Chapter 10

Through the dungeons

March 1998

Hermione POV

It was still dark outside and the Manor was quiet. Together they left the small chamber, closing the door carefully behind them. Hermione felt exposed and vulnerable without her wand. She was entirely at the mercy of Draco Malfoy, the notorious Slytherin and her former arch enemy. She still needed to decide whether she trusted him or not; not that she had much of a choice at the moment. And she had no knowledge what so ever of his fighting skills, since she had seen him in action for real. It's probably better not to think too much about it now.

"Lumos," Draco whispered, creating a tiny lightning ball at the tip of his wand, which made it barely possible for them to see the see the floor in front of them. They hurried her along the corridor and into the great hall, watchful of noises and the sound of steps. Luckily the great hall was empty. From the yard they heard muffled voices and an occasional laughter from the guards, who were trying to pass the time. The great bell on top of the manor chimed four times and Draco paled visibly.

"We need to get out of here before dawn," he whispered urgently.

A modest staircase in the back corner of the otherwise impressive hall led down to the dungeons. The mere thought of returning there made Hermione's skin erupt in goose bumps and she felt slightly nauseous. Down the staircase the two of them went. It was clearly a less groomed part of the Manor, since the tiny lightening ball revealed several cobwebs and a lot of old dust. They reached the cellar and moved along the stone floor as quietly as possible. The corridor in the basement was filled with old and partly useless magical items and artefacts from forgotten ages. Both sides of the corridor were stocked with old, worn out furniture, and every surface was covered with old books, potion equipments and probably a lot of trash. Hermione had to stifle a sneeze from all of the dust and mould in the air and the dampness of the stone walls sent shivers down her spine and she willed herself not tothink about last night. This was just another basement, like the one at home. She would not succumb to another flashback, there was no time.

Suddenly they heard the sound of steps. Someone was approaching.

"Quick," Draco whispered. "Hide in the corner, behind the massive desk of drawers."

They hunkered down behind the massive piece of furniture, carefully avoiding bumping into the many strange artefacts on top of it.

From a room further down the corridor they heard a throaty female voice muttering to herself about blood purity and filthy, tainted blood.

Hermione froze instantly and started shaking all over.

She knew this voice. She knew it very well. It was the voice of her tormenter from last night; the deranged voice of the infamous Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange.

She couldn't help it; she was now shaking uncontrollably. Draco grabbed her shoulders and led her down beside him, hiding her from plain sight. She accidentally brushed a small vial of glass from the surface of the desk of drawers they were hiding behind, and it fell down to the floor, shattering loudly.

The throaty voice from the other room quieted immediately. After a short while they heard footsteps approaching down the corridor.

"Who's hiding in the basement? Is it a little mouse? Or is it a filthy traitor trying to escape? Come out and play in my dungeons. Come out and play," Bellatrix crooned in a creepy sing song voice.

The blood rushed from Hermione's head and she felt dizzy. She was paralysed with terror, like a deer in the headlights.

The wizard next to her clenched his jaw and took her hand with one hand, while keeping his wand ready with the other. This was the end of their pathetic attempt at escaping. This was the very end, Hermione was certain of it.

Halting steps and random movement of objects betrayed the fact that Bellatrix was now thoroughly searching the messy corridor.

Suddenly another set of steps appeared from the opposite direction, and Hermione caught a glimpse of a characteristic bat-like shape in billowing robes.

"Playing with our imaginary friends again, are we, Bellatrix?" Snape said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Someone is hiding in the basement. I heard noises from shattering glass!"

"That someone was me dropping a vial in my potions lab. Your paranoia knows no bounds, Bellatrix! Who in their sound mind would hide in these basements, when you're lurking around eager to torture anyone out of their minds?"

Bellatrix laughed; a hoarse cackling sound.

"You were always a softie, Severus. Don't you think I've noticed? You never participate in any torturing, unless it's a direct order from the Dark Lord."

Hermione was close to losing it; she barely detected a couple of strong arms trying to hold her still and a soothing whisper in her ear.

"We all serve the Dark Lord as best we can, Bellatrix. Some are prone to random displays of vulgarity and violence, while others, like me, work with their mind," he drawled, and continued. "As of now my order is to create a bunch of healing potions for the war to come in a primitive potions lab with half of my usual ingredients missing. And I would really appreciate it if you could leave, so that I can work in peace and quiet. Besides, your husband is looking for you!"

"Marital bliss is of little importance, when the survival of the Wizarding society is threatened by the tainted blood from the filthy Mudbloods," she sneered.

"Of course not... But nevertheless your husband seems to think you've abandoned him. And he's pestering each and all of us with questions of your whereabouts. So do us all a favour and go see him, will you!"

Bellatrix huffed furiously and marched away. Soon her irate steps could be heard moving up the spiral staircase.

"She's gone, you can come out now. It wasn't so difficult to see you," Snape said in a quiet voice.

"Are you going to deliver us to the Dark Lord?" Draco asked, his voice trembling.

"I made an unbreakable wow in order to protect you, and believe me you're not making it any easier for me with your sneaking around at night. But no, I'm not going to turn you over to the Dark Lord. I probably should, however the wow keeps me from doing it," he said with an indifferent sigh.

Hermione felt a sense of unreality wash over her, and the voices became more and more distant. It was as if she couldn't get enough air. She felt like suffocating, her heart pounding fiercely, as if her chest was going to explode. Dark spots appeared in her field of vision. She couldn't speak, couldn't think clearly. Help me, I'm dying. I'm suffocating. Help me.

From far away she heard Draco's anxious voice:

"Please uncle, can you help her. I have no idea what's wrong with her. She was in a similar state earlier this evening, but I managed to bring her back again. Now she's somewhere far away and I can't reach her. I'm afraid there's something seriously wrong with her."

"Lay her down, she's close to fainting," Snape ordered.

Her body was floating and felt the tingling sensation of a diagnostic spell.

"She's suffering from an anxiety attack; probably an after effect from Bellatrix' rough treatment of her last night. And furthermore she's close to a collapse from exhaustion. I'll levitate her into my primitive potions lab and then I'll see what I can do. We're way too exposed in this corridor."

Hermione was moved somewhere, but she couldn't care less. She felt numbness spreading throughout her body and the walls were closing in on her. A chiming sound became louder and louder. She was struggling for air. Someone held some kind of bag in front of her face.

"Here! Breathe in and out quietly. There, there, relax. Take a deep breath and hold it," the soothing voice of her former potions professor said.

But she was losing control. She was slipping into a very dark place, a world of flames, mutilated bodies and intense pain. She was caught inside of herself without means to escape. Faintly she heard the anxious voice of Draco, and the tense baritone voice of professor Snape discussing something.

Someone held a vial to her lips and told her to drink. Obediently she took a sip and shortly after the flames started to fade. Or they didn't exactly fade away; she was just increasingly indifferent to them. A calming warm sensation spread from inside of her, chasing away those unwanted memories. From a distance she heard the voice of her potions professor droning on, but she couldn't quite make out the words, and frankly she did not care what he said. All she wanted to do was to stay in this bubble of indifference forever. Her body relaxed and she eased into sleep.

She had no idea of how much time had passed, when suddenly someone shook her gently and a vial was held to her lips again.

"Here, drink this. It's a vial of Revive Potion. The two of you need to be going soon."

She woke with a start, feeling as if a bucket of ice water was poured at her. Abruptly she sat up, noticing two concerned faces watching her intently. She was positioned at a table in some sort of potions lab and she recognised the peculiar chemical odour immediately.

"Oh thank Merlin, you're awake!" Draco cried out, his worried expression changing into wide smile.

He really should smile more often, she thought, when the warmth shining from his stormy grey eyes reached her. There was no trace left of his trademark sneer, and he looked incredibly handsome.

"What happened?" she croaked. "Were we taken by Bellatrix? I remember hearing her voice, and then it all became dark."

"You're safe now. Or at least you're safe for the moment. But we need to get going soon. Don't worry! We'll make it out of here, I promise!" he said, taking her hand.

Professor Snape still looked worried. Using his wand, he cast several diagnostic spells, and she felt him probing inside her mind using legilimency. Desperately she tried to put everything concerning Harry, Ron and Horcrux hunting behind mental walls, but she was too weak and exhausted, and could only hope that Snape didn't find anything of use to the Dark Lord.

The bat-like wizard looked ill. It was as if he had aged several years since he taught at Hogwarts, and for the first time she noticed threads of silvery grey in his pitch-black greasy hair. The man was a mystery. It appeared as if he was helping her, and yet he delivered a severe blow to The Order by murdering professor Dumbledore. Snape cleared his voice and said:

"Miss Granger. You had an anxiety attack and a severe flashback, which caused some kind of mental break down. I tried to end it, using a simple Potion for Dreamless Sleep. By the looks of it, I succeeded; or at least, I succeeded at the time being."

He handed her a vial containing a Christmas red liquid and continued his speech.

"Being exposed to the Cruciatus Curse repeatedly is not to be taken lightly. I have restored your sanity for now, but I strongly suggest that you to see a mental healer as soon as you can. I'm no healer, only a mere Potioneer, remember. Until it's possible for you to go to a real healer, take two sips of this Calming Draught before you go to sleep and one sip whenever you start to panic."

Hermione nodded storing the vial in her pocket. Then she looked him directly into his onyx eyes.

"You're puzzling me, professor Snape. I got the clear impression that you chose to follow the Dark Lord instead of the Order, and yet you seem to be helping me. Why?"

Snape hesitated for a while, as if he was considering something. Then he seemed to make up his mind, and pointed his wand towards his head, extracting some of his memories, pouring the silvery substance into another vial.

"I do what I have to do, let's just leave it at that. Bring this vial to Potter, he'll know what to do with it," he said handing it over to her. He continued in his usually stern teaching voice:

"And you need to sleep as soon as you can, I cannot stress that enough. As soon as you get out of here, disapparate somewhere and sleep for several hours! Do it before you go back to Hogwarts, or wherever you headed! Your magical core is exhausted, and your core is what's keeping you together mentally. So promise me you'll sleep before you do anything else."

"I promise," she said quietly. He didn't need to tell her she was exhausted, she already felt like it. The effect of the Revive Potion was already wearing of, and she felt as if she was a hundred years old.

"Quick, go now," the potions master continued, making a shooing gesture. "Dawn will break soon and you need to be out of here before someone notices you're missing."

"Thank you so much, godfather... for everything... I'll miss you. When all of this is over, we'll meet again, right?" Draco said, looking hopeful.

Snape grabbed Draco by the shoulders and looked at him with an almost contrite expression.

"We might," he said solemnly. "But if we don't, promise me you'll take good care of yourself! I liked being your godfather, it was always challenging, never boring. And please go now!" To Hermione it sounded as if he said goodbye.

They left the small potions lab and ran down the corridor and into a small dusty library, containing what looked like lots and lots of forbidden books on dark magic. Draco searched the room and found an old painting of a galley in the middle of a storm. Carefully he removed the painting. He raised his wand, uttering an unlocking charm. A keyhole appeared at the wall.

"Now it's your turn, Hermione. Use the ring."

Her brows furrowed in concentration as she raised her finger. There was no way the ring would in any way fit into the hole. She thought for a while, and then tried to cast a simple Disillusionment Charm. A small key appeared attached to the ring. She put the key into the keyhole and turned it around. With a slow creaking sound a door opened in front of them, and a mould-smelling passage dug into the ground appeared in front of them. The two of them stepped into the claustrophobic darkness, and Hermione found herself clutching Draco's hand.

When safely inside the secret passage, Draco cast a Colloportus Charm on the secret door, and the door closed behind them, slamming loudly. Unfortunately they couldn't put the painting back on the wall, so they needed to hurry up, in case someone else found the passage.

They were groping their way through the unlit passage. Hermione was now weary with fatigue. She needed to rest, and she needed it soon. She stifled a yawn, forcing herself to move forward.

Draco lowered his pace and looked at her searchingly.

"Are you okay?"

"Just extremely tired, but I think I will be," she said, trying to smile reassuringly.

"Lean on me for support."

She laid her arm over his shoulders, letting him drag her forward while savouring his muscular chest and his woody masculine smell. Something stirred inside of her.

If only I wasn't so dead tired...

After what felt like walking underground forever, the passage led upwards towards a rusty iron lid. Hermione could tell that it was very heavy, because Draco clenched his jaw when he used the Levitation Charm. Up onto the ground they went. Trees were all around them, and it was light; dawn had broken now.

"Take my hand, Hermione, we need to disapparate quickly."

"Where are we going?" she asked anxiously.

"Anywhere, but here! Somewhere in Scotland, close to Hogwarts, but not too close. Come on, we need to go now."

She shrugged, taking his hands. It was becoming a habit to hand over the control of events to other people, and she was not fond of said habit, but she had zero wand and she was so exhausted she could almost sleep while standing. She felt the familiar pull from apparating and was sucked into nothingness for a short while; and shortly after she struggled to gain her footing in a clearing near a beautiful lake. Judged by the vegetation and the surrounding hills they were obviously in the northern part of Great Britain now.

Draco offered his arm for support, while trying to hide a small smile. Bloody show-off! Ron and Harry always mocked her relentlessly about her lack of finesse while apparating. And it looked as if Draco found it hilarious too. She would have given him a snappy comeback, if she wasn't so extremely tired now. The apparition had taken the very last of her strength. Her eyelids felt so heavy. If she could just close her eyes for a moment... Just close them and relax... Just one moment...

"Hermione, don't faint on me again," Draco said, gently shaking her arm.

She was lifted up and held in his strong arms; he carried her and laid her down on a carpet of moss, while he used his wand to raise the little magical tent.

Almost completely gone, she felt herself being lifted inside of the tent and laid down on a soft mattress. A vial was held to her lips and she took two sips of the Calming Draught.

She was not sure whether she was dreaming or not, but it was almost as if Draco's soft lips kissed her forehead while he bid her goodnight. Curving her lips into a smile, she fell into a deep dreamless sleep.