Unbreakable

By patronsaintof

Disclaimer: I do not own, we all know this.

Author's Note: Review!

Chapter Twenty-five
Trust

Harry Potter sat with his head in his hands, his best hope for rescuing Ginny had walked out of the hospital room and not yet returned. He had considered following Draco into the hall, but the thought of leaving Hermione alone without even a Healer to watch her made him very uncomfortable. All he could do now was wait to see if Draco would indeed return. A gnawing pain was churning in Harry's stomach as he thought of the possibility of never seeing Ginny again, and if what Draco had told them was true, he very well may see Ginny alive, but she would be a walking pandemic. A shudder passed through Harry's body at the thought. The sound of the door opening caused Harry's head to look up, but he was not greeted with the sight of Draco Malfoy. Daphne Greengrass stepped into the room with a warm smile on her face.

"Harry, how is she doing?" Daphne asked, glancing at Hermione's form. Harry gave a small shrug, not wanting to speak just yet. He felt as if he would cry at any moment, and Daphne must have sensed it, because she rested a comforting hand on his arm and took a seat beside him. They sat in a companionable silence for five minutes until Harry chose to speak.

"You knew Malfoy better than any of us, being a Slytherin." He began, glancing at Daphne. "Do you think he would listen to you more than us?" Harry asked, his voice low and uncertain.

"Draco and I never ran in the same circle at Hogwarts, you know that Harry. I doubt he would listen to me any more than he would listen to you." Daphne said quietly. "What is it about him that's bothering you?" She inquired, and Harry let out a frustrated sigh.

"Everything!" He burst out. "How can we trust him? How can we not? What do I do?" Harry's voice wavered and he once more placed his head in his hands. Daphne looked unsure of what to say, but then she took a deep breath and touched Harry's shoulder. He looked up at her with watery eyes.

"He saved Hermione's life, Harry. For that alone I think he deserves your trust." Daphne paused, licking her lips. "Why did you ask if he would listen to me?" She asked.

"If he leaves we might not be able to rescue Ginny." Harry said in a tortured voice.

"Trust him, Harry." Daphne said and Harry looked at her with his confusion written in his eyes and every line of his face. "Just trust him that he'll want to help you. Maybe all he's looking for is the right person or people to simply have a little faith in him."

The chains binding Ginny Weasley to the chair were cold against her skin and she trembled involuntarily. She glared at Snape as he returned his attention back to Isabelle. The woman had gone oddly silent and Ginny locked her eyes on Isabelle searching for a sign of life. Though Ginny would not be terribly sad if Isabelle were to die, no one deserved to die a death by torture. The sound of feet behind her caused Ginny's head to whip around and she narrowed her eyes at a man approaching her. He held a syringe topped with a hypodermic needle in one hand and his wand in the other. Not commonly used in the Wizarding world, Ginny was unused to this device. She narrowed her eyes at it, wondering what it would do.

The man smiled at her somewhat coldly and pointed his wand at her. Without even speaking a spell, a piece of rope was conjured into the air around Ginny and flew towards her. She followed its advancement with her eyes and winced as it wound itself tightly around the middle of her upper arm. Confused, Ginny stared at the man who had covered the distance between them. He tucked his wand into his pocket and touched her arm, turning it so that the inside of her elbow was facing up.

"What are you doing?" Ginny asked, her voice shaking.

The man gave her no warning before thrusting the needle at her arm, piercing her skin. She gave a startled cry as it sank in and injected her with the clear liquid in the syringe. Jerking her arm away, Ginny glared at him ferociously. The man smiled at her once more, looking at the empty syringe with satisfaction. His eyes locked on hers and she felt a chill at the small glint of joy in his eyes.

"Soon." He said, his eyes boring into hers. He chuckled softly, tossing the syringe and needle onto the floor away from them. Snape looked over his shoulder as he knelt before Isabelle.

"Is it done?" He asked and the man nodded before turning away and exiting the room silently. Snape studied Ginny carefully. "You'll be freed in the morning." He said flatly, once more facing Isabelle. Ginny's frown deepened and she struggled against the chains.

"What do you mean I'll be freed in the morning?" She demanded, her heart pounding in her chest. Snape gave her an irritated look and rose to his feet. He gave her a backward glance as he left, but said nothing. "What did you do to me?" Ginny screamed, fighting to be free of the chains. The door closed behind Snape with a resounding thud and Ginny dissolved into sobs pulling as hard she could against her restraints. Eventually she calmed and stared blankly at the wall, not understanding what was going on at all. Nearly two hours after Snape had left a small groan came from Isabelle and the woman shifted. Ginny's eyes snapped to her instantly.

Slowly Isabelle raised her head to look at Ginny. Candles around the room had been left lit and Ginny could see the dried blood cracking and flaking off of Isabelle's face. They stared at each other, Ginny with a fierce glare and Isabelle a pained awareness of the other occupant of the room. Ginny pulled suddenly against the chains and was slightly satisfied to see Isabelle flinch at the loudness of the chains clanging at the sudden movement. The satisfaction drained away quickly and instead was replaced by pity. Isabelle's breathing was very labored and tears shone in her eyes. "They're releasing you." Isabelle said weakly.

"Why?" Ginny demanded. Isabelle gave her a sad look.

"If you wish for those you love to live, don't seek them out once you are freed." Isabelle murmured. Ginny had to strain to hear her words.

"What?" Ginny asked, more confused than ever. Isabelle closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath.

"No, go to them." She said more forcefully than before, a small smile touching her lips. "Go to them." She repeated, opening her eyes and staring into Ginny's. Disconcerted at the look in them, Ginny had to look away.

"What did they do to me?" She whispered, glancing back at Isabelle who had closed her eyes once more. The room fell into silence, broken only now and then by small whimpers of pain that came from Isabelle. Time passed slowly until the door opened once more and another man Ginny did not recognize entered, pointed his wand at her in a bored manner and the chains instantly fell away from her.

"Follow me." He said shortly. Ginny remained where she was, rubbing the places that the chains had held her, and the man made a sound in his throat like a growl. He stalked towards her and grabbed her wrist roughly, pulling her to her feet. "I said follow me." He snapped and Ginny pulled away from his touch but followed him out the door. He led her through the halls and up a set of stairs at the top of which was a door that led outside. The sky was dark, but Ginny could see that it was lightening to her right as the sun began to rise. The man shoved her completely out the door and closed it behind her. Frowning, she stumbled down several steps and then turned to stare at the door, unsure what she should do. Biting her lip, she circled slowly until she was facing away from the building.

"If you think you can manage the distance," Snape's voice said from somewhere to her right, "apparate home." He stepped closer to her and Ginny turned to face him trying to mask her fear.

"What did you do to me?" Ginny demanded, her voice trembling only slightly but all Snape did in response was raise his wand and point it at her chest, his face twisted in a sneer. His mouth opened as he began to speak a spell but Ginny immediately disappeared. A satisfied smile fell onto his face and he fell silent as he stared at the spot the red headed girl had previously occupied.

Draco Malfoy did not return to Hermione's room until much later. When he did, he would find Harry sleeping awkwardly in a chair and Hermione sitting up in the bed staring at her hands. The sound of the door opening caused her to look up and her eyes connected with Draco's, but she looked away though he did not miss the pain that flashed in them. Draco sighed, closing the door gently behind him and took a seat beside Harry, careful not to wake him. Across the room, Hermione turned her face away, so that she was staring at the wall. Draco felt considerably uncomfortable, feeling as though he should not have come back, but when he rose to his feet to once more make his way out of the room, Hermione's trembling voice stopped him.

"You said you wouldn't leave." She said, barely above a whisper. Draco turned to her, a frown on his face. "You promised me you would help me." She said, and Draco saw the tears forming in her eyes. Faced with this situation, Draco didn't know what to do.

"I will." He said somewhat lamely and Hermione frowned at him.

"You said you were the only one who could protect me." Hermione's voice rose slightly and Harry shifted in his sleep, making a noise. It hit Draco then how terrified she must be, how useless she must know spells for protection would be against dark magic. He could see the frustration in her eyes at knowing that he, her former enemy, was most likely her only hope at both surviving and saving her friend. He saw her fear at being so helpless. Draco wondered what exactly must have been going through her head, after everything that she had seen and been through. Not knowing what to do or say, Draco did the only logical thing in his mind, even though it was completely irrational, he turned and fled the room without looking back.

Hermione stared after him with tears falling on her cheeks. Through everything that had happened, she had found in Draco someone that would speak with her as though she were an equal while everyone else treated her like dirt. She had found comfort, even in the smallest form, with him after learning of Ron's death. They had become friends in a way, and whether she liked it or not, she did trust him. How can you not trust someone who has risked his life to save yours? It angered her slightly how dependent she felt on him. It was the same as when he had meant to apparate away from her and she felt a gripping fear over losing this new friend, her only friend that could actually protect her and be close to her.

She knew that Harry would protect her as best he could, but she also knew that there were powers Voldemort and his Death Eaters would use that Harry would not. Draco held no such qualms, and could fight their power on more equal grounds. Not only this, but Draco understood the way their minds worked, better than Harry could ever hope to. Draco had been raised among them, and he was their best chance at rescuing Ginny alive. Hermione had complete confidence that Draco could help them; after all, he was extremely intelligent, even if she wouldn't admit it to his face, and had rescued her. True, he had an advantage, being on the inside and not having been found out as a traitor yet, but Hermione somehow simply knew that he could help them.

Another small noise from Harry brought Hermione's eyes to him and found that he was staring at her. She burst into tears and Harry was on his feet instantly. She clung to him desperately and cried into his chest. Soothingly, he stroked her hair and murmured to her that everything would be ok. Neither noticed that outside the door Draco was standing, watching them through the window in the door. Neither noticed, being too wrapped up in the comfort and despair of one another, when the door opened and Draco reentered the room with a resolute look on his face and took a seat beside the chair Harry had vacated.