Happy Tomione Day everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I apologize for going so long without an update to this story, I promise to try and update sooner next time. Thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited and reviewed this story. When I started this journey it was for Tomione Fest with the Beyond the Book Fanfiction Nook on Facebook. I did not expect anyone to read this story beyond the fest and I certainly did not expect so many people to like it. I am humbled by the response to this story, I hope I do the prompt justice.

As Always, I do not own Harry Potter or any Characters in the Harry Potter universe, I am simply playing in JK Rowling's Playground. Sometimes I get to use the slide :)

Chapter 11: Broken

Hermione felt the burn of the restraints around her wrists, she felt helpless and the confidence she had gained from knowing he couldn't harm her was severely diminished. All of her old insecurities reared their ugly heads and slammed into her. Worthless Mudblood. Friendless. Ugly. Stupid! She was in a perilous situation; she was restrained on a bed with a megalomaniac psychopath as her captor in an unfamiliar cabin in God knows where. She had no way to communicate with anyone, she didn't even have her wand at this point. She watched as one of her best friends was potentially murdered in front of her eyes, she had helped blow apart a house that had been standing as far back as Merlin had been alive and helped in burning alive a dozen or more people. She deserved to die, at the very least she felt she deserved to rot in Azkaban. She was no better than the monster she had tried to help destroy.

Had I not done that damned ritual, I wouldn't be in this mess. I would most likely still be living in a tent ogling Ron every day and not worried that he was dead.

A tortured sob escaped her, she wanted some sort of confirmation even if it would fuel her rage knowing that he was dead; it was the 'not knowing' that was slowly killing her. At this point should could care less if she was bound to a bed or that Voldemort could do anything he wanted to her.

Let him torture me, it won't change any damned thing…

She had not spoken since he restrained her, and he had not touched her physically or with magic. She knew he was sitting in the armchair next to the fire, she could hear his thoughts, she knew he felt no remorse for what he had done other than he regretted they had been interrupted in the bathroom.

I can not believe I gave myself to this monster…

"I am a monster am I?" The bitter tone of his voice startled her out of her own torturous mind.

Hermione couldn't even respond. He was angry, yes, but the sheer amount of anger pulsing through her from his seeing her regret over Ron made him murderous. She clamped her mouth closed, she couldn't respond without him becoming violent, it was better to just let him speak since she was in no position to defend herself.

"If my anger over you pining over a boy, someone who is probably dead and who is most definitely not me, makes me a monster than so be it." He spat angrily. "You have believed the worst of me from the beginning, you have never heard my side of things and you most certainly have kept those beliefs since that damned ritual, even when I have shown you more patience and kindness than I have ever shown another living being. You have no idea why I did the things I did, you only have Dumbledore's convoluted fucked up version of why I have done the things I have done. Never once, never has anyone asked me what it was like liking in that Hell hole in the middle of a war and beaten near to death by a sadistic old crone who would rather beat the hell out of you for something you can't control. Rather than take a magical child away from Muggles who neither understand why a child is doing accidental magic and clearly did not want too, we leave them there to accept or defend themselves from whatever punishment they seem to think is appropriate. I was sent to a priest, Granger, a Muggle Priest! I was tied down to a bed and they performed an exorcism on me; I was nine! That entire story Dumbledore heard from the bitch who ran that place about those kids at the cave, they tried to stab me because I flew across the rocks to the mouth of the cave. What I was I supposed to do? Let them kill me because I couldn't do it again? Tell Mrs. Cole, because hell, she had already tried to have me committed and exorcised!? If asking Dumbledore questions about accidental angry magic, and being the Heir of Slytherin makes me a monster then I suppose I am. You will never see me as anything more than what you already do. Do I regret what just happened? ,No and Yes, I regret when anyone of magical heritage is slain but I do not regret defending you against them taking you. I can't let them have you, Hermione."

Hermione did not know whether to be disgusted by his lack of regret concerning Ron or her friends coming to rescue her or be horrified by what he had endured. On some level he was right, magical children who were raised outside the magical world were often bullied and beaten for things they couldn't control. She thought herself extremely lucky to have the parents she did, who loved and cared for her even if they did not understand her. She also had no reason not to believe every word he said, he was projecting so much pain it was stifling. She could feel the fear and hatred of the little boy, she could understand why he hated muggles and often associated even Muggleborns with the pain he had to endure for so long. He reminded Hermione of Harry at that moment, from what little Harry had divulged to her and Ron about his Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins treatment of him she had been angry, now she realized this wasn't an isolated event, this was a serious problem that needed to be fixed. While knew there were good people, Muggles who would protect and love their children no matter what they were, there was just as many who would bully and persecute them.

"I am sorry the world failed you, Tom. I truly am sorry that even Dumbledore didn't protect you. He didn't protect Harry, either. Harry was raised by two of the most horrible human beings I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. When I first met him on the train to Hogwarts, he was wearing clothes that were so big on him it looked like he had been draped in grey elephant skin, his glasses were broken and he was so skinny he looked emaciated. He had no idea he was even magical until Hagrid beat down the door of an abandoned shack in the middle of the ocean just to get his letter to him. He had no idea who you were until the day Hagrid told him and even then it was glossed over. He spent every year on nutritive potions because his relatives starved him during the summer, I do remember between our first and second years the Weasleys had to go rescue him, they locked him in his room and placed bars on the windows. Do you know what he told me when I asked him about it? At least he had sunlight. For the first ten years he lived in a cupboard under the stairs, often times he was beaten, starved and locked in that cupboard for weeks at a time.

The one thing I do not agree with you on is the fact you place every Muggle and Muggleborn into the same category. I am a Muggleborn, Tom, there is no magical blood for generations in my family, not since the time of Mary Queen of Scots, and I was raised with parents who love me despite the fact they do not understand me.They would have gone against anyone, you included, to make sure I was safe. I had to stop telling them about what was happening at Hogwarts every year because my dad wanted to use his drill on people.

My point is, you can't lump everyone together in one category and expect it to be correct. Yes, magical children, especially those raised in the Muggle world should be checked up on and moved to safer conditions if necessary, but so should magical children! Some people, regardless of heritage, are just cruel and no child should ever have to fear for their lives regardless if they are Muggle, Magical or anything in between."

"What do you mean Harry was beaten? I was always told he was catered too like a Prince."

Hermione snorted her disapproval, "By, Severus Snape, no doubt."

"And the Malfoy's."

"Yes, because the most spoilt child in the Wizarding world would see the attention Harry gets from that stupid scar on his head as being spoiled. Snape hates Harry on principal because of his father James. Draco hates Harry because he gets more attention than the Slytherin Prince himself. If you had any idea how much Harry hates attention you would understand what I mean. Oh, he smiles and endures it but when it is just him apart from everyone else he would slump his shoulders and damn near hyperventilate because he hates being the center of attention. He told me once he used to shrink into the shadows at his Aunt and Uncle's house just to make it through the day without acquiring a new bruise. 'Drawing attention to yourself gets you hurt.' I suppose for many kids that is true."

Without another word spoken, Tom jolted out of his chair, grabbed his wand and walked out the front door. He had a lot to think about.

Hermione did not know if what she was feeling was because of Toms own tumultuous emotions or because she was genuinely upset. Well, of course, she was upset, but the pain over a past she had not experienced, pain and confusion over choices made because of lies she had not been told, these she was fairly certain, were not her emotions. They were, however, greatly diminished compared to what they had been before which also made her wonder if he was even close by.

Mippy stood inside the cabin watching the exchange between Hermione and Tom, she was invisible just as Master Lucius had commanded her to be. She stood there for so long she almost didn't hear the slow crunching of the leaves outside the door. Mippy apparated quietly to the small window overlooking the quiet forest and caught a glimpse of wild black curls darting through the trees. Mippy had no instructions as to what was to be done if the crazy lady should happen to appear. Mippy wrung her hands together and decided to ask the Master before she got the Muddy out of there.

Lucius, Severus, and Harry sat at the long oak table at Grimmauld Place, each had a glass of whiskey in hand but only Harry sat stone-faced staring at the fireplace as if he were watching for others to appear. Mippy appeared at the end of the table and tugged on Lucius's robes to get his attention. Lucius looked down not at all expecting the house elf to have appeared so soon.

"Mippy is sorry, Master but I was watching the Muddy and the Dark Lord and the Crazy Lady appeared. What is I to do if he is leaving?"

"Bellatrix found them already!?" Harry screeched, jumping from his chair and pacing in front of the fireplace. Mippy nodded her head, and all three men let out various expletives.

"If he leaves Hermione alone, get her out of there! We will just have to figure out a place to put her where she can't be found at the moment."

"My private room at Hogwarts," Severus piped up almost immediately. "Beyond the fact that it is nearly impossible to get in or out of Hogwarts, no one can get into my rooms except me. Not even Albus could."

"Brilliant!" Harry piped up.

"Yes, Mippy as soon as you can get Hermione to Master Severus's private rooms at Hogwarts. I will notify all who need to know. Tell no one, understood?"

" Yes, Master Lucius Mippy be doing what you says."

The soft 'pop' that caught Hermione's attention moments after Tom walked out the door nearly made her scream until she realized it was a house elf, not just any house elf, a Malfoy house elf. Mippy stood at the end of the bed with one long finger across her mouth indicating Hermione needed to be quiet. Hermione nodded her head and Mippy snapped her fingers undoing the binds that held Hermione to the bed.

"We has to get you out of here, Missy Hermione. The crazy one is outside waiting for the Dark Lord to walk away enough to gets to you. Hold on to my hand and I gets you out of here."

The sound of the front door creaking open caused Hermione and Mippy both to whip their heads around to watch who was coming. A faint cackle could be heard as Bellatrix tried to walk quietly across the floor.

"Icky little Mudblood, all alone. Now I will kill her just for breathing the same air as My Lord. She isn't even worthy enough to lick his boots!"

"Hold on to Mippy's hand, Miss," the elf whispered.

Hermione grabbed the gnarled thin fingers and held on as tightly as she could, Mippy nodded her approval and told threw her finger up to her mouth again. Bellatrix rounded the corner, standing in the doorway. Wand held loosely in her hand, she looked slightly confused at seeing Mippy holding Hermione's hand. Mippy snapped her fingers and Bellatrix was bound in thick tight ropes. Bellatrix let out a loud curse as she watched Mippy snap her fingers once more and the house elf and Hermione were gone.

Hermione and Mippy landed in the front sitting room of Severus's personal quarters at Hogwarts. Hermione had never been more grateful in her life than she was at the brave little elf that had rescued her from certain death. She grabbed the surprised elf and hugged her, crying in appreciation until she felt hands pull her from the surprised elf and engulf her.

"Thank God you are alive," Harry cried.

"H-Harry?"

"Where am I?"

"You are in my private rooms at Hogwarts, Miss Granger," Severus spoke from behind Harry. Hermione looked up to find not only Harry and Severus but Draco, Lucius and Professor McGonagall all looking at her.

"I am so sorry," Hermione began to cry again in earnest. The fact that Ron was not there with Harry seemed to confirm her worst fear. She couldn't ask him, she didn't think she wanted to absolutely know for certain but there was no Weasleys there to greet her and that could only mean one thing, Ron was forever lost.