Once the spell was taken off of Ron by Wormtail he noticed his surroundings. The room was lighter than his holding cell but not by much. He noticed the tinted windows and the sun on the other side. Everyone would be back from their surprise visit and probably wondering where he and Hermione were. Hermione! He looked around the room frantically for her. She wasn't in his direct line of sight but he knew she was there.
"Where is she you creep?" He questioned the sad excuse for a man. Wormtail merely smirked and walked out of the room.
"Be patient Weasley" spoke a voice from the other side of the room. Bright hair appeared before his eyes, hair that he had known since his first meeting of the boy. Draco Malfoy was the same height as Ron but his face didn't look at all confident. His eyes seemed to be pointing behind him. Ron followed his stare which led him to Hermione.
She was kneeling on the ground in silence. Her eyes however seemed to scream for help. She was fully aware of what was to come but didn't want to show it. Ron sensed her fear as her eyes met with his. That's when the fear seemed to disappear. He nodded his head and noticed Hermione give a nod back along with what seemed to be a smile.
Wormtail reappeared with a hooded figure behind him. Ron knew exactly who it was as the room grew colder and darker. The figure walked up to Hermione and pulled down his hood, revealing his pale, angry face. He lifted his hand exposing his wand which he held pointed towards Hermione. Her eyes were still locked on Ron's. He felt like she was speaking to him, telling him not to scream or do anything stupid. He stood there in silence as Voldemort began to speak.
"You may have lived once," he said, "but next time you won't be so lucky. Now it appears that you have a piece of information that I seem to lack. You will give it to me or you will suffer."
Hermione raised her head for the first time and looked Voldemort in the eyes. "I'm not afraid of you."
It was a phrase he heard her say at their last meeting. It obviously angered him. "Fear has nothing to do with this mudblood. This is a matter of information that I need. If you don't tell me then I will make it bleed out of you."
"If that were the case then why not just do that then?" Hermione asked confidently. "Why do you bother to even ask when you know I won't tell you? You're a coward, afraid to hear the information I possess."
Everyone was shocked by the tone that Hermione spoke in, especially Ron. A smile crossed his face as he thought that's my girl. Voldemort on the other hand didn't approve of her defiance and grabbed her by the neck and picked her up until her legs dangled a few inches off the ground. Ron's smile vanished.
"I implore you to say it again mudblood. I dare you to say it again." His eyes grew red with rage. The words coming out of the girl in his hands mouth were mumbled as the air in her lungs began to deplete. Swiftly he threw her to the ground and pointed his wand at her. "What was that?"
Hermione, who was back on her knees with her hands to her throat, looked up at the man that had just threw her down. She smirked and said "You are a coward" as she stressed each word of the judgment that she passed.
Voldemort shouted the word at the top of his lungs. As the green light hit the girl on the ground he smiled at the pain he knew he was inflicting. He smiled because he was showing her that he was in control and not her, no matter what she chose to say. He smiled because the traitor was screaming at him to stop, to not hurt her.
Ron tried to run to her but was stopped by Draco and Wormtail. He saw her collapse on the floor and start convulsing in pain. But he noticed that she wasn't screaming. Even in the worst of times and the worst of pain she refused to give Voldemort the satisfaction of her screams.
Voldemort released Hermione from the spell causing her to stop convulsing. She laid on the ground with her eyes closed taking in the damage. She knew that more of this was to come and was preparing herself for it. Ron's screams echoed in her head. What hurt her the most was that he was witnessing her pain. She knew that because of her pain he was in pain. Her on the floor in pain was an image he wouldn't soon forget.
"One more time Granger I beg you. Show everyone in this room why I am not someone to cross." He pointed his wand over at Ron. Hermione's eyes widened. "Say it again." Hermione breathed in heavily as she tried to think of something, anything to stop him from hurting Ron.
"Give him what he wants Hermione. I ain't scared" Ron encouraged her as he stared into Voldemort's beady eyes.
"Yes listen to your boyfriend mudblood" Wormtail spoke from besides him.
Hermione reluctantly gave in this time not so confidently, "You're a coward."
Voldemort grinned and lowered his wand. "Now that you understand the rules of my game let's get back to business shall we? Wormtail bring the red-head over here." Wormtail clutched Ron's arm and dragged him over to Voldemort. He tried to reach done to Hermione but was held back by the Dark Lord.
Once more he pointed his wand at Ron and spoke to Hermione. "Every time you choose to defy my orders mudblood let's just say something bad will happen. But not by me, oh no, but by him" he pointed to Ron.
"I will never hurt her!" He exclaimed upon hearing this as a slap crossed his face.
"But you will. And until the girl tells me you will be mine." This time he raised his wand higher as recognition crossed Ron and Hermione's face. "Imperio." Ron fought as he lost control of his body. He still had his thoughts but we could no longer run or talk on his own.
"Raise your hand" Voldemort said bluntly as Ron raised his hand. "Excellent. Now slap the girl."
Ron's thoughts raced as he tried to fight his body but to no avail. He moved closer to Hermione and he saw tears falling from her eyes. Tears, he was sure, for him and what he was about to do. He felt his hand come down and sweep across the soft, wet face that was Hermione's. Anger filled him as he took a few steps back after committing what he swore he would never do.
"Let's get down to business then" Voldemort said as his grin grew to a smile.
