Okay, so I know that my chapters are not very long, yet cooperate with me here. I present you my third chapter.
Warning for language and not too graphic violence and torture.
Ephraim
Chapter three – the blood and the snow
Harry's POV
What remained of the order sat around the table. The wedding was to be the next day, yet the mood in general was weighing down on everybody. Moody was dead, George had hurt his ear but worst of all, Hermione hadn't showed up. The fact that they didn't know of her whereabouts was the worst. She was supposed to join them directly the day before, to take part in the mission to get Harry to safety. They had waited for a couple of minutes before, at Moody's command, they left. Well, it had taken the whole strength of Hagrid to get Harry to leave.
Ron wasn't doing so fine, and Harry neither. For all they knew, Hermione could have been intercepted by death eaters, and could be tortured or killed by Voldemort, just because she was his friend. He had dreamt of her being under the cruciatus spell so long she didn't even recognise him.
He didn't know how close to reality he was.
Hermione's POV
Hermione managed to throw her wand at Malfoy through the bars just as the door slammed open by its own will. It was a risky move but it was trust Malfoy or they would take her wand. She was no fool, she might be bright but she certainly was not strong enough to battle many dark wizards at once, certainly not it the state she was in at that point. Malfoy went back to his corner and hid the wand behind one of the moving bricks creating the cell. What Hermione saw through that door would haunt her dreams forever. Voldemort, Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback, backed up with some other death eaters walked in. The wolfish smile Bellatrix gave her made her heart jump and unconsciously reach for her wand in her pocket.
- My lord that is Harry Potter's mudblood bitch. The mad witch whispered in the dark lord's ear, the simple words making the Gryffindor wince.
- Interesting. Mrs. Granger, I believe?
Hermione was too frozen to even consider answering. Blood was buzzing in her ears and she didn't hear the cruciatus spell cast in her way either. But the pain was unbearable. She fell to the ground writhing and crying out, and as the spell wore off and her head rolled to the side, she made eye contact with Malfoy, who was back in his original position, leaning on the wall. He gave her a strange look, like he was trying to say something but couldn't.
- You answer to the dark lord when he asks a question, filth! Bellatrix's screeching voice rang across the room.
- Now, now, Bellatrix, no need to shout. You'll have plenty of time for that later. Take her up, Bellatrix.
- Yes my lord. The witch bowed down to her master and with the flick of her wand, lifted not too gently Hermione from the ground.
Voldemort turned to the only cell that wasn't vacant.
- Ah yes, young Mr. Malfoy. How are you doing today?
Draco kept his eyes to the ground, not once making eye contact with his former master. The mistake, however, that angered Voldemort seemed to be the lack of response. Hermione watched as it was her schoolmate's turn to writhe on the ground, only letting out a groan to express his pain. But Hermione could see that Voldemort's spell was much stronger than Bellatrix's. It took several minutes of repeated cruciatus for Voldemort to be satisfied. It left Malfoy panting, on his knees. What scared Hermione the most though, was the wheezing sound he made when he breathed. She had read somewhere that witches and wizards who were held under the cruciatus spell for long periods of time tended to develop heart and lungs dysfunction.
- This wand works undeniably well. Started the dark lord. Of course, it is not my own. Mine was… corrupted by its twin. But this one works quite better than my own. Perhaps you recognise it?
Voldemort willed the boy's head to look up and there was a flash of something close to pain again in Malfoy's eyes.
- Yes. Familiar isn't it? After all, I tore it from your father's corpse.
Hermione felt sick. Sick, terrified and horrified for the young Slytherin who had lost his father. And if his father had died, then his mother… Voldemort released his control over Malfoy's body and his head fell back down as he brought his knees to his chest. His blond bangs prevented Hermione to see his eyes. She wanted to...to, she didn't know what she wanted in Malfoy's eyes. And as she floated out of the room and the gate closed behind her, she swore she heard a muffled sob in the cold.
Draco's POV
Granger had been screaming. Of course she had been. She was with Bellatrix. Draco wanted not to feel. He wanted not to feel bad about the muggleborn he had once called mudblood. Yet somehow, when she had stumbled upon his cell, he had been so relieved to see somebody. The house elves came when he slept, so he never really saw them, and nobody would come downstairs. Like a child seeking comfort, he had told Granger of his problems. He didn't tell her about his parents but she learned anyways. He gripped his knees tighter. He had stopped crying an hour before, because his tears had started to freeze, and it had rendered the skin of his cheek raw. Besides, if Granger ever came back down, he didn't want her knowing he cried. That would make him look even more like a weakling. Another scream echoed through the dungeons. Draco put his hands over his ears. He wanted not to care. He wanted… He wanted…
He wanted his mother.
When he had come back from that night at the astronomy tower, when Voldemort had learned about his failure, even after Snape had told him of Dumbledore's death, he had gone into a violent rage. He had killed his father first, screaming about how pathetic a lineage he had made. Lucius hadn't suffered. The bastard Draco had somehow grown to despise had died of a clean, painless death. His mother, on the other side, had suffered under the blinding hold of the cruciatus spell. She had stayed stoic at first, but they made Draco watch as her mind slowly decayed. They had tortured her until she screamed that she regretted ever having a son. That had hurt the young Malfoy heir more than anything. Then as the dark lord killed her, he made it so her empty eyes rested on her son as her life left her body. For hours after he had murdered Narcissa Malfoy, Voldemort took simple pleasure in hurting Draco. When he grew tired of the boy screaming at the crucio he'd casted, instead he listened to the boy screaming at other death eater's brutal beating. It took the slytherin more than a day to open his left eye and after a month, he still had the bruises on his neck and collarbone. For most of his "punishment", which he received the next days, Draco learned to keep quiet. He would not give the satisfaction of uttering a sound. He was done screaming. But the girl upstairs was not.
He would not leave her broken like he had been. Granger was not his best friend, was not even someone he considered his friend, but in times of war, sometimes alliances are forged. Draco moved the brick out of its encasing and gripped Granger's wand. He hadn't won it fair, but it was given to him. Its power was his for the time being.
- Alohomora
The door opened and Draco put a bare foot out of his cell. He marvelled at the feeling of walking more than three paces. The floor was cold under his feet but it didn't stop him from reaching the prison door. He opened it again. Wondering of where could his wand be in the manor. Yes, it was his home. Funny how it had been invaded by death eaters. Draco knew that if he ever managed to leave unscathed, he would never come back to Malfoy manor. Not with the blood of both his parents staining the carpet. He soundlessly made his way up, the bruises and the cuts making his pace slower than usual. His body was reacting badly to his newly found liberty. Granger; no. Hermione screamed again. From out of the dungeon, the sound was much more intense, more. It brought vivid memories of his mother and Draco had to clear his mind, to stop his body from shaking.
Like he had done all these years, Draco navigated in the hallways, recalling the times he had done so at night to steal food from the kitchen. When finally he reached the living room, he hid behind the sofa that had been pushed to the wall. From the side he could see the Gryffindor witch curled into a ball on the ground. There was something written in red on her forearm. In blood, Draco realised. He cringed as his crazy aunt let out a laugh.
- One more time mudblood! Where is Harry Potter hiding?! Surely you must know! The brightest witch of her age, they call you. How about the dumbest bitch for a change!
Granger didn't answer and let out a bloodcurdling scream as another dark spell hit her square in the back. Now if Draco could just find the right moment to strike…
- I believe the chosen one will have gotten my message. Come, Nagini. We have other matters to discuss.
The dark lord disapparated, leaving in his stead Granger and Bellatrix.
- Now, mudblood filth, we have plenty of time to play together.
Granger let out a sob and curled tighter.
- Cruc… Bellatrix didn't have time to finish her spell.
- Expelliarmus!
Draco stood in front of his aunt with his arm raised. He took a deep breath, hardening his resolve. He had lived in fear of her retribution all her life. It was time he stood up for himself.
- Draco-dear! How good to see you out of your cell. I didn't know you had fallen so far as to help a mudblood. She shot him a predatory grin.
The next moments happened so fast Draco barely had time to register his own action. Bellatrix threw a dagger she had somehow hidden in her dress towards the blond Malfoy. So pumped of adrenaline, the boy didn't notice the blinding pain in his shoulder as the blade buried itself deep into the flesh. Granger managed to stand and ran towards Draco. For some reason having her now safe behind him made him feel better.
- Help! To me! The prisoner and the mudblood are escaping!
As soon as Bellatrix's strident scream sounded, Draco turned towards Hermione. He took her arm and pulled her close. Concentrating, the young Malfoy called upon the strength of his family's blood and tried apparating. It failed and a couple of death eaters entered the room, wands raised. His aunt herself retrieved her wand and started an incantation Draco had never heard. His heart was beating so fast it was starting to hurt his chest. In a last ditch attempt, he turned his back on Bellatrix to protect Granger's smaller frame, and tried to disapparate once again. It worked that time, and the familiar nausea he always experienced when disapparating appeared in his stomach. The two students vanished from the room, but not before Bellatrix's unknown spell hit Draco in the small of his back.
Hermione's POV
Draco and she had apparated away from the house with the dungeon, away from Bellatrix and her knife. Both of them landed on something white and cold. Snow, she realised. She had no idea where they were. Snow fell lazily from the sky.
- Malfoy? Where are we? She asked him while searching around for some civilisation. There was no answer from the blond. She huffed. Malfoy, I…
Malfoy didn't look so well. She realised the same cursed knife Bellatrix had used on her was now deep in the Slytherin's right shoulder. Blood was seeping around the steel and created a growing puddle on the snow, reddening the immaculate white.
- Malfoy wake up!
It started snowing harder.
- Wake up!
The storm settled fast and soon the two wizards were stranded in a real blizzard, leaving Hermione alone with an unresponsive Malfoy and a lot of blood on her hand.
Harry's POV
The images shifted in Harry's mind. First some misty pictures of Voldemort and Nagini. Some of Bellatrix. Snatchers standing in the living room of some richly decorated house. Finally, it settled to Bellatrix, turning around like a vulture. The dark lord looked down. Hermione. Curled in a ball, with blood on his arm. His best friend was shaking.
- Crucio! Crucio!
Hermione screamed and screamed again, the pain seemingly unbearable.
- Where is Harry Potter ratting out? Tell me! Voldemort hissed at the witch.
Hermione stayed unresponsive.
- One more time, mudblood! Where is Harry Potter hiding? Surely you must know! The brightest witch of her age! How about the dumbest bitch, for a change!
Bellatrix was screaming and Hermione screamed again in pain.
Harry wake up in cold sweat. As Ron turned in his sleeping bag, all he saw was the tears on Harry's face.
- They have Hermione. He croaked.
Ron's face fell.