Chapter 35
Hermione's eyes tried to focus as she opened them slowly. Her head ached badly, and if she didn't know any better she would swear she had been hit on the head several times. Why did her head hurt so badly? Suddenly, everything started rushing back to her as she remembered what happened prior to her losing consciousness. How long had it been since then?
She blinked and opened her eyes back up. She saw Draco cradling her in his arms, begging her to wake up. She felt herself let out a sigh of relief as she saw that he was still alive. She reached up and cupped his face.
"You're okay!" Draco said, sounding like a gigantic weight had been lifted off his chest as he saw her. He had stolen the words right out of her mouth.
"Where are we?" Hermione asked, as she tied to make out where they were.
"Trapped," Draco said grimly. They were in a warehouse type building; she had known that much from the outside. "Hermione, I'm so sorry. I never intended for you to end up here. It was supposed to just end with me coming here and finding out who it was. I didn't know why they wanted me dead or what would happen."
"Tell me everything," Hermione said in an oddly calm voice. She was concerned and confused at the way Draco plated what was happening to seem like it was a personal vendetta against Draco, instead of being general in their hatred like they had initially thought. She had known he was a target, but she needed to know why.
She could see him hesitate a bit, as if he was slightly ashamed of what happened. But he told her everything from what happened in the past to why it was happening now. She felt herself gasp when she heard the details. She wasn't upset with Draco, how could she be?
"Where is Daphne right now?" Hermione questioned. She had looked around the room and couldn't see their captor anywhere.
"She left a few moments ago. Said she wanted to check on a few things," Draco said as he pulled her in tighter.
"We need to get out of here now," Hermione said as she tried to stand up. "We know who it is, so if we can just escape we can bring her in."
"All the escape routes are charmed. I tried while you were still out of it, but it was like there was some sort of barrier; once you get in you can't get out," Draco said with a shake of his head.
She felt fury sink in. How would they manage to get out of this alive? And when Harry made his way in, how would they get out after? She had a billion questions begin to sink in as she tried to think of a solution. She needed a way to keep them both alive. Maybe they would be able to overpower Daphne and steal her wand. It was extremely farfetched, but she needed to have something. She couldn't just not know what to do.
"Well isn't this sweet?" she heard a voice filled with distaste call out. "The two lovers reunited. I hope the two of you used this time to catch up, because it's the only time the two of you will ever have together again."
"We're not afraid of you," Hermione said confidently. "I survived the war. I've been tortured and tormented. Give up, Daphne. If you surrender now, we'll take that into account when you receive your sentence. Because you should know this: the more deaths you add to your list, the higher the sentence you will receive. We'll work something out. Daphne, I know why you're upset and why you're bent on revenge. I talked to Draco and I know about what happened to Blake."
"Don't say his name," Daphne said with her voice shaking. "How could you be with him after knowing what he did? How could you know you're with someone like him? How could a muggleborn like you want to be with him after knowing he was partly responsible for the death of someone else like you?"
"I know what he was a part of during the war," Hermione spoke softly. "I know he's done a lot of things he wasn't proud of. But Daphne, he didn't kill Blake. He didn't torture him or cause his death. He was as much of a victim as you were. I've chosen to accept that he's seen a lot of things that are horrendous and that he's done a lot of things that are immoral. But he did everything he did to make sure his family was safe. He's changed since then. Five years is a long time and no one is the same person they were back then."
"It doesn't change the fact that Blake is dead," Daphne said coldly. "He could have changed; he could have tried to redeem himself. But he did have a part in that death whether he likes it not. And the legal system should have provided some sort of justification for his crimes. He should have been punished. But then you came along and created a right mess, making it so he and the rest of his circle escaped justice."
"And you think that you should be the one who hands out justice? How does that make you any better? You've committed murder as well. And try and justify why you're killing the people in that circle. How does that justify attempting to set off a bomb at the ball? And what of the Aurors who were with me when you found me? What happened to them?" Hermione questioned. She didn't personally know them well, but that didn't change the fact that she felt responsible for them.
"Dead," Daphne said with a shrug. "They were in my way and it would have made it harder to get you. And for the ball, all of the people there were somewhat responsible in not serving the proper justice to the seven who deserved it. You may have posed the law of questioning what happened, but they approved it."
"There were innocents there!" Hermione said heatedly. "Whatever problem you may have with our justice system doesn't change the fact that if you had succeeded so many people not involved with your vendetta would have died. The only person who is responsible for Blake's death is Bellatrix, and she's dead. Daphne, I know it hurts to have lost someone, but you need to be able to move forward with yor life. He wouldn't want you to have ended up this way."
"You don't know what he would have wanted," Daphne shook, but Hermione could tell that she was right. "You're not my therapist," Daphne said in a sharp voice trying to recover. "I have one of those, and quite frankly it's such a waste of time. I don't need to move forward or let go of my pent up anger. The only way I can truly move forward is when they are all dead."
"Daphne," Draco tried for the first time since she re-entered the room. "We've known each other since we were eleven. I was married to your sister for Merlin's sake. How do you think Scorpius would react if he found out his aunt killed his father? He loves you, and I know he's barely seen you since the divorce, but he still asks about you from time to time."
"Oh you mean the nephew you stole from my sister? The one who now has no custody of her child? My sister who now is completely cut off from her parents as she enjoys her single life with hordes of men?" Daphne asked with a raise of her eyebrows.
"Astoria wanted the divorce," Draco said exasperatedly. "She didn't want to be a part of Scorpius' life as a mother. I didn't demand anything from her in terms of that. I would have gladly shared the custody with her if that was what she wanted. I didn't love her and she never loved me, and if she wants to have endless flings then all the more power to her. And quite frankly could you blame her for estranging herself from her parents after everything that happened with Blake? They were the ones who told Bellatrix that they wanted to cleanse their family. They were the ones who locked you up after everything. How do you not blame them for any of it?"
"Because," Daphne said, sounding like a petulant five year old. "They just wanted to keep their family clean. I know what they did was wrong."
"But how could you kill your own family?" Draco guessed as he filled in the rest.
There was a dangerous flash in her eyes, "Enough. You are not here for the conversation. The two of you are here for one purpose only," Daphne said as she raised her wand and pointed it Draco. "Crucio."
Hermione watched in horror as Draco's body collapsed to the ground. She could hear him screaming loudly as the curse shot through his body.
"Stop!" Hermione pleaded. "Please, Daphne, stop this."
The witch in front of her laughed. "Why should I? I'm just starting. And guess what? I'm rather enjoying watching him squirm and scream out in pain. Besides, you don't have to worry about him for a while. You see, Draco is going to watch you cry out in through the effects of my curses. In fact, it's going to be the exact opposite."
Before Hermione could try and process what the witch holding them captive was saying, she felt the same pain which she knew Draco to be feeling shoot through her body. She felt her body seize up as the pain surged through her. She hadn't felt the effects of the cruciatus curse since Bellatrix had held her hostage at Malfoy Manor all those years ago. She had remembered begging the woman to make it stop. She had remembered trying to keep it together; to think of the larger picture and of why she couldn't tell the woman everything. She had remembered struggling to think of a plan so she could hopefully try and survive.
But lying on the ground now made it seem so hard to think of anything else. How could she try and find a way to survive when all she wanted to do was make the pain stop. She could feel Daphne casting the curse over and over again, clearly enjoying herself with the results.
"Please, stop this," she heard Draco begging distantly. She could see him crawling over to her and trying to shield her from the curses. He in turn was hit directly with one of the spells meant for her, sending him face planting into the ground. She felt a tear slip down her face as she saw him struggling to hold himself up.
"Oh no, Draco, I'm not quite done with her yet," Daphne sneered. "But don't worry, you'll get your chance soon enough." She waved her wand and Hermione could see several ropes bind around Draco's body to secure him in place. "I want you to watch her, Draco. I want you to see the pain in her eyes. I want you to see that you are responsible for her suffering; to know that if she wasn't with you, then she would have escaped this fate. I want you to know that you are the reason for all of this. And I want it to kill you inside as you watch the light behind her eyes slip away. I want you to be left so empty, so defeated, that when I'm through with you, you'll be begging for mercy, for me to put you out of your misery. So save your breath, because there's a lot of suffering in store for you before I'm through with either of you."
Daphne turned her attention back to Hermione as she cast several dark spells at her, one after the other. She didn't recognise any of them, but the pain it caused her was unbelievable. She felt as if she was splitting apart physically. She felt as if her skin was being torn off. Other times she felt her body boil by the curse, as if she was going to explode from the heat. She felt herself cry out as another curse seemed to cut into her skin, leaving deep gashes.
She desperately tried to think of a way out. Harry was still somewhere in the building; hopefully he would be able to get to them soon. She had no idea what was taking him so long, but she knew one thing: if he took much longer there was a chance Hermione wouldn't make it to see him again.
She closed her eyes as she tried to think of what would happen in that case. Jamie would once again be left an orphan. She hated the thought that he would lose his family for a second time. It wasn't fair to him and she hated it. Would Harry and Ginny adopt her little boy? Or would Draco adopt him after finding a cure? And what of little Scorpius? She loved Draco's child as if he were her own and she hated the thought of never seeing him again either.
She could see Draco angrily shaking, "Stop, Daphne," Draco demanded. "You made your point. Now just kill me. You don't want her. I'm the one who was there that day, not her. Please, just let her go and I promise you can do whatever you want to me and I won't oppose you. Please, Daphne, I'm begging you."
Daphne shook her head, "Do you think it's as simple as that? I watched Blake die in front of my eyes. Don't you think I would have asked your aunt for the same mercy if I thought she would have granted it? No; you'll suffer the same fate I did, with the exception that you'll die at the end of it."
She turned her back to Draco and cast another dark spell on Hermione. She felt herself slowly begin to lose consciousness from the pain. But before she did, she saw a several familiar faces enter the room quietly, to keep their presence unknown.
"Hermione!" Draco screamed, trying to pull against the bindings restraining him. As he watched her eyes close and her body grow painfully still, he couldn't help but fear the worst. Was she dead? He pulled harder against the ropes, needing to get to her to find out for himself. If she died here he would never forgive himself. He would be the reason she was gone and he couldn't afford to lose her. He needed her far too much.
He looked up and saw Daphne have a satisfied look on her face, but that wasn't what caught his attention. No, it was the group of Aurors behind her slowly attempting to sneak up on her. Was this it? Would they be rescued? Would it finally be over? All they had to do was cast a stunning spell and they would win, and he could check on Hermione.
But it seemed as if he had spoken a moment too soon. Daphne turned to the incoming Aurors and raised her wand, "Clearly stealth is a tactic they need to teach you," she smirked. "I heard you coming the moment you entered the room." She flicked her wand and knocked half of them off their feet. Draco watched as a couple of the Aurors began to fight Daphne, trying to disarm her. Weasley was standing bound and frozen to a spot while Harry was attempting to make his way over to them. Daphne had been trying to keep an eye on both him and Hermione, but she was far too busy trying to fight the Aurors so she lost focus of them.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked immediately as he reached the two of them. He used his wand to remove the bindings around Draco.
"I'm fine," Draco said distractedly as he scrambled to make his way over to Hermione. He scooped her up in his arms. "I'm not so sure about Hermione. She was tortured brutally and I need her to be okay."
Harry reached for a spare wand in his robes and handed it to Draco, "Start healing her. I don't know if we'll have enough time to reach St. Mungo's in her current state, so the sooner the better." When Draco raised an eyebrow at the extra wand he elaborated, "I always carry on one be since the war. It's easier to have an extra one in case you're disarmed, making it so that you always have back up."
Draco nodded as he cradled Hermione into him tightly. He first tried to check her vitals with a spell and noticed that they were quickly diminishing. He cast a couple of blood regeneration spells to make up for those she had lost and cast a couple pain relieving spells. There was not a lot he could do for her without the proper potions. He tried a few other things but he knew that she would be fine for the time being.
He looked up and saw Weasley grab a wand from one of the Aurors that had been knocked out. Unfortunately for him, he was not the only person who noticed.
"Did you really think that you would be able to escape?" Daphne asked with a laugh as she twirled her wand at her former helper, and caused him to spasm on the ground. Harry used the opportunity to try and cast a spell to detain her.
She dodged it easily, but she had an uneasy look to her, as if she figured there was no way that she would be able to get out of here without being caught first. She contemplated for a moment longer before turning her wand around and pointing it to herself.
"Daphne, wait!" Harry called out. "This doesn't have to be the end! Just give yourself up."
Daphne laughed, "Why, so I can go through the same justice system that failed me the first time? No thanks. Avada Kedvra."
Draco watched as his captor's body crumbled to the ground. It was finally over.