Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his fabulous magical world belong to J., the wealthiest woman in England. We're all just crazy about her books! Other characters are mine, Abigail essentially.

Author's Notes: Hello everybody! I hope you all had a happy Easter, I certainly did though I got sick from all the chocolate! I've been reading some really good fics recently and added some in my favourites. I also re-read the end of HP book five for fun and realised how much Bellatrix Lestrange is a bitch! It'll be fun writing about her in the upcoming chapters. I heard Liz Hurley was supposed to her part in the fifth movie, how weird!

Anyway on to Chapter 33! It's finally here and it's not a happy one. The chapters are going to get very dark now because of the war! Also I prefer saying this chapter is definitely R-rated due to violence so be warned. Nothing too horrible in my opinion but some of you are underage so I prefer being on the safe side.

An extra special thank you to Chas3r, my beta-reader! You're amazing!

About the reviews, I LOVE THEM! Thank you to all my faithful readers, you guys rock! I mentioned you all at the bottom. Also I think it's time to ask you all if you would like me to write a sequel to this story. I have a few ideas but I need to know what you think! So tell me over the next few chapters if you think I should write one, thanks.

So now on to the story, enjoy!

..~**~..

Chapter 33

Hermione did as Draco told her. She waited at least ten minutes, changing into her clothes before setting off, wand in hand, to see Dumbledore. She couldn't help thinking about Draco, wondering when she would see him again as she walked as quietly as she could down the dark corridors.

Turning around a corner, she spotted Snape and quickly hid behind a stone statue. He walked past her lost in his thoughts, muttering under his breath and Hermione sighed in relief when he was out of view. Apparently Snape was the only professor patrolling the corridors tonight. However she soon realised that Snape should also be at the Death Eater meeting and wondered why he was still at Hogwarts.

Thinking nothing of it, Hermione reached Dumbledore's office and stood before the Phoenix statue, quickly realising that she didn't know the new password. Swearing out loud, she started biting her lower lip, unsure of what to do next.

However, without warning the statue started to swing, revealing the marble staircase and a tall dark figure stood on the bottom steps.

"Harry!" she cried out as soon as she recognised him. "What are you doing here?"

He was still in pyjamas and his tired eyes looked back at her gravely. She hadn't seen him in such a state since last year.

"It's my scar," he said dead serious. "Voldemort's up to something and I had to warn Dumbledore."

"Oh," Hermione muttered, remembering what Draco had said about Harry feeling it too.

"What are you doing?" he asked confused, seeing her still dressed in her clothes. "Were you in the library or something?"

Hermione shifted uneasily, racking her brains to find an excuse. Maybe she should tell him the truth, or at least part of it.

"I was coming back from the library when I saw Dra - Malfoy leave the castle," she told him quickly. "I think it was best to tell the Professor what I saw. There might be a Death Eater meeting tonight."

Harry's eyes opened wide at her words and then he fell into a pensive silence.

"Harry, are you okay?" she asked worriedly, noticing his reddened scar. She still remembered his screams last year when Voldemort sent him hallucinations about Sirius and the Department of Mysteries.

"Hermione," he whispered gravely, making sure nobody else was around, "when I told Dumbledore what I saw, he merely nodded and told me that I needed sleep. He told me to come back tomorrow morning to talk about it."

Hermione smiled back at him. "He's probably right Harry –"

"You don't know what I saw!" he snapped back, his green eyes filled with concern and something Hermione had not seen for a while: fear. His voice angry voice shifted into a quiet whisper as he continued. "I saw war. And Voldemort. I've never seen him so - happy. He was ecstatic. My Occlumency was just useless against him."

Harry gripped her arms tighter as he spoke. "He's sure to win the war and trust me Hermione, if my visions are correct, he probably will."

He paused, fear overwhelming his eyes. "I never knew they were so many!"

Hermione stood still at his words, her eyes opening in shock. Thinking quickly, she realised it was important to reassure Harry first. Putting her hand on his cheek, she forced him to look into her determined chocolate eyes.

"Harry, listen to me," she said quietly but sternly. "We'll make it through. Trust me. Dumbledore also has a vast amount of followers and we will win!"

She saw him breathe heavily and nod at her words. "You need to rest now," she said softly, running a hand through his hair, smiling sweetly. "Dumbledore will take care of everything, I'm sure. Just you worry about being ready to fight when the time comes. Once Voldemort is down, they'll all come down with him."

Harry smiled at her confidence whilst Hermione felt bad lying to him. She knew the Order had lost too many of its members to pose a serious threat and the number of Aurors were insufficient to stop the Dark wizard. But Harry seemed to believe her and that was all that mattered for the moment.

He pulled her into a tight hug and whispered in her ear. "I don't know what I'd do without you or Ron."

Hugging him back, they stayed put for a few seconds in each other's arms, realising they might not be together again for a very long time.

"I need to see Dumbledore," Hermione stated, pulling away from his arms. "You'd better go back to Gryffindor tower before you're caught."

Harry said the password to Dumbledore's office for Hermione and she stepped onto the stairs. She turned to face him and to her surprise, she saw him smile back at her.

"Who said I was sleeping in my bed?" he told her, his eyes shining with mischief.

"Harry!" she called out, flabbergasted but it was too late, the staircase was already closing up. She climbed up the stairs quickly and reaching Dumbledore's office door, she was surprised to find it open.

"Come in, Miss Granger," he greeted her. He was standing by the portraits on his wall, quietly giving out orders to their occupants. He was wearing a deep blue robe and his hands were clutched firmly behind his back.

"Headmaster, I have some important information for you," she blurted out from the doorway.

He smiled gently back at her and went to sit at his desk. "I know," he stated clearly. "Please sit down."

He summoned a chair for her and Hermione quickly sat down thinking how much information she could tell him. She noticed Dumbledore's gaze on her, waiting for her to begin.

Sighing heavily, Hermione spoke out clearly. "Draco sent me to warn you, Professor. He doesn't trust you but he believes you are our only hope to stop Voldemort. He's preparing war right this minute. He has summoned his Death Eaters tonight to do so and Draco is there with him. He told me to warn you it was time to act. We have to be ready to fight soon."

She finished and watched nervously her headmaster's reaction. He looked back at her, his eyes losing their mischievous twinkle and suddenly he looked much older, almost ancient. At that precise moment, he seemed vulnerable and not strong enough to take part in the upcoming war. Looking back frightened, Hermione started to wring her hands. Dumbledore was the only one who gave her hope besides Harry and now his defeated look scared her more than every battle she had previously fought.

"Thank you for telling me, Hermione," he said calmly, standing up.

She stood up, looking at him directly. "Professor Dumbledore," she addressed him gravely, fear in her voice. "Do you – do you think we can win?"

He chuckled softly at her question. "I hope so," he told her. "But now, it depends on so many people that we can never be sure of anything. I have already alerted the Order of Harry's vision and preparations have begun. I will warn Hogwarts' students of the situation tomorrow morning at breakfast. Now I think it is best for you to rest tonight, Miss Granger. You cannot help me more tonight than you have already done.

Hermione nodded.

"Goodnight Hermione and please be careful on your way back, you never know."

Hermione wished him a goodnight in return and left the office, closing the door behind her. She sighed heavily against the door and distinctively heard Dumbledore's voice behind it.

"I regret so much," he spoke in sadness. "So much."

..~**~..

A very pale Hermione walked quietly Hogwarts' corridors on her way back to her Head quarters. She knew that she probably wouldn't get much sleep tonight with the events taking place. She still couldn't help thinking about Harry's words. Whatever he had seen tonight, it had scared him and Hermione couldn't stop shuddering at the thought of what Voldemort had in store for them.

She thought about the danger Draco was in if Voldemort ever found out that he was a traitor. If only he had gone to Dumbledore himself! Draco could have been a valuable asset to him. She secretly wished that she were with him, by his side and not by herself in these dark and creepy corridors. She needed him with her in these desperate times. Little did she know that her wish would come true.

Climbing up a set of stairs quickly, she heard footsteps behind her. She stopped and listened out to the faint footsteps, catching up with her.

Oh Merlin! She continued to walk up the stairs, pulling out her wand and heard the footsteps distinctively this time.

Damn it, what do I do?

Her hand was shaking in fear. It was too dark to confront whomever was following and so her mind came to the only possible conclusion – RUN! Hermione sprinted up the rest of the stairs and rushed down the nearest corridor. She tried not to look behind her to see if she was still being followed. Passing a classroom door, she quickly slipped inside, closing the door quietly and hoping she wouldn't be found. She muttered a spell to lock the door and backed away from it in fear. She rushed behind a row of desks and bent down to hide. She desperately tried to control her heavy breathing, listening out for any noises.

Hermione stifled a gasp as she heard the door creek open slowly and someone walked in.

"Lumos!" a deep voice cried out.

Hermione's eyes opened wide in fear as she saw her stalker's shoes and the hem of his black robes. They were merely a few metres from her.

"Oh Mudblood," the same cold deep voice sang out. "I know you're in here!"

Hermione held her breath as he stepped closer to the desk she was hiding behind.

"My master wants to see you," he chanted, chuckling to himself. His voice instantly rang a bell and Hermione's heart skipped a beat. It was Blaise Zabini.

"There you are!" he called out.

Her Gryffindor courage kicking in, Hermione bounded from her spot and sent a stunning spell at him. Zabini, caught off guard, still managed to deflect it but the distraction gave Hermione enough time to push him as hard as she could. As he fell backwards over a desk, Hermione ran for her life out of the classroom and down the corridor, dodging several spells. She ran down the flights of stairs as fast as she could and turned a sharp corner down the main corridor. Running down another flight of stairs, she found herself in the dungeons.

She continued her race, frantically looking for a place to hide, Zabini hot on her heels. If only she had gone back to Dumbledore's office, she thought, turning another corner. Suddenly, Hermione's heart leapt for joy when she saw light under Snape's office. She reached the door and quickly slipped inside, locking it behind her. Snape, calmly sitting at his desk marking some essays, looked up at her, a mixture of anger and surprise written on his face.

"Miss Granger, what is the meaning of this?" he asked her sharply as Hermione tried to catch her breath.

"Professor, you have to help me!" Hermione cried out, startling Snape by the emergency in her voice. "Zabini is after me and I think he's going to hurt me."

She kept her wand firmly in her hand, eyeing his office door warily. Hopefully now that she was with Snape, Zabini wouldn't come after her anymore.

"I'm afraid that's a bit far-fetched, Miss Granger," Snape retorted, rising from his seat.

"Professor, please believe me, he was running after me and-"

But Snape cut in before she could finish. "No, not that!" he spat out, an evil grin on his face. "I meant me, helping you; a Mudblood."

Hermione gasped at his words, backing away from him. However, she bumped into somebody else behind her. Whipping around, she faced two piercing blue eyes before Blaise knocked her out with a curse.

"Very good, Blaise," Snape congratulated him, seeing an unconscious Hermione's body at his feet.

"Thank you, Professor," he sneered, before levitating the Gryffindor in the air.

..~**~..

When Hermione finally woke up, it was dark around her. She could feel cold concrete floor lying underneath her. When she opened her eyes fully, everything was dark and creepy. Scared, Hermione sat up and noticed stone walls surrounding her. In front of her, she saw metal bars ahead, imprisoning her. The only source of light came from a small torch, hanging on the wall opposite her cell. There were no windows anywhere.

Forcing herself to stand up, Hermione heard clinking behind her. She turned around and noticed strong metal chains attached to the wall. Following their trail, she finally realised the shackles were tightly grasped around her wrists.

Panicked, Hermione lifted her arms and tried breaking her chains free from the wall. It was useless. She wanted to check the metal bars and the door, see if there was any way she could get out but her chains prevented her from getting too close.

Feeling helpless, Hermione finally sat down and hugged her knees tight. She started crying quietly as she realised that she had been kidnapped and that the following hours weren't going to be pleasant.

An hour later, the tears stopped and she fell asleep again against the wall.

..~**~..

Hearing the loud clicking of heels against the hard concrete surface, Hermione woke up but kept her eyes closed, just in case. The footsteps stopped in front of her cell and she heard a deep icy voice call out for her.

"Did you sleep well, Mudblood?"

Opening her eyes slowly, Hermione saw a dark-hooded figure facing her across the metal bars.

"Where am I?" she asked him sharply. "What do you want from me?"

The Death Eater chuckled cruelly at her questions. He didn't answer and Hermione wondered who he was as she couldn't see his face. It was hidden under the usual black hood.

"What do you want from me?" Hermione repeated, trying to hide the panic in her voice.

"My Lord wishes to ask you a few questions," he finally answered slyly and she instantly recognised the voice. Lucius Malfoy.

With fear in her eyes, Hermione watched him walk away. "I'll be back later," he told her without a backward glance.

Hermione knew very well what would happen to her if she didn't escape. Few wizards and witches lived to tell the tale. Voldemort wanted whatever information she possessed and he would without a doubt torture her to have it. Feeling panic rise up in her chest, Hermione sprung to her feet and tugged fiercely at her chains in vain. Feeling more and more desperate, she spent a good amount of time checking every stone in the walls, looking out for some sort of escape, a secret passage, anything!

Oh please! Hermione thought to herself, tears forming in her eyes, please don't let them do this to me!

But it was too late.

Several Death Eaters entered the dungeons and opened her cell, ready to take her away. Hermione struggled all she could against them, biting, kicking and screaming but she was quickly stunned and taken against her will. They dragged her across the floor, up some stairs and into a dark corridor. They halted at a side door and knocked on it.

"Come in," said a high, cold voice.

Hermione couldn't help holding her breath when she saw Voldemort. His white scaly face was half covered by his hood whilst his long bony spider-like fingers protruded from his robes' sleeves. The stunning spell disappeared and she was dumped in a heap in front of him. Hermione quickly stood up, looking around for an escape but the Death Eaters stood around her, their wands out in case she tried anything.

"You can leave," Voldemort hissed at them. "Stay by the door, I will call for you soon."

Hermione flinched as she heard him but tried her best to remain brave. Think Hermione, think! How the hell are you going to get out of this one? But her mind went numb as she watched Voldemort pull out his wand.

"I only have one question for you, Mudblood," he said dangerously, hatred glinting in his beady red eyes. "Who are the traitors among my ranks?"

His question surprised Hermione. Obviously now there were two traitors and Voldemort probably knew this. Then suddenly it hit her that Snape had helped Blaise capture her. Was he still loyal to Dumbledore or did that mean that he had swapped sides again?

She tried to replace her confused face with an innocent one, but it didn't work.

"I don't know," she lied.

"Expelliarmus!" the Dark Lord muttered, barely lifting his wand.

His spell, on the other hand, caused Hermione to be flung in the air and she crashed brutally against the back wall. She cried out in pain as she tried to pick herself up from the floor.

"Who among my Death Eaters has betrayed me?" he shrieked this time, storming across the room, his wand menacing her with yet another spell. Grasping the wall for help to stand up to her full height, she kept an impassive face.

"Dumbledore never told me," she said firmly, preparing herself for the worst.

At the mention of her Headmaster's name, Voldemort's face contorted into anger.

"Crucio!"

Suddenly extreme pain burst through her. It was pain past anything she had ever imagined. Every part of her body screamed for release as she felt herself dying. She didn't notice that she had fallen to the ground or that she was screaming in agony at Voldemort's feet. She only wished for the pain to stop and suddenly it did.

"Don't you ever mention his name in my presence!" he hissed loudly as Hermione breathed heavily, tears streaking down her face.

She had never experienced such pain in her life, such suffering and it angered her. Clawing at the floor, she pushed herself up to her knees and stared back at Voldemort defiantly.

"I expect you to be more cooperative this time, Mudblood," he began, circling around her like a snake. "Now tell me, who are the traitors?"

Two frightening redeyes looked down upon her but Hermione merely smiled. She didn't care what happened to her, she would never betray Draco or even Snape.

"The ones with a heart," she stated sharply, giving a dry laugh.

Two red slits glared down at her.

"Wrong answer."

..~**~..

Hermione lay sprawled on the ground, at Voldemort's feet. Barely half an hour had gone by, but to her, it had seemed an eternity had passed, a painful eternity of torture. Hermione's body had gone numb with pain and she was sure that her mind would soon likely to cross the border to insanity. It had gone completely blank as she lay on the cold, hard floor, breathing with difficulty.

Voldemort, towering above her, appeared to be enjoying himself. He had admitted, preferring torture than using Legilimency; it was apparently much more fun watching people squirm at his feet. He had used the Cruciatus curse repeatedly on her and now she lay on her side, praying for him to end their session and let her go. It was then, as she lay sprawled hopelessly, at Voldemort's mercy, that she saw him in her mind. He quickly became her only thought, her only hope, her only love.

Draco.

Draco - help me! She thought as hard as she could. Please – Draco!

She could feel herself was weakening with every second. She had already passed out several times due to the pain. But now it was different, now she knew she was dying.

"Well, that will be all for today," Voldemort finally stated, calling out for the Death Eaters waiting at the door.

"Take her away!" he ordered them and they instantly went to pick her up. "And make sure she stays alive!"

As Hermione was once again dragged along the floor, her vision began to blur, yet she distinctively heard Voldemort call out for Wormtail.

"My robes have been soiled with filth!" his shriek was heard down the corridors. "Wormtail, where are you?"

She passed out before she heard Voldemort's faithful servant squeak pathetically. "I am here, my Lord."

A few minutes later, Hermione lay up against the wall, her legs stretched out before her in pain. Although she had barely woken up, the first thing she noticed was a tray of food and water lying before her. But she couldn't move. Pain continually shot through her body preventing her from any movement. She noticed that the huge gash on her stomach had been healed as well as her broken leg. That was probably all the Death Eaters had deemed necessary to heal in order for her to be alive until tomorrow. Her arms and legs were still covered in cuts and bruises and if Hermione could have seen her face, she would have gasped in fright.

Her left eye could not open more than half way and had turned a vivid purple colour. Her skin was dreadfully pale from fatigue and pain and was painted red with blood pouring from her broken nose. Her dry upper lip was cut open and inside her mouth, Hermione could feel some wobbly teeth.

Her parents wouldn't be happy.

She stayed leaning against the walls, suffering, her head hanging in defeat. She was so feeble and tired that at that precise moment, if Voldemort had threatened to torture her again, she would have answered his stupid questions. But no one came and so Hermione remained in the same position, growing weaker by the second, waiting. She didn't know if it was night, morning or afternoon. All she cared was for it to be finally over. Whether she died or not, she no longer cared. She was in too much pain, she couldn't take it anymore and besides, she felt abandoned.

She was by herself; Draco had left her by herself.

But suddenly, as if answering her prayers, she heard footsteps coming hurriedly towards her. She realised that Death Eaters had probably come back to get her, to torture her again until she gave in and she would give in, if it meant peace, if it meant that she could finally die.

"Hermione," she heard someone whisper before her.

Lifting her head up slowly, she stared at the person before her. It was a Death Eater. He suddenly lifted his hand and pulled back his hood, revealing white-blond hair and soft gray eyes.

Draco.

Hermione's eyes lit up as soon as she saw him and every dark thought seemed to vanish from her mind.

"Draco," she mumbled, her dry throat causing her to cough violently.

"Merlin, what have they done to you?" he called out quietly, although his hands gripped the metal bars strongly.

"Draco, you're here," her voice croaked in disbelief.

"I'm here, Hermione. I'm here with you," he said softly. Guilt flashed in his eyes as she tried to stand up, only to double over in pain.

"I called for you," she said her voice full of hope. "I called out for you in my thoughts. I thought you didn't care."

Draco shook his head, his hands shaking uncontrollably against the metal bars.

"Of course I care, I'll always look out for you. But you have to be strong, you have to fight them," he whispered gently to her, looking out left and right. "They won't kill you yet, they need you to lure Potter here, into a trap. They're using you as bait."

Hermione nodded her head while he spoke, her eyes full of tears. "Voldemort wants to torture me again," she told him quietly.

"I promise I'll get you out of here, Hermione," Draco tried to reassure, watching her trying to stand up again. This time she was successful. His eyes flashed angrily. "He'll pay for what he did to you."

"Draco, I'm scared," she murmured, taking a step forward, dragging her chains behind her. "I'm scared I won't make it if he tortures me again, I'm scared I might betray you. I don't want to lose you!"

"You won't lose me," he gulped nervously. "It's almost midday and Voldemort is occupied with the war. You'll be safe."

He looked again around him, watching out for anybody else. "I have to go," he said, hearing someone approach. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

She took two bold steps as she heard his words. "No, don't leave me!" she cried out, holding out her hand to him, tears falling freely because of the pain.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," he whispered, looking deep in her eyes. "I wish none of this had happened, I wish I could take you away from here."

She took another step, the last one as her chains prevented her from going any further. Her arm was outstretched in front of her, as far as possible.

"I love you, Draco," she breathed out, staring desperately in his troubled stormy gray eyes. Forgetting everything around him, Draco looked back straight into her eyes and stretched out his hand between the metal bars, desperately trying to reach hers.

He missed her by an inch.

"I love you too," he admitted, causing Hermione's heart to jump for joy.

They looked at each other for a while, treasuring their brief moment of happiness. During that moment, Hermione forgot all about her pain, her surroundings and the danger ahead of her and simply lost herself in pools of silver.

Finally, Draco dropped his arm.

"Be strong," he pleaded, backing away from her cell and putting his hood back on. "I'll get you out soon."

Watching him leave seemed even worse than torture, but his presence and reassuring words had restored Hermione's hope and courage. Draco loved her and it gave her strength. Whatever Voldemort did to her now, she would keep silent.

..~**~..

Yay! They finally admitted their love! I admit the circumstances were extreme but I love the whole tension and drama, it really gets to me! I hope you enjoyed it and it made you at least a bit sad because I tried my best! I loved writing this chapter, Draco/Hermione are the best! And not making them able to touch each other is simply agonising! Lol

Next chapter is the last Abigail POV chapter! Only 5 chapters left! I won't reveal anything from now on…

Please review, your thoughts and feelings help me when writing and I enjoy them so much!

Thank you's for both chapter 31 and 32:

kriCket oX (Hey, your review was brilliant, it reflected exactly what I'm trying to convey about Malfoy! He's a dark character and though he loves Hermione, you're never sure what he thinks.), girl88 (I'm glad you liked the romance and the fact that they didn't get caught, Hermione was real sweet to Draco in this chapter, hope you liked it!), Lysnter89 (Hope you liked the interaction in this one, I'll try and read your fics soon!), LadySnake, hpcrzyfb (It's so cool that you support Harry/Abigail romance, there's loads of angst and love in the next chappie!), Kuroi Tsuki Jyurian (Feel free to email me, it'd be fun! Thanks for the reviews!), wuthie (When I write this fic, I think about of it as a movie, it's easier to picture things.), JTfanaddict (I hope this chapter didn't freak you out too much as Hermione gets hurt! But sexy Draco's there to save the day, non?), dracocrazyem (I finally asked people about the sequel. Hope you enjoyed Draco and Hermione saying I love you! Thanks for your reviews, I love them!), dracosgirl2515 (I love Draco too! I can't tell whether he'll be good or bad in the end but he seemed determined to save Hermione! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.), warky (I won't spoil anything but I do have a hard time killing off characters! Draco's prophecy is pretty harsh but I love how Abby has no sympathy for him. I agree, Blaise is hot but the biggest pain in the ass! He kidnapped Hermione after all! Hope you liked it!), May (Yay! Someone who understands how much work uni represents! Glad you liked the previous chapters!), Alenor, Malfoy's Angel (Draco didn't save Hermione from torture but maybe he'll save her from death. I can't tell if it will turn out bad though, hope you enjoyed the angst!), Pippin1177, Wanna-B-Dracos-Girl, tomfeltonlover1400, D.r.a.c.o.s.H.e.r.m.o.s.O, Mariann, Eriador, EvilStrawberry, GooseyCorsair, jonadark, Burning trust, jackslittlefriend, Alexis, roguish muse, Draco'scheerbunny, Professional Toilet Flusher, HogwartsHunni, nightmistrie, twinklerbell23, Blondie Vixen, Angel's-Faith, rat-gal2000, dark rose, Juicy-Fuit for Drako, Senya Lady of the Serpents and serendipity x

Thank you all so so much for reviewing! I love you all!