Love and Manipulation

Chapter 6 The Dark Lord Himself

Hermione felt the magical ropes tighten constricting her arms. Lucious smirked at her small grimace of pain. "Don't worry bint, there's always more where that came from." Instead of retorting Hermione simply turned her head away, letting her hair swing forward to cover her bruised cheek. She stumbled in front of Lucious down a long narrow passage way. "Where are we going?" Hermione had asked him, before Lucious bound her hands tightly behind her back. His only answer had been a painful blow to her ribs. In vain she tried to memorize the different twists and turns, but they were so random and numerous that she soon gave up. Instead Hermione let her mind focus on the question of their destination. Would he bring her to see her mum and dad? Hope flickered inside her momentarily before giving way to despair. What if they're already dead? She thought. What if I waited too long to say yes? What if I killed them? One after another the thoughts crept into her head, feeding off her fears like parasitic worms. Try as she might, Hermione could not be rid of them.

Lucious made a quick upward motion with his wand, forcing the girl to stop. Only then did Hermione see that they had come to a double set of doors. Adorning the doors were many carvings of snakes coiling around each other. They gleamed in the light of the torches that were suspended in metal brackets. Both the reptiles and the door they were apart of were black. Set as eyes into the heads of the snakes were rubies. They glinted as if the serpents carried some malign purpose. "These doors will take us to the dark lord's. Hermione felt the panic grow stronger. Gently Hermione scolded herself. She had considered it, that she would be taken here, even as Lucious bound her hands. And really, she had know it as soon as she looked into the garnet eyes of the ornate snakes. Hermione was to be taken before the dark lord himself. But a suspicion roused it self, why would the dark lord see her? Surely in his eyes she was only a mudblood, dirty and unclean. Surely a simple school girl would be not threat or entertainment. Why would an unwilling child be brought before him? Ah. Perhaps she was to be frightened. It was reasonable, Hermione supposed, that they wanted her to realize the seriousness of her decision, and the consequences if she should fail. A sudden blush rose in her cheeks. What if she was wrong? Could this concern Lucious, was she brought along as proof of an accomplished mission? Maybe it wasn't about her after all, and she was simply being self centered. In any case she was soon to find out. She involuntarily gave a small jump of surprise as MacNair emerged from the shadows. He gave Lucious a mock bow and they both turned to watch the black doors swing open. The air that emerged was cool and damp. It carried the faint stench of death as a reminder and as a threat. They stepped into the room and the doors slammed upon the three figures. The room was as spacious as a ballroom, the vaulted ceilings adding to the feeling of largess. Amongst the death eaters was a rumor that the room had been chosen by Voldemort specifically for the high ceilings. It was said he desired to hear the screams of those he tortured echo in the room.On each side of the room stood six magnificent pillars. They were the same color rose as the walls and floor. Suspended from the ceiling were huge crimson colored silk banners. Torches hung on the walls at scattered intervals giving a sense of brightness only at the rooms center.

At the edges of the room lurked the pressing shadows of darkness. It was deeper and darker than the blackest night, and felt of evil. It pressed inward against the room and seemed to rustle against itself, and hiss in impatience. The room only began to get colder and the smell of death stronger, the closer they got to the far wall. Hermione cast her gaze about the room looking for little details. A few feet away from MacNair there was a suspicious looking puddle. It's dark color and faint coppery smell dissuaded Hermione from scrutinizing any further. Her stomach twisted into complex knots at the blatant disregard of what she now recognized as a pool of blood. Grimly she kept walking, flanked on either side by the death eaters Lucious and MacNair. The trio stopped hesitantly seven feet away from a golden throne. The room was silent and no one dared to speak, though they all wondered the same thing. Where was the dark lord? Suddenly the torch flames began to flicker, trembling as if a ghost ran its cold fingers repeatedly through them. Hermione jumped and spun around at the loud and sudden snapping of the crimson banners. The darkness pushed forward with little tendrils longing to encompass the room. Lucious allowed his eyes to dart around the room, but his body did not move. "MacNair," he hissed. "Turn the mudblood around." MacNair sneered at Lucious before placing his hand on her shoulder. Hermione's body stiffened under his hand and she turned quickly to escape his touch. She shot a quick look of anger at the back of his head before looking forward again. From behind the throne the shadows stirred ominously. A pale hand snaked out of the shadows and gripped the top golden of throne. All three felt their breath catch in their throats. The shadows peeled back to reveal a tall and thin man, his hair full and black. His skin was pale, as if he had never seen the light of the sun. He studied them through impenetrable eyes, that retained the color of garnets. A hint of amusement lingered at the corners of his mouth, as though he might at any second smile. But a cold and careless evil mingled with the amusement and distinguished him from all his followers. Lord Voldemort was revealed.

Lucious inhaled quietly, it had been sometime since he had last seen his master. Indeed Voldemort seemed to be stronger than he had been before. "Kneel, you foolish mudblood." He hissed to the girl that stood beside him. He would kneel, but only after the mudblood. She was to show respect to the dark lord. When Hermione didn't move he took his cane and slamned it into the back of her knees. Stunned, Hermione hit the floor hard wincing as her knees slamned into the marble floor. Simultaneously Lucious and MacNair swept their black capes back, and kneeled. Voldemort lowered his body onto the throne. There he surveyed the three kneeling before him with a cold amusement. "So good to see you back in the fold Lucious." Hermione felt his eyes staring at at her and she was filled with a sharp pang of fear. This was a man who had caused so much suffering and pain. She cowered silently beneath his gaze. His cold voice interupted her thoughts and struck the heart of the death eaters that kneeled on either side of her. "Everything has gone according to plan?" Lucious raised his head. "Yes my lord" He murmmered. "The mudblood has agreed... after some perssuasion to assist you." "Well done, you will both be rewarded well."A look of satisfaction appeared on Lucious' pale pointed face. "Now leave me and the mudblood alone." MacNair raised his head. "Of corse my lord." Lucious raised his eyebrows in surprise. He did not envy the muggle born. Lucious had seen the dark lord be cruel to his loyal followers, the Granger girl would be destroyed if the dark lord did not have other uses for her. "Go, have your fun." Voldemort said waving a thin hand carlessly to dismiss them. Lucious and Macnair stood and exchanged glances. They both knew what fun entailed for a death eater. Eager smiles graced their faces as they bowed before their lord and gave him thanks. Hermione felt her eyes widen in fear. They would leave her alone with this...creature? It was foolish, she knew to look towards them for comfort and protection but she did. MacNair stroad to the tall black door on the heels of Lucious Malfoy. The door shut behind them with a loud thud. And Hermione knew she was truly alone.

A sudden rush of dread filled her body. What if the dark lord used his powers to see inside her mind? What if he discovered important information about the Order? Everything they worked for Voldemort could destroy. The Order was a large force in the resistance against Voldemort and if they fell the rest of the wizarding world would fall with them. And if Voldemort discovered that she would never serve him, would she be killed alongside her parents? To her surprise the dark lord didn't invade her thoughts, he merely motioned for her to stand and come closer. Hesitantly she obeyed, blocking the ache of her knees from her mind. Hermion walked a few steps forward and then stopped. She couldn't bring herself to move any closer to the man on the throne. Voldemort gazed at her with his unnerving red eyes. He stood in one fluid motion and descended from the raised dais that surrounded his throne to the girl who stood before him. Lord Voldemort circled her, with appraising eyes. He had seen much prettier in his day, more stunning and beautiful women than she. For some reason though the girl in front of him struck his fancy. It was her purity that did it, A certain innocence was there in the way she held her head. It was there in the way she held her head, he saw it again in her deep brown eyes. It was an innocence, he assumed that she had guarded carefully. A wicked grin spread across his features. It was an innocence he would delight in breaking.

Voldemort lay a slim pale finger on her inner arm. The girl looked to him in surprise, a small frown appearing on her face. "Wha..." Hermione began to say, but she did not immediately pull away. Fear kept her body from recoiling from his touch. Even still, Voldemort muttered a spell to freeze her body. "This is going to hurt. A lot" He said with sadistic hunger. With his wand Voldemort traced the skull and serpent that was his symbol on her imoblized arm. The pain struck her immediately. Her body tensed and she began to shake, but the bint denied him the pleasure of hearing her scream. Voldemort smiled, and how she would scream. Hermione tried to catch her breath after the pain subsided. She looked down, stunned and horrified at the mark that was part of her flesh. The skull and serpent were highly visible against her pale skin. "Do you know the extent of the evil you have aligned yourself with?" Voldemort hissed at her. When she did not answer him he smacked her sharply across her face. "No, I don't suppose you do." He said with a condescending sneer in his voice. With more power then Hermione thought possible, he blasted her across the room without the use of his wand. Hermione felt her body crash against a marble pillar. She struggled to stand, determined to be strong but could not rise from the floor. Voldemort walked over to her slowly, enjoying her pain. He gave her a swift kick in the ribs and she hit the floor hard. Hermione let loose a small moan against her will, he had kicked in the exact same place Lucious had kicked her earlier. "Crutio" Voldemort cried, not giving her a chance to recover. She screamed the then, in blinding torment. "AHHHH!" Voldemort smiled closing his eyes in ecstasy. A small flick of his wand ended her pain. She lay shivering on the cold marble floor. He crouched down beside her, and gently he smoothed her hair back away from her face. They locked gazes and surprisingly she did not waver, defying his inhuman gaze with chocolate eyes. In a regrettable decision Hermione spat in the face of the dark lord. The saliva was barely enough to offend, revealing her weakened state. Voldemort shook his head. "Tsk, Tsk, Tsk," He said like a disappointed teacher. "I'd have thought you'd have caught on to the lesson by now; respect for your new master." He rose to his feet and turned from him. Hermione sighed in relief as he walked away. The shadows of pain still screwed into her. Her body twitched silently in the aftermath of the curse. She allowed her throat a brief respite. Her screams had been growing in strength until she became hoarse. Numbly her eyes followed his lean figure as he walked away. With a casual backwards flick of the wand he had her screaming again. His laughter mingled with her screams as he exited the hall, the dark lord has no mercy.