I'm getting excited now, possibly only two or three chapters left but never fear I have started a new fic and this one is going to be an epic novel! My longest ever I would imagine! Pop along and read Through my Eyes, it is my new baby.
Review please!
PurelyPoison
Chapter Nine-Broken
To forget one's purpose is the commonest form of stupidity-Friedrich Nietzsche
The memory of Draco's soft kiss still lingered in Hermione's mind, even after they had touched down at Malfoy Manor. But everything about it; his tenderness, the way he had hesitated slightly before doing it and held her tightly, was dashed the second Hermione realised the Death Eaters had been waiting for them.
They landed in the same stone courtyard Hermione and Ginny had collapsed in only a few weeks before. Hermione was still encased in Draco's arms and failed to realise her surroundings before she was hauled unceremoniously to her feet by Draco himself.
She found herself barricaded in on all sides by Lucius, Narcissa, Bellatrix, Blaise and...
"Ginny?" Hermione whispered, noticing for the first time that her best friend was one of the intimidating group.
"Congratulations Draco, the Dark Lord will be pleased that you finally did something right. We didn't give up on you", Bellatrix snickered and twirled her wand at Hermione's throat menacingly.
"Nobody touches her, she's mine remember", retorted Draco, pulling Hermione round behind him in order to keep her away from his Aunt who was staring at her like a cat stares at a mouse.
Hermione said nothing, she was in too much shock and it sat around her shoulders like a cloak, hindering her from even reacting to what was happening around her.
Lucius raised his eyebrows at his son, "You know what has to be done to her?"
"I know she will die", said Draco snorting back at him, "You don't need to remind me".
"He doesn't know", whispered Naricssa casting a worried look at her husband and then her sister.
"Know what?" said Draco impatiently; turning to check Hermione was still there. Her silence was unnerving him; surely she didn't think he had betrayed her? Surely she had to have realised what was going on here?
"The Dark Lord's plans for the mudblood have changed", said Blaise taking a step towards his friend, "He wants to break her his way now".
"What does that even mean?" said Draco once again turning his head back towards Hermione and allowing his eyes to quickly scrutinise her face, which remained impassive almost as if she had retreated into some dark corner within her head where he couldn't find her.
"Torture".
Draco turned sharply to the voice that had whispered so gleefully and found Bellatrix smiling back at him.
"What?"
"Your methods were too slow and produced no results. Not only did you fail to turn her to our side but you succeeded in getting yourself captured. The Dark Lord is unimpressed with you but he will deal with that, you must take your punishment". She could barely contain her excitement as she jumped up and down on the spot. Draco fought the urge to grab her shoulders and hold her in place.
"I don't give a shit about that. I meant what do you mean about torture for her?" Draco waved his hand impatiently, ignoring the shudder that trailed down his spine at the thought of Voldemort torturing him but knowing that he would just have to take it.
"She will be tortured until she is utterly submissive to us". Bellatrix uttered the sentence so slowly, as if it were her last meal and she was savouring every mouthful. It was spoken with such reverence, dripping with anticipation that Draco felt the bile rise in his throat.
"By who?" said Draco attempting to clear his throat without seeming bothered at all by what was happening.
"Why Draco, by your own hand of course", said Bellatrix.
Draco shuddered blatantly this time and he averted his eyes from the boring stare of his mother. She would sense what was going on here if she was able to discern the terror in his eyes. Years of being beaten by his father and refusing to talk about it with her, had given her a sixth sense of when something was wrong with him. This was no different.
But how could he possibly allow this to happen to Hermione?
Hermione seemed to jolt out of her reverie at the sound of Bellatrix's words and Draco felt a slight tug on the hand that was still holding her firmly behind his back.
He turned to her, "You hear that?" he snarled.
Her expression changed to one of fear at his harsh words and angry glare, "Please...don't", she whispered unable to control the shuddering sweeping its way across her body. Draco watched the glimmer in her eyes diminish as she realised her fate. He pleaded with her silently to realise that he would not let her die. Not while he was still here to prevent it. But she couldn't look at him properly; her eyes were trained on the ground. Tears forming quickly and threatening to spill, "Please don't hurt me".
Draco's voice caught in his throat as he took in her terror. She actually believed he was capable of doing that to her? Even now? After everything?
Bellatrix cackled from behind them, not giving Draco any time to calm his mind, "She's actually pleading with him".
Draco tensed his shoulders in annoyance but didn't turn away from Hermione's face but she still refused to look up at him. He could not risk taking her face and forcing it to meet his gaze. No matter how hard he would try, he would betray himself by being too tender with her and they would see it. Instead, he tried to squeeze her hand reassuringly but she could only grimace in response, already resigned to the feeling that he had double crossed her. Draco screamed at her in his mind not to be so naive. But in truth he was feeling betrayed himself, she had given up on him and so easily too.
"Draco, did they harm you? Seek information?"
Draco finally tore his eyes from Hermione's downturned gaze and searched for his father's face.
"What do you think?" he muttered, gesturing to his still very black eye. "I hardly told them anything, they already know you have her", he pointed at Ginny with his wand arm.
"Is that?" said Narcissa, noticing for the first time the thick mahogany wand Draco was holding.
"Mad Eye Moody's wand, mine got taken", said Draco shrugging, "Had to get a wand to get out of there and he made it all too easy".
Hermione struggled slightly, repulsed by this side of him. This boy who she had stupidly trusted had walked her into a trap. Everything she had hoped for had died in less than five minutes.
"Let us go then, we must press on. Such a lot to do", said Bellatrix finally turning back towards Malfoy Manor.
Ginny took Blaise's hand, staring at Hermione during the entire exchange as if she was someone that she had known once a very long time ago but no longer mattered.
"Yes Draco come", said Narcissa beginning to follow her sister.
"Where are we going?" said Draco pulling Hermione close behind him.
"We must prepare for the Dark Lord's arrival", said Lucius turning on his heel without really looking at his son. For once in his life Draco wished he had someone he could confide in. Not some coward with a wife who ruled him or some psychotic lunatic that he could never believe he was related to. He really was on his own.
Draco watched his parents move further on with the others and wondered how it had come to this. How had he been spawned from them? He was so different.
He turned back quickly to Hermione when the others were out of earshot.
"Hermione, can you hear me?" he whispered hurriedly, glancing back over his shoulder to ensure nobody had decided Draco was behaving suspiciously and was watching him.
"You bastard", she whispered the tears that had been threatening to spill flowed freely down her face now, falling into her mouth as she spoke but she didn't try to brush them away.
"No Hermione, it isn't like that", he whispered begging her to understand, "I didn't realise they would be waiting. I didn't know this would happen. I thought I could get you in and get you out again. Please...I told you not to give up on me, don't say that you already have. Not yet". He glanced over his shoulder and saw Bellatrix watching him menacingly.
"I'm coming for fuck sake", he shouted, doing his best to appear frustrated.
"Come on Hermione", he tapped her cheek lightly, trying to get her to speak again, "Tell me you haven't given up on me".
"Sorry to disappoint", she said thickly now glaring at him, "I should have given up on you years ago".
"You can't mean that", he said exasperated, "Forgive me please". He gave her own hurt glance before moving behind her and shoving her roughly forwards to walk in front of him and pointing Moody's wand at her back, "Walk".
Hermione turned to face him once more, "I hate you". Then she turned and began walking back towards the Manor, trembling uncontrollably.
Draco walked into the now empty foyer, an internal battling raging in his head. How the hell was he supposed to get her out now? Why should he even bother if she didn't even believe in him anymore?
No, don't go down that road. That's a dangerous fucking place to go.
Draco tried to pull his thoughts back to the situation at hand, he had promised her that he would get Ginny out and goddammit he would keep his word.
"Draco, in here", his mother's soft whispering voice carried from the large ballroom on his left into the foyer.
"I'm taking her back to her cell?" replied Draco thoroughly confused now.
"No, Draco. You are to bring her in here so that we may prepare", giggled Bellatrix.
Hermione threw a terrified glance back over her shoulder at him. He glanced once at the ballroom doors and reassuring himself that they couldn't see him placed his hand over Hermione's. At first he heard her breathing stop and he worried that she would scorn his attempt to reassure her.
But in the space of several seconds her hand closed over his and squeezed it tightly. She sobbed quietly and Draco felt his heart begin to ache. What fresh torture would they face now?
"I'm here, remember", he whispered, "I'm right here".
He let go of her hand and he watched her shoulders droop at the loss of contact. He placed his left hand on her shoulder, positioned the wand at her back once again and steered her into the ballroom.
The sight that met his eyes made him want to vomit, or scream or faint. Or maybe all three at once.
It took his eyes some time to adjust to the different light. The room had been shrouded in darkness and all that lit it were flaming torches dotted around the walls. Draco could see his breath and shivered at the sudden drop in temperature.
In the centre of the ballroom was a large stone slab, almost like an old tablet of some sort but large enough that you could lie down on. It was covered with writings in a language Draco could not discern but it was also covered with red markings that, Draco realised with a jolt, were looked a lot like dried blood. Manacles were positioned at the four corners of the slab, each one made to look like a black, coiling snake.
The slab had been positioned on a large stone...altar almost; an altar which depicted hundreds of humans being crushed under the weight of the slab. Draco was reminded forcibly of the statue that now occupied the main foyer in the ministry of magic. He swallowed, realising it was humans in their rightful place.
"What is this?"
"This Draco is the Dark Lord's wishes", said Bellatrix adjusting the manacles as she spoke. The chains rattled loudly in the room.
"What does that mean?" He positioned Hermione behind him as he spoke, knowing as he did so that it was too late. She had already seen more than she needed to.
"Why, this is what you've been working towards Draco. This is your punishment. You will torture her into submission but not only that. You will show her her rightful place in this world", smiled his mother, extending her hand towards her son which could have been meant as a loving gesture if Draco did not know her. He ignored it.
"What?" He was whispering, already knowing the answer to his question.
"You think the Dark Lord does not know that your feelings have changed", smiled Blaise, "He sees everything".
"I still don't understand", said Draco growing angrier by the second.
"I told him everything".
Draco jumped when he heard the sound of her voice. The red-head had not spoken during the entire exchange but when she did speak, her voice was completely different. It was dark and daring with just a hint of excitement in her tone. It reminded Draco of mentally unstable people who sing to themselves, the voice is soft but the tone is haunting.
"And what would everything be?" he replied staring at her coldly.
"I told him how the two of you had fallen in love. I told him how you tried to help her escape and how her feelings for you were mutual", Ginny was grinning from ear to ear and Draco felt like breaking all of her teeth.
Someone that he thought didn't matter, someone he thought hadn't even really noticed the exchange between him and Hermione in her cell, had sold him out; betrayed him to the Dark Lord.
How could he have been so stupid as to forget all about Ginny?
"No", he heard Hermione whisper behind him.
He looked over his shoulder and actually saw her heart break in the expression on her face. She looked utterly broken, her best friend had turned and now she was back in the lion's den.
"It's true", she lifted her left sleeve and bared her dark mark, the snake coiling around her arm, for Hermione to see, "He trusts me and I told him all of it".
"And now he is angry", said Lucius glaring at his son, "As are we all. You disgust me. I am ashamed to call you my son".
"I won't lose any sleep over that", snorted Draco in response, his eyes flickering from Hermione's broken features to glower at his father.
"But you have the chance to redeem yourself", said his mother taking another step towards him, "You must do as he asks".
"What will he ask me to do?" Draco didn't move forwards but stayed rooted to the spot, still picturing what it would feel like to kill Ginny. She had hurt Hermione more than he ever could have and Draco didn't know how to fix it. Indeed, he couldn't fix it. Whether she ended up back with the Order, the mark would remain on her skin like a painful reminder of the weak bitch that she was and Harry would always know it was there.
"We must await his arrival for that. But we can prepare", continued Narcissa turning towards Bellatrix who moved to stand next to her and drawing Draco's attention completely. His blood ran cold, he knew what came next, they had tortured people before but he was sure that this time something would be different and he was right.
This was the Dark Lord's punishment for him. The worst kind of torture.
"Now", said his Aunt baring all of her teeth as she smiled at him pulling him back to reality, "Strip her and chain her down".
I found this chapter so hard to write so please review and let me know that it is alright! Once I got into it, it did get easier but I would still love some reassurance!
Thank you to all my faithful reviewers, I hope you know who you are, I always await your reviews anxiously and excitedly!
PurelyPoison
