This chapter is primarily Narcissa explaining Malfoy Manor to the Weasley's. After, we see Ron try and cope with everything, something's he's been putting off.
The end was pretty emotional to write, if I'm being honest, so I hope you guys like it.
Review & Enjoy!
"Anything to explain Ronald?" Molly demands as Arthur looks dumbfounded.
"Uh-uh-uh." He stutters.
"That's all you have to say for yourself? Do you know what kind of danger you've put yourself in, that you've put Hermione in!" She emphasizes, hitting him where she knew it would hurt.
"I would never put her in danger." He snaps, not caring if his Mum's already pissed.
"Oh and Hermione and Narcissa Malfoy are just the best of friends now, are they?"
"Actually, they kind of are." Surprisingly, it's Harry who defends her.
Molly and Ginny scowl. Whilst Ron and Arthur's eye's bulge- for different reasons.
Narcissa's eyes widened. "I reckon I have some explaining to do about what happened there." Cissy says, unable to go on like she's not there any longer.
This is the moment they've all been waiting for, no one more so than Ron.
Ginny huffs at her words, making Ron's eyes snap to hers, "What's she even doing here?" He bit out nastily.
The young girl's face scrunched in disgust, "It seems saving this house from being overrun by Death Eaters!"
Then it clicks.
Of course ruddy Ginny found Narcissa up in his room. Always poking her nose into things she shouldn't be.
He can't help but scowl right back at her.
"Would you two knock it off? I'd very much like to hear what she has to say." His Mum scolds, wagging her finger between her two children.
Ginny crosses her arms and rolls her eyes, but thankfully, like Ron, remains silent.
Narcissa eyes the two, making sure they were truly finished before she speaks again. "I reckon I should start from that night, Christmas." She starts with a loud gulp. "I was home with Draco and Lucius. The three of us had dinner that night, then went to bed. The sound of apparition was what woke me. I could hear it, even from all the way down in the dungeons…"
They all notice her visibly shiver.
"It sounds awful, but I didn't think anything of it. Bella was always coming and going, doing who knows what. My husband, as terrible as he is, told me not to poke my nose into her business, that it could get me into trouble. That was just about the only thing he's been right about."
The more Narcissa talks, the more Ron is growing fond of her. Not only does she seem to care about Hermione almost as deeply as he does, but she also agrees that her husband is absolute shite.
"Draco knew about her before I did."
Molly gasps as Arthur moves to place a hand on her shoulder. Harry's face paled, while Ginny's brow scrunched in disbelief. Ron however, was livid. His face red and hands balled into tight fists.
Cissy noted the reaction and was quick to clear the air. Or at least try to, Draco Malfoy would never be redeemable to Ron.
"Let me explain." She jumped in, "Bella came to get him from his room, told him the Dark Lord had a task for him. Twenty minutes later he called me into the basement, his job was to maintain Hermione, essentially. Keep her upright for the next time Bellatrix wanted a go at her."
"And your son just works for You-Know-Who, does he?" Ron remarked.
He was surprised Molly didn't scold him for being disrespectful. He supposes, she knew the comment was warranted.
"It's rather complicated." Narcissa's blue eyes found the floor in shame.
"Just tell me now," it's Harry who speaks, voice venomous, "does he have the dark mark on his arm? Don't wanna be shocked if I see it when I head back to school."
Ron can't help but smirk a little at his best mates' fire.
"I don't expect any of you to feel bad, but he doesn't have a choice! I've offered to take him away many times but he's terrified!" She exclaimed, voice trembling.
"Terrified Daddy won't be there to wipe his arse for him if he runs away?" Ron remarks.
"Ronald!" Molly screeches, horrified by his language, but also being able to relate to Narcissa's motherly instinct. Whether she agreed with it or not.
"Terrified, if we run away and get caught, I'll be killed. Hate my son all you want, but he's smart. He knows if we were to be found, I'd take the blame and the punishment. Merlin knows my husband isn't going to bail me out." Cissy deadpans.
At this the ginger decides to shut his mouth. He did hate Malfoy, but he saw those letters in his room from his Mum. That was probably the only person who truly loved him, truly cared for him. Just this one time he'll agree with his logic. Draco would be even worse than he thought if he was to sell out his Mother.
Narcissa exhales, finding her calm. "As I was saying, Draco didn't know how to deal with the task and I didn't want him to be anymore mixed up in all this then he already is, so I decided to take over. I was bound to do it anyway when he went back to Hogwarts. Better me than anyone else there." She added.
"I think…" Ron's voice broke hesitantly, "I think part of him wanted to say something when we got back to school. He was acting weird, almost normal toward me."
She nodded, "When he first saw Hermione I think he realized a lot of things. I'm not saying they had to do with her, but more with just how real things were."
And it was true. Draco was never a fan of hers, but like he said that day in the dungeon, he never wanted her to die.
"And how real were they?" Harry's voice asked quietly from where he rested against the counter, "What did they want with her?"
The blonde-brunette woman began shaking her head. "To be honest I don't know, I really don't. Over time, I found out the only person who did know why she was there was the Dark Lord himself. Lucius had no idea. And when I asked Bella-" Her voice cracked, "she didn't either. Nothing would ever justify what she did to Hermione but finding out she didn't even need to justify it to herself. That's when I knew she was lost, she had been for a long time." A tear fell down her pale face.
No one said anything.
Bellatrix killed Sirius. Her own flesh and blood. She tortured Neville's parents to insanity when he was just a baby. He never even got to know them. Ron reckons she was trying to do both those things to Hermione.
Narcissa only continued when she saw the Chosen One nod to her in what seemed to be respect. They could agree that Bellatrix was vile. To an extent, they had a common enemy.
"If I knew why, I promise I would tell you all. At the very least, I would tell Hermione." She swore.
"Did she do something to Hermione's throat? Why can't she speak?" Molly finally asked.
The woman emitted an uneven breath as her hands began to shake slightly at the memories flooding back to her. "When they first brought Hermione in she wouldn't talk."
"Why?" Ginny interrupted, not even giving her the chance to continue.
"He-he would taunt her. A lot. Ask her all sorts of questions about all of you. About-about her parents." Her voice broke over the last word as everyone felt dread build in their insides. "She never gave the Dark Lord or Bellatrix the satisfaction of answering. To use the information against her."
That's his girl. Ron feels proud, but simultaneously heartbroken. His Hermione is so strong.
"If she wouldn't talk, they would make her scream." Narcissa whispered so quietly, the room had to flex their ears to even hear it.
Instantly Harry felt a chill work its way up his spine as he remembered hearing Hemrione's gut wrenching, horrifying wails from when he would connect with Voldemort. It was a sound that still haunted him when he closed his eyes at night.
In turn, Ron heard the echo of Hermione's screams after waking up from nightmares ringing in his head. Those alone made him feel like he was suffocated by only the thought of the terrible things she endured. He can't even fathom what the real thing sounded like, it was simply too painful.
"A-and what did they do?" Ginny stutters. "To make her scream." She whispered the last word.
"Ginny-" Molly said softly, hoping to shield these children from the horrors of the world.
But it was too late. They were too involved.
None more than Hermione, who will never, ever be able to forget what they did to her. She'll never be able to go back.
"Mum, please." Ron begged his mother with glassy eyes and a quivering lip. He knew what Narcissa had to say would be one of the worst things he'll ever have to hear, but he has to know in order to help Hermione best he can.
To understand.
Molly swiped a stray tear from her cheek and turned to Narcissa, supplying a slow nod.
"I don't think anyone has ever endured the Cruciatus Curse so much and still manage to breathe." Cissy started, coiling her arms tightly around herself, suddenly feeling cold.
Ginny bit her lip as tears fell from her eyes.
"And I'm sure I don't need to tell you this," her eyes find Harry's, "but the Dark Lord's magic, it's stronger than the average wizards. The curse is only amplified."
The pain Harry faced from one Crucio at the edge of his wand was immeasurable to any physical pain he has experienced. Unlike anything else he's ever felt. He mentally cannot wrap his mind around two of those, never mind dozens.
"The Cruciatus wasn't the only unforgivable curse they used on her." At this Ron's head snapped from where it was trained downward to Narcissa, this was news to him.
By the process of elimination considering Avada Kedavra wasn't used, thank Merlin, and he knew that the Cruciatus was, that only leaves the Imperius Curse.
Fucking imperio.
A curse that would allow any of those scum Death Eaters to literally control Hermione and bend her at their own will.
The thought of that alone was wretched. These thoughts coupled with the ever growing theory he was forming from the hospital made him nauseous. He felt physically ill.
"It didn't work at first. As I'm sure you all know, it's rare, but possible to resist the Imperius Curse. Someone with a strong mind and an even stronger will is able to. Hermione's resistance to it of course drove my sis- Bellatrix mad." She corrects. "She's no stranger to dark magic and besides the Dark Lord, she has some of the strongest magic I've ever heard of and seen. A Muggleborn besting a Pureblood- well, it only drove her to get more creative with the torture." They could all hear Narcissa's voice shaking as she fought off tears.
Ron let out a loud sniffle as some droplets fell from his long nose and onto his unsteady hands.
"Eventually the damage the Cructaius was doing made her susceptible to the Imperius. Not to mention the hundreds of other spells Bella experimented with on Hermione. Our Aunt- Sirius and Regulus' Mother," Harry shivered at the mention of his late godfather's name. He nearly forgot Narcissa was his cousin, "was almost as obsessed with dark magic as she was. Gave her loads of books before she died, Bella sits up at night just reading and reading them. I reckon if the Ministry got their hands on any of them, they'd burn them all."
And it wasn't a far fetched claim, it was surely enough to make the room shiver. They've all dealt with the painting of Sirius' mother, which was bad enough. The real version paired with Bellatrix was truly a horrifying thought.
"I wasn't allowed in the drawing room while Hermione was. I only ever saw her after. That's when I'd do anything I could to keep her sane. To tell me a story, a memory, a thought, anything. Something to tell me she was still in there." Narcissa hastily swiped at a single tear that worked its way down her porcelain cheek. "It was hard of course, because she couldn't talk, but we made do. She sent me cues, gestures. I'm well aware I don't know her nearly as well as any of you, but even in her worst moments she was as brilliant as she's said to be. Brilliant as ever." a ghost of a smile fell across her lips.
"And it worked." Ginny breathed in what sounded like disbelief.
Cissy shrugged in response, like it was nothing, but the blush on her cheeks said otherwise. Sure, Narcissa couldn't take all the credit when Hermione was the one in agony and still managing to keep her thoughts somewhat leveled, but without the woman's guidance there was no doubt her brain would be mush. That she would most likely be in the Janus Thickey Ward with a room in between the Longbottom's and Gilderoy Lockhart. Or even some place worse than that, still in Malfoy Manor.
Dead.
The thought made Ron's insides turn, but it also made him appreciate Narcissa Malfoy that much more. He's suddenly reminded of the conversation he had with Dumbledore and that barmy shite he said about people being their enemies aren't or whatnot. It didn't make sense then, but it does now.
Who would've thought, Ron Weasley owing practically everything he holds dear to a Malfoy?
Molly seems to come to the same realization he does, or at least, she's the only one who outwardly does anything about it.
"It did work." Mrs. Weasley answers Ginny but instead her watery eyes are trained on Narcissa. "It worked." She breathes before moving forward and engulfing the woman in her arms.
Cissy seems caught off guard by the embrace, but soon reacts by wrapping her arms around the woman as she squeezes her tighter.
"Thank you." Molly whispers into her blonde-brunette hair. "Thank you for bringing my daughter home." She says the second part low enough, so just the two of them will hear.
Narcissa sniffles before whispering back, "Always."
Ron's heart clenches at the scene as he sees his sister, little judgemental Ginny, crack a watery smile at the pair of mothers.
After a few moments, Molly steps out of the warm embrace, but is sure to keep Narcissa at an arm's length.
"I suppose we should contact The Order. Dumbledore." She says turning to her husband, and surprisingly, Narcissa doesn't protest. Instead she thanks her.
Harry looks awestruck at the casual way the three adults are going about all this.
A Malfoy having relations within The Order of the Phoenix? Simply unheard of.
Yet again, Sirius was a Black…
"Right. We should keep things quiet, Dumbeldore only." Arthur says aloud.
"Nymphadora." Cissy's voice breaks, "She can know. Andromeda does, that's how I got in here. She helped."
Relife came over everyone in the room, save for Ron, who already knew. It was nice to hear she wasn't able to properly breach the wards like Bellatrix had in Hampstead. Gave them all peace of mind. Only a little, but it was something.
"Alright." Mr. Weasley agrees, fishing for his wand in the depths of his coat pocket.
"Wait." Ron interrupts, making all eyes shift to him, "I reckon if you're going to contact someone from The Order, you should ask about the Granger's." He whispers.
Molly's eyes soften at the mention of the pair, "what about them dear?"
The teenage boy gulps, stare trained on the wood floor beneath him. "Hermione- at her appointment she asked me…" His voice dies in his throat. He clears it quickly, doing his best to keep it together. "She asked for a funeral, for her parents, for her grandmother." Ron manages stronger than he thought possible.
It takes a minute for anyone to form any sort of response. All too busy trying to keep their emotions in check.
It's Arthur who gets it together first, "Of course, whatever she wants. I know Dumbledore had Jean and Hugo's, um- bodies, persevered." He says sadly.
"And her house?" Ron asks next, hoping for the best.
"What of it Ronnie?" Molly asks.
"Just that Hermione- you see, she wants to go there." He tells throatily.
His dad nods, "I haven't seen the condition of their home myself, but I'll see what can be done. I know it sustained a lot of damage. It's not very safe, I can't-"
"She needs to see her house alright?" Ron boomed, making the occupants of the room jump back. Taking a deep breath, he leveled his voice. "That's all she wants, please- please let me give something to her right now. Please." He begs as his vision becomes blurry.
While Molly wasn't very keen on Hermione returning there, knowing what it may trigger, or even worse, what may be waiting for her, she could see how badly her son wanted this for the girl. In turn, she can only imagine how much Hermione herself wants it if he's simply conveying her request. She also knows Ron wouldn't do anything to remotely put the witch in danger, so if he's willing to risk it, it means more than any of them can comprehend.
"Your father will talk to Dumbledore. Something will be arranged." The matron told her son.
While it wasn't promising, it wasn't an argument either. It was something and he took it. For now.
Realization seems to hit Molly's face all at once, "With everything going on," she briefly eyes Narcissa, "I haven't had a moment to ask, how was Hermione's appointment?"
Ron shrugs as he rubs at the back of his neck. "It was alright, I suppose. Could've been worse."
"What'd they say?" Harry asks, sounding rather anxious as he bounces on the balls of his feet.
"No magic still. They were able to do a scan on her, which Jamison said is good that she could take the magic, but it still made her bloody exhausted. His hope now is that once her external injuries heal, her energy will go into healing the internal ones. Erase the black magic. T-talk again." He's getting choked.
He hears his mother take a shaky breath before plastering on her best smile, "well that's why it's so important to get everything settled, yes? It'll allow Hermione to relax, knowing Narcissa will be in good hands and knowing other…" she doesn't have the words right now, "things are being taken care of."
The ginger nodded in agreement, understanding his Mum's struggle to articulate the pain Hermione must be going through. "Another healer besides Jamison saw her." Ron whispered, almost reluctantly.
Molly blanched as her eyes looked frantically to Arthur's seeming to know where this was going.
"Who?" Harry's voice breaks, "What'd they say?"
Ron gulps. "A Healer by the name of Evangeline."
He sees Cissy stumble back, hip knocking into an open drawer making it close with a thud. Suddenly, her eyes find Mrs. Weasley, giving her the most pained look she can manage.
No words are said, but Ron's pretty sure he knows what it means, but he needs to hear it.
No matter how much it'll hurt.
"Mum, please, just-"
A horrifying shriek cuts him off. He's pretty sure that sound, her scream, is the only thing capable of diverting his attention from the topic.
Because above all else, he needs to help her. Make sure she's okay.
Without another thought, Ron races up the steps, something he finds himself doing a lot lately. There he finds Hermione writhing and screaming on the bed as tears stream her face.
Leaping into action, he slides onto the mattress behind her, taking the shaking witch in his arms, hoping the touch will coax her back to reality.
As her sobs turn into quiet cries and he feels her relax into him, he can't help but cry himself.
It's like everything's hitting him all at once.
Hermione was gone for months, barely surviving. Barely alive.
Today she asked him to help her plan a funeral for her parents who were murdered because she wanted to escape, to come home. And now, her house in Hampstead is probably so wrecked beyond belief, so tainted by the terrible things that happened there, she can't even have that either.
Hermione's parentless, magicless, and though he hates to associate this word with her, broken.
All this time he's been so focused on her, on getting her back, he never thought what that might look like. That her nights were spent reliving Malfoy Manor in her head. The terrible, gut wrenching pain she went through. The things she was forced to do, that were forced upon her.
Merlin, fuck, he was going to be sick.
And the worst part is, her days weren't much better. As they lived out in agony, missing her parents and trying to heal. Trying to understand who she is now.
She was in pain then, she was in pain now, and he knew she would be tomorrow.
He doesn't know why, but when they found her he thought everything would be, for lack of a better term, magically better.
It's hitting him like the bloody Knight Bus that things wouldn't even be okay again for a long time, forget better.
Why did it have to be her? Is the only thought in his head as he cries into her hair.
Now more than ever, even more so than the night she was taken, Ron can't understand why it couldn't have been him.
I really wanted to highlight the fact that while Hermione may have been the one taken, Ron also needs to heal from everything. Survivor's guilt is very real and unfortunately something Ron has been battling with this entire time, even though he's just now realizing it.
Next time some some big things are happening, but I can't say too much.
Here's the preview!:
"Mione, what is it? What's wrong?" He asks frantically, noting the absolute fear in her eyes.
"B-Bellatrix." Hermione manages, voice sounding strangled.
"What?" He blanches, thinking maybe it was just another nightmare, but he knows she's been awake the entirety of the day. There's no way she dozed off.
"S-she's he-here." Her voice breaks.
Fuck.
Eek, please don't hate me...
Keep reveiwing!
