The Venom In The Wound

Arthur groaned as his eyes flickered open. Sitting on the end of his bed, Gaius and Merlin sat heads together whispering furiously. He blinked and gazed around the room, something was missing but he couldn't place what it was. He sat up and stretched. At the sudden movement, Merlin and Gaius turned and looked at him.

"Arthur! Oh thank god!" Merlin exclaimed. Arthur rubbed his head and winced as he touched an extremely tender spot on the back of his head.

" Urgh… what happened?" he muttered. Gaius and Merlin looked at each other clearly concerned.

"Arthur… can you remember what happened to you?" Arthur looked blankly at him and shook his head. Gaius looked at Merlin and nodded. Merlin reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin, smooth stick. Arthur stared at it curiously, it seemed familiar but he could not place what it was.

Merlin reached out to Arthur with the stick. Arthur reached out and accepted the stick. It gently rolled into the palm off his hand and sat rubbed his head again and found the bruise. He frowned and then felt his forehead. He vaguely remembered being hit on the forehead but there was no pain in his forehead. He looked down at the stick. It was something to do with this. He closed his eyes. A voice swam in his mind like a distant dream.

Do you remember the first time you held a sword? It's the same thing

A beautiful face appeared his mind. She had big brown eyes and shoulder length hair. A smile played on her lips as she leaned in towards Arthur, there lips met and his eyes flew open. With a gasp all the memories came flooding back, meeting Hermione, the party, finding out Hermione was a witch, conducting the plan to save Hermione with Merlin, announcing to his father they were engaged, the fight with Merlin , stopping when Hermione fired a spell between them, the gastly redness of Merlin's eyes, the black cloud hovering over the castle, Hermione's smile as he joined her battle and finally the sudden blackness as with a flick of a hand being flung into the castle.

"What happened!" he whispered. Hermione's smile swam into his mind. "What happened to Hermione". Merlin sighed and settled down crossed legged on Arthurs bed.

"He took her, Lord Voldemort took her". Merlin whispered. Arthur's eyes widened and he shuddered as the mans pale face and bright red eyes replaced Hermione's image in his mind. He felt physically sick at the thought of Hermione in that horrendous mans grasp.

Merlin looked down at the prince who had a look of horror on his face. He could tell that Arthur had the same terrible thoughts running through his head. Hermione had told them how close to death she had been when Voldemort had captured he last and the terrible things had happened to her. A thousand questions were flying through his head… was Hermione safe… where were they holding her… what was happening to her… was she even.. Alive? Merlin looked up at the prince who had his head in his hands. He reached out towards him.

"Arthur?" he whispered. Arthur looked up at him with angry tears glinting in his eyes.

"Leave me alone, Merlin" he hissed. Merlin opened his mouth to answer but thought better off it seeing to pure vemon in Arthur's eyes. Merlin nodded and walked towards the door, he paused as his hand meet the door handle, he turned and saw Athur collapse into his pillow with sobs racking thorugh his body silently, shaking as each one broke to the surface. Merlin walked outside into the corridor. A unfamiliar guard who was stationed down the corridor walked towards him.

"Merlin? Are you alright?" he snarled. Merlin didn't answer but simply continued to look at his feet.

"Is this about the girl Arthur was going to marry?" Merlins eyes flickered up for a moment but he showed no emotion and just as quickly they returned to looking at his feet. The guard noticed his eye flick and frowned. He placed a hand on Merlin's shoulder and gently shook him. Merlin looked up at him warningly.

"You know Merlin… we all know you were with her when she was captured. Now none of us questioned why but… did you have feelings for her boy? If so we will have to assume that something was going on with you and her and in that case I will have to look into how you could be involved in her diss-" the man never got to finish his sentence. Merlin took the hand of the guard and with all his strenghth pushed his against the stone wall. The man cried out in pain as his arm twisted round and bent as Merlin's grip tightened.

Merlin hissed through his teeth and brought his face up to meet the mans eye's.

"First things first, her name was Hermione and she was the kindest, most beautiful woman I have ever met. Yes I did have feelings for her BUT I never acted on it and if you even such as suggest that I had anything to do with her dissapearence, so help me" he growled and for a moment the guard froze as a pale gold flame flashed in Merlins usual bright blue eyes. He looked beside him to find a torch burning brighter than ever and he gulped. Was Merlin using magic? Merlin growled again and raised a hand to bring it down on his face. An hand appeared on his arm and a soothing voice said "enough Merlin, enough" The guard opened his eyes and saw Gaius with his arms around a sobbing Merlin who had tears running down his face.

"Gaius" the quard hissed. The elder man looked up from Merlin who had crumpled on the floor. "You have to learn how to control him… he could end up in trouble with a problematic temper like that", he said the word problematic thick with implications. Gaius paled and his eyes flicked towards the torch beside the guard which was burning more ferociously than possible. Merlin looked up and swallowed as his eyes found the flame. The guard smiled and sneered at the same time sending shivers down Merlin's and Gaius's spines.

Hermione looked up as the chains rattled above her head. With a groan she gave one last tug as the rusting metal creaked and the rubbed and sharpened points dug and scraped into her skin. She whimpered as a particullary large piece of reddy brown metal dug into her wrist, tearing as it moved up and leaving a long gash along her forearm as it travelled. Blood poured out of the wound and she shuddered as she felt the rust enter her blood. Hermione collapsed against the wall , bullets of sweat pelted down her face and she closed her eyes trying to summon the strength to continue. Her eye's flickered open and she gritted her teeth to begin the process again.

Tut- tut - tut. The noise echoed around the dungeon. Hermione looked over to the dungeon door and a snarl crossed her face. Voldemort stood there flanked by Bellatrix , Nimueh and with a shudder Hermione recognised the mutilated face of Fenir Greyback. Sensing her fear Fernir half smiled and half snarled revealing all his teeth. Hermione gulped but kept her face expressionless.

"Miss Granger" Voldemort whispered as he walked towards her. He placed his hand under her chin and lifted he head until she was inches away from his. Since she had been captured Hermione had become less and less immune to Voldemorts mind control much to her glee and his annoyance. Hermione forced a smile onto her face and resisted the urge to spit at him, she had discovered that it helped no-one if she acted up.

"Miss Granger, I thought that I would keep an eye on two young friends of yours. Apparently our young warlock friend cant control his temper" Voldemort whispered in a voice that made her skin crawl ,Hermione stiffened internally but didn't show it on her face. She forced herself to look Voldemort right in the eye and locked on refusing to show weakness to the man who could have her murdered with a wave of his hand or even worse could give the order to capture Merlin leaving his desting unfulfilled.

Voldemort nodded and a man was pushed forward into the centre of the room. The man looked around in panic and found Hermione's eyes. " Miss Granger" he whispered, moving forward so that his face came into the little light that was streaming from a small gap in the ceiling. Immediately she recognised him as the sweet guard who stood outside Arthur's door every morning , the very same that had wished her and Arthur well when their "wedding" was announced. Voldemort looked at Hermione a sneer on his face and she looked down at the floor. The guard looked around urgently and whimpered as the drooling face of Fernir Greyback appeared next to his face as he ran a finger down his neck. The guard who was no more than a boy really gulped as Fernir removed the boys helmet and placed it on his head with a sneer on his face but Hermione felt her soul soar as he held his head high and accepted his fate. Fernir, Hermione and the guard looked up at Voldemort who with no expression of remorse gave a slight incline of the head and that was it.

The guard was scooped up over the werewolves shoulder and carried fireman style out of the door. Hermione's guard a tall and gangly looking Death Eater made to cover the latch that he peered through to ensure that Hermione wasn't escaping but was stopped by Bella.

"The Dar Lord want's her to hear" she hissed as she flounced away. The guard nodded and the hatch remained open although hatch or no hatch Hermione was sure that the screams that echoed around the dungeons would reach her ears followed by the deathly silence or if the guard had been paticulary unlucky a heart wrenching whimper and cry for help followed by a sudden snap. Luckily for this guard it was the first one.