I wanted to go ahead and post this chapter. It was harder to write emotional for me. I hope you all enjoy the read. Thank you all for the support!
Disclaimer-I do not own Harry Potter
Opening the door to the room, Hermione silently let go of Fred's hand and walked towards the bed. She let her hands glide across the messed up blankets. Smiling at the memory of being wrapped in his arms. For so long she imagined what it would feel like to be so close to him. Suddenly she was all too aware that he was there.
"Hermione?" He asked a few steps behind her. "You haven't looked yet, have you?" She took a deep breath and turned to him.
"No." Her eyes gleaming with tears. "I. I don't know what seeing it will do to me." She held her own, not letting any tears escape this time.
"Do you want me to?" Fred asked, stepping closer. She nodded. "Are you sure?" he hesitated.
"Yes." She answered, closing her eyes. Slowly she pulled her sweat shirt off, leaving only her bra to cover.
Fred remained steadfast, allowing no emotion to show on his face. Even though Hermione's eyes were closed, he did not want her to see his worry. But it was not easy. The moment her skin was in view, it was like a punch to his gut. He didn't know if he was feeling sadness for her state or complete rage towards those that caused the harm.
"Fred?" She whispered. "You're going to have to tell me something."
He looked back up to her face, her eyes still closed. "Right, um." He took a deep breath, then brought his hands to her shoulders. His fingers barely touching her skin.
"Here, on your shoulders there is some slight bruising that looks like hand marks." Slowly he went down her arms, the touch of his fingers giving Hermione goose bumps. "Going down both your arms are various scratch marks. I can't tell if they are from fingernails or."
"Fingernails." Hermione answered, her voice dark. "Bellatrix."
Fred stopped, all he wanted to do in that moment was take her in his arms and run as far away as they possibly could. How could someone do this to another human being?
"It's ok, Fred. Please keep going." She said, trying to smile.
"Ok love." Regaining composure, he looked back to her body. "There are no marks around your neck or chest, but there is significate bruising around where your ribs are." Suddenly Hermione jerked back. "I'm sorry, that must be where they haven't healed yet."
"They were broken multiple times." Hermione said trying to catch her breath. "Usually she would heal them up and give them time to rest before coming back at them."
"This one looks rather damaged. We are definitely going to need a healer." Fred replied stepping closer to her. "Do you want me to stop?"
"No, I have to know all of it." She said, steading herself.
"Ok." Fred looked around the rest of her stomach, when something caught his eye. "Hermione? Your side." His fingers grazed the words craved into Hermione's side.
And there it was, she thought, my brand. "That happened before, when we were on the run, trapped in Malfoy's mansion. She craved it in me." Hermione clenched her eyes tight, trying not to envision the memory. Screaming on the cold floor, Bellatrix holding her down, slicing into her skin.
"Hermione, this wound is reopened?" Fred put a warm hand over the word. As if that would protect her from it.
"It was kind of her favorite spot." Hermione put her hand on Fred's. "Is that everything?" Fred removed his hand from her and looked.
"Just need to check the back." He breathed, hoping this was almost over.
"Alright." Hermione turned.
Turn back around, turn back around, Fred yelled in his head. He wished with all his heart he could unsee what just was revealed. This time his face was a giveaway, there could be no hiding it.
"Fred?" Hermione waited. "Fred, you're scaring me."
"Hermione." He started. "I need you to keep your eyes closed, Ok." He waited for her reply. "Hermione, I need you to say Ok."
"Ok." She whimpered.
"Ok." He responded. Slowly he brought his hands to her back. "There are a couple boot prints that have left pretty bad bruising around the top and middle of your back." He said placing his hand lightly in the spots to let her know where. She flinched at his touch.
"Then." He paused, letting the silence fill him. Knowing the pain she had to endure was almost too much for him to bear, but then she said his name.
"Fred, Fred please just tell me." She begged of him, tears now streaming down her face.
"There are names." He drew in a ragged breath. "Names craved into your back." He brought his fingers to graze over them. "Dumbledore, Lovegood, Longbottom, Potter, Weasley, Weasley, Weasley, Weasley, Weasley, Weasley, Weasley, Weasley." Fred paused as his hand brushed over the last name, craved right in the middle of her back. "Weasley Blood Traitor."
Neither of them moved or breathed. Fred felt his body would give way, either to sadness or complete fury. His fingers traced over the raised skin spelled out for him. Blood traitor. Bellatrix had put this here for him. Hermione had been cut into because of him. He took a step back from her, his head hanging down.
"I thought it was dream." Hermione finally spoke. "The names." She said quietly turning towards where she heard Fred's step. "Bellatrix brought along Greyback one day. They were asking me all these questions, but I wouldn't answer. I remember Greyback threw me to the ground." Hermione stopped, placing her hands to the backs of her shoulders. "I blacked out. When I woke, my back hurt but I just figured it was from being thrown. A couple nights later I dreamed of her standing over me saying the names."
Hermione took a step closer to Fred. "She stood over me, as I laid on that cold floor. All these people she would say and no one to save you." She was close to him now, the heat generating from his body making her heart speed up. "I could feel her, every time she said a name, I could feel the knife digging into my skin. Tearing away at my flesh, at me." She reached her arms out behind her, trying to feel for the names. "I just didn't want to believe it was true." She stopped as her hand brushed against the slightly raised flesh.
"Hermione." Fred started reaching out a hand to brush the side of her face. The sound of him saying her name dared her to open her eyes. She looked deep into his. "Just breath." He said, taking her hands in his.
Deep breathe in, she told herself, as her eyes slowly looked down his body to his hands. She could see her hands shaking slightly. With extreme caution, she let her eyes move up her arms. There were the scratch marks, her mind flashed to a laughing Bellatrix dragging her hands down Hermione's arms. She could see her skipping around the dark room. "Potter's little mudblood, Potter's little mudblood." The deatheater would chant. Hermione let go of Fred's hands and turned to face the mirror.
At first all she could see was the color. Her skin was so pale, causing the blue and purple bruising to stand out, immediately catching the eye. She put a hand to her shoulder. It felt as though Bellatrix still had a hold of her. Every scar, every wound was filling her mind with the memory of how it appeared there.
"Hermione, don't you think they would have come by now. They are out there living their lives without you. You are forgotten." She said, looking down to her stomach. Her fingers shook over the words carved into her side. "She would say that, when things were quiet. When I would be left to heal." She winced as her fingers poked at her ribs.
Fred stood silent behind her, as she stared into the mirror. He could feel his legs waver slightly. More than anything he wanted to comfort her, to take all this away. But right now she just needed him to be there, to let her work this out.
"She wanted to break me." She paused. "She wanted to break me so hard that I would turn on you all." Hermione looked towards Fred in the mirror. "I need to see them." She stated.
"Are you sure?" Fred asked quietly.
"I need to." She replied turning to face him.
"Accio." Fred said, summoning another mirror to hold up for Hermione to see. "Ready?" She nodded in agreement.
She wasn't ready, not really. As her eyes scanned up and down her back, she could feel her mind giving up. The torture, the loneliness, the fear, the pain. It all came rushing through her like a river. Suddenly she collapsed to her knees. Crouched on all fours, she tried to catch her breath. Fred was instantly down in front of her.
"Slow down, Hermione." He moved as close to her as possible without touching her. "I need you to breathe."
But she wasn't there anymore, she was trapped in the room again. Backed against a wall with her head in her hands, trying to block out the constant taunting from Bellatrix. "Stupid little mudblood. Tried to save the red head, but lost your life instead." That laugh, no not that laugh.
"Hermione. Open your eyes!" Fred shouted, as Hermione curled her body into a ball, laying down on the floor.
"Potter, Weasley, what a complete waste." That laugh. Hermione felt her body start to shake. "You should kiss the ground I walk on!" Hermione could see it, she could feel it. Greyback pushing a boot into her back, holding her to the cold floor. "Let's make a list of all those who won't be coming to save you little mudblood. First Dumbledore."
Hermione screamed as she felt Bellatrix's knife dig into her. "Lovegood, Neville." The laugh grew louder, piercing her ears. "Ok, should we start with the Weasels? There's Mom and Dad Wesel. Then the oldest, the married one, the ministry worker, baby sis, one ear twin."
Fred pulled at Hermione's arms, her hands pushing into her face. "Hermione! Please." He begged.
"Oh, little Granger. How about the git one." Bellatrix laughed again. "I know you keep waiting for this one. The boy who lived, the one to save the day." Hermione felt her body jerk at the deepness of the blade. Her breath becoming short. "Wait a minute." Bellatrix bent down, running her wand across Hermione's back. "We are missing a Weasley."
Fred tried to pull Hermione into his arms, but she couldn't be moved. Her body was shaking, curled tightly together. Her hands helped to muffle her screams, but he could hear them. "Hermione, please."
"The last weasel Weasley. The mudblood loving twin always trying. The blood traitor." Hermione cried out as Bellatrix sank her blade into her once again. Her world was going dark. Her body could no longer take the pain. "Now you'll carry the names of those who forgot you, forever." She heard the laugh once more.
"Fred! What the bloody hell!" Ron yelled as he and Harry stormed through the room.
"Hermione, can you hear? Hermione?" Harry pulled her from Fred. "Hermione, please, can you hear me?" He felt her body go stiff and the screaming stopped. Slowly she removed her hands from her face and pushed herself to sit up.
"Hermione?" Ron questioned from a spot next to Harry. The three men looked to their friend. She gave no emotion away. No sign of what was going on in her head.
"Potter, Weasley." She said suddenly, staring at her two best mates. "The boy who lived and the git, etched forever in my skin." She stood quickly. Her eyes began to water as she turned her focus to Fred.
"You. Weasel Weasley. The mudblood loving twin. The one who keeps trying." She was crying now, not taking her eyes off him. "The blood traitor." She could feel her chest moving up and down rapidly.
Fred took a step towards her. "Yes." He said.
"You knew that was meant for you." She replied, stepping closer to him. Her whole body shaking, as she felt breathing becoming harder.
He caught her stare. "You didn't forget." She choked.
"Never." He answered, reaching out a hand for hers. Instantly he was blocked. Hermione had put a hand in the air, creating a bubble barrier around her and the others.
"What if you were too late." She stated.