Evil Never Looked so Good
By: Rosa Nicole
A/N: I'm finally back. This story is going to be finished. I feel bad about abandoning it. It deserves an ending.
Chapter 9- An Unintentional Rescue
If this were a time where Hermione still retained her sanity, she might have screamed. She might have cried. She might have done anything in her power to get herself out of this situation. The situation being a knife was being held to her throat by a mysterious stranger who had suddenly emerged from the shadows and awoken her from her peaceful slumber.
Instead, Hermione allowed the stranger to pick her up and carry her to the window, where a flying carriage hovered close by. All the medicine made her brain feel foggy, and her body strangely limp. She couldn't fight this man if she wanted to. The sad part was, she didn't want to. Unfortunately, in her mind, she was simply one of the unlucky ones, doomed to die a death similar, if not worse than Harry's parents. She'd begun to accept that fact, making it much easier on her kidnapper.
He bound her hands and feet together with rope, but he didn't have to. She would have remained still. He cruelly shoved a gag in her mouth, but he didn't have to. She would have stayed quiet.
The leather of the carriage felt cool and soft against her warm cheek. She closed her eyes and let herself drift off to another world, one where no magic or wizards existed. Hermione thought back to the time before she ever discovered that she was a witch. She'd lived a peaceful and and safe life with loving parents. Her magical discovery was undeniably exciting, but was it worth it? Was the excitement worth all the tremendous pain?
She opened her eyes and looked up at the man sitting next to her in the carriage.
//He must be working for Voldemort.//
She couldn't see his face, for it was covered in a black mask, but his eyes didn't hold the coldness of all the other deatheaters she'd seen.
He knew that she was looking up at him. Perhaps she wanted some mercy. Well, he couldn't give her that. She was to be brought to The Lord for sacrifice, that's what he'd been told. Voldemort would take away the one thing he knew could stand in the way of Draco Malfoy achieving success as a deatheater.
Hermione could feel the carriage slowing down, and despite everything, her stomach lurched, and she felt something pierce her wrist. She looked down at her brand. She'd almost forgotten about it. The man in the stranger frantically twisted in his seat, and opened a window of the carriage to look around. No one was in sight, yet the carriage was somehow, miraculously, being drawn back towards Hogwarts. Hermione's heart gave a leap of faith. Was there...hope?
Hope is a funny thing. Torn hope can sting. It can bleed. It's best to avoid it at all costs if you can. Hermione didn't dare breathe as she was lifted from the carriage, floating through the night air, and sailing back through the window of the hospital wing. The man furiously tried to grab her and pull her back in, but to no avail.
As soon as she was safely inside the hospital wing, lying limply across her bed, the carriage and the man were shot from the sky like a rocket, and exploded.
Hermione stood up from her bed, but she was very weak, so she had to clutch the table.
//You can do this. Go to Dumbledoor.//
But she couldn't. The room began to spin, and everything went dark. She collapsed onto the floor next to her bed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"She fell out of the bed?"
"It seems to look that way."
"Perhaps she was sleep walking?"
"We'll never know for sure. She sure won't tell us anything."
Hermione opened her eyes, and fuzzily looked toward the two figures talking over her. It was professor Dumbledoor and Madame Pomphrey.
"How are you feeling dear?" Madame Pomphrey asked, kindly smiling at her. Hermione stared blankly up at her. Madame Pomphrey turned back to Dumbledoor.
"What about the Malfoy boy?"
"The Ministry has got him," he responded.
"Oh thank Heavens," Madame Pomphrey exclaimed. "That boy was nothing but pure evil."
Dumbledoor sighed. He didn't feel at all like himself. How could he have let that kind of evil slip through the system, and walk among the students. He looked down at Hermione, who blinked up at him, her eyes glassy and devoid of emotion. How did one of the top students at Hogwarts become reduced to...this?
Dumbledoor had no idea what so ever that someone had tried to kidnap Hermione in her sleep. Even she didn't know. Either she didn't remember, or thought it all just a bad dream. Maybe the last few weeks of her life had been a bad dream. Maybe...but not likely.
"Well, first thing's first, we have to get rid of this brand on her wrist," he said, picking up Hermione's hand and examining herself closely. "Do you think you can take care of that Poppy?"
"Oh I'm sure I can," she said, smiling.
"I think it's best we get her out of Hogwarts as soon as possible, and transport her to St. Mungos."
Madame Pomphrey gasped. "But she's not...I mean, that's a place for..."
The old wizard put a hand on the kind nurse's shoulder. "Right now Poppy, it's the best place for her. I'm not saying that she won't recover, but she has been through a lot, and right now, it looks as if she doesn't even know who she is, let alone who we are."
//I know who I am. I'm Hermione Granger.//
Hermione made a gurgling sound in the back of her throat, and the two adults looked at her strangely. "It looks as if she's trying to say something," Madame Pomphrey exclaimed, leaning closer to the bed. "Speak up girl," she said gently. "Don't be afraid."
Hermione clutched the white sheets of the hospital bed in her small fists, and her face began to turn red. "I am part of the Dragon. He made me. He created me. I am nothing without the Dragon. The Dragon will protect me. The Dragon will save me."
Her voice was monotone, and the nurse looked frightened. "Albus, it's worse then we thought!"
He sighed. "I figured as much. Remove that brand, and I'll send a team of highly qualified specialists to take Miss Granger over to St. Mungos."
Madame Pomphrey nodded, and Dumbledoor patted Hermione on the head. "Do not worry Hermione. We will take care of you."
Hermione moaned, and closed her eyes, letting the nurse do what she wished.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione sat on the end of a white bed, in a sterile room with white walls, and a single lamp hanging from the ceiling. After much debate, the woman at the front desk had placed her on the fourth floor of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. They'd given her a white hospital gown and cropped her hair so it hung just below her chin. She felt like crying, but couldn't bring herself to tears.
//How long am I going to be here? I'm not insane, I know I'm not. I just want to go home.//
Harry and Ron had came to say goodbye before she left for the hospital. They gave her "I'm so sorry" kind of smiles, hugged her, and promised to visit at the hospital whenever they could. Mr. and Mrs. Granger had been informed of Hermione's whereabouts, and they were on their way to see her at that very moment. Hermione, of course, didn't know that. All she knew, was that everyone thought she was insane, and she had no idea if she would ever be allowed out of this place.
A/N: Next chapter Hermione explores the hospital, gets some visitors, and learns some info about her upcoming trial.
By: Rosa Nicole
A/N: I'm finally back. This story is going to be finished. I feel bad about abandoning it. It deserves an ending.
Chapter 9- An Unintentional Rescue
If this were a time where Hermione still retained her sanity, she might have screamed. She might have cried. She might have done anything in her power to get herself out of this situation. The situation being a knife was being held to her throat by a mysterious stranger who had suddenly emerged from the shadows and awoken her from her peaceful slumber.
Instead, Hermione allowed the stranger to pick her up and carry her to the window, where a flying carriage hovered close by. All the medicine made her brain feel foggy, and her body strangely limp. She couldn't fight this man if she wanted to. The sad part was, she didn't want to. Unfortunately, in her mind, she was simply one of the unlucky ones, doomed to die a death similar, if not worse than Harry's parents. She'd begun to accept that fact, making it much easier on her kidnapper.
He bound her hands and feet together with rope, but he didn't have to. She would have remained still. He cruelly shoved a gag in her mouth, but he didn't have to. She would have stayed quiet.
The leather of the carriage felt cool and soft against her warm cheek. She closed her eyes and let herself drift off to another world, one where no magic or wizards existed. Hermione thought back to the time before she ever discovered that she was a witch. She'd lived a peaceful and and safe life with loving parents. Her magical discovery was undeniably exciting, but was it worth it? Was the excitement worth all the tremendous pain?
She opened her eyes and looked up at the man sitting next to her in the carriage.
//He must be working for Voldemort.//
She couldn't see his face, for it was covered in a black mask, but his eyes didn't hold the coldness of all the other deatheaters she'd seen.
He knew that she was looking up at him. Perhaps she wanted some mercy. Well, he couldn't give her that. She was to be brought to The Lord for sacrifice, that's what he'd been told. Voldemort would take away the one thing he knew could stand in the way of Draco Malfoy achieving success as a deatheater.
Hermione could feel the carriage slowing down, and despite everything, her stomach lurched, and she felt something pierce her wrist. She looked down at her brand. She'd almost forgotten about it. The man in the stranger frantically twisted in his seat, and opened a window of the carriage to look around. No one was in sight, yet the carriage was somehow, miraculously, being drawn back towards Hogwarts. Hermione's heart gave a leap of faith. Was there...hope?
Hope is a funny thing. Torn hope can sting. It can bleed. It's best to avoid it at all costs if you can. Hermione didn't dare breathe as she was lifted from the carriage, floating through the night air, and sailing back through the window of the hospital wing. The man furiously tried to grab her and pull her back in, but to no avail.
As soon as she was safely inside the hospital wing, lying limply across her bed, the carriage and the man were shot from the sky like a rocket, and exploded.
Hermione stood up from her bed, but she was very weak, so she had to clutch the table.
//You can do this. Go to Dumbledoor.//
But she couldn't. The room began to spin, and everything went dark. She collapsed onto the floor next to her bed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"She fell out of the bed?"
"It seems to look that way."
"Perhaps she was sleep walking?"
"We'll never know for sure. She sure won't tell us anything."
Hermione opened her eyes, and fuzzily looked toward the two figures talking over her. It was professor Dumbledoor and Madame Pomphrey.
"How are you feeling dear?" Madame Pomphrey asked, kindly smiling at her. Hermione stared blankly up at her. Madame Pomphrey turned back to Dumbledoor.
"What about the Malfoy boy?"
"The Ministry has got him," he responded.
"Oh thank Heavens," Madame Pomphrey exclaimed. "That boy was nothing but pure evil."
Dumbledoor sighed. He didn't feel at all like himself. How could he have let that kind of evil slip through the system, and walk among the students. He looked down at Hermione, who blinked up at him, her eyes glassy and devoid of emotion. How did one of the top students at Hogwarts become reduced to...this?
Dumbledoor had no idea what so ever that someone had tried to kidnap Hermione in her sleep. Even she didn't know. Either she didn't remember, or thought it all just a bad dream. Maybe the last few weeks of her life had been a bad dream. Maybe...but not likely.
"Well, first thing's first, we have to get rid of this brand on her wrist," he said, picking up Hermione's hand and examining herself closely. "Do you think you can take care of that Poppy?"
"Oh I'm sure I can," she said, smiling.
"I think it's best we get her out of Hogwarts as soon as possible, and transport her to St. Mungos."
Madame Pomphrey gasped. "But she's not...I mean, that's a place for..."
The old wizard put a hand on the kind nurse's shoulder. "Right now Poppy, it's the best place for her. I'm not saying that she won't recover, but she has been through a lot, and right now, it looks as if she doesn't even know who she is, let alone who we are."
//I know who I am. I'm Hermione Granger.//
Hermione made a gurgling sound in the back of her throat, and the two adults looked at her strangely. "It looks as if she's trying to say something," Madame Pomphrey exclaimed, leaning closer to the bed. "Speak up girl," she said gently. "Don't be afraid."
Hermione clutched the white sheets of the hospital bed in her small fists, and her face began to turn red. "I am part of the Dragon. He made me. He created me. I am nothing without the Dragon. The Dragon will protect me. The Dragon will save me."
Her voice was monotone, and the nurse looked frightened. "Albus, it's worse then we thought!"
He sighed. "I figured as much. Remove that brand, and I'll send a team of highly qualified specialists to take Miss Granger over to St. Mungos."
Madame Pomphrey nodded, and Dumbledoor patted Hermione on the head. "Do not worry Hermione. We will take care of you."
Hermione moaned, and closed her eyes, letting the nurse do what she wished.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione sat on the end of a white bed, in a sterile room with white walls, and a single lamp hanging from the ceiling. After much debate, the woman at the front desk had placed her on the fourth floor of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. They'd given her a white hospital gown and cropped her hair so it hung just below her chin. She felt like crying, but couldn't bring herself to tears.
//How long am I going to be here? I'm not insane, I know I'm not. I just want to go home.//
Harry and Ron had came to say goodbye before she left for the hospital. They gave her "I'm so sorry" kind of smiles, hugged her, and promised to visit at the hospital whenever they could. Mr. and Mrs. Granger had been informed of Hermione's whereabouts, and they were on their way to see her at that very moment. Hermione, of course, didn't know that. All she knew, was that everyone thought she was insane, and she had no idea if she would ever be allowed out of this place.
A/N: Next chapter Hermione explores the hospital, gets some visitors, and learns some info about her upcoming trial.