Under the Dark Lord's Reign Chapter Two

J.K. Rowling owns all rights to the Harry Potter Universe

Hermione stayed still as the guard undid her chains, only to fasten a new one around her neck. "Here you are, sir," the guard said as he handed the chain to Lucius. Malfoy Senior said nothing as he dragged Hermione along beside him toward the stairs leading out of the dungeon.

Hermione kept her eyes on her feet as they ascended the stone steps, struggling to maintain her balance in her weakened state. As she clamored over the last step, she raised her head to take in her surroundings.

The hallway they now marched through had the same feel as the room below. It was gloomy, the only light being emitted by the sconces that lined the walls. They came to rest at what appeared to be a fireplace, and Hermione knew full well what was to come next.

Lucius stepped into the fireplace and jerked Hermione's chain, creating an extremely unpleasant pressure on her neck. Reluctantly, she stepped into the fireplace beside him, and felt her breath hitch as he grabbed a handful of floo powder and bellowed the words "Malfoy Manor." There was a green light, and next she knew, she was blundering out of a different fireplace, this one belonging to the very same room in which Bellatrix had tortured her.

Lucius again jerked her chain and led her through a hallway, up a flight of stairs, through another hallway, and finally into a rather large bedroom. Every accessory, from the bedspread to the rug in the center of the room, bore the colors of Slytherin House. Lucius led her to the four-poster bed, and fastened her chain to one of the front posts. He eyed her up and down. "Now, be a good little mudblood, and don't try anything," he said, before walking back to the bedroom door, glancing over his shoulder at Hermione, and closing the door behind him as he exited the room.

Hermione sat upon the foot of the bed, her mind racing. There was a window to her left that she could try to escape from, but that wouldn't be possible unless she got out of this wretched chain. She didn't have her wand, what could she do? Nothing.

Hermione slouched over, feeling defeated, and began to sob. As she allowed misery to overcome her, however, she remembered her vow not to let Draco see her in this state. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt, and forced herself to regain her composure.

For a few minutes, she sat there, waiting. Then, she heard voices coming from the other side of the door, "A Surprise?" inquired one voice. "What kind of a surprise?" the voice continued. "See for yourself." At this, the bedroom door opened and in walked Lucius, followed by one of the people Hermione hated most, Draco sodding Malfoy.

Draco's eyes were on his father as he strutted into the room. Hermione stirred, and Draco's gaze moved from his father onto her. Their eyes met, and Draco wore a startled look on his face that Hermione might have found funny if they were still in school. His face quickly returned to its neutral state.

"Well?" asked Lucius. For a moment, Draco remained silent, then, he turned to Lucius, "Thank you father." A sick smile crept upon Lucius's face, "You are most welcome, Draco. You deserve it. I have some matters to attend to and should be back in the evening. In the meantime, enjoy your new… pet." He turned on his heel and left the bedroom, closing the door as he exited.

Draco simply stared at her for a moment, the tension in the room was thick. Hermione glowered at him. Draco returned her look with a smile. "Hello Granger," he walked across the room and rested against a desk to the left of the door. "I must admit, when father said he had a surprise for me, I certainly wasn't expecting this. I'm quite delighted to see you in your rightful place, serving a pureblood family. Have you learned your place yet, Granger? If not, I suppose I'll have to teach it to you."

Hermione felt her temper flare, "Go to hell, Malfoy," she said through gritted teeth. Draco lifted his index finger and moved it pack and forth like the pendulum of a grandfather clock. "Tsk, tsk, Granger. You'll address me as master from now on, since that's what I am. I'll let it go just this once, since we're just now establishing that rule."

"Like hell I will, ferret!" In an instant, the mood of the room darkened. Draco's smile faded, replaced by his trademark sneer. "I warned you, mudblood." He approached Hermione and loosened her chain from the post. "I wager a week in the cellar will sort you out."

Hermione laughed bitterly. "I just came from a dungeon, I hardly see how being locked in a cellar is any different." Truthfully, she dreaded the thought of having to spend another second chained to the floor of some gloomy, wretched place, but she wasn't about to let Draco know that. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. He pulled on her chain, leaving her little choice but to follow him out of the room, and down to the cellar.

Still, Hermione reasoned, she'd prefer the cellar to being chained to Draco Malfoy's bed. His smug look had returned to him, and Hermione wanted very much to slap it off his face, much as she had done in their third year.

They descended the steps to the cellar and came to rest outside the iron gate. Draco sighed, "I take no pleasure in doing this, Granger." Hermione was taken aback by this statement, but before she could question it, he threw his head back and guffawed. "Joking. I find this quite enjoyable. Give it a week, and you'll be begging me to chain you back to my bed." He opened the cellar's gate, threw Hermione in, and slammed it shut behind her.

"I'll consider sending a servant to bring you some food and water every few days, but I make no promises," he drawled, before turning around and marching back up the stairs. "You bastard!" The words had come out of Hermione's mouth before she could stop them. She hated every fiber of Draco's existence, but she was a smart witch.

She knew that she was at his mercy, and insulting him would only make things worse for her in the long run. Draco, however, showed no signs of caring about what she'd said. He was already at the top of the stairs, and after turning a corner Hermione could no longer see him.

She walked to a corner of the cellar and sat down, drawing her legs up to her chest and burying her face in them. She didn't know how long she sat there, crying silently, before she fell asleep.

OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO

Hermione laid there for what seemed like days, and she still hadn't been given anything to eat or drink. How dare Draco do this to her, that bastard. She swore to herself that she would get her revenge on him, someday. She didn't know what she'd do to him, but whatever she decided, he would deserve every second of the suffering she was to inflict upon him.

She was disrupted from her thoughts as she heard the footsteps of someone coming down the stairs. As the figure reached the cellar's gate, Hermione immediately recognized that the creature was a house elf due to its small stature. "Master Draco ordered Winky to bring you this food, miss," the elf said. She was holding a tray in her left hand, and upon snapping the fingers of her right one, the tray disappeared, immediately reappearing on Hermione's side of the iron bars.

"Thank you, Winky!" Hermione exclaimed. She rushed over towards the gate and grabbed the tray, which had still been floating in midair. She glanced down at the food, not entirely sure what it was. If Hermione had to choose a word to describe it, she'd go with slop.

A year ago, she'd never have agreed to eat something like this, but now wasn't a time to be picky. There were no utensils, so she resorted to grabbing a handful of it and stuffing it in her mouth. It didn't taste particularly good, but it was tolerable.

A few minutes later Hermione had finished, and she slid the tray between the iron bars of the gate to return it to Winky. As she looked Winky up and down, memories of S.P.E.W. came racing into her mind. The Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, she had called it. Even though only a few years had passed, it felt like a lifetime ago.

"What are you doing here, Winky?" Hermione asked in the politest tone she could muster. "As Winky told miss, Master Draco sent Winky here to bring miss food," the elf responded. "No," Hermione began hotly, "I mean what are you doing in this house, serving the Malfoys? You were a free elf!"

The elf remained silent for a moment, before replying, "Winky wouldn't expect miss to understand. Winky never wanted freedom. After the Battle of Hogwarts was over, Winky set out to find a new master. She approached the Malfoys and offered a lifetime of service, free of charge. Master Lucius is a gracious wizard, and he accepted Winky's offer!" The house elf's face lit up when she had finished speaking.

Hermione lay sulking in the corner after her conversation with Winky had ended. She knew she had managed to offend the elf after saying a few not so pleasant things about the Malfoys. Hermione didn't care, though. The desire that seemed ingrained in most house elves to remain oppressed baffled her, and she vowed not to waste any more breath on the matter for the time being. She rested against the wall, and drifted off to sleep.

Author's Notes: I know that some of you will be annoyed to see a character like Winky in the story, but I promise, most of the story is going to focus on Hermione and Draco. Also, any feedback you may for me have is greatly appreciated.