A/N: We're moving right along now! Thanks to RenitaLeandra and Keladry Lupin for all their work!

Chapter 10

Hermione awoke feeling like she had been run over by the Knight Bus. Groaning, she struggled to sit up and wiped her bleary eyes with filthy hands. She saw that next to her was a crudely-shaped goblet of water. She picked it up and, although it tasted bitter and dirty, she drank it all, wishing there was more. There was a bowl of watery broth as well, and she began to slowly drink from it. She felt a certain amount of relief that apparently they meant to keep her alive for the time being, but in the back of her mind she thought how strange it was that a person could go from a normal life to utterly desperate in such a short amount of time.

She looked over towards Draco, who was watching her with interest.

"So what brings you to this lovely little corner of the world?" he asked with a trace of a smirk around his lips.

"Snape kidnapped me," she said hollowly, "as bait for Harry."

Draco gave her a strange look and Hermione had the feeling that he didn't believe her; however he didn't press her on the subject.

"So I heard about Weasley," he said callously. "I could hear the noise from down here. Snape told me all about it."

Hermione again felt tears sting her eyes but said nothing. She did not want to talk about Ron to Draco. He continued on, though.

"The Dark Lord was in a serious temper after that one," he said standing up and stretching his legs. "Ranting and raving about how Potter got away again. He said it seemed awfully funny how quickly he got away. He questioned all the Death Eaters for a long time about it; didn't seem to think they'd done enough."

Hermione again said nothing. She had no idea what Draco knew and she wasn't about to trust him. Instead she swallowed the rest of the broth, trying not to spill it in her haste. She looked back at Draco, and he was still staring at her as if she were an insect.

"Will you stop staring at me, Malfoy?" she said irritably.

"I'm just trying to figure out the real story," he said casually.

"I've already told you. If you think I would come here voluntarily, you're as mental as your aunt," Hermione snapped. She did not want him getting too curious about her situation.

Draco coloured at her remark, and it was clear from his look of disgust that he did not care much for his mother's sister anymore.

"Actually, yes, I do think you would come here voluntarily, if it would help out your precious Potter. It would be just the kind of pathetic, noble thing a Gryffindor would do." He said the words more matter-of-fact than with outright maliciousness. Then he dropped his voice to little more than a whisper. "Besides, I happen to know that Snape is still working for the Order."

Hermione's eyes widened with fear and she looked towards the door, expecting Death Eaters to come crashing in at Draco's announcement. He followed her eyes and gave a mirthless chuckle.

"Don't worry, Granger. These doors are thick enough that they can't hear us if we talk quietly enough. Trust me, I have experimented plenty with exactly what I can get away with and what I can't."

Hermione still looked nervous and was not sure if she could believe him. He didn't seem to be bothered by this and he sat back down in his corner.

"That's fine," he said drinking from his own goblet. "You don't have to tell me. I'll hear it all from Snape eventually, anyway."

The hours passed with agonizing slowness. Draco seemed to have developed a good sense of time during the year he had spent confined in the room. He informed her that it had been more than two days since she had first arrived. He then told her how everyone had beenin a frenzy when Snape had first brought her in, as if they were lions with injured prey. Hermione shuddered when she remembered how Wormtail had wanted to kill her right away.

Draco had seemed curious about the events of the past year, especially any news of Hogwarts. Again Hermione felt a bit of sympathy when she remembered how he had not even had the chance to finish school. He was still arrogant and rude, but he did not have the cruel edge to him that he once did.

After several hours of staring at the walls, punctuated only by the questions from Draco that came at further and further intervals, Hermione began to grow tired again. She slumped against the corner of the wall, drawing her legs up close to her body in the hopes of preserving some of her body heat.

She was just beginning to drift off when she heard the scrape of the door being opened. She jerked back awake, tried to scoot as far into the corner as she could. She noticed that Draco had also sat up and was looking apprehensively at the door. It was with an extreme amount of relief that Hermione saw Severus walk through the door. She saw two guards standing outside the door behind him and she forced her expression into one of fear.

"Well, Mudblood," he snarled, "The Dark Lord is once again requesting your presence." He then shut the door with a slam and walked over towards her, kneeling down so that he was eye to eye with her. He pulled a hunk of bread, a slice of cheese and a vial of some sort of potion out of his robes.

"Eat fast," he said quietly, "and drink that. It's a pain potion. You will need it tonight. I was not lying. The Dark Lord has asked me to bring you to him."

Hermione felt a sudden lurch of fear and, for a moment, thought she would not be able to eat. However, the gnawing hunger was too great and she grabbed for the food, eating with considerably less dignity than she would have liked to imagine. Severus turned around and tossed an equal portion of bread and cheese to Draco, who caught it with a smirk, as if to remind Hermione of her earlier doubts.

"Thanks!" he said as he too began to eat. "Next time, you think you could bring some roast pheasant?"

"Draco has developed an unusual sense of humour in the last year," Severus said as she finished the food and brushed the crumbs from her hands.

"I'm sorry that I failed," Hermione said in a quiet voice, her eyes downcast. "I couldn't keep the memories from him."

Severus forced her chin up so that she had to look at him. "You did not fail," he said in an equally quiet but intense voice. "You lasted longer than most wizards and witches would have. Do not ever apologize."

He gestured to the potion that she forgot she was holding and she swallowed it quickly, grimacing at the taste and handed the empty vial back to him, which he hid away. He reached down and pulled her to her feet. As he began to remove her shackles, she noticed he had a bruise on his face and his lip looked swollen.

"What happened to your face?" she whispered.

"Your bloody best friend," he said shortly, "seems to think I should be getting you out a bit quicker."

Hermione felt her heart lighten at his words and a ghost of a smile played at her lips. He noticed and his eyes softened for a moment, but then as he finished removing her shackles, his eyes grew hard and cold again.

"Let's go, Miss Granger," he said in a louder and more authoritative voice. "I don't believe you will want to be on the receiving end of the Dark Lord's bad humour."

"Good luck, Granger," Draco called from behind. "I'm still sore from his last bad mood."

He laughed to himself and Hermione was forced to wonder if he was entirely sane. Perhaps the months of torture and isolation had made him unstable. She had precious little time to worry about it; as once again she was being pulled through the Manor hallways towards Voldemort.

Severus pushed open a door, and Hermione found herself in what appeared to have once been a study. It was not the room that she had been in before and she looked around nervously. Voldemort was sitting in a high-backed chair, with Bellatrix standing close to him.

"Thank you, Severus," Voldemort said. "You may go now."

Severus hesitated for only the slightest of moments and then bowed and left the room. Hermione stood facing Voldemort and resisted the urge to try to run. Instead she stood as tall as she could; refusing to show any fear.

"I must say I am a little disappointed Potter has not yet made more of an effort to find you," Voldemort said standing and walking towards her. "Once again I seem to have overestimated the loyalties of your little band of soldiers."

Bellatrix snickered behind him. "That's what you get from a bunch of blood traitors and Mudbloods," she said, also walking up to join him. "After all, if you can't even be loyal to your own race, who can you be loyal to?"

Hermione continued to stand, still refusing to speak. Bellatrix grabbed her face, her long nails digging into Hermione's skin.

"Proud little bitch, aren't you?" she sneered. "It's about time you learned some humility."

"All in good time, Bellatrix," Voldemort said with an evil smile. "I know how much you have been looking forward to this. But first, I would like to see the rest of the Mudblood's secrets."

He towered over Hermione, forcing her to look in his cold red eyes. She immediately began to block him from entering her mind and she could see the frustration on his face. He turned away from her for several moments and when he turned back, his face was impassive again.

"Perhaps you are right, Bellatrix. Maybe it is time for her to learn a lesson in humility."

Bellatrix stepped forward, an eager expression on her face. "Perhaps you would like to beg, you filthy Mudblood?"

Hermione stood firm. "I would not lower myself to your level," she said through gritted teeth.

Bellatrix slashed her wand and it felt like a fire whipped at Hermione's face. Instinctively she reached her hand up and felt hot blood coming from a gash at her cheek.

"Do you like that?" Bellatrix asked with a smile. "Would you like more?" She whipped her wand again and Hermione felt a slash across her arm. She gasped at the pain but refused to move. Bellatrix's face was a hard mask of fury.

"YOU HORRID LITTLE MUDBLOOD!" she screamed. "YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE IN OUR WORLD!"

"Now, really," she heard a drawl coming from behind Bellatrix, "that isn't very ladylike."

As Bellatrix stood aside, Hermione saw Antonin Dolohov step forward. She tried to suppress the cold wave of terror that swept through her. He reached up, cupping her cheek with his hand. His eyes were ice and his smile made her shiver.

"Ah, my dear, I have dreamed of this since Snape first brought you here. It was such a disappointment that it was he that got to torture you first, but then I suppose he had earned it. I can't imagine being forced to teach Mudblood filth like you year after year."

"Perhaps you would like to beg now," Bellatrix said with an eager smile.

"Never!" Hermione's voice rang out, spitting on Dolohov.

Dolohov's face contorted in anger and he raised his wand. "You, my dear, are going to regret that."