Hermione lay on the cold, wet floor that was her chamber. Thoughts raced through her mind as she justified everything that had just occurred. It wasn't Ron who did that, she reasoned, it was Voldemort. Ron promised he never would. No matter how many times she told herself this fact it continued to plague her.

She was in physical pain as well as emotional. The marks on her body that caused her to bleed and were caused by the blade had finally slowed down. Once she was back in the dungeon Draco had helped her slow it. She wasn't too sure as to why he was behaving nicely but she was in no position to deny his actions. As she reached for the injury on her shoulder she was reminded of the day's events.

Ron's hand had just left her face. Her face began to sting as she was sure there was now a red mark where his hit landed. None of that fazed her. What hurt was that it was Ron who had done it. Yet it wasn't him at all. She saw him disappear. It was merely someone else, Voldemort to be precise, who was borrowing his body. The realization hit her that this was only the beginning of what she was about to endure.

"Let's get down to business then" Voldemort said with a devious smile on his face. She saw him turn to Ron and begin talking about how he had perfected the curse that he had previously set upon Lucius Malfoy. She had known the moment he had cast that curse that things would be slightly different. She never imagined to what extent.

Voldemort then turned back to Hermione. "As for you, you aren't so lucky. What did you do with the book after you read it?" He asked her as her body grew tense. She noticed that her hands had begun to shake with anticipation and slight fear.

She was afraid to give the answer. Hermione thought back to what she had read and the comprehension of how vital it was. She immediately began memorizing it as she read the same passage multiple times. After she had committed it to memory she threw the book into a fire that she created in the fireplace. It was too dangerous to be left for anyone to read. She then proceeded to tell Dumbledore, who advised her not to tell anyone else including Harry and Ron, what she had found. Suddenly she became aware that they weren't alone. Snape was there as well.

"I burned it" she whispered having just grasped why she was in this position.

"You burned it you say? Now why would you do a thing like that?"

Her eyes looked everywhere as she searched for the man who put her here. She wanted to hurt him, to kill him for doing this to her and Ron. She wanted him to see the pain he was causing his two students.

"So you would never find it" was all she managed to say as she became aware of his absence.

"Well that was your biggest mistake now wasn't it? Weasley perform the Cruciatus curse on her for her 'mistake'."

Hermione's heart began to race as did her thoughts. She watched as Voldemort handed him a wand to which Ron accepted, no emotion on his face. She needed more than anything to see in his eyes the feeling of fear for what he was about to do. She needed a sign that Ron was still in there and he would not hurt her.

His eyes were dark. They weren't his eyes. There was no sign that he even recognized who she was. She wanted him to say that he loved her again, that he would never hurt her. But his actions proved otherwise as his arm rose and he spoke one of the most feared words in the wizarding world.

Time stood still as the green light was heading for her body. It was then that she realized that all hope was lost. She felt her heart break and her eyes sink just as the curse hit her. She felt her body hit the ground as pain encompassed her. It was overwhelming but it wasn't what hurt the most.

She knew the boy whose wand was pointed at her was not the boy she loved. It looked like him but it wasn't. She only hoped that he would one day be himself again. She didn't want the person borrowing his body to be the one to kill her, anyone else but Ron, her Ron.

After what seemed like hours Voldemort finally said "Release her." Ron lifted his wand stopping the curse. The pain however didn't go away. "And what was in those books?"

Hermione refused to move. She didn't want to look up at the boy who caused her all this pain. She knew it wasn't him but she couldn't help but to be heartbroken. She never imagined a torture like this.

Still on the ground she said "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Don't play smart with me girl! You don't have much time. The more you delay the more pain you feel from the hands of your boyfriend" Voldemort retorted angrily.

These words cut her at the core. She knew there was no worse pain to be felt. The worst had been done. She would have rather died than be tortured at the hands of Ron. He was always her savior, her salvation. He was her happiness and her sanity. Now he was gone, temporarily, and things would never be the same even if she survived.

Hermione sat up, her body still suffering some of the lasting effects of the curse. Her eyes turned black as she spoke. "You can't hurt me anymore than you already have" she spat back. "You've done your worst."

"We have only just begun," Voldemort responded with a smile. He conjured a knife and handed it to Ron. "She has yet to scream, why don't you make her?"

She didn't even notice how silent her thoughts had kept her while Ron performed the Cruciatus Curse on her. Instead she had focused on trying to find the boy she left behind in the dungeon, the one who said that he loved her and the boy who she loved more than life.

Hermione saw Ron take the knife into his hand and step towards her. She hoped that maybe he would suddenly appear and instead stab the man behind him. He didn't.

The tears hadn't stopped nor had her pain. She gently touched her shoulder where the blade had first been. She removed her hand and noticed the blood lightly seeping through the makeshift bandage. The blood was on her hands as it was on Ron's. Slowly she reached for her neck to feel the scar that had began to form.

Blood continuously poured from her shoulder but she knew it wasn't going to kill her. If he had wanted her dead she would have been by now. He was just trying to make her suffer until she couldn't take it anymore and surrender the information that he was seeking. What he didn't know was that she had given up but would never give up what she knew.

Ron stepped towards her once more and picked her up off the ground and threw her into the nearest wall. He pressed the knife into her throat, just enough to draw blood and hurt but not nearly enough to kill her. Once more she looked in those black eyes to search for the Ron she knew. She still couldn't find him.

For hours this continued. Ron would manhandle her on Voldemort's orders. Then he would draw blood by stabbing her or just simply press the knife somewhere fresh. Before she knew it the sun was going down and Ron was led out. She was left alone in the room surrounded by her own blood and tears. After what felt like ages Draco came back and led her into the dungeon from which the nightmare had started.

"We can't leave those open" he said pointing to the large gashes on Hermione's body. He quickly left and returned with some bandages and carefully helped slow the bleeding.

She was astonished at his actions. Never had she assumed that the one helping her would be Draco Malfoy and the one hurting her would be Ron. He touched her wounds gently and treated her with kindness, something that she hadn't received all day, something that she desperately needed.

"Why are you doing this?" She questioned her classmate. "You've never treated me like this before, why now?"

He just looked at her, no emotion in his eyes, and said "Not even you deserve this. I've never seen anyone in so much pain. He is a coward you know? It's not easy worshipping someone who can only take someone on if they're weak to make themselves look strong. Anyways, if you ever tell anyone that I was nice to you, you will regret it."

"Thank you Draco" was all she managed to say as fresh tears sprung to her eyes.

He started to walk out but turned back around and faced her. "That's not Weasley. I know you know that but I think you need to be told. He would never do that to you. He would never hurt you like that. Sometimes all you need is a little reminder to find hope." With that he turned back around and headed up the stairs.

She lay on the cold floor still. Those words Draco had said replayed in her head. She knew that Ron would never hurt her. She knew it wasn't him and for once in his life, Draco was right. It was then that Hermione realized how exhausted she truly was. She gave into the feeling of fatigue as darkness consumed her tattered body.


A/N: You're reviews were truly great and you have no idea how much I appreciate every one of them. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I never hated Draco so I decided to give him a shot. Until next time all!