As I figured out from the last time I posted a chapter, the links to the pictures I want to show you have to be on my profile. I f you want to see Hermione's dress from Chapter 8 and her maternity gown from this chapter, check out my profile.
Chapter 9: The Sweet Escape
"Hermione?! Hermione!! Wake up right now!! Get out of bed!!"
"Draco, go away." I mutter sleepily, pulling a pillow over my head to drown out his protests. He just starts shaking my shoulder frantically.
"No, you need to get up!! It's important!!"
"Important enough to wake me up at-"I seize the hand that's shaking my right shoulder and squint at the tiny watch hands. "- 1:36 in the morning? Draco, I'm a severely hormonal pregnant teenager; I think that I'm entitled to sleep in every once and a while." With that I roll onto my side, swatting at his hands as he continues to poke me.
Vertigo hits me as he picks me up and practically swings me over his shoulder.
Jesus, Malfoy!! Scare the shit out of me why don't you?! Or the baby depending to how far along I am.
"MALFOY, WHAT THE HELL?!? GET OFF!! LET GO!! YOU'RE HURTING ME!!" I scream as he carries me to one of the nearby armchairs and plops me roughly down.
I almost flip him off and kick him in the nuts, when I gaze at his scarred face and I am reminded of last night. Draco and I had been spending a lot of time just talking to each other. We'd walk around the mini lake in his backyard, telling stories and jokes and even having snowball fights during the winter. At the dinner table, I never spoke to Voldemort; his feelings weren't a big concern to me lately. The entire time we talked, Voldemort was watching us with a look of jealously and anger etched into his features. He especially hated it when Draco would make me laugh. Every time I laughed at one of his jokes, he'd practically snap whatever utensil that happened to be in his hand. Apparently, he thought we were too close and got even more jealous and paranoid. Last night it got to a point where he lost control; and decided the only way to stop our relationship was torture. I was escorted to the dungeons at around ten o' clock last night. Once inside, I discovered that Draco and Brilette sat in the middle of a circle of Death Eaters. I got settled in the only chair in the chamber, provided specifically for me. Voldemort arrived moments later and immediately began humiliating Draco. He accused him of "taking advantage of a confused pregnant teenage girl" and "going against his wishes". Draco was then tortured with the most brutality I've ever seen. I tried to leap up and protect him, screaming at Voldemort to stop hurting him. Someone seized me from behind and pulled me back into the chair. I looked up behind me and saw Lucius Malfoy watching the scene calmly; he wouldn't even protect his own child, he really was a coward.
The curse was lifted off him several minutes later and Draco merely sobbed and shook on the cold stone floor. But Voldemort wasn't over; he'd just begun. He stepped forward and proceeded to kick Draco in the face, stomach, and groin several times while two Death Eaters restrained the twitching, whimpering teenager. Brilette who was sitting next to him attempted to pull Avery off, screaming the entire time. Another stepped forward and dragged her off to the sidelines by her hair. When he was completely drenched in blood, Voldemort abruptly stopped his mutilation of one of the only people I could trust and instructed that Draco be taken to the infirmary. As his unconscious form was dragged from the dungeon, Narcissa sobbed into her sister's shoulder and was escorted out herself. I was crying myself, being supported by Lucius because I couldn't stand by myself. Voldemort turned away from the bloody spot on the stone floor and marched to where I stood shaking against Malfoy. He took my chin in his hand and wiped the tears from my face. He then threatened me; saying that if I let this happen again, he'd murder Brilette right in front of me. He snapped his fingers and the Death Eater hold Bri by her hair threw her into the circle. He pointed his wand at her heart and demanded that I swear to be faithful; Bri whimpered from the ground but didn't move as Voldemort shifted his gaze to her. I broke free of Lucius's grip and rushed to protect Brilette from the curse on tip of his tongue, ripping my nightgown in the process. I hugged her and sobbed even harder; begging him to leave her alone. Just like that it was all over. Greyback grabbed Bri and yanked her out of my grip. All the others filed out until I was the only one left, crying into my knees. Arms wrapped around me; his arms and he whispered words of comfort, saying that he didn't mean it and that everything was just a show for his servants. I didn't listen and I didn't care; now I had my friend's safety to fear for.
That whole thing was so unfair! There was nothing between Draco and I and there never will be!!
I pull myself out of the painful memory and focus on Draco once again. He went through that pain last for my sake and I should be thanking him.
"I'm so sorry!" I gasp tearfully. I cover my now tear-stained face with my hands. "You put a lot on the line for me yesterday and….. I'm thankful for that. Can you forgive me?"
His features soften but he still looks quite serious.
"Apology accepted, Hermione. Listen to me; this is very important. Greyback found Potter, Weasley, and his sister this evening and only you can help them. You're in charge when the Dark Lord is away."
I don't hesitate upon hearing this. Bolting up from my chair, I seize a pair of floor-length black robes and throw them over my pink maternity nightgown. Draco holds the door for me and we both storm down the elegant hallways. Draco leads me into the main drawing room near the front of the mansion, where Bella and Lucius are already arguing over the fate of my three best friends. As soon as I saw how bloodied and beaten they were, I had to resist the strong urge to rush forward and hug them all and cry with them. Harry was seated in an armchair by the fireplace. Greyback stood behind him, his ugly, dirty hands resting firmly on Harry's shoulders, preventing any attempt at escape. He refused to show fear by staring into the fire while Greyback dug deep cuts into his collarbone. Ron and Ginny were tied back-to-back on the floor being quietly examined by a worried Narcissa; the terror in Ginny's eyes was overwhelming. Everyone turned to face us as Draco and I walked in. If it was possible, Ginny became even more afraid and sobbed quietly, letting her tears fall to the carpeted floor. Harry heard her and turned from the fireplace to comfort Ginny. Greyback grabs his forearms and yanks him back into the chair; he then digs the yellow nails of both hands into his cheek and whispers threatening words into Harry's ear. He abruptly stops struggling and merely begins focusing on a spot on the rug.
"You both know that when your Master is away, that I am in charge of the Manor, correct?"
The question is directed at Bellatrix and Lucius. They stop bickering when they realize that I'm addressing them and nod bitterly.
"So why didn't you send someone to summon me when they arrived?" I demand pointing at my friends.
Harry glances up at me; he doesn't know if he should trust me or fear me like he fears the two angry, disheveled Death Eaters before him. I wink slightly and he nods, relaxing very slightly. Bellatrix snaps at me as soon as my attention is once again on her.
"It would be rude to interrupt your little love sessions with Malfoy Jr., don't you think?"
"Bella! How dare you speak of my son in such a foul manner?! He will never sink that low; I'll make sure of it!!"
They are arguing again, completely unaware of the people around them. Ron groans rests his head on his sister's shoulder; even he has had enough of their constant bickering. Lean over slightly to Draco's ear and whisper quietly into his ear. No one can tell that we are speaking thanks the arguing taking place 3 meters away.
"Okay Malfoy, I'll bite; how do we get them out of this one?"
"Use your mind-control-thingy to convince my father that they are not who they are and to release them as they mean no harm."
"You make it sound so easy."
"Got any other ideas?"
"No. I'm totally depending on you for this one."
"Then listen to me this one time!" With that, he pushes me forward, closer to the inferno of swearing and anger that used to be Lucius and Bellatrix.
I gather all my confidence and step right in between the two brawlers. In one swift movement, Lucius is practically on the ground clutching his groin and Bellatrix is massaging the black I just gave her. I should have been a cage fighter. Narcissa, who was falling asleep and in danger of dropping her cup of tea on the shiny, hardwood floor, is now wide awake and snickering at her husband as he whimpers on the ground. Lucius leaps up when he realizes that his wife is laughing at his weakness and, while still holding himself, whips out his wand and points it at my heart. All three teenagers that they were just arguing over nearly burst into uncontrollable laughter when he speaks in a high pitched voice.
"What was the purpose of that little outburst?!" He demands, his face red with pain.
"Yeah, you crazy bitch, what the Hell?!" I turn to Bellatrix and smirk; apparently I also broke her nose with the right hook. She holds her head elevated and pinches her nose in a sad attempt to stop the blood flow. I act as if nothing has happened and give them disapproving glares.
"Now what is so important that you have to wake the whole manor with your deranged screaming?" I demand with false anger. "Some of us would like a good night's sleep every once in a while. Especially me."
I point at my giant stomach. Ginny, having noticed it for the first time, gasps in shock and looks at me like she's waiting for me to pull a melon out of my robe and yell "JUST KIDDING!!"
Sorry, Gin. That's not how it goes here; I know from experience.
"Well," Bellatrix snarls after whipping her wand from a deep pocket in her crimson robe and flawlessly mending her bent nose. She proceeds to clean it as well, gracefully dragging the wand over the bloodstained areas of her face. "We, as in Lucius, Cissa, and I, have within good reason to suspect that these particular runaways found sneaking around the Forrest of Dean are none other than Potter and his pathetic, blood-traitor pals the Weasley are themselves."
I raise my eyebrows at her; she does not back down or show any fear. Bellatrix is determined to prove her power over me. Ron whips his head back and forth between the two of us, trying to interpret our apparent disdainful and silent battle of words.
"Bellatrix, every time that you and your little soldiers drag some defenseless teenagers in the manor, you're always so sure that they are the ones; they are Har- Potter and his accomplices. Why should this be any different from your previous prisoners?"
Her face boiled with anger but she won the fight to control herself.
"Examine them for yourself and you'll find our assumptions quite logical." She spat with her hands balled into fists.
I roll my eyes at her, a silent agreement to her proposition. Malfoy Sr., still walking funny, limps over to the two siblings on the floor and points his wand at Ginny's head. Ginny whimpers but refuses to spill anymore tears on her bloodied face. She and Ron look terrible, much like I did when I was first abducted; bloody noses, split lips, gashes, you name it, they had it. I pretended to examine them carefully, scrutinizing their hopeless faces with mock intensity. Once I think I've fake-observed them long enough, I take two long strides over to where Harry is being restrained. His shirt is completely mutilated; claw marks seem to be the cause of most of the destruction. His jeans have so many slashes it's a wonder how they still manage to cling to him. Blood cakes in dried clumps to his face as he stares at the floor avoiding my gaze. He looks so beaten and defeated that I want to reach out and hold him, to let him know that this is all a charade and that I still love them all. Instead, I merely stand there, pretending to be the most evil kind of person in Western Europe who hates him for a past that isn't his fault; I pretend to be a Death Eater. I finally face a fuming Bellatrix after a drawn out examination of my best friends and stand there with my hands on my hips.
"Once again, Bella, it's not them. Have you ever by any chance been recommended into a psychiatric hospital at any time in your life? They are not the ones we are looking for."
Hear that, Lucius? They are not the Golden Trio. They mean you no harm. Set them free. They will not harm us. Bellatrix is wrong; that is NOT Harry Potter.
Lucius shudders before his eyes go blank and he turns to Bellatrix and relays my claim blandly to her.
"Bella, they are not the ones. We should set them free. They can't harm us."
She ignores him completely and a merciless smirk forms on her face; does she really think that she can argue her way through this situation? I can and will turn anyone who isn't already for my cause against her in a New York second.
"Of course you would say that," She sighs examining her wand daintily. "You've always been his little partner in crime. How 'bout we ask someone without such a friendly acquaintance to The Brat Who Lived. Draco! Imperio!!"
My world froze. My brain went into panic mode and I couldn't think straight. I tried to scream but no sound came out. I watched silently as Draco marched towards his aunt, struggling the entire way. When he was within her grasp she seized his hair and dragged him the rest of the way to where Harry sat. Narcissa jumped up and screamed many foul-mouthed protests at her sister, but a calm and indifferent Lucius held her back as she struggled to tear every last strand of hair from Bellatrix's scalp. She shoved Draco down so that he and Harry were mere centimeters from touching noses. She kept her wand firmly on the side of his skull as he whimpered from the pain of having his blonde hair being nearly ripped from his head by her cruel, demanding grasp.
"DRACO, ANSWER AUNTIE BELLA TRUTHFULLY!!! IS THIS HARRY GODDAMN POTTER OR NOT?!?!"
He said nothing, only stared apologetically into Harry's green eyes. She pulled her wand away from his head briefly to deliver an echoing smack to the apple of his cheek.
"ANSWER ME, YOU BACK-STABBING LITTLE SHIT!!! IS IT HIM OR AM I SCREAMING MY LUNGS OUT FOR NO GODDAMN REASON?!?!"
Draco's eyes are twisted up in pain from the curse she is delivering to his cranium; I know he won't last much longer.
"Ye-y-y-YES!!!! It's him! It's him!!" Draco finally sobs after another thirty seconds of twitching and gasping.
Narcissa is screaming worse than ever at her sister. She is almost close enough to drag Bellatrix to her by the hair, but Lucius calls for help from someone I can't see. Brilette drops the tea tray she was carrying into the room and rushes to restrain the hysterical mother. My ears seem to explode at the sound of the beautiful china shattering on the carpeted ground. Bri has always had a way with words; she clasps Narcissa's cheeks in her hands and whispers softly to her, causing her struggles to subside slowly. A sharp yank on my scalp draws my attention back to Bellatrix; she crossed the room to where I stood, leaning against the fireplace in seconds and is clutching a fistful of my hair in her bloodied palm. Anger and confidence threatens to swallow her features whole as she slams me up against the golden mantelpiece behind me.
" Greyback?" She calmly whispers after a minute of pure silence in which she gloated in my fear and hopeless position. "Tie the boy up and claim your reward for tonight's services; a threesome."
My heart is threatening to burst from my chest cavity. She can't make me do that!! I'm nearly seven months pregnant for God's sake! She can't, she won't!! But, as I have come to realize in the nine months that I've been imprisoned here, she will; everything that these people say, goes. No exceptions. Ron suddenly screams aloud when the commands falls on his ears.
"You sick bitch!!!" He hurls at Bellatrix; she whips around and faces him with narrowed eyes. "How can you do that to her!? Sick, evil, conniving Sadist!!!"
Bellatrix flicks her wand and a new scar appears on Ron's already bruised face. He gasps but refuses to cry out.
"Ron, save your strength; we'll all need it later." Harry commands sternly before Greyback slips a gag over his mouth. He then conjures a thick twine around Harry's wrists before standing and strolling to Bellatrix with that same evil, hungry grin on his face.
"Wait, what do you mean by 'threesome'? Who else will…. accompany Master Greyback?" Brilette asks, looking up from the sniffling Narcissa seated on the couch.
Brilette has learned to accept her mistreatment and taking it without complaint; she calls Greyback 'Master' all the time, even in front of me. At least she didn't have trouble adjusting like the other three girls.
"You, Granger, and Greyback; is that simple enough for you Mudblood?" Bella snarls in that obnoxious baby voice as we are both dragged up by Greyback in one swift movement.
Before any hateful retorts are exchanged, I feel myself being dragged from the large drawing room with Brilette, the two Weasleys and Harry watching with fear burning in their eyes. The room Greyback takes us to is only a few rooms from the eerie drawing that we were just cowering in. The theme of this bedroom is not surprisingly, silver and green. A mini fountain stands beneath the large window that views the quiet little woods just beyond the house. As Greyback turns from us, Bri seizes my arm and drags me down with her onto the large rounded bed; she knows the drill with this guy so I obey quickly. After a moment, I realized that he turned to lock the door, and then I know that I can't go through with this. The safety of the child that lives within me is too important for this pig to destroy in the blink of an eye. I become even edgier when Brilette helps me slip my robe off to expose the revealing pink maternity gown. When Greyback faces us again, he proceeds to scan our bodies, mine especially.
"So who wants to go first?"
I can't do this! I can't do this! I can't do this! Oh my God! I need to get out of here before he seriously hurts me!
Without thinking, without planning how to defend myself, I lunge toward the locked door, my escape from this nightmare. It feels like a lot longer run than it really is, but I keep going because my life depends on it. Arms wrap around my waist as my fingers close on the doorknob and jerk me away from freedom. I kick and scream obscenities at him as he tries to control me. Brilette can be heard screaming from behind us, but I can't understand a word of it. Instinctively, I curl my knees up to my chest then drive them into his crouch. I hear a gasp and his grip loosens on me briefly. Very briefly. He clamps onto me one last time before throwing me from him and my forehead slams into the corner of the dresser. I feel the pain and the blood seeping down into my eyes before I hit the floor.
Where am I? Why can't I move? Who is that laughing at me when I'm clearly in pain?
An unknown force pushes my legs apart and hot breathing is on my neck as someone leans over my limp, barely conscious form. It whispers harshly into my ear but I can't make out the words. Hands are on my breasts but I can't speak up, can't fight back; I'm trapped in a limbo between consciousness and unconsciousness unable to move as someone assaults me as I lay there bleeding.
No. NO!!! Get off me!! Oh God!! Please, PLEASE, stop touching me!! SOMEBODY HELP!!
Just when I think that no one will rescue from the violent attack on my body, the unmistakable sound of glass shattering on someone's skull silences my pathetic pleas for help. The man on top of me falls to the side of my body and I feel him being dragged further away from me. The rough, hairy hands that bruised me earlier replaced with softer ones as they gently slap my face.
"Hermione, it's me Brilette. Can you hear me?"
Yes I can hear you, but who's Brilette?
"Babe, wake up! We need to get out of here! I'm not going to leave you so please get up! Hermione, ple-" She stops abruptly and I can hear why; screams of fury echo from down the hall and I can hear footsteps getting closer.
"Hermione Granger?! Brilette Brizeberg?!"
Am I this 'Hermione' that everyone's talking about? I've heard that voice before! Who is that boy?!
The girl next to me, Brilette, I assume, sobs and calls out to him.
"RON, WE'RE IN HERE!!! HELP ME, SHE WON'T WAKE UP!! RON!! RON, PLEASE GET IN HERE!!"
The footsteps move faster in our direction until he reaches the door and swings it open. His gasp must be from seeing me bloodied on the floor. The carpet shifts to my right and I know that the boy called Ron is kneeling over me.
"What happened? What'd he do to her?!"
"He attacked her and she tried to defend herself!" Brilette gasps, crying even harder. "He slammed her head into the dresser and tried to rape her! I stopped him but she won't get up!!"
Rape? Someone tried to rape me? Where was I for that turn of events?!
"It just looks like a gash, but we need to get her medical attention immediately, just to be safe."
"What about Harry and your sister, Ginny?!?! We can't apparate her in this state!! What if she gets splinched; it could kill her Ron!!"
I vote alternate form of transportation.
"Bri, Harry and Ginny will be fine; they're together so they can take care of themselves. As for 'Mione, what do you propose we do? Leave her here for them; we don't have much of a choice."
Silence; she's thinking about it.
"Alright, all we can do is hope for the best. Grab her right hand and I'll get the other. On the count of three, okay?"
One, two…. Three!
The world spins as I zoom away from the horrid mansion that kept me imprisoned for nine months with two people that I hope are my true friends.
