I got so many great reviews last chapter, so... Guest, Guest, Guest, .me, worththerisks, riaroo400, eloisemart (love your long reviews, and you are so lucky Tom is coming to your town!), gabbymreader, cristado, diannaanne, Lillystream, and Lovetoread1859.
Thank you guys! I know the flashbacks are on the gorier side, and I apologize. It's simultaneously me trying to make them realistic, build the plot, and pushing myself as a writer. I also appreciate the subtle hints that I don't update fast enough:) And I'm glad you guys enjoy Ron and Dennis. I thought it would be interesting to see Dennis in a positive way after I read Cruel and Beautiful World by Lena Phoria (the best fanfic ever. I miss it so much!).
Without further ado...
Day 11
"If you'd only tell me where your friends are we could end this all right now," Bellatrix whispered.
Hermione yanked her head away weakly to get away from the psychotic woman who had her pinned forcibly against the wall.
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again," Hermione spat. "I won't tell you where they went."
The truth was, Harry and Ron had never told her where they were going. She couldn't reveal their location if she wanted to.
Bellatrix shoved her to the floor angrily.
"Too bad Draco isn't with us today, this would make such a great lesson for him," she paused for a long moment, relishing in the girl's haggard breathing and laughed. "What to do with lying mudbloods... Crucio!"
The Gryffindor had already passed out twice from the pain, only to be revived to endure even more. At first, she'd tried to meet every curse on her feet, then her knees, and now she just lay on her back, too shaky to stand, staring up at the Malfoy's ceiling.
They really had a lovely home from what she'd seen in her short trips from dungeon to drawing room and back. It made Hermione feel like she had stepped into the life of Jane and Mr. Rochester from one of her favorite novels.
She blinked up at the light above her, letting tears slide down her battered face. None of this was supposed to have happened. She should have worked harder to escape, or told them to wait for her, or... any of a thousand possibilities of what she could have done eleven days ago ran through her mind. Some scenarios ended in her death, others a glorious escape.
"-take her back to the cellar. The filth has plenty of fight left in her yet, and I intend to break her."
Hermione was vaguely aware of her tormentor leaving the room and a new person coming toward her. She tried to sit up, and while her mind was willing, her body was not.
"Granger, get up. Let's go."
"Malfoy," she muttered, almost to herself, eyes fixed once more on the ceiling.
He looked down at her fragile form, admiring again how alive the brown locks spreading across his floor looked, even after nearly two weeks of daily torture.
"Move it Granger!" He snarled, but it was half hearted.
The Gryffindor finally managed to make it to a kneeling position with her hands on the floor to steady herself.
"Get up!" Malfoy hissed impatiently, knowing his Aunt could return unexpectedly at any moment.
"I can't," she snapped with the last reserves of her strength, then exhaustedly she whispered, "I can't stand."
Hermione flinched when he grabbed her arm, and Malfoy noticed the almost imperceptible fear in her eyes every time he moved. Slowly, as if to show her he could be trusted, the blonde helped her to her feet, maintaining a strong grip on her upper arm when she moved unsteadily forward.
It would be easy to steal his wand right now, except Hermione didn't know where he concealed it or if she could move fast enough to take him- a seeker- by surprise. Not to mention how she'd even escape in her state once she acquired a wand which meant it was time for plan B.
She'd been watching the youngest Malfoy for several days now. He didn't act the way a Death Eater would, as if he wanted to be anywhere but here. She knew he actively avoided the dungeons where she was being held, and the drawing room when Bellatrix had her up there, and that he couldn't kill Dumbledore last year. In short, it seemed to her that Draco Malfoy didn't have the stomach or the will to torture and kill anyone, so maybe, just maybe, he could be her way out.
They were near the steps to the dungeon now.
"You can stop this you know," Hermione said, turning to look at her unwilling captor.
He was silent, staring straight ahead as they walked and refusing to meet her eyes.
"Malfoy, you can help me escape," she pressed.
More silence.
"Malfoy please."
"Shut up," he whispered.
"Just tell me how to get past the wards. Accidentally leave the door unlocked."
They were part way down the steps now.
"I said shut up!" Malfoy snapped, louder this time.
"You know I'm going to die unless you do something," Hermione continued, recognizing the terrible truth of her words as she voiced what she'd known deep down all along. "You can come with me. I'd make sure you were safe with the Order."
"Granger! I told you to shut it!"
Malfoy opened the metal door, and they entered Hermione's prison. He dropped the girl's arm and moved away from her.
"I know where you can go and be safe until this is all over. Please..."
"You think this is about me! That any of what I'm doing is about me!" Malfoy scoffed. "If I don't do as I'm told, do you know what the Dark Lord will do to my mother? Kill her. Slowly. She never asked to be a part of this."
"Does she want you to live like this? In constant fear of what's around the corner. Afraid in your own house?"
"Stop it!"
"You could get her out too. Malfoy, please."
Hermione stood, blocking his exit, cradling her ribs, eyes wide and pleading. The Slytherin couldn't look at her anymore, just seeing her made him want to be sick, and not because she was a mudblood. He shoved past her, bumping her hard enough that she fell to the floor hard, too exhausted to anticipate the impact.
The door slammed behind him, and the lock clicked.
"Draco Malfoy you come back here!" She screamed. "Malfoy! You can't let me die in here! You can't!"
Hermione's screams quickly melted into tears. Tears of pain, frustration, anger, hopelessness.
What she didn't know was that three floors above her, Draco Malfoy was sitting on the carpet of his room, knees drawn up to his chest, crying the exact same tears.
Hermione woke up to a damp pillow, sobbing.
Ever since Malfoy had been moved to Gryffindor two weeks ago, increasing Hermione's exposure to him tenfold, her nightmares had come back worse than ever. She had yet to confide this information to anyone, including Ginny, with whom she shared a dorm.
She slid out of bed, checking to see that Parvati and Ginny were still asleep, and snuck out of the room. The clock in the empty common room read two am. Hermione summoned Harry's invisibility cloak and snuck out towards the kitchens.
What she didn't know was that Ginny Weasley was decidedly not asleep, rather an excellent pretender. In the weeks since Malfoy's arrival, she'd seen her older friend wake crying or screaming nine times, five of which had resulted in a trip for tea. And that's just what she'd seen.
The first time she'd caught her had been an accident, and Hermione had insisted she was totally fine, but Ginny was a light sleeper and started to notice a pattern.
At first, she'd cast it off as routine. Everyone suffered from nightmares these days, and it was not unusual for Hermione to have them. It was the consistency with which Hermione's returned that had Ginny concerned. She hated to admit it, but this was a situation that demanded Ron and Harry's help. Unlike the rest of them, Hermione didn't seem to be healing from the war anymore, rather it seemed that she was suddenly taking a turn for the worse.
"Blaise you missed breakfast!" Theo shouted, making his way through the boys dorms in Slytherin. "Blaise! You can't miss herbology again unless you want detention!"
He shoved the door of his and Blaise's room open, and upon seeing his friend's empty bed slammed it shut, moving on to the bathrooms.
"Blaise Zabini!"
There was still no response. Theo rolled his eyes and decided to let the Italian get a detention. It was none of his business if Blaise got to class or not. He was just going to grab his textbook and be off.
All was going according to plan until he walked past the door that led to Draco's old room. No one had moved in to the coveted single, he and Blaise hadn't allowed it, saying Draco would be back soon enough. Which is why it was odd to see the light shining through the crack underneath the door.
Theo Nott drew his wand and pushed open the door carefully, only to get a look at his friend's naked backside walking towards the bed. The sheets rustled as a pretty blonde sat up to greet Blaise with a kiss.
"Oh, you have to be fucking joking," Theo yelled, stepping the whole way into the room.
Blaise jumped, grabbing a pillow to cover his man bits. Whoever he was in bed with laughed prettily, unconcerned about her exposed... everything.
"Come on in Theo," Blaise snapped sarcastically, upset that he'd been so easily startled.
"In Draco's bed! Blaise, he will kill you."
"Not if he doesn't find out."
"Why? Sweet Merlin why? Who even is this?"
Blaise stopped looking defensive, switching to slightly bashful and refusing to meet Theo's angry glare.
"Glad to know I was memorable honey," the blonde smirked.
"Y-you're hooking up with my ex-girlfriend... in our best friend's bed?" Theo finally recognized the girl in the sheets. "I mean, Daphne do whoever, but in Draco's bed!?"
"We didn't want to shag in the same room as you?" was Blaise's excuse, though it sounded more like a question. "You won't tell him will you?"
"What'll you do for me if I don't?" The other boy shot back as he crossed his arms.
Theodore Nott was Slytherin through and through.
"I'll find you a girlfriend," Daphne called from the bed. "I know a few people."
The clothed boy pondered the idea for a minute before nodding.
"Sounds fair. No one awful though, and I mean is Daphne. And you Blaise?"
"My girlfriend is getting you a girlfriend. What more do you want?"
"For one, that pillow better stay right where it is," Theo gave Blaise a cautionary look, glancing at the pillow covering his bits that was slipping more and more out of his hand.
Blaise smiled at him sweetly.
"You two are going to help me find who beat up Draco so we can get our revenge, and then Draco can move back to his room and sleep in his own bed where he belongs," Nott announced. "His bed that has clean, or preferably new, sheets."
Blaise stretched out his right hand to Theo.
"Deal."
They shook hands. Blaise turned away from Theo and headed back towards the large bed, providing another unwanted view of his arse. The latter made a hasty exit, having seen more than enough of Blaise for one day.
"You have a date on Friday! At 6! That's tomorrow Theodore Nott! Don't you miss it!" Daphne called after him sternly.
He decided to skip his first class to scrub his eyes out, and maybe throw up a bit. This was a huge mistake. When Draco found out, and he would, Theo was going to be in deep trouble.
Then he chuckled, but not as much trouble as Blaise.
I also fell in love with Blaise and Daphne after Cruel and Beautiful World. So, I hope they work for you all. Theo and Ron will be getting baes (what happened to that word, no one uses it anymore) soon!
Present day Dramione action is forthcoming in a chapter... maybe two.
Please review as always! Follow/favorite! They're all great!
Update... I'll say Monday or Tuesday which really means Wednesday or Thursday. I suck, I know.
