Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter and his friends and enemies, a recently deceased character would still be around—or at least have died without begging for his life!
Chapter Seven: Hogsmeade
As Blaise and Draco led Hermione toward the Three Broomsticks, she was, for once, glad to be in the company of Slytherins. The place was a ghetto--half-crumbling buildings, black market good peddlers, and stray cats seemed to be the only things the place had in abundance.
"OK, Blaise, go in and get the drinks and we'll go back." Draco said, stopping Hermione from entering the bar.
"What? Let's go in." Hermione said, looking at Draco in surprise. He returned the look.
"Hermione, we're not letting you in that two-bit whorehouse." Blaise said.
"It's run by the Weasleys. Do you want me to die?" Draco added, rubbing his scar self-consciously.
"What's wrong with the Weasleys?" Hermione asked angrily, trying to get past them.
"What isn't wrong with the Weasleys?" Blaise replied ominously.
"Oh, come off it." Hermione scoffed, pushing her way past them into the bar. The interior was dark and smoky, and it took Hermione's eyes a moment to adjust to the light.
"Hey, little lady." Fred purred from behind the bar. He wore a bright blue dragon leather vest with no shirt underneath. Tattoos covered his arms and chest, the most prominent of which was a Dark Mark.
"What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" A female voice slurred from near the cold fireplace. A glance identified Ginny seated between Lavender Brown and Padma Patil. All three were scantily clad, overly made-up, and appeared drunk.
"Leaving." Draco growled from behind her, grabbing her shoulder and trying to jerk her out the door. Just before they made it, the door was shut by someone lurking behind it. George grinned at them slickly as he pulled out his wand.
" I don't think so." He said, narrowing his bloodshot, hooded eyes as he advanced on them. Hermione felt Draco's arm encircle her waist, his own wand in his other hand.
"Try to get to Blaise. I'll distract them." He whispered in her ear. Hermione nodded, trying to control her fear and the sharp sense of betrayal in her stomach. She waited for George to take a few more steps before running around him toward the door. He dove for her, but she sidestepped, sending him sprawling as she threw the door open.
"Hello, Mudblood slime." Arthur said, pushing her back into the bar and levitating a Stunned Blaise behind them both. The door shut silently, and Hermione felt tears well up in her eyes as a Full Body Bind took hold of her and she fell to the floor, helpless.
"Aw, is the wittle Muggle whore gonna cwy?" Padma mocked as Fred, George, and Charlie, who had appeared from upstairs, subdued a viciously fighting Draco.
"Summon the Dark Lord. Tell him we have his prize." Arthur hissed. "And put the three of them someplace they won't be escaping."
From the sadistic laugh Fred let out, Hermione deduced he knew a good place.
The well in the back yard of the Three Broomsticks wasn't something Hermione remembered, but that didn't stop Fred from putting them inside it. Luckily it was almost dry, soaking them only to the waist. Only when Fred had safely put them in the well, with their wands in his possession, did he remove the curses holding them.
"Sit tight, loves, the master will be here soon to take care of you!" he called down mockingly before putting the cover on the well and leaving them in total darkness.
"Anyone want a game of Twenty Questions?" Blaise asked after a moment. Hermione distinctly heard Draco punch him.
"Sorry, mate, just trying to pass the time." Blaise said grouchily. "After all, we are about to die."
"Don't give up before we start!" Draco shouted. "Don't you understand that's what he wants? He wants us to be cowed going in! Well, I won't! I'll fight him with my bare hands! I…I'll…"
Draco choked on his suppressed tears.
"I'll pay him back for Tom, I swear it." He said quietly, his voice full of rage and grief. "He and that bitch Petunia who killed him."
"Hey, Drake, easy, easy." Blaise said. "We all want revenge for Tom. And I'm sure Hagrid will get us out of this. He always does."
"Yeah." Hermione said hollowly.
"Oh, don't you start too." Draco said, and it was obvious that now he was crying, finally. Hermione heard him coming before she felt him hug her, but she was only able to respond woodenly.
Draco wanted revenge for the death of Tom Riddle, at the hands of Petunia.
Hagrid was their shining savior, their beacon and rock, and Dumbledore was a blithering idiot.
And somewhere, Remus Lupin was coming for them with a Dark Mark on his arm and hate in his heart.
"I want to go home." Hermione said, feeling tears spill from her eyes as well.
"Me too." Draco said, hugging her tighter.
And even though he really had no way of understanding, she felt somehow he did.
The cover on the well slid back an eternity later, and the mocking voice of Harry Potter floated down to them.
"We do so wish you'd told us you were coming, we'd have had more time to prepare this party. As it was, the master had to hurry."
The three of them were gripped by magic and began a rapid ascent out of the well, to be greeted by a gorgeous sunset.
"Still, I think you'll be surprised what we've managed to put together in such a short time." Harry hissed, and as the curses took hold of them again, Hermione closed her eyes and hoped that somehow, this would all come right.