January 2nd, 2012
A/N: I got a lot of positive feedback and I must say, thank you all for your suggestions! To clear something up: I am keeping the names Rose and Hugo, and Scorpius, and all of the Potter children. In fact, most of the original names will be kept. The reason for Rose and Hugo…it's my way of showing Ron never gets over Hermione. Roses could be her favorite flower, and Lavender's as well so she doesn't mind, and Hugo could simply be Ron's idea for a child.
For those of you on Twitter, I now tweet! It's still weird, but I post whenever I upload a new chapter for those of you who can't put me on alert here. "writersanon375" If you tell me where you're from (as in here) I'll follow you back.
Oh, um, one more thing. Sorry for this. I just wanted to say THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for writing me over one hundred reviews! It is HIGHLY appreciated! :D
Thank you for being an awesome beta as usual, Cat (:
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Chapter Twenty Two
Hermione threw punches, she executed well-aimed kicks, and she screamed at the top of her lungs, but to no avail. There was no one around to save her, and her wand was confiscated by Goldman the moment they apparated.
She wouldn't allow herself to grow too worried, though. Draco would undoubtedly go ballistic and tell Harry what happened, and they would organize an entire search party full of Ministry Aurors. If Hermione couldn't escape by herself, it didn't matter. She'd get away eventually.
"Stop resisting, you filthy Mudblood," Zachary spat, slapping Hermione so hard she saw stars and fell onto the ground. "Learn your place, and learn how to respect your betters."
Hermione bit back a sharp retort that would most likely ensue in Goldman using the Cruciatus Curse on her. In her experience with Bellatrix Lestrange, silence was key, because it would frustrate her torturer until they finally gave up on trying to wrestle information out of her. She would go through all hell, but she wouldn't give a Death Eater the satisfaction of breaking her.
"That's right," Zachary sneered, taking Hermione's stubborn silence the wrong way. "You're just another wild bitch that needs to be tamed."
Merlin, I don't think I've ever actually hated a person this much before! Hermione thought as Zachary hauled her up only to shove her into a dark room devoid of any light source.
"I'll be back for you later," Zachary said menacingly. He leered at Hermione and left, slamming the door shut.
Goldman was gone. Hermione focused on the door and struggled to unlock it. She was quite capable in any kind of magic there was, but when she tried the doorknob it wouldn't turn.
"What…" Then it hit her. The room was magic-proof. It was probably draining hers and taking it in to make itself stronger. Hermione worried her bottom lip and sighed. Death Eaters were improving on thinking things through, which was not good for her, the Ministry, or Harry in any way.
"Draco, please hurry," Hermione whispered, sinking down onto the floor. She feared the worst now. She couldn't fight back with magic, and she remembered what Fenrir Greyback had threatened to do when Bellatrix had Hermione at her mercy. Greyback was as vile as they came, but who was to say that Goldman wasn't just as bad?
As Cat would say, I am in deep now.
Draco couldn't believe that Warrant didn't know where Goldman took Hermione. They were partners. They plotted together. How could he not know?
"Expecto Patronum!" Draco muttered. A silver cat burst out of the tip of his wand and left to find Harry. Draco couldn't find Hermione by himself, and Potter had resources.
Benjamin watched Draco's Patronus go. He couldn't conjure one himself – most Death Eaters were unable to – but he understood the meaning of the form Patronuses took. He assumed that the cat had something to do with the brown-haired witch Zachary had taken.
"You must have some idea as to where he took her," Draco snarled at Benjamin. "It was part of your plan, wasn't it? Goldman wouldn't have acted all spontaneous if it hadn't been planned! Death Eaters are never spontaneous or independent!"
"I swear on my life that Zachary said nothing about what he was planning on doing," Benjamin choked out through his outrage at being left behind and being treated the way he was. "He acted of his own accord. It was not on our leader's orders."
Warrant wasn't going to tell him anything important, that much was evident. Draco furiously thought Incarcerous and watched as ropes wrapped themselves around Benjamin.
Harry suddenly appeared, looking extremely disheveled. His glasses were askew, his hair mussed – but that wasn't out of the ordinary. What was out of the ordinary, however, was the panicked expression on his face.
"What happened? Where is she?" Harry asked. He glanced at Warrant and the Dark Mark on his left arm, and gave Draco his full attention again. "Did you already get as much as you could from this bastard?"
Hermione was known for hitting people on the head with a ridiculously heavy book whenever they swore around her, so Harry tried to keep from swearing in general. But Hermione wasn't there right then, which was the problem, and Harry felt that she wouldn't be able to blame him if he ever decided to tell her.
"He claims he doesn't know anything," Draco said, glaring at Benjamin. "His damn partner grabbed Hermione and disapparated before we registered what was happening. I have no idea where he took her."
"For the love of Merlin!" Harry faced Benjamin. "I hate to say this, but I'm Harry Potter and I can get you sentenced to Azkaban or a Dementor's kiss in a heartbeat. If you don't tell us all that you know and we find out about, you are a dead man."
Draco hadn't thought Harry would lose his cool head. That's how he had survived for so long, right? By keeping a cool and level head? To witness that failing was amazing. Draco supposed he wasn't the only one that cared about Hermione as much as he did. She was loved by plenty of people, even if she wasn't aware of it.
And she might never be… Draco's pessimistic side told him. He resisted the urge to strangle himself. Thinking like that would just make him an incompetent fool who couldn't hold his own weight in the raid that would take place to get Hermione back.
"Potter, what do you have by means of a plan?" Draco asked abruptly. The sooner they got to work, the faster he would be reunited with Hermione. Time was officially of the essence.
Hermione, though on the brink of fainting, was able to recognize the person, or rather, color, standing in front of her. Pink.
"Tut tut, Miss Granger. You should stand when a person of higher rank than you enters the room. It seems as if you still have much to learn," the sweet, simpering voice said patronizingly. It was the voice that had induced fear and hatred during its reign at Hogwarts, and it was one Hermione would never forget.
Zachary kicked her in the ribs, but Hermione refused to let out so much as a whimper. She glared at Dolores Umbridge with pure disdain and loathing. This was the woman who tortured first years for skipping in hallways, the one who treated Muggle-borns and half-bloods like the dirt on the bottom of her magenta colored shoes. This was the woman who was supposed to be in Azkaban, getting what she deserved. She was not supposed to be running free, wreaking havoc in a just turned peaceful community.
As much as Hermione wanted to ask Umbridge what she was doing there, she knew she wouldn't get an actual answer from the toad herself. Zachary would only abuse her more. It was possible that if she waited and showed no signs of curiosity, they would tell her of their own accord. Predictability was always a convenient and prized quality in an enemy one was looking to bring down.
"Why, my dear, I must say, though you are only a lowly Mudblood, you are by far the best witch of your time. We were thinking that you might help us with something," Umbridge said, a smile oozing insincerity on her powdered face. "Not that you have a choice, of course." She giggled like a young schoolgirl and Hermione caught Zachary performing unprofessionally as he rolled his eyes.
What would they need my help with? Hermione thought, mulling over the things she was good at. She was fairly competent in all areas, but she wasn't extraordinary in the slightest, especially to the extent that Death Eaters would seek her assistance.
"You have heard or read about my sentence to that horrid, rancid prison, have you not? I'm sure you have. It was dreadful, of course. A high-bred, pureblood woman shouldn't undergo anything like that." Umbridge looked at Hermione, obviously expecting some sort of response. Hermione nodded obediently, far from agreeing on the inside. "I plan to reinstate myself in the Ministry. I will get rid of every dirty, dreadful thing taking up space in our world. I will make it pure again."
The situation was worse than Hermione had originally deemed it to be. Far worse, if Umbridge was controlling the Death Eaters, for she had a way of organizing chaos and using it to her advantage. Of all people, she would find a way to climb back to power again, despite her betrayals and wretched beliefs. Kingsley was a good Minister, a strong one, but if he was out-voted, there was not much he could do.
"God help us all," Hermione muttered, so softly that not even Zachary, who was too close for her liking, could hear her.
Meanwhile, at the Ministry, Kingsley Shacklebolt purposefully made his way toward Harry's office, hoping to find the man himself there. He had terrible news.
Draco was against telling Ron about Hermione's kidnapping. Harry argued that Ron, as well as the rest of their friends, deserved to know. They could assist him and Draco in parts of the plan that would require more wands.
"Fine, do what you like, Potter, but while you're letting Weaselbee know what happened, I will be trying to figure out a way to get Hermione back," Draco said tonelessly. Harry didn't let his words bother him. He knew Draco was lashing out at him because he was so worried about Hermione. Everyone went about dealing with anxiety in their own strange means.
"Owl me or send your Patronus if you think of anything important, or if you need anything," Harry told Draco. He nodded at the pale blonde man once and made his way to the Ministry.
It wasn't long until Harry was walking into Ron's office. He had made sure to knock before opening the door, because he didn't even want to consider what it would be like if Lavender was in there too.
Ron looked up, taking in Harry's haggard appearance and the apparent distress in his eyes. As a war veteran, Ron's first assumption was that someone had passed away, someone like Ginny.
"What happened?" he asked, jumping to his feet. "Is everyone alright?"
"Your family is fine," Harry said resignedly, leaning against the recently closed door. "It's Hermione."
"What's wrong with her? Malfoy knock her up?"
Harry glowered at Ron. "You're one to talk, aren't you, getting married to a girl even though you don't love her because you got her pregnant!"
Ron gawked at Harry in disbelief. "What's gotten into you? Has Malfoy brainwashed you as well as Hermione?"
"I'm not going to bother defending myself or Draco or Hermione to you, because there's something else that deserves more of my time. Hermione's been taken by Death Eaters and we have no idea where she is."
"Why did you take so long to share that piece of news, huh? I should've known first!" Ron bellowed.
"Tell me why you should've known first, Ron! You're not dating her anymore! She's engaged, and you need to get that into your thick head," Harry snapped, finally at his wit's end. "She was happy, really happy, and it all got ruined because Voldemort's old cronies are acting up, because we aren't doing our jobs properly! We need to find her and save her!"
"I'm not going to disagree with that, but this conversation isn't over."
"Grow up, Ron," Harry said firmly. "It's not all about you anymore."
"Right, because it's always been about you!"
"If you don't stop right now, we will go through with this raid without you," Harry threatened. He would not deal with Ronald Weasley's petty issues when he could be retrieving Hermione.
"Fine, have it your way," Ron spat. "I'll keep my mouth shut. But I'm helping with this raid, even if I have to work with the ferret."
Harry frowned. So this was how exasperated and annoyed Hermione had felt whenever he had written off Draco. It was bloody repetitive.
Hermione drifted in and out of consciousness. Umbridge used the Cruciatus Curse on her whenever she didn't answer in a satisfactory manner, which happened often. Zachary interfered and used the Imperius Curse once, abusing the power he had to make Hermione literally throw herself at him. Umbridge disarmed him to put a stop to it.
"Do not belittle yourself, Zachary. You can do much better than a Mudblood." What an odd kind of encouragement, one that could only come from Dolores Umbridge.
"I was only having a bit of fun, Dolores. I wouldn't stoop so low as to interact with a woman of dirty blood," Zachary said indignantly.
"You should never feel the urge to, my dear. If you must, you may leave and check on our lovely hostess, and see how she's doing," Umbridge suggested, smiling. "And do thank the lady Malfoy for allowing us to use her home." Though she was looking at Goldman, Hermione knew Umbridge meant for her to catch the last sentence.
If she was being held captive in Malfoy Manor, Draco would be able to find her easily. Unless he never suspected his childhood home as a place where Death Eaters might take his fiancé, which would be quite problematic.
I cannot believe Narcissa is helping these people, Hermione thought, more than a little disturbed. Hadn't Narcissa changed? Or had the warm welcome Hermione had received at her gala been a fake?
No, I will not dwell on this for long. Umbridge wanted her to doubt the witches and wizards she considered allies and friends. Hermione had to keep her faith in Draco's mother, the way she kept her faith in Draco during the time of their relationship, and even their school years, when she refused to listen to Harry's notions about Draco being a Death Eater.
"I recall you being a very expressive girl, Miss Granger," said Umbridge. "Why has that changed? Why are you not questioning me incessantly? You must have an abundant amount of questions about to burst out of you."
Hermione merely looked back at Umbridge, her face carefully molded into a blank mask. Umbridge's happened to reform into a snarl.
"You impertinent, disrespectful child!" Umbridge screeched. "You will answer when spoken to!"
"Did the centaurs treat you nicely, Dolores?" Hermione asked, her tone fierce and unmerciful. "Did you have a good time after they carried you off?"
Umbridge seemed as if she would like to kill Hermione right then. "I order you to be quiet, now!"
"You told me to answer when spoken to," Hermione retorted. "How did it feel to be forced to watch while filthy half-breeds had their way with you?"
"ZACHARY GOLDMAN!" Umbridge cried at the top of her lungs. "COME DOWN HERE THIS INSTANCE AND HANDLE THIS AWFUL MUDBLOOD!" She drew in a shaky breath and pointed her wand at Hermione. "Crucio!"
Hermione kept her mouth clamped shut and prepared to have more pain inflicted on her by Goldman's hands. The Death Eater that tromped down the stairs, however, was one that Hermione could not recollect the name of no matter how hard she tried. All she could do was relate him to Bellatrix.
"Oh, you're here. Good – it's nice to know one of you horrid Death Eaters can be timely. Rodolphus, this is Hermione Granger," Umbridge said.
You have got to be kidding me! Hermione couldn't fathom the breach in Azkaban's security. If Rodolphus Lestrange and Dolores Umbridge had gotten out, who was to say other villains equally bad or worse would be able to too?
"I've heard she was quite enjoyable to torture," Rodolphus said calmly, as if he was commenting on the weather or a pleasant place to visit during a vacation. He wasn't as maniacal as his dead wife, but he wasn't entirely sane either.
"Quite," Umbridge replied distractedly. She nodded at Rodolphus. "You will take care of her until I get back." She gave no indications as to when she would get back, but the Death Eaters she worked with were used to that particular inconvenience.
Rodolphus and Hermione watched Umbridge's retreating, pink-clad back disappear. Rodolphus smiled, quite menacingly, and Hermione braced herself for the worst.
A/N: Yeah. This author's note will be shorter. I just wanted to thank you all again, and apologize that this chapter is a little shorter than the others.
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