This war was never going to END! Three years! Three years and counting! They were STILL at it. Neither of them seemed to know how to end the standoff! Everyone was getting worn down and careless. None more so than Hermione Granger, best friend of the chosen one.

She was ready, past ready to get on with her life. She'd finished her schooling amid threats of war. She'd applied for a Ministry job and been accepted. She and Ron had tried a relationship and decided they were better off as friends. He was currently dating Lavender Brown who had been crazy about him since sixth year. He and Lavender had helped HER hook up with Anthony Goldstein and they were almost ready to take the plunge. It was just a matter of finding the right time to do it.

She kept a potions lab set up at Grimmauld Place, where she now lived. Her parents were still hidden and she knew she'd never bring them back. They had been under the Memory charm too long. There would be no way to ever restore the memories she had taken from them. She was running low on certain potions ingredients so she decided she needed to do a quick supply run. Of course, she knew the Death Eaters were out there. There was always a risk of capture, but as long as she was careful, she should be ok. It was just supposed to be a there and back trip.

She carefully scanned the area before walking away from Grimmauld Place. She headed for the Leaky Cauldron and slipped through the shadowy hallway to the back wall. As she tapped out the pattern, she failed to look behind her. If she had, she would have seen the wizard in black robes, staring at her. She slipped through the archway and headed straight for the apothecary. Along the way, she got distracted a moment, staring at wedding robes in the window of Tattings and Twilfit.

The wizard paused, watching her. He didn't want to draw attention to them. Finally, she went on. He looked in the window, taking note of the robes she'd been staring at so longingly. Then he went on behind her. She'd been on their capture list for the past three years now. They had almost given up on the idea. Voldemort had some kind of notion that Harry Potter would willingly die if they had her in custody! He couldn't believe the stroke of luck that had led him to the Leaky Cauldron today.

He had been waiting three long years for this day. Finally he could do now what he'd tried to do then. There was no Potter or Weasley here to back her up. It was just her and him! He was bigger, stronger and faster. She'd be gone before she knew it. The Dark Lord might even give her to him as a reward for capturing her, after he used her against Potter, of course!

His eyes traced down her slim back as he wondered how many men she'd bedded since Hogwarts. It was too much to wish he could have been the first one. No doubt, that honor had been Weasley's or possibly Krum's, the way HE'D looked at her that year!

He personally would have made sure he was the ONLY one she ever remembered! His body stirred at the memory of that periwinkle blue dress and her looking almost unrecognizable, hair up and makeup perfect! She'd seemed to float in on the arm of Viktor Krum! He'd wanted so badly to snatch her up, find a broom closet or even a long table, lay her down and have his wicked way with her!

She ducked into the apothecary and headed straight to the back where her main supply of ingredients were always located. She was very good friends with the owner, who had actually offered her an internship with him. He was old and didn't have any family to leave his shop to. She was seriously thinking about it. Her job at the Ministry was nowhere near as fulfilling as she'd thought it would be. Hans, the owner, was nowhere in sight at the moment but Hermione would leave him a note and her money.

He followed her to the back, making sure the old man wasn't in sight. It wouldn't do to let himself be seen making off with her. He watched what she was grabbing, grinning as he recognized the ingredients. His mother had used that same potion every month, for years. She must have fairly bad cramps to be using it. With one more look around to make sure they were alone and unobserved, he made his move.

A shadow fell over her, coming closer until she could feel the warmth of another person behind her. She had just straightened to turn around when she was grabbed, a hand capped over her mouth, and forced out the back door! Her screams were muffled and her struggles didn't seem to faze the person behind her. She felt the tug behind her navel as the person activated a Portkey!

When they popped back into view, she really started fighting. She didn't know who had her but they had brought her back to Malfoy Manor! It could only be a Death Eater! He strode up the drive to the front door and carried her inside. Moments later, she was again in the dreaded drawing room. This time Voldemort was there with his full Inner Circle.

She was dropped on the floor and forced to bow. "Ah, who do we have here? Well, Miss Granger. How very pleasant to grave us with your presence." Voldemort hissed gleefully. He motioned her captor to allow her to rise. She straightened instantly, glaring at the madman. He grasped her chin and looked intently at her. She realized too late what he was doing!

'Hermione and Anthony walking hand in hand, on a first date. Sitting on a bench, debating elf right on a second date'. More and more details of her life spilt out as he moved through all her memories. He began chuckling as he realized her intention of marrying as a virgin. Her first time would be her wedding night. He pulled back as she collapsed in the floor, clutching her head.

"I have a special treat for you, my followers!" he conjured a handful of straws. They watched with interest as he broke one of them in half, then clenched them in his hand. "Gather around. You will now draw straws. The one who pulls the short straw will receive a very special present!"

Hermione watched in horror as the cheering wizards gathered to pull a straw from their leader's hand. It wasn't the noisy ones she was scared of: they were taunting her with promises of Crucio and other torture. No, it was the quiet one she was scared of. Molly Weasley had taken her, Ginny and other girls in the Order of the Phoenix aside and spoken to them about a possible outcome of capture: rape. Right now, he was staring at her like she was stark naked in front of him! She could tell because he wasn't looking at her face, he was looking at her body!

When there were only two straws left and the short one still hadn't been pulled, he and one other wizard moved forward. She knew the other wizard wanted to kill her. He'd certainly tried hard enough over the years but alas he'd failed each time. As they both reached for a straw, she found herself hoping that Dolohov pulled the short straw. Then she would know she was definitely going to die. As it happened, he pulled the long straw as the other man grasped the short one. He smiled triumphantly at her.

"Congratulations are in order to," the Dark Lord paused for a dramatic moment. "Thorfinn Rowle!"