TWENTY-TWO
Thursday, 14 April 2005
The last time Hermione had been inside the lab, she had killed Justin. And even in the four months since she'd been there, it looked as though nothing had changed. For having been an attack, it sure looked pristine. Her nerves began to knot in her stomach as Riddle led her through the halls. Despite her best efforts to keep the books in her mental library closed, the memories of her last trip here replayed in her mind as they stepped into the lift and descended.
As the hum of the lift became deafening, Riddle held her close to his side. She tired to relax; to not give her true feelings away, but he was too eerily calm for her to do that. The one time she did steal a look up at his face, the slight curve of his lips and the glimmer in his eyes chilled her to the bone. Combined with the fact that there was no Doctor Linderman in sight, even after the stepped off the lift, Hermione couldn't stop the panic from coursing through her system.
With Riddle's fingers laced with hers, pressing tight enough to cut off circulation, she followed him down the all too familiar hallway. He stopped in front of one of the interrogation rooms, opened the door, and then led her inside of it. It was identical to the one she had been in before and memories of taking Justin's life made her magic flare to life within her. Riddle closed the door and then leaned against it; his eyes focused on her.
Hermione ran her fingertips over the table in the center of the room and glanced over to the mirrored wall. She knew there was another room on the other side of the glass; one that, at will, could be seen with a simple spell. Her nerves threatened to take her down as she tried to keep her thoughts away from what or who might be on the other side.
"What did you bring me here for?" she asked, her voice surprisingly level.
"There has been a recent development. I wanted you to be here to witness."
Hermione went absolutely still, but refused to look at his reflection as she stared at the glass partition. "Witness what?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Her heart thundered in her chest when he pushed away from the door and moved towards her. She did look up then, their gazes locking in the reflection as he approached. She remained still as he pushed her forward against the glass. He placed one hand on her hip while the other stole up to wrap her curls around his fist. "The Resistance tried to take this place down today."
Hermione couldn't stop the slight whine that left her lips as he pushed her up against the glass even more as he tugged her head back a bit. His fingers dug into the skin of her hip, but she refused to acknowledge the pain.
"They failed."
The moment he spoke, she felt the warmth of his invasion in her mind. She closed her eyes and let him in, concentrating all of her efforts into keeping the most vital memories from his reach. Of all the times he had been inside her head, this was his most intrusive. Even in the beginning when they didn't have any history between them, he had never gone this hard before. And he was stronger this time; he had had decades to hone his abilities whereas she hadn't even had her Grey magic for a single decade yet.
Hermione's hands came up to rest against the glass as her body tried to resist the invasion of her mind. She struggled back against him, trying to get him off of her, but it did no good. He simply pressed hard; sank deeper into her mind. The warmth that usually accompanied his presence was hot and the deeper he went, the more it burned. Still, she put all her efforts into keeping a small section of her mental capacities from him.
She clawed at the glass; the sound of her nails scraping at the surface brought gooseflesh to her skin. He tugged on her hair again, shifting her head to the side. Her cheek slid against the glass and she cried out as she squeezed her eyes shut. Images of all the other times she had experienced pain akin to this began to replay in her mind and for a moment, she nearly forgot where she was.
"I d-don't know anything," she rasped, trying her best to fight him off.
"Someone does," he stated, his voice slicing through the pain like daggers. "Their plan was well executed. It was almost like they had inside information."
"It wasn't…" her voice cracked as the pain turned her vision behind closed eyes white. "Wasn't me."
As suddenly as the attack had begun, it stopped. She sagged against the glass; tears flowing freely around her cheek that was still pressed to it as well. His hand loosened in her hair, but remained where it was; much like the one on her hip. A sob escaped her throat as her body continued to tremble from the calibur of which she had to use her magic against his.
"I believe you," he said, his breath warming her skin. She tried to get ahold of her breathing as the hand at her hip began to slide down. She swallowed hard and shivered as he bunched the skirt of her dress up and couldn't stop the groan that left her lips as his teeth grazed the column of her throat. "I had to be sure," he murmured as he reached between her thighs from behind.
His hand moved from her hair. It slid forward until it was wrapped around her throat. He hummed in approval as his fingers slipped inside of her core with ease. She wasn't surprised when he withdrew his touch only to have his cock filling her a moment later. She squirmed back against him; her lashes fluttering against her cheeks as he rocked his hips. His pace was slow, but his thrusts were deep. Despite the burn out her mind was going through, her body was acting the opposite.
Yet, the more he moved, the less her body fought. Far too quickly for her liking, her body was no longer resisting. Instead, she was angling herself to allow him in deeper and the pain he had caused in her mind was slowly being replaced with the high of oncoming release. "They could have burned this place to the ground," he rasped, his breath warming her skin. He slammed his hips against her, making her cry out at the depth he reached. "But instead, they tried to destroy years' worth of research and discover invaluable secrets."
She continued to claw at the glass again as she squirmed, trying to find an angle to relieve the pressure that was bordering on pain. He responded by withdrawing nearly all the way and slamming himself back inside of her over and over again at record speed. She could feel the beginnings of her release and before she knew it, she crested.
But it wasn't just her screams of pleasure that reached her ears. There were also screams of pain. Screams in a voice that, while she still recognized, did not belong to her. As she fought to keep her eyes closed, she felt the warmth of his invasion in her mind again, forcing them open. His words were slow to register as her vision cleared so she could focus on the scene before her.
"I still intend to honor our agreement, but what he did deserves punishment."
While he had fucked her against the glass, he had uttered the spell and made the wall transparent. Now, she had a clear line of sight in the other interrogation room and inside, all the furniture had been removed. There were only two things within the four walls; Bellatrix with a merciless smile and crazed eyes and Draco writhing in pain on the floor as he stared right back at Hermione.
Her eyes went wide as she realized he could see them and it gave her a renewed sense of strength that she used to try and push Riddle off of her. But he had expected the surge of fight from her and overpowered her with his magic; pinning her to the glass. "He has been able to see you this whole time. He saw how you came for me," he murmured as he nipped at her earlobe. "Just as he will until I am finished with you."
"We had a-"
"Deal," he finished for her as he started moving in and out of her again. This time his hand slid down to the apex of her thighs and toyed with her clit. The moan that left her lips made Draco's eyes flash, but as he tried to look away, Bellatrix brandished her wand and his screams echoed around them once more. "I am aware of our deal and I intend to honor it," Riddle reminded her.
Hermione stopped fighting him the moment the words sunk in. The faster she gave in, the faster he would reach his own end. So long as he got what he wanted from her, Draco's torture would end and he would be set free. It was disconcerting; how fast her mind was able to switch gears and seek the pleasure he was giving her rather than try to block it out. But she didn't have time to think about it as she held Draco's gaze. She pretended that he wasn't there; that this was a figment of her imagination.
As she felt herself beginning to crest again, she tried to convey with her eyes how sorry she was. That she hadn't meant for this to happen and this was a side of her that she never wanted him to see. She cried out as Bellatrix hit him with another curse, making him writhe on the floor. Hermione tried to look away too, but Riddle was holding her in way that she couldn't move. The moment Draco's gaze sought hers again, she tipped over the edge and fell into the void of pleasure, taking Riddle along with her.
He sagged against her, pressing her so tight to the glass she was sure it would crack, but he didn't linger. He had barely finished filling her with his release before he pulled away and redressed himself. Her skirt had barely fallen back into place before his hand curled around her bicep as he pulled her from the room and into the one with Draco and Bellatrix. With each and every step she felt more like a slag as their combined slick slipped out of her and coated her thighs.
He pushed her to her knees in the center of the room in front of Draco, but she knew better than to reach out to him. He stood at her back with a hand fisted in her hair. He wasn't holding tight enough to hurt; it was just to serve a reminder that he could do whatever he wanted with her at a moments notice. A reminder to Draco of who she belonged to.
Bellatrix spat at Draco, but only Hermione flinched at the action. Draco was too busy writhing in pain to care. "You're no blood kin of mine! Your parents deserve better than a blood traitor as an heir!" she screamed. As the red jets of the Cruciatus left her wand again, Hermione moved to stop her, but Riddle's hand tightened in her hair to hold her back as his magic smothered her like a blanket. "I should have killed you when I had the chance!"
"Bella, enough," Riddle ordered.
Her head snapped up to give her leader a watery expression and a thin smile. "Sorry, my lord. I seek forgiveness for my cousin's actions. He is an anomaly. He-"
Hermione felt Riddle's magic reach out to his follower, rendering her speechless. "I have never held Draco's infractions against you or your house. You and your brother-in-law have served me well over the years. Draco is a traitor, but he must be let go."
Bellatrix's eyes widened as she looked from him to Draco on the floor in confusion. Had she been able to speak, she might have asked why. As it was, all she could do was stare at them and wait for an explanation Hermione knew she would never get.
Instead, Riddle looked down at Hermione and tugged on her hair, forcing her head back so he could catch her gaze. "I promised you his life; I did not promise-"
"Untouched," she interrupted, channeling all her magic into being able to say that one word.
His glare sent of a wave of triumph through her system, giving her strength once more. His fingers flexed in her hair as he considered his options. For a fleeting moment, her hand began to itch, reminding her of the deal they had struck ages ago on the Astronomy Tower. He had given her his word; evoked a magical bond that he would be forced to adhere too. One glance at his own hand told her that he felt it too.
"Release him."
Relief and panic took hold of her as she watched Bellatrix's eyes widen even more. It was to the point that Hermione wondered if they weren't about to pop out of their sockets. "M-my lord?" she questioned, letting Hermione know Riddle had relinquished his hold on her vocal cords.
"Be quick about it. We have another member of the Resistance to deal with," he said as he tugged on Hermione's hair, drawing her to her feet.
Draco's eyes opened and landed on hers in a wild panic. His lips moved and he reached out for her as Riddle pulled her from the room. She struggled, trying to get back to him, but it did no good. Whatever he had been afraid of would have to be revealed when she saw him again. If she saw him again. Her mind was racing with the thought that that might be the last time she saw him. So much so, that she didn't realize that Riddle had dragged her down the hall and shoved her into another interrogation room.
His promise to return shortly were barely heard as he closed the door and sealed it. But even in her panic, she hadn't expected another surprise. She was fully unprepared to turn around and find the room had one other occupant.
Red hair.
Blue eyes.
It took a moment for her to realize that the hair was long and wild. That the eyes weren't open and unblinking as they stared back at her; lifeless. No, this person was very much alive and staring back at her with as much defiance as there was fear in her stance. She was every bit the girl Hermione remembered, but there was a hardness to her that hadn't been present before.
One that only came from war and survival.
She took a half step forward whispering, "Ginny?" in disbelief, but stopped at the sight of her flinching. Whether it was the sound of her voice or the use of her name, Hermione wasn't sure. Either way, Ginny moved into a stance as if preparing for a fight and all Hermione could do was stare at her in bewilderment.