Author's Note: Thank you very much to my reviewers, I'm glad that you are enjoying the story. If more people could review, that would be wonderful, I love having feedback for my writing. Feel free to correct any mistakes, I try to keep as close to the characters and small details as possible, but we're all human. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy the story!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh please, stop, please, just kill me already!! And the pain stopped. Hermione gasped for air. Her whole body was trembling. She was lying on her left side on the coarse floor trying to get a grip on her nerves, but she couldn't stop shaking. Voldemort, he's watching me, she thought and scrambled to a kneeling position, trying not to put too much pressure on her right side, although she could no longer feel the pain in her leg and arm. She felt pain all over. He won't have the pleasure of seeing me weak as much as I can help it! She looked down and saw Ron's necklace and ring draped around her neck, giving her momentary comfort, but even the thoughts of Ron were fleeting.
"Well, that was...fun," Voldemort said. Death Eaters grunted in approval. Sick bastards, Hermione thought, you guys get off on watching people in pain. "Now, let me ask you another question, since it seems you're adamant about not letting me know where Harry is. And, chances are he's safely back at Hogwarts where I can't touch him anyways. What is he doing over summer?"
Hermione didn't answer. She remembered last summer Harry, Ron, and she were talking about next summer plans and she recommended that they stay at her home for a few weeks and finish up the summer at The Burrow. That way, Ron would learn how a Muggle household ran and Harry would see how a non-psychotic Muggle family lives. Mr. Weasley supported the idea, so long as Ron took notes on Muggle devices like the telephone and computer. Ron grudgingly agreed if it meant he could see where Hermione lived.
"I asked you a question, Mudblood, now, answer me! Imperio!"
Suddenly the pain vanished from Hermione's body and she felt as though her spirit had left her body and she was floating towards the sky....just answer the question....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ron was left, stranded in the hallway, unable to help Hermione. He felt powerless and it disgusted him. He walked over to the wall of the hallway and kicked and hit it furiously. With every kick and punch, he chastised himself, You shouldn't have left her there! What the hell were you thinking, you stupid prat? She might be dead now, God damn it!! What the hell were you thinking? No, you weren't thinking. Weasley, you screwed up once again. Now the girl you love might be dead and it's all your sodding fault! Shit!
With the final punch to the wall, he collapsed onto the floor, sobbing quietly. He could care less who saw him, even if it were Malfoy. He was at a complete loss. He looked down at his hands and noticed they were bleeding. The pain finally triggered in his head, it actually hurt a lot. Well, it isn't a fraction of the pain Hermione experienced when she was put under the Cruciatus Curse. You deserve all the pain in this sodding world, Weasley. He really didn't quite comprehend the idea of waking up the next morning and not hearing Hermione scold him for something yet, but the word "death" scared the hell out of him and that was all he needed to become completely terrified.
Harry, he thought. Dumbledore said to be with Harry. He got up, wiped his despicable tears away from his face, and walked back into the Hospital Wing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry was lying on his back in bed when Ron returned to the room. His eyes were closed, thinking about Hermione in the hands of Voldemort. He knew that feeling all too well, but it came along with being Harry Potter. Hermione, on the other hand, never did anything to Voldemort to deserve what was happening to her, Except being my friend, Harry thought. He felt so lost.
"Hey," Ron said quietly while sitting next to Harry's bed.
"Hey," Harry replied equally quietly.
"Mr. Weasley! Your hands, they're all torn up. Come here, we must get these cleaned and bandaged," Madame Pomfrey said while giving Harry some water.
"They're fine, Madame Pomfrey," Ron lied. He deserved the pain.
"Nonsense, come here this instant!" Madame Pomfrey said sternly.
Ron grudgingly got up and followed her. A few moments later, he returned to Harry's side with white bandages around both hands.
"How'd that happen?" Harry asked, looking at the newly bandaged hands.
"It was nothing," Ron lied again.
"Oh, I see."
"How, how do you feel?" Ron asked Harry, unsure of the implications of that question.
"I feel alright. Madame Pomfrey said that I had some sort of internal injury or whatever, but she was able to fix that and I have a headache right now and my chest is rather sore. But I feel okay," Harry replied. Harry tried to lighten the internal injuries part. Though he wasn't a doctor, he knew that it was a pretty serious thing.
At the mention of internal injuries, Ron remembered how Hermione insisted that he and Harry go without her for Harry's sake. Ron's eyes looked distant to Harry.
There was a long uncomfortable silence until Harry finally asked what was eating at his insides since he woke up, "Ron, what happened?"
Ron snapped back into the present and looked at his best friend sadly. He recounted the entire story of Hermione pushing herself in the path of the rubble, her decision to stay behind without them, his desire to go find her, and everything else he could remember. The whole event was blurry in his mind, as though it happened ten years ago. When Ron finished the story, he looked over at Harry whose eyes were closed and had a sad expression smeared across his face.
Harry's eyes opened and he looked over at his best friend. "Dumbledore's right, you know. There's nothing you or I can do right now for her. I can't see her anymore, I guess I could just because I was unconscious. There's no point in blaming yourself for what happened, it won't help her. She's a strong person, Ron, if anyone can make it through, it's Hermione," Harry said, as if he could read Ron's mind and intuitively know how Ron injured his hand.
Ron smiled slightly, "And Dumbledore told me to comfort you," Ron halfway joked though joking just didn't seem appropriate at a time like this. He grew more serious, "It's just, God Harry, and there are so many things that I want to tell her. I had so many chances, and now there are all these regrets..." his voice trailed off and he looked at his friend through pink and tired eyes.
Harry knew what Ron was referring to. "You'll have another chance, Ron."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No, I can't answer the question. It puts Harry, Ron, and my family in danger if I answer the question...
Answer the question....the voice in Hermione's head grew more impatient.
No, I can't, I won't...
Answer the question!
"NO!" Hermione screamed. Her spirit was pulled back into her body and she once again felt the remnants of pain from the Cruciatus Curse course through her. She looked around and begged herself to wake up from this nightmare, but no such relief came. I am going to die, I am really going to die. On my birthday, how ironic...I don't want to die...too many things left unsaid, undone, no...She wondered if what she was thinking was what Harry thought when he was with Voldemort and if everyone who was facing certain death thought what she did.
"Didn't your damned Muggle parents teach you that it's not nice to defy superiors?" Voldemort asked condescendingly.
Hermione was enraged at the mention of her parents in such a way. "Yes, all the more reason why I have no problems defying you!"
Voldemort was insulted. Never in his life had a teenage Mudblood ever dared to insult him. They kissed his robes, begged for mercy, but never, never ever insulted him. "Crucio!" he screamed.
Hermione screamed frantically. The pain smothered her body, there was no escape. She couldn't see the Death Eaters or Voldemort any longer, she couldn't hear her own screams, she could only feel the fire-hot knives stabbing her over and over again, endlessly...and then it stopped again. Hermione was in a complete daze, her eyes closed to the horror of her situation.
"Well, Mudblood, I guess you aren't as helpful as I hoped you would be. Entertaining, yes, but not informative. I could waste my time trying to get more information out of you, but why bother. Harry Potter will die, and I have learned to be patient. Goodbye, Granger!"
Oh, God, this is it, I really am going to die. Harry...Ron.....Ron....no, please....
"Avada..."
"VOLDEMORT!" a voice bellowed. It echoed throughout the cave and even Hermione, through her pain, could hear the voice. It was angry.
Hermione could barely breath and realized her eyes were still shut tight. When her eyes refocused on her surroundings, she could have sworn she saw Professor Dumbledore shrouded in white light by the entrance of the cave. Relief swept through her, please, please let that be Dumbledore. But that was the last thing she saw and thought before the whole world blacked out and she collapsed from exhaustion and pain.