Author's Note: Strong language.
Key: indicates memory flashes
….Previous Chapter….
"What did you see?"
He stiffened immediately.
"Death Eater attack on me before my father cast the reliving curse…" he trailed off, but she didn't need to know any more, she just hugged him tighter.
And they stayed like that until they fell asleep, completely oblivious of anyone coming in and out, and stayed there all night.
……………………….
ExplanationsWhen Hermione woke up, the room was deadly silent. Slightly disorientated, she opened her eyes and looked around, She was still in the boys dormitories, but she was now on a bed. Lying next to Draco. And even though she was extremely comfortable, she felt slightly uneasy about being on the same bed as this person. Right now, at least.
She got up and walked to her dorm, seeing nobody awake, and went to take a shower. She then sat down in the common room to wait for her friends. Her mind surprisingly clear.
They came down about ten minutes later, fully dressed and bagged. She gathered her school bag and they walked down to the Great Hall.
"You know, this could be my first full day this year." Said Mya. "What's the date?"
"I can positively tell you, that I have no idea. October something I think." Said Draco. She laughed.
They were just outside the Entrance Hall when an extreme feeling of dread filled her to the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong; she could feel it.
She walked into the great hall following Harry, Ron and Ginny. She immediately felt as though she had walked into an auditorium full of people who were waiting for her and the others to give a speech.
Silence filled the hall, and all eyes turned to them. Some casting sorrowful glances, but most with looks of utmost sympathy. Even some of the Slytherins – notice some. Most were sniggering – looked at them with sympathy.
This couldn't be good.
They made their way over to the Gryffindor table, Hermione trying to ignore the fact that she felt like a circus animal. Once they had sat, Hermione took a sip of her juice, not feeling at all hungry. The sick feeling that had made a pit stop in Hermione had only increased ten-fold since walking in the hall. She could still feel their eyes.
She felt scared, but tried to ignore it. She wasn't with the Death Eaters anymore.
She groaned. Even the teachers were staring.
"What is everyone staring at?" whispered Ron, to Neville who was sat next to him.
"Er… you guys might want to read this…" and he handed a paper to Ron. The Daily Profit. Ginny lent in to read it.
"What does it say?" asked Harry. Dean handed Harry his Daily Profit, as if he had expected Harry to ask that.
Hermione and Draco watched as the looks on their friend's faces grew from shock to sorrow to anger. Anger throughout in Harry's case.
Seconds later – "What is it?" cried Draco, and Seamus handed him a paper.
Hermione leant in to read.
Potter Shock, Malfoy Truth and Is Hogwarts Really Safe?
It was reported last night that a Death Eater raid in the town of Little Whinging, Surrey, resulted in the murders of no less than ten Muggles. This included a Mrs Figg, Mark Evans – due to start Hogwarts next year – and his parents, and Petunia Dursley – Harry Potter's, The Boy-Who-Lived's, Muggle Relative.
It was also reported that the Dursley's treatment of Harry Potter was less than good. In fact, it was horrid. For the first ten years, the saviour of the Wizarding world spent his life in a cupboard under the stairs. Sources say that The-Boy-Who-Lived was under-fed and often physically and mentally abused.
In fact, Potter only found out the truth about how his parents died – Lily and James Potter were killed by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named when Harry was only one – when Rubeus Hagrid – expelled from Hogwarts and now works as Grounds Keeper and 'Care of Magical Creatures' teacher – went to Potter personally to deliver his Hogwarts acceptance letter after Potter's uncle refused to let him see it.
It is rumoured that Harry Potter had to be 'rescued by friends' during the summer because of the Dursley's frequently violent behaviour.
Boy-saviour, Potter, is also rumoured to be friends with his long time rival, and Death Eater son, Draco Malfoy. The sixteen year-old boy was also rumoured to come from an abusive background, including repeated Unforgivables as well as Physical, Mental and Sexual Abuse.
A close friend to Malfoy said the following to the Daily Profit – "Malfoy found out that Ginny Weasley – daughter of Arthur Weasley who works in the Ministry of Magic – had been captured by a Death Eater and tried to rescue her. When he got caught, Professor Snape – Supposed Death Eater Spy and Potions Professor at Hogwarts – had to help them, resulting in him being discovered as a spy by the Dark Lord".
A series of events pushed Draco Malfoy to the light side. One of these events included the ordered kidnap, by himself, of Harry Potter's best friend, Hermione Granger. This act was however, too difficult to complete when he arrived at the Granger's home to see a dead Mr and Mrs Granger – Muggles – and a distraught, battered and emotionally ill Hermione cradling her mother's body. They then proceeded to Hogwarts with the help of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, where she was healed.
However, the kidnap plan was put into action. Draco Malfoy smuggled Hermione Granger from the castle. From right underneath Albus Dumbledore's nose! Taking her straight to Malfoy Manor, and right into the clutches of the Dark Lord himself, Draco Malfoy played little part in her being brutally raped and tortured. Hermione managed to escape via the Floo network.
Around a month later, two Death Eaters under the disguise of Potter and Ron Weasley – Older brother of Ginny Weasley and best friend to Granger – using Polyjuice, attacked and tortured Hermione on Hogwarts grounds.
As a mother, I must ask myself if my child will be safe at Hogwarts, what with an ex-Death Eater working there. And, if a sixteen-year-old schoolboy can smuggle a student out of the castle, what's to say the Dark Lord cannot get in? With him and his Death Eater's, who knows how safe the school really is?
By Jane Smith, Daily Profit Reporter.
With the overwhelming feelings of shock and disbelief, mixed with the sadness and fear of being reminded of everything, along with the sorrow and sympathy she felt towards her friends, and more shock aimed somewhere between reading about Ginny's kidnap or Harry's need to be rescued, all Hermione could do was stare at the paper. Not seeing the words written and trying her hardest to ignore the whispers and stares threatening to suffocate her.
She couldn't move. It was almost as if she were glued to the chair, and someone had somehow charmed her eyes onto the paper in her hands. How it got there, she wasn't sure. How could they print something like this? It was so… demeaning! It wasn't any of their business, any of it!
She suddenly dropped the paper, as if it were on fire. Her whole body shaking, both from the article and the fact that the whole school was staring at her brought waves of fear, she averted her gaze to the staff table. Dumbledore was looking down at her with sorrow filled eyes. She moved along the table to see Snape watching, but his face was torn between disgust, shock, fear and sympathy.
A small smile curved her lips unwillingly. She wasn't sure why, but it was probably because he saved her best friend from a fate worse than death. A fate that had chosen her. He gave a short smile back.
Bringing her attention back to the table, she felt the pressure of their eyes more than ever. She had to move. The staring faces were causing unwanted images of sadistic death eaters to flash through her mind. Voldemort. Percy… Percy touching her. Raping her. Feeling that heartache. Feeling that pain.
Before she could even move to stand, she felt a hand gripping hers, pulling her slightly. She looked up to see Draco, but it was only then she realised her eyes were filled with unshed tears.
He pulled on her arm as if to tell her to get up. She did.
As they walked towards the doors to the Great hall, her anger flared. Unsure of the cause, she blamed the stares. She felt like a fuckin' circus animal! A sudden urge to yell at said occupants of the hall overwhelmed, but before she could react, a wave of dizziness overcame her. She grabbed the closest thing she could, which just happened to be one of the doors to the great hall.
"No! Not now!" cried Draco. His voice seemed miles away. She felt herself being taken into the entrance hall, and rushing footsteps coming closer, but she couldn't see anything. She was surrounded in the blackness.
The after effects of the Reliving Curse.
Typical. Bloody typical. After what she had just read, she becomes subjected to the damn after effects. But nothing was coming. Nothing was happening and she still had full control of her body.
"Miss Granger? What is wrong with her Mr Malfoy?" asked Dumbledore.
"Don't! Don't touch her!" said Draco. But his voice seemed faint. Too faint.
She found herself in the Astronomy tower. Completely alone.
She couldn't think. She was too blinded by emotions. Fear, rage, confusion, grief. She took a quill out of her bag, waved her wand at it, muttering a spell she didn't recognise, and picked up the knife that had appeared.
She pulled herself up onto one of the window ledges, and pulled up her skirt slightly. Enough so that it wouldn't be visible.
And she sliced. Harder than before. All her emotion flowing into the power of the thrusts.
She didn't feel the pain.
Anger slowly ebbing away, she looked down at her leg, covered in blood. It didn't ring clear. She stared at it, marvelling at it's beauty. The rich crimson colour that shone only slightly lighter in the light.
It wasn't enough. It didn't get rid of the pain, the grief, and it only managed to lessen the anger.
She rolled up her sleeve, and dragged the knife across the top of her wrist. She watched as the blood trickled down her arm. The gash was deep, deeper than every before, yet she was still in pain. Tears coursing hysterically down her cheeks, she had to fight to breath.
So, she turned her arm over, and dragged the blade from her wrist, running it parallel to the sides of her arms.
She laughed. This could kill her. Yet, she didn't regret it. She stared at the wound, watching the blood trickle. The contrast against her skin was amazing. She never knew blood could look this way. She wasn't scared.
She could hear footsteps outside. Someone was coming.
They opened the door. In ran Draco.
He stared at her in shock. His eyes watering, his body shaking. He knew what she'd done. "Hermione…"
A cold laugh escaped her lips. She could feel her life ebbing away as the dizziness overtook her, and she passed out.
The darkness was slowly ebbing away, and she could hear faint distant voices.
She had been told that the reliving curse made her relive her worst memories. And watch her worst fears come to life. But, her attempted suicide hadn't been a bad memory. Just one that taught her a lesson. And, surely it wasn't one of her fears? She knew she would never attempt that, not again. The pain she had felt then, then the pain she had felt afterwards would haunt her for life.
Oh. That was why she was reliving it. The pain she had felt then, and afterwards. She didn't want to die. She was scared.
But she didn't have much to live for.
Tears were rolling down her cheeks and her whole body was trembling so much that she couldn't stand, even though she didn't try. Arms encircled her waist and she gladly gave her self to them. She felt weak, and sick, and she needed support. But she couldn't hold onto to whoever it was, Draco she assumed, because her body was trembling so much with weakness.
"It's ok Mya. It's over now. Can you walk?" said a voice in her ear. Draco's voice. It was him. He always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. A voice in the back of her head asked why she deserved such unwavering support. Another one – she wasn't sure why she had so many little voices; maybe she was finally giving into insanity? – was telling her she couldn't take anymore. She couldn't take any more pain, shock, fear, sadness, sorrow and she couldn't stand the sickness she was feeling constantly. Then she realised it wasn't a voice that was telling her, but her heart.
It was already cracked beyond repair. Anything more and it would be broken.
Nothing can repair a broken heart.
"Mya? Come on, we need to go. Can you walk?" said Draco. He'd asked her that already. And then she realised she hadn't answered him.
"No." she said in a low whisper.
Why couldn't everything go back to the way it was before? When no-one knew the truth? She knew it was a stupid question, because things would be this way even if they didn't know of her history, which they didn't, not really. She would still have been kidnapped by Draco and…
Draco was talking to her.
"Mya?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you ok?"
"Marvellous."
He laughed. A small laugh but a laugh all the same.
"Hmmm, looks like I'll have to carry you, huh?"
She suddenly felt so helpless, and her body started trembling more to tell her this. She was now shaking with silent sobs, which were becoming more hysterical the more she thought.
So, she tried to stand. Tried, and failed miserably, falling into Draco.
"Guess that's a yes. I seem to be doing a lot of carrying lately." Which was true. Unfortunately. It shouldn't be him carrying her. It should have been her mother or 'father'. Heck, she shouldn't even be in this damn position! It wasn't fair! She knew life wasn't always fair, but this was just getting ridiculous.
He picked her up, and Hermione lamely wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. He then wrapped his arms around her waist and went to move.
"Mr Malfoy." Dumbledore.
"Yes? Professor."
"Care to explain what just happened?" Snapped Snape.
"Not right now." He replied, flatly, and walked away.
A sudden need of a cup of tea and a giant, soft, blanket came over her…
…
It wasn't until they reached the corridor leading to, that she realised they were heading towards the Room of Requirements. They stopped in front of the already-there door and Hermione was starting to wonder why they were there. She looked up to Draco, opened her mouth to ask the question when,
"They said they'd meet us here." He said.
Assuming 'they' meant Ginny, Harry and Ron, she nodded and jumped down off of Draco. He held her for a while, so she could grab her bearings, then let go. She wobbled a bit before Draco's arms resumed their place around her waist. They walked into the Room of Requirement, and headed straight for the fire.
Looking around the room, she noticed it was covered in fluffy pillows, beanbags and blankets. It wasn't hot, so she assumed the fire was just there for comfort.
"What's wrong with Hermione?" asked Ginny, who was sat sandwiched between Ron and Harry.
"After effects of the Reliving Curse" he explained. All of their faces fell as they groaned, and looked to Hermione.
It was then she noticed the pale and slightly shaking Harry. She wondered briefly if what the newspaper had said was true, but decided she would ask him to find out. She understood exactly why he was so pale and shaking. He may not have appreciated the Dursleys, or even loved them. But they were his family, and no matter what they had done to him, nothing could change that fact, or the love he must have felt for them.
Hermione had sat down atop a large black furry blanket. It was extremely soft, and when she looked at the label, she saw it was faux Mink. Her mother had one of these. Her stomach dropped and she searched for some kind of distraction from that heartache.
She locked eyes with Harry's and asked the question.
"Was it true?"
He looked at her for a bit, then asked, "Which bit?"
What a pathetic attempt to run away from the truth, and from the look on his face she knew that he knew that too. Not only was there only one part of the article that was about him, but also there was only one bit that she didn't know. The part about the Dursleys… well Harry wouldn't know for sure either.
She raised an eyebrow, but kept her face blank and emotionless. "You know which bit."
"Could ask you the same question." She swallowed, knowing that she would have to tell them later.
"So could I, to everyone else in this room. But I asked you. Tell me."
"Yes." He sighed.
She wasn't shocked. She knew something was wrong with his relationship with the Dursleys since the first time she saw them. She wasn't positive of any physical abuse, but she knew that the mental was painful enough. And she knew that people like that always turned physical if given the option or need.
Ron spoke up, "Looks like it's tell tale time."
Hermione wasn't sure exactly what this meant, but she had a damn good idea.
"There's a lot we haven't told you, Hermione. I think it's time we tell you everything that has happened." He said, a bit wearily, throwing quick glances to Harry, Ginny and Draco.
"What happened, Harry?" she knew she had to be specific, like people had to be with her. Why did they change so much? But that didn't sound so good. How was she supposed to word this? …"What did they do to you? Why did they do it?" Hmm, well, not as good as it could have been. And, it was unlikely he would know why.
He replied, "the first week was fine. They were actually nice to me, considering Remus and Co's warning and taking it to heart. But one day they went out. They told me where they were going, but I didn't listen. They always went out, and it didn't both me in the slightest that they were going out. Why would it? I was sunken too deep into depression. Turns out they had gone to the hospital for tests.
"Aunt Petunia had gotten cancer. When my uncle came in that night, I knew I should have been scared. I don't know why, but something was off. But I wasn't scared, I was apprehensive, but not scared. I was SO far into depression that I wanted him to hurt me. I wanted to feel that pain, because I wanted to feel again.
"He had it set into his head that I had done it using magic. He knew as well as I that I hadn't done anything; I would have been suspended. I told him that and he kept making excuses. Saying that it was our punishment from 'those freak friends' of mine for them mistreating me. He knew; I know he did. But he needed something to take it out on, and I was the only thing around.
"The nightmares didn't help. Every night I would wake up, screaming, shaking with the after-effects of Cruciatus. Uncle Vernon would come in my room; shouting about it was my fault that Aunt Petunia was in that state and that I could at least let her rest. Each night, it got worse. The nightmares got worse, and so did the beatings.
"It soon got to a point where I couldn't move, where I kept falling into unconsciousness. But one night, I saw you stood in front of Voldemort. I figured it must have been a nightmare, but everything I had seen was so real. And when you left that room, Mya, Voldemort said 'Enjoy the show, Potter?' He wanted me to see it. He wanted me to come and try save you. But I couldn't. I was so worried, so scared for your life. I couldn't sit still. I tried to write a letter to Dumbledore but Uncle Vernon caught me… I don't remember much after that night." His voice had been flat the whole way through.
Hermione was shocked to hear that his Aunt had Cancer. And disgusted to hear that his Uncle had taken it out on him. But when he said that he saw her confrontation with Voldemort, her heart dropped into her stomach, where it did flips and somersaults, just to make it's self known.
"You saw that?!" she said, her voice slightly higher than normal.
"Yes."
"What else did you see?" She suddenly felt sick at the thought of Harry seeing the Death Eaters raping her.
"Voldemort wanted me to see it. I know he did. You were taken to that cell, and then into a room. I saw what happened, Hermione, even after Voldemort had left." She swore she was going to be sick. Her head was swimming. She didn't know what to do. "I saw what they did, I saw each of their faces." She caught the hidden meaning to that, and looked up at him. He nodded, and her heart fell. She had been hoping that it was somebody under Polyjuice potion, not actually Percy.
"Tell me he was under Imperius."
"He wasn't. Voldemort's group of inner Death Eaters were in that room. He wouldn't put a innocent wizard in there too."
She felt the tears fall down her face. She had never thought about it before, but when Harry spoke of it she had hoped that he was under Imperius, not doing it willingly. The look in his eyes… she knew. She KNEW he wasn't. But she could still hope. Right?
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Yelled Ron.
Hermione couldn't look at him, or Ginny, or Harry for that matter. Her head was swimming with unwanted pictures. Her heart ached, she felt sick and her muscles hurt. From what, she was unsure.
"I didn't want to tell you. I couldn't. Not before."
"I think you need to now!" shouted Ginny, and Hermione winced. She hated yelling, shouting. And would do anything to block it out. When her parents argued, she would grab the personal CD player her mother bought for her before she started Hogwarts and put the music on full blast. But when she was at Hogwarts she had no choice but to block it out mentally.
But she couldn't, not right now.
"Percy is a Death Eater."
"WHAT!?" shouted Ron and Ginny at the same time.
"Why the fuck didn't you tell me!?"
"He raped Hermione." Said Harry in a small voice.
"WHAT!?" said three voices, and she realised Draco had joined in.
"That betraying bastard of a fuckin' brother!"
"How could you keep this from me?"
"No, he's not even a fuckin' brother anymore! He's not worth it."
Her body was trembling. She couldn't take it. She was absorbing their hate, their anger. She bought her knees up so she had her arms around them, and leant her chin on them. Rocking slightly, eyes closed, she listened, absorbing it, as there was nothing else she could do. She had already pushed to many memories to the back.
"I cant believe you didn't tell us!"
"It wasn't my place to tell!"
"You had no right to keep it to yourself!"
"The fucking Cockroach!"
"What would you have done if you had known earlier?"
"I don't know, I don't even know what to do now!"
"I'm with him!"
"Good for nothing, son of a bitch! Mother fucking asshole!"
"Exactly –"
"SHUT UP! Just SHUT UP!" yelled Hermione. She was suddenly on her feet, fists clenched, glaring powerfully towards the three sat on the couch. "You're just making it worse! You arguing makes everything worse! Can't you see that? I've got enough anger in me without yours as well" she fumed. She stood, still glaring, breathing heavily.
"Sorry, Mya." They said.
She turned and hit the nearest thing to her, which just happened to be the fireplace. Her fist went right through the wood, to collide with the bricks underneath. She moved and kicked a hole through the door. She moved again but before she could hit anything, arms successively came from behind her, holding her, pushing her down to the floor.
She struggled, images overcoming her again. The Death Eaters, her father, and more fucking Death Eaters. She saw her father holding her down, unzipping his jeans. She struggled, kicking the thing nearest to her, and it yelped in pain and let go. Still struggling, she punched another, and then another. Not sure exactly what was going on, but knowing she needed to get out, she ran for the door.
"Hermione! It's just us! Calm down!" shouted Draco, from in front of the door. She stopped, breathing heavily, and just stared at him for what felt like an eternity. Finally, she got her anger under control and turned around to survey the damage. Ginny, Ron and Harry were all on the floor. Ginny clutching her stomach, trying hard to breathe whilst Ron and Harry both sported a broken nose. Ooops. The fireplace was ok, but there was sharp wood on the floor. The door, however, had a huge great hold in the centre of it.
"I'm sorry!" she cried, as she fell to her knees in tears. Draco came and sat down in front of her and hugged her as tight as he could, and she gave way to the comfort she felt when with him.
Soon, she felt another arm wrap around her, and then two more. She knew it was her friends. The support she felt helped greatly, and she was able to stop crying after what felt like half an hour. They sat there for a little while longer, all crying and hugging each other as if their lives depended on it.