Disclaimer: I don't make any money from this.

Warning: The last part of this chapter is kind of graphic. I have it marked. It is not necessary to read it to get the idea of the story. I will allude to the events later on anyway so you won't be missing anything if you don't want to read it.

Liberation

Chapter 3

Draco matched Goren Proudfoot's long stride with ease as the Auror led him to a small conference room on the third floor of the Ministry. The short journey was just long enough for Draco's curiosity to really peak. Obviously, Hermione Granger had not been found, but how he could help was beyond him. They weren't close at all, Potter knew that. Draco was not surprised to see the man himself in the small conference room. An hourglass was perched on the table and Harry watched the sand flow through it with darkened eyes. He held a quill against a piece of parchment; the writing instrument paused, seemingly forgotten, in the middle of a word. The rest of the men in the room were all murmuring amongst themselves but they silenced when Draco entered the room. The lack of noise in the room, and change in atmosphere, pulled Harry from his silent reverie and he finally acknowledged Draco.

"Mr. Malfoy, we're so grateful you could come right away, for expediency is our top priority right now." Dawlish began, "By now you are aware that Hermione Granger has gone missing, and the team you see before you are the leaders in the investigation, however, we believe you could be a valuable asset to our team as well. With your consent, of course."

Draco took the seat across the table from Harry. Harry was looking at Draco with an expression of borderline pleading. "I'm sorry sir; I fail to see what it is I can offer you."

"Perhaps we should back up. At approximately seven this morning we received this," Dawlish held up the ransom letter, "read it and you will begin to understand."

Draco took the letter gingerly and stared at it in confusion. He could sense rather than feel Harry tapping his foot quickly on the floor across the table in his increasing impatience. For a fraction of a second Draco thought about slowly and dramatically opening the letter, but the worry and fear in the eyes of the man across from him stopped held him back. Instead he flipped the parchment open and read it quickly. He immediately felt relieved that he didn't give in to his childish impulse to stall, but he regretted having to ever read the letter. Suddenly the hourglass made sense, and as Draco eyed it, it seemed as if an enormous quantity of sand had disappeared from the top globe, to the bottom. Draco closed the letter with a shaking hand and pushed it away from him.

"I am beginning to understand. I hope you are not considering releasing Lucius." Draco said, and then he cringed inwardly at how what he'd just said must have sounded to them, "Because there must be another way of finding Hermione."

"No, Malfoy. We have no intention of releasing your father." Harry said shortly.

"Well, then what do you need me for?"

"We need you to pose as your father. You know him well enough that you could pass off as him to whomever it is that wants him. He has not had any contact with the outside world since his imprisonment and you were with him frequently before that. You would be supplied with enough Polyjuice Potion to pose as him for seventy-two hours during which time we will make the exchange for Hermione." Harry said.

Draco thought about it for a moment, considering the possible ways the plan could go wrong. "Why seventy-two hours? Why not just long enough to make the exchange?"

"Because we do not know what the further stipulations of the exchange might be. If they want a significant period of time to validate that you are indeed Lucius Malfoy you will need more Polyjuice. I fail to see how they would actually believe that we would release Lucius, so you will have to play the part convincingly well. We are riding on the hope that the kidnappers will believe that Harry convinced me to secretly release him for Hermione. We are hoping that his reputation as a Ministry favourite will make it plausible." Dawlish replied.

"Do you really believe that Hermione will be released?" Draco asked.

Ron considered Draco for a moment, honesty was important because Draco would be putting himself in considerable danger if he agreed. "We don't know. We also don't know if they want your father released just so they can kill him themselves or if they want him to join them. That is why we will have to put all precautions in place to ensure your survival, and also why your consent to assist us is necessary. We cannot express with enough sincerity the magnitude of danger you could possibly put yourself in, or the depth of our gratitude if you agree. Time is running short, Draco."

Draco was impressed by Weasley's short speech. Ever since Pansy had started seeing him, Draco had no choice but to get to know him. Ron actually fit in well in upper class Pureblood society and he managed to do so without alienating his friends like Hermione. Hermione was in a league of her own, though. She may have been a Muggle born but she was an essential part of the Wizarding community and Draco understood why they would choose to kidnap her. She was important to more people than just Potter.

"What would you be able to do to protect me in case they wanted to harm me?" Draco asked. He could see Harry's eyes lighten with hope at Draco's words.

"First of all, you will be armed. Second of all, we will do our best to keep near you so that the exchange is done quickly. You will also be allowed unlimited access to your father under the influence of Veritaserum to pump him for information on any organisations, or fellow Death-Eaters he might have been plotting with before he was arrested. You will need that information just in case the plan is to rekindle a faction, which for the sake of your safety we hope is the case. The flask that will contain the Polyjuice you need will also be a Portkey that will activate at the end of the three days and bring you back here in case you have not already been able to return. That is just a last resort however, because you will also have a coin with a Protean Charm on it. You will be able to use it to tell us where you are and who you are with so that we may make the proper arrests." Harry said.

Dawlish followed along on his notes, nodding in agreement. "However, we hope all of these precautions will be unnecessary. We hope that the request is to meet, retrieve Hermione, and apprehend them before you even need to leave with them. If you do need to leave with them for some reason, you will have to notify us via the coin of your status as soon as possible."

Draco rubbed his face and then dragged his hand through his hair. He couldn't believe the whole situation was happening. He could say no and walk away and there would be nothing they could do. They could find someone else to question his father and pose as him. They were asking Draco to risk his life for someone he'd never even really spent any time with. Draco slowly looked around the table into the eyes of each man. All of them were looking at him with neutral expressions, patiently waiting for his decision, except for Ron who was clearly begging Draco to help with his eyes, and Harry who had returned his attention to the rapidly disappearing sand in the hourglass.

Draco struggled internally for another minute before reaching his decision. They were right, nobody at that table would be able to convince the kidnappers they were Lucius Malfoy better than Draco could. The idea of taking a risk and doing something big and important for the right side once and for all quickly began to appeal to him. It would be his own personal contribution to making up for the wrongs of his father. The worst part would not be any danger he might be in, it would seeing his father. He'd hoped to be rid of the man forever, but a visit for information would be essentially necessary.

"Alright. I will do it." Draco said. There was a collective sigh of relief as men all around the room visibly sagged with relief.

"Excellent." Robards stated. "Let us prepare."

After the meeting was finished and Draco had taken an oath of secrecy for what he was about to do, he caught up with Harry and Ron.

"Malfoy, I really want to thank you for doing this. I know that Hermione doesn't mean that much to you but she means the world to me and I can't stand knowing that she is hurt right now and there is nothing I can do." Harry said to Draco, the fear and worry evident in his tired eyes.

"How do you know she's hurt right now? Maybe whoever has her is completely amateur and is just holding her captive." Draco said trying to keep Harry positive.

Ron looked at Draco, a shadow passing over his eyes. "You know how the letter was written in red?"

"Yeah."

"We tested it, it was Hermione's blood."

A large rock settled in the pit of Draco's stomach. If these lunatics were for real then the chance of Hermione getting out of this alive were slim to none.

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Hermione awoke after a little more than an hour's fitful sleep with the pressing need to relieve herself. She had no way of knowing where Dolohov was, and when and if he would return. She was afraid she was going to have an accident but it was the thought of urinating on her dress that bothered her more than anything. Having the dress torn by Dolohov with his knife was not somehow near as humiliating as peeing on it would be. But she did have to go and if he didn't arrive soon with an option she was going to find a corner of the room to hike her skirt up in so that she could relieve herself and still remain dry. Deciding that her death was imminent no matter what, it would not hurt to ask for what she needed.

"Hello?" She called into the empty room. Her voice sounded hollow and foreign as it echoed around the stone room. She counted to thirty and then called again. "Is anybody near? I just need to use the bathroom!"

Hermione started counting to thirty once more but she was only up to eighteen when Dolohov appeared through a door near her left. He came in carrying a plate and was followed closely behind by Gregory Goyle. Goyle had also disappeared right after the war and Hermione was really surprised to see him but she tried not to show it.

"Good morning, sunshine." Dolohov said his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I believe you remember your old schoolmate, Greg."

Gregory Goyle made a visible show of checking Hermione out and then he stepped directly in front of her. Hermione took an involuntary step back but Goyle shot out an arm and wrapped it around her waist pulling her firmly to him. With his free hand he pushed a stray curl off of Hermione's neck and bent his face so that he could smell her.

"You're right, Antonin. I do believe I will have fun with her." Goyle breathed. Hermione felt bile rising in her throat and she swallowed thickly against the bitter fluid.

"Not now. We have business to attend to." Dolohov plunked the plate he was holding on the table where she'd written the letter the night before. Hermione automatically placed a hand over the still throbbing wound in her side at the memory. The move did not go unnoticed by Dolohov but he ignored it and instead focussed on her head.

"What is this?" He said slowly and with much interest as he used one arm to balance the dishes he carried, and used the other to yank the expensive comb out of her hair. "This is nice; I imagine I can find some other use for it that will be much more lucrative than having it sit in your pretty hair."

Hermione fought back tears as her precious gift from Harry was taken away from her. As she looked at it she realised that she'd also just lost the only weapon she might have had to cause any sort of pain to Goyle when he inevitably came to force himself upon her. She was as good as dead so she didn't see any purpose in going quietly.

"No. That's mine." She spat.

"Well, it was. But now it is mine. Now eat your breakfast, you will need you strength later. We will be writing another letter." Dolohov replied pointing to the plate and cup on the table. They both made to leave the room before Hermione stopped them.

"Wait! I need to go to the bathroom. Could you just let me—"

"Oh, of course. How rude of me," Dolohov said snidely while Goyle guffawed, "here you are." Dolohov whipped out his wand and conjured a chamber pot, and then quickly left the room.

"Great." Hermione muttered to the empty room. With the excitement of her visitor's arrival over, Hermione once again felt the chill in the air. It was not as bad as before but she was definitely still cold. Hermione wrapped her arms around herself and slowly approached the chamber pot that was placed very nearly in the centre of the room. She stared into it for a moment before bending over and dragging it against the wall. Maybe she would get lucky and Dolohov would use that particular spot to enter the room and fall in it.

Hermione pushed her hair away from her face and felt the pang of loss from losing her gift. Sighing deeply she lifted her dress and pulled down her silky underwear and squatted over the pot. The cold air and the humility she felt prevented her from being able to perform for a minute but once she was done she felt immensely better. Wishing she had some toilet paper or a drying charm Hermione hovered for longer than was necessary over the pot, staring at her shoes. Hermione chastised herself for stupidly thinking that her comb was her only weapon. She was wearing high heels. When she was finished she walked over to the table and to the plate of food. Her stomach gave a rumble despite how nauseated her situation made her.

There were two pieces of buttered bread, some scrambled eggs, and two pieces of ham sitting on the plate. It was a surprisingly decent meal for a captive. Hermione debated whether it would be worth eating or not for a moment before picking up the fork and digging in. She was confident they weren't going to poison her and she wasn't going to spend her last hours alive torturing herself with hunger. She needed to be strong and keep her mind clear just in case an opportunity for escape presented itself. Besides, they would be torturing her plenty, so she didn't see the logic in doing it to herself.

Hermione finished every bite of the food and then laid the knife and fork back on the plate. It was cold and dry, but tolerable. She gulped down the cup of weak tea he'd left her in two large swallows. Hermione longed for her wand as she began to pace the room and assess her situation. The walls of the room were impeccably sealed. She could not find a hint of the door's natural location and there was no one place where she felt the hum of magic more than another signalling the location of the charm that prevented her from leaving. The light from the window brightened slowly as time passed and Hermione guessed that it was probably around ten in the morning. She'd been in captivity for nearly fourteen or fifteen hours if she was correct.

The only sound for the next fifteen minutes was the echo of Hermione's high heeled shoes as she clicked them unnecessarily hard on the floor. With her hair comb gone her shoes would be the only weapon she had if she chose to inflict some pain on her captors and Hermione hoped that the opportunity to do so would arise soon. She was beginning to feel less fearful and more than angry that they were going to take away everything she had worked so hard for over the years. Hermione spent the next half hour reliving the benefit and reciting her speech to herself over and over again each time with new and false embellishments about her own success. She was on the third recitation where she was vividly describing how she received the Order of Merlin First Class for the most amazing thesis ever written, when she heard slow hard clapping behind her. She whirled around and saw Dolohov standing behind her.

"Brava! That was a lovely speech." He purred walking toward her pulling a piece of parchment and quill out of his pocket. He then slid the silver knife out of its hidden sheath under his sleeve. "Time to write a letter."

Hermione inwardly groaned wondering if she should start running in circles and make him give chase to her, or just hold still and let him stick the knife in. Settling on the idea that a little stick with the knife could turn into quite a large one if she struggled, she decided to hold still. She would save her fight for either escape or when they finally decided to violate her. The last thought alone was more cause for the fear that flickered across her face than the knife that he held in front of her. The original wound in her side would probably get infected soon and it really hurt but it would bleed easier so she had a small hope that he would poke her there instead of somewhere new.

No such luck, Hermione gasped with surprise and pain as Dolohov yanked her arm forward and slid the knife's sharp point across the sensitive flesh on the inside of her right elbow. Blood poured freely and Hermione worried that this cut would be difficult to stop; it was very deep and about two inches long. Dolohov thrust the quill into her hand and pushed her over to the table. Hermione gritted her teeth as she filled the quill with blood and then transferred it to her right hand so she could write. Due to the cut in her arm her handwriting was significantly shakier than on the previous letter. She wished it wasn't because she figured by now Harry had identified the 'ink' to be her blood and knew it would make him worry even more. For the first time since she was kidnapped she felt a sob build up in her throat as she thought about Harry. Her lovely, best friend Harry, who would do anything for her, even marry her and spend his life trying to make her happy if that was what she wanted. As she wrote, the sob grew into a lump that she couldn't swallow down no matter how hard she gulped.

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Harry watched Draco and Lucius with disgusted fascination as Draco questioned his father. The effects of the Veritaserum were beginning to wear off and every now and then Lucius would shout out, "I will not answer," before spilling his guts. Harry could see the pain in Draco's eyes as he spoke with his father. It was hard for Harry to imagine ever caring for the dirty and shrunken man before them but that was his own naïveté. He grew up without his parents, so he really had no idea how it felt to be a young boy emulating a man that was still alive, regardless of how evil he was. Draco's face was a stony mask by the time he'd finished speaking with Lucius. Harry waited for Draco to walk away so that he could Obliviate Lucius. It would not do for him to have a memory of Draco's visit just to be safe. Lucius' eyes hardened as the last of the truth serum left his body.

"Draco, you are no son of mine." Lucius snarled.

Draco threw back his head and laughed, "You have no idea how much I wish that had always been true."

Draco walked away from Lucius' cell and disappeared around a corner. Harry approached the broken, yet still menacing man. His hair was matted and dirty, his face was gaunt and his grey eyes were manic, but he was still the same cruel and callous man Harry had always remembered. He was no better than the men holding Hermione hostage, and Harry had to exercise extreme restraint in order to prevent himself from torturing the prisoner before he Obliviated him. Before he walked away though, Harry reached in the cell and ripped a handful of hair from Lucius' head.

Harry found Draco leaning against the wall in the room that would take them back to the Ministry. Draco quickly wiped his eyes and stood facing away from him. Harry walked up beside Draco, his throat working as he fought to think of something appropriate to say. Draco could see Harry opening and closing his mouth like a fish next to him and wished the green-eyed idiot would just stay quiet for once.

"Thanks Draco. I know that was hard." Harry said.

Draco sighed deeply. "Yeah, let's just go, we've been here all night."

Harry looked at his watch and shook his head. It was nearing six in the morning. They had twenty four hours until the exchange was supposed to take place. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd slept. Draco looked at Harry carefully when they arrived back at the Ministry.

"You look like hell, Potter. You really should get some sleep today."

Harry nodded his agreement. "I'll take a potion to help me rest. I won't do anyone any good in this state. Let's just check in with Dawlish and we can both leave."

As if saying his name had summoned him, Dawlish came running around the corner.

"There you are, Potter! We have another letter." He said holding up the dark grey parchment. Harry took it and read it quickly trying not to look at Hermione's blood too long. He registered that the handwriting was much sloppier than the first time and feared for Hermione even more. Harry handed the letter to Draco who took it with a slightly trembling hand.

Dawlish,

7 a.m. tomorrow. Stonehenge. Your precious Mudblood will be in the centre of the circle. Only Lucius will approach her to verify her identity. There will be a small black pebble on the ground next to the Mudblood. It is a Portkey that will bring him to me. It is very small so any attempt for more than one person to touch it is futile. Any person who attempts to use the Portkey, besides Lucius Malfoy, will be summarily killed upon their arrival.

I hear the Ministry does not negotiate with terrorists. That works out perfectly for us because, you see, this is not a negotiation. Follow my instructions, or she dies.

Putus Cruor Confuto

"I'm sorry, Draco. It looks as if you will have to go to them and report to us via the coin." Dawlish reached out a hand and placed it on Draco's shoulder. "You are doing a very good, and very brave thing."

Warning****************************************************************************

"That's a nice letter isn't it? I can see that you look hopeful that I might actually let you go. In all truthfulness, I probably won't let you go." Dolohov approached Hermione slowly and with every step forward he took she took a step back. She was hopeful he was going to let her go, but that hope was quickly erased with his words, and as the mad look in his eyes heated lustfully.

"You can keep stepping back, Mudblood, but I will get you backed into a wall eventually."

Hermione took a few quick shuffling steps back and he followed but before she reached the wall she quickly turned and sidestepped out of his reach.

"Oh, you want to dance do you?"

"You will not touch me!" Hermione yelled

Dolohov laughed a loud cackling laugh that filled the room and Hermione's head but she continued to move away from him. He followed slowly, clearly enjoying the game. When Hermione was far enough away to make a quick movement she bent down and removed her shoes and gripped them tightly.

"I have a wand, girl. Do you think taking your shoes off will help you get away from me?" He laughed as he took a few long strides toward her. Hermione turned to run from him but he cast an Impedimenta spell, stopping her.

"I'm done playing games." Dolohov gripped her by the hair and threw her on the hard stone floor, coming down to rest on top of her. Hermione screamed and struggled beneath him. The more she struggled the harder he pressed his growing erection against her. He used his hips to pin her lower half and his hands to pin her upper arms. "Do you feel that? Do you want that?"

"NO!" Hermione screamed at him wrenching her arm free. She quickly swung the heel of her shoe towards Dolohov's face and yelled with triumph when the heel sunk into his right eye. Dolohov rolled off of her blindly aiming his wand his wand.

"GOYLE!" He screamed, and then turning on Hermione, "CRUCIO!"

Hermione curled in on herself as the pain tore through her body. The strength of his anger and pain only intensified the effects of the spell. Goyle came bounding into the room, his wand raised. Dolohov continued to hold the curse on her, blood and goo streaming out of his damaged eyeball. "Hold her down." Dolohov ordered, finally releasing the curse. Hermione fell limp and struggled to catch her breath.

"Why don't you just stun her?" Goyle asked stupidly as Dolohov yanked down his pants and bent over Hermione who immediately started to struggle and scream again.

"Because I don't like them to be limp, you moron. I like it when they squirm and this one is in for a pounding. Hold her!"

Goyle got down and pulled Hermione's upper body into his lap. He pulled her close to him and yanked her arms in behind her back. Hermione struggled against him but he was freakishly strong. She managed to turn her head sharply enough to bite his arm hard until she drew blood. Dolohov reached up and backhanded her, splitting her lips open.

"Don't." He ordered just before ripping away Hermione's virtue with one thrust of his hips.

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A/N: I know this chapter ended on a low note but it can't last forever. I had a hard time writing that and actually toned it down a lot.

Thanks a bunch to those of you who have reviewed and put this story on alert. I really appreciate it!