A/N: This author note is going to be a little long and I apologise beforehand for it.
It is a response to a guest review I received for the previous chapter.
First of all, thank you for that review. After hundreds of 'you are doing great' comments, I seriously needed this(honestly). I understand where you are coming from and I do agree with you on a point that yes, 47 chapters can be too long and tiring and by then you really want them to make up.
I have been reading all my previous author notes in search of one, where I thought, I mentioned that this one is going to be longer than my other story When Fate Decides which has 50 chapters. But I think, I've forgotten to mention it all this time. I am not surprised with your disappointment. Even before I posted, I knew this story would be much too angsty and I would continue to gain and lose readers as I updated. A few, I thought, would stick till the end. You all have surprised me there. I never thought it would be so loved.
Concept wise, it did start with one crazy thought 'what if Hermione was a pureblood Slytherin' and it grew from there, but even before the first five chapters were up, I knew the end and all the plot points I needed to get these two there. I never intended for this to be an easy love story- because the timeline of this was the beginning of the war. And that is what I wanted as the backdrop - Two people from totally opposite camps forced together before and during the war. Nothing here could be simplified. Life isn't that easy, is it?
Could I have tweaked the timeline or gone off a different route? Of course, that was always an option. Honestly, no matter what it seems like, sticking to the timeline of the books is very restraining. Then why didn't I do it? Because if I did, I would have to go about explaining the new hunt and the story of Harry-Voldemort. I am an extremely fussy being, I hate when I feel I am leaving loose ends in a story. It would have become Harry's story and I didn't want that. I wanted this to be almost the same story we all know, but the focus would be on Ron and Hermione, their journey to self-recognition and understanding their love and their compatibility.
And most importantly, life had to take a full circle. Hermione had to go back where she came from for her to find herself.
Am I offended with your review? No, seriously! I have received way too much love in my short fan-fiction writing life to know that when a reader has spent so much time reading my story, he/she deserves the right to give me a feedback and let me know how I am doing- the good and the bad.
This story is almost at its end. Because there will be a sequel, this story will end with the war and the post-war story will continue in the other one. That will be a Romance/Drama and not long(at least, that is the plan so far).
Thanks for your patience and your love and all those fantastic reviews you send my way. Love you all.
All characters belong to Ms JKR (except a few extra ones you don't recognise)
Chapter 47: Captured
When the effect of the side-along apparition ended, Ron found himself being dragged roughly towards a shady looking building in what seemed to be a downtown settlement. There was no storm here but the muddy puddles at the sides indicated that the showers were done with this place. Dilapidated houses and begrimed shops lined the street on either side. He scrunched his nose at the stink, noticing that piles of garbage that lay heaped at the dumpsters and mongrels scavenging for food, baring their ugly teeth as the group passed them. The leader of their captors merely kicked a particularly shabby looking one aside before trudging along the narrow lane.
A punch from earlier had landed on his face just below his left eye, and with the stiffness of the spot and the difficulty of vision, he realised that it had a swelling. His ribs ached. Not that anything was broken, not yet at least, but he knew there would definitely be a substantial amount of bruising. But nothing among these was currently the focus of his concern. He tilted his head while trying to work some life into his stiff shoulder muscles as the ropes he was bound with cut through his clothes. After his scuffle, they hadn't taken a chance and bound him such that his hands lay stiff on his sides while the scratchy, thick rope coiled around his torso. He tried looking out for Hermione and could only make out her form when the bulky man in front swayed in his steps. She was tied too but not like him. He noticed the tallest of the men, the assumed leader of the gang place a hand on her shoulder; she shrugged his hand away and blood raced to his temples. The bastard chuckled audibly and gripped her shoulder harder, guiding her towards what could only be described as a broken down mill of some kind.
If their surrounding was dingy, it was nothing compared to where they were now. The one-time mill looked to be some kind of a pub. It was dark- lit with dusty candles that only added to the revolting ambience, crowded, noisy and stank of fumes like Mundungus was known to smoke.
Ron wracked his brains for some kind of a brainwave. This place was giving him jitters. He was not concerned about himself, but this place was just not for a young woman like Hermione. How had he gotten themselves into this mess? His wand had been snatched off and the way his limbs were tied he was practically losing all sensation in his muscles. And there were just too many of these blasted fuckers for him to escape with Hermione.
As the beefy man holding him up pushed him towards an empty table, he saw lusty eyed men bump into Hermione and quite intentionally even touch her.
"Keep your bloody hands off her, you swine!" he barked before he could stop himself and it was just because of the proximity that the dirty blond haired man drew his lusty eyes off her to turn towards him.
"What's yer problem, you filthy dog?" he spat at Ron's face with a jibe on his chest with the elbow, "She yer girl, eh?"
The group stood and howled.
"She's a pretty young thing, I might just keep her," laughed another as Ron struggled in his binds to reach her. He could not believe, after all, those protections they had landed themselves in this bloody mess. Their show was gathering attention and many of the partly and totally drunk men had begun to gather around, whistling at her and spewing out words no girl should have thrown at her.
"Silence!" barked the leader who had thus far kept quiet, and Ron noticed that, albeit grudgingly, but still, the immediate crowd fell quieter.
"Where is Stanley?" he barked at one weedy looking wizard who was carrying an atrocious number of bottles balanced on a tray, the same floating an inch or two above their heads.
"He's ... upstairs," the relatively younger boy mumbled.
"Fetch him," barked their head captor again.
"B-But he asked- not to be disturbed!" he said shakily as the bottles rattled in their place. Ron secretly wished the whole set would crash. At least it could give them a diversion and perhaps-
"Fucking some bitch he found on the hunt again? Tell him this is more important!" he yelled and the boy nodded and left.
"Bernie, this is just another haul, ain't it?" came the deep voice of the man who was holding him up. "We give these two off at the store, get our money and that's it. Why bother Stanley?" he asked.
The guy called Bernie glared towards the crowd, and those who were still enjoying the show scattered off to their own bottles. They were then pushed and pulled towards a darker corner- Ron made to stand facing the wall, such that he could not see her or anything else at all.
"Because you are a dickhead, Jamie!" replied the man when they were settled and Ron concentrated harder to hear them above the noise.
"This ain't a normal haul."
"It ain't?" came another voice.
"No. You see her?" Ron could make out a softer sound before she hissed, "Don't touch me!" and he made a futile effort to turn. The man guarding him was still standing behind him and he was pushed further into the ugly wall as the bricks rubbed roughly against his skin, leaving behind scratches.
"Keep steady, beautiful!" hissed Bernie, "I would have kept you for myself for at least a week before selling you if you didn't look so familiar." Ron felt a chill run down his spine at those words. Surely enough, it had shut her up too.
There were only the sounds of bottles scrapping on the wooden table and the sloppy sounds of drinking for quite a while before another set of footsteps approached.
"This better be good, Bernie. You interrupted my pleasure time with my latest collection," The man didn't sound menacing; on the contrary, he sounded sickeningly sweet. It bothered Ron all the more.
"Nothing you won't go back to after this is over," replied Bernie as the other men snickered.
"Ah, a man has his pleasures!" he laughed before instantly switching into a business tone.
"So, what have you got for me today?"
"A fair maiden and a redhead," quipped an eager extra before a sharp noise of fist hitting skin resounded around them.
"When I talk, you all keep your fucking mouths shut!" barked the now almost familiar voice.
"Fair maiden you say? Selling so soon? Is she a Mudblood then?" jeered the newest member.
"No, don't think so," came Bernie's voice again. "See her, Stanley. Thick curly brown hair, fair skin, brown eyes and with a tall, freckled redhead too. What if it's her?"
Ron was sure his heart had stopped beating. But then voices began again and he forced himself to pay attention.
"How do we know? Might just be a tramp for all we know. Look at her clothes!"
"But it'll be a waste if we use her like just another bitch and then find out later that she's the one they are looking for!"
The voices went on discussing their fate as if they were pieces of articles and not humans who were very much present.
"What about the boy?"
"We take him along. Might not fetch so much, but if she is who we think, he too might be worth a good haul."
"What's your name?" asked someone. Ron was too freaked by now to work out whose voice it was but Hermione remained quiet.
"You won't speak, eh? Never mind. You'll fetch us a decent sum if you indeed are Hermione Granger! And if you are not, I'll be more than glad to put you to some good use." barked Bernie.
...
Lucius Abraxas Malfoy was pacing in the grand room of his Manor that once used to be a seat of his business. However, with the recent developments, the still glamorous room was now his only source of some recluse. He paced around the plush carpet, while the fire in the grate caused his shadow to dance around the walls.
His huge redwood desk was littered with parchments, records of his falling finances. The years, the previous couple of them in fact, were not being kind to him. The Malfoy vaults were enormous and many, but of late, the only source of income had become the revenues on his various investments. Dark Lord's presence at his home and the more urgent nature of his world-conquering dreams had pushed Lucius's business activities on the back bench. He was hardly allowed outside the Mansion; getting more lucrative businesses up and running was a long stretch dream. It would not really have affected the Malfoy fortunes, but for his eccentric sister-in-law. Bellatrix Lestrange had taken up the mantel of 'gifting' the Lord a Mudblood-free world to rule over. Thousands of petty men were now assigned to find and bring these vermin of their society to her, in exchange for galleons of course. While she used these dispensable folk as experimental objects to practice her wild and often ugly spells, it was Lucius who was left to foot the bill for her entertainment, so to speak.
He paced faster, his once sleek but now lifeless hair framing his face and swaying with his motion.
Dark Lord's revival was way more powerful this time, but it had not helped him the least. In fact, he was beginning to wonder if-. He stopped his thought right there, his eyes bulging with fear at the thoughts his brain had almost churned out. As it is, he had lost the favours he once enjoyed, if the Dark Lord ever found out of his doubts, his family would be massacred- just like the Grangers.
The Grangers... Their wealth was serious competition to the Malfoys. In fact, considering their worth back in France, they might be worth more than old Nicolas Granger ever admitted. In fact, it was their murders that set the ball rolling for his misfortune in terms of money. Nicolas was the one to shell out the major funding although he was never a member of the Dark Lord's innermost circle.
Lucius rubbed his dry palms together and walked over to lower himself on the plush high chair his father and grandfather once occupied.
There was one hope, a feeble lingering one. It was not something he would have fancied if situations were otherwise, but if he wished to leave behind anything for his son and his grandchildren, there was no other solution in sight.
What Lucius did not know however was that his wish would come true so soon... well, almost...
...
"Master, you is being requested by Mistress Bellatrix in the parlour," bowed the elf. Fresh lash marks still evident across his face.
Lucius scrunched his face in disgust.
"Hmm," he replied jerking his palm to dismiss the creature. As less he cared about these vermins, he would still have to ask his lunatic sister-in-law to keep from harming them just for the fun of it. Two elves had already succumbed to their injuries from her and that mangy Potter had lost him one. At this rate, he would have no more servants left. Moreover, he was paying for her toys anyway, wasn't he?
He lifted himself up and with a fleeting glance at his table where his wand used to lay, trudged along towards the door. He had no wishes to know what she wanted to see him for. Surely, her trusted aides had caught some fresh meat for her to experiment on and she needed them to be paid for the service.
It wasn't like they had landed with Potter. She would have summoned their Lord and not him in such a case. Ever eager to show that she was his most loyal servant, that bitch.
As he walked down the carpeted staircase he wondered how long the Dark Lord would be away this time. It had been a few days. And although it was something he would never dare admit, he preferred to have his master as far away from his home as he could. It was one thing to have fallen from grace, another to be taunted and laughed at by him in the presence of wizards who were not even fit to be the slaves of the Malfoy family.
"Aah, Lucius!" she cracked cheerfully showing off her ugly darken teeth as he pushed the parlour door open.
"Look what Stanley has found us!" she added gleefully and he turned around with barely there excitement. But soon a small smile broke through as his heart soar with joy before his eyes fell on another human and he scrunched his nose in disgust.
"Isn't that the Weasley boy? Potter's sidekick?" he asked slowly.
"I sure hope it is!" she cackled maniacally and jumped over to where the boy lay, bound and barely unconscious.
"Been giving us a load of trouble, this one," grumbled the guy he thought was called Bernard or something.
"Injured one of our men on the way and tried to escape with the girl."
"You didn't kill him, did you?" snarled Bellatrix, fisting his red hair and angling it to get a better look at his face.
"Nah, just taught him a lesson he won't forget in a hurry," replied Stanley, nonchalantly.
"So you want these two?" asked Bernard, or was it Bernie? He gave the girl a little shove and she turned her steel eyes at him.
"Told you, don't touch me, you filth!" she spat before turning towards Bella. Lucius thought she looked miserable clad in atrocious muggle attire, a little underfed and shabby looking too. But her posture and body language oozed pureblood sophistication.
"Untie me," she ordered and Lucius couldn't help admire her, especially because of the confused and appalled look Bella had at the moment.
"Shut your mouth! Who do you think you are to order me around?" she bellowed and raised her wand but Lucius was quicker.
He placed an arm on her wrist speaking carefully, "Hermione dear, how good to see you! We thought we had lost you forever!"
The girl turned a calculative eye towards him, and her eyes softened ever so slightly, "Pleased to meet you too, Lucius. But I can't believe the welcome I am getting at your home."
"Excuse us," injected Stanley, "We'd rather not interrupt a happy union, just give us our money and off we'll go."
"How much?" he asked without taking his eyes off the girl. She had been living with the enemy for more than a year now- either she would be a trove of information and an asset to their cause like Severus insisted his best student would be or she would have become Dumbledore's pawn by now.
"A thousand for the girl and another half for the boy!" spat Bernie.
"No, a thousand for each. This one has given us a lot of trouble," intervened Stanley.
He turned sharply towards the two men who were nothing but filth tarnishing the home of his noble ancestors with their presence.
"A thousand?" he spat.
"We thought you wanted her," sneered one.
"I'd have paid double for her but a thousand for this boy?" he asked sneering.
"A thousand, take it or we take him back. Many of our gang would love to give him a fitting treatment, anyway!" countered Stanley.
"Fine, take him then," he shrugged. They would get all the information from her whether she was sympathetic with their cause or not. She had been with the Order and Potter all this while anyway.
"You sure?" they asked, kicking the boy on his back.
"No!" cried Hermione Granger cutting short his response.
He felt all pairs of eyes move towards her.
"I would like to talk to you," she said looking straight at his eyes and he furrowed his brows.
"Alone." She added looking at the two men.
He turned towards Bellatrix who was looking at the girl steadily. Lucius knew that look. She was furious and for obvious reasons. But for his own sake, he would have to keep Hermione out of reach of his maniac sister-in-law.
"Very well," he replied, curious.
...
The three of them moved to a smaller room behind the parlour.
"Open these," Hermione said again and he gestured at his wife's sister, who eyed the girl with deep loathing and suspicion.
"Why? You are a prisoner," Bella said in a deadly whisper that would have made many a grownup wizards to scuttle away from her. But the young girl stood her ground and stared back causing him to smirk. He was enjoying this.
"Hermione Granger a prisoner in the house of the Malfoys?" she sneered.
"This is the headquarters of the Death Eaters now, and you are nothing but a filthy blood traitor liaising with the enemy!" bellowed Bella lifting her wand.
"DON'T DARE CALL ME A BLOOD TRAITOR!" Hermione retorted sharply with fire in her eyes and Bella stopped despite herself before breaking into a blood-curdling laugh.
"YOU ARE A FILTHY BLOOD TRAITOR! YOU HAVE BEEN WITH THE ORDER FOR MONTHS NOW!" she screeched.
Hermione shook her head and laughed sarcastically.
"No wonder, the Dark Lord is looking for better soldiers. With a brain like yours, his missions are in serious jeopardy." she shrugged.
"HOW DARE YOU!" cried Bella, lifting up her wand, "Ava-"
"WAIT!" he cried, "Are you insane?! You know the Dark Lord wants her!" he hushed close to her ears.
"THE Dark Lord has the best servant he could ever find, ME!" Bellatrix hissed back.
"Suit yourself, Bellatrix but the Dark Lord will not be merciful if he gets to know you murdered the witch he chose as his future lieutenant," grinned the girl, evilly.
"You know?" he cried without meaning to.
"Of course, I do!" she hissed back. "Father told me, and I could not have been more proud," she replied with her shoulders straight, a true picture of the great house she belonged to.
"Your parents were a disgrace! They betrayed the Lord!" hissed Bella.
"I know and they got what they deserved." She replied with a casual shrug.
"So you knew and you were loyal to the Dark Lord's cause all this time?" he asked slowly. If she was lying he could find that easily.
"Trying Legitimancy?" she laughed, "Go ahead. But do you think I am so foolish? Don't I know how easy it will be for the Lord to find out my true alliance? I was always true to the cause. And I told my parents the same thing. But Father-" she spat, "He wasn't willing to let me join. Locked me up in my own wing! The next thing I know, I was 'rescued' by the Order. I didn't know of my parents' death, they told me. And I doubted that quite possibly the Order had a hand in it. But later I found out that it was done on the Dark Lord's orders. Serves them right anyway. I am sure the Dark Lord thought I shared their views. How would he know? So I bid my time; all this time. I slowly won over the confidence of the group."
"Why didn't you try escaping then?"
"Because I wanted to have enough information before I left."
...
Ron woke up with his head throbbing madly. It was dark all around. His arms felt like dead weight but slowly he could figure that he was shackled at the wrists with his back against a cold, damp stone wall. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could roughly make out a small strip of light at the far end, quite possibly a door. His shoulders ached as his legs were not allowed to touch the ground but hung an inch over them.
His entire body was in pain with all the punches the gang had thrown at him in his unsuccessful bid at escape. He took gulps of air, his nostrils stinging at the cold dampness of the air around him,and licked his cracked lips.
"Hermione..." he breathed slowly. His throat was parched.
How long had it been since they had been captured? He couldn't tell.
There was a faint sound of footsteps that approached closer before the heavy door was pushed open and a short, stout man entered. In the light of the hallway, one of his arms gleamed.
"Awake are we?" the newcomer screeched like a rat.
"Wormtail," he breathed wishing for perhaps the thousandth time in his life that he would have strangled the mangy old rat when he had the chance.
"There are people who wish to see you," he cried gleefully.
"Your new masters I suppose?" he replied and the man hissed.
"Hold that tongue, boy. You are going to need it to save your skin."
"Where is she?" he asked.
"Who? The Granger girl?" he smirked and even in the dim light Ron could see the sneer.
"She is in good hands,"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU BASTARD?!" he yelled.
"She sold you out, said she wanted to see you suffer as much as she has," he grinned before waving at Ron with a silver hand and closing the door behind him.
Ron remained motionless for a long time, his muscles aching in the restraints. Slowly a smile broke through his scratched and swollen face. It hurt him further but he did not care. It got bigger till it broke out of his system and he laughed aloud, a broken, rough laugh that echoed off the empty walls and came back to him.
Hermione Granger was a bloody brilliant actress.
...
Hermione took a long bath, allowing the soap and hot water to cleanse the dirt and stench off herself. Finally, dressed in a high-collared robe of black satin, she sat brushing the tangles of her hair. Her face looked pale to herself despite the heat that was still coursing through her body courtesy the warm water she had been soaking in.
She took a long, hard look at her reflection before releasing a haggard breath.
This was it.
Sitting still in front of the dresser, waiting to be called any minute now, she allowed herself to think of that one morning when she had woken up in Ron's bed and the promise she had made him.
Months ago, Ron's Room – Number 12, Grimauld Place
"I-I can't do that!" she shock-whispered, looking at his tired face.
"'Mione, please! You've got to understand!" he beseeched once more.
"We'll be safe here. We'll never need to use this plan of yours," she replied stubbornly.
"Let's hope so, but we need to be prepared nevertheless," he countered. "Admit it Hermione, nowhere is safe now, and we can't risk them finding Harry till he has finished the last Horcrux!"
When she did nothing but continued to look at his eyes with hurt, he placed a gentle palm on her face, rubbing his thumb gently across her cheek.
"You know Dumbledore would have wanted us to keep Harry safe; he is the best chance we have to win this."
"Not at your cost, Ron," she cried softly, fighting the tears of frustration.
"You can save me! All of us, you know that. Whatever happens, we keep Harry safe-keep him from getting captured even by risking getting captured ourselves."
"They'll never believe me! And Snape knows the truth. He knows my loyalty lies with the Order, not the Death Eaters."
"They will believe you. You'll have to convince them that you are on their side, have always been since your capture. You'll have to do everything to gain their trust. That'll be our only chance to escape. You can always tell them that you never confided in Snape since you thought he was the Order's spy."
"How will that save you?" she asked hating his strategic mind because she knew in her heart his fears were not baseless, and the idea was brilliant- almost.
"I don't know, but maybe you can hold them back from killing me by telling them you'd love to see me suffer longer or something? I am bloody sure those buggers will love the idea of that!" he laughed and she slapped him hard before crashing into his arms.
"So, you'll do it if need be?" he asked holding her close.
"I hate you, Ron..." she whispered.
"Please..."
"We'll have to avoid getting caught at all cost!"
"Yes... But...If it ever happens?" he urged on.
"I'll kill you if this stupid strategy of yours gets you killed, you moron!"
"Really?" he asked, snickering and she pulled him closer. "No, of course not...And... I don't really hate you"
"I know," he laughed softly and kissed her forehead.
"Promise me, whatever happens, you'll keep the pretence on. Your identity is our best chance after Harry, Hermione." he added softly.
...
Hermione had not heard Ron's relived sigh - this one plan could ensure both his friends' safety, no matter what happened to him.
A/N: Gosh, I have been waiting forever to share this chapter with you all. It took a fair bit of time but finally I'm happy with the way it came out. We are bang in the middle of the climax and I can't wait to hear your thoughts.