Made of You Pt 13 (segment 1)
Disclaimers: I don't own any of these characters.
Her scream rang out in the tiny chamber of the cell, echoing off the walls with a deafening finality. Draco's blood ran cold at the sound, his body stiffening from his near-hysteria. A flash of memory suddenly pervaded his pain-fogged mind. The image of his father, taking his mother unwillingly, her face strained with tears and anguish. The expression on Lucius' face, repulsively triumphant, his eyes hooded with malicious lust as he moved roughly within her unwilling body. And he, Draco, had stood watching, useless in his helplessness, unable to end his mother's suffering. His eyes had welled with tears of horror and rage, fists clenched so hard that his nails had broken the skin of his palms. Never again…not ever…
With a cry of animalistic fury, he suddenly lifted his abused body off the ground, throwing himself against Lucius with what little strength he had left. He knocked the older man out of balance, right before Lucius was able to invade Hermione's immobile body. Both men hit the ground simultaneously, leaving each of them breathless. Having spent the last of his strength, Draco felt himself go limp, his body breaking out in a cold sweat.
Hermione watched with horror as the events unfolded before her eyes. Her mind was still reeling from the shock of what had nearly happened between herself and Lucius. Her heart was beating erratically against her chest, her entire body shaking with fear for what was about to transpire. She knew Draco's weak body could not take anymore mistreatment. It was a wonder how he had possessed the strength to disengage Lucius from her in the first place. All she knew now was that she needed to help him…she had to. Even if she had to sacrifice herself.
Just then, Lucius gained control of himself once more. He rose swiftly to his feet, his dark cloak swirling about him ominously. His gaze swept to the crumpled body of his son on the ground. He sneered maliciously as he strode over to the still form. Without hesitation, he dealt a swift kick to Draco's ribs, eliciting an involuntary grunt from the younger man's lips. Pleased at the reaction, Lucius dealt him another kick, and another, each one becoming progressively harder.
"No! Stop it!" Hermione screamed hysterically, tears streaming down her face. If he continued with this onslaught, he would eventually kill Draco. "Please stop!"
He paused abruptly at the sound of her voice, suddenly turning his attention away from his son. His menacing eyes pierced hers briefly, then traveled down the length of her body. In her fear, she did not realize that she was barely clothed, most of her body left exposed to his scrutiny. With a predatory smile, he began stalking towards her, stopping only when he was mere inches from her. Lifting his hand, he idly began to stroke her cheek, which turned cold-ice under his touch.
"Ah…ever the martyr", he drawled, his teeth flashing maliciously. His fingers moved away from her face, traveling smoothly down her throat, her shoulder, stopping near her heaving chest. Hermione averted her eyes, her body shuddering in intense revulsion. She prepared herself for what was to come, for what she was going to allow to happen. Taking a deep breath, she strove for courage. This was what she wanted to do. Had to do. For Draco. Her love. Without hesitation, her eyes suddenly swung to Lucius', no trace of fear remaining in their depths.
"Do what you will to me," she whispered, trying to keep her voice from wavering. "But leave your son alone." She emphasized the words "your son" in hopes of rousing a nearly hopeless sympathy within the man before her. However, by the look of steel on his face, she doubted that he was even remotely touched. Impossibly, her heart plummeted deeper into despair.
"Enough, my dear." His voice was soft, veiling the malice that was evident in his eyes and every other part of his body. "Do you think to move me so easily?" He grabbed her thighs roughly, pushing them apart, his fingers digging cruelly into her skin. Hermione bit back a cry of pain, refusing to give him the pleasure of knowing he had hurt her. Wrapping her legs around his hips, he ground himself against her intimately, readying himself for what was to come.
Behind Lucius' shoulder, Hermione saw Draco, his body covered in blood and sweat, his matted hair half-covering the pained expression on his face. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and she saw the rage, the pain, and the helplessness in those gray depths. Forgive me, she pleaded silently to him. I tried, my love. It was over now, everything. Their love, their life... So this was the sacrifice for loving him. Her heart twisted painfully. She had no regrets.
Their eye contact was suddenly broken as Lucius jerked her roughly by the chin, bringing her face inexplicably close to his own. In the next instant, his mouth swept down upon hers, devouring it with a fierce brutality. She felt him stir between her thighs, preparing for the invasion that was about to occur. She closed her eyes then, willing her body and mind to block out what was happening.
"No…" Draco cried hoarsely, his nails digging into the hard ground. This time, he did not have the strength to stop his father. He was useless. He had failed…again. First his mother, now the woman he loved. Tears of despair and utter helplessness stung the back of his eyelids. For the first time in years, he felt like the vulnerable little boy he had once been. "Hermione…" he whispered in torment, her name the only prayer he would ever speak.
The three conscious beings in the room were so intent on their own train of thoughts, two in the throes of anguish, and the other in wicked triumph, that they did not notice the approach of two outside parties. The dual silhouettes hung outside the narrow entrance of the cell, observing the gruesome scene that was unfolding before their eyes. They waited for the perfect moment to strike, afraid that one wrong move would destroy everything. At last, when they saw Lucius poising against his paralyzed captive, one hooded figure turned to the other for a sign of consent. The second one gave a brief nod, signaling his assent. Without hesitation, they stepped into the cell, wands raised towards the elder Malfoy.
On the verge of his perverse gratification, Lucius was suddenly seared with a shock of blinding pain. It was intense, almost unbearable. Like the Cruciatus Curse. With a strangled cry, he dropped to the floor, instantly writhing in inescapable agony. The portion of his mind that could still think was bewildered that his son had actually managed to curse him. In his suffering, he did not notice the sudden presence of Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, the two men his lord had been trying to capture for years. As one hastened to the motionless figure of Draco on the ground, the other had eyes only for the woman imprisoned against the wall.
"Hermione!" Harry cried out, rushing over to her immobile form. Using his wand, he freed her from her invisible restraints. Without the bonds to hold her in place, there was nothing else to support her, for her strength had long since abandoned her. Hitching forward, she found herself approaching the cold ground at breakneck speed. However, the instant before expected impact, strong arms suddenly encircled her waist, pulling her against something firm. When she was able to comprehend what had happened, she found she was within Harry's warm embrace. However, her body was cold and numb, as was her mind.
Seeing her involuntary shiver, Harry's gaze traveled down to her scarcely clad form. Without hesitation, he took off his woolen cloak, enfolding her within it. Her gaze swung to his, an expression of intense gratitude in their depths. For a long, drawn-out moment, neither one of them spoke a word. It was Hermione who finally broke the silence.
"Harry…" she managed to speak, her voice unsteady. "How did you…how did you know…" He hushed her words by pressing a finger to her lips. "Shh," he murmured softly, "I'll explain later." He glanced over her pale figure in concern. "Did he hurt you?"
She shook her head negatively. "No, he didn't, but Draco…" her voice trailed off abruptly. She suddenly scanned the room frantically, her gaze locking on Draco's limp figure on the ground. Her eyes welled with tears, and with a heartrending cry, she broke free of Harry's hold, rushing over to her lover.
Harry's heart gave a painful clench at the gesture, his gut twisting with unbidden anguish. Abruptly, he turned his attention away from them, focusing his concentration on the situation at hand. With mechanical movements, he secured a full-body bind on Lucius, making sure that the man would not be able to escape. Meanwhile, Ron had rushed over to the unconscious Narcissa, checking her body over for any injuries.
When Hermione had reached Draco's side, she wrapped her arms around his limp form, holding him gently. "Draco," she managed to whisper through unshed tears, "forgive me for failing you." Tenderly, she brushed a lock of his sweat-drenched hair, kissing his temple lightly. His gray eyes were pained, seemingly unfocused. With great effort, he lifted his hand, cupping her face weakly.
"No… I'm the one who failed you." His eyes traveled down to the opening of her cloak, where the remnants of her torn dress was visible. His expression became tormented at the sight. "You must despise me for this," he managed to choke out. "I don't understand why you're still here. You can't possibly want a man who's helpless to protect even the one he loves." His gaze strayed to Harry in the distant corner. "You deserve to be with someone who can defend you…."
"No!" Hermione protested vehemently, cutting him off, "don't torture yourself. I belong to you, and you alone. If you don't want me…" Her voice suddenly became pained, "then I'll die without knowing the touch of another man." Her warm tears trickled down her face, splashing onto his cheeks.
"Hermione…" Draco whispered in torment, torn between his love for her and the knowledge of his own worthlessness. How could he possibly let her stay with him, when he had just proven to himself that he was ultimately powerless to shelter her from evils such as his father? He dared not even think about what would have happened had Potter and Weasley not appeared at the right moment.
His grim thoughts were broken by Weasley's voice. "Harry, Hermione!" he exclaimed, "Better leave now, before anyone finds out what's happened." With a grunt, he hoisted the still-unconscious Narcissa across his right shoulder, and stood up. He inclined his head towards the paralyzed Lucius. "We'd best bring him to Dumbledore and the Ministry now." He sneered at the sight of the elder Malfoy, his usually pleasant features distorting in disgust.
Pulling Draco's arm around her shoulders and wrapping her own around his waist, Hermione managed with an effort to lift him off the ground. She winced at the obvious pain he was experiencing from the movement of his sore muscles. He noticed her look of concern from the corner of his eye. Gritting his teeth against the throbbing aches, he forced himself to stand up straight. He ignored the fact that his entire body screamed in protest. The intense effort left him panting for breath.
Managing not to glance at the lovers even once, Harry proceeded to lift Lucius by the waist, slinging the older man over his shoulder. The weight was heavy, but he was completely unaware of it. His entire being was concentrated on not noticing the obvious love and affection between Hermione and Malfoy. It was not easy. When he had promised her that he would accept only her friendship, he had not imagined it to be this difficult. This painful. Clenching his jaw in determination, he silently renewed his vows, promising that he would not breach the trust that Hermione had in him.
"Let's go," he said curtly, striding towards the cell door. The sooner he left here, the better. He needed to keep as much distance from her as possible, lest he should do something that he would regret. The further he was away from her, the easier it was for him to forget.
However, he had not taken more than five steps when blinding pain suddenly seared the notorious scar on his forehead. Dropping his ward to the ground, he sank to his knees, clutching his head with both hands in agony. His entire being shook from the intense pain, helpless in the wake of its power. Only one thing could have caused this…
"Harry!" Hermione and Ron screamed out simultaneously.
"Go…" he rasped out hoarsely, "hurry…" However, the moment he said those words, a cold blast of wind invaded the small chamber of the cell. It was enough to chill one to the bone. In the next instant, a thick gray fog filled the air. It slowly formed into a human shape, revealing the solid black figure of the one being that none in the room could ever forget…
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Okay guys, here's the deal. Because I'm taking so damn long in rewriting the last chapter, I've decided to post it up in parts so you don't have to wait. This is section one, and I hope I'll have everything up by section three at most. Hope you guys like it, and I just have to say that I am soooo sorry for not putting it up sooner. Well, tell me how it is, okay? Love you all! I truly do!