you became homeless... anyway, this creature shouldn't even be born."

"What?!" Hermione muttered furiously. Malfoy, with a single motion of his hand, beckoned for Crabbe and Goyle to approach the girl, knelt beside her and took off forcefully her coat and threw it without looking where it fell. Hermione struggled against them and tried to stop their attempt to undress her but it was useless. The two beasts held both of her arms as Malfoy slowly undressed in front of her.

"You don't think I'd allow you to let that ... thing be born. It would be an abomination coming from you. There is no society in this world that would accept what will surely be an abnormal creature. A disgusting thing -perhaps neither wizard nor muggle but a squib... the son of a Mudblood."

"No, no... please don't," the urgent tone of Hermione's tremulous cries was accompanied by kicks against her captors until one of them punched her right eye to stop her frantic movements, while the other unbuttoned her dress and took it off, not wasting the opportunity to touch her with their filthy rough hands.

"But before, we'll have a little fun." By now Malfoy was almost naked except for his boxers. He opened her legs roughly and, lying over her, crushed her belly regardless, lay down on it. With one hand ripped off Hermione's panties and pulled down his boxers with his other hand. Again, Malfoy penetrated her and the girl screamed in pain at the force of the stroke. Upon hearing this, Zabini raised his voice to cast a silencing charm to the house that, for a fleeting moment, lit. He and Nott came to see the action, all watching the scene with psychotic faces.

"Now you're tastier!" Malfoy moaned in Hermione's ear and began to move slowly. "It seems that after all, pregnancy suits you."

Hermione cried; Malfoy's words sounded revolting and his movements only inflicted pain. Again he repeated that awful Saturday, but now her terror was twofold. In many of her nightmares, again and again, she looked down on herself being attacked by them repeatedly... but she always woke up when she heard her own cries. Not now. Now she was awake, and knew that this time would be worse than her own nightmares.

Abused again, possessed and used as if she were their plaything. She noted in the blonde's gray eyes the great pleasure he was inflicting, and Hermione couldn't help but scream, moan, cry and mourn in pain as Draco's hands and mouth took possession of whatever he could reach: neck, breast, nipples, thighs...

Then, the blonde increased the pace. Now he penetrated her faster and harder as he moaned rejoiced ... until he came inside her.

For a long time, everyone took turns with her, sometimes wildly; sometimes a little slow for Hermione to feel them invade her. And when she thought they were done, Malfoy and Zabini held her violently... both penetrated her at the same time and Hermione could feel her anus torn. When she yelled out, Malfoy slapped her again, while others shouted in chorus, as if this were a competition.

It was obvious that she'd cry. Everything about her was crumbling, including her own sore body. The only thing crossing on her mind was a prayer to the heavens for this to end soon... she thought of her baby ... and that maybe it'd be better they dispose of her...she didn't care anymore.

Malfoy and Zabini came inside her and let her body fall on the floor. A terrible burning at both holes and a warm thread of blood dripping between her thighs was all she could feel while crying.

Then, an even stronger pain ran through her, like a hundred knives entering burning flesh... Malfoy threw the Cruciatus curse at her with all the vehemence possible, and Hermione shouted with all her might. Again and again, the blonde tortured the girl for long minutes while the other four looked a little scared now.

"Wait," Zabini stopped Malfoy when the blond was about to start the torture again. "I think you're going too far. At this rate you're going to kill her."

"I didn't think you cared," Malfoy said with disdain.

"Not at all. I just don't want to be accused of murderer," he said with trepidation.

Hermione strained to listen to their interaction from the ground, where she was writhing in pain with both hands covering her belly. When she looked up, with her left eye, because the right one was closed from the punch, she could see Malfoy's face in complete absence ... until he conjured a whip.

With that, Malfoy raised his whip and before he could throw the blow, Hermione turned face down making the thick leather strap struck her back. She screamed as she felt her flesh open and blood began to drip down her back... and again felt the scourge ... over and over again. Malfoy hit her with all his force, slashing her skin and flesh, every wound screaming at her, piercing screams escaping her dried throat.

After several times of doing this, Zabini interrupted. "Stop it, Malfoy! That's enough!" he held Malfoy's arm before the blonde could strike again.

Hermione was still staring at the floor while listening various someone's struggle. She couldn't move, but her body was shaking violently. "You're right," gasped Malfoy, "We've had enough fun. The spawn should be dead by now, she's bleeding a lot." Hermione felt the presence of the blonde close to her and turned her head to see it. Malfoy bent over, looked at her with pity and contempt. "You just don't know how much I enjoyed this. All the humiliation you and Potter gave me, the death of my parents… everything has been avenged," he whispered with hatred, smiling like a psycho. "Don't forget it, Mudblood: You're worthless." And the blond spat on her face, stood up and disapparating sounds were heard.

Hermione's vision gradually clouded as she felt her back and legs bleed. She felt agony. She felt powerless to do anything. It was true that she wanted to die ... now more than ever, but Hermione hated knowing that she would die in such a humiliating way. She had to surrender at the exhaustion and weakness of her body. She didn't want to die in that place, not in that way; probably someone would find her body and she'd be the subject of the media and everyone will find out about her humiliation ... everyone would feel sorry for her.

"Mom... Dad ..." Hermione prayed to the ether, as if their spirits could hear her, maybe even imagining they could be there at her side. She lay down sideways on the floor and with her good eye and looked around: her things were gone, all she could see was the dress and shoes she wore lying on the ground. Her body swayed, her nerves had stopped working properly. Hermione let everything that happened, every loss, every disturbed emotion collapse on her. Helplessly, Hermione fell into consciousness.

Hermione woke up hours later with pain and burning in her body, each wound was a stab of her nerve endings, a new wave of suffering.

At once she remembered what had happened and her body began to shake, now with anger, sadness and weakness. Her right eye would not open due to swelling, but with her left she could see that there was no fire in the fireplace and darkness of the windows faded. The sun peeked through the glass, but Hermione could not imagine how long she was on the floor unconscious. To her, it was a miracle she hadn't died.

Hermione took advantage that she was still alive and, with difficulty, on all fours, moved through the room, looking for whatever she could find of her belongings. She realized that in the fireplace was what she had. Some things like the handle of her trunk, a burned book cover and pieces of her stuffed lion, remained inert on the mountain of ashes.

Still naked, grabbed her dress and staggering stood up and leaned cautiously, trying not to lean her back on the wall, walked slowly to the bathroom and soaked her dress on the tub. She had to make several trips from the hall to the bathroom and back. Her dress wet with the dirty water from the shower and returned to clean the blood and semen spread on the floor, while her own blood was still dripping, leaving a trail of droplets.

After she considered that the place was decent enough, returned to the bathroom and she let herself soak with icy water and gladly accepted it. The cold fluid could hardly calm the ardor of the heavy wounds. Right there Hermione washed her dress, closed the faucets, put on the dampened dress and her shoes.

She could move no more. Hermione sat on the floor in front of the fireplace when the cold from moisture of her hair, her dress, her body started penetrating her skin making her shiver. Panting from exhaustion she leaned back against the floor as the darkness fell.

"You know I love you, don't you, baby?" Hermione whispered, putting a hand on her belly. "Please forgive me... but I have to do this. I have no wand but I'll still try. You will see that everything will be alright ... I promise." Hermione closed her eyes, inhaled and exhaled slowly several times and apparated away from there.

After Hermione's visit, Luna decided to talk to Harry. She didn't tell him that the brunette had come to her, but didn't know what to say with what had happened.

When Luna arrived at Grimmauld Place she knew the truth ... a truth which cleared doubts from her mind. This most outrageous truth, which made her sick to her stomach thinking about it, caused her to seek the one person who is most concerned.

Harry wasn't at home, but there were two people, one of them lived with the green-eyed boy, and Luna heard purely by accident...

Unfortunately it was getting dark and she had to plan everything precisely, leaving aside her whimsical air and replacing it with seriousness. Luna returned home and contacted the necessary people for the job ... the next day the bomb would explode and Luna expected it to be on time. She was determined to do everything that was needed. Only she could do it.

Very early the next day, Luna used the flu network to contact Ron, who was alerted when Luna started interrogating him like a criminal. The blonde thought it wasn't time to say anything yet, but she asked the redhead to trust her and do what she had asked, swearing that it was for Harry's sake.

Thus, at two in the afternoon, the plan went into action.

At Ron's request, Harry removed the alarms on Grimmauld Place; when Harry asked why, Ron lied saying that it's to surprise Cho with a gift that Ron and Luna had made for her. The green-eyed boy accepted.

Both Harry and Ron were going to get in the house when Luna took off the invisibility cloak in front of them. The redhead noticed that his girlfriend had a bottle in her left hand.

"What the hell-"

"We haven't time for that," Luna interrupted Harry, who wanted to know how she had his cloak. "But before… Harry, I want you to drink this."

"What is this?" the green-eyed boy looked suspiciously at the offered bottle.

"It is an energy potion," she said in what she hoped was a trusting tone.

"Why do I need it for?"

"Trust me ... I assure you it doesn't taste bad!" added Luna when Harry exchanged looks of surprise with Ron, and since the redhead trusted her blindly, the boy accepted the bottle and drank a liquid that tasted like peppermint, eucalyptus and a hint of cloves ... and something else, but Harry didn't know what it was. Slowly, the boy felt as if waking from a long sleep, a slumber where he remained convalescent. "Follow me," Luna said and covered the three of them with Harry's invisibility cloak. "Whatever happens, don't make any noise until I tell you to; is that clear?" her voice conveying the seriousness of the matter.

The boys accepted in silence and, in the same way, entered the house. Luna led them to the hall from the kitchen and, without entering; they could hear two voices that reached their ears easily because the door was wide open.

"... and this... three large white pearls!" and they heard something falling on a liquid, then it sounded as if someone was stirring its contents once, then twice. It was Cho's voice, "Now, it's ready! You'll see how, from now on, I will not have to worry, Marietta."

"I tell you it's not right, Cho. I've always supported you, but this ... Have you ever thought that maybe the potion can leave Harry crazy? What if they find out when we take him to St. Mungo's? I believe –"

"Enough, Marietta! You're getting scared for nothing!" The relaxed tone of the Asian girl made her friend anxious. "I tripled the concentration but he's not going to die ...I will not be a widow before marrying. I need him to go crazy for me."

"And if he really gets mad? Think about it, Cho."

"Bah! He won't. He is a strong, tough guy. Not for nothing beat you-know-who."

For the moment, Harry felt as though a fog that covered his mind and senses dissipated and cleared him with an involuntarily chill running down his spine.

"But it's a forbidden potion. Amortentia with such a degree of concentration can have serious consequences; no one has gone so far. The dose you gave him after the battle when you attended him was small and effective." It seemed that Marietta's fear went beyond morality because they heard the footsteps of the girl go back and forth like a caged lion. "And the train... you already got rid of Granger, there is no threat. She won't return. I don't see why you have to continue poisoning Harry."

"I have to make sure!" Cho said. In her voice, Harry, Ron and Luna distinguished stress. "I can't risk it ... however, you thought very fast when we were on the train. If the stupid Mudblood had not heard our plan, and you hadn't acted fast ... Well, it was lucky you thought of modifying her memory. You know? It hurt the blow you gave me, though... I even bled! But it was worth. I barely had time to do the killing curse with Granger's wand before she could react."

"I shouldn't have listened to you."

"You're my friend, Marietta. That's what friends do," Cho insisted.

"But pretending that Granger tried to kill you and help you make Harry Potter insanely in love with you is not being friends: that's being an accomplice!" yelled Marietta.

What Harry, Ron and Luna heard left them speechless. Still hidden beneath the cloak, they slipped silently into the kitchen and saw Cho and Marietta facing each other, both flushed from the discussion. A cauldron on the stove was boiling like crazy.

"Shut up! What if Harry comes before everything is cleared and hears us?"

"You said that he's long gone and won't come back until six," Marietta said hesitantly.

"Wrong. I ORDERED HIM to return at six. Silly boy..." Cho chuckled and that was what made Harry's blood boil like the contents of the cauldron. Luna pulled off the cloak and she, Harry and Ron pointed at the girls with their wands.

"No, YOU are wrong." Harry's voice was so cold it would freeze the whole kitchen. Ron was red with rage and Luna, as her boyfriend and the green-eyed boy, looked at them with repulsion.

Cho and Marietta let out a cry of surprise and the color drained from their faces.

"No ... it's not what you think, Harry dear," Cho said in a falsely sweet voice.

"Don't even try to justify yourself, Cho. I heard it all ... but right now I will make you regret every single thing you did. I'm taking you both to the Ministry of Magic and pay for everything you've done."

"No need, Harry." They all heard the voice of Kingsley Shackelbolt, current Minister of Magic and before everyone's eyes, the Disillusionment charm dissipated... and beside him, Tonks and Remus appeared, the three of them pointing their wands at the two girls.

"We heard it all and," Tonks said in her other hand lifting a sphere like the ones in the department of mysteries. "In addition we recorded everything," a smirk on her face.

"But how...?" Ron turned to look at Luna, but the blonde looked in disgust at Cho and Marietta.

"I told them to come. I didn't tell them why, only where and when. I told them it was about Harry's safety."

"Well, ladies," ordered Kingsley with his authoritative tone, "Right now you are under arrest and will be brought to trial for perjury and attempt of murder."

"Perjury?" asked Marietta her voice shaking with fear.

"Attempt of murder?" asked Cho. Both girls trembled from head to foot.

"Perjury by implanting false evidence to incriminate Hermione Granger for something she didn't do, and illegal use of an unforgivable curse," said Tonks pausing "...and attempted murder against Harry James Potter. The substance is not only prohibited, but also used in a quantity and a concentration that was used in dangerous excess."

"You're a disgrace to the house of Ravenclaw, Cho Chang!" Luna's words were like poison. "I knew that something wasn't right ... but I never thought you were capable of something so low, so mean ... and still you made a mistake. Not only underestimating Harry, but Hermione too. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have come yesterday and heard what you were doing-"

"You!" Cho growled and Tonks muttered a spell tying Cho's and Marietta's wrists together with magical wristbands so they could not disappear and then proceeded to remove their wands.

"Accio ring!" Harry yelled, and the ring on Cho's left hand finger flew to him. "I have no adjectives to name you, Cho. But pray that Hermione forgives you because I won't. What you did doesn't have a name. You can receive the dementor's kiss for all I care. You're not worth a Knut in half."

"But I love you, Harry!"

Before Harry could reply anything, Luna wordlessly, in three strides, approached Cho and punched her in the nose and with a painful 'crack' heard all around when the bone broke. The Asian girl hit the ground with howls of agony and Luna rubbed the knuckles of her left hand, turned to look at Harry who, like others, looked shocked. "What?" Luna asked innocently, "You can't hit a girl because you're a gentleman ... but I'm no gentleman," and she gave him a look of amusement. Tonks and Remus smiled with satisfaction and with the help of Kingsley, everyone went to the Ministry of Magic via floo.

In one of the Aurors cubicle, they were all giving their statement while a couple of healers were called to check on Harry, Luna and Cho.

The blonde girl said that Hermione had visited the day before and told her about her concern and explained the experience when they shook hands, as well as what she could hear about the plan of Cho and Marietta talked about when she came as a surprise to Grimmauld Place. Harry slowly became aware of what was experienced during all months since he was in the infirmary at Hogwarts. The potion Luna gave him before getting inside Grimmauld countered the Amortentia's doses that Cho had given so subtly disguised to Harry in each visit.

But reality came and slapped him square on the face: not only had he falsely accused Hermione, but she had left the country and no one knew where to find her. They thought it would be easy to contact her via Hedwig, but didn't know that Hermione's magic was almost zero, due to the blockade that the trauma of being raped caused her, nor knew that now her wand had been reduced to ashes. Just those two things could have leaded the owls, but with the absence of these, they wouldn't find her. The worst thing was that they had no idea of any of it.

To Harry this was the end of his world. His beloved Hermione remained exiled for a dirty trap and wondered if someday she'd forgive them. They doubted her... treated her as if she were a criminal. How could they? Had it not been for the brief visit she paid to Luna, this wouldn't have happened and Harry would be doing company with Neville's parents at St. Mungo's.

Ron and Luna pledged to mobilize people to start searching. Harry then took courage and faith.

He swore he would not rest until he found Hermione.

- TO BE CONTINUED -