Love and Deception
Chapter 5. Remembering the Pain
Hermionel listened for the sound of Draco's door closing. She wanted to know where he was before she allowed herself to relax. With a soft sigh Hemione released the pillow she had been grasping in a stranglehold. Before climbing in between the soft sheets Hermione ran a comb through her wavy brown hair. It was relaxing and soon she felt her eyes fall heavy with exhaustion. But before she could succumb to the gentle lull of sleep, she had to tug on her blue pajamas. She barely remebered turning off the lights and falling into bed. That night in her dreams Hermione found herself stuck reliving her memories.
"Mum? Dad?... Hello? Is anyone home?" Called Hermione in a cheery voice. Just back from a sunny afternoon walk in the park, Hermione was looking forward to having dinner with her parents. The faint smell of lasanga drifted on the air. Only one more week till school, she thought. A frown appeared on her face, it would be difficult to say goodbye this year. Unlike last year, Hermione's parents had been extra busy at work. Their long hours usually ment Hermione had the house to herself. She smiled thinking of all the studying she was able to do. Studying...studying... As quickly as the frown appeared it dissapeared, replaced by a look of panic. Light footed, Hermione raced up the stairs, she forgot to study her new spell book. It was so absorbing that when she next looked up from it, darkness had already fallen. Although she was far from finished with the book, her curiosity forced her downstairs in search of her parents. A quick survey of the house confirmned that her parents hadn't come home yet.
Practicality and common sense sent Hermione to the answering machine to check for a message. If her mum and dad did get caught up at the office they would call home. And yet no message awaited her there. She turned her energies to finding a note. The fridge offered nothing, but the counter produced a small scrap of paper wedged beneath a coffee mug. It was written in haste aand smudged in several places. Ahh, just like dad, she thought rolling her eyes in amusement. Her father had a bad habit of placing notes where they were least likely to be seen. According to the note they would be home at ten, it was already nine forty-five.
Hermione decided to spend her last free moments in the comfort of the bench swing located on the wooden deck outside the house. The soothing motion almost lulled her to sleep, but the slam of a car door pushed her back into wakefullness. Stretching slowly Hermione got up and crossed the the deck, eager to look through the kitchen window. The house glowed with light and she was able to see her parents laughing and smiling as they walked through the front door. She watched in shock as a figure cloacked in black appeared and attacked them. "Mum, Dad!" She screamed while slamming her fist against the window. Suddenly the lights in the house went out, leaving Hermione clueless as to what was happening to her parents. Violently she jerked at the door, but to no avail, it was locked securely from the inside. The sharp noise of a twig breaking sent her spinning aroundm her hadns alredy feeling inside her jean pockets for her wand.
"Damn." She cursed, suddenly realizing the severity of the situation. She was alone in the dark with a Death Eater, and experianced wizard who wouldn't hesitate to harm her. A whispered spell sent her dodging a blast of energy. She ran to a corner of the yard, deeply shadowed and several feet away from the fence. Hidden in the shadows Hermione waited, until she could make a bid for freedom. Her escape was not to be though. A spell shot at her from behind, this time it hit its mark and she crashed to her knees. Unable to keep upright, Hermione slumped to the ground. Her face pressed against the cool grass while she fought to stay concious. Damn, she thought as the darkness crept into her mind. I.. forgot...about..the... other... guy.
"Wake up! C'mon bitch, I said wake the fuck up!" The harsh voice pounded through her ears and painfully into her brain. Slowly Hermione opened her eyes to comforting darkness. She shivered slightly from the damp chill that seemed to haunt the room. Surprisingly she found herself in good condition, the few bruises were nothing. Hermione was more concerned about her parents. She looked at the man who had yelled at her to awaken. He wore black robes, but no mask. Still she didn't recognize him and guessed he was a man of little importance. The stupid hulking brute won't tell me anything, she thought, I guess I'll just have to find out on my own. "Listen up," Her ugly jailer said. "If you want to live you better do what I say. Got that?" He leaned in closer allowing her to smell his bad breath and see his learing smile. "Oh, God!" She said leaning away from him. "You reek! Didn't your mother teach you how to bathe?" Hermione spat. His face contorted into an angry grimance. "You stupid bitch!" He growled pulling back a hand to smack her hard in the face. A pale hand encircled the brute's wrist and a drawling voice floated out of the darkness. "Now, now, none of that. We don't want to intimidate the girl, or antagonize her hatred of us, do we Otto."
The brute, now identified as Otto, mumbled an apology and left the room. His dissaperance left Hermione alone in the dark with a stranger. A sudden flare of light cut through the shaddows of the room. When the pain of the sudden brightness receded Hermione could see that she was in a dungeon cell. Her eyes were drawn upwards to the doo, and to the man who stood there. Torch light glimmered on his long blond hair, highlighted his smile and glinted of the silver handle of his cane. He stood, looking rather elegant in his expensive clothes, the former prisoner Lucious Malfoy. God, Hermione thought, I hate that arrogant pompous fool! It seems as though his stint in Azkaban didn't teach him anything. She thought this but the words didn't pass her lips. There was a time to remain silent. "Hello Miss Granger. I believe you may have a few questions that I'll gladly answer for you." He said generously. Hermione choked back her anger to ask him the one question that plauged her the most. "What did you do with my mother and father?" Lucious smiled and spoke smothly as if to placate her. "They are safe, unconcious but safe." Hermione felt her shoulders sag in a sudden surge of relief. "For the moment that is." She allowed her body to tense again, feeling a sense of foreboding. "Wether they remain that way is entierly up to you." Lucious finished. "And what," Hermione replied, struggling to keep a civil tone. "can I possibly do to help them?" This was the opening Lucious had been waiting for.
"You will become a spy for the dark lord, it's as simple as that. What do you say." He said with the calm cajoling of an uncle that knows best. "Go to hell." Hermione spat at him. Lucious walked a few more paces into the room, drawing his wand and forcing her back into a corner. "Little mudblood, you don't have a choice. You do this or you condemn your parents to death." He slapped her hard across the face, all pretense of kindness dissipating. It stung, but her will would not be broken so easily. She spit in his face, daring Lucious to attack her again. "Do you feel stong?" She goaded him. "Picking on a defenseless girl?" "Watch your tounge." He hissed while casting a small charm in her direction. Hermione went to taunt him again, but her voice was bound by magic. She glared at him in silence, wishing she could whipe the arrogant look off his face.The girl, Lucious mused. looked rather defiant. He would need to teach her a lesson. Light caught in his silver eyes, though it could never penetrate the black pit he called a soul. Lucious allowed his smile to morph into an evil smirk, and walked closer watching Hermione cry and waiting for the little mudblood to answer him. A little more persuassion could be used, he mused. "If you do refuse, I'll force you to watch your parents die. And they will die slowly, and painfully. But I won't kill you. No, Id rather let you live knowing that you killed them, your mum and dad. Tell me, girl. I grow impaient," He growled. "what will it be?" Hermione wipped away her tears and whispered softly. "I'll do it." If her gaze had fallen upon Lucious at that moment she would have seen the hungry grin on his face.