The usual disclaimer applies. I own nothing and make nothing.
A/N...Out of more than thirty reviews, only one correct guess. So thirty points to rosered775! Read on to find out who it is..
Chapter 7
Hermione tried not to panic as she felt the wand push into her temple. She breathed slowly and just stared at the guard that had pinned her to the wall. In any other situation, this wouldn't have even been a fair fight. She knew she was stronger, both physically and magically, but unfortunately, she was not the one with a wand.
She looked into the face of her captor, and it barely resembled the girl she had known at Hogwarts. There was still just the faintest of scars dotting her forehead, which were obscured by the reddish-blond curls. But her face was haggard, and her blue-green eyes were devoid of emotion, and almost had a dead appearance. The smirk that was slowly appearing on her face was devious.
"Cat got your tongue, Hermione? You don't seem quite so powerful without the Boy Who Shouldn't Have Lived and the ginger idiot standing along side you." She rubbed the scars on her forehead and then pushed her wand more forcefully into Hermione's temple. "But I forgot that you preferred to work alone- casting curses that have no cure."
Hermione started to speak, but was silenced with just a flick of the wand.
"I'm. Not. Finished. You ruined my life, Hermione. I lost my best friend, and was an outcast in my own house. Not even Flitwick would look at me after what you did. Despite my mother working at the Ministry, I couldn't get a job...anywhere. This is the only place I could get a job, and I had to fuck some pretty vile filth just to get it. I had seven NEWTS, you bitch, and yet I am here. With you!" She stared at Hermione, then looked her over slowly. "But then I found out you were coming here, and I was elated. I have worked hard these past few months so I could be moved to this cell block. And I am looking forward to making your life hell, just as you have done with mine." She started to exit the cell, then briefly flicked her wand towards Hermione, ending the Silencio spell.
Hermione took a deep breath, then spoke to the hastily retreating figure, "I'm so sorry, Marietta."
Marietta continued on, exiting the door, but pausing to speak before she shut it. "The binding spell should wear off in a few hours...I think."
Hermione pulled at her arms, realising they were still just as tightly bound to the wall as before. As the cell door closed, she started to cry.
-ooOOoo-
Hermione was hungry, but there was absolutely no way that she would eat the food on the tray in front of her. Not only was the food overcooked and half rotten, which happened frequently in Azkaban, but it had obviously been spat in as well. This was now the third meal in the past two days that was inedible.
Tampering with my food; I guess she could be doing worse. She pushed the food back towards the door, and then crawled back into bed. She was so thankful that the guards only had four day shifts before they rotated off. One more day of Marietta, then she would hopefully start having somewhat edible meals again. If this was the worst that Marietta was going to do, she knew she could handle it. But she had a sinking feeling that things would gradually get worse, and it only took another day for that to be proven.
-ooOOoo-
Hermione sat up in her bed, reading the last short story in the Poe book that Severus had loaned her. She had been so engrossed in the pages that she had not heard the guard walk up to her cell.
"You have a visitor," the guard announced, then paused to smirk at Hermione. "Or rather, you had a visitor. It is quite a shame that you didn't show up during your allotted time with Scar-head. I saw him leave not ten minutes ago. He looked quite...frustrated."
"What?" Hermione exclaimed, panic evident in her voice.
"He looked so disappointed that you did not want to visit today," she said in an obviously fake pouty voice. "I wonder how many missed visits it would take for him to quit visiting altogether...hmm? Weasley has already abandoned you, and I would guess it wouldn't take much for Saviour boy to do the same."
"You-you can't do this," Hermione pleaded. "I've already said I'm sorry. Please don't do this, Marietta."
Marietta traced her finger along the scars on her forehead, and then stared at Hermione. "Why would I want to stop? I'm quite enjoying this. And I can do this. You see...the other guards on this cell block like me, or at the very least, like to fuck me. I don't think I'll have any problem switching days with whoever is assigned to you on your visiting days."
Hermione's jaw dropped in horror at hearing this. Her outside visits, along with her visits with Severus, were the only things that were keeping her sane while she was in Azkaban. And if she finds a way to take away my visits with Severus... "Don't-don't do this...please," she pleaded, her voice slightly cracking.
"Oh, I'm just getting started," she smiled as she left Hermione's cell.
-ooOOoo-
Hermione pulled her robes tightly over her knees, trying to keep from losing any more heat. She was amazed that she was actually in the courtyard waiting for Severus. Marietta had not managed to take that away from her...yet. She pulled out the battered book and flipped through the pages, hoping that Severus would meet her despite the freezing weather.
She looked up and smiled as she saw him approach her. His neutral expression turned livid as he stopped in front of her.
"Why are you not eating again?" His voice was quiet, but angry.
She sighed as she realised his temper was more out of concern than anger. "I have a new guard. I think you might remember her from Hogwarts. Marietta Edgecombe- she was a Ravenclaw in my year. She blames me for ruining her life, and she is doing her best to do the same to me."
Severus looked away from her for a moment, deep in thought, before his eyebrows rose in realisation. "She was the one who told Dolores Umbridge about Dumbledore's Army, was she not? I believe I made several different potions for Poppy to get rid of the boils on her face, and none of them ever worked." He paused for a moment, then continued, "You were the one that put the curse on the list of names."
Hermione couldn't look him in the eye, especially now that her eyes were starting to tear. "I had no idea that the scars would be permanent. She- she said I ruined her life." She wiped the wetness from her eyes, then laid her head down on her knees. "She has spat in my food the past few days, and she kept me from seeing Harry when he came to visit. But she is threatening to do much worse."
Her shoulders started to shake as her sobbing escalated. She hated that she was being so emotional in front of Severus, but she at least knew now that he wouldn't judge her for it. She was crying into her knees when she felt his arm wrap around her waist.
"I-I can't survive the next two and a half years with no visitors. And if she finds out about us...our friendship- she'll find a way to stop this as well." She leaned into him and buried her face in his robes.
"You won't have to, Hermione. It won't get that far. I may not like Potter, but he isn't stupid...he won't give up on you just because of a few missed visits. And Minerva definitely wont. She's as tenacious as a bulldog with a bone."
"But how will I let them know? If I can't get visitors, how do I explain-," she stopped talking as she noticed him sit up straighter and raise one brow.
"Did you forget how I get these books?" He waved the hardbound copy of Dante's Inferno in her face. "I still see Minerva, and as far as I know, she still sees Mr. Potter."
She stopped sniffling and stared at him for a moment before a smile crept up on her face. "Thank you, Severus."
His smirk turned into just a hint of a smile. "Thanks are not needed. Isn't that what friends are for?" Before the moment became too awkward, he handed her the book that he had been waving in her face.
"And now I think it is time for a new book. I'm sure you have some commentary to offer me on this one as well?"
"Of course," she replied as she quickly grabbed it from his hands.
A/N...I rushed to get this chapter out since it was such a cliffhanger. Pardon the errors- I did much typing with a two year old on my lap.
I based as much info as I could on Marietta's bio on the HP Wikia and Pottermore. I apologise if I made any mistakes with her info, though.
Most chapters probably won't be posted quite as quickly.
As always, reviews are appreciated!