The next chapter! (definately didn't finish this at 2 am...) This chapter is grim, sorry :/ but I hope that you guys enjoy it anyway! I'd like to thank notsing for reviewing nearly every chapter, you've really motivated me to keep going with this story so thank you very much! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated and thank you all for reading! :)
Silence. Hermione watched apprehensively as Ron handed Andromeda the small silver knife. She was sandwiched between Harry and Ron on the sofa in Andromeda's living room, scared out of her mind but refusing to let anyone see, yet. On the mantlepiece there were several framed photographs. Straining her neck slightly Hermione saw a picture of a blue-haired Tonks aged twelve, grinning and proudly wearing her Hufflepuff robes. To the right was a picture of Tonks, Ted and Andromeda on the day (Hermione guessed as Mad-Eye was hovering in the backgound looking at Tonks proudly) that Tonks had officially passed all the tests to become an Auror and to the right of that picture, was one of a small family. Hermione narrowed her eyes to focus and her heart stopped for a second when she realised that the small family was Remus and Tonks looking absurdly happy as they held a newborn Teddy Lupin. 'This woman has lost almost everything' Hermione thought, and she looked up at the older witch who so ressembled Bellatrix but simultaneously, was so different. Her hair, although long and curly like the Death Eater's, was a lighter shade of brown and was more tamed. Her eyes were dark like her sister's, but unlike Bellatrix's, they had kindness and the glint of a conscience within them that makes people human.
As Andromeda took the knife it glowed slightly, as if it knew that it was in the presence of someone similiar to its original owner. Pausing to read the ancient parchment that Healer Ebelle had sent Hermione about curing the curse, she then drew the knife gently across the end of her index finger causing a thin smear of blood to be dashed on the blade. Pausing only to reference the parchment again she then picked up her wand a began to mutter a series of complex incantations. As she did, the knife began to emit an eerie green glow that intensified and then suddenly stopped when the incantations were finished.
'I think that's it' said Andromeda frowning before checking the ancient instructions of more to make sure.
'Andromeda, I don't know how to thank you enough for this' said Hermione gratefully as Andromeda passed the knife back to Ron.
'You don't have to thank me for anything Hermione. I just want to try and help fix whatever damage Bellatrix caused' she said smiling sadly. 'I'll be upstairs if you need anything else from me. Good luck' she added giving Hermione a searching look before she swept from the room.
Hermione glupped, trying to swallow her terror away. This was it. She was about to put Ron through something unimaginable. She was about to relive the worst thing that had ever happened to her and she knew that in her already weakened state, it wasn't likely that she'd survive. She turned to Harry and hugged him tightly.
'Harry' she whispered into his ear so that Ron couldn't hear, 'Harry if this doesn't go right, please, please look after Ron, please.' She begged as she felt Harry nod. 'You're my bestfriend and, and I love you' she whispered as he hugged her back tightly before they let go.
'Listen mate' said Ron who looked far paler than usual, 'I'll yell for you if I need you okay, I just don't think I can start this with you watching, sorry' he said looking apologetically at Harry.
'It's no problem Ron, but shout for me straight away okay?' Harry said as his eyes began to glisten with unshed tears. 'I love you both so much' he whispered before he left the room.
Silence again. Hermione was still looking at the door through which Harry left, taking deep ragged breaths to try and calm herself down, 'what if I never see him again?' she thought over and over. A few moments passed and then she felt Ron's slightly calloused hand take hers firmly. She turned to face him and saw the fear in his eyes. Before she knew what she was doing she flung herself onto him and pulled him into a tight embrace. They kissed each other desperately, Hermione savouring the thump of Ron's heartbeat, the feeling of his lips upon hers, the sweet scent of his hair, the feeling if his strong arms around her pulling her closer.
'Ron' she breathed, her eyes closed as she lent her forehead on his, 'Ron I love you so much.' She felt Ron pull her closer.
'I love you Hermione. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me, thank you' he whispered before he pulled away and kissed her forehead.
Hermione then took of her hoody so she was just in tank top, her arm revealed. She then laid it on the coffee table before looking back at Ron, shaking with terror. She saw that Ron was shaking too, tears already in his eyes.
'Ron, you don't have to do this' she whispered.
'I do' he said sternly, shaking his head to try and compose himself. 'I love you so so much Hermione' he said again as he gingerly took the knife in his hand before kneeling down and holding it shakely just above the letter 'M'.
Hermione took a deep breath and held it. She watched as Ron slowly lowered the blade onto the top of the 'M'. It burned, but she refused to let out a sound. She absolutely would not cause more anguish to Ron than she could help.
'Are you okay?' he asked when he noticed that Hermione had gone rigid.
'What yeah carry on' she said gritting her teeth as Ron pressed the blade slightly harder into the 'M' so that it began to bleed.
'Shit I'm so sorry Hermione' he whispered as tears fell down his cheeks. Hermione couldn't say anything to comfort him because her whole arm had begun to burn and she was concentrating so hard on not making a sound. The pressure of the curse on the barrier in her shoulder had intensified tenfold and the curse in her veins felt like they were almost bubbling. She heard Ron take a deep breath and apologise once more before he quickly plunged the blade to the full depth Bellatrix had done and dragged it down the first line of the 'M'.
Hermione couldn't help it, she screamed, but as she did so her head went fuzzy and for a spilt second she saw cold stone walls, dark floorboards and heard a faint high, pitched cackle.
'Hermione! I'm so sorry. Look at it!' said Ron. Hermione looked down and saw that the first line of the 'M' had healed into a angry, red scar. It was no longer black and bleeding.
'It works!' she gasped and saw Ron nodding at her. 'Best carry on then' she said nodding encouragingly at him.
'Okay, here I go' he said, warning her before quickly plunging the knife in and dragging it along the rest of the 'M'. The pain sped up her arm burning like acid and her vision jolted back to dark floorboards and walls. The image lasted for a bit longer this time and it seemed more focussed. As time went on, Hermione started to shake uncontrollably as her body went into shock as the pain built; Ron shaking more and more as tears plunged down his face as reached the start of the 'D'. Immediately when he started Hermione screamed. Her hearing seemed to echo and her vision went black as her mind went spinning dizzyingly back.
Her entire body felt like it had been hit by a train.
'I knew you'd be back Mudblood' said an ice-cold voice in Hermione's ear, so close she could feel the warm breath on her face. Hermione's eyes flew open and she found herself looking up at Ron's terrified tear-stained face hovering over her. She was lying on the floor.
'Hermione? Are you okay? Bloody hell I'm so sorry-'
'What happened?' she whispered as pain thumped through her body in time with her heartbeat.
'You..you fainted I think, I'm sorry'
'Ron stop apologising it's not your fault okay?' she said gritting her teeth as she sat up and lent against the sofa. After a few moments composing herself she nodded at Ron who took a deep breath and continued to the 'B'.
Immediately the agony flooded her and her brain seemed to freeze as her vision wobbled and cut out from the living room. Once again she open her eyes. All she could see was some dark wood and the bottom of a grey stone wall. She was lying on a floor. Suddenly, a leather boot blocked Hermione's view of the wall and she felt a hand turn her so she was face up. Hermione screamed and tried to back away but her body was in too much pain to obey. She was looking up into the maniacal face of Bellatrix Lestrange.
'No, no!' Hermione shouted, terrified tears came once again.
'There's no escape this time Mudblood. You're here all alone with no one who cares if you live or die. See how much your blood traitor boyfriend loves you? He loves you so much he sent you back to me! He finally realised how dirty your blood really is I see!' she laughed sickly and Hermione tried to curl up in a ball to protect herself from what she knew was coming, but Bellatrix put a foot with a lot of her weight onto her stomach so she couldn't breathe let alone move.
Suddenly, without any warning, Bellatrix screamed 'Crucio!' and the intensity of the curse caused Hermione's body to convulse uncontrollably. Her mind went fuzzy, her thoughts scrambled as her brain tried to cope with the overwhelming influx of infomation it was recieving from every single nerve. Hermione lost sense of time and when the pain finally stopped, she had no idea how long it had lasted.
'No..not again...Ron' she mumbled incoherently as her hearing and vision thumped in and out of focus.
'Teeheehee!' laughed Bellatrix estatically, swaying in glee at the pain she was causing. 'Want to know a secret Mudblood' she screeched, her face suddenly right at Hermione's ear. Hermione sobbed and tried desperately to push her away but her muscles wouldn't respond. She was paralysed. 'You're going to die soon, and when you do, your blood traitor boyfriend is going to lose his mind, and it'll be all, CRUCIO, your,CRUCIO, fault!'
'No..no' sobbed Hermione as she turned her face away from Bellatrix, 'I can't do that to him, I can't, I can't...' she thought, but even as these thoughts came to her she felt her body jolt as another Cruciatus Curse hit her and suddenly through all the agony, for the first time, she felt tired, exhausted. Hermione's unfocussed eyes fell to her left arm. She could just make out the blurred image of a word, of which just the last two letters were bleeding. Her tortured, addled brain couldn't make out the significance of this.
'My fault' she muttered as she closed her eyes for one last time.
'That's it Mudblood, you're going to slip away soon, I'll say goodbye now then!' she laughed harshly as she kicked Hermione hard in the ribs. Hermione didn't even feel it, she just heard a dull thump and sharp crack. 'No, focus Granger, focus, focus', but the onslaught of curses and kicks made Hermione draw further and further into her mind. The pain was too much, undescribable. Slowly Hermione felt the now somewhat familiar, homely darkness close around her, drawing her in, becoming irrestible. Her usually rational, logical mind was deadened, she couldn't resist the comforting darkness anymore.
She finally let darkness envelope her and Hermione felt her brain begin to feel at peace, neurone by neurone, until all that was left was, nothing.