Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters, creatures, places… well, let's leave it at I don't own anything connected to Harry Potter. I'm just using Jo's characters and ideas to enhance my writing skills and am not trying to make a profit or anything off of them!

Chapter 2: Blinding and Binding

A/N: Be warned, excessive A/N below! Read and enjoy!

Draco woke up, his head pounding in his skull. He looked up into the trees above him, and frowned. He remembered those trees. He didn't know how, or when he'd seen them before, but he remembered them. Instinctively, he looked down at his aching limbs and noticed blood drying to his clothing, a wet sticky substance sticking to his flesh.

And suddenly, he remembered. Flashes of memory forced themselves through his mind. Flashes of a man, a man who had stood, laughing at him, in the shadows. He remembered the trees spinning around him. The blinding pain shooting through his body as he had fallen to the ground.

Blinding, blinding… where had he thought of that word before? He knew it had applied to something, he just couldn't think what.

The light, the button, the rainbow colors… the blinding light. The room had changed when he had pushed a button: a button hidden on the ground: a button, which had caused him blinding pain from its blinding light.

He looked to the right side of his body and cautiously sat up so that his back stood perpendicular to the ground. The pain in his side burned his flesh, but he ignored it. His right arm reached over and grazed the grass around him. His fingers walked along the ground, trying to find the button.

And he found it. The scenery changed much the same way it had before, and soon, he found himself sitting in a room with manacles chained to his arms. Instinctively, he looked into the far corner of the room and found, to no surprise, the shadow of a man standing there.

"You fell asleep, dear boy. You fell asleep before I was able to follow through with my procedure. I wasn't able to cause you the pain I have so generously supplied before. Nor was I able to obliviate your memory. Shame, shame… but oh well. These things must be done.

"Now, tell me what you remember. What is your most vivid memory at this point in time? And don't lie to me Draco, for I will know if you do," the voice whispered. Icicles seemed to lace the edges of his soft voice as they sent tremors through Draco's body.

That voice. Where had he heard that voice before? It sounded so familiar… and not just because he had heard it in his last encounter with this man in shadow. No, the way this man said his name reminded him quite a bit of another man. Another man, who happened to be his father.

"Hello Lucius," Draco growled. "Not exactly subtle, are you?"

"Well," his father responded, stepping into the dim light before him, "you were being agonizingly dim, so I thought I'd offer a bit of a hint. I'm glad it didn't take you even longer to recognize me. You had me worried as it was."

Draco laughed, somewhere between a sarcastic intake of breath and a scoff. "Actually, I'm a bit surprised I recognized the voice at all. It was only because you used my name that I was able to pinpoint who you were. No one says my name the way you do."

"I'm not sure whether I should take that as a compliment, or not. Either way, it won't fix your situation. You are going to pay for what you have done," Lucius whispered. He slipped his wand from the pocket of his robes and shoved it into Draco's pale neck.

"You're right, dad," Draco ground out sarcastically, putting particular emphasis on the word "dad". "I haven't been tortured nearly enough already. I don't recall what you've done to me in this chamber, but I do remember the pain and anxiety you forced me to endure before… back when I still followed orders from that pitiful excuse for life you can't even speak the name of."

"Forgive me, son, but I do believe you just sidestepped the use of his name as well," Lucius hissed, pushing his wand deeper into Draco's neck.

"What, Voldemort?" Draco asked through gritted teeth. Draco felt no fear as he looked and spoke to his father. He may put up a brave front, but Lucius' experiences had turned him into a coward. No fatal threat besought Draco's well being while under the torture ranks of Lucius Malfoy. He may suffer from this newfound pleasure his father had taken up, but just to see this look on his father's face while he interrogated him made it all worthwhile… or, lack-there-of as the case may be. Lucius' expression froze the very skin on Draco's face as he looked upon its rigid and forced nonexistence.

"You forget your place, Draco. You have no right to speak that name aloud. May his spirit haunt you even in death." Lucius spat on Draco's face, his cold breath freezing the liquid as it dripped down his features.

"Tell me, why are you still loyal to him after all he's put you through? After all he's been through. He's dead. Why can't you just accept that? Everyone else seems to have found their reality check. Where did yours disappear?" Draco asked sardonically.

"Using muggle terms now, are we?" Lucius mocked. "Mmm, I should have known. Taking up a muggle born for a mistress can do that to you."

Draco's heart froze. How dare he speak of Hermione that way? He had to fight to regain his composure and keep his façade as blank as possible. "She's not my mistress, she's my girlfriend. Hold your tongue when treading upon matters of which you have no knowledge."

"I, hold my tongue? Do not forget who is the elder here, Draco. I am your father, whether you like it or not, and you would do well to treat me with the proper respect.

"Now, I think we have conversed long enough. You have proven my hopes of new loyalty false. Until you submit to unwavering service to the Death Eaters, you will be tortured in this chamber, doomed for death. I will not kill you now, Draco. But by the time I am finished with you, you will wish for death to come just to take away your misery." Lucius stood erect, his body towering over Draco's crouched form. Wand raised aloft, he pointed its sharp point at the body in front of him and murmured, "Crucio" in crisp diction.

Pain unlike any he had felt since his last obliviation consumed Draco's body for but a split second, but that second felt like all the demons of hell had been released upon him; pinning him to the floor and stabbing him with their bloody pitchforks. But he felt no pain beyond that second. For Draco had been ready for this. He had been fully expecting his father to perform this Unforgivable curse on him, and he had readied a place of escape for his mind to wander. Hermione's face hovered before his and her body soon followed. He felt her warm hand grasp his as she pulled him along with her. A meadow surrounded them, with birds chirping in the distance and the tall grasses whispering to their legs as they leapt through the weeds. He heard her laugh as she twirled around, her skirt skating along after her. A huge smile accompanied his lips as he watched her, soaked to the brim with happiness.

And then, the illusion disappeared. His father had lifted the curse, and he lay, panting, on the cold floor.

For just a moment, he had known pure happiness. And that moment had given him strength to fight. His life would know happiness again and that happiness would be real. Not artificial daydreams used to maintain his sanity.

"How did that feel, son?" Lucius hissed. "How did it feel to have your own father puncturing your very core in such a manner?"

Draco groaned, a low, hearty moan. He knew that he needed to put up a front if he intended to figure out a way to survive and escape this place. If he pretended to be overcome with pain as he endured these curses, he may just have a chance. "You… filthy… son-of-a bitch," Draco gasped, trying to create as real of an illusion as possible.

"Mm," Lucius hummed, thinking as he looked down on Draco's body. "Perhaps… and perhaps you're lying to me. Perhaps you have felt no pain at all from my little show. Such answers remain to be seen."

"Oh yes," Draco panted. "I can't wait until our next little rendezvous. My life seems to be filled to the brim with choices, now, doesn't it?"

Lucius paused for a moment before answering. In the dim light, Draco could see him thinking, his forefinger pressed to his lips in thought. "You know, Draco, I don't think I will obliviate your memory this time. I want you to stay conscious as you become more and more aware of your pitiful state. I want you to go insane with the possibilities you have been denied. I want you to realize just how helpless you are and how little way of escape there truly is." Lucius smiled on the slight change of emotion playing across Draco's face. "Yes, my boy. There is a way out. It was inevitable when this building was built to fit the purpose it is being used for, that it had to have some way of getting out. So there is one way. But if you ever manage to escape, I will never grace you with my presence again."

"Is that a promise," Draco asked. "We'll make a deal. If I get out, you never interfere in my life again. In ANY way."

Lucius smiled at the offer. He was incapable of passing up a challenge. "How could I resist? We'll shake on it, shall we? That way it's firm… and legal."

"No," Draco corrected him. "We'll perform the Unbreakable Vow. That way it's not only legal, but permanent as well. It may come as a surprise to you, but I don't trust you Lucius."

Lucius stayed silent for a moment longer. He seemed to be thinking about this suggestion. Draco knew exactly which thoughts now plagued his mind. He could, on the one hand, make a snide remark, such as; you have no room to bargain. Look at where you're standing! But then again, he could also perform said task, and give Draco hope. And hope, in the hands of prisoners, is very dangerous. If they have hope, they got it into their minds that they might survive. And if he proved, by leaving Draco to ponder ways of escape, that there was no chance of survival, Draco would be in an even deeper rut for allowing himself to hope in the first place.

"Alright then, son. We'll perform the Unbreakable Vow. I'm afraid, though, that we don't have a third party to help us perform it."

"Oh, I'm sure you have guards hanging around here someplace. Even if they are just trying to figure out which direction is the floor and which the ceiling," Draco offered, smirking at his own brilliance.

Lucius glowered at him. "One moment, then; if you will. I dare say you have quite a few moments to spare these days, but no matter."

Draco's head was pounding. The Unbreakable vow was a very risky procedure to agree to. He had to make sure he said the words exactly as they should be said. If he left anything out, Lucius would have the upper hand and Draco could kill himself from his mistake. It was a risk, but the highest possible chance of survival so far.

The door opened, and in walked a burly man about six foot tall with a crew cut and quite a few pounds of excess fat juggling around his person. "Goyle, here, has agreed to perform the task for us, Draco. Now, I'm going to take the manacle off of your wrist and replace it around your forearm." He did so with the flick of his wand, and Draco suddenly felt the weight lift off of his wrist. It was free. He could move it again. Blood had dried to his skin at the places where the manacle had dug into his flesh.

"Now, give me your hand, Draco," Lucius directed.

"No, we have to confirm the premises first. I don't want either of us to be surprised at words dictated by the other," Draco reasoned.

Lucius appeared to be restraining from rolling his eyes. "Alright then, son. What would you like to decide beforehand? I will obviously be asking you the questions, there is no question as to that aspect of this."

"I'm afraid there may be an issue with that," Draco replied smoothly.

"And that would be what?" he threatened.

"Well, since the task we are agreeing to, should I escape, applies to you, it would only make sense for me to ask you the questions," Draco countered.

"Fine then! Anything more?"

Draco cleared his throat and hesitated for a split second before plunging dangerously into the inevitable territory. "First, the rules will stand thus: If I manage to escape from here, you will never interfere or grace me with your presence, unless I deem it necessary, again; ever; for the rest of my existence. Understood?"

"Naturally," he conceded. "Anything else?"

"Yes," Draco responded. "You will be forbidden, from the point the spell goes into effect, to ever put me under the oblivious curse again."

"Draco, Draco, what do you take me for? Would I be as harsh as to wipe your memory clean after such a spell was performed?"

Draco laughed in response to this.

"Well then, if that is all, shall we get this over with? And I want no griping after this has been done. It will be set in stone and that's that. No arguing over changing the rules," Lucius conferred.

"Naturally, as soon as you agree to my last sentiment. You must consent to this in the time of questioning, agreed?"

"Alright then! Agreed," Lucius spat. "But if I agree to that, then you must agree to have a time limit on the length of time this spell will be under effect. I think a month should be satisfactory enough time for you to try your luck. My attention span has shortened over the years and watching you try to escape will only amuse me for so long. Now can we get this over with?" Draco hesitated for a moment more, than nodded. "Goyle, come here you great oaf." Goyle sidled forward. "Now, take your wand out and place it on our hands, if you will." The task was done and Lucius praised him. "Good, now. Draco, are you ready?"

Draco nodded once more, before looking into his father's eyes. It was the first time he had allowed himself to look into those slate gray eyes ever since he had woken up. Cold, hard, endless hatred graced those eyes to the brim as they stared back into Draco's own stormy opals.

"Do you, Lucius Malfoy, agree that, should I escape from this place before a month from today, you will never interfere in my life again without my consent?"

"I do," Lucius whispered. A jet of red light burst out of Goyle's wand and wrapped itself around the two clasped hands, like a snake, slithering it's way around it's pray; choking and squeezing the life out if it.

"Will you agree to stay, at the very least, an eyes distance away from my presence, should I escape the building I am currently sitting in within three months time?"

"I will," Lucius whispered. Another jet of red light followed in the opposite direction of the first, so that two ropes of light captivated the two hands.

"And, from the moment this spell goes into effect to the moment it wears off, will you, Lucius Malfoy, agree to cease performing, or letting anyone else perform, the oblivious charm on my person? Should I go under the oblivious curse or any other memory removing charm, potion, or spell, before this spell activates or fails to activate, all bets shall be deemed off?"

Lucius stared into Draco's eyes and whispered in a cold, harsh, accusing voice, "I will." A third jet of light followed the other two, burning the skin around their hands as it licked their pale flesh.

"And finally, do you agree that, should I fail to escape from this structure, I will be put under a spell so powerful that none but my true love can lift it from my body? If I fail, I will fall into a deep slumber, which has all the outward appearances of death?

Lucius actually smiled at the word choice Draco had chosen to use here. "I do," he hissed. The spell was complete. A fourth jet of light burst out of the wand and wrapped itself tightly around their adjoined wrists. As it coiled around and grazed it's starting point again, the entire web of spells turned a bright red color, and flashed a blinding light around the room.

Only one sound could be heard in the room as Draco sat there in wonder. Lucius' insane laughter; ringing around the room as it bounced off of the metal walls and pounded, mercilessly, into his astonished ears.


Two years earlier

Hermione's hand felt like lead as her hand reached out for the doorknob in her flat. Her hand grasped the doorknob, twisted it around, and pulled it hard. The door swung open to reveal gray clouds blotching the once perfect sky. Raindrops fell softly onto her skin as she walked out, her back rigid, into the cold afternoon. Her neighbor, Nancy Farmcook stood outside as well; a raincoat draped across her shoulders as she pulled weeds from her flowerbed.

"Morning, Hermione!" The women called across the sidewalk. "Interesting weather, isn't it?"

Yes, it certainly was interesting weather. The sky looked angry, she thought, as she scanned its horizon with her eyes. And it had every right to be. "Morning, Ms. Farmcook," Hermione responded in monotone.

The women across the street stopped weeding as Hermione's response floated over to her. Her eyes traveled up and down Hermione' s body, evaluating her clothing choice. She had on a long gray T-shirt and dark blue jeans, faded from use. No coat adorned her body and her hair clung to her cheeks and neck, as its once bouncy curls hung limp and wavy. For a moment, Hermione thought Nancy was going to comment on her attire, but seemed to think better of it as she turned away after waving goodbye and continuing her weeding.

Hermione's legs seemed to be moving on their own accord as they brought her closer and closer to her destination. As she rounded the corner at the end of the deserted road, she turned into a dark alleyway and hid behind a dumpster. Breathing heavily, she sighed and concentrated all her energy on apperating to the church located just south of downtown Diagon Alley.

Five seconds passed, and finally, she felt the familiar tugging sensation starting around her sides as she disappeared from the street corner she had stood moments before. She could feel the air around her diminishing as the planes surrounding her body squeezed her very essence into the most confined space she could fit. Just as she feared she would lose all oxygen in her body, she could feel the sensations diminishing as she felt the new sensation of being squeezed through a tube overcome her and was replaced in front of the church in Diagon Alley.

A bell tolled, signaling the turn of the hour. She breathed a sigh of relief and walked through the heavy wooden doors towering over her head. As she heard the soft thud of the door closing behind her, she allowed her eyes to scan the room and take in her surroundings. The pews seemed to stretch on forever until they finally reached the front of the church where a single step separated the lower level from the minister's podium. Behind the podium sat an altar, with flowers adorning it's surface, and black drapes hanging from the ceiling. In front of the altar lay a coffin; polished, closed, and stone cold.

Hermione felt all the breath leave her despite the plentiful supply of oxygen in the room. She began to feel lightheaded and she could feel her eyes sparkling with tears, once again. When she finally reached the front of the church, all of her remaining breath hitched in her throat as she read the sign hovering in the air…

Here lies Draco Malfoy

Beloved son

A sob escaped her lips as blinding realizations flashed through her body. He was dead, he was gone, and he was never coming back. Dropping to her knees, she covered her face with her hands and allowed herself to cry; hard, body wracking sobs. The tears escaped down her face, but she felt no relief.

She would never feel any relief, because her relief had passed on into another realm… a realm she was unable to pass into in her present state.


A/N: Sorry! I am so sorry but I had to end it that way:) It. Was. Just. So. Perfect! I swear! Lol. Anyway, I know there may be certain parts of this chapter which would fall under the category of "extremely confusing," but for those of you who still haven't read, Love is Pain, that may be part of it. The other part of it may just be because I haven't explained anything yet, and it will be explained more thoroughly with time. I myself am having a bit of trouble remembering the time frames of this story, so I've laid them out for you below.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE PLANNING ON READING LOVE IS PAIN, GO READ IT RIGHT NOW! I HAVE SPOILED THE END OF THE STORY BELOW, SO READ NOW OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE! IT'S ONE CHAPTER LONG, GUYS!

A: Draco leaves Hermione (Love is Pain)

B: 1 year later - Hermione reads in a newspaper article that rebellious Death Eaters killed Draco (Love is Pain)

C: mere months after B - Hermione marries Harry

D: two years after C - Chapter 1 begins

E: The end of chapter 2 takes place between B and C, probably closer to C

So I don't know if that helps at all, but it's there just in case I managed to clear anything up. Read and Review! This would be a great chapter to hear your thoughts since it may have been confusing! I love positive feedback as well as constructive criticism. Thanks for reading!

grabs ice-cream and sits down to write the next chapter

PhoenixCGandAC, Caitlyn