DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

Chapter 10

a/n: in chapter 7, u saw harry dead, I wud like to point out - due to many confused reviews - that the harry u saw in chapter 5 was an illusion to trick Hermione

ps: I have not updated in a while cos I have been in spain for 10 days and am currently busy with my SATs

"Example" is someone thinking or communicating through thought.

The Death Eaters dragged Hermione and Harry into the dungeons and pulled them into the middle of the room. The Death Eaters moved them so they were facing the door, kneeling on the cold harsh floor. All the Death Eaters left, except one - Lucius Malfoy.

He was standing behind Hermione, one hand gripping her shoulder extremely tightly, making her wince and cry slightly. The other hand was in her hair. He was secretly feeling how soft and dreamy it was but pulled at it so it made her think he was trying to rip it off. She whimpered slightly as his hand on her shoulder slid down her back and lightly over her arse.

The door opened and Voldemort stormed in. His face wore a look of absolute fury and a deathly glare at, not Harry, not Lucius, but Hermione.

"Lucius, stand her up." Voldemort commanded through his thoughts.

"Yes, milord." Lucius replied, grabbing Hermione under her arms and pulling her onto her feet.

"Hold her there." Voldemort ordered him, pulling out his wand. Harry started shouting as Voldemort advanced on Hermione, who was screaming and writhing against Lucius' grip.

"Silence, boy!" Voldemort roared at Harry, back-handing him, sending him to the floor. "Or I'll do what I'm about to do to our little friend, here, instead of you."

He then walked up to Hermione, who had stopped squirming against Lucius when she'd heard Voldemort shout. He lifted his wand and traced the tip of it down her cheek. She shivered uncontrollably at the sensation and turned her head away.

"Lucius, within reason, you may do as you like with her now."

"I'm sorry, milord?"

"Touch her, hold her, whatever you like, whilst I deal with Potter."

"Yes, milord."

Lucius backed up against the wall, taking Hermione with him and started ravaging her. One hand grabbed at her breasts and the other squeezing her around her waist.

"Make her watch, Lucius."

"Yes, milord."

He removed his hand from her chest, cupped her chin and turned it towards Voldemort and Harry.

"Watch this, my dear." Voldemort took out his wand and crucio-d Harry. "Watch as milord tortures your boyfriend."

Harry writhed on the floor, trying not to scream, denying Voldemort the pleasure. Voldemort just got even more annoyed and Crucio-d him even harder. That time he did scream, well, a manly scream.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed, desperately trying to pull away from Lucius. "No! Let him go! Please!" she started crying then. Lucius just clung onto her. But Voldemort stopped and glared at her. "Please." She whispered, barely audibly. "Please, let him go, please."

"Let him go? My Hermione, why should I do that?"

"Please, just leave him alone." Voldemort walked over to her, grabbed her chin and forced her to look him in the eye.

"Hermione, whether it be you or Potter, I'm going to torture someone. But I would really rather it be the boy."

"No. Leave him alone. Torture me."

"Hermione, a word of warning. I'm going to torture one of you until they're a quivering puddle of blood."

Even though that threat terrified her, Hermione repeated her order.

"Leave him alone."

Voldemort sighed but Crucio-d her nonetheless. She screamed and writhed against Lucius' grip and after what seemed like hours, Harry finally regained consciousness.

"No! Leave her alone! Stop it!"

Hermione collapsed with exhaustion from the pain and screaming but Lucius held her up.

"Take her back to my quarters, Lucius. Stay with her until I arrive."

"Yes, milord."

Lucius pulled Hermione into his arms and left the room.

"Why do you make things difficult Harry?"

"I think you already know."

"I can assure you: I do, but I want to hear it from your mouth. Tell me why."

". . . . . . . Because I love her."

--------------------------------

Lucius carried her along the corridors and into the forbidden room. Voldemort's quarters. He lay her down on the silk covers and sat by her on the bed. Voldemort didn't come back, but she awoke.

"What?" she whispered, her voice hoarse from screaming. She saw Lucius and screamed as loud as she could, but it only came out as a soft squeal.

"Hermione!" Lucius grabbed her arms tightly and kept her still. "I'm not here to hurt you. I've just got to stay with you."

"Where's Harry?"

"Still in the dungeons with the Dark Lord."

"Why? What's Voldemort doing to him?"

"I would imagine something to do with torture."

Hermione's eyes started to fog up.

"Harry." She whimpered under her breath.

"Hermione, I must warn you, the Dark Lord is very angry with you right now. You tried to escape and in doing so, you've really cheesed him off." (a/n: except he didn't say cheesed if u know wot I mean)

"Can you really blame me?" she snapped. "I'm stuck here, where 'here' is, with possibly the most evil man that ever existed, except Hitler."

"My dear-"

"I'm not your 'dear'." She hissed, trying to pull away from him.

"Fine, Hermione. The point is, my Lord is very - shall I say it? - upset with you right now and you would do well not to annoy him further."

"Voldemort? Upset? You've gotta be kidding me."

"He is far from 'kidding you'." sneered Voldemort's voice from the doorway. His wand was held loosely in his hand and both had a little blood on them. Harry's blood.

"What have you done?" she asked, noticing the red liquid staining the albino skin.

"Don't worry, my dear, he's alive. For now. But that can easily change."

"Leave him alone!" she shrieked at him.

"SILENCE!!" Voldemort bellowed at her, storming over to her, shoving Lucius out of the way and back-handing Hermione.

She squealed and cupped her burning cheek in her soft hands. A few tears leaked out from her eyes and she whimpered as Voldemort grabbed her upper arm and squeezed harshly.

"Don't complain, girl! That wasn't my hardest!" he shouted at her. "Lucius, get out!"

"Yes, milord." Lucius replied immediately, fearing his Lord more than ever. He practically ran from the room and closed the door firmly.

"You will never try and run again. Do you understand me, Hermione?" Voldemort hissed dangerously at her. "Potter is still alive in the dungeons and I can kill him at any time. That will be the consequence of another attempt at freedom. Is that any way unclear?"

"No." she whispered, fear ruling her.

"Good. Get some sleep." He said, out of the blue and left the room.