Hermione had collapsed once she got the Burrow the stress of the day finally catching up to her. Five faces showed identical expressions of surprise and shock.
"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed nearly knocking over his chair as he stood up to move over to her.
"What the hell is she doing here?" Charlie asked incredulously as Ron, Sen, and Ginny stepped over to Harry's side by Hermione.
"She fainted," Harry commented grimly.
"Okay you guys," Charlie said, "She's not doing any talking while she unconscious, can we put her in your room Ginny?"
Ginny nodded and Charlie leaned over and picked Hermione up who stirred slightly as he carried her up the stairs and into Ginny's room placing her on the bed.
"I'll go make a cup of tea then," Ron said poking his head into Ginny's room, "For when she, er, wakes up."
"I wonder what happened," Sen said looking white as she followed Ron around the kitchen. Harry and Ginny were upstairs in her room while Charlie called Hermione's house.
A moment later he came into the living room to say that something had happened at the Malfoy Manor and Hermione's mother had received a call from Hermione's father about death eaters and called the Ministry. Other than that she knew nothing.
Harry came down the stairs a few minutes later worry written across his face and asked, "Any news?"
"A bit," Ron said, "Not much though."
"Something about death eaters at Malfoy Manor," Sen supplied.
"That sounds pretty bad," Harry said paling, "For Hermione, I mean, she was tortured right?"
"She didn't really tell us much did she?" Ron said taking the boiling water off the stove and dumping a few tea bags in.
Harry shrugged and Sen made a face. Ron poured a cup of tea and stirred in some sugar before bringing it upstairs. A minute later he came back downstairs.
"Ginny's watching her," he said, his face serious.
"Come on, let's go outside and get some fresh air," Charlie said herding the mopey looking bunch out the door.
"Do you think she's gonna be alright?" Ron asked nervously kicking at a garden gnome that was poking its head above ground. It squeaked and dived down into its hole.
"She'll be fine," Harry said, seeming to be assuring himself more than Ron as he gazed at the ground.
"Yeah, don't worry Ron," Sen said putting an arm around Ron's shoulders and kissing him softly and giving him a encouraging smile.
Hermione opened her eyes to find herself in a soft bed in a familiar room. For a moment she had no idea where she was then the memories rushed back and she shivered curling up.
"Life is too hard," she thought to herself with an anguished sigh closing her eyes tightly feeling slightly sick.
"It gets better," someone said and Hermione realized she had said that out loud. Opening her eyes she saw Ginny sitting by the side of the bed.
Ginny smiled slightly and Hermione suddenly felt she had to tell someone, everyone, stop keeping it all bottled up inside.
"Are you okay?" Ginny asked and handed a cup of tea to her. Hermione eased herself into a sitting position taking the tea gratefully taking a few sips. The head ache she hadn't realized she'd had lessened greatly.
"Yes, well, no, not really," Hermione said leaning back against the pillows.
"What happened?" Ginny asked quietly.
"It was the same death eaters that," Hermione paused then said, "You're asking the wrong question. You want to ask me what happened half a year ago down in the dungeons."
Ginny nodded and asked, "What happened half a year ago down in the dungeons?'
Hermione smiled slightly and took a deep breath before saying, "I didn't really tell you guys anything that happened down there did I?"
Ginny shook her head, "Just that you'd been a prisoner, we kind of guessed you'd been tortured or beaten or something."
Hermione frowned and said, "Yeah, they did torture me."
Ginny nodded saying nothing letting Hermione talk in her own time.
"And, raped me," Hermione said, feeling relief at finally getting it out to more than just Draco, her counselor and her parents.
Ginny's face showed shocked horror before she leaned over and hugged her friend tightly; whispering, "You should have told us. We're your friends."
"I know," Hermione whispered before Ginny pulled back.
"Did you tell your parents?" Ginny asked, "You've been getting counseling right?"
Hermione nodded, "Yeah, and Draco. I told him."
"Jeez, you were raped?" Ginny asked in disbelief and worry.
"Yes," Hermione said making a face, "More than once."
Ginny said nothing for several minutes before asking, "You're not, you didn't get pregnant or anything did you?"
"No," Hermione said, "My parents had me learn all the different spells you can do. Half of them without a wand."
"Right, those spells," Ginny said blushing slightly before asking, "What about Draco?"
"What about Draco?" Hermione asked remembering vividly the night in Diagon Alley a week ago.
"Are you okay with him?" Ginny asked then added, "That's why you were so much worse than him, I mean he was in pretty bad shape too, but he didn't go into a coma."
Hermione nodded, "Pretty much. He's really helped me a lot. It was pretty bad."
"So what happened back at the Manor?" Ginny asked.
"They tried to rape me again," Hermione said bluntly, the disgust in her voice obvious.
"But they didn't," Ginny supplied.
"No, the lead death eater came in and said to get back to work and that they could play with the prisoners later," Hermione said, "Play with us. Like its some game.
"I felt like I was back in the dungeons again," she told Ginny and shivered again, "It made me feel dirty, having them touch me"
"That sounds really awful," Ginny said softly before asking, "Do you want more tea?"
Hermione realized she had drunk all of her tea and shook her head, "No thanks, I think I just want a shower."
"Yeah, okay," Ginny said, "You going to tell Harry and Ron, and Sen?"
"Yes," Hermione said.
"I'll go get a towel, the bathroom's, you know where the bathroom is," Ginny said with a smile and went into the hallway to pull a towel out of the closet.