Ok, real quickie, here. Wrote it in one day. I wanted to just get this part over with. I have no idea where I'm going with this after this chapter.
Sorry about my poor plot. I didn't want to write a torture scene, so I kinda worked around it. Sorry if you wanted to see it.
Anyway, really short. Sorry. I'll write more soon.
Please, as always, review!
Chapter 9
As the door slowly swung closed behind her, the realization drew a sudden attack of panic upon her brain. Her heart began to beat with fury; her palms began to sweat as they grasped at the garments that her captors wore. She was unable to do any damage, for they were much larger and stronger than she was. Her voice echoed shrilly through the drafty stone corridors, hoping someone, anyone, would hear her desperate pleas for help.
The one man walked before her, the other two following, holding her between them. Her arms were growing tired and were beginning to burn and ache with attempts at freeing herself, which were going no where.
"Oh will you please shut up?!" The one man before her whipped around to face her, at the same time swinging his arm at full force to come in contact with her cheek. The back of his hand hit with a sickening crack, her head flew back as she gave a cry of disbelief. Her body sagged in between the two men at her sides, her head hung towards the floor as tears of surprise and pain pattered against the stone.
The man cracked a smile. "Weren't expecting that, were you, minx?" He paused, pondering her a moment as she looked up to him with hatred in her tired eyes. They glistened before him, frizzy curls of hair hanging in front of her face. He smirked a little, and then reached inside his robes for his wand. "I suppose a change of attire will suit you."
"Don't you dare touch my clothing," she spat, straining against the men that held her.
The man before her raised his eyebrows a bit. "You surprise me with your empty threats, young minx," he said coolly, laughter in his eyes as he muttered a simple spell. Threads of silver and emerald encircled her, twisting and tangling themselves until suddenly they clung to her and materialized. She suddenly felt a chill as her garments were transformed into a revealing top and dress, which left most of her body to be seen by the world.
The cold, which had already manifested itself into her bones, was intensified, her breath coming in short gasps that appeared in front of her as it froze in the air. Her chest was covered by only a small halter type shirt, which settled right above her midriff. A skirt bottom hung to the floor in the front and back, exposing her hips and trembling legs. Bumps appeared over her skin and she shivered, glaring at him with anger.
"Better. Shall we?"
Another wand wave and rope wound around her arms and feet, and the man took hold of them and yanked her forward, and she stumbled and fell. She balanced unevenly on her side, and tried to stand up again. "Pathetic," he bit out, tugging her towards him. "You may go."
The two men behind her stalked off, obviously downcast that they were missing out on the fun. He pulled her behind him, and she had to use the momentum of him pulling her to get back on her feet. He pulled open the large carved door, revealing a large group of guests seated in several large, elegant chairs.
Some of the guests were standing, engaged in conversation, others were seated and drinking and eating. Mostly all of them were male, except for Malfoy's mother, who was walking around serving small finger foods to the men seated. Her robes were flowing and elegant, nothing Hermione had ever seen the teachers at school wearing. She would linger by some of the guests and talk or laugh with them, then walk on and greet the next.
Malfoy's father was sitting towards the front of the room, deep in conversation with a few men, including Crabbe's father. She spotted Goyle's father speaking with Draco not far from Lucius, though Draco looked less than pleased to be there.
The man dragged her towards Lucius and pushed her to him, sending her sprawling onto the floor. She let out a sudden cry, catching the attention of most of the inhabitants of the room. She tried to stand, but only succeeded in falling again, her hair falling into her face.
"I'm sorry, Lucius, but this prisoner insisted on me taking her up to see you."
She looked up to see Lucius smirking above her, an evil light in his eyes. "Really?" he said mockingly, standing from his chair. He walked slowly towards her and crouched, reaching out a hand to her. "Precious, isn't she?"
He tried to touch her face but before he had the chance she snapped at him, barely catching one of his fingers. He pulled back quickly, an astonished look of surprise on his face. "Feisty, aren't we?"
He grabbed her ropes and pulled her up with a vicious pull, and she was thrown to her feet and almost fell forward. She stood unsteadily and looked about her at the people surrounding her. They laughed at her, they're faces cruel and malicious. She tired to find an escape, a way out, but found that she had no control over anything. She found Draco starring at her, torn between laughing at her with them and trying to help her. She wished he could, but realized that he couldn't do much more than she could.
"Who would like to try and tame her for the evening?" asked Lucius, holding out the ropes that held her arms and legs.
"No!" she cried, tears of overwhelming panic swelling in her eyes. "You can't do this!"
Several men laughed and raised their hands, and Lucius' cackle bellowed in her ears as she screamed. Draco's facial expression barely changed, and she feared he suddenly didn't care anymore. "Please!" she cried in anguish, "Please let me go!" Draco looked away, his eyes avoiding hers. She fell to her knees and broke down, tears streaming down her face.
"Who wants her first?"
*
Snape paced heavily around the small cell, not really sure of where the walls were, but knew that he hadn't run into any, so he must be somewhere in the middle.
It had been hours since something had happened within the cell, and Snape still wasn't sure what exactly that was, but was sure that Hermione had been taken somewhere. Where? He had no idea. Why? Still a mystery.
He just hoped that nothing terrible had happened.
Albus would kill him.
His stomach began to churn again with hunger. He paused in his pacing and sighed, angry with himself for allowing himself to fall into this predicament. He also damned himself for bringing Hermione down with him; though she did tend to get on his nerves, she had put up with him for longer than he had expected her to.
He wouldn't have admitted it to anyone, but he was afraid. He feared that he would never see again, never hear again. The fear of things he could not control made him feel panicked, anxious. He wished he could see where he was, what was in front of him. Instead, his world just lacked; it just didn't appear. He wasn't sure where he was, what was happening to him; he couldn't defend himself even if he wanted to. He felt frustrated, unhappy, and even more cranky than usual.
He would murder Lucius Malfoy with his own bare hands if he ever got out of here-
He paused in his ponderings, feeling the floor softly vibrate beneath his feet. Something, or someone, was moving.
A cold draft of air flowed through the room, and suddenly he realized: the door must be opening.
He was having trouble distinguishing which direction led to the door. Suddenly he felt something fall at his feet and tumble into against his shins, which made him loose his balance for a moment. He stumbled, and fell to his knees to determine what exactly had just hit him.
He felt the floor quake again as the door closed. He was at first unsure if he wanted to reach out and touch whatever it was before him; he wasn't sure he wanted to know what it was.
Slowly, he extended a trembling hand out to the bundle of and unknown substance before him. First, he didn't feel much, but slowly he felt something soft and wavy, slightly dry in feel. He could feel his face frown, but reached down a little farther, and found that it felt strangely like… human hair.
Oh, Merlin, please don't let it be… he reached out more, touching a shoulder, and a soft cheek. The cloth was coarse, as if it was a winter garment meant to keep a body warm.
Jerkily he felt a hand quickly grasp his hand and stop him from moving any further. The sudden movement threw him off and startled him, and he jumped and pulled swiftly away. The hand lost contact, and he realized that the hand was small… like Hermione's hands.
Realizing his mistake, he reached out urgently, trying to find her again. "Hermione?" he asked hastily, and panicked when he didn't get a response. "Please, Hermione, answer me."
He felt skin brush against his hand, and he hurriedly grasped onto her outstretched hand. He slid his fingers through hers, crawling back towards her, feeling helpless. He couldn't even see her; how was he supposed to help her?
"Where are you? What's wrong?" he asked, his hand trailing up her arm and onto her shoulder, and he slowly pulled her to him. He cradled her crumpled frame against his cloak, noticing how cool her skin felt against his. "Are you hurt?"
He slipped his arm underneath hers to get a better hold on her, but she squirmed in protest and felt her chest heave. Her hand felt for his and she wrote slowly. Don't touch, she protested.
"Why?" he said angrily, "What do you mean?"
Hurts, she answered slowly, and he felt the fabric of his cloak moisten under her face. She was crying, her tears dampening his clothing.
"Oh, Hermione, I…" he hesitated, "What happened?"
She seemed reluctant to tell him. Death Eater meeting, she eventually answered.
He felt his own heart fall. "What did they do to you?" he questioned, afraid of the answer.
She didn't answer for a while. She leaned against him, her small chest rising and falling unevenly as if it hurt to breath. Her hands clutched as his cloak, unwilling to let go. Many things.
Oh, Gods. He didn't know what to say. "Oh, my child…"
They sat for the rest of the night, and he rocked her slowly to sleep.
Aww, Snape's actually being affectionate for once. I guess it's just easier for him now because he's been through the same kind of stuff. Blah.
What do you think? I want to hear from you! Review!