The walk to the dining room was quicker than I would've liked it to be. I needed time to think. How was I going to pull this off? I had no intention of making the potion but I needed to produce something or they would go back to torturing Hermione. Need to think of something.
When we entered, Duncan was there sitting in an armchair reading a book. He looked up when Roy cleared his throat and he set his book down on the arm.
"Draco, this is a surprise. I was not expecting you today," he said pleasantly.
"He says he has something to tell you," Cliff explained.
"Well, let's hear it." Duncan stood and folded his hands in front of him expectantly.
I needed to keep Hermione safe. But she will hate me if I make a poison to kill Potter. If I make a poison for Potter. It came to me so suddenly that I had to stop the smile that threatened to take over my face. "I'll make your potion."
"Excellent. I knew you would come around. You may begin working immediately," Duncan smirked and sat back down with his book.
I turned toward the table and looked at the items on its surface. There were many different ingredients and tools that I could use but not the things that I would need to make the potion I had in mind. I picked up the valerian root and sniffed it. When it gave off the right scent I put it in the pile of things I would use. But this was all that was in that pile.
"If you want me to make this potion I am going to need a little more than this to work with," I said, not looking up from the table.
"All of these items are used in some type of poison. This is all you will need," Duncan replied.
My heart sped up slightly but I swallowed down the anxiety and said, "I am creating a new potion for you that will make it impossible for a person to be revived as soon as it touches their lips."
"That is mighty ambitious for someone who did not want to make the potion in the first place," he said suspiciously.
"Potions are my life. I never half-ass things."
"Splendid. Make a list and Roy will get you your ingredients."
They took me back to my cell after that. When I walked inside Hermione was sitting in a corner and didn't look up when I entered.
I didn't have to ask to know that she was angry with me. Her posture was stiff and she was curling in on herself. I sat down on the opposite wall and waited to see if she would say something. She didn't. For well over an hour she was silent.
I hated not talking to her. It was putting me on edge. The ringing in my ears was deafening and I could feel my skin tingling. She needed to know it wasn't what she thought. I wasn't making a poison to kill Potter. But I had a feeling we could be listened in on to and I knew I couldn't come right out and say what I was doing. If I was going to tell her I needed to be subtle. But how?
"Granger?" My voice was throaty from not using it in so long.
She didn't respond to me or make any move to acknowledge she was listening to me. I scooted closer to her and called her name once more but she ignored me.
"Granger, can you talk to me? Or at least listen to what I have to say?" I asked.
She continued ignoring me and I tentatively set my hand on her shoulder. That was obviously a terrible idea because as soon as I touched her she swung around and pushed me away, hitting my rib in the process. I wheezed and saw a couple of black dots enter my vision. Don't black out. I blinked the black dots away and focused on Hermione's face. She looked ready to curse me into oblivion. If she had a wand I don't doubt she would have. Her eyes were in slits and her nostrils were flaring. I exhaled shakily as the pain in my rib subsided to a dull pain.
"It's not what you think," I said warily.
"Are you making the potion?" she asked in a tone that made me scoot a little away from her.
They could be listening. I needed to be careful. "Yes, I am making the potion. But—"
"Then it is exactly what I think! Harry is going to die because of you!" she yelled.
I flinched and this only seemed to make her even more furious. "Stay away from me."
She turned away and I knew I was losing her. I couldn't lose her though. She was the only thing keeping me sane. I grabbed her arm and forced her to turn toward me. "Granger—"
"Don't touch me!" she screamed and tried pushing me away.
I bit my lip hard from crying out as she punched me hard in my chest, right where my cut was. I grabbed hold of both her wrists and looked her straight in the eye. "Hermione, listen to me. LISTEN!"
She paused in her thrashing for a moment and I took that chance to explain what I was doing to the best of my ability. "Do you remember our very first lesson with Snape?"
Hermione looked dumbfounded at my question and I continued quickly. "Do you remember that deadly poison Snape told us about?"
She still looked confused as she said, "What?"
"The poison Snape told us about. The one with asphodel," I whispered.
Her eyes widened in understanding and I knew that she knew that I was not planning on killing Potter with a deadly poison at all. I was going to make them think I was making a deadly poison but in reality I was going to brew a batch of Draught of Living Death. It was a tricky potion that not many people attempt to brew. We were required to make it once in Advanced Potions but no one was able to make it except Potter. I never did figure out how he was able to do it. Potter was rotten at potions yet he was able to get the perfect pale color that the draught emits. It didn't make sense.
Hermione was still staring at me and hadn't said a word yet. I know she understood what I meant though. Not many people would, which made it safe to say just that simple ingredient. She would know I am not trying to kill Potter. Yet she didn't say anything. I couldn't even tell what she was thinking.
"I know you care for Potter, but it is the only way for me to get out of here alive," I said, encoded with meaning. To an outsider it sounded like I was being my selfish self, but I hoped that Hermione understood that it was not me who I was trying to save.
After an agonizing couple of minutes, she slowly nodded at me and I knew she understood.
The next morning I was shaken awake. It was still dark out and it took my eyes a second to adjust to the darkness. I sat up groggily and looked around frantically. Hermione was sitting close to me and waiting patiently for me to come to. She looked scared and small, huddling her knees to her chest.
"What's wrong?" I asked, still trying to figure out what had given her that worried look.
"They are going to kill me, aren't they?" The way she said it was like she already knew the answer.
I was taken aback for a second before pulling her even closer to me. She didn't resist and let me wrap my arms around her. "No. You are not going to die."
"They are going to realize soon that I won't give them anything and they will kill me."
"Stop talking like that. You aren't going to die," I said, trying to calm my beating heart. I didn't like this conversation one bit. She couldn't die. Just the thought of it was making my whole body tense up and a sickening feeling to reside in my stomach.
"Just promise me something?" Her soft brown eyes looked up at me and they held so much pain in them I let her continue. "Please make sure my kids get out safely. Make sure they get back to Ron. Tell them I'm sorry and I Iove them."
"Granger," my voice broke as I began running my fingers through her hair.
"Promise me," she pleaded.
"You will tell them yourself because we are going to get out of here, okay?" I needed her to stop talking like this. It was grating my sanity listening to Hermione say these things.
She didn't say anything and I pulled her head to rest on my shoulder. "Don't give up, Granger. I need you."
"I'm not giving up. I am just thinking realistically," she mumbled into my shirt.
"I will figure something out. Just don't give up on me," I said shakily.
"Okay," she replied. Her response wasn't much but it calmed me enough to fall back asleep.
The steel door being opened woke me. Hermione was already scooting away from me into the corner of the cell. I stayed seated where I was. I know I agreed to make the potion but I was not going to make it easy for them. Roy opened the bars and something wasn't right. He wasn't looking at me. He was looking at Hermione.
I shot up despite the pain that jolted through my torso and put myself between Hermione and Roy.
"Move," he said through gritted teeth.
"I said I would make the potion. I am supposed to go. Not her." I stood my ground hoping he changed his mind and took me instead.
"It almost sounds like you care, Malfoy," Cliff snickered in the doorway.
I ignored him and took a step forward. Roy was quick. I didn't even have time to defend myself before he had my hurt arm wrapped behind my back and shoved against the wall. I cringed at the fresh set of pain that was now wracking through my arm.
"Move," Roy growled in Hermione's direction.
No. They can't take her again. I attempted to get away from Roy's hold but he only restrained his hold on me even tighter. I grunted when he suddenly slammed my head into the wall.
"Stop, you're hurting him!" Hermione shouted.
"Cliff," Roy ordered.
I heard footsteps then struggling. In vain, I tried to get away and help Hermione but it was useless. I was too weak and there was nothing I could do. Roy threw me on the hard cement when Cliff had gotten Hermione out of the cell and followed after the other man. The sound of the bars slamming in place made me shut my eyes in complete despair.
I had failed her yet again. They were going to hurt her again and I could do nothing to stop it. What if she is right? What if they killed her? No. Don't think like that. But I could already feel the thought of Hermione dead and me all alone in this cell beginning to seep into my thoughts and my head felt like a belt was tightening around it. I couldn't let the insane thoughts take over though. I couldn't lose myself when there was a chance Hermione could come back. No, Hermione is coming back. I needed to be right in the head when she came back.
It was easier said than done and I spent the rest of the day telling myself that she was coming back and pushing the insanity away. I almost gave up hope when it started to get dark. Where was she? Why haven't they brought her back? It was getting late. They should have brought her back by now. I listened for any sounds but I heard nothing. Not even the sound of her screams which had stopped awhile ago. It was quiet in my cell and it was making the hairs on the back of my neck stick up. I could just feel the start of the insanity sneaking in when the steel door opened.
I sat up and watched as Roy opened the bars. They were bringing her back. I could feel myself immediately begin to calm and I waited for Cliff to come in view with Hermione in tow. But he never did. Roy threw in a water bottle and four pieces of bread and four slices of cheese before shutting the bars.
"Compliments of Master Duncan. Wouldn't want you to lose your strength," Roy snickered.
"Where is she? Did you kill her?" I jumped up and gripped the bars in anticipation of his answer.
But he never gave me one and instead laughed loudly and cruelly until he left out the steel door. My shoulders slumped and I sunk to the ground. My resolve to keep calm was diminishing by every minute Hermione was not here. I could feel my hands begin to shake as I picked up the water.
The voices in my head were just getting to an all time high when the bars opened suddenly. I hadn't even heard the steel door open. My head lifted in time to see Cliff drop her to the ground. He left as quickly as he had come and I shot at Hermione. She wasn't moving and her eyes were shut tight. I thought the worst when I saw the blood trickling down from her temple.
"Hermione? Oh God, please be okay."
I put two fingers on her neck, looking for the pulse point. When I finally found the faint thumping against my fingers I let out a loud exhale. Relief flooded my system and I nearly cried out in relief. I checked the rest of her body for injuries but the only one I could see was the one bleeding from her head. They must be using the Cruciatus curse on her. Lifting the hem of my shirt I poured some water on it before lifting it to her head and wiping the wound as clean as I could. She didn't wake while I worked and I hoped that she would soon.
Instinctively, I wanted us as far as way from the bars as possible so I attempted to drag Hermione into our corner, but my arm was still burning from early and the pain in my ribs was making it hard to breathe. I waited a moment to let the pain reside slightly before I dragged her a little more. It took me close to fifteen minutes before I had us huddled in the corner, the water bottle and food close by. Carefully, I set her in my lap again with her head resting on my shoulder and my good arm wrapped protectively around her waist. Her knee just skimmed my broken rib the way it was bent so I set my hand on her thigh and ran it down her leg to extend it. A blush ran up my neck and I was a little glad she wasn't awake for that. After we were both settled I began running my fingers through her tangled hair.
"Come on, Hermione. Please wake up," I murmured into her temple.
Every so often I would check to see if she was still breathing. When her warm breath tickled my hand I would relax. It felt like a long time had passed when I finally felt her begin to stir. The cell had been dark for awhile so it must be the middle of the night when she let out a tortured groan.
When her eyes finally opened I let out a shaky breath and pushed the insanity completely from my head.
"Malfoy?" She asked tentatively in the dark.
"I'm here. How are you feeling?" I asked running my hand up and down her arm comfortingly.
She groaned again before trying to sit up. She hissed when her arm brushed against my side and she fell back into my chest.
"Hey, it's okay. Don't move for a moment. What hurts?" I asked her.
"Everything." Her voice cracked and I pulled her even closer. Her voice cut straight through me and I willed myself to stay calm. Freaking out was not going to help her.
"I'm sorry. You're safe now. I'm here," I said, rocking us slightly.
I felt her clench at my shirt and didn't say anything when her fingernails would dig into my skin. "They were mocking me. I wouldn't tell them where Harry lived and they said he was going to die regardless. They said I could choose how he died. They said—"
"Granger, stop. It's over. Don't think about what they said," I told her. She was shaking in my arms and I couldn't tell if it was the emotional trauma she just endured or the aftershocks of the Cruciatus Curse.
I held her until she began to relax. After awhile she stopped shaking but she would still twitch from time to time. I continued running my hand through her hair trying to soothe her to sleep and eventually she did. Her breathing evened out and I set my head back on the wall, closing my eyes also.