When they disappeared Fred felt like his heart went with them. He was shaking with fear and rage as he looked frantically around in the darkness that he was left in. He couldn't get the image of the panic in Hermione's eyes from his head and for the only time in his life he truly wanted to hurt someone. He needed to get to her, there was no other thought in his mind.

Shifting slightly he tried to push himself up to his feet but was unsuccessful as the movement jostled his leg. He hissed in pain as he fell back to the ground and squeezed his eyes shut. The frustration, anger and fear he was feeling finally spilled over as he felt a few tears slip from his eyes.

He felt again in his pockets but still found them empty; they must have removed his wand earlier. As far as he could see in the space, there was no real entrance or exit. He thought about Ron and Cho and felt his heart race thinking about that happening to Hermione. He truly felt helpless, there was nothing he could do.

Hermione fell to the floor as the man who had been holding her released her arms. The floor under her hands was a dark tile and she slowly looked up around her. The room she was in was large and dark fabric covered the walls. Low light lit the area and she saw four other men standing at the end of the room, all dressed in black cloaks. They weren't wearing any masks which almost made her more nervous as they weren't concerned with hiding their identity. There were dark pieces of furniture around the room, including a large table behind where the men stood.

As one of the men stepped forward her heart sunk as she recognized Dolohov. He looked years older than he had when she had last seen him at the end of the war. His dark hair was now streaked with silver and it was pulled back in a low pony tail. His dark beady eyes squinted at her as a grin spread over his face.

"Hermione Granger, the smartest witch in a generation, golden trio, warrior against the Dark Lord. Welcome." He bowed slightly to her as he spoke. She refused to show any emotion on her face as he watched her.

"We've waiting a long time for you, my dear." He said as he continued to walk towards her. "The last time I saw you, you were helping Potter defeat the dark lord. Oh the irony."

He had reached her at this point and was standing just a few inches from where she sat. She flinched as he bent down and reached out to stroke her dark hair. His hand came down to her cheek and his thumb brushed over her lower lip, tilting her head to look at him. She jerked her head away from his touch and he scowled at her before standing up.

He started to walk away but then crooked his fingers over his shoulder, "Bring her."

Hermione yelped as the man that had held her earlier suddenly grabbed a handful of her hair and began to pull her with him. She reached up to his hand and tried to get her feet under her but he was moving too fast. By the time they had traveled the short distance to the table her head was splitting with pain. He released her hair, letting her drop to the floor with a thud. She had tears in her eyes that she quickly blinked away as Dolohov spoke again.

"Please. Join us."

She looked up and saw that the four men had all sat down at the table, Dolohov was holding out his hand to the empty chair closest to her. The grin on his face made her incredibly uneasy and she shakily pulled herself up to the chair. Her mind briefly thought of Fred and she steeled herself for anything that may be coming, hoping that the focus would be on her instead of him.

They sat in silence for several seconds as the four men looked at her. She felt like a bug under a microscope and suddenly was very sympathetic towards Rita Skeeter. She had just about had enough and was about to speak when Dolohov beat her to it.

"I bet you're wondering why you're here." He said, the tone to his voice suggested that he was truly enjoying himself.

When she didn't reply he squinted his eyes at her. "I'm sure you saw the results of what happened to your friend Mr. Weasley when he refused to cooperate? Or shall we bring his brother out for added incentive?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and felt a flash of anger. But she shook her head knowing she would do anything to keep Fred out of this.

He smiled again, "Good. Now.." He tilted his head at her, gesturing her to speak.

She wanted to curse him and her fingers twitched for her wand. "Why am I here?"

"Ah, so glad you asked. See my dear, you are the key."

She was surprised at this answer, "The key?"

"Yes. The key." He said looking to his other companions. "I've heard the stories of your little group's escapades. How Weasley and Potter both had their little melt downs over the years. It's really been quite fascinating to study to dynamics between the three of you. But you dear girl are the glue that holds everything together. You are the motivator and the peacekeeper. The reason why Potter succeeded."

He paused to once again grin at her. "The Dark Lord's obsession with Potter was quite unhealthy. After all, look where it got him. He could never see the bigger picture. But us," he gestured to the others at the table. "We understand how vital your role was. And we would very much like to repay you for your efforts, finally get you some recognition. By the time we are done with you, you'll be the martyr of the wizarding world."

Her mind raced at his words, knowing that as a martyr she wasn't expected to be alive to enjoy her supposed fame. She thought about Fred and the new life they had created, and refused to even entertain the idea of having less than a normal life with them. She could already picture them as a family and nothing was going to take that away from her.

"So what are you going to do to me?" She asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

Dolohov smiled again and she already knew the answer. "We are going to kill you my dear." One of the other men at the table chuckled at his bluntness. "Then we will deliver your body back to your darling Weasley and he can take you home. I'd say your death will be suffice enough to punish the others, knowing that they couldn't save you. Little Potter would fall apart at your death."

She clenched her hands so hard her nails bit into her palms. "But first!" Dolohov exclaimed excitedly. "We eat!" He snapped his fingers and the curtains in the corner of the room parted. Several people walked through with platters piled with food. A few more dark cloaked figures followed them and took the six other empty chairs at the table. Cutlery and plates appeared on the table and the food was placed in the center.

Hermione felt her stomach twist at the smell of food and she had an overwhelming urge to be sick. The others started to fill their plates but she sat back in her seat and watched, her mouth filling with saliva.

Dolohov stood at the head of the table to address the others. He raised his glass ceremoniously and looked around as the others quieted. "Friends. Thank you all for coming out to celebrate the pinnacle of our works these past years. As you can see we have a special guest with us today." Hermione felt eyes on her but she refused to look.

"Ms. Granger has been gracious enough to join us. Her sacrifice will be for the good of all, a turning point for the wizarding world as they learn that even the strongest among them are not safe from our rule." His voice was menacing and a few of the others were grinning madly while they nodded their agreement.

"But for now, let us revel in this glory that has been bestowed upon us. We are the higher species and today we celebrate that."

Cheers went up from around the table as they all raised their glasses and drank. If she wasn't so terrified Hermione would almost laugh at the absurdity of everything. Dolohov truly had everyone enraptured with his charisma and he most definitely knew it.

After a few minutes of silent eating, Dolohov noticed that she hadn't touched anything. He furrowed his brows at her, "Ms. Granger? Nothing to your liking?" The fake concern he was showing her made her angry.

"I don't have much of an appetite." She said coldly.

He grinned slowly and inclined his head towards her. "Well then I guess you won't be needed for now. Maybe young Mr. Weasley would appreciate your company." He nodded at someone behind her and the man from before grabbed her arm and hauled her out of the chair sharply. She tripped over her feet as he pulled her behind him before they disappeared with a crack.

Fred startled as at the loud noise that filled the previously silent air. He had been able to stand on his non injured leg and was hopping along the walls of the cave trying to find any hope of getting out. His eyes, already adjusted to the dark, saw Hermione and the man from before appear close to where he stood. He saw Hermione be pushed to the ground before the man quickly disappeared with another crack.

"Hermione!" He called out unable to step towards her.

She looked around at his voice and located him farther down than where they were earlier. She breathed a sigh of relief and got to her feet, carefully making her way over the uneven surface towards him. He pulled her tightly to him when she reached him, almost knocking the breath out of her. She clung to him just as tightly, acutely aware not to bump his leg. She wanted to cry so badly but just took inhaled his familiar, comforting scent.

He pulled back suddenly and examined her, running his hands over her arms as his eyes scanned his body, "You alright? Did they hurt you?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. For now at least."

He furrowed his brows at her words, almost afraid to ask. "What do you mean?"

She looked at him, her dark eyes meeting his directly. "They are going to kill me." She knew she couldn't sugar coat things with him. There was no way to protect him from the truth and she was so grateful that it sounded like he would be let free when she was gone. He clenched his jaw at her words and she drew a shaky breath.

"Dolohov and about ten others are there and he told me that Voldemort's downfall was focusing everything on Harry. They seemed to know about a lot of things that happened in school and seem to think that I'm the reason everything worked out the way it did. My death will apparently be the final message to the wizarding world. Their final ascent to dominance."

"Well that hardly seems fair, putting all the pressure on you." His feeble attempt to joke make her lips quirk upwards as he stroked her hair.

She looked down for a second and spoke softly now, "Fred, I'm scared. There isn't any anger with them, it's purely enjoyment. Like they are excited for this. I really don't know what we are going to do. There isn't a magic mirror this time and no one knows where we are." She felt tears prick her eyes and looked up, trying to blink them away.

He watched her for a few seconds before pulling her close to him again, gripping her tightly. She clung to him and listened to his heart racing in his chest. She felt him kiss the top of her head, "We're going to get out of this." She nodded against him even knowing that they weren't.

She helped him to the floor before continuing his previous mission to circumvent the cave. It extended back further than she had thought but she was unable to find any defects in the wall indicating a way out. Defeated she rejoined Fred and sat next to him, leaning against the wall and rested her head against his shoulder.

He reached over and gripped her hand, playing with her fingers. "I think we should buy a house." He said suddenly.

She lifted her head to look at him. "A house?"

His fingers stroked hers lazily as he nodded, "Yeah. The flat isn't exactly the best place to raise a baby."

A knot formed in her throat and she nodded, turning back to look out into the darkness. "A house would be nice. With a place out back for you to work, baby proofed of course." She said and felt him grip her hand tighter.

"Big windows on the kid's room so they can at least observe my awesomeness."

She chuckled picturing a smaller version of Fred with their nose pressed up against the window while their dad set off fireworks outside. "Sounds pretty wonderful."

He turned his head to look at her, "It will be wonderful Hermione. You don't get to give up yet, we are getting out of here. We are getting that house and we are going to be the best damn parents to this baby."

She sighed feeling exhausted. "Okay."

They sat together for what felt like eternity, listening to the dripping of water while they gripped each other's hands. Hermione's heart started to race when another crack suddenly sounded and she saw the man reappear. She turned towards Fred as he approached them, knowing that this would likely be the last time she saw him.

"Fred I love you so much. You have made me the happiest I have ever felt." Her voice was slightly frantic as she had so many things she wanted to say to him.

He was glancing between her and the man approaching them, panic rising in him. "Hermione, no."

She tried to smile at him, "It's okay. You'll be okay. Please be okay."

She leaned forward to kiss him, not even noticing the tears slipping down her cheeks. He gripped her tightly, almost too hard.

They pulled apart shakily and he rested his forehead against hers, "I love you so much."

She nodded and kiss him again only to be sharply pulled back as the man reached them. She was yanked to her feet as Fred lost his grip on her. She struggled against the hold on her and tried to look back at Fred.

He lost it at this point as he lunged after her, ignoring the searing pain in his leg. She called his name once before they disappeared. He looked around furiously willing them to return and then yelled into the empty space. His chest felt constricted and he struggled to breathe both in panic and pain. But the physical pain of his leg was nothing compared to the ripping he felt in his chest. He collapsed to the ground and started sobbing, still feeling the touch of her lips against his.

Hermione almost wished she didn't know what their plan was as they reappeared in the same room as before. Not knowing that she was about to die was much more comforting than the alternative. She took several deep breaths and tried to hold herself together, wanting nothing more than to curl up in a ball on the floor. There were more people present now, at least six more. They stood in a semi-circle in the middle of the room, all staring expectantly at her. Dolohov stood in the middle of the group and motioned her forward. The man with her tried to pull her forward but she angrily ripped her arm out of his grasp, glaring at him. She held her composure and walked calmly towards Dolohov who continued to smile at her.

"Well my dear." He said almost fondly, as she approached.

"Just get this over with." She said sharply.

He raised his eyebrows at her and a couple of the others present chuckled. "No, Ms. Granger. I don't think you understand. Killing you quickly would be too merciful. You have caused quite a bit of pain for us, it's only fair that we repay the favor."

Her eyes widened at the implication. They meant to torture her and her hands started to shake at the memory of Malfoy Mansion.

Dolohov had his wand in hand already, "Please kneel."

She had told herself she wouldn't beg but she couldn't help herself. "Please don't do this." Her voice was barely a whisper.

He smiled softly at her before gesturing his wand downwards. She sobbed once and shakily lowered herself to the floor onto her knees. Knowing what was coming she thought of the house with Fred and let herself get lost in the fantasy of raising their family together. Nothing would distract her mind from what was about to happen, but she tried her best to picture their child and everything they would have been.

Dolohov grinned maniacally and raised his wand to point at her and said the horrid word that had haunted her dreams for the past seven years, "Crucio"

Her screams filled the room as her body spasmed. Every sweet thought she had been having disappeared and she only felt pain as she fell to the ground and curled into a ball unconsciously protecting her stomach. She could hear Dolohov's laughter in the background as tears freely slipped from her eyes. He stopped for a minute and she breathed heavily, resting her cheek on the cool tile floor. A few seconds later it started again.

She felt like this torture went on forever, several other people present stepping forward to add their wand to the force. With Bellatrix the torture had seemed worth enduring to keep their secret. There had been anger and frustration behind her magic, but this was another kind of evil. They were punishing her, playing with her, the only goal was to make her suffer for her 'crimes'.

She felt numb at this point and didn't even notice when they stopped. She didn't even have the energy to open her eyes. In the background she vaguely heard Dolohov speak and wondered if it was finally time for it to be over. There was some loud voices and she felt herself being jostled. Then there was nothing and her world went black.

Back in the cave Fred raised his head from his hands as he heard another crack of apparation. His heart leapt to his throat as he looked up expecting Hermione to be coming back towards him. It wasn't her but the three people who approached him made him want to cry again. Ron, Harry and George stood in the cave with their wands drawn, the tips lighting up the dark space. He yelled at the site of them and all three turned towards him.

"Freddie." George exclaimed as he ran towards his twin. "Merlin are you okay"

Fred shook his head as the other two joined him. "My leg."

Harry looked around the cave, "Where's Hermione?" His voice was cold and filled with anger, the same way it had been since finding out that Hermione and Fred had gone missing yesterday.

"They have her." Fred said as George bent at his leg and unwound the bloody sweater Hermione had placed earlier. "She said they were going to kill her. We need to find her." His voice was frantic and he tried to raise himself up but George pushed him down.

"Hold up. Let me get this fixed first, you're not going to be any help with a broken leg." His twin pointed his wand at the wound and muttered the only spells he knew to heal bones. He tried not to think about the fact that Hermione had been the one to teach them to him. Fred grunted as he felt his bones pull together, then he was on his feet, standing easily now.

"How did you find us?" He asked the others, having no idea himself where Hermione was at this point.

George spoke up, "It was Ron."

Ron nodded and stepped forward, "And I think I know where she is." He gestured for them all to step forward, each person finding a good grip on him as he turned on the spot and apparated.

The sound of laughing was the first thing Fred registered as they arrived in the dark room. He and the others looked around quickly and saw Hermione laying on her side in the middle of the room with several cloaked figures surrounding her. Dolohov stood closer to her and grinned as he pointed his wand at her as the dark haired witch curled into herself on the floor and cried out as the next wave of pain washed over her.

The rage that Fred felt was like nothing he had ever experienced before. "No!" He yelled out, pulling the startled attention of the figures off of Hermione and to them. He didn't have a wand but lunged forward regardless, thinking only of getting to Hermione.

Several of the death eaters had reacted at this point and pulled out their wands. Flashing light came up around him but he barely noticed as he ran directly into Dolohov and shoved him to the ground, taking him completely off guard with his non magical attack. Fred scrambled on top of the man and hit him as hard as he could in the face, feeling the satisfying crunch under his fist. He hit him a few more times, pure anger and fear driving his actions as they took full control of the situation. Dolohov bucked suddenly and lashed out with his wand, sending Fred flying backward onto the floor. The two men scrambled to their feet and Dolohov grinned at Fred, showing off two missing teeth.

"You're too late." He said and laughed.

Fred looked quickly to Hermione, lying on the ground a few feet from where they stood. In his brief glance he saw that she wasn't moving and her face was void of color. Other order members must have shown up as the rest of the death eaters seemed to be occupied enough to not assist Dolohov.

"She was quite lovely, wasn't she." Dolohov said again as he raised his wand towards Fred. "Such a waste."

Fred clenched his jaw and waited for the imminent strike of a curse. Just as he was about to lunge towards the man, a flash of dark red went over his shoulder and hit Dolohov squarely in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards before collapsing in a heap on the floor. Fred stared in shock at the fallen body, then whipped around to seen Ron holding his wand aloft, breathing heavily. His brother nodded at him before turning back to finish off the death eater he had been dueling.

Fred fell to the ground next to Hermione and turned her onto her back. She didn't stir under his touch and he felt at her neck for a pulseHe breathed a sigh of relief when he found one but it was weak and slow under his fingertips. Cursing he scooped her easily up, hating how limp and cold she felt in his arms. He saw Bill standing a few feet from him as another death eater fell. Rushing forward with Hermione in his arms he made his way to his eldest brother.

"We need to get her out of here." He said loudly over the noise.

Bill glanced down at Hermione and nodded sharply, grabbing onto them both before apparating.

The silence of the front entrance to St. Mungos was a sharp contrast to the chaos they had just left. There were a few patients in the lobby who looked up with shock at their sudden appearance.

"We need help!" Bill yelled out as several nurses jumped up at their arrival. rushing forward with wands already drawn.

"Weasley, what is..?" Draco Malfoy had stuck his head out of an exam room at the noise and saw the two red heads. He paused in his step as he saw the witch in Fred's arms before rushing forward.

"It's Hermione. She was tortured." Fred said pleadingly, shifting her slightly in his arms. Draco quickly conjured a stretcher just as several nurses and another healer crowded around them.

Draco gestured for Fred to place Hermione on the stretcher before gesturing at his team to go. They walked quickly away with Hermione floating between them and Fred startled at their sudden movements. The other healer stayed back with him.

"Mr. Weasley you need to be looked over." He said, trying to steer him in a different direction.

Fred was already brushing past him to stay with Hermione and the rest, refusing to let her out of his sight. They had reached a set of double doors which he tried to follow them through but Draco stepped away from his position and stopped him.

"You can't come back here." His voice was cool and collected, completely in healer mode.

Fred glared at him and tried to step past him, "I'm not leaving her."

Draco all but shoved Fred back as he tried to push pass him. "You have to. This is our job, Hermione's job." He emphasized every work, making sure that Fred heard him. "She helps people every day and now you need to let us help her."

Fred looked at Draco at this and thought about all of the times Hermione had talked about how horrible it must be for family members when they couldn't be with the patients, and how terrible she felt making them stay behind. He knew that his presence with her now wouldn't do her any good and would only impede the medical staff. Taking a step back he nodded at Draco who put his hand on Fred's arm before turning quickly to go back to Hermione. Fred remembered something then, something he had almost forgotten in the chaos of everything.

"Wait!" He called out, causing Draco to turn back to him.

"Weasley we need to go." He said harshly as he stepped back toward the redhead.

Fred nodded his head, "I know. She's pregnant thought. You need to know that."

Draco looked surprised at this news about his classmate and colleague. He had just seen her two days ago and she hadn't said anything to him, and they were good enough friends to where she would have. He remembered her flustered appearance though and suddenly realized what she had been doing here on her day off.

He nodded at Fred, "Alright."

They left through the doors and continued down the hall to do their work, leaving Fred standing alone in the hall. And for the second time today, he felt as if his heart went with them.

The older healer was back at his arm again, "Mr. Weasley. You should be examined. Your brother has filled us in on what happened and we need to make sure that leg is set properly."

Fred felt numb as he was brought to an exam room to be fussed over by the medical staff. He allowed them to do what they needed to but his thoughts were always on Hermione, flashes of memories of the time they had spent together raced through his brain. He thought of her sitting at his kitchen table laughing with George over her coffee. The feel of her nestled against him on her cough when all he wanted to do was tell her how he felt. That night on the beach... He stayed with that moment of them, thinking back to how she had looked in the moonlight, how carefree they had been. How safe...