Chapter 26 guys! Thank you guys for the reviews and all the 'likes' I really appreciate it :)
Hermione opened her mouth, to say something, but before she could say anything she felt her head being lifted up. Cormac was lifting Hermione by her hair. He pulled it until she could feel some of her hair, actually coming out of her scalp. "Hm, I don't feel so sad, anymore… Astoria, revenge is sweet," Cormac laughed, as if everything was funny
He brought his face closer to Hermione's and tried to kiss her. Instead Hermione jerked her face away, and spat on his. He pulled back and aimed Crucio at her.
Hermione could only scream. Her hands reached for her stomach. She yearned to keep the life inside her life, but she could hardly feel alive anymore how could she believe her child would be fine. Hermione screamed, her body feeling a sharp pain, after Astoria threw another curse at her.
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"Potter!" Draco called out, as he barged into their house, through the floo
"Draco? Blaise?" Ginny called, her voice sounding tired
Ginny walked out of her room, tiredly, holding a wide-awake James in her lap. "Hey guys… What's up?"
"Uh, is Harry here?" Draco asked quickly
"Yeah… HARRY!" Ginny called out loudly, her voice still strained though
Harry joined them outside. The couple watched Draco's face get tense and his fists curl up.
"Ginny…Have you seen Hermione?" Blaise asked, calmly
"No… why?" Ginny asked quietly
"What happened?" Harry asked, worriedly
"Hermione and I were supposed to meet at the café, and it's not like her to be late, I checked her office and I have no idea where she is, I thought she'd be here with you…" Draco said, closing his eyes, and slapping his hands to his face
"Draco… Maybe she's at home now…?" Ginny said her voice cracking
"No, we checked there too…" Blaise spoke for his friend
"Well, what other place can you think of… where she might be…" Harry asked, pacing his auror-self kicking in.
"Uhm… I don't know…" Draco whispered
"Guys… Do you think she might be with Greengrass…?" Ginny asked hesitantly
Draco looked up at Ginny. His eyes were scared. "What if…?" Draco asked quietly
The boys went to the ministry and got together people to look for Hermione.
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Hermione felt lifeless in her aching body. Astoria and Cormac were still cackling. "So Mudblood, how are you holding up?" Astoria asked
Hermione didn't answer; the ropes were not tied on her anymore. She had her arms around her stomach, hugging her body together. "That's her begging for mercy," Astoria snickered
"I…will…not… beg…" Hermione breathed out, her voice strained. Her body was dehydrated and tired. She could hardly find the energy to speak, but she was not going to give up, she knew Draco would come save her.
"Get up, Hermione!" Cormac called to her, like she was an a dog
Hermione refused to listen to him. She cut him out and closed her eyes. "ARE YOU DEAF, MUDBLOOD?" Cormac shouted, "Its okay, though… If you prefer to lie down…I'll do something else…"
Astoria brought out long thick cords and handed them to Cormac. "These, my dear, are going to be used to whip the soles of your feet…" Cormac informed her, viciously smirking
She closed her eyes; she couldn't imagine what was going on. She was supposed to be safe with Draco on a date, and then this happened. Her eyes were on the verge of welling up in tears, but she wasn't going to give her captors the satisfaction of seeing tears in her eyes. She laid there, ready for the whips to hit her. The first couple of times, Cormac pretending to hit her, feet, which caused her to flinch each time, and finally when he hit her feet, she screamed for her life.
"This is just the beginning, sweetheart," Astoria snickered
Her feet were being whipped. She held her breath and before she could shriek she ended up biting her tongue. The whippings never stopped, her eyes were widened in horror, and her feet, felt like they were burning.
As Hermione lay there, she saw memories flash in front of her eyes. Whenever she acknowledged a certain recollection, she felt it vanish from her mind. Her mind was going blank by the second. Her eyes closed now. She was unconscious.
"Cormac, is she dead?" Astoria stopped laughing
"Hm… let's check?" Cormac went to check her pulse, "No she's just unconscious…"
"What should we do with her…?" Astoria asked quietly,
"Well, let's give her some of those muggle drugs we got… so she wouldn't wake for a couple of hours… and then let's leave her, before anyone finds out about this?" Cormac said making the plan
Astoria picked up a needle and injected it into her right arm. Cormac smirked at the pain he inflicted her. "To bad, Draco couldn't come save her," Cormac thought out loud
Astoria and Cormac left her in the dungeon, unconscious with the spiders and dark, alone. Hermione's wand was somewhere in the corner of the room, obviously the fact was oblivious to Astoria or Cormac, or else they've wouldn't have left it there.
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Draco was anxious; he was pacing the Auror office, thinking of where Greengrass could've taken Hermione. "Hm… Do they have any other family homes?" Harry asked Draco
"She does, but I hardly doubt she'd take here there… It's too obvious and she has family living in each mansion…" Draco answered
"What about any dungeons or –" Harry started, but Draco had cut him off
"YES! That have a dungeon… It's kind of like a tomb… Uhm… It's across the lake that from their house…" Draco said
"Great, You and me, let's go…" Harry said,
"Wait, hey! She's my sister!" Blaise protested, "I want to go too!"
"Fine, let's apparate separately, we don't want to get splinched…" Draco finished.
The boys, finally got to The Greengrass Dungeons and Tombs, until they realized they had to find a way to get in. "How do we get in?" Harry asked
"To get in you need the pure-blood of two people, you have to drop it right their next to their family crest," Draco gestured. He cut his wrist dropping his blood on the crest and then did the same with Blaise.
Shortly the door unlocked, and slid open. Draco ran ahead, looking for Hermione. "Lumos" Draco muttered, Harry and Blaise followed suit. "Where is she…" Draco asked frantically
"Hermione…" Harry whispered
"Is that her…" Blaise asked, looking into the corner of the Dungeon. He noticed the shadow of a figure.
"That's her!" Harry shouted
All of three of them ambushed her. "Hermione," They whispered trying to wake her.
"Let's take her to St. Mungo's!" Draco picked her up,
"Blaise you got to your home, and tell them to come to Mungo's… I'll go assure Ginny we found her, and Draco take her now!" Harry ordered apparating out of the Dungeons
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"Draco! How's Hermione?" Mrs. Zabini asked, she sounded hysterical
"She's unconscious still…" Draco answered, quietly. He sat on the chair that was across from the operation room
Mr. and Mrs. Zabini were crying in the corner of the room. "Who did this to our daughter…?"
"Mum… It was Astoria Greengrass…" Blaise answered them
"Draco… Where's Hermione?" Ginny asked with Harry, Ron and Mrs. Weasley following her
"She's in the operation room… Her condition is very bad…" Draco teared up
Narcissa Malfoy took a seat next to her son, "Sweetie, she's going to be alright… Hermione's a tough girl…" She embraced her son
"Mr. Malfoy," The nurse called out worriedly,
"Is she awake?" Draco asked before the nurse could even say anything, "Can I go see her?"
"She's conscious, but she doesn't remember… a couple of things… Her last memory is from when she was fifteen… Her health is still really critical thought…" The nurse replied
"What?" Draco yelled, "How's that possible…?"
"Oh it is… Mr. Malfoy, she's been traumatized; she had the Cruciatus curse used on her multiple times… You're lucky is hasn't driven her insane... She might slowly come to regain her memories, but for now, you're going to have to remain aware of the things you say in front of her… don't tense her… and you may go see her, if she knew you at the age…" The nurse finished
Draco closed his eyes and went back to his seat, "Harry and Ron, you guys can go see Hermione…"
"But why?" Harry asked, "You don't want to see her?"
"Ask the nurse what happened, and then you'll realize on your own…" Draco finished off, taking his seat next to his mother;
Harry and Ron looked at each other after listening to the Nurse. They understood why Draco didn't want to see her. Hermione didn't remember him as the loving boyfriend, he remind her of the constant bullying and teasing of her 'muggle' heritage and of her bushy hair and beaver teeth. They walked into the room to speak to their friend. But Ginny stayed back talking to the nurse. "Excuse me, my friend… Hermione… She was pregnant…And, I wanted to know if—" Ginny started talking, tearing up as she spoke
"Yes, she was… But she's not anymore… She was hit by Crucio so many times and god only knows what other curses we used on her…" The nurse shook her head, after telling Ginny about Hermione.
"Oh…" Ginny said her face was now covered with tears. She walked up to Draco, who had his hands on his face. "Draco… I have to talk to you…" Ginny said signaling him to meet her at the end of the corridor
"What happened?" Draco asked quietly
"Well, the day James was born, and Hermione came to speak to me, she told me something…"
"What…?" Draco said scrunching his brows
"She told me… She was pregnant…" Ginny finished, she couldn't even look at Draco, and he realized what was coming next
"She was pregnant…?" Draco asked, his eyes widened, "You mean I was going to be the father…?"
"Obviously," Ginny rolled her eyes, "Anyways… Now well… the baby has died… and she doesn't even remember…"
"I am going to get revenge!" Draco finished his eyes were enraged. Ginny started crying and Draco put his arm around her and embraced her, "I promise I will get revenge!" They walked back to their families after they talked.
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"Hey Mione…" Harry spoke, quietly
"Hello…Harry, Ron… What happened? Did that toady gargoyle do this?" Hermione asked, clearly referring to Umbridge, "You guys look tired, what did, she do?"
"Uhm, Hermione… actually, Umbridge didn't do this… we aren't in our fifth years anymore…" Harry answered her
"We're twenty-four year olds…" Ron asked, as he noticed Hermione's facial expression change
"What? So that nurse wasn't lying? Oh I feel so bad, I was giving her a tough time… But why am I here, and why do I feel so sick and tired…?"
"Wait is Voldemort still here?" Hermione asked quietly
"Nope, we killed him… in our seventh year…" Ron answered her
"Really?" Hermione beamed
"Yeah…" Harry answered
"So what do I do…? Where do I live?" Hermione asked her friends
"Well… you work at the Ministry, you're the head of Law Enforcements, Kingsley Shacklebolt is the Minister, and you're also the face of Malfoy/Zabini Co. Their magazine and clothing company…" Harry ended the last part quietly
"What? I work for Slytherins?" Hermione shouted
"No… yes… no… I don't know…" Ron and Harry stuttered
"What is wrong with me…? I'm working with Slytherins…?" Hermione wondered out loud, "And you guys didn't say anything to me… you boys didn't tell me I was messed up for working with them…?"
"Well, actually Hermione, Blaise and Draco… have changed, you guys actually became pretty good friends…" Harry started
"What?"
"Yeah…Uhm, how about we come back to talk to you… This much information is fine for now…" Harry smiled weakly and rushed out of the room with Ron following him.
"Merlin, I thought she was going to rip off our heads, when we told her about Malfoy and Zabini's company…" Ron laughed awkwardly
"She really doesn't remember anything…" Harry said sadly
"What happened, how is she?" Draco asked, when he saw Harry and Ron run out of the room
"She's angry… about working as the face of your magazine," Ron answered
"Oh… Do you think it'd be okay if I go speak to her…?" Draco asked
"Uhm go with Blaise, and take Ginny along…" Harry said patting him on the back
"Okay…" Draco nodded, walking towards the door, a little frightened by what Hermione might do