Disclaimer: The characters of this story do not belong to me. What's
happening however is purely my overactive imagination.
Chapter XI:
'HEADMASTER, SHE'S AWAKE!' Hermione immediately recognized the mediwitch's voice. Though the fact that it kept ringing in her ears made her immediately feel nauseous.
'Albus, she's up, thank Imhotep. I thought I would have to use one of Severus's concoctions. No offence, Severus, but they're just too dangerous for someone in her state.'
'No offence taken, Poppy, though you did intend it.' Hermione heard Snape's dry drawl from somewhere on her right, but she could not turn to see him. She hated this, feeling so weak she could not move. Feeling so much pain that just opening her eyes took her to another level of agony.
She tried to get up, or at least turn on one side, but Poppy got to her before that, holding her. 'Girl, stop twitching. Just let me have a look at you. I need to run some tests, nothing more.'
With strengths she did not know she still possessed, Hermione wrenched herself from the mediwitch's care. She made a feeble attempt to get up, staggering in her weak state.
'There's no need for any tests Madam Pomfrey, I'm all right. Too much excitement I think.' Hermione forced out through her parched throat.
'Nonsense, girl, sit down now and let me have a look at you. Take that cloak off, Headmaster. Severus, would you be kind enough to leave us alone?' Poppy commanded the gentlemen.
'Certainly poppy.' Said Albus calmly, Snape merely nodded.
'There's no need to leave, for I am leaving.' Hermione said with determination, getting up from the bed Poppy had pushed her in. 'I don't need anything Madam Pomfrey, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, and I would certainly prefer that you mind your own business and leave me alone.' Hermione said harshly.
She new she was being outright rude, but she did not want any tests performed on her. Morgana only knew how many potions ingredients that were not supposed to be there were still lingering in her system. No need for the mediwitch to know such things, not to mention the Headmaster and Potions Git.
'Fainting in the middle of the hallway doesn't look sound like taking care of oneself to me. Now don't be stubborn and sit down.' The mediwitch commanded her sternly.
'I said, NO!' Hermione shouted, sounding childish, even to her ears. The strength for this show was costing her dearly. She felt so dizzy that she almost fell of her feet again. But, she focused and gathered all her strength. She needed just enough to get to her room. Once there, she was free.
'Now, if there's nothing else you want with me, Headmaster, I'll excuse myself.' She said, willing herself to remain calm.
'Actually, there is something I need to discuss with you, Professor Granger.' Dumbledore responded, a touch of sadness in his tone.
'Really? Can't it wait till morning?' she said, a bit hopefully.
'I'm afraid not.' He said, a twinge of sorrow in his voice. 'Poppy, she's strong enough to live, trust my judgment.' He said soothingly to the mediwitch who was eying him distrustfully.
'I wouldn't say that someone who faints and can hardly stand is perfectly well.' Snape said calmly, with false concern dripping from his words.
'Who asked your opinion, Snape?' Hermione spat viciously at him.
'Will you please follow me to my office, Hermione?' Dumbledore said, offering his arm for support.
She took his arm though she tried to keep herself straight. She had to prove to the mediwitch there was nothing wrong with her. Hermione knew madam Pomfrey did not buy the cheap show for a moment.
'Severus, I need you to follow us to my office, now.' he addressed Snape.
'I would, Headmaster, if I didn't have more pressing matters on my hands.'
'More pressing than a break out at Azkaban?' Dumbledore asked dangerously.
As Hermione understood the words, she noticed his voice was like thunder; it was rare that Dumbledore lost his temper, but Snape was one of the few individuals able to agitate him to such a state. Albus was fortunately used to it and able to regain his calm easily.
'Headmaster, if you wish my presence, you will have it, though I thought you would wish for a private meeting with Professor Granger.' But before Snape even finished his complaint, the great wizard was already heading for his office.
The headmaster had a hand on Hermione's shoulder, and was guiding her as though she could not move on own. Hermione knew Snape was probably thinking she couldn't support her own weight. Hermione hated to admit Snape was right. They walked slowly to Dumbledore's office.
"Chocolate cobblers," the Headmaster said to the griffin that instantly leapt aside. Dumbledore guided Hermione to the comfortable chair facing his desk. He walked around his desk and sat down behind it, watching Hermione.
All the greatness in Dumbledore's figure vanished suddenly, and he looked as old as he was. His eyes were dull as they looked upon the huddled form of Hermione. There was sadness in his eyes that went further than what could have been caused by the sudden illness of the girl.
Hermione had drawn her knees up to her chest. She was unable to stay in a normal sitting position. Her body hurt too much; she was curled up cat-like in the chair, but her eyes were open. They were mirroring all the hurt and pain inside.
'What were you saying about Azkaban, Headmaster." Not even Hermione herself could recognize her own voice as she choked out the words.
'I have received an owl from Cornelius. It seems a massive break out has occurred.' said Dumbledore heavily.
'Massive break out.' She repeated. It seemed as though she could not understand the words said to her.
'Yes. It seems that all the death eaters still being held there have escaped, and most of the other prisoners seem to have joined them. The few who refused have been killed, many of them disfigured beyond recognition. It seems there isn't any real opportunity to know who left to join Voldemort, and who is dead.' Dumbledore told her clearly.
'What about the dementors? They were supposedly guarding the prison, weren't they?' she said. Her gaze was glossy and weary.
'I have told the Minister on countless occasions not to associate with them. They have betrayed us in the past; they were bound to do so again. Now, there is something concerning you personally, Hermione.' Dumbledore said, shifting his tone from a simple recitation of facts, 'Your dear friend Ronald Weasley, who was a prisoner there...' Dumbledore told her sadly but was cut off by Snape.
'Her dear friend,' he snorted, 'of course we know him, Albus. What happened to him? Is he dead?' His voice sounded a tad more joyful than it should have right now. Hermione had suspected Snape was suspicious Dumbledore knew what was truly happening, but would never reveal that to him. She could have told him it was pointless asking.
'I'm afraid so.' Dumbledore said quietly.
It was then the horrible realization broke over her. Hermione stared at Dumbledore, unable to make herself look at Snape. Snape stared at his own hands, clasped loosely in front of him. His long, raven black hair fell forward over part of his face. He didn't want to look at her either it seemed. There was a heavy silence in the room. Hermione was in deep state of shock. She slid off the chair, onto to the floor, clutching her knees near to her chest. Her mouth opened as if she was screaming, but no noise came out. Hermione started to gasp and cry, tears streaking her face in thick rivulets. It was a heart wrenching sight.
'Severus, would you please see that Hermione gets safely to her room? I have some more letters to send.' Dumbledore said quietly. Snape glared at the old man, but nodded minutely.
Snape was out of his element; he was certainly the least prepared man to watch over the mourning young woman in front of him. Even the Bloody Baron would have been a better choice than him. Or heck, just bring that bloody ghost who haunted the girls' bathroom, Moaning Myrtle, to cheer her up. It was certainly better than Snape. But there was no way of reasoning with Dumbledore.
'Hermione? You should go to your room. It's late. Some sleep will do you good.' The headmaster told her carefully. He had left his desk and was lowering himself to ground level, rather stiffly, due to his age.
She looked up at him with strange eyes. She seemed to have calmed down a bit. A few more minutes and she seemed quite a bit more composed. With much difficulty, she managed to get herself off the floor.
As if in a trance, she made her way to the door. Her movement seemed strange, as if under a Mobilicorpus spell. After throwing another parting glare at the headmaster, Snape followed her out of the office, his robes billowing impressively behind him. With a long repressed sigh, Albus took seat at his desk and started working on his papers again.
'There's no need for you to walk me to my room, Snape.' Hermione told him once they were out of the headmaster's office. Her voice was edgy, raspy.
'You have lost consciousness already once this evening; the news you just heard produced a great shock to you. I do not think you are well enough to be left alone right now.' he told her, a mix of condescension and anger at being addressed like that by the witch.
'If you don't mind my asking, since when did my health became a concern to you.' It seemed she had reverted to the harpy she had been in Pomfrey's ward. Ah well, it had worked somewhat well there.
Snape lowered his voice to a dangerous whisper and hissed, 'Since Dumbledore made it.'
He shadowed her all the way to her door. She opened it and stormed in the room; to her utmost amazement Snape followed her in. This was really too much, Hermione snorted irritably to herself. What did the man want, to tuck her into bed?
However, in her current state, Hermione was incapable of protesting him any further, as her knees buckled under her, unable to support her weight any longer. She had managed to keep up the pretence of strength until now. Hoping Snape would leave her now they had reached her rooms, she had stretched her limits and found herself unwilling to give another show of weakness in front of the potions master.
She was falling, and was going to hit the floor again, if Snape hadn't caught her. It was a surprise she hadn't fainted before this. When she had been unconscious, Poppy had force-fed her several potions that should have impeded her from even waking up. When she had woken up, Snape and Dumbledore had shared a look, realizing that Hermione must have fed herself countless potions with various levels of complexity and danger since her arrival at Hogwarts.
Snape gingerly placed her on the bed, even taking the time to push a lock of hair out of her face. Then he let go of her hair and took a vial from his pocket. 'Take this it will help you sleep.' he murmured.
Hermione took it and seated herself properly up the bed. She noticed irritably, that he was still there. And he wasn't going to leave, by the look on his face, until she took that whatever it was. Faced with no other option, she took it. It had a sour taste and Hermione grimaced accordingly.
'What is this?' she said, her nose still scrunched, her lips attempting to rid her lips of the taste.
'It is a variation of the 'Dreamless Sleep Potion'; this one is more powerful. Compared to other sleeping potions it is far more effective.' Hermione hardly heard him. The potion had immediately started to take effect, in less than a minute she was already asleep. Snape took the vial from her hand. She looked serene when she was asleep, her cheeks had kept some of the flaming red; she really looked so innocent.
The next morning Hermione woke up sore. She wished for nothing more than to just sit in bed. Sit there until all her powers and strength faded. Maybe then she could join Ron, and be with him. But, she had duty to the school, to Dumbledore, and, in truth, towards all the students she taught.
She had to drag herself out of bed. It was a perfect Sunday. It was also the day of the first Quidditch match of the season. Gryffindor versus Slytherin, so no matter how much she wanted to just mope in her room, she could not afford such a luxury. She had to pretend life was grand; she bolstered herself as she made her way to the great hall.
Though the students on the quidditch team had barely had two weeks to practice, to get ready for the match against Slytherin, Hermione was a bit more confident than at the beginning of the year when she had seen the Quidditch trials.
She had made sure none of her teams had their wands with them. At their questions of how they should act if one of the other team members threw a hex at them, she told them to dodge, or simply fall off the broomsticks. She promised she would be ready to catch them with a Levitating charm, or at the very least, a Cushioning one.
Hermione had just made her way to the dining room, and after several minutes spent with Remus urging her to at least take a bite out of something, she had just took a spoonful of cereals when she sputtered it out over the place. Malfoy Sr. had entered the room. She saw red in front of her. It was as clear as daylight that he was in over his blond head, somehow involved in all the goings on of last night, yet he had the gall to present himself here this morning.
'Mister Malfoy, what brings you here?' The headmaster asked calmly, sitting up and offering him a seat. Dumbledore acted as if it were perfectly normal to see Malfoy here now.
'Several things, headmaster. The first would be the dreadful events of last night; the other would be a more personal and pleasurable motive. My great niece is the new chaser on the Quidditch team, and I absolutely had to see her play.'
'How nice of you, Lucius. Family is an important thing, I know.' Dumbledore responded.
'I've been in Hogsmeade since yesterday.' Malfoy said pretentiously.
'Really, how did the ministry contact you so fast to represent them?' Dumbledore asked, sounding curious.
'Well, you know how close the minister and I are. He knew I was here and so contacted me immediately. Very upsetting news, I have to say.' Lucius said , though he did not sound sorry at all, more like bored. 'Wouldn't you agree with, Professor Granger? I'm sure it was a hard blow to hear about your friend?' he turned to Hermione eyen her with a cold, icy glare.
Hermione could not take this playacting any more; she made her excuses and left the table in a blur, without a word to Malfoy senior.
She headed straight to the Quidditch pitch and made her way to the teachers' stand. She had arrived a bit early so she would not have to get carried along by the loud crowd that was fast approaching.
Hermione was left with a bitter taste after her encounter, albeit brief, with Lucius Malfoy. And soon she would have to see him again as he would be joining the teachers in their stand, she was sure. Lucius Malfoy took a place near Snape, somewhere a few levels above her. She swivelled her head until their eyes met. However, she did not have enough strength to take this showdown.
Hermione turned her head to look back at the pitch. She still felt Malfoy's eyes on the back of her neck as if burning a hole through her skull. The whistle blow came from Madam Hooch, the referee, and made Hermione turn her attention fully to the pitch.
When the quidditch teams marched on the field, the roar of sound almost deafened Hermione.
"Welcome to another year of Inter-House Quidditch! The first match of the year is between Slytherin and Gryffindor. And here come the teams!" the commentator, Holden Spencer, announced. "There has been a last minute change of team members! Thanks to our wonderful Transfiguration Professor" Spencer's eyes widened at the names, announcing excitedly, "Coming into the pitch are chasers Lucia Ryan, Maria Robinson and John Barkley!" and Spencer continued over loud cheers, "Next, we have beaters, Victor Edwards and Theodore Hawkins! And now, we have keeper Dan Lewis!" he made a short pause just to breath "Finally, we have Gryffindors seeker and Tim Robinson, youngest seeker since the famous Harry Potter!" From the professors box, Holden's voice sounded once more, "Up next, the Slytherin team: Mordant, Capulet, Riddle, Bowman, Roberts, Parker, with Naja Malfoy added as chaser!"
She watched as the two captains shook hands, though she was sure it was more along the lines of trying to cripple one another than from any feeling of camaraderie. Then it was more of a blur as they mounted their brooms, both teams soared around the pitch and then took their places. After all the years spent with Harry and Ron she could recognize most of the moves.
'AND THE QUAFFLE IS OUT.' The commenter, an enthusiastic Hufflepuff, roared. 'And it's Robinson- Robinson has the quaffle. No, Robinson just took a nasty Bludger, that must have hurt.'
Hermione watched as the girl changed direction to head for the quaffle again, though she looked slightly dizzy.
'Mordant in position, he passes on to Malfoy, the new Slytherin player who is hit by a Bludger. Nice one Edwards, Parker is now in possession of the Quaffle. Flying towards the Gryffindor Keeper, Lewis, who doesn't look like he's in much of a position to block. Nice batting by Hawkins, but Parker rolls out of the way. She's moving up for the throw and SCORE!! Lewis unable to block! TEN POINTS TO SLYTHERIN-- the slimy witch-- sorry Professor Sprout.
Though not as enthusiastic as McGonagall when it came to quidditch, Professor Sprout was sitting beside her student, carefully monitoring every comment that spilled out of his mouth.
'Slytherin still in possession. Parker again making a mad dash for the Gryffindor Goals. Victor Edwards hits a Bludger towards her...and CONTACT! Ryan has the Quaffle- she's dodged another Bludger from Bowman, once is enough for her. She's near the posts. Ryan in possession with the Quaffle, she dives down to avoid one Bludger, bypassed Mordant, heading for the hoops... Eek! Watch out Ryan! Hawkins flies in front of Ryan, hits the incoming Bludger at Mordant – Ryan's with the quaffle, zigzagging across the field... Wonderful way of evading Capulet's bludger there Ryan, next time, try hitting the Bludger back at him with your wand. A clean pass to Robinson, she's evaded Malfoy's try to get the quaffle, now reaching the hoops, passes to Barkley, who's taking a shot at the hoops... and he scores. Gryffindor score 10-10.'
'Parker tackled Robinson's pass to Ryan, speeding over towards the hoops, Mordent's aiding her, blocking the others... oof! She's hit by a Bludger... that had got to hurt. The quaffle's in Barkley's possession, direct passes to Ryan, Ryan tosses it to Robinson, she takes a 90 degrees dive to escape both Mordant and Malfoy, heads for the hoops, aims... that's a goal to Gryffindor!'
The entire match was rather messy, for the most part the competitors were unskilled from lack of practice, and the scene quickly became rather chaotic. They were not very coordinated. 'And what's that? Did Riddle see the snitch? Looks like it. Look at the mad dive. Both seekers are going down. Robinson's close on her heel. No! She tricked him, she pulled the 'Wronski Feint' on him. HE'S FALLING!! OH I CAN'T LOOK!! I CAN'T LOOK!!! Whew, he managed to pull the broom up at the last moment. He sure has some of his sister's talent. But there's no snitch. Nasty Slytherin bugger!- sorry professor.'
Hermione hadn't known Jinx was on the team, but she was good. She was very natural on the broom. And though it was hard to admit even, Naja Malfoy deserved her place on the team. 'That's another goal! Slytherin scores 20 – 20! Wait! Malfoy's in possession of the quaffle, passes to Parker, Parker's eludes one, no... two Bludgers, swerves pass Ryan, she aims... Woah! A great fake aim there! Oh my gosh, Parker's with the quaffle, dodges Robinson's tackle, heads for the hoops, she's aiming, throws... Brilliant fake pass to Malfoy, she throws the quaffle, Slytherin scores 30 – 20! Lewis, it's all right, blame the beaters for not doing their job' Holden announced cheerfully.
'Spencer' professors Sprout's voice sounded stern.
'And it's Mordant in possession, passing the Quaffle in a neat long throw to - oops, that was a Bludger. So sorry, Mordant, now it's Ryan in possession. Neat backwards pass to Robinson, who has obviously caught up quickly with the highly successful Gryffindor team. And Robinson approaches the scoring area, passes the Quaffle to Barkley, nice backwards swirl to avoid a Stooging foul. Barkley comes from below, thr- no, that was a fake - oops, here comes the Quaffle, past Slytherin Keeper Roberts, through the right loop - yes, he scores, Gryffindor scores!! Well done, boy, even with the lack of practice you still have it.'
"And it's - now what? Oh, Parker is calling for time out because Mordant claims he's been injured by that Bludger. Well, TOUGH LUCK, Mordant- er, sorry, Professor Sprout. Lovegood gets a potion from Madam Pomfrey, and - off we go again. And it's Malfoy in possession, passing to Parker. All three Chasers are approaching the Gryffindor goal post now, oh, watch it Lewis, whooaa! Yes, we get to see some action here. Each of the beaters got a Bludger in front of their bats, beats me where they got them from that quickly, but that's the Gryffindor beaters for you. And blam, blam, Parker and Malfoy are thrown off course, well, too bad, girls. Mordant aims the Quaffle at the middle hoop, but thank goodness we've got Lewis, and yes, he saved it, he saved it!!"
'Ryan got hold of the Quaffle tightly, swerved past Parker, doing a dangerous three-hundred and sixty degree turn midair, before aiming for one of the hoops.' but the scream of delight came from the Slytherins' end.
"Looks like Ryan just took a nasty Bludger to the elbow! That had to hurt!" Lee Jordan's voice carried through the hissing crowd of Gryffindors as they cried out for justice. Capulet had made no foul, and so Madam Hooch remained silent from her perch on the broom.
'A disappointing attempt to throw Ryan out of her broom. Capulet, put some strength into your attack! Ryan's still in possession of the quaffle, Malfoy hot behind her heels, tackles the girl, ooh! Malfoy's gotten the quaffle, a quick pass to Mordant, weh! Barkley's blocked the pass, throwing the quaffle to Robinson, she's zooming past all four beaters, aims... Another goal for Gryffindor! Gryffindor leads 40 – 30!" Holden announced enthusiastically as Sprout sighed, shaking her head.
'And it's forty-thirty for Gryffindor, Barkley in possession. And here comes Mordant - uh oh - looks like he's going to Blatch him. Ouch, looks like that hurt. Looked like a foul to me, but who am I to argue? So, of course, it's Parker in possession now. There come the beaters. Edwards and Hawkins, with Bowman and Capulet approaching from the side. What are you doing there, boys, having a bit of a private Beater brawl? These bats are for hitting Bludgers, not Beaters, boys - uh oh - anyway, in the meantime Parker is approaching the Gryffindor goal and - Yes, that was another rather neat save from Lewis!'
'But look Robinson has seen the snitch. Fastest acceleration this Quidditch pitch has seen in years. Tuff luck Riddle, not a chance to catch him' Holden was right. The Slytherin seeker was far behind, but the snitch made a change in its course Jinx was closer to it than Tim.
'Oh no, she's going to catch it, Riddle is so close! Robinson, come on!- Sorry Professor- but what's that, oh it's got to hurt! Riddle has been hit by a Bludger sent by her own team mates. You should get spectacles Bowman. And yes –ROBINSON COUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!' Holden shouted so hard that Hermione's ears kept ringing.
The shrill whistle from Madam Hooch announced the end of the game and an uproar in the stands compounded of catcalls, angry yells could be heard. Hermione was one of the first to leave the stands. She was proud of her Gryffindors, but she was dreading all the commotion that was going to be present in the tower for the next few hours. At least until spirits levelled out a bit. She could still hear the loud cries of joy emanating from the higher elevations. Now that she was out in the open, and it was just a little quieter down here.
Without warning, a hand shoved her back into the wall of the Quidditch pitch, and a hand dug into her shoulder. The surprise of the action knocked the breath out of her, and she coughed, trying to breathe. Looking up, she said, 'What the—'
'How dare you,' a voice hissed. 'How dare you do that to me?' in front of her stood Lucius Malfoy, angrier than she'd ever seen him before.
Hermione glared at him. Malfoy had his wand pointed to her throat. "I tried you give you a chance..." he growled at her. 'You mistake me for a fool.'
"You are a fool," she said. "You gave yourself away from the start. Where is Ron?"
"Like hell I'd tell you," he replied angrily. "You are such an insufferable little girl, and you always will be. You don't know everything, Granger. And now I've come back. I want my things, and I want you dead." Malfoy's wand let out sparkles around her neck.
"Let—go—of me!" she struggled.
"No," he murmured softly. "I tried to give you something that everyone wants. I tried to give you a reason not to disobey us. Yet, somehow that stupid nerve of yours got in my way, and now you'll pay for my humiliation!"
"Having an interesting chat, children?' Hermione recognized the new voice, though she had never heard the tone Snape's voice carried. He kept it calm on the surface, but Hermione detected some concern, if that idea wasn't too farfetched.
'I thought I told you to wait for me in my office, Malfoy. Perhaps you were simply asking directions from Professor Granger.' Said Snape condescendingly.
Malfoy cast her an icy look that communicated perfectly that this wouldn't be the last time they would meet like this. Malfoy released his grip on her and stepped in front of Snape who lead the way up to the castle.
She walked away quickly from the pitch, so as to avoid anyone. Her shoulder hurt like hell. She couldn't help but grip it as she walked into the warm castle. She was enroute to her rooms, when she entered the entrance hall and caught a glimpse of Snape's billowing robes as he was made his way to the dungeons. She felt rather relieved, and somewhat reassured, but the thought of Ron kept nagging her.
What if she could get Malfoy to tell her more about what had happened? What is it he knows about Ron death? Or worse, what if he killed Ron himself? she wondered. She was positive Malfoy knew all about it, it was probably he was the one who had planned it all. After what she had overheard the other day in the Three Broomsticks, she knew the idea wasn't that farfetched. Hermione felt as though she was going to burst from the combination of pain, anger and exhaustion coursing through her body, but decided to risk it.
Hermione quickly followed Snape and Malfoy to the dungeons. Although she could not bear the presence of Lucius Malfoy, she wanted to know what was happening. She put a powerful Disillusioning charm on herself, which worked almost as well as an invisibility cloak, with the advantages that you could not trip on it or that an appendage could randomly appear from beneath it.
She was approaching Snape's office, after having hung back for a few minutes to assure they wouldn't be able to hear her breathing, when the door flew open. Snape stood in the doorframe, ushering Malfoy Sr. out with none of their usual camaraderie. As soon as the blond man was out of his office, Snape closed the door. Malfoy continued on his way out of the dungeons. Hermione had to press herself to the wall, holding her breath in order to avoid being discovered.
As he passed her, his nostrils flared as if catching a scent. He looked like a bloodhound out for hunting. He suddenly turned towards her. Before she could do a thing, he threw a hex and a silencing charm at the same time. Her own disillusioning charm disappeared.
Her wand had slipped form her hand as she hit the cold stone when the full force of Malfoy's hex hit her. She was on the floor, defenceless.
'Well, Ms. Granger, I see there is no need to wait for a later date to 'arrange' a meeting. You seem just as eager as I to have it now.' With another spell he had her hands tied at her back, before she had even tried to get up. With his wand firmly griped in one hand and pointing at her head he grabbed on her robes, he pulled her roughly off the floor, pushing her in an abandoned classroom a bit further down the corridor from Snape's office.
As Malfoy set about placing wards on the door so that no one could open it, or even hear what was happening, Hermione had managed to pull herself upright. It didn't look good at all, she noted miserably. She had lost, but she would not admit defeat in front of Malfoy. She held her chin up and looked him in the eyes.
Malfoy was not impressed at all by this show of Gryffindor bravery. It would not do her any good now. He had her trapped, and without a wand. He stepped closer to her, and, standing now, she backed up until she hit the solid stone classroom wall. She was trapped now. He tilted her head up with the tip of his wand.
'Now, Ms. Granger, what possessed you to do that silly deal with Dumbledore? We had an arrangement after all!' Lucius shock his head in mock regret. 'What did this little trick get you? If you had stuck to me, both you and Mr. Weasley would be free.'
'Yes, but at what price?' because of the silencing spell, her words were less than a whisper, but she knew he had heard them. A cruel smile played on his lips as his free hand travelled down her side to her hip. Sparks were coming out of the tip of his wand, burning the skin on her chin. She barely contained a whimper.
'Not higher than the freedom, or life, of your partner I suppose. Now, however, it doesn't matter. I will have what I wanted, no matter what.' he said in a cruel voice. Once again he pushed her down. She was now sprawled at his feet.
A.N. So how do you like it thus far?
What? Not all of you enjoy a cliff-hanger? Well to tell the truth I hate them myself. But it was just too precious. Plus if I would have had the whole scene it would have made the chapter too long.
So you'll have to wait a bit to see what Malfoy's up. (I bet you're mind's in the gutter)
And I won't forget (again) to thank all those who reviewed me. I see I no longer get complaints about bad grammar or spelling mistakes. Yes there still are some, but not as abundant as they used to.
And this is all thanks to my wonderful beta-reader Bena Glinney.
Chapter XI:
'HEADMASTER, SHE'S AWAKE!' Hermione immediately recognized the mediwitch's voice. Though the fact that it kept ringing in her ears made her immediately feel nauseous.
'Albus, she's up, thank Imhotep. I thought I would have to use one of Severus's concoctions. No offence, Severus, but they're just too dangerous for someone in her state.'
'No offence taken, Poppy, though you did intend it.' Hermione heard Snape's dry drawl from somewhere on her right, but she could not turn to see him. She hated this, feeling so weak she could not move. Feeling so much pain that just opening her eyes took her to another level of agony.
She tried to get up, or at least turn on one side, but Poppy got to her before that, holding her. 'Girl, stop twitching. Just let me have a look at you. I need to run some tests, nothing more.'
With strengths she did not know she still possessed, Hermione wrenched herself from the mediwitch's care. She made a feeble attempt to get up, staggering in her weak state.
'There's no need for any tests Madam Pomfrey, I'm all right. Too much excitement I think.' Hermione forced out through her parched throat.
'Nonsense, girl, sit down now and let me have a look at you. Take that cloak off, Headmaster. Severus, would you be kind enough to leave us alone?' Poppy commanded the gentlemen.
'Certainly poppy.' Said Albus calmly, Snape merely nodded.
'There's no need to leave, for I am leaving.' Hermione said with determination, getting up from the bed Poppy had pushed her in. 'I don't need anything Madam Pomfrey, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, and I would certainly prefer that you mind your own business and leave me alone.' Hermione said harshly.
She new she was being outright rude, but she did not want any tests performed on her. Morgana only knew how many potions ingredients that were not supposed to be there were still lingering in her system. No need for the mediwitch to know such things, not to mention the Headmaster and Potions Git.
'Fainting in the middle of the hallway doesn't look sound like taking care of oneself to me. Now don't be stubborn and sit down.' The mediwitch commanded her sternly.
'I said, NO!' Hermione shouted, sounding childish, even to her ears. The strength for this show was costing her dearly. She felt so dizzy that she almost fell of her feet again. But, she focused and gathered all her strength. She needed just enough to get to her room. Once there, she was free.
'Now, if there's nothing else you want with me, Headmaster, I'll excuse myself.' She said, willing herself to remain calm.
'Actually, there is something I need to discuss with you, Professor Granger.' Dumbledore responded, a touch of sadness in his tone.
'Really? Can't it wait till morning?' she said, a bit hopefully.
'I'm afraid not.' He said, a twinge of sorrow in his voice. 'Poppy, she's strong enough to live, trust my judgment.' He said soothingly to the mediwitch who was eying him distrustfully.
'I wouldn't say that someone who faints and can hardly stand is perfectly well.' Snape said calmly, with false concern dripping from his words.
'Who asked your opinion, Snape?' Hermione spat viciously at him.
'Will you please follow me to my office, Hermione?' Dumbledore said, offering his arm for support.
She took his arm though she tried to keep herself straight. She had to prove to the mediwitch there was nothing wrong with her. Hermione knew madam Pomfrey did not buy the cheap show for a moment.
'Severus, I need you to follow us to my office, now.' he addressed Snape.
'I would, Headmaster, if I didn't have more pressing matters on my hands.'
'More pressing than a break out at Azkaban?' Dumbledore asked dangerously.
As Hermione understood the words, she noticed his voice was like thunder; it was rare that Dumbledore lost his temper, but Snape was one of the few individuals able to agitate him to such a state. Albus was fortunately used to it and able to regain his calm easily.
'Headmaster, if you wish my presence, you will have it, though I thought you would wish for a private meeting with Professor Granger.' But before Snape even finished his complaint, the great wizard was already heading for his office.
The headmaster had a hand on Hermione's shoulder, and was guiding her as though she could not move on own. Hermione knew Snape was probably thinking she couldn't support her own weight. Hermione hated to admit Snape was right. They walked slowly to Dumbledore's office.
"Chocolate cobblers," the Headmaster said to the griffin that instantly leapt aside. Dumbledore guided Hermione to the comfortable chair facing his desk. He walked around his desk and sat down behind it, watching Hermione.
All the greatness in Dumbledore's figure vanished suddenly, and he looked as old as he was. His eyes were dull as they looked upon the huddled form of Hermione. There was sadness in his eyes that went further than what could have been caused by the sudden illness of the girl.
Hermione had drawn her knees up to her chest. She was unable to stay in a normal sitting position. Her body hurt too much; she was curled up cat-like in the chair, but her eyes were open. They were mirroring all the hurt and pain inside.
'What were you saying about Azkaban, Headmaster." Not even Hermione herself could recognize her own voice as she choked out the words.
'I have received an owl from Cornelius. It seems a massive break out has occurred.' said Dumbledore heavily.
'Massive break out.' She repeated. It seemed as though she could not understand the words said to her.
'Yes. It seems that all the death eaters still being held there have escaped, and most of the other prisoners seem to have joined them. The few who refused have been killed, many of them disfigured beyond recognition. It seems there isn't any real opportunity to know who left to join Voldemort, and who is dead.' Dumbledore told her clearly.
'What about the dementors? They were supposedly guarding the prison, weren't they?' she said. Her gaze was glossy and weary.
'I have told the Minister on countless occasions not to associate with them. They have betrayed us in the past; they were bound to do so again. Now, there is something concerning you personally, Hermione.' Dumbledore said, shifting his tone from a simple recitation of facts, 'Your dear friend Ronald Weasley, who was a prisoner there...' Dumbledore told her sadly but was cut off by Snape.
'Her dear friend,' he snorted, 'of course we know him, Albus. What happened to him? Is he dead?' His voice sounded a tad more joyful than it should have right now. Hermione had suspected Snape was suspicious Dumbledore knew what was truly happening, but would never reveal that to him. She could have told him it was pointless asking.
'I'm afraid so.' Dumbledore said quietly.
It was then the horrible realization broke over her. Hermione stared at Dumbledore, unable to make herself look at Snape. Snape stared at his own hands, clasped loosely in front of him. His long, raven black hair fell forward over part of his face. He didn't want to look at her either it seemed. There was a heavy silence in the room. Hermione was in deep state of shock. She slid off the chair, onto to the floor, clutching her knees near to her chest. Her mouth opened as if she was screaming, but no noise came out. Hermione started to gasp and cry, tears streaking her face in thick rivulets. It was a heart wrenching sight.
'Severus, would you please see that Hermione gets safely to her room? I have some more letters to send.' Dumbledore said quietly. Snape glared at the old man, but nodded minutely.
Snape was out of his element; he was certainly the least prepared man to watch over the mourning young woman in front of him. Even the Bloody Baron would have been a better choice than him. Or heck, just bring that bloody ghost who haunted the girls' bathroom, Moaning Myrtle, to cheer her up. It was certainly better than Snape. But there was no way of reasoning with Dumbledore.
'Hermione? You should go to your room. It's late. Some sleep will do you good.' The headmaster told her carefully. He had left his desk and was lowering himself to ground level, rather stiffly, due to his age.
She looked up at him with strange eyes. She seemed to have calmed down a bit. A few more minutes and she seemed quite a bit more composed. With much difficulty, she managed to get herself off the floor.
As if in a trance, she made her way to the door. Her movement seemed strange, as if under a Mobilicorpus spell. After throwing another parting glare at the headmaster, Snape followed her out of the office, his robes billowing impressively behind him. With a long repressed sigh, Albus took seat at his desk and started working on his papers again.
'There's no need for you to walk me to my room, Snape.' Hermione told him once they were out of the headmaster's office. Her voice was edgy, raspy.
'You have lost consciousness already once this evening; the news you just heard produced a great shock to you. I do not think you are well enough to be left alone right now.' he told her, a mix of condescension and anger at being addressed like that by the witch.
'If you don't mind my asking, since when did my health became a concern to you.' It seemed she had reverted to the harpy she had been in Pomfrey's ward. Ah well, it had worked somewhat well there.
Snape lowered his voice to a dangerous whisper and hissed, 'Since Dumbledore made it.'
He shadowed her all the way to her door. She opened it and stormed in the room; to her utmost amazement Snape followed her in. This was really too much, Hermione snorted irritably to herself. What did the man want, to tuck her into bed?
However, in her current state, Hermione was incapable of protesting him any further, as her knees buckled under her, unable to support her weight any longer. She had managed to keep up the pretence of strength until now. Hoping Snape would leave her now they had reached her rooms, she had stretched her limits and found herself unwilling to give another show of weakness in front of the potions master.
She was falling, and was going to hit the floor again, if Snape hadn't caught her. It was a surprise she hadn't fainted before this. When she had been unconscious, Poppy had force-fed her several potions that should have impeded her from even waking up. When she had woken up, Snape and Dumbledore had shared a look, realizing that Hermione must have fed herself countless potions with various levels of complexity and danger since her arrival at Hogwarts.
Snape gingerly placed her on the bed, even taking the time to push a lock of hair out of her face. Then he let go of her hair and took a vial from his pocket. 'Take this it will help you sleep.' he murmured.
Hermione took it and seated herself properly up the bed. She noticed irritably, that he was still there. And he wasn't going to leave, by the look on his face, until she took that whatever it was. Faced with no other option, she took it. It had a sour taste and Hermione grimaced accordingly.
'What is this?' she said, her nose still scrunched, her lips attempting to rid her lips of the taste.
'It is a variation of the 'Dreamless Sleep Potion'; this one is more powerful. Compared to other sleeping potions it is far more effective.' Hermione hardly heard him. The potion had immediately started to take effect, in less than a minute she was already asleep. Snape took the vial from her hand. She looked serene when she was asleep, her cheeks had kept some of the flaming red; she really looked so innocent.
The next morning Hermione woke up sore. She wished for nothing more than to just sit in bed. Sit there until all her powers and strength faded. Maybe then she could join Ron, and be with him. But, she had duty to the school, to Dumbledore, and, in truth, towards all the students she taught.
She had to drag herself out of bed. It was a perfect Sunday. It was also the day of the first Quidditch match of the season. Gryffindor versus Slytherin, so no matter how much she wanted to just mope in her room, she could not afford such a luxury. She had to pretend life was grand; she bolstered herself as she made her way to the great hall.
Though the students on the quidditch team had barely had two weeks to practice, to get ready for the match against Slytherin, Hermione was a bit more confident than at the beginning of the year when she had seen the Quidditch trials.
She had made sure none of her teams had their wands with them. At their questions of how they should act if one of the other team members threw a hex at them, she told them to dodge, or simply fall off the broomsticks. She promised she would be ready to catch them with a Levitating charm, or at the very least, a Cushioning one.
Hermione had just made her way to the dining room, and after several minutes spent with Remus urging her to at least take a bite out of something, she had just took a spoonful of cereals when she sputtered it out over the place. Malfoy Sr. had entered the room. She saw red in front of her. It was as clear as daylight that he was in over his blond head, somehow involved in all the goings on of last night, yet he had the gall to present himself here this morning.
'Mister Malfoy, what brings you here?' The headmaster asked calmly, sitting up and offering him a seat. Dumbledore acted as if it were perfectly normal to see Malfoy here now.
'Several things, headmaster. The first would be the dreadful events of last night; the other would be a more personal and pleasurable motive. My great niece is the new chaser on the Quidditch team, and I absolutely had to see her play.'
'How nice of you, Lucius. Family is an important thing, I know.' Dumbledore responded.
'I've been in Hogsmeade since yesterday.' Malfoy said pretentiously.
'Really, how did the ministry contact you so fast to represent them?' Dumbledore asked, sounding curious.
'Well, you know how close the minister and I are. He knew I was here and so contacted me immediately. Very upsetting news, I have to say.' Lucius said , though he did not sound sorry at all, more like bored. 'Wouldn't you agree with, Professor Granger? I'm sure it was a hard blow to hear about your friend?' he turned to Hermione eyen her with a cold, icy glare.
Hermione could not take this playacting any more; she made her excuses and left the table in a blur, without a word to Malfoy senior.
She headed straight to the Quidditch pitch and made her way to the teachers' stand. She had arrived a bit early so she would not have to get carried along by the loud crowd that was fast approaching.
Hermione was left with a bitter taste after her encounter, albeit brief, with Lucius Malfoy. And soon she would have to see him again as he would be joining the teachers in their stand, she was sure. Lucius Malfoy took a place near Snape, somewhere a few levels above her. She swivelled her head until their eyes met. However, she did not have enough strength to take this showdown.
Hermione turned her head to look back at the pitch. She still felt Malfoy's eyes on the back of her neck as if burning a hole through her skull. The whistle blow came from Madam Hooch, the referee, and made Hermione turn her attention fully to the pitch.
When the quidditch teams marched on the field, the roar of sound almost deafened Hermione.
"Welcome to another year of Inter-House Quidditch! The first match of the year is between Slytherin and Gryffindor. And here come the teams!" the commentator, Holden Spencer, announced. "There has been a last minute change of team members! Thanks to our wonderful Transfiguration Professor" Spencer's eyes widened at the names, announcing excitedly, "Coming into the pitch are chasers Lucia Ryan, Maria Robinson and John Barkley!" and Spencer continued over loud cheers, "Next, we have beaters, Victor Edwards and Theodore Hawkins! And now, we have keeper Dan Lewis!" he made a short pause just to breath "Finally, we have Gryffindors seeker and Tim Robinson, youngest seeker since the famous Harry Potter!" From the professors box, Holden's voice sounded once more, "Up next, the Slytherin team: Mordant, Capulet, Riddle, Bowman, Roberts, Parker, with Naja Malfoy added as chaser!"
She watched as the two captains shook hands, though she was sure it was more along the lines of trying to cripple one another than from any feeling of camaraderie. Then it was more of a blur as they mounted their brooms, both teams soared around the pitch and then took their places. After all the years spent with Harry and Ron she could recognize most of the moves.
'AND THE QUAFFLE IS OUT.' The commenter, an enthusiastic Hufflepuff, roared. 'And it's Robinson- Robinson has the quaffle. No, Robinson just took a nasty Bludger, that must have hurt.'
Hermione watched as the girl changed direction to head for the quaffle again, though she looked slightly dizzy.
'Mordant in position, he passes on to Malfoy, the new Slytherin player who is hit by a Bludger. Nice one Edwards, Parker is now in possession of the Quaffle. Flying towards the Gryffindor Keeper, Lewis, who doesn't look like he's in much of a position to block. Nice batting by Hawkins, but Parker rolls out of the way. She's moving up for the throw and SCORE!! Lewis unable to block! TEN POINTS TO SLYTHERIN-- the slimy witch-- sorry Professor Sprout.
Though not as enthusiastic as McGonagall when it came to quidditch, Professor Sprout was sitting beside her student, carefully monitoring every comment that spilled out of his mouth.
'Slytherin still in possession. Parker again making a mad dash for the Gryffindor Goals. Victor Edwards hits a Bludger towards her...and CONTACT! Ryan has the Quaffle- she's dodged another Bludger from Bowman, once is enough for her. She's near the posts. Ryan in possession with the Quaffle, she dives down to avoid one Bludger, bypassed Mordant, heading for the hoops... Eek! Watch out Ryan! Hawkins flies in front of Ryan, hits the incoming Bludger at Mordant – Ryan's with the quaffle, zigzagging across the field... Wonderful way of evading Capulet's bludger there Ryan, next time, try hitting the Bludger back at him with your wand. A clean pass to Robinson, she's evaded Malfoy's try to get the quaffle, now reaching the hoops, passes to Barkley, who's taking a shot at the hoops... and he scores. Gryffindor score 10-10.'
'Parker tackled Robinson's pass to Ryan, speeding over towards the hoops, Mordent's aiding her, blocking the others... oof! She's hit by a Bludger... that had got to hurt. The quaffle's in Barkley's possession, direct passes to Ryan, Ryan tosses it to Robinson, she takes a 90 degrees dive to escape both Mordant and Malfoy, heads for the hoops, aims... that's a goal to Gryffindor!'
The entire match was rather messy, for the most part the competitors were unskilled from lack of practice, and the scene quickly became rather chaotic. They were not very coordinated. 'And what's that? Did Riddle see the snitch? Looks like it. Look at the mad dive. Both seekers are going down. Robinson's close on her heel. No! She tricked him, she pulled the 'Wronski Feint' on him. HE'S FALLING!! OH I CAN'T LOOK!! I CAN'T LOOK!!! Whew, he managed to pull the broom up at the last moment. He sure has some of his sister's talent. But there's no snitch. Nasty Slytherin bugger!- sorry professor.'
Hermione hadn't known Jinx was on the team, but she was good. She was very natural on the broom. And though it was hard to admit even, Naja Malfoy deserved her place on the team. 'That's another goal! Slytherin scores 20 – 20! Wait! Malfoy's in possession of the quaffle, passes to Parker, Parker's eludes one, no... two Bludgers, swerves pass Ryan, she aims... Woah! A great fake aim there! Oh my gosh, Parker's with the quaffle, dodges Robinson's tackle, heads for the hoops, she's aiming, throws... Brilliant fake pass to Malfoy, she throws the quaffle, Slytherin scores 30 – 20! Lewis, it's all right, blame the beaters for not doing their job' Holden announced cheerfully.
'Spencer' professors Sprout's voice sounded stern.
'And it's Mordant in possession, passing the Quaffle in a neat long throw to - oops, that was a Bludger. So sorry, Mordant, now it's Ryan in possession. Neat backwards pass to Robinson, who has obviously caught up quickly with the highly successful Gryffindor team. And Robinson approaches the scoring area, passes the Quaffle to Barkley, nice backwards swirl to avoid a Stooging foul. Barkley comes from below, thr- no, that was a fake - oops, here comes the Quaffle, past Slytherin Keeper Roberts, through the right loop - yes, he scores, Gryffindor scores!! Well done, boy, even with the lack of practice you still have it.'
"And it's - now what? Oh, Parker is calling for time out because Mordant claims he's been injured by that Bludger. Well, TOUGH LUCK, Mordant- er, sorry, Professor Sprout. Lovegood gets a potion from Madam Pomfrey, and - off we go again. And it's Malfoy in possession, passing to Parker. All three Chasers are approaching the Gryffindor goal post now, oh, watch it Lewis, whooaa! Yes, we get to see some action here. Each of the beaters got a Bludger in front of their bats, beats me where they got them from that quickly, but that's the Gryffindor beaters for you. And blam, blam, Parker and Malfoy are thrown off course, well, too bad, girls. Mordant aims the Quaffle at the middle hoop, but thank goodness we've got Lewis, and yes, he saved it, he saved it!!"
'Ryan got hold of the Quaffle tightly, swerved past Parker, doing a dangerous three-hundred and sixty degree turn midair, before aiming for one of the hoops.' but the scream of delight came from the Slytherins' end.
"Looks like Ryan just took a nasty Bludger to the elbow! That had to hurt!" Lee Jordan's voice carried through the hissing crowd of Gryffindors as they cried out for justice. Capulet had made no foul, and so Madam Hooch remained silent from her perch on the broom.
'A disappointing attempt to throw Ryan out of her broom. Capulet, put some strength into your attack! Ryan's still in possession of the quaffle, Malfoy hot behind her heels, tackles the girl, ooh! Malfoy's gotten the quaffle, a quick pass to Mordant, weh! Barkley's blocked the pass, throwing the quaffle to Robinson, she's zooming past all four beaters, aims... Another goal for Gryffindor! Gryffindor leads 40 – 30!" Holden announced enthusiastically as Sprout sighed, shaking her head.
'And it's forty-thirty for Gryffindor, Barkley in possession. And here comes Mordant - uh oh - looks like he's going to Blatch him. Ouch, looks like that hurt. Looked like a foul to me, but who am I to argue? So, of course, it's Parker in possession now. There come the beaters. Edwards and Hawkins, with Bowman and Capulet approaching from the side. What are you doing there, boys, having a bit of a private Beater brawl? These bats are for hitting Bludgers, not Beaters, boys - uh oh - anyway, in the meantime Parker is approaching the Gryffindor goal and - Yes, that was another rather neat save from Lewis!'
'But look Robinson has seen the snitch. Fastest acceleration this Quidditch pitch has seen in years. Tuff luck Riddle, not a chance to catch him' Holden was right. The Slytherin seeker was far behind, but the snitch made a change in its course Jinx was closer to it than Tim.
'Oh no, she's going to catch it, Riddle is so close! Robinson, come on!- Sorry Professor- but what's that, oh it's got to hurt! Riddle has been hit by a Bludger sent by her own team mates. You should get spectacles Bowman. And yes –ROBINSON COUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!' Holden shouted so hard that Hermione's ears kept ringing.
The shrill whistle from Madam Hooch announced the end of the game and an uproar in the stands compounded of catcalls, angry yells could be heard. Hermione was one of the first to leave the stands. She was proud of her Gryffindors, but she was dreading all the commotion that was going to be present in the tower for the next few hours. At least until spirits levelled out a bit. She could still hear the loud cries of joy emanating from the higher elevations. Now that she was out in the open, and it was just a little quieter down here.
Without warning, a hand shoved her back into the wall of the Quidditch pitch, and a hand dug into her shoulder. The surprise of the action knocked the breath out of her, and she coughed, trying to breathe. Looking up, she said, 'What the—'
'How dare you,' a voice hissed. 'How dare you do that to me?' in front of her stood Lucius Malfoy, angrier than she'd ever seen him before.
Hermione glared at him. Malfoy had his wand pointed to her throat. "I tried you give you a chance..." he growled at her. 'You mistake me for a fool.'
"You are a fool," she said. "You gave yourself away from the start. Where is Ron?"
"Like hell I'd tell you," he replied angrily. "You are such an insufferable little girl, and you always will be. You don't know everything, Granger. And now I've come back. I want my things, and I want you dead." Malfoy's wand let out sparkles around her neck.
"Let—go—of me!" she struggled.
"No," he murmured softly. "I tried to give you something that everyone wants. I tried to give you a reason not to disobey us. Yet, somehow that stupid nerve of yours got in my way, and now you'll pay for my humiliation!"
"Having an interesting chat, children?' Hermione recognized the new voice, though she had never heard the tone Snape's voice carried. He kept it calm on the surface, but Hermione detected some concern, if that idea wasn't too farfetched.
'I thought I told you to wait for me in my office, Malfoy. Perhaps you were simply asking directions from Professor Granger.' Said Snape condescendingly.
Malfoy cast her an icy look that communicated perfectly that this wouldn't be the last time they would meet like this. Malfoy released his grip on her and stepped in front of Snape who lead the way up to the castle.
She walked away quickly from the pitch, so as to avoid anyone. Her shoulder hurt like hell. She couldn't help but grip it as she walked into the warm castle. She was enroute to her rooms, when she entered the entrance hall and caught a glimpse of Snape's billowing robes as he was made his way to the dungeons. She felt rather relieved, and somewhat reassured, but the thought of Ron kept nagging her.
What if she could get Malfoy to tell her more about what had happened? What is it he knows about Ron death? Or worse, what if he killed Ron himself? she wondered. She was positive Malfoy knew all about it, it was probably he was the one who had planned it all. After what she had overheard the other day in the Three Broomsticks, she knew the idea wasn't that farfetched. Hermione felt as though she was going to burst from the combination of pain, anger and exhaustion coursing through her body, but decided to risk it.
Hermione quickly followed Snape and Malfoy to the dungeons. Although she could not bear the presence of Lucius Malfoy, she wanted to know what was happening. She put a powerful Disillusioning charm on herself, which worked almost as well as an invisibility cloak, with the advantages that you could not trip on it or that an appendage could randomly appear from beneath it.
She was approaching Snape's office, after having hung back for a few minutes to assure they wouldn't be able to hear her breathing, when the door flew open. Snape stood in the doorframe, ushering Malfoy Sr. out with none of their usual camaraderie. As soon as the blond man was out of his office, Snape closed the door. Malfoy continued on his way out of the dungeons. Hermione had to press herself to the wall, holding her breath in order to avoid being discovered.
As he passed her, his nostrils flared as if catching a scent. He looked like a bloodhound out for hunting. He suddenly turned towards her. Before she could do a thing, he threw a hex and a silencing charm at the same time. Her own disillusioning charm disappeared.
Her wand had slipped form her hand as she hit the cold stone when the full force of Malfoy's hex hit her. She was on the floor, defenceless.
'Well, Ms. Granger, I see there is no need to wait for a later date to 'arrange' a meeting. You seem just as eager as I to have it now.' With another spell he had her hands tied at her back, before she had even tried to get up. With his wand firmly griped in one hand and pointing at her head he grabbed on her robes, he pulled her roughly off the floor, pushing her in an abandoned classroom a bit further down the corridor from Snape's office.
As Malfoy set about placing wards on the door so that no one could open it, or even hear what was happening, Hermione had managed to pull herself upright. It didn't look good at all, she noted miserably. She had lost, but she would not admit defeat in front of Malfoy. She held her chin up and looked him in the eyes.
Malfoy was not impressed at all by this show of Gryffindor bravery. It would not do her any good now. He had her trapped, and without a wand. He stepped closer to her, and, standing now, she backed up until she hit the solid stone classroom wall. She was trapped now. He tilted her head up with the tip of his wand.
'Now, Ms. Granger, what possessed you to do that silly deal with Dumbledore? We had an arrangement after all!' Lucius shock his head in mock regret. 'What did this little trick get you? If you had stuck to me, both you and Mr. Weasley would be free.'
'Yes, but at what price?' because of the silencing spell, her words were less than a whisper, but she knew he had heard them. A cruel smile played on his lips as his free hand travelled down her side to her hip. Sparks were coming out of the tip of his wand, burning the skin on her chin. She barely contained a whimper.
'Not higher than the freedom, or life, of your partner I suppose. Now, however, it doesn't matter. I will have what I wanted, no matter what.' he said in a cruel voice. Once again he pushed her down. She was now sprawled at his feet.
A.N. So how do you like it thus far?
What? Not all of you enjoy a cliff-hanger? Well to tell the truth I hate them myself. But it was just too precious. Plus if I would have had the whole scene it would have made the chapter too long.
So you'll have to wait a bit to see what Malfoy's up. (I bet you're mind's in the gutter)
And I won't forget (again) to thank all those who reviewed me. I see I no longer get complaints about bad grammar or spelling mistakes. Yes there still are some, but not as abundant as they used to.
And this is all thanks to my wonderful beta-reader Bena Glinney.