I've had to split what was initially one extremely long chapter into two shorter ones as it was getting silly (5400 ish words and nowhere near finishing) Unfortunately that means that this chapter doesn't have too much going on - kind of a filler chapter I'm afraid. Still the next couple should hopefully have something to get your teeth into!
So the next chapter will also be based around the girls, but after that… Well let's say that in answer to Fwakes47 – Draco will be getting a wand very soon… hopefully you will be pleased with the outcome ;)
After a moment's hesitation, Hermione tentatively crept forward into the space beyond the cell...
Slowly and cautiously Hermione followed the vines down what appeared to be an old stone tunnel that had been hidden behind the fireplace in her cell. There were no windows or lamps that she could see, yet somehow since she had stepped through into the flora strewn passage, she had found no difficulty seeing her way. Peering above her she saw why, stunning silver and gold flowers were bursting forth from the ceiling; each of the petals seemed to glow as if they were overflowing with light.
"Star flowers!" Hermione whispered to herself. Although she still wished fervently that she had her wand to protect herself, in the back of her mind she couldn't imagine such beautiful flowers being used by someone as evil as Voldemort.
She continued softly along her way, looking down she noticed that moss was growing a few feet ahead of her, each time she took a step the moss grew further along the floor so that her footsteps were constantly muffled.
Turning a corner, Hermione stopped suddenly in surprise. She had reached the end of the passage but there was no adjoining door or window here; nor any other tunnels leading off… and yet it was not a dead end. Where there should have been a wall there was instead a shimmering, swirling vortex of colours...
Hermione sucked in a deep breath; she had, of course, read about such things as these in history books. Thousands of years ago some of the earliest wizards on record had supposedly encountered such portals as these. They claimed that they were gateways to other places and the few wizards who alleged they had travelled in them (and returned) said that some took you five minutes away and others could take you to a planet in another solar system.
Until this very moment, Hermione had never really believed the stories. She had assumed that there was a logical explanation which the superstitious wizards of the time hadn't figured out… That was, if the rumours hadn't just been invented by a group of people looking for some fame.
But here she was, standing right in front of one. Her brow furrowed over her large brown eyes as she racked her brain trying to think of some rationalisation for this phenomenon. There was no doubt about it; this looked identical to the old etchings and wood carvings in the books; she could think up no reason other than it was a portal.
Maybe they drugged my dinner? She thought wildly and grasped her throat and stomach in panic. Just as she was considering making herself sick, a loud rustling noise started by her left elbow.
Quickly whipping her head round, what she saw made Hermione's eyes widen even more. Drugs! She thought… The climbing plants that had spread themselves all over the walls were now writhing and forming an outline. Hermione's mouth made a small 'o' shape when she realised they were making a face – the very same face that she had seen in her cell.
"Runawayrunawayrunaway" Hermione's mind was screaming at her, but it was no good, she was rooted to the spot.
"Are you going to stand there until you go to seed or are you going to come through? I can't keep this open forever you know."
It took Hermione's brain a second to filter through the fact that the deep rumbling voice she had just heard was coming from the leafy face on the wall…
The floral man's face frowned slightly – which was a sight to see - and added, "Well don't keep opening and closing your mouth girl, Step through!"
Before she could say or do anything, a large green hand grew out of the wall and gave her a none-too-gentle shove in the back, sending her toppling straight through the magical doorway...
Pansy clutched the thick cloak around herself gratefully. Snape was right; down here in the bowels of the building it was cold and clammy. The cloak must have a warming charm on it as her extremities were almost numb with the cold, yet her body was nicely warm.
She cast a glance at the sallow professor next to her, wondering why he would do her such a courtesy when really he could just have left her to get cold. Snape caught her eye and as if he knew what she was thinking he said, "The tests I will be performing are to help judge your limitations. The Dark Lord has said that he will need you to be at your bodily and cerebral peak so you are fit for his uses."
Before Pansy could answer back, Snape drew his wand from his cloak and made several passes with it over an area of tapestry on the wall. "Come." He commanded and pulled Pansy straight through the wall-hanging into a hidden room beyond. Pansy was impressed, she knew how difficult concealment charms like that were; the one leading to platform 9-3/4 was famous world-wide for its size and quality.
Looking around, Pansy conceded that the large room she had ended up in was just as impressive, although in a totally different way. Glass vials, tubes and beakers littered the sides; many were perched precariously over low burning fires and were filled with strange bubbling or fizzing concoctions that Pansy could only guess at. Literally hundreds of shelves ranged across the room and were stacked full with boxes and jars – all filled with potion ingredients. It had to be the largest collection of its sort in Britain, an alchemists dream.
Snape was whispering an incantation over the back of the tapestry. Apparently finished with his spell he walked calmly over to where Pansy was standing. "You can take off the cloak now; many of the potions need to be kept at certain temperatures so it is unfortunately warm in here."
Pansy shrugged off the cloak, wondering as she had done many times at Hogwarts whether Snape really disliked being warm or if it was just an act. Although the potions classroom was always freezing, she had been taken into his house once by her Father and it was certainly not chilly there. Though she remembered Snape's attitude had been cool enough to lower the temperature several degrees – he had not been very happy to see them…
She was shocked out of her current line of thought when Snape took her arm and pushed up the sleeve of her top. His eyes flicked up to her and he must have seen some of the panic that she was desperately trying not to show.
He kept the hold he had on her eyes as he said. "I have to take a sample of your blood. It won't hurt."
For some reason Pansy trusted his last statement. Snape's aura had never seemed particularly threatening to her. She had always thought that it was because they had been followers of the same side. But now that she was… not quite opposing exactly, but no longer a believer of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, she had assumed that she would be able to sense some sort of darkness surrounding Snape.
The ugly cowering man that had fled from Snape earlier on had certainly been tinged with the same feel of decay that she sensed from The Dark Lord, almost as if it had leeched onto him and bled itself into his flesh and bones. Now that she thought about it, to some extent quite a few of the Death Eaters that were higher up in the ranks had the same cloying overlay of death staining their own individual auras.
Maybe it's because of a connection to Him. But that means that man was important to Him too? Pansy thought, but he certainly didn't look like he was the sort of person that was important to anyone…
Before she realised it, Snape had finished taking her blood. He started doing other tests on her; all of which were very similar to the medical check-ups that Madam Pomfrey and the local medi-witches performed on the students each year. Once he had finished with this style of tests, Snape asked several questions pertaining to Pansy's ability of sight. He seemed particularly interested when Pansy said that the atmospheric feelings she received from him seemed thick and impenetrable.
Seemingly satisfied, he sat down at a nearby desk, pulled out a large leather bound book and a quill from a drawer and started making notes. Pansy looked over curiously to see if she could read what he was writing about her, but she gasped when she realised that the ink was disappearing into the parchment seconds after Snape wrote each word.
He looked up at her sharp intake of breath and gave a small smirk. He quickly scribbled what looked like a signature, closed the book and muttered a small incantation over it before putting it tidily back in its place.
"A somewhat altered version of one of the Dark Lord's inspirational ideas from his youth. It has previously been put to other means…" Snape said the last words somewhat crisply before continuing in his 'teaching' tone; at least that was how Pansy thought of it.
"It is a form of communication – my words are, as we speak, being transferred from the pages of this tome to one in The Dark Lord's study. He prefers to keep information like this as secret as possible as there are a few people who are overly curious regarding current developments. So, this room and His study are now two of the most heavily warded places here."
Snape gave Pansy a rather strict look and continued in a solemn tone. "As we are in such a well protected room and speaking of curious people… When you questioned me earlier regarding the Ver-" He cut off his sentence suddenly and clutched at his forearm in pain.
Pansy looked at Snape curiously, he was even paler than normal and his lips were pressed tightly together in a thin line. After several deep breaths which made his nostrils flare violently, Snape said, "He is calling me, it must be something urgent. We shall have to continue our conversation later."
Hurriedly he performed the spell to open up the path through the tapestry and pushed Pansy through and down the corridor quickly. As they were passing a series of doors branching off from the passage, Snape again clutched at his arm tightly.
"This will have to do. I cannot apparate you with me in this building, only a select few can apparate here at all. As I am apparently needed immediately I shall have to leave you here for now. I will return for you later."
He pushed open one of the doors which led to an almost empty room, conjured some chains and bound Pansy by her cuff to a large and heavy wooden box in the corner. Without another word Snape apparated away, leaving Pansy wondering what he would have told her if he had not been interrupted.
Snape appeared in Voldemort's private study and found that Bellatrix had also been summoned and was already prostrating herself at the feet of The Dark Lord, who sat imperiously on a large oak chair which was typically bound with green leather.
Snape bowed low himself and asked, "What do you require of me my Lord?"
Voldemort looked up from Bellatrix with an amused smile on his face. "Severus, how nice of you to join us." He said in a tone that was as jovial and just as unbefitting as the look on his snake like face. "You will recall that the location of final girl on our list was giving me some trouble?"
He paused as Snape nodded and then continued. "I have discovered why we were having difficulty with the tracking spell. I now know where to find the girl and also why her name was familiar to none of us."
If Snape thought that the Dark Lord was going to reveal any further information to him, he was wrong. Voldemort looked down at Bellatrix and as if she had heard a silent cue from him she removed herself from the hem of his robe and stood, proud and tall. She seemed very pleased with herself and from the look she was receiving from her master; Voldemort was pleased with her too.
Snape knew better than to push for answers so he merely repeated his earlier question. "How may I serve you in this matter my Lord?"
Voldemort looked away from Bellatrix at last and looked hard at Snape. "Bella and I need to travel for a while. The tests you are carrying out are vital to my plans so it is imperative that you continue with them. You will be next in command here so you must not fail me." His eyes burned vividly and Bellatrix shivered slightly at his commanding presence.
Snape again bowed low. "I hope I have proven that your trust in me is valid my Lord. I will continue with the tests and carry out the plan without fail."
Voldemort continued to stare at Snape so hard that it seemed he was trying to bore into his underling's mind with those red eyes. Finally he broke the contact.
"Very well. Make sure you try the mudblood tomorrow and the blood traitor after that. First though I need you to brew some potions for me…"
Ginny was rudely awakened by the return of the band around her neck. She had fallen asleep still huddled up by the door in despair. Now she clutched at her throat as the magic in the band started pulling her towards to slab in the corner; the slab where she had previously been lying unconscious for who knew how long since her capture.
She tried to fight against the pull but this achieved nothing, not only did the pain return but the force became greater and Ginny was practically dragged head first across the floor. With some difficulty and a lot of stumbling she stood up and followed the pull until, after laying down, she felt it ease off. I guess they have set bed times round here She thought slightly hysterically, although with no natural light in the room it was impossible to tell what time of day it was.
Snape said he'd be back to test me? What's happened? Maybe the Order has come and overpowered him and the other Death Eaters? Deep down Ginny doubted this had really happened
Thinking about Snape, Ginny realised that she hadn't eaten the food he had left. She saw no point in starving herself, especially as the look on Snape's face when he told her there would be 'consequences' spoke volumes. He would probably force feed her if what he had said was true, and they needed her healthy.
Rolling carefully on to her side, Ginny reached her arm out as far as she could and groped with her small fingers until she could feel the rim of the tray. She pulled it gently towards her until she could reach out with her other arm and lift the tray up to her level. Awkwardly she started to eat the food, which was surprisingly delicious. Snape's spell must have been cast to keep the food warm until it was finished, as nothing was cold yet judging from the cramp in her limbs she must have been asleep for some while.
When she had finally finished eating her meal, Ginny pillowed her head on her arm and tried to get herself at least somewhat comfortable. If it was necessary for her to be at her best, she thought her captors could have at least given her a blanket.
As if on cue, a tall, very ordinary looking wizard with a shock of yellowy straw-like hair opened the hidden door to her cell. "You vill not be needed tonight." He said in a foreign sounding accent which reminded her strongly of Karakoff, the previous head of Durmstrang. "Get sleep vile you can."
Ginny was worried for a moment when he pointed his wand at her but he simply produced a large quilt and several pillows which settled softly beside her bed, and a vial of liquid which fell with a soft thump on top of the pillows.
He did look quite annoyed as he said. "Sleepink potion, I vas told that I am havink to provide some in case you have needs of it." He made a growling noise in the back of his throat, shook his head vehemently and walked out before Ginny had a chance to say anything back.
It was tricky with the restraints that the neck band caused, but eventually Ginny managed to wrap the quilt under and over her and pulled several of the pillows under her head. She lay for a long while before she decided to take the potion, if only to block out the thoughts in her head. The visions of the injured people that she had thought were her parents seemed to be haunting her. Before she fell asleep she wished desperately that all of her family and friends were somewhere safer than she was…