Disclaimer: It's fan fiction! Doesn't that tell you something, pple-who-
might-want-to-sue-me? Pfuit!
Chapter 5
~~~
The trip to the Death Eaters' headquarters (Hermione had decidedly called it that for she knew not where in Merlin's Beard they were bringing her) was an uncomfortably silent one, save for the occasional impatient clicking noise Bellatrix (Malfoy called her that...right?) made with her tongue, which annoyed Hermione very much indeed. Hermione could hardly contain her impulse to poke her with a very sharp object, if not for the fact that her upper body was bound to Malfoy with an invisible rope by some cursed hex, and the fact that she didn't want the whole of Muggle London to be blown up, thank you very much.
Ok...calm down Hermione. So this annoying Death Eater whom you just saved the life of, and the annoying Death Eater's accomplice, a woman who wears far too much eye shadow and harbours a strange fetish for transfiguring herself into... well, other things, have just kidnapped you and put some sort of partial body bind hex on you, which renders you unable to break free from their evil clutches. No sweat. You've been through worse. Just. Calm. Down. And think. You just need a plan.a good plan...
The trio stopped in front of a book rental store. It was situated at the end of a very long stretch of road where Muggles, apparently, didn't often go. An old, chipped signboard just above the shop swung gently in the wind, creaking slightly on its hinges. It all looked very, very shifty to Hermione.
The glass door of the shop swung open easily upon a light push from Bellatrix, upon which the gentle tinkling of a wind chime greeted them. Bellatrix gestured for Malfoy to stop.
"Stay here, Draco." She gave Hermione a dark look. "And don't let the Mudblood escape." With that, she disappeared behind the door.
Hermione felt Malfoy give a slight nod behind her. She turned round and gave him the most malicious look she could manage. The little bastard. She saved his miserable life- he could have at least shown a little appreciation for that. But no- he abducted her, stole her wand, bound her to himself with god knows what curse and dragged her off to his little Death Eater's lair. Great way to show your appreciation. But somehow, considering the fact that he was Malfoy (only the most evil git ever to cross the planet), Hermione wasn't too surprised.
Malfoy must have noticed the murderous glint in Hermione's eyes, for he raised a wary eyebrow at her and put a bit more pressure on the wand held to her back. He made a short, derisive sound of disapproval, which sounded suspiciously like a 'Pfuit'.
"I am seriously considering putting a paper bag over your head, Granger. Why, it hurts just to look at your...well, let's say, far-from-attractive face..."
Unable to verbalise any of her thoughts due to the Silencio curse, Hermione chose the only available option.
Ignorus Totalus. Accompanied with an arrogant tilt of the chin.
"I should hate to imagine how you'd look twenty years down the road," Malfoy drawled. "You'd probably look like a shrivelled prune the way you're frowning right now."
Ignorus Totalus. Grrrr...
"Come in Draco. Your father's in - looks like you have some explaining to do." A slender, snake-like woman dressed in flowy robes of mauve peered out from behind the door. Hermione blinked. Of course. She'd nearly forgotten that Malfoy's accomplice was actually a woman.
If it were even possible, Malfoy would have gone paler than he already was.
"Father's in?" he rasped, stiffening behind her. Hermione could almost feel the tension in his voice. His face however, remained calm and impassive, as though it were hidden behind a mask. This was something she had always noted about Malfoy - the more nervous he felt, the less emotion he showed on his face. It was something she never quite understood about him, and probably never would.
If Malfoy was a book, he'd probably be bound up, written in invisible ink and simply incomprehensible. On second thought, he could be one of those biting books Hagrid got for them in third year.
"Yes, he's in. He'll deal with the Mudblood. After he's dealt with you." Bellatrix slipped back into the store, after throwing one last scathing look at Hermione. Hermione felt, for a moment, like a pile of cow dung Bellatrix had accidentally stepped on.
"You heard her, Granger. Get in." Hermione felt a slight push from behind, upon which she was forced into the shop, Malfoy following close behind.
The room was extraordinarily plain, even by Hermione's standards. A counter stood to the right, flanked by a couple of broken red stools. Behind the counter were rows and rows of books, which Hermione normally would have been pleased to see, but now merely spelt her imminent doom. The wooden flooring echoed with their footsteps - Bellatrix's bold, high-heeled ones, Malfoy's soft, surreptitious ones, and her own shuffly, reluctant ones.
Bellatrix descended down a flight of stairs - hidden, most probably from the usual Muggle visitors - it led, no doubt, to a dark, dank dungeon. Or so Hermione thought.
"Hold it, Granger." Hermione was jerked back suddenly by the partial body bind hex. Hermione turned to face Malfoy.
"What?" Gasping, Hermione almost attempted to look at her own mouth in shock. "You...you undid the charm?"
"No need to look so stunned. Listen up, Granger." Malfoy looked directly into her eyes, his voice harsh and cold. "I...my father...and any of the others...they'll kill you if you get them mad...so try not to do anything stupid...by that I mean any Gryffindor-like act of bravery, of course. " Then, almost as if he regretted what he said, he quickly averted Hermione's gaze. "Not that I give a damn, anyhow. It's just... you saved my life, Granger. I don't want to owe you anything, if you understand what I mean."
He shifted uncertainly, grey eyes staring fixatedly on the ground.
"If you don't want to owe me anything, you can let me off now. Then we'd be quits, and we'll have nothing more to do with each other." Hermione suggested, perhaps a little too hopefully.
"Oh, sure. And let you run off and tell your little boyfriend where our hideout is, right?"
"Ever heard of a Memory Erasing Charm? Or is that too complicated for you?" Hermione snapped a little too hastily, before clamping her mouth shut. Malfoy definitely didn't look like he was in the mood to start acting benevolent.
"You know, for a hostage, you sure have a lot to say." He whispered, his grey eyes reduced to narrow, dangerous slits. Draco pressed on into the darkness below, dragging a reluctant Hermione behind him...
~~~
Draco descended the last of the stone steps to find himself in a stuffy but sufficiently warm room, black leather couches scattered around a small fireplace. There was no music, only the crackling of the fireplace, to be heard. Upon Draco's arrival, several Death Eaters turned their heads to examine the newcomer, but few took much notice. Such was the atmosphere in the lair of the Lucius Malfoy's followers - cold, unconcerned and all in all, apathetic.
Not that Draco was complaining. He was fairly accustomed to such an atmosphere, as he acted likewise himself. But their reaction to his return was cold, too cold even for Draco, considering that Draco was, after all, the son of their leader, and a Death Eater of some status. It didn't bode well for Draco.
He spotted Bellatrix just a little down the corridor, who was now joined by another familiar face.
"Hey Draco. Guess Bellatrix was right after all - you are alive." Blaise Zabini, a Death Eater of equal rank as Draco, spoke softly, not with malice, but not exactly in a friendly manner either. His glowing, amber eyes casually took in Draco's tattered robes and bloodstained bandages, which had somehow unwound itself from his injuries and hung limply from his robes.
"Looks like Potter got the better of you, eh?" His thin lips played carefully into a smirk; he folded his arms over his chest. "Wait till The Dark Lord sees you in this state, he won't be too happy...Mind you, he's already feeling rather peeved."
"That will be enough, Zabini." Bellatrix's voice was dangerously soft - and one didn't mess with Bellatrix when she sounded like that. Draco was secretly thankful for her intervention. "And since you're so free, Zabini, I've got a job for you..." She jerked her head towards someone behind Draco. Draco blinked. Oh yes of course! She meant Granger - he'd almost forgotten she was right behind him!
"What? Who is she?" Zabini scowled.
"She's a healer from St. Mungo's - you don't need to know the details. Just bring her to see to our casualties, then to the prisoner's chamber, the one to the left, mind you." Zabini nodded grudgingly, then grabbed Granger roughly by the arm, only to find that he'd pulled Draco along as well.
"Watch it!" Draco snarled, throwing Zabini a nasty look. He undid the spell that bound him and Granger together; giving her one long, last look. Granger looked back, dark brown eyes filled with worry - suddenly she didn't look so confident of herself anymore, the way she usually did. She looked frightened, like a deer about to be sent to its predator's lair. But he could only watch her go down the corridor, deeper and deeper into the darkness...
God, I hope that Granger's not so stupid as to try to spit in Zabini's face or something - she knows they'll only torture her worse if they did that, doesn't she? Not that I care of course, I just don't want our premises to be, er, dirtied with any of her Mudblood filth. Yes, that's all.
But another tiny, nagging thought rose in the back of his head.
But you don't want her hurt, do you? You feel...what's the word again? Guilty, yes, that's it. Something not too familiar to you, no doubt, but you can feel it. She saved your life, you dolt, and you're packing her off to the dungeons!
"Draco? Draco?" Bellatrix raised a dark eyebrow, a quizzical look on her face. "Your father would like to see you in his study. Now."
"Wha-? Oh, yes. I know." Draco frowned. He never even knew he had a conscience, let alone one that spoke. Darn. Granger was making him soft.
But right now, his main concern would be his imminent meeting with Father. Draco had always disliked going to his Father's study, for it meant that he had, in some way or another, angered his Father, and was called to the room for punishment. It was never a pleasant experience, and Draco had a feeling this time would not be an exception...
~~~
Hermione leant heavily against the brick wall of the dungeon, the metal chains that bound her to the wall clanging noisily together as she did so. She winced, and bit her lip to keep herself from crying out in pain.
She'd kept to Malfoy's advice - don't do anything stupid, or anything to make them mad, or they'd only torture you worse. And it was useful, to a certain extent, but it definitely didn't ensure immunity. Her body ached from the assortment of curses she was inflicted with, though she hadn't suffered any internal injuries (her knowledge of the curses gave her a great advantage- some of the curses were mere illusions; some plain showy, and others, the more dangerous ones, were prevented from doing too much damage by dodging so they wouldn't hit any vital points.)
She stared bitterly up at the ceiling, as if daring it to sprout eyes and stare back at her. Nothing happened.
Hermione oh Hermione, what have you ever done to make you deserve this...
The loud creaking of another dungeon door broke the stifling silence. She then heard the jangling of metal chains, which, by now, was all too familiar to Hermione. She peered round to the adjacent dungeon - where the sound had come from, separated from hers by a series of steel bars.
Hermione saw the silhouettes of a masked guard dragging his prisoner into the cell. Then the masked guard left, slamming the door heavily behind him. Hermione leaned towards the bars, moving as close to the other cell as the chains allowed her to. The prisoner looked in a pretty bad shape; she hoped fervently it wasn't Ron, or anyone else she knew.
She craned her neck further, finally catching a glimpse of the prisoner's face. It wasn't Ron. But it sure was someone she knew.
~~~
And not forgetting my lovely reviewers! I shall now finally thank you all in-duh-vi-dually.
Wolfy65 (x4): Thanks 4 reviewing every chappie so far (except chap 4 *glares*). AND being e first person to review. Thankos Muchos. _
Dazed Panda (x2): We-ell...I dunno how many swear words Hermione could have used...why dun u ask her? Hehe.
Mary Lee (x3): You sound like a very dignified person ^^(). Heh. Yes, Bella is an unregistered Animagus with really advanced transfiguration skills, so she can sort of shape shift into almost anything she wants.
ILUVRONWEASLEY (x3): Glad you liked it! I put the slashes at the front of sentences where there were supposed to be italics, and then at the end of the sentences where the italics end. Which is ridiculous, but nv mind.
Thedarklord: Thank you o great honourable sister. Let me kiss your sweet feet. *holds nose* Eurgh.
AniGirl 7: Oooo...r u an anime fan? Cos I am 2! Anywaes, thanks and I hope u dun get 2 impatient wif mi story cos I update veri slowly XB
Cyropi: Gosh! I'm greatly honoured. Thank you 4 yur advice, I'll take note of it XB. I have tried saving in .html thoh, but the punctuation marks came out all wonky...
Hanna: Urp. It wasn't that confusing, rite? *laughs nervously* That scene was very naruto-influenced X3.
Chapter 5
~~~
The trip to the Death Eaters' headquarters (Hermione had decidedly called it that for she knew not where in Merlin's Beard they were bringing her) was an uncomfortably silent one, save for the occasional impatient clicking noise Bellatrix (Malfoy called her that...right?) made with her tongue, which annoyed Hermione very much indeed. Hermione could hardly contain her impulse to poke her with a very sharp object, if not for the fact that her upper body was bound to Malfoy with an invisible rope by some cursed hex, and the fact that she didn't want the whole of Muggle London to be blown up, thank you very much.
Ok...calm down Hermione. So this annoying Death Eater whom you just saved the life of, and the annoying Death Eater's accomplice, a woman who wears far too much eye shadow and harbours a strange fetish for transfiguring herself into... well, other things, have just kidnapped you and put some sort of partial body bind hex on you, which renders you unable to break free from their evil clutches. No sweat. You've been through worse. Just. Calm. Down. And think. You just need a plan.a good plan...
The trio stopped in front of a book rental store. It was situated at the end of a very long stretch of road where Muggles, apparently, didn't often go. An old, chipped signboard just above the shop swung gently in the wind, creaking slightly on its hinges. It all looked very, very shifty to Hermione.
The glass door of the shop swung open easily upon a light push from Bellatrix, upon which the gentle tinkling of a wind chime greeted them. Bellatrix gestured for Malfoy to stop.
"Stay here, Draco." She gave Hermione a dark look. "And don't let the Mudblood escape." With that, she disappeared behind the door.
Hermione felt Malfoy give a slight nod behind her. She turned round and gave him the most malicious look she could manage. The little bastard. She saved his miserable life- he could have at least shown a little appreciation for that. But no- he abducted her, stole her wand, bound her to himself with god knows what curse and dragged her off to his little Death Eater's lair. Great way to show your appreciation. But somehow, considering the fact that he was Malfoy (only the most evil git ever to cross the planet), Hermione wasn't too surprised.
Malfoy must have noticed the murderous glint in Hermione's eyes, for he raised a wary eyebrow at her and put a bit more pressure on the wand held to her back. He made a short, derisive sound of disapproval, which sounded suspiciously like a 'Pfuit'.
"I am seriously considering putting a paper bag over your head, Granger. Why, it hurts just to look at your...well, let's say, far-from-attractive face..."
Unable to verbalise any of her thoughts due to the Silencio curse, Hermione chose the only available option.
Ignorus Totalus. Accompanied with an arrogant tilt of the chin.
"I should hate to imagine how you'd look twenty years down the road," Malfoy drawled. "You'd probably look like a shrivelled prune the way you're frowning right now."
Ignorus Totalus. Grrrr...
"Come in Draco. Your father's in - looks like you have some explaining to do." A slender, snake-like woman dressed in flowy robes of mauve peered out from behind the door. Hermione blinked. Of course. She'd nearly forgotten that Malfoy's accomplice was actually a woman.
If it were even possible, Malfoy would have gone paler than he already was.
"Father's in?" he rasped, stiffening behind her. Hermione could almost feel the tension in his voice. His face however, remained calm and impassive, as though it were hidden behind a mask. This was something she had always noted about Malfoy - the more nervous he felt, the less emotion he showed on his face. It was something she never quite understood about him, and probably never would.
If Malfoy was a book, he'd probably be bound up, written in invisible ink and simply incomprehensible. On second thought, he could be one of those biting books Hagrid got for them in third year.
"Yes, he's in. He'll deal with the Mudblood. After he's dealt with you." Bellatrix slipped back into the store, after throwing one last scathing look at Hermione. Hermione felt, for a moment, like a pile of cow dung Bellatrix had accidentally stepped on.
"You heard her, Granger. Get in." Hermione felt a slight push from behind, upon which she was forced into the shop, Malfoy following close behind.
The room was extraordinarily plain, even by Hermione's standards. A counter stood to the right, flanked by a couple of broken red stools. Behind the counter were rows and rows of books, which Hermione normally would have been pleased to see, but now merely spelt her imminent doom. The wooden flooring echoed with their footsteps - Bellatrix's bold, high-heeled ones, Malfoy's soft, surreptitious ones, and her own shuffly, reluctant ones.
Bellatrix descended down a flight of stairs - hidden, most probably from the usual Muggle visitors - it led, no doubt, to a dark, dank dungeon. Or so Hermione thought.
"Hold it, Granger." Hermione was jerked back suddenly by the partial body bind hex. Hermione turned to face Malfoy.
"What?" Gasping, Hermione almost attempted to look at her own mouth in shock. "You...you undid the charm?"
"No need to look so stunned. Listen up, Granger." Malfoy looked directly into her eyes, his voice harsh and cold. "I...my father...and any of the others...they'll kill you if you get them mad...so try not to do anything stupid...by that I mean any Gryffindor-like act of bravery, of course. " Then, almost as if he regretted what he said, he quickly averted Hermione's gaze. "Not that I give a damn, anyhow. It's just... you saved my life, Granger. I don't want to owe you anything, if you understand what I mean."
He shifted uncertainly, grey eyes staring fixatedly on the ground.
"If you don't want to owe me anything, you can let me off now. Then we'd be quits, and we'll have nothing more to do with each other." Hermione suggested, perhaps a little too hopefully.
"Oh, sure. And let you run off and tell your little boyfriend where our hideout is, right?"
"Ever heard of a Memory Erasing Charm? Or is that too complicated for you?" Hermione snapped a little too hastily, before clamping her mouth shut. Malfoy definitely didn't look like he was in the mood to start acting benevolent.
"You know, for a hostage, you sure have a lot to say." He whispered, his grey eyes reduced to narrow, dangerous slits. Draco pressed on into the darkness below, dragging a reluctant Hermione behind him...
~~~
Draco descended the last of the stone steps to find himself in a stuffy but sufficiently warm room, black leather couches scattered around a small fireplace. There was no music, only the crackling of the fireplace, to be heard. Upon Draco's arrival, several Death Eaters turned their heads to examine the newcomer, but few took much notice. Such was the atmosphere in the lair of the Lucius Malfoy's followers - cold, unconcerned and all in all, apathetic.
Not that Draco was complaining. He was fairly accustomed to such an atmosphere, as he acted likewise himself. But their reaction to his return was cold, too cold even for Draco, considering that Draco was, after all, the son of their leader, and a Death Eater of some status. It didn't bode well for Draco.
He spotted Bellatrix just a little down the corridor, who was now joined by another familiar face.
"Hey Draco. Guess Bellatrix was right after all - you are alive." Blaise Zabini, a Death Eater of equal rank as Draco, spoke softly, not with malice, but not exactly in a friendly manner either. His glowing, amber eyes casually took in Draco's tattered robes and bloodstained bandages, which had somehow unwound itself from his injuries and hung limply from his robes.
"Looks like Potter got the better of you, eh?" His thin lips played carefully into a smirk; he folded his arms over his chest. "Wait till The Dark Lord sees you in this state, he won't be too happy...Mind you, he's already feeling rather peeved."
"That will be enough, Zabini." Bellatrix's voice was dangerously soft - and one didn't mess with Bellatrix when she sounded like that. Draco was secretly thankful for her intervention. "And since you're so free, Zabini, I've got a job for you..." She jerked her head towards someone behind Draco. Draco blinked. Oh yes of course! She meant Granger - he'd almost forgotten she was right behind him!
"What? Who is she?" Zabini scowled.
"She's a healer from St. Mungo's - you don't need to know the details. Just bring her to see to our casualties, then to the prisoner's chamber, the one to the left, mind you." Zabini nodded grudgingly, then grabbed Granger roughly by the arm, only to find that he'd pulled Draco along as well.
"Watch it!" Draco snarled, throwing Zabini a nasty look. He undid the spell that bound him and Granger together; giving her one long, last look. Granger looked back, dark brown eyes filled with worry - suddenly she didn't look so confident of herself anymore, the way she usually did. She looked frightened, like a deer about to be sent to its predator's lair. But he could only watch her go down the corridor, deeper and deeper into the darkness...
God, I hope that Granger's not so stupid as to try to spit in Zabini's face or something - she knows they'll only torture her worse if they did that, doesn't she? Not that I care of course, I just don't want our premises to be, er, dirtied with any of her Mudblood filth. Yes, that's all.
But another tiny, nagging thought rose in the back of his head.
But you don't want her hurt, do you? You feel...what's the word again? Guilty, yes, that's it. Something not too familiar to you, no doubt, but you can feel it. She saved your life, you dolt, and you're packing her off to the dungeons!
"Draco? Draco?" Bellatrix raised a dark eyebrow, a quizzical look on her face. "Your father would like to see you in his study. Now."
"Wha-? Oh, yes. I know." Draco frowned. He never even knew he had a conscience, let alone one that spoke. Darn. Granger was making him soft.
But right now, his main concern would be his imminent meeting with Father. Draco had always disliked going to his Father's study, for it meant that he had, in some way or another, angered his Father, and was called to the room for punishment. It was never a pleasant experience, and Draco had a feeling this time would not be an exception...
~~~
Hermione leant heavily against the brick wall of the dungeon, the metal chains that bound her to the wall clanging noisily together as she did so. She winced, and bit her lip to keep herself from crying out in pain.
She'd kept to Malfoy's advice - don't do anything stupid, or anything to make them mad, or they'd only torture you worse. And it was useful, to a certain extent, but it definitely didn't ensure immunity. Her body ached from the assortment of curses she was inflicted with, though she hadn't suffered any internal injuries (her knowledge of the curses gave her a great advantage- some of the curses were mere illusions; some plain showy, and others, the more dangerous ones, were prevented from doing too much damage by dodging so they wouldn't hit any vital points.)
She stared bitterly up at the ceiling, as if daring it to sprout eyes and stare back at her. Nothing happened.
Hermione oh Hermione, what have you ever done to make you deserve this...
The loud creaking of another dungeon door broke the stifling silence. She then heard the jangling of metal chains, which, by now, was all too familiar to Hermione. She peered round to the adjacent dungeon - where the sound had come from, separated from hers by a series of steel bars.
Hermione saw the silhouettes of a masked guard dragging his prisoner into the cell. Then the masked guard left, slamming the door heavily behind him. Hermione leaned towards the bars, moving as close to the other cell as the chains allowed her to. The prisoner looked in a pretty bad shape; she hoped fervently it wasn't Ron, or anyone else she knew.
She craned her neck further, finally catching a glimpse of the prisoner's face. It wasn't Ron. But it sure was someone she knew.
~~~
And not forgetting my lovely reviewers! I shall now finally thank you all in-duh-vi-dually.
Wolfy65 (x4): Thanks 4 reviewing every chappie so far (except chap 4 *glares*). AND being e first person to review. Thankos Muchos. _
Dazed Panda (x2): We-ell...I dunno how many swear words Hermione could have used...why dun u ask her? Hehe.
Mary Lee (x3): You sound like a very dignified person ^^(). Heh. Yes, Bella is an unregistered Animagus with really advanced transfiguration skills, so she can sort of shape shift into almost anything she wants.
ILUVRONWEASLEY (x3): Glad you liked it! I put the slashes at the front of sentences where there were supposed to be italics, and then at the end of the sentences where the italics end. Which is ridiculous, but nv mind.
Thedarklord: Thank you o great honourable sister. Let me kiss your sweet feet. *holds nose* Eurgh.
AniGirl 7: Oooo...r u an anime fan? Cos I am 2! Anywaes, thanks and I hope u dun get 2 impatient wif mi story cos I update veri slowly XB
Cyropi: Gosh! I'm greatly honoured. Thank you 4 yur advice, I'll take note of it XB. I have tried saving in .html thoh, but the punctuation marks came out all wonky...
Hanna: Urp. It wasn't that confusing, rite? *laughs nervously* That scene was very naruto-influenced X3.