DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters used hereafter.
CHAPTER 1: CHASED
The wind rushed past her ears in torrents as she darted quickly through the forest ducking under branches and leaping over fallen logs. Behind her she could hear the sounds of people shouting and in front she could hear the sound of hooves beating on the hard earthy ground. She could feel her breath beginning to catch in her chest as she pushed on, kept going only by the fear of what would happen if she stopped and they caught her. Ahead she could see the sleek outline of a large leopard bounding along and further ahead still, the larger more angular outline of a tall, gangly stallion.
It was then that she burst out of the forest and into the dazzling sunlight, which momentarily blinded and disorientated her. She stopped, turning her head from side to side desperately sniffing at the air. All she could smell was the scent of death in the air and that of the people who were quickly gaining on her. She dashed forward going up and over the small grassy hill in front of her.
In the distance she saw the leopard and the stallion come to a standstill. Without another moments thought she put on another burst of speed and pulled up beside them. They turned to face her, their eyes filled with fear, and then looked back to where they had been looking. A cliff. They'd run straight to the edge of a cliff.
Turning the three saw the group of people in cloaks approaching them. More slowly now though, knowing the sorry predicament that the three were in. The three all looked at each other and without a sound being uttered each knew in their minds what the others were thinking. They stood level with one and other, the leopard in the middle, clearly the leader, the stallion to his left and her, a white wolf, to the leopard's right. The three readied themselves for the oncoming attack, bodies tensed, hair raised, teeth bared.
The people in cloaks approached, each with a wand raised and pointed at the three. As they drew closer it was apparent that each was wearing a mask hiding his or her true identity.
One of the figures stepped forward, his wand pointed straight at the leopard, "Well, well, well Mr. Potter. It would seem that you and your friends are in quite the predicament, wouldn't it?" the voice that she recognized as Lucius Malfoy's sneered through the mask, "You seem to be in quite a spot of bother, and with none of your beloved Order members or that fool of a mudblood lover Dumbledore to save you." At this the leopard stepped forwards dangerously as though threatening the cloaked man to go on. "Touched a sore spot did I?" sneered Malfoy through the mask. At this statement the leopard leaped forward pouncing on Malfoy, clawing at him with his powerful claws and biting with sharp jaws. The stallion and wolf followed suit leaping upon the nearest of the cloaked figures knocking them to the ground, and so a scuffle began. Shouts of "STUPEFY!" were heard from all over, snarling and growling was heard.
The scuffle did not last long though. The stallion was the first to fall being the largest and least agile, he was the easiest target. A well placed "STUPEFY!" from Bellatrix Lestrange hit him right in the centre of the chest and sent him tumbling to the ground, where he reverted back into the form of a tall, gangly red headed boy of seventeen and lay still. With a roar of anger the leopard launched himself at Lestrange knocking her to the ground but before he knew what was happening, four or so wands were on him all followed by a yell of "STUPEFY!" He too fell to the ground in a heap and changed back into a short, thin boy with emerald green eyes and a lightning bolt scar running across his forehead.
With the two larger animals (now changed back into boys) taken care of, all attention was turned to the smaller white wolf that was darting to and fro biting at anything she could in an attempt to get to her fallen comrades.
It was hopeless though as the large group all yelled, "STUPEFY!" and she was hit sending her world into blackness. In what felt like no time at all, she was awoken by someone muttering "Enervate". Forcing her eyes open she saw that she was still at the cliffs edge surrounded by the Deatheaters. Turning her head quickly, despite the headache it gave her, she searched desperately for any sign of Harry or Ron before seeing the two, now tied up by ropes and gagged, not too far away. The two looked at her as she struggled to sit up while tied up and gagged herself, fear in their eyes.
Behind her she heard footsteps. She turned to face whoever it was and came face to face with a very expensive looking pair of shoes. She knew exactly whom they belonged to even before she looked up into the pale face of the man before her. Lucius Malfoy, father of that complete pain in the arse Drano Malfoy and one of Voldemorts head Deatheaters.
He knelt down beside her and gripped her face with a vice like grip causing her to wince. "Hello my dear. Enjoying yourself?" he sneered and let go of her face roughly. Hermione stared into his cold grey eyes, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was getting to her. "Well," he said standing up and twirling his wand between his fingers, "you three have been a right pain to say the least but now we finally have you." He pushed a gloved hand through his long platinum hair and continued, "I'm supposed to deliver you to the Dark Lord now, but I think I'd rather have a little fun with you first if my colleagues don't mind that is." This wasn't so much of a question, as a statement and the three knew that there was no way any of the surrounding Deatheaters would object to a little torture session.
"Now then," continued Malfoy, "which one of you shall I start with? Potter? No, I don't think so. Save the best for last, that's what my mother used to say you know. How about weasel? (A name for Ron that he had no doubt picked up from his son). I could, but somehow I don't think he would be up to much, it would be over to quickly for my liking." He turned to look straight into Hermione's eyes. "The Mudblood then? I always did like you the least of the three." He went on as he strolled away from the two boys and towards Hermione, who tensed her whole body and closed her eyes tight ready for the imminent pain, but it didn't come. "You see, I always had respect for young Potter over there. He's been through so much yet he still keeps going and fighting back. A worthy opponent one might say. Then we have Weasley over there," he jabbed a finger in Rons direction, "he comes from a pureblood family. Now, I will admit, it's certainly not the finest of families, in fact quite the opposite, but at least his blood is clean. You on the other hand, have dirty blood. The most vile kind. And you're an insufferably know it all to top it all. Lord knows they probably get pissed off with your constant preaching to them. You I hate most of all. So I'm going to start with you"
He raised his wand to point straight at Hermione and yelled "CRUCIO!" at the top of his lungs. It was even worse than she had previously felt under torture from other Deatheaters. Perhaps because they did not hate her as much as he. It was as though someone was stabbing her over and over with hot knives in all her vital organs. She resisted the urge to scream not wanting to give him any satisfaction.Suddenly the pain stopped and she sat up again gasping for breath. An evil grin was developing on Malfoys face, "What's that Granger? You don't want to scream for us? How terribly inconsiderate. I hate inconsiderate people you know; we should teach you a lesson in manners. STAND UP!" He yelled at her, forcibly grabbing her by the upper arm and throwing her down again on a nearby rock formation. She felt her left side crunch and a white-hot pain shot up through her left arm. This time, she screamed. "What's that Granger? You don't like getting a few little cuts and bruises?" He picked her up again and this time with a flick of his wand sent her flying into a nearby tree. She felt a sharp pain shoot through her back.
She lay on the ground afraid to move. Malfoy approached her again and lifted her up with ease. He threw her forwards onto her face again, pointing his wand at her and muttered a laceration spell. He cut her over and over again until she was lying in a small puddle of her own blood and her vision had gone blurry. "And now for my final trick," he announced to the apparently amused group of Deatheaters who spectated along with a horrified Harry and Ron, "I shall send the Mudblood to a destination that she will surely never come back from as she is of no use to our Master."
He picked up the severely injured Hermione who was on the verge of fainting and slung her over his shoulder, striding over to the edge of the cliff. Harry and Ron both tried to leap up to her rescue thinking that he was going to throw her over the edge of the cliff, but were quickly subdued by other Deatheaters around them.
They watched in horror as Malfoy carried Hermione's limp form over to the edge of the cliff and with a flick of his wand floated her out over the edge so she was hanging limply in mid-air helpless. He began to mutter some sort of incantation that neither Harry nor Ron had ever heard before, but it was apparent that Hermione had. Her head snapped up in horror as she realized what was about to happen to her. She looked from the group of laughing Deatheaters to the eyes of her best friends lying on the ground bound by ropes. "Harry... Ron..." she managed to whisper in a voice that was barely audible to the two, blood trickling from her mouth, staring into their eyes, her own chocolate brown ones filled with fear, "I..."
A/N: This is the first chapter. I'm pretty happy with it but if any of you guys haves and suggestions/corrections please review and mention it. I hope to make this a decent story but I am in no way a great writer. Thanks for reading and please review!