DISCLAIMER- I don't own any of the characters. Of course, that doesn't mean that you should read this! Don't read this! It's miserable! This is the worst chapter yet!

(By the way, readers, in case you're confused, Ron is trapped at the bottom of a well, right above the water. His cage is attached to the wall. There are stairs built into the well that go down to a landing right next to Ron's cage. There is a door to the cellar that leads onto the landing. Sorry if you were confused. I wish I had a picture, but all the pictures of Lord Voldemort's house have been burned our stolen. With all due respect, Remus Lupin)

Chapter Eleven

"How pleasant of you to join us," the blonde haired man said in a sickly sweet voice. Harry tried to climb back out of the door, but the man grabbed his arm and dragged him all the way into the room, shutting the door behind him. He took Harry's broomstick and snapped it in half. Harry gulped.

"I'm so glad you're here." Lord Voldemort's assistant cackled. "Have a seat." "What are you going to do?" Harry tried to sound brave, but failed miserably. "I said HAVE A SEAT!" The blonde-haired assistant shoved Harry into a hard wooden chair.

It was then that Harry actually got to have a look around him at the cellar room. I am certain that you have realized that people's rooms tend to reflect their personalities. In my room for instance, I have gathered a few things that are important to me, including an old, dusty bagpipe, which I have bewitched to play a few sad songs, a large bundle of parchment with notes about the Potters, a wizard chess set with half the pieces either broken or missing, and an old muggle photograph, taken a very long time ago, of a woman whose name is Lilianna. These items are all precious and dear to me, but Harry was unlucky enough to be in a cellar with things that were precious and dear to Lord Voldemort, and they were grotesque things. There were scraps of parchment on which he had written down his evil plans in an unreadable scribble, lying in messy piles on top of a desk that looked like someone had bitten large chunks out of it. Also on the desk was the copy of A Wizard's Guide to Nuptial Law that Lord Voldemort had taken from Hermione. Floating above Harry's head were blood-red candles that let off a foul odor of burning leaves. Littered around the room were empty Firewhisky bottles and there was a shelf full of all kinds of evil-looking potions. In one corner was a fireplace with a cauldron next to it, full of some hissing liquid. But the worst parts of the cellar were the paintings and drawings and carvings and sketches and sculptures of skulls. Millions and million of skulls, all with the same snake protruding from their mouths. Skulls on the walls, skulls on the floor, there was a skull carved in the doorknob and a large marble sculpture of a skull. This was truly a grotesque, a word which here means, "as unbearable to look at as Lord Voldemort himself," place to be.

The Blonde-haired man went over to the fire and threw some floo powder in it, yelling "Lord Voldemort!" Immediately, their guardian's horrible face appeared in the flames. "Why are you disturbing me, you fool?"

"Because the stupid sports freak just came down to try and rescue the chafing chessplayer."

"What's chafing?"

"It's really, really, annoying."

"Of course. I knew that." Lord Voldemort said hastily. "You don't have to tell me everything. How'd he get down there?"

"I flew. On a broomstick." Harry said defiantly.

"Stupid!" Voldemort's assistant laughed. "You could have just walked down the stairs like I did." "Why would anyone want to do what you did?" Lord Voldemort asked. "You're an imbecile. Anyway, just keep him down there until showtime. Oh, and lock my bride down there too." Then his face disappeared.

"Well, I'm off to get his bushy-haired bride." The blonde-haired man said, and shut and locked the door behind him. Harry was going to say that Hermione's hair was better then his, but decided against it. Instead, he sighed and considered their situation. It was going from bad to worse. Now Hermione and he were going to be locked down in the cellar and Ron was in a cage. What could be worse? "Being dead, I suppose." Harry said aloud. He just couldn't help but remember the promise he had made to his parents.

Then he heard the footsteps of the blonde-haired man returning. The door opened and he threw in a confused-looking Hermione, then shut the door, saying "I'll be right outside, so don't try anything funny."

"Am I dead?' Hermione asked, blinking.

"No, but just as good as." Harry said miserably. "We're locked in the cellar because I got caught trying to rescue Ron. I flew down on a broomstick." Hermione just stared at him, then her eyes began to close and her head drooped. She hadn't had any sleep last night, having stayed up reading to save their lives, so she was exhausted. Harry sighed and slapped her across the face.

"Owwwww!" Hermione cried. Harry shook her and said "You're getting married to Lord Voldemort in the morning! We have to do something!"

"Oh...." Hermione blinked and shook herself. "I forgot! The Marvelous Marriage! Come on Harry, you're so slow! Let's get to work."

"I'm slow?" Harry muttered under his breath.

"Let's look through his books and papers." Hermione suggested. "Maybe we could find something."

For the next few hours, Hermione and Harry searched the room and their minds for anything that might help them. Hermione tried to use her wand to unlock the door, but it didn't work. Harry tried looking through the papers, because Hermione said she couldn't read them, they were too messy. Harry was used to reading Ron's scribbled notes from class, and Lord Voldemort's writing was a lot neater than his brother's, so he was the one trying to get something useful out of Lord Voldemort's evil plans.

"If I had invisible ink, then I could sign my name in that, and it would disappear." Hermione suggested.

"But we don't have any invisible ink." Harry said mournfully.

They were quiet for several hours.

"If you were part centaur, then Lord Voldemort's plans wouldn't work." Harry said. "Centaurs have stricter marriage laws. But first you'd have to prove you're a centaur."

"And I'm not." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Duh."

"Oh yeah." Harry laughed weakly. "I knew that."

They were quiet for several more hours.

"I could burn up the parchment with my wand." Hermione suggested. "But I think that Lord Voldemort would drop Ron's cage into he water and he'd drown."

"I most certainly would." Lord Voldemort said, and the orphans jumped. They had been so involved that they didn't hear their guardian come in. He was wearing a fancy orange and brown striped suit and his shiny eyes were positively glittering. "Come, orphans," he said. "Its time for the big event! My associate here will stay behind in this cellar with Ron's cage. If anything goes wrong, I will use my wand and say 'Accio book.' Then that Nuptial law book will be drawn toward the stage where we are performing. That's how the charm works."

"We know how it works." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Good." Lord Voldemort's chuckled. "Then you should know that at that signal, my assistant will make sure you never see your brother alive again. Just make sure you sign your name-however you say it- Herm-one? Hir-mon-ie? Whatever. And say 'I do'. Now, come along."

As Hermione and Harry walked up the half-broken steps out of the well, they felt the feeling of all hope leaving them. Harry looked down at Ron and then looked back at Lord Voldemort's despicable face. Then, just as Lord Voldemort put the grating back over the well's entrance, Hermione thought about what Lord Voldemort had just said. And she thought and thought and thought, harder then she'd ever done on her life, even on her Transfiguration exams.

REVIEWERS-

Queenofinsanity- Since summer's almost over (sniff, sniff) I should probably be updating more. But I don't know. This is my first year in high school. I might be really busy with homework. Plus my field hockey team starts practicing 3 weeks BEFORE SCHOOL EVEN STARTS!! Meaning DURING THE SUMMER! Meaning RIGHT NOW!! Isn't that cruel?

Candidus-lupus-full Moon- The Reptile Room is one of the best books! I like the fifth one best, though. I can't wait till this next book comes out!! WEEEEEEEE! Thanks for reviewing!

SRAndrews- It's in the Reptile Room. He filled up a whole page with the word ever because he was saying "Don't ever ever ever ever.... fiddle with an electrical outlet unless you are smart like Violet." It was really funny, but it must have gotten really boring.

dweem-angel- Yeah, the blonde-haired man is Malfoy. I think you're the first one to figure it out. Guess who the rat-like man is! And the two large, strong men. Thanks for the compliment.

Celly- Here's another chapter. Do you have a pen name on fanfiction? If so, what is it?

visualpurple- Did you get the Camp Cherith picture developed yet? Call me when you do!!! I have field hockey practice DURING THE SUMMER BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS!! Isn't that ridiculious? It's 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours at night! Grrrrrr. Fortunately it's not too hot. It started yesterday. I got my hair cut a little bit. I went to get contacts, but first they had to fit my eyes for them and since I have a really bad perscription (-6) They need to order them, so I have to wait. Grrrr again. UPDATE A STORY SOOOON! Alania and I are almost done with putting quotes from the second book in our common place book.

Kandie-Spirit-Dragon- Thanks for the compliments. Glad you liked my story! Thanks for reviewing!

YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE READ THIS, BUT SINCE YOU DID, YOU MIGHT AS WELL REVIEW!