Chapter 29: A Deal with the Dark Lord

Rachel could see that Hermione was visibly shaking, but whether it was from fear or the cold she did not know. She knew that Hermione had faced death eaters and Voldemort alongside Harry and Ron before, but she didn't know if that would mean they would recognize her as an accomplice of Harry's.

"Well, well who do we have here?" Voldemort asked no one in particular.

"I said let her go," Hermione repeated her wand pointing at the death eater still atop her girlfriend. "I will kill you where you stand… I swear it!"

Rachel could feel Voldermort silently laughing, as he continued to dig his foot into her spine. Why didn't she listen to me, she thought angrily watching all the others turning their wands at the newcomer. Taking another step forward Hermione had a look of both rage and fear across her face. Her brown eyes remained transfixed on her girlfriend pinned to the ground, one spell away from death.

At that moment Hermione wished that she hadn't split up from the boys, they might be a bit more evenly matched. But she knew it was for the best to keep Harry as far away from Voldemort as possible. It had almost turned into a full fledge argument between the three at the very suggestion of splitting up.

"No way!" Harry and Ron shouted at once the moment the phrase left her mouth.

"There is no other way around it," she stated holding Rachel's forgotten coat against her chest. "With the trail gone cold we need to cover more ground. I'll go this way and you two go that way. If you don't find anything in ten minutes we will meet back here."

"I am not letting you go off on your own," Harry snapped while Ron nodded fervently beside him. "You're really upset and you might do something stupid if she's in trouble."

Hermione eyes narrowed at the stubbornness of the boys as she scoffed, "Thanks for the loads of confidence in me boys!"

It took a few more minutes of arguing before she could convince them to actually go their separate ways. Hermione had just been getting ready to turn around when she heard screaming in the distance. Dropping the coat she raced through the brush managing to find the clearing, just as Rachel screamed, "I'll tell you! I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING!"

It was obvious what had been had been occurring prior to her arrival. It was heartbreaking to watch Rachel struggle to her knees in the snow, as Bellatrix stood over her. The seventeen year old was pale as the snow, and it was obvious she had been endured a great deal of torture. It took every ounce of strength not to go rushing into the clearing, like she wanted to do. This wasn't that moment to prove Harry correct. She had tried to be as silent as possible but somehow Voldemort had sensed her, and even though she didn't have a solid plan, she knew it was time to act.

"I'm warning you," Hermione said her voice adopting a dark edge to it, "Let…her…go!"

What started as a light laugh turned into a full fledge cackle as Bellatrix suddenly recognized the newcomer. "My lord, I believe that is the mudblood that is friends with Potter," she hissed an evil sparkle in her eyes. "I am almost certain of it!"

Trying her best to keep her stone expression Hermione didn't flinch as she was called out in front of everyone, even being called a mudblood didn't even affect her. Upon hearing the term she knew what was going too happened before she could stop it. The flash of anger appeared in Rachel's eyes at her girlfriend called that filthy term blurted out her defense, "Don't you dare call her that!"

With a sigh Hermione closed her eyes as she heard the echo of Rachel's angry words reverberate off the hills. Kicking herself silently, Rachel knew that she should have kept her mouth shut.

"Oh," Bellatrixed cooed a sparkle appearing in her dark eyes, as she looked first at Hermione then at Rachel, "My Lord, I think perhaps we might have found the giver of the necklace."

Shit, she cursed seeing her first true glimpse of fear appear on Hermione's face, me and my stupid fucking mouth.

"Well that makes a world of difference," Voldemort sneered, his voice dripping with obvious delight. "But how to prove it?"

Rachel's breathing became rapid as he stood over her, plotting his next move. Knowing that what ever he planned would surely involve pain, she shut her eyes and waited for it all to be over with. "I think a cruciatous curse will tell us what we need to know," he thought out loud. Then too her horror Rachel felt the death eater remove the wand from her head and turned it toward Hermione.

"NO!" Rachel cried, finding the strength to flip over, throwing the death eater and his master off balance. Crying out his curse was sent skyward instead of at his intended target. Scrambling to her feet, Rachel raced, as fast as she could with her injured leg, in Hermione's direction. Immediately, she had to drop back to her knees and frantically crawled toward her protector. Sending her own spell at one of the death eaters, Hermione hoped to reach Rachel before anyone else could, but regrettably neither was fast enough to get to the other.

The death eater called Nott, beat Hermione and delivered a swift kick to Rachel face, sending her flying backwards. The sound of her body slamming into the ground was almost sickening as she landed on her side. The blood flowed almost instantaneously from her mouth from the force of the kick. Before Rachel could get to her feet to her feet again, Voldemort was upon her pinning her to the ground with his knee. He roughly wrapped his forearm arm around her neck and pulling her head backwards jabbed his wand against her jugular. Clearly he was furious about being thrown to the ground by a fifthly muggle. Turning toward Hermione, his red eyes blazed in her direction, caused her to grind to a halt.

"Throw down your wand," he commanded tightening his grip on Rachel's throat, causing her to choke and wheeze as her breathing was constricted.

"Don't do… it!" Rachel retched which caused her to receive another wand to her head. Screwing up her eyes up she saw one of the death eaters had added his own wand on the back of her head. Removing his knee from Rachel's back, the Dark Lord allowed the one death eater to take charge of the muggle. "Do not let her escape, Avery or it will be the last thing you ever do."

"Come, come let's not be rude little girl," Avery sniggered and proceeded to grab a handful of her hair to force her upward to her feet. "Up we go!"

Hermione watched in horror as Rachel's face already spattered with blood, from her mouth, contort in pain as she was pulled to her feet by a tuff of hair. Raising his wand he stabbed it against Rachel's temple. "Shall we listen to the Dark Lord now?" he asked Hermione who almost immediately threw her wand to the ground. Before the wood even hit the snow Nott had seized the witch around the neck and took her as his prisoner.

"No," Rachel whispered watching her begin to struggle but the moment they made any suggestion about harming the muggle she stopped.

The air was thick with fear as Voldemort advanced on the teenage witch. Encircling her like a vulture, he began asking her various questions about Harry and his current location, completely forgetting about the soul piercer. Remaining silent she refused to give him any information. Both could tell that his patience was running thin with her, and turning toward Rachel he asked Hermione one more question. "Where is Potter?" he demanded angrily. "Tell me and she will go free!"

"She'd never make a deal like that!" Rachel snapped. "I'm the one you have been looking for, for the past two months, remember? So just leave her the fuck alone."

Stepping back from Hermione he cast an evil glare across the clearing at Rachel. "I don't believe I was addressing you," he sneered, and without another word flicked his wand in her direction caused a gash to open across her right cheek.

Crying out in pain as she felt her flesh split apart on her face, Rachel tried her best to raise her hand to her face. Avery, Nott, and Bellatrix broke into evil laughter at her struggle and Hermione's pleas. "Just let her go," she whispered on the brink of tears. "Please, please let her go."

"What was that dearie?" the death eater taunted pressing the stick deeper into the side of Rachel's head. "Didn't quite catch that."

Turning back toward Hermione once again, You-Know- Who smiled as he saw the tears starting to freeze on her face. Perhaps he had finally figured out a way to get answers to the questions he was asking. "Once again," he began his wand still pointing at Rachel, "Harry Potter's location."

When Hermione wasn't fast enough with a response another slash opened across Rachel's shoulder. Everything was fading in and out of focus as the blood slowly flowed from her wounds. She knew that they both would die if Voldemort didn't get answers soon, and she refused to let her nightmare play out in front of her. Suddenly, the light bulb clicked on in her mind as she thought of the most truly crazy and dangerous plan ever imagined. It would just take a great deal of acting on her part, and once again leaving the Gryffindor out of the loop, but if it meant Hermione would at least be spared she had to try.

Here goes nothing, she thought as another deep cut appeared on her thigh; hope drama club will pay off.

"Stop it… please," she whimpered and somehow managed to muster up some tears. "I can't take it anymore." With that she rolled her eyes back into her head and letting her knees buckle slumped against Avery. Hermione almost broke into hysterics as Rachel dropped to the ground.

Slowing her breathing and keeping her eyes closed, Rachel began to speak. "I'll prove I'm a soul piercer. Just… just stop hurting me," she began knowing that her offer was going to be the ultimate betrayal in Hermione's eye. "And I will help you get Harry, if you let her go."

The emotion crossed Hermione's face in a burst as Rachel's words registered, causing Rachel to instantly feel an inch tall.

"Rachel, don't!" she cried and frantically tried to break loose. "You can't do that to him! How could you betray him like this?! He's your friend…"

"Shut up!" she snapped looking up at the stunned witch. "I told you not to come after me! I wouldn't be making this offer if you had just fucking listened to me! I would have just tried to kill him and probably end up dead."

Visibly hurt, Hermione began to tear up at being labeled the cause of the ransom. "What was I suppose to do, leave you out here alone? Let you walk straight into death?" she demanded, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Rachel, please, don't do this!"

Ignoring her question, Rachel looked back toward the Dark Lord. "Do we have a deal?" she asked knowing that every word she was saying was a knife in her heart. "One soul piercer and Harry Potter for the freedom of one average witch?"

"The Dark Lord does not make deals with muggles!" Bellatrix exclaimed and pointed a wand toward her.

Gritting her teeth Rachel grimaced waiting for more pain, at this rate she was hoping that perhaps she would be killed by accident. The only thing that kept her from making a suicidal comment was the mission of keeping Hermione alive.

"But…" he cut in blocking the wand from its prey, "in this case I will perhaps make an acceptation." Voldemort answered and placing a hand on Bellatrix's shoulder made her lower her weapon. "Bring her here."

Avery, not so gently, dragged the still limping Rachel across to his master. Leg on fire, she tried her best to focus on nothing but the task at hand. Standing before the dark wizard Rachel was more terrified than she had ever been in her entire life. The frantic cries by Hermione faded away as she tried to center herself. Inhaling deeply she closed her eyes and lowered her head.

Please, she prayed holding back tears, please let this work, do not let me lose her now.

In a rare moment for him, Voldemort stood looking at her with curiosity. All his life he had heard of soul piercers and always wanted to have one for himself. He knew that he could use them to help pick out future loyal followers. This could possibly be his moment to obtain a new pet and also eliminate his enemy.

With eyes still closed she began to instruct Voldemort what to do. "Ask me a question about yourself that only you know," she instructed, still trying to shut out Hermione. "If I don't tell you the correct answer then you can kill us both."

"Gladly," he hissed casting a sideway glance at one of Harry's best friends; he knew her death would cause great grief for the young wizard.

"Now, I need you to let me go," she added, which caused an immediate uproar from Avery. "I can barely walk, how the hell am I going to escape?"

After a stern look from his master, Avery released his grip and joined Nott in holding Hermione. "Just so you know," he cried adding his wand to Hermione's throat. "Try anything funny and she will die."

The thought sent a shiver throughout Rachel's body, and caused her to momentarily lose her concentration. Focus, her mind snapped, you can do this. You can keep her alive!

"Okay," she breathed, "what do you want me to tell you?"

The Dark Lord pondered for a moment before he spoke, it would be truly hard for her to tell him something that wasn't in anything public. Finally, his eyes lit up as he thought of what he thought was a very clever question. "Tell me what my mother said on her deathbed?"

Nodding solemnly, Rachel concentrated on retaining the questions in the back of her mind. "Now keep your eyes locked onto mine," she said and raising her head Rachel opened her eyes and looked straight into the hellfire of Voldemort's snakelike eyes.