Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all in the Harry Potter universe.

Courage to Find the Strength

Chapter 25

"Where's Hermione?" Lupin asked, looking around puzzled. The group had apparated just outside of Malfoy Manor in a secluded garden of sorts. Nearby was an old doorway leading into the main house.

"She was just here," Ron said, whipping his head back and forth looking for the missing witch.

Draco was standing there in shock not moving an inch, but Harry misunderstood. "YOU BASTARD! You Betrayed Us!" He pulled out his wand, but Snape shoved his hand down just in time.

"ENOUGH!" Both Sirius and Dumbledore yelled at the same time.

"Perhaps she was left behind," Lupin suggested.

"She was RIGHT beside me!" Ron argued.

"Ron, are you sure she came with us?" Dumbledore asked, making a motion with his hands for everyone to keep their voices down. He glanced over at Harry who was still struggling in Sirius' strong grasp to attack Malfoy.

"Well, I'm pretty positive. I mean, I don't know," Ron ran a hand through his red hair.

"She didn't." Draco said quietly.

"What?!" Ron asked before anyone else could.

"I saw, I mean, just before we dis-apparated, I saw," he stumbled.

"What, Draco? What did you see?" Dumbledore gently, but urgently prodded.

"My father. He grabbed her and hauled her into the woods at the last second."

"And we're supposed to believe you?!" Harry hissed.

"Shut up, Potter. I'm telling you the truth. Besides, I would NEVER do anything to Hermione."

"Funny, your track record speaks a little differently. Maybe you left her behind because you're planning to kill us all here instead!"

"Boys," Dumbledore interrupted, "I sincerely doubt young Draco here would endanger any of us."

"And why is that?" Ron asked, obviously not convinced.

Dumbledore looked very deeply into Draco's eyes. "Because I have seen this young man's soul, and I know there is a great goodness in it. Hermione is a very big part of that goodness, and anything she holds dear would be dear to Draco as well."

Draco snorted and glared at Potter and Weasley. "I wouldn't say 'anything,' sir."

Sirius' eyes narrowed. "You'd better not have betrayed us, boy."

"Well, either you believe me or you don't. Anyway, we've got to get inside before someone sees us. We're wasting time out here. I'm betting dear old Dad took her back here, and she's somewhere in the dungeons below." Draco moved off towards the door in an angry flourish of robes. The others, some reluctantly, followed.

***

"It's time I put an end to your meddling, you conniving little whore. I was expecting you and your little friends to show up here any time now ever since we discovered Draco's change of heart, so to speak." Lucius growled into Hermione's ear as he forced her down the stairway into the dungeon.

"Get your filthy hands off me, you monster," Hermione struggled.

"Fine," he snarled and threw her down the remaining flight of steps of which there were about twenty. A second or two after she landed very banged up but with nothing broken or badly injured, Lucius descended next to her and viciously kicked her in the ribs. She rolled a bit, and he kicked her again and kept kicking her until she rolled up against a hard surface. "Recognize where you are yet?"

Hermione tried to concentrate through the haze of pain. She was pretty sure a few ribs were cracked and one of her kidneys ached excruciatingly. With dawning horror, she recognized the plank she'd been chained to during her first visit to the Manor's dungeons. She reached into her robes for her wand.

"Looking for this?" Lucius held it up and proceeded to snap it in two with one hand. A little poof of smoke appeared, and he threw the two pieces on the ground. Then, he hauled her up by hair and chained her up. Finally, he tenderly drew a hand across her swollen cheek. "Not so pretty now, are we?"

A slow, shuffling sound was approaching her from behind. "My Lord!" Lucius sounded surprised. A robed figure came into view to the left of her.

"So this is Hermione Granger," the voice was part croak, part hiss.

"Voldemort," she answered, hoping he didn't catch the trembling in her voice.

The figure turned sharply to her at her boldness. Lucius raised his hand to slap. "No, no, Lucius. It's only right she recognize the most powerful Dark wizard in the world and call him by his name. Soon enough, she will acknowledge me as her master. Soon enough. That is, of course, if I'm generous in sparing her life."

"But your name ISN'T Voldemort," the rage Hermione felt inside fueling her courage. "It's Tom Riddle, you disgusting piece of filth."

This time Voldemort didn't stop Lucius from savagely backhanding her. "Tom Riddle was my human name. I shedded that skin a very long time ago. I can assure you that any vestige of humanity I ever possessed has long since been destroyed."

"I hate you!" Hermione shouted.

"Yes, you do. And that hate will work well for me."

"What do you mean?" she asked unsure.

"You've tasted it. You know its power. It's something I've mastered, not only in myself, but in others as well." He reached out a hand and grabbed her chin. Lucius sneered as he held the plank to minimize her struggles. Finally, Hermione met his eyes and what she saw there made her scream with all her might.

***

'WHERE is the dungeon, Malfoy?" Harry hissed to Draco.

"Which one, idiot? You think the Manor only has one?" Draco hissed back. "Now, shut up, I'm trying to think."

The group was making its way through back passages. Draco had assured them no invisibility cloaks or charms were necessary. The Manor was so large and contained so many twisting passageways, it would be easy to enter undetected even with so many important Dark wizards housed inside.

"Where IS she?" Ron growled.

"Damn it, Weasley, I said I don't know. Okay, here's what we do. I suggest two teams. One check the South dungeon. The other head to the North. Now, the North dungeon is where Voldemort's at, but she could just as likely be in the South."

"How far?" Lupin asked.

"South is a couple of passages from. The North's on the other side, 'bout a hundred yards or so. It's not that easy to get to."

Before any more questions could be asked, Dumbledore took charge. "Draco, you, Harry, and Severus head to the South dungeon. If she's there, free her and meet the rest of us in the North dungeon. If you need our assistance, use this." He handed Malfoy a small crystal. "Squeeze it hard so that it begins to glow, and I'll know you're in trouble."

"Okay, but how do we know we're going?" Sirius spoke up. Draco was about to give them the complex directions when a voice spoke from a doorway.

"I'll show them." Narcissa Malfoy stepped from the shadows and walked over to her son.

"Mom." The rest of the group just stared.

"L:isten to me carefully. You've all got to move fast. Already time may have run out," Narcissa started to move away, beckoning for them to follow.

Lupin caught her eyes. "Narcissa, thank you." The whole crowd could tell a 'moment' passed between the two.

Narcissa nodded, holding his gaze for a moment, and quickly looked away. "Come. And Draco?"

"Yeah, Mom?"

"I don't think I need to tell you to be careful. You're father's crossed the line into madness, and I know you're quite aware of what he's capable of." She looked around at the group meaningfully. "I hope the rest of you are as well. Let's go."

The group parted ways. Dumbledore, Black, Lupin, and Narcissa heading in one direction and Potter, Weasley, Snape, and Malfoy in the other.

***

"She is strong! Dumbledore has taught the child well!" Voldemort realized his grip from Hermione's head, which upon release hung limply down.

"How much longer, my Lord?" Lucius asked, wiping the blood from the blade. Already, he'd made two small punctures, nothing deadly, but the pain they produced helped make Lord Voldemort's task easier and more enjoyable. One was between the bones of her right hand, slicing all the way through to the palm. The other was just beneath the collarbone, narrowing missing the veins that carried her life's blood. Neither would kill her, but they helped speed the process along. "I don't mean to question you, my Lord Voldemort, but wouldn't it be better to just kill her?"

"Silence, fool. Her power is much too valuable to be wasted. Her innocence. Her purity. Yes, her corruption will be sweet indeed," he traced one grotesque finger across her forehead and down to her chin. "She'll make an excellent addition when she's turned."

"Are you sure she can be turned?" Lucius asked.

"What's the harm in trying? So, she dies? More's the pity. They'll all die. Some sooner than they would like," Voldemort made a noise similar to a chuckle. "Speaking of which, I hope the process is almost complete?"

"Yes, sir. Our Muggle friends have delivered as promised. The weapons are being modified as we speak."

"And the protection potion?"

"Ready, and being dispensed to your loyal supporters, my Lord."

"And the antidote?"

"Antidote? There is no antidote, my Lord," Lucius puzzled.

"Excellent."

***

"Here," Draco pointed to a doorway.

"Let me go first," Snape moved to the front of the group. He tapped the door with his wand, and it silently swung open. Snape, then Draco, Harry, and finally Ron slowly made their way down the staircase, wands raised. Each was rehearsing all the curses and hexes they knew. Snape had a hand in his robe, and Harry suspected he was selecting a vial to use or throw if needed. They reached the bottom and crept along the passageway, pausing at the entrance to the small room inside. Snape looked back at the students questioningly. They all nodded readiness in return. Suddenly, as a unit, they all burst forth, but nothing was there. Only a plank swung empty, long lengths of chain dangled from the ceiling.

"She's not here," Harry stated the obvious.

"What's that stuff?" Ron gestured to a dark puddle on the floor.

"Lumos," Draco said, illuminating the end of his wand, adding to the torchlight. He and Snape knelt down next to the mess and exchanged dire looks. "Blood."

"Fresh blood," Snape corrected. "Quickly, we've got to get to that North dungeon!"