Hermione woke with the pain as if she'd been smashed into a brick wall. Her mind started working through what had happened. The honeymoon, driving with her parents then...Her stomach turned with the memory of twisted metal and blood. Why was there always so much blood? Hermione could almost hear her mother's screams and Severus' rasping shouts. Thoughts of her husband and parents made her open her eyes.
'Ah, mudblood.' The voice sent shivers down her spine, but of fear. Nothing like the shivers she got when Severus talked to her.
Hermione realized that someone was holding her chin, moving her face up into the light so they could get a better look at it. She would have wrenched her head away if there were any strength in her. As it were, she felt completely drained.
'You've taken quite a battering. I apologize. The car meant to be only a carrier for the Transportation Spell.' The man let her chin go and it fell on to her chest. Her head felt like a block of bricks. 'It was quite a simple spell with an Impact Activated Charm.'
'It impacted all right!' Hermione said thickly, laying her head back on a soft pillow behind her. 'Who are you?'
'I, am Lucius Malfoy.' He rose from the kneeling position he was in previously.
Her mind tried to grasp the enormity of the statement. Lucius Malfoy was in Azkaban, slowly going insane. She'd seen him when Harry, Ron and herself had killed Voldemort. His right hand man. 'But, you were sent to jail.'
'No, my loyal son was.' Malfoy's eyes had a glint to them,
'Polyjuice Potion?'
'The very same.' He turned and began to walk out the door.
'Hey, where are you going?' Hermione said in a hoarse voice.
'I'm going to your husband. He still needs a healer. His wounds were as bad as yours were.' He looked over at the Dementors that Hermione hadn't noticed a moment before. 'Mind that she doesn't get out of the bed until I get back. Not that I think she is physically able to do that right now. Security, you understand, right, mudblood?'
Hermione looked with horror as one of the Dementors moved over to her with an effortless glide.
She looked at Harry who was standing next to the door, wand in hand.
"I locked it." Hermione said behind him. "None of those bloody Death Eaters will be able to make it through the hexes without turning into something worse than Draco Malfoy."
"But, that means we're trapped!" Harry cried, beginning to pace.
"At least we're alive, Harry."
His eyes traveled to Ron who was looking like he'd seen a ghost. The freckles were incredibly dark against his pale skin, and his eyes were wide.
Hermione turned the table into a game of Wizard's Chess. "Anyone for a game? I'm not going to let down the guards until I believe it's safe."
They both glared at her. Time passed...
Hermione shook her head, trying to escape the memories. Unfortunately, there was no Professor Lupin to give her chocolate or create a Patronus. The Dementor lingered.
A soft hand, smooth and cool, touched her arm. Why couldn't he be rough, forceful, made me want to kill him? Rage could be very handy when one doesn't have a wand or a potion up one's sleeve.
"Ah, mudblood." His words were the tiniest bit muffled, as his thin lips lay upon her belly. 'For one such as yourself, you are pretty.' Voldemort's hot breath warmed her skin. Traitorous body! 'Your intelligence and power is what I'm after though. We've been doing this for...what? A week? Tonight I will try a little spell on you. If it works, there will be no one who can cross me without turning into a powerless vegetable."
Hermione fled into the little corner of her mind that didn't react when Voldemort touched her. There she waited in the darkness, singing little nursery rhymes to herself. She couldn't tell how long it had been, only that there was a heavy object on her and that it was not moving as violently as it had been before.
She opened her eyes and saw that he was, indeed, asleep. Her hand went under the bed, searching for the blade. A cold, metal item met her fingers and she lifted it from the floor. The candlelight made the knife look dangerously beautiful. Without a thought to what she was doing, she plunged the dagger into Voldemort's back. His body arched in pain, and his throat gave voice to it.
Blood flowed freely from the wound, making everything, including the lovely silk, crimson. Hermione looked at him, noticing the anger in his red eyes.
"Mudblood, you will soon feel the wrath of the Dark Lor-"
"Avada Kedavra!' Harry screamed.
Hermione smiled at him, not concerned at the body over the top of her, or the sticky blood that covered every square inch of her skin. 'Thank you, Harry.'
'I believe you've had your fun, Lucius. Call off the Dementor.' Snape's cool voice came as a shock to her. She had a husband and friends. She wasn't underneath a dead body anymore.
'A few more moments, Snape. You can have your toy back in a minute.'
'Now.' His voice receded into the buzzing sound that came over her ears when the Dementor shoved her back into her worse memories.
The water surrounding her was icy. Hermione thought she remembered a time when it had been hot, but she had spent so long in the bath that all the warmth had left it. She turned her arm around, inspecting it.
There were still handprints on her body.
Hermione had noticed them when Harry and Ron had carried her out of the blood and silk of Voldemort's bed. She had merely nodded her thanks to them and retired to her room. There, she poured steaming hot water into her bath and climbed in. She had worked the scrub brush so many times over her body that her skin was red and raw. Nevertheless, Hermione could still see, as if painted in ink, the hands covering a part of her arm, one on her belly and chest and another around her neck. They wouldn't come off.
Cold water splashed on her face and she gasped. Severus was looking at her, dark eyes shadowed with concern. 'Lucius has released us. Apparently, all he wanted to do was show me his new army of Death Eaters and ask me to join again. I told him I'd think about it. I think he's gone insane.' He looked as though he would have told her more, but thought better of it.
'And his son is the one in Azkaban.' Hermione clung to her husband's arm as they walked.
'Especially since his son is in Azkaban. The loss of a child can be terrible on a fragile mind like that. He does have new Death Eaters though. We'll have to go back to Hogwarts and tell Dumbledore. No point going straight to the Ministry. They'd make us fill out forms. At least Albus will believe us.'
'Where are my parents.' Hermione rubbed her face. Her head was aching from the heavy duty healing spells and the Dementor's "fun".
'Back at their house. I sent them through the Floo as soon as Lucius let us go.' He suddenly stopped and looked at her. 'Are you all right?'
She nodded, still a bit dazed. 'I'll be fine.'
'You passed out once the Dementor touched you. I wish I could have helped. I didn't want to push Lucius over the edge. In his mental state, he has conveniently forgotten that I was a spy.'
'It's ok.' Hermione smiled wanly at him. 'Come on, you. I want to get to Dumbledore before Malfoy dresses up like his mother.'
Severus didn't understand her muggle reference.
'Are you both alright?' Dumbledore looked at them over his half-moon glasses.
'I'm a bit sore.' Hermione said. Although talking with Albus had made her feel better, she felt worn out and achy all over.
'You should be! Suffering a car crash and a Dementor's Caress is not pleasant. I believe Madam Pompfrey has some remedies for it, so why don't you head down there now, Hermione?' Dumbledore spoke kindly, smiling at her.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. She stayed still. 'Professor Dumbledore, perhaps you have me confused with a student?'
He stared at her, his blue eyes intense. Hermione felt her hands shake and to hide this, she curled them into fists. Much to her disbelief, Dumbledore laughed. 'I beg your pardon, Mrs Snape. I am sure your injuries need nothing more than a chocolate frog and some rest tonight.' He gave her the said sweet and watched her smile. He turned to Severus, though, as what he said concerned the Potion Master.
'Severus, if Lucius is, as you say, insane, then he should be taken to hospital.'
'I'm afraid that would be impossible, Headmaster. His lord would not allow such a thing.' Snape's face darkened.
'His Lord? You mean Voldemort?' Hermione asked after chewing madly on the chocolate.
'Of course not, Hermione.' Snape sighed. 'Peter Pettigrew escaped us once again and now has all the powers of Voldemort.'
'But...how?' She frowned with worry.
'The Dark Lord's Will.' Severus ran a hand through his hair. 'Lucius was quite willing to talk about it. He even showed me the document. Apparently,' His mouth twitched. 'Voldemort gave Peter Pettigrew his powers when he died. A magical and legally binding paper was used. When Harry finished him off, Peter became everything Voldemort was.'
'Severus, that is impossible.' Hermione admonished, her bravado hiding a small seed of fear in the pit of her stomach.
'Alas, no. With Dark Magic, almost nothing is impossible.' He took a sip of the tea Dumbledore had poured. 'We are in big trouble. Already he is grouping those who stood for everything Voldemort did. Lucius has so many connections...' Snape shook his head.
'Do you think it is safe to send you back there to spy?' Dumbledore asked.
'Yes.' And 'No!' were said by Severus and Hermione respectively.
'Why, and why not?' Albus looked at Snape first.
'Lucius is away with the birdies. He doesn't remember that I was a traitor. Peter was never at a Death Eater meeting.'
'You can't make him spy again, he's my husband for goodness sakes.' Hermione felt herself getting teary eyed.
'I can't make him do anything he doesn't wish to do, just like I can't stop him.'
'I'll go anytime you need me to, Albus.' Severus avoided eye contact with Hermione, preferring to study the teacup in his hand. Porcelain. Lovely.
'I believe that we shall wait until they make the first move. As it is, they are nothing more than Pinky an the Brain.' Dumbledore winked at Hermione as she left the office with her husband.
'Hermione?' He asked tentatively.
'Yes?' She drew it out until it sounded like a snake's hiss.
'I'm sorry.' If Hermione didn't look like she were about to punch his jaw, he would have cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly.
'Sorry for what? Being too much of a nice guy to say no?' The chocolate was quickly catching up with her.
'Not a nice guy, just a desperate man wanting redemption. Is that too much to ask for?' He began hoping that classes would last for the end of the argument. If students saw him like this...
'Is it too much to ask that I can have you for myself for a solid week?' Her whisper broke his heart. 'And if Lucius remembers you, how will I ever manage without you?'
He placed a warm hand around her waist, pressing her to him. 'Nothing is going to happen to me. And besides,' She looked up and saw a lopsided grin, as if it was out of practice to smile. 'Last time something bad happened to us, I married you.'
She punched his chest playfully. 'You can be such a smart Alec sometimes.'
A/N: Ugh, I know. Worst chapter yet. Anyway...Yay to my reviewers. You guys think I plan this? Wow. Umm thanks.
To English Toffee: Thanks for the ideas. I had a *fair* idea of where I was going with this one, because I usually come up with them JUST as I'm trying to get to sleep after staring at my computer screen for hours. I write them down in a notepad near my bed and then forget about them. I've done this like twice, but my flashback scenes are nearly word for word.
To Sir Crig: You shouldn't give me praise, dude. You're like a friend. But thanks anyway, matey!
To Stevie: Yo thanks dudette. This chapter was helped along by you SO MUCH because when he went looking for coffee tables and then we forgot about them and bought DVDs...I was thinking all about how Draco could be the one stuck in Azkaban. I have no idea why, but you moved along my thought processes!
To Everyone: I apologize for the 2nd chapter where Harry gargles. Ok, he doesn't, but he says something whilst swallowing pumpkin juice. Either I should say after or add that Ron wipes juice off his robes. I tried this on the phone with Stevie. She was actually pretty impressed.