Chapter 31
"Grief and disappointment give rise to anger, anger to envy, envy to malice, and malice to grief again, till the whole circle is completed."
-David Hume (1711 - 1776)
"Leave my friends alone," she said quietly pushing herself up, "Or else you will face the wrath of the phoenix in me."
Voldemort ran away from Hermione as fast as he could. Hermione slumped against a wall and fell to the floor again, tears and sobs overtaken her body.
"Someone please help me," she whispered, "I can't control it anymore."
As Hermione was crying, her necklace had a little crack on it. She didn't want to be here anymore, she couldn't anymore, and she can't! After what just happen, she could feel herself losing control of her emotions and her powers. Suddenly, Hermione remembered the vision Aelwyn had when they first met.
"I sense evil; a man with cold skin with dark eyes will take her away and lock her away in the darkness forever if she doesn't complete his task. Shifting water and earth. Scared standing stones covered with ash. A waxy man. A man with power and immortally. I saw hatred, the lust to kill. I saw death." He breathe tickled Hermione's ear. "And….an arrow-head pointed at your own heart."
"NO!" yelled Hermione, she covered her face in between her legs.
"We have to go now, Professor!" yelled Harry, "I can hear her and feel her pain. If Voldemort keeps torturing her like this then Hermione might turn into the dark side." Harry said to the headmaster.
"Harry's right!" Ron said, "Hermione's our best friend and she knows that we're going to come after her, so why not now?" Ron asked.
The old headmaster nodded his head listening to young students ideas. He knew that they were right about Voldemort turning Hermione to the dark side, but he was afraid for their safety after all, they were his best students. But he knows if Hermione keeps turning down Voldemort's offer, he will kill her or worse put a spell on her that will make her forget who she was and think she is the Dark Queen of Voldemort's army.
Ablus sighed heavily, "Very well. Remus, Sirius I want you two to go with the other students while Severus and I contact the rest of the order."
Remus and Sirius nodded their heads in agreement.
"Harry," Ablus began, "Since you and Miss. Granger are…close, you will be the only one to find her. So please, be careful."
"Yes, sir." Harry nodded his head.
All of a sudden, Harry fell down to the ground in a heap closing his emerald eyes picturing Hermione in the dungeon wearing the brown gown, all dirty and bruised. He could see an odd red and orange glow around her body. Harry fluttered his eyes open and looked at the headmaster.
"Something isn't right with Hermione." Harry said, "It feels like there's an aura surrounding her."
Harry and everyone else noticed how the headmaster's eyes widen. They all waited for his respond.
"Do you remember when I told you about Jane losing control of her powers?" Ablus asked.
"Yes. That was when Jane lost the battle against Voldemort." Remus answered.
Dumbledore nodded his head again, "Tom broke Jane's heart by turning into something that she hoped he wouldn't. Because Tom broke her heart, she almost lost the will to live."
"And the same thing is happening to Miss. Granger," Severus said, "It seems that Mr. Potter broke her heart earlier."
"I didn't mean to!" yelled Harry.
Sirius grabbed onto his godson's shoulder, "We know, Harry. It wasn't your fault but we must hurry to Hermione before she dies."
Meanwhile in the Riddle Manor, Voldemort was talking to his Death Eaters for a plan on how to kill Harry Potter and the army and how make Hermione turn into the dark side. All the Death Eaters were trying not to comment on their master's…new look. But the women Death Eaters seemed to love the new look on their master.
"My lord, maybe we could perform a memory charm on her," said Bellatrix. "She would not remember who's side she was on and she will think she's fighting with you."
"Nice idea, Bellatrix." Voldemort nodded, "But how? The girl is very stubborn."
Voldemort remembered the feeling of the flames around his body making him feel weak. He shook his head from that memory and told the Death Eaters to be prepared.
Hermione lifted her head up and saw Death Eaters enter the dungeon room. Hermione was about to get up until one lifted his wand and pointed a spell at her making Hermione change from wearing a brown gown into jeans, tennis shoes, and brown t-shirt. Confused, Hermione looked at the Death Eaters and noticed them noticing bringing a chair and chains. Before, Hermione could use her firepowers at them something knocked her down turning her world black.
Dilated eyes peered open slowly, flinching and quickly closing to the thunderous drum that rocked inside the skull. Hermione couldn't feel any movement about her. She opened her eyes fast and found herself sitting on a chair, chain against the tile wall. Her eyes darted around anxiously, soon enough happening on Voldemort, who stood watching her as if she was vaguely interesting. She shuffled away slowly, but realized that not only had she been handcuffed, but the metal fixtures had also been attached to the wall. At her motions, the Death Eaters surrounding the dungeon all tensed loaded their wands upon her, causing her to shrink back.
She found her voice, but spoke quietly, "What are you going to do to me?"
"Erase your memories, of course." He answered with no emotion in it. "You remember anything. But if you even use a flame on me or any on my Death Eaters, they will use the Cruico curse at you again." He threatened.
"I thought they were still in good in you!" Hermione yelled, "You've changed!"
She heard Voldemort chuckled as if it was a big joke.
"My appearance has changed but not my evil personality, Miss. Granger." He told her.
"You bastard!" she roared.
Another curse hit her. Hermione screamed in pain like she did before an hour ago. When the curse ended: "No..." she moaned pitifully into the floor, closing her eyes tightly as she felt her head whirling with different feelings, tears flooded down her pale, stricken face, her legs suddenly turning weak and useless.
Voldemort crouched down in front of her, watching her sob. He started to touch her long curly hair as if she was his dog.
"Don't worry it will all be over soon. You won't remember anything." He took a pause in order to savior his words with a twisted smile. "You'll have no memories."
The young Order and Remus and Sirius arrived at the Riddle Manor. It was dark, green, like any other Slytherin household. Sirius felt back at his childhood home, it made him feel sick.
"Ron, Ginny, and Sirius you guys come with me." Harry ordered, "The rest of you go with Remus. We'll have to go separate ways to find Hermione and Voldemort".
They all went into their separate ways. As Harry and his group were walking, he could feel Hermione's presence, as if she was there with him, not just with the group, but in his own mind and heart.
Hermione's face was still facing the floor pretending that Voldemort and the Death Eaters aren't here. Suddenly, she felt Harry's presence in the dungeon with her. She shook her head thinking she was seeing things but for an instance, she thought she saw Harry with Ron, Sirius, and Ginny in the Riddle Manor.
And the connection took hold fully, and she knew. Harry was in the Riddle Manor alone and he was there too, with her. She felt his love and his fear for her…the terrible fear that was eating at his heart. The fear that she would die. She hadn't known how terrible his fear was.
"I truly, deeply love you," Hermione's voice said in Harry's mind. "Before I die, I want you to know that."
And their connection faded, but her voice echoed: Before I die, before I die, before I die. Harry shuddered. "Hermione no!" But the link was gone, she was gone, and he was alone in the Riddle Manor. As he would be alone, always and everywhere, once Hermione was dead.
"No!" The word tore from his lips. He was on his feet panting, as if he had been running. "I can't do this! I can't let her die!" And then he was running, to where Hermione was being tortured.
"Harry, wait up mate!" yelled Ron who went after him.
A/N: So what do you think?
