A/N - Thanks for all the amazing support for this story, I'm pleased people are enjoying it so much. This week should finish this part, before I start posting part 3 next week.
I was asked about the title for part 3, and if it would begin with a R like Rises and Rules. That was what I originally hoped to do, but I can't actually think of an appropriate word for part three. At the minute it's called The Dark Lady Victorious, but if anyone has any suggestions of titles along the same lines as the title I've got, let me know.
As for this part, I hope you enjoy the last few chapters.
Twenty four hours after Harry and Ron had disappeared, Hermione apparated to a small cottage in the middle of nowhere. The cottage was where Lucius had arranged for her to keep Harry and Ron until she was finished with them. Currently the two Gryffindors were being guarded by Crabbe and Goyle, who would alternate shifts with Blaise and Theo.
Entering the small, basic front room Hermione smiled at Crabbe and Goyle. "Is everything okay, here?"
"Everything's fine." Crabbe replied.
"Are they in the bedroom?" Hermione questioned.
Before they'd snatched Harry and Ron, Hermione had visited the cottage and designated a room to keep the pair. Since they'd been snatched she been busy and hadn't visited the cottage, but a quick chat with Blaise the previous afternoon revealed everything had ran smoothly with the kidnapping.
"Yeah." Goyle nodded.
"Okay boys, are you ready for some fun?" Hermione grinned wickedly.
Crabbe and Goyle both grinned and took out their wands. Before they left the front room Hermione placed her usual glamour charms on her appearance, turning into The Dark Lady. Hermione had considered wearing her cloak, but considering they were planning on obliviating Harry and Ron she figured it was the perfect time to test out her disguise. No-one else had recognised her in Dark Lady mode, but if anyone could it would be Harry and Ron. If they did recognise her it was better they did so now, giving her a chance to make more alterations to her appearance before she made her first big public appearance.
"Do you know what you're doing?" Hermione asked the duo, before they entered the room. While she was happy to go into the room without her cloak, she wasn't planning on speaking any more than she had to.
"Yeah, we know what we're going to do." Crabbe nodded eagerly.
"Good, let's get going." Hermione smiled.
Crabbe opened the door and him and Goyle strode into the room. Hermione followed them, shutting the door behind her and taking in the scene. Harry and Ron were over the other side of the room, sitting side by side. Both of them had one ankle shackled to the wall, limiting their movements.
"What do you want with us?" Harry asked, narrowing his eyes when he saw The Dark Lady.
Harry was also slightly perturbed by the fact Crabbe and Goyle were present without wearing any sort of disguise, the fact they weren't hiding their part in things didn't exactly bode well for them. When Sirius had Malfoy and they tortured him they hadn't hidden their identities, but they'd never expected him to be rescued. While they'd never actually discussed what was going to happen to him, both Harry and Ron didn't honestly think Malfoy would survive the experience so their identities didn't need to be guarded.
"Just a bit of payback." Goyle answered.
"I think the pair of you need a taste of your own medicine." Crabbe added.
Hermione gave the two boys a subtle nod, before leaning back against the door to see what Crabbe and Goyle were capable of. The pair had clearly been talking about what they would do as simultaneously they raised their wands and cast the Cruciatius curse on the pair on the floor. Goyle took on Harry, while Crabbe was dealing with Ron.
Immediately Harry and Ron collapsed in pain, causing a cold smile to appear on Hermione's face. After what they'd put Draco through their suffering was mild in comparison. Hermione continued to watch quietly as Crabbe and Goyle gave everything they had in their torture. The pair had a bit of potential and Hermione vowed she would spend some time honing their techniques, meaning they would be able to inflict more pain in the future.
Hermione let the torture go on for about ten minutes, before stepping up and placing a hand on both boy's shoulders. Immediately the pair dropped their wands, releasing Harry and Ron from their spell. The two Gryffindors were lying on the floor in pain when Hermione approached them. Using her foot she rolled both boys onto their backs and smirked down at them as she raised both her hands.
"Crucio." She whispered, too low for either of them to be able to recognise her voice.
Simultaneously the pair screamed in agony as Hermione's curse hit them. Unlike Crabbe and Goyle who were using the curse for the first time, Hermione was no beginner and her curse hurt a hell of a lot more. She'd spent hours with both her father and Lucius working on her magic and honing her ability to cause pain. She was now so advanced that as long as she was concentrating she could cause severe pain with a mere flick of her wrist.
Hermione kept the curse up for a couple of minutes, before abruptly stopping and turning round. Nodding to Crabbe and Goyle, the trio left the room, leaving Harry and Ron in a heap on the floor.
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"How long have we been here?" Ron asked Harry. Stuck in a room with no windows and with no idea how long they had been unconscious when they were first brought to the room, it was hard to keep track of time.
"I have no idea." Harry sighed. "But it feels like an eternity."
"At least they haven't come back." Ron commented.
Since Crabbe and Goyle had visited with The Dark Lady, they hadn't seen or heard anyone. A couple of times food had magically appeared in the room, but they hadn't actually seen anyone.
"And at least Lucius hasn't shown up yet." Ron added. "To be honest, I'm more scared of him than Narcissa, even if she is The Dark Lady."
"She's not." Harry said quietly.
"What?" Ron whipped his head around to look at his friend. "How do you know?"
"Her perfume." Harry answered. "I've smelt it before, and I've never been close enough to Narcissa to smell her perfume. I also know it's made especially for her and is expensive."
"How do you know that?" Ron asked warily.
"She told me."
"What the hell, Harry?" Ron exploded. "Are you telling me you know who The Dark Lady is?"
"That's the thing, I can't remember who I had the conversation with. The smell of the perfume triggered a memory, but it's foggy and unclear." Harry replied. "I don't know why, but at the minute I can't remember any more. It'll come to me though, I'm sure of it."
"I bloody well hope so." Ron muttered.
No sooner had Ron spoken than the door opened and Blaise and Theo entered the room. Like with Crabbe and Goyle they weren't hiding their identities and like their friends before them they were accompanied by The Dark Lady.
"Having fun are we?" Blaise grinned.
"You'll pay for this Zabini." Harry spat. "You all will."
"I don't think so." Theo laughed.
"Someone will find us." Ron said, trying not to show how worried he was. "We'll be rescued."
"I doubt it." Blaise snorted. "We're not stupid enough to leave a trail. No-one sees us come and go, unlike your little dog friend who gave the game away."
"That's how you found us." Ron gasped.
"That doesn't make sense." Harry frowned. "To know it was Sirius you would have needed to see him in his dog form before, and you lot haven't."
"We're not exactly stupid you know." Theo replied. "We knew all about Black's animagus form, so spotting a big dog hanging around Hogsmeade aroused our suspicions. It didn't take us long to work out what was going on once we'd spotted him."
From her position by the door Hermione chuckled quietly to herself. If it wasn't for Crabbe and Goyle, Blaise and Theo would never have made the connection to Sirius. But she had to admire the pair for using how they found Draco to taunt Harry and Ron. Knowing Harry he would dwell on them spotting Sirius for the next few days.
"Boys, I don't have all day." Hermione called quietly, when it looked as though the verbal sparring was going to continue.
"Of course, My Lady." Blaise turned and nodded at Hermione before returning his attention to the two Gryffindors on the floor.
"Shall we?" Theo asked, glancing at Hermione.
"Enjoy." Hermione grinned.
Harry and Ron looked up at the Slytherins in defiance, there was no way they were going to let them see how worried they were about what was to come. Blaise and Theo shared a wicked smile, before simultaneously turning their wands onto Harry and Ron. While the pair on the floor were braced for the pain, they were still taken aback when it came. The pain wasn't as bad as the shot they'd received from The Dark Lady, but it was much stronger than what Crabbe and Goyle had managed.
Hermione was just thinking how impressive the two boys were when suddenly both Blaise and Theo ended their torture. However before she could ask them what they were doing they advanced on Harry and Ron and aimed a few physical blows their way. Hermione smiled at the sight, knowing they were remembering that Draco wasn't just tortured, he was physically attacked as well.
After a few minutes, Hermione called a halt to proceedings and wandered over to examine the mess Harry and Ron were in. Both of them were huddled into a ball as Blaise and Theo had confined their kicks and punches to the torso and lower. Waving her wand, Hermione used a spell to force both Harry and Ron to look up at her. When they were looking at her she gave them another blast of the Cruciatius curse.
Harry and Ron both collapsed back onto the floor, and when the pain subsided they were only vaguely aware of the dark trio leaving the room. Lying on the floor the last thing either of them heard was a feminine laugh as the door slammed closed, leaving them to recover in silence.
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Over the next couple of days Blaise, Theo, Crabbe and Goyle all made visits to Harry and Ron without Hermione as they continued on with the torture. However the holidays were drawing to a close and Hermione was preparing to finish the job and get rid of the duo. All four Slytherins were at the cottage, along with Hermione, Draco and Snape. Snape had come along to do the obliviating, but before that Draco and Hermione were going to pay the two Gryffindors one final visit.
Leaving everyone else in the front room, Hermione and Draco made their way to the bedroom where Harry and Ron were being kept. Once outside the room, Hermione warned Draco to keep his cool before opening the door. When they entered Harry and Ron were in their usual places and Hermione smirked as she saw the fear in their faces when they spotted both her and Draco. She also noticed both of them glaring at Draco as he entered the room without any traces of the limp that he had at school.
"We should have known you would turn up." Harry muttered.
"I didn't want to miss the fun." Draco grinned. "After all I was the one suffering from your actions, it's only right I return the favour."
Harry and Ron were so busy glaring at Draco that they failed to spot The Dark Lady moving to the side of Draco and taking out her wand. Before anyone could react she waved her wand and muttered a spell under her breath. The spell caused the wall behind Harry and Ron to turn into vines and within minutes the vines had wrapped around their bodies so they couldn't move.
"Potter or Weasley?" Hermione asked Draco.
"Weasley." Draco replied. "He annoys me more than Potter."
Hermione chuckled and with another flourish of her wand Ron was released from the vines and thrown to the floor at Draco's feet. Before he had a chance to regain his footing, Draco had kicked him firmly in the stomach. Ron moaned and clutched at his stomach, while Draco produced his wand.
"Crucio." He hissed.
Ron's cries of pain were immediate as the pain seared through him. There was so much bitterness and anger in Draco's curse that it was the most painful one Ron had endured, even those thrown by The Dark Lady weren't quite as potent as Draco's. Draco kept the curse up for several minutes and when he ended it, he reached down and hauled Ron to his feet. Draco waited until Ron had focused in on him before he balled his hand into a fist and shot it straight into the redhead's face. Ron cried out as blood splattered over his face as both his nose and lip started to bleed. Draco quickly let go of the redhead and he went slumping back onto the floor.
Steeping forward Hermione used magic to restrain Ron to the wall once again, before she let Harry loose. Despite knowing what was coming, Harry still couldn't react quick enough to stop Draco's foot from landing a solid kick to his ribs. From there on his treatment was exactly the same as what Ron had endured. First he was tortured until he was screaming then Draco ended proceedings by punching him in the face. When he slumped back to the floor Hermione once again stepped in and restrained him for the second time.
When The Dark Lady happened to step a bit too close to Harry, his head shot up. He'd gotten another whiff of her perfume, only this time the full memory of where he'd smelt it before had returned. Harry looked at The Dark Lady in amazement, convinced he was imagining things.
"Hermione." He whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Where?" Ron's head whipped towards the door in hopes of seeing their friend leading a rescue.
Hermione meanwhile froze and stared at Harry in complete and utter shock.
"Right here." Harry said, continuing to stare at Hermione. "Isn't that right, Hermione? Or do you prefer The Dark Lady these days?"
"I'm impressed, Harry." Hermione said, recovering enough to speak. "I never thought you were clever enough to work out who I am."
"I recognised your perfume." Harry said. Beside him Ron was still staring at the pair with his mouth open in shock.
"As I said, impressive." Hermione shrugged, totally regaining her composure now she knew how Harry had worked out who she way. "But it won't do you any good. You'll never get the chance to use the information."
With a final flourish of her wand Hermione threw one last Cruciatius curse at the boys as she made the vines disappear. Dropping to the floor Harry and Ron both collapsed, screaming in agony. Hermione held the spell for a few minutes before dropping her wand to her side.
"Sadistic bitch." Harry muttered, once he'd recovered enough to speak.
"You have no idea." Hermione chuckled darkly, before turning to her lover. "We're done here." She said to him.
Draco nodded and disappeared from the room. Harry and Ron looked up as he left and Hermione could see the confusion written all over their faces when she remained behind. A minute later when Snape entered the room, hidden behind his silver mask and black robes, their confusion started to turn to fear. Hermione stood silently for a couple of minutes, letting their fear become more and more obvious until Ron was practically shaking.
Deciding it was time to act Hermione nodded to Snape. Raising his wand, Snape fired off two obliviate charms before Harry and Ron even had a chance to register what was happening. Seconds after the obliviate charm was cast, Hermione magically knocked the pair out. Walking over to them she checked they were unconscious before turning back to Snape.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome My Lady." Snape replied with a nod. "Unless you need me for anything else, I'll be going."
Hermione reassured Snape they could handle things from here and gave him permission to leave. Minutes after he'd left the room the five Slytherins, all dressed in their black robes and silver masks, entered and helped Hermione unshackle Harry and Ron from the wall. Crabbe and Theo hauled Ron to his feet and manoeuvred his unconscious frame so he was in between them, while Goyle and Blaise did the same with Harry.
"Are you ready?" Hermione asked, as she grabbed hold of Draco's hand.
The plan had been set and earlier in the week Hermione had taken Blaise and Theo to the field behind the Burrow so they could see where they were apparating to. Now all they had to do was apparate to the field and dump Harry and Ron, before quickly leaving without been seen.
"We're ready." Blaise said, after sharing a look with Theo.
"Two minutes." Hermione said, before raising her wand and whisking her and Draco away.
When they landed they were also in the field behind the Burrow, hidden behind a large tree. The pair had just gotten into position when they spotted Blaise and Goyle with Harry, swiftly followed by Theo and Crabbe with Ron. Hermione watched as the pair were roughly dropped to the grass and her four Death Eaters left. Seconds after the last of the boys had disappeared, Hermione shot a bolt of energy towards the Burrow's nearest boundary line.
From their position behind the tree Hermione and Draco watched as the Burrow's back door flung open and Molly and Arthur hurried out. The twins and Ginny also followed as together the group started heading towards where Hermione had broken the wards. As she was partway across the garden, Hermione saw Ginny spot the figures of her brother and boyfriend and call out to her parents.
As the Weasley's rushed towards Harry and Ron, Hermione turned to Draco and grabbed hold of his hand again. This time he apparated them to the Manor where they spent the rest of the night celebrating with his friends and each other. Harry and Ron had been punished for what they had done to Draco, and she hoped that was an end to it.