A/N: Thank you to RenitaLeandra as always, and also to my newest beta (I get two!!) Keladry Lupin. Also thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing! This is obviously AU since Deathly Hallows. I'm sure that comes as a big shock...

Chapter 8

Hermione first became conscious to the feeling of a kick in her side. She tried to muffle a groan and open her eyes, but they were having trouble obeying her.

"Really, Wormtail, have you now resorted to beating up on unconscious girls?" she heard Severus say with a sneer. "How pathetic."

"I don't understand why we don't just kill her and get it over with," she heard the voice she recognized as Peter Pettigrew and suppressed a shudder.

"Honestly, now, what fun would that be?" she heard a female voice and knew it was Bellatrix Lestrange. "I'm looking forward to spending some…quality time with her."

"I'm sure you are, Bella," she heard Severus say with what sounded like amusement. "Really, it's a shame you don't have more opportunities to use your talents."

She heard footsteps walking over towards her and a black boot turned her over on to her back. She looked up into the hard face of Bellatrix.

"Oh look, the Mudblood is awake. Good. Now the fun can begin."

Hermione looked around wildly. She was desperately trying to remember just how she was supposed to behave, but the surge of fear was almost debilitating. She felt someone behind her pull her to her feet.

"Where…where am I?" she managed to gasp out.

"Where do you think?" Severus said walking around to stand in front of her. He was standing very close and she tried to back up but someone was holding her from behind. "Next time you should be more careful where you wander on the Hogwarts grounds. Didn't you know that there are monsters that roam in the night?"

Hermione swallowed hard and tried to turn away, she could feel her entire body shaking. Somehow this was not what she had imagined when she had agreed to do this.

"Bring her here," she heard a voice come from behind where Severus was standing. For a moment she saw his eyes flicker with something…fear? Nervousness? She wasn't sure but somehow it was reassuring. No sooner had she digested this thought and he roughly grabbed her by the arm, pulling her forward. They came to a halt in front of Lord Voldemort. He reached out with a hand and grasped her face tightly in his long fingers.

"So, Severus has brought me Potter's little friend. A fine gift indeed and one that will be…rewarded," his red eyes slid toward Severus who bowed in thanks. "Potter's overdeveloped sense of heroism will surely bring him here in a desperate attempt to rescue you."

Hermione swallowed hard. "Harry…Harry will not risk the war just for me," she managed to gasp out. She felt a hard slap across her face and saw Bellatrix standing next to Voldemort, her hand raised.

"Speak to the Dark Lord with the respect he deserves, Mudblood!" she snarled.

"Now, now, you will have plenty of time for that later," Voldemort said sitting back in his chair. "After I get all the information I need from her."

Severus tightened his hold on her right arm and she felt someone reach over and grab her left. She looked over and saw Antonin Dolohov.

"I'm hoping I get another go at you," he said with an evil smile. "It was a pity you managed to escape me the last time."

Instinctively she tried to struggle against them with no success. They forced her forward another step and Dolohov pressed hard on her shoulder, forcing her down on to her knees. Once again Voldemort reached forward, grabbing her face and forcing her to look him in the eye. Although he said nothing, she could feel him entering her mind. Instinct took over and she gently guided him through to the false memories that she wanted him to find; the ones that he thought he was finding on his own. She did it so carefully, and with real unimportant memories interspersed that he did not seem to notice what she was doing.

She saw Harry first telling her and Ron about the Horcruxes, but not when he told them Dumbledore had destroyed one… She saw Harry telling her about finding the false locket in the cave, but not when they had found the real one. She steered his probing away from any contact she had had with Severus in the last week and their search for the Horcruxes the last year, aside from their failures.

She was not sure how long she knelt there, Voldemort's red eyes boring into hers. It could have been minutes, hours, days; she could not tell. It seemed that he explored every inch of her mind and it took all the energy she had to keep her emotions in check and not allow him to overpower her.

Eventually he let go, breaking the contact with her. She collapsed onto the floor, barely aware of her surroundings. She had no idea how much time had passed from when she had met Severus in the kitchen. For all she knew, it had been several days. She passed in and out of consciousness, mostly unaware of any activity around her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she thought she heard Voldemort speaking to Severus.

"I feel that she is holding something back from me," she heard him say. "Perhaps you could inform me as to how she could have learned Occlumency?"

"My Lord, as I have previously mentioned, I was forced by Dumbledore to teach Occlumency to Potter. I did my best to make it as difficult as possible, but apparently he learned enough to teach it to the Mudblood." Severus sounded unconcerned and even slightly bored, if that was possible.

"Perhaps. I want you to revive her."

"Rennervate," she heard Severus say and she felt herself become more lucid She groaned out loud, trying to drag herself up from the floor.

"Pick her up," Voldemort said. She felt someone pick her up. She turned her head and saw a great hulking man, who looked vaguely like Gregory Goyle. She wondered if the man was his father.

"Well, Mudblood," Voldemort said moving closer to her, "I feel there are things you are not telling me. Perhaps you would care to share them now?"

Again Hermione felt him entering her mind and again she fought him back, although with more effort than before. After a long while, she could feel his frustration growing and he broke off the eye contact.

"Very well; if you won't cooperate, perhaps we can find another way." He turned away and looked at Severus who was standing to the side, a sneer plastered on his face. "Severus, how would you like to give Potter's little friend a formal welcome to our headquarters? I wonder if she has ever experienced the Cruciatus."

Hermione's eyes widened with fear. She had never had the nerve to ask Harry what it felt like, but she knew it was intolerable.

"My Lord," Bellatrix cut in, "wouldn't you rather that I did it? After all, I do have a special talent for this."

"My dear Bella," Severus said with a smirk. "You have a talent for a great many things, but would you really deprive me of this opportunity? After all, I have never been able to get my hands on Potter, but the chance to curse his best friend? Well, that is an enjoyable thought indeed."

Bellatrix's eyes narrowed at Severus but she said nothing to disagree. Instead she turned her attention back to Voldemort who seemed to be enjoying their exchange.

"Very well, Severus. Get on with it then."

Severus leered at Hermione for a long moment, seemingto enjoy the opportunity very much. He raised his wand towards her.

"Crucio!" he yelled, his face contorting as he did.

Hermione had never imagined that such pain could exist. It seemed that her eyes were going to burst out of her head. Every nerve ending was screaming. Her legs gave out from under her and the only thing holding her up was the man who had a hold of her arms. She could hear screaming, but it seemed unreal that those horrible sounds were coming from her. After several excruciating minutes, he lifted the curse and she was left panting, tears falling unchecked down her face.

"Now, Mudblood, perhaps you will be more inclined to share your knowledge," Voldemort said. Hermione knew she could no longer hold him out of her mind and she squeezed her eyes shut hoping to keep him away.

"Open your eyes!" he spat at her, but she continued to keep them closed. "If that is the way you would like it, then perhaps, Severus, you could continue to persuade her."

Again, she heard him yell, "Crucio!"

Her eyes flew open and her body felt like it was on fire. She could hardly breathe. It was all Voldemort needed, however, and she felt him in her mind. She tried to fight him off as best she could, but she saw her, Ron and Harry destroying the locket. She saw them discussing where Hufflepuff's cup might be.

Suddenly it all stopped; both the pain and Voldemort's use of Legilimency.

"So, this is what you were trying to keep from me." Although Voldemort's voice was as calm and cold as it had been all along, there was a tension to it that Hermione had not heard before. "Potter believes he has destroyed a Horcrux. Severus! Lock the Mudblood up until I decide what to do with her."

"Yes, my Lord," Severus said bowing. He took Hermione by the arm and led her out of the room. She stumbled trying to keep up with his quick pace as he led her through the mansion. As they passed a room, she saw bright daylight and she once again wondered what day it was and how much time had passed.

He led her down a flight of stairs to a locked door. He muttered a spell Hermione had never heard before and the door swung open to reveal a dingy room. In the corner she saw shackles and she felt her knees grow weak. He pushed her into the room and led her to the shackles. On the other side of the room she vaguely registered that there was another prisoner there, but she could not muster enough energy to wonder more about their identity. As they reached the corner, she sat down on the floor, no longer able to fight back.

As Severus locked the shackle on her left leg, he leaned close to her and whispered in her ear. "I am sorry, but Bellatrix would have killed you. It was the only way."

Hermione dared to look up at him and for the first time she saw something close to kindness in his eyes. She felt her own eyes fill with tears, but she forced them back.

He leaned over to cuff her right ankle and he whispered again. "You have done the best you could. We'll get you out." He gave her a long look before leaving the room, locking the door behind him. Hermione could no longer keep her tears back and she began to cry in earnest since she had been awoken with a kick in her side. She sat sobbing for a long time, until finally, she ran out of tears and lay huddled on the floor feeling sick and exhausted.

When Hermione finally sat up; and was wiping her eyes, she heard the chains of the person on the other side of the room. She heard them move closer to her and then she heard a familiar voice that she would never have expected.

"Granger?"

She looked over in disbelief. The other prisoner was a young man, covered in filth. His hair was shaggy and he appeared to be unshaven and malnourished. But he still somehow retained the arrogant look of a pureblood.

"Malfoy?"