Finally it's here. True its more of a transition chapter but still important! I apologize for the slow updates but life keeps getting in the way. Please leave reviews for me I love them no matter if they are good, bad, or ugly. Let me know what you think. And without further ado, Chapter 10 :-)

He was screaming.

Thrashing on the floor and screaming. Blood stained his clothes and his mouth from smashing his face against the ground too many times. His hands were scuffed at his knuckles, like he had been punching something. His torso had been cut, the blood seen through stains that had appeared on his shirt hours ago. His legs were skewed at odd angles, they had clearly been broken in a particularly vicious way from how many breaks there seemed to be. Flecks of blood were also in his hair, even with Ron's red hair the blood seemed to stand out on it.

The floor he was flailing on top of was made of a rough stone, like those in a castle. The walls were much the same only with some tapestries on them. The room was rather large, though seemed smaller since it played host to many people. Or what one would assume were people. Dark shapes in the form of people lined the room, and circled Ron, but there was plenty of room for his torture. Behind some bodies there were three people standing on an elevated platform. One of them was Voldemort. He and Ron were the most detailed people in the room. The other two people on the raised level were anonymous but their cloaks were also very detailed. The fabric was heavy and long, pooling on the ground around their feet. It was pitch black, with black stitching. The fastenings on the cloaks were silver but had a matte finish. The torches around the perimeter of the room caught the silver in the light. One was taller than the other, but gender was indistinguishable due to the falls of the cloak.

One of the cloaked figures had an arm outstretched and wand pointed at Ron and curses shot out at random intervals. No voice was heard but then again it may have been drowned out by the screams Ron was emitting. If one looked closely they would see that Voldemort had his wand pointed at the figure torturing Ron but his grip was relaxed, not threatening but directing or enforcing. What he was doing was not entirely clear, only that one would infer that either the one cursing Ron was not enjoying doing such acts, or that this was their first torture and Voldemort was ready to admonish or praise. The other figure was unmoving. The figure was facing Ron but since no eyes were seem it may have not been watching.

Voldemort's wand lifted and the figure stopped cursing Ron and while he screamed for another few seconds he stopped and just continued to make sounds of discomfort. "Heal him" Voldemort's voice seeped through the room and no one but the second figured moved. A wand was raised and a soft mumbling was heard and loud pops followed with more screams. His legs were put back together along with all other broken and fractured bones. His skin knitted together and soon he was breathing regularly. "I told you to stop the curses if you could. You could be saving Mr. Weasley here a lot of pain" He sighed dramatically and moved closer to the figure who just lowered their wand "But that's right, all your light spells won't stop these curses. You can't save him any pain. You could kill him… but you won't? You could never kill your friend" He sneered at the word and let his hand touch the shoulder of the figure "If you took advantage of what I offered you could stop those curses but you didn't did you? You learned only what was needed and never more" He walked down the platform and towards Ron, who was on his back and had managed to sit up on his elbows with one leg out relatively straight in front of him and the other bent at the knee with his foot flat on the ground. Ron was not looking away from the Dark Lord and if Voldemort was in the habit of smiling or laughing he might have been. "All courageous now that the pain is over aren't you? Do you want to know who has been torturing you and who has been healing you?" He lifted his hand and gestured to the two as if to present them. The two figures walked down the platform "I take the most immense pleasure in introducing you to your torturer, Harry Potter" The hood of the clock disappeared and Harry's face was revealed. He looked like he was in pain and Voldemort did let a laugh escape him "He has been fighting me ever since he got here, but I think I have been causing him far more pain" He then looked at the other figure "Miss Hermione Granger" Her hook was removed and she had tears in her eyes "Miss know-it-all has been neglecting her studies, or else she could have saved you from those curses Harry was using on you. She would have been able to save you. I want you to beg her for help when Harry tortures you again. Can you do that?" He looked at Ron who narrowed his eyes and Voldemort sighed "You aren't as brave as you pretend to be" He nodded at Harry who locked his jaw as if he was defying him but he raised his wand and started casting curse after curse.

The screaming started again, and it was much worse being as close as they were. Cuts erupted all over his body and then blood started to fly. It hit their cloaks and then Ron started to beg "Please… Hermione!" He screamed bones started to break, starting with his fingers and toes "Make it stop!" He screamed especially loud when a curse continued to break some bones, while others were bursting open from the inside as if the pressure inside was too much "PLEASE!"

"Yes, make it stop" Voldemort looked at Hermione and shook his head "Stupid girl, you could have saved your friend… but he has always been more than that hasn't he? You love him" He moved to stand behind her as more tears fell "You failed him" he whispered and then "Stop" The curses stopped again but Voldemort spoke once more "Harry… Kill him"

"Avada Kedavra"

"NOOOO" Hermione woke up suddenly with a scream on the tip of her tongue. She luckily caught it before it left her lips, since any unexpected noise since Harry and Voldemort left usually resulted in Lucius, Snape, or Bellatrix apperating in and not leaving for some time. Her heart was pounding so hard it almost hurt her chest. After in taking a few deep breaths she was able to calm down enough so that it was no longer a thundering beat and more of a dull roar. That was the fifth time she had had a dream like that. It happened often enough that she wondered if it was a dream being forced into her head by Voldemort… but it was different enough each time that she wasn't so sure. Even if it was fabricated by him the message still hit her hard. She failed to protect Ron every time. She didn't know enough, she refused knowledge due to its nature and it cost Ron his life. He would do it too. Voldemort would have Ron tortured and possibly killed to push her. She already obeyed because of Harry, but if he thought she wasn't giving the work he assigned her all, there was no doubt that he would do more to push her. Fabricated dreams, nightmares, or a premonition (if one believed in that sort of thing) it didn't matter what it actually was. What mattered is that the outcome she continued to see was a possibility. She may not have the knowledge to save those she loved and they would die because of her inadequacies.

It was this realization that Hermione made a few days ago that lead to her being in the situation she was currently in. Only Professor Snape and Bellatrix took her to the library anymore. Lucius stopped coming when he saw her bracelet. Snape never spoke to her, only instructing her on which books to read. It seemed though that once she formed her plan the only books she was not given was books on the dark arts. She tried to speak to him about getting more books but he silenced her with a look and once she finished a book or two she was sent back to her room with nothing to occupy her time. Today was different though. Today it was Bellatrix who led her to the library and she would always speak to her. Granted most of what came out of Bellatrix's mouth was not the most pleasant sort of conversation a person could hope to have. Though, Hermione hoped that she would be able to convince Bellatrix to agree to her plan.

"Oh Muddy!" Hermione closed her eyes and looked up at the woman who was standing in her doorway "Time to try to fill that mind of yours with something useful. Though, I don't know if mudbloods can retain any sort of information" She let out a slightly insane sounding giggle and Hermione stood and started to follow her. She opened and closed her mouth a few times trying to come up with a way to ask. Bellatrix continued to rattle off different theories she had about mudbloods and without Hermione noticing, turned and saw Hermione's mouth opening and closing. "Well?... What is it Muddy?" Hermione looked up and saw Bellatrix standing in front of her hand on hip and wand in her other hand.

"Well… I…I"

"Yo..o.o..u. what? Spit it out Muddy"

"Can you teach me dark arts?" Hermione shifted and finally managed to get her question out. She waited for Bellatrix to laugh or something but what she heard was not what she was expecting.

Silence. Total and complete silence. Hermione looked and she saw Bellatrix look a bit shocked. "It's just that I know of your prowess in the subject and I am no longer given books on that material to study and I had hoped you would consider teaching me so that you may see that I am worth studying under you…" She would have stopped there but she needed to give Bellatrix a real reason to want to teach her "And if I am not then showing me the effects of different curses wouldn't really be what one would call punishment so much as a study aid" She finally stopped and waited in silence. She chanced a few more glances at Bellatrix who had not started to laugh or make any sort of remarks. In fact, she did not have any expression on her face. Without a word she continued to walk to the library and Hermione sighed, following her, realizing her plan failed. How would she ever be able to save her friends?

The library was especially quite. Bellatrix had not said a word to her. She had placed books in front of her and then left. The books today were on transfiguration. Darker transfigurations yes, but still not dark arts. It was hours before Bellatrix returned. Hermione did not look up to observe her though. There was still plenty of the book left for her to go through, since she had already finished the others, and she already knew that Bellatrix was in no way inclined to teach her.

Bellatrix had left to fire call her lord with the news. He had told her that the Mudblood would ask to learn the dark arts. He told her the mudblood would appeal to her desire to torture her to try to convince her. He told her to call him when she finally asked and call she did. He seemed pleased and gave her further instructions.

"She is brilliant Bellatrix. For a mudblood she is almost as smart as me, your lord. You must teach her cunning. You must instruct her with the highest standards. She will meet them. I have reason to suspect that Miss Granger is not all she appears to be. You can be certain that every time these children have foiled my plans was her doing. That sort of mind deserves to feel prized… Be a strong teacher"

She accepted her instructions, if her master saw something in this Muddy than she must be worth the trouble.

"Oh and Bellatrix… Her name is Hermione Granger, not Muddy. If we want to seduce her properly we must make her feel like she is wanted"

So here she was. In the library looking at the Mudblood who she was instructed to teach and also to not call Muddy. Well Granger, Hermione, Miss. Granger… All those simply would not do. If she was taking on her on as a student she needed a fiercer name. Bellatrix struck fear into the hearts of enemies. In time Hermione might… but she needed something else. They would think about it during the training. For now Hermione would work… she supposed.

"Are you done yet?"

Four simple words made her eyes shoot up. She looked at Bellatrix and then back to the book. She had about one paragraph left of the book. "I have one paragraph left"

Bellatrix summoned the book and scanned the paragraph "Unimportant. Come on we have work to do" She flicked the doors open and started to strut out of the room. "Hurry up Hermione" She called without looking back. Hermione was very puzzled. Did she just use her name? She heard that correct right? She got up quickly and moved to follow Bellatrix. She eventually caught up with her and then kept in pace. A billion questions buzzed in her head but she didn't want to speak in case this was all some sort of joke. It was just so weird that this was happening. Was Bellatrix truly going to teach her? Was she just going to be tortured? Why would she want to teach her? Was she instructed to do so? Was she bored and figured it would be entertainment? The list continued on and on. But she made no try to ask any of these questions and simply followed along.

They followed the hall till the end and took a left, then a right, two lefts, and went down stairs twice. "We have so much to do" Bellatrix walked to a closed door Hermione had never even seen before. She touched her wand to the knob and then turned to face Hermione. Hermione sudden found her own wand being stuffed into her hand "Touch the knob" Hermione starred at Bellatrix and her mind caught up a moment later and she moved in and touched her wand to the knob. Nothing seemed to happen, except she could feel that there was a difference. Maybe this was what it felt like when wards recognized you. "Next time we can just walk in" Yup, wards recognizing her.

Bellatrix pushed open the door and Hermione let her eyes run over the large room. One half was and open expanse of floor. There were weapons on the wall and dummies set up on one wall. There was also a large ornate cabinet in the corner with a similarly styled trunk not far down the wall. The ceiling had hooks attached to it, with hooks on different walls at different heights. The other side was another library of sorts. Shelves and shelves of books with a table and two chairs dominated the other half. Hermione was still standing in the doorway when Bellatrix spoke again "Well come on then" She was already in the middle of the practice side. "We will train here. Every day I expect you to come here after you have read in the library. Can you find your way back?" Hermione walked over to her and nodded "Good. If I take you to the library we will walk over together. Now we will see what you already know and work on your technique" Hermione was barely in front of her before Bellatrix threw a stinging hex at her. It hit her in the shoulder and Bellatrix tsked her "Come on now, that should not have hit you. You should have dodged it" She flicked another one at her and Hermione blocked it with a shield "No. You will expend too much energy and will be killed. Move" She did it again and Hermione dodged it, but before she could celebrate another hit her knee "Keep Moving"

They were at it for about two hours. And while that is such a short amount of time it was more than enough for the first day. Hermione's entire body had been hit with the stinging hex at least once. The last run she could dodge better and Bellatrix was showing her that sometimes you moved, others you blocked. She coached her throughout the two hours. Hermione sat on the floor leaning against a wall and Bellatrix came over to stand in front of her. "Stand up" Hermione pushed herself up and stood before the crazy witch. Bellatrix stared at her with a harsh eye, moving over her entire body as if evaluating her "You did alright for your first day. We will work on your fitness and theory after dinner"

"You mean we will be doing more later on?"

"What? Don't you want to learn to protect Potter and Weasley from us baddies? I know why you want to learn but I also know that there is something you don't know about the dark arts. You will learn, and quickly too. Not because you are so bright, but because you want to. You are jealous of the knowledge the Dark Lord holds, that I and every other death eater posses. Dear Hermione, I think I shall like having you fight at my side in the coming battles" She turned on her heel and left the room "You have two hours to eat, change into a light set of robes and clothes and be back here"

Harry woke up in a different room. Well he assumed it was different but truth was his glasses were off and he couldn't see anything. But the blobs were different, in different places. When he got his glasses on it was indeed a different room. It was the room he was at before him and Voldemort went away. He was surprised that there was no one here. He figured Voldemort would still be bothering him but nope, empty room. Harry stretched a bit before pushing back the covers, surprised yet again to find himself in pajamas. He knew that he did not fall asleep with clothes on. Sure most people would like waking up with clothes on but… he didn't care to have people dressing or undressing him for that matter. Besides, that meant the Voldemort probably dressed him and that was just not something he liked to think about. He got up and went to the bathroom to shower. Harry stood under the stream of water for a long time. Last night played through his head and he sighed. Never had he felt like he betrayed his friends and family more than he did right now. He was a very willing and active participant last night. He wanted and begged for it. While he knew that magic that Voldemort used on him helped lower his resistance, he knew that he also let it happen. No that wasn't right… He joined in. How could he have stooped to such a level? To fuck Voldemort? And like it? "I can't think about this… it's exactly what he wants. I will just forget about it" Harry closed his eyes and breathed in and out a few times, trying to relax and forget about what had taken place the night before. It was not an easy task but he managed to get the guilt ridden thoughts out of his head, at least for the rest of his shower.

When he finished washing and rinsing he stepped out. Enveloped in the steam, Harry grabbed a towel and rubbed his hair with it before drying his body and securing it to his waist. Walking to the counter, he then placed his hands down on it and stared into the mirror. He thought back to his first year at Hogwarts, when he first saw his parents. He closed his eyes and thought of them, but he knew they would not be proud of him. They would be sickened by him and all the things he had done. "I wish I was strong like you were" the whisper hung in the air for some time before he left the room, his guilt slowly seeping back into his mind.

He was mildly surprised that Voldemort was not waiting to ambush him when he returned from his shower, but he was grateful. He was able to dress in peace and eat the food that had appeared on his bed without being ridiculed. The moment he consumed the food the tray and dishes disappeared. He sat there wondering what next when his eyes moved to the desk and he saw a few books with a piece of paper on top. He stood up and looked down at the stack and read the note "Read these and learn the spells, practice the motions with the quill. I will know if you have not" It was not signed but it didn't need to be. He skimmed the titles and surprise surprise, they were all books on the dark arts. He sighed and grabbed a quill and paper and started to read. He liked to take notes when he read, it helped him learn things faster and Voldemort learned this when they were together alone. He started to supply him paper and a quill so that his studying was optimized.

So that is what he did, read, took notes, and practiced the wand motions. Food appeared at the appropriate times and snacks between the main meals. There was always a glass of water that replenished itself after every gulp so he would never be thirsty. Another thing that Voldemort learn about him was that he hated being thirsty. Whenever he was not with his relatives he strived to not be hungry or thirsty and Voldemort never made snide comments, he just supplied him with the food and water that he wanted. Not overly so but enough. It was odd how much Voldemort gave him and if he didn't hate him so much and want him dead he would probably have said thank you a few times. But he did and so those words only left his mouth if he had no other option.

The entire day had passed and he had finished a few of the books but there was no sign of Voldemort. It was odd but he was still grateful, the vacation from the man was a nice change that the 'vacation' he had with him. Though he wouldn't lie, he was rather bored in the room all alone. He placed the books on the desk again and searched the draws and found nothing. Not that he wasn't surprised, he had just hoped that the mirror he saw Hermione through would have found its way back here. Harry sighed and decided now was as good a time as any to go to bed. He changed into sleepwear and went under the covers. Maybe tomorrow the mirror would be back…

It wasn't in the desk the next day, or the one after that, or the one after that, or the one after that. Five days went by; every day was the same as the last. All he did was read and learn. He wasn't sure if he was even actually awake or if this was some elaborate limbo made for him to lose his mind. He missed seeing people. Hell, he would settle on seeing Snape. What was worse was that his magic was unsettled. Ever since he felt Voldemort's magic his seemed to want nothing more than to find Voldemort and be touched by his again. The feeling was disturbing to say the least but he couldn't help it. His magic was restless and he knew no way to calm it. He wished the man would just come by or something. Maybe this was some alternate reality… What did it matter anyway? He was stuck and he was not going to be free anytime soon. He tried wandless magic but he found himself unable to cast anything useful. He could make his quill float but nothing else. He knew he was stronger than that but it made no difference. No matter how much he concentrated or how precise his words or thoughts were he could only move the quill.

It was past lunch when his magic lurched inside him. Then he felt tendrils of Voldemort's magic seep into the room and the door opened revealing the man himself. Harry almost wanted to sigh with relief, he felt calm after days of discomfort. From the look on Voldemort's face, he could see the instant relaxation that melted through his body. He didn't react any other way to it though; he simply walked in and sat on a chair he summoned. Harry remained silent, but couldn't repress the shudder that moved through his body as Voldemort released a wave of magic his way "I shall never tire of your body's reaction to my magic" It was nice to hear another voice other than his own. It was nice to see another person besides himself. But this was Voldemort so he must want something. And it was never a good thing to have him in a room, alone no less. "I shall test you on what you learned this week, as I will every Friday" Harry felt Voldemort's eyes rest heavily on him but he didn't want to meet his eyes. He had to fight to repress a sigh when more magic slithered closer to him. "Yes… I do really I enjoy that" He must have been smirking, but Harry was still not looking. "What curse did you find most interesting?" That made Harry glance up at him… what kind of question was that?

"Sorry?"

Voldemort looked at harry and leaned in slightly as he spoke "I said, what curse did you find most interesting?"

"Err… I dunno, I didn't really have a favorite I guess" Voldemort let out an amused sound, not quite a chuckle but more than a hum. He tapped his wand on the chair while he looked at Harry.

"So you had a few you liked?" There was a smirk on his face, as if he was teasing Harry before testing him.

"No, I didn't really care for any of them really"

"Ahh" He stood up and walked to the desk holding a few books, but more importantly, all his notes. "What was the first one you learned?"

"Minutergum, it drew the blood from its victims from pores of the skin"

"And you don't like it?"

"Not particularly"

"Why?"

"I don't like hurting people and that curse is fairly gruesome for my tastes"

"And if you were going to use it against one of my death eaters…"

"What?"

"Would you use it against one of my death eaters"

"I dunno"

"I do not know, or I don't know. So you may not use a curse like this one to protect your friends and their families?"

"I would fight but I dunno if I would use that curse"

"You are intentionally being difficult. So what about fagmencollum? That one must be more to your tastes"

"Yeah… I suppose it would be"

"So would you use it?"

"I guess if it came down to it, to protect the my friends I would"

"And yourself?"

"Myself?"

"What would you use to protect yourself? Or have you decided that you are destined to die and have become a martyr?"

"I don't want to die"

"That wasn't what I ask you"

"Well I am stating that I do not want to die"

"You still haven't answered my question"

"Yes, I would use it to protect myself"

Voldemort remained silent, not moving a muscle. He simply watched Harry and then after a tense and very silent minute sighed, bringing a hand to his head. He rubbed his temple for a moment before his hand dropped and he starred right into Harry's eyes. "I don't think you would. I know you Harry Potter. I have been in your head, I know how you think. I know how you act. You would rather die than fight for your own life"

"Then why didn't you kill me in the graveyard? If I want to die so badly? Why did I fight you then?"

"Well, I do believe it wasn't until the following year that your godfather died… You have always been reckless but you have gotten much worse since he passed through the veil"

"Don't talk about him…" Harry's voice was soft, clearly angry.

"No need to be upset. Forget I said anything. Let's get back to your test and then we shall eat"

True to his word, he never said another word on the subject of his godfather. He only asked questions about the many books he had read. No curses were cast when the answer was wrong. He would shake his head and correct him. Telling him what his answer pertained to and then what the correct answer would have been. It was the weirdest thing to happen in the past months. Voldemort didn't seem to be annoyed with his wrong answers. He never got short with him or gave him looks that indicated he should have known something. He simply corrected and taught. Harry made the realization that he made in their week together was back… Voldemort was an astounding teacher. If he was hired for Defense Against the Dark Arts all those years ago Hogwarts would have definitely turned into some sort of magical powerhouse. Then again, this was like a private tutoring session. They were not in a class of forty or so students. It was the two of them, in a room, having an oral exam on a week worth of material.

Harry surprised himself with how much he remembered from earlier and how many details he had retained. Whatever Voldemort felt was carefully masked behind a face of patience. The questions continued for a long time, maybe pushing three or four hours, before the stopped and Voldemort only watched him. No sound was made for a minute before Harry shifted, feeling uncomfortable in the silence. It seemed to break whatever train of thought kept the Dark Lord quite.

"Study more, you did well but you also forgot basic things. You can't move forward until you have a firm grasp of these things" He stood and made his way to the door.

"Hang on" Harry almost regretted speaking up when Voldemort turned and looked at him expectantly but he was so confused. "Is that… I mean not that I want… but it's not like you… What I mean is that…"

"Yes Harry?"

Harry looked at him and didn't know what to think. Where was the monster that forced him to be an active participant in his rape? That touched him constantly and hissed innuendos to him. He didn't know what to think about this new monster that took his place. It was like night and day and it was confusing.

"Nevermind" Harry turned away and laid on the bed. A few seconds later he heard the door open and close and once again he was alone. It was only a few minutes after he left did Harry realize that Voldemort had left before they ever got to eat.

Voldemort was pleased with how well Harry did as he tested him, but he was overjoyed when he stopped him from leaving right away. He had noticed the difference of course, but stopping him meant that he didn't like the change, that he was far more comfortable with a more physical relationship. Well maybe it was just that he was used to it. Sure he didn't say it outright about not liking the change in behavior, but in another week or two Harry would do just about anything for some attention, even if it was from him.