Summary: Hermione and Fred are separated by war, their relationship and recent engagement completely hidden from everyone. Terrified for each others safety both still have to play their separate parts.

Pairing: Fred/Hermione

"We've got a Muggleborn." Hermione flinched at being referred to so harshly, but said nothing, merely keeping her head down, making no eye contact, examining her surroundings as best she could. Ornate hangings and cold, stone walls made for a terrifying setting, the faces that surrounded her pale, drawn, and terrifying. Death Eaters.

We're in Malfoy Manor... Hermione knew that's where they were, the snatchers that had taken them from their camp hadn't thought to stop them hearing their destination. The dread filled her, they hadn't bothered to cover it up because they thought they were going to die here.

"Be safe, I love you." Fred Weasley's words to her rang through her mind, louder than if he'd been standing before her, screaming in her face.

I'm sorry Fred, so sorry... Her eyes flickered to Harry, who seemed unrecognisable to her, but they'd seen his scar, looked for it on his forehead.. and obviously, the presence of herself and Ron would speak for itself.

How could this happen? Only hours before they'd been together, laughing at the radio broadcast, she'd been so happy.. But Harry had said the name.

Trying not to lose my head but I have never been this scared before

"Draco! Is it them?" Hermione wasn't taking in the surroundings now, had not the strength to face the situation. She was merely thinking of Fred, remembering Fred, using her memories of him, if nothing else, to give her strength.

"I think so.. It could be?" Hermione looked up, for the first time, connecting her eyes to Draco's. Their situation was unsalvageable, they were alone, wandless, and held by large men, none of them were very good at wandless magic.. Nontheless she implored him with her eyes, tried to find anything but emptiness there. But he said nothing more, merely turned around and stood in the doorway, watching the proceedings.

"Fine. Maybe this one will talk." Hermione stifled a yell as Bellatrix Lestrange, notorious, grabbed her hair, and pulled her, forcefully, from the man holding her. At some time, the formidable woman had stunned the man holding her.. When had that been? Hermione was living in a strange sort of semi-consciousness, she knew she was about to die, despite all her promises.

"NO! Hermione!" She turned to face Ron, and Harry, who were being taken down into the dungeon, and the reality of their situation hit her completely. She was about to be tortured. She was about to die. The terror coarsed through her like an electric shock as Bellatrix stood before her, wand at the ready, about to strike.

'Fred, give me strength, please be with me' Hermione stared helplessly into the wand, as she uttered the words.

"CRUCIO!"

The pain. She'd never had anything like it, her head was on fire, her body was burning, she was dying... She was struggling to think of one thought, let alone what to do, what to say, anything to stop this.

"Where did you get this sword!" Bellatrix was shrieking at her now, giving her no time to answer before waving her wand again, casting the curse, it seemed that uttering the spell the first time had been for show, to introduce her to what was causing this horror that thrilled through her veins.

'Live, Hermione. Be strong, I believe in you'

'Fred?'

'Be Safe. I'll wait for you, I love you.'

'there's really no way to reach me
'cause i'm already gone

Fleeting images flowed through her mind, Fred's face, mostly, but amongst them were their trip to Gringotts, their acquistion of the sword... The pain was terrifying, but somehow becoming a dull numbness, burning, but hurtling her body into a state of limbo, her mind onto an odd level on which there was nothing, just the pain, and the face of a ginger boy in her mind, one that now, she wouldn't be returning to.

"Answer me!" The command brought Hermione hurtling back to the world, to where she lay, curled into the foetal position. She stared up into the face of the woman, her eyes half crazed.

"It's not the real one, it's a fake!" She eventually muttered, but had no reward, merely was cursed again.. Feeling every aspect of the pain renewed, she felt as if her bones were shattering as she crashed downwards into the floor, yet she had something to focus on now, a story to give away, it would stop the pain, if she was to be believed..

"It's a fake, I swear, PLEASE!" Hermione couldn't stop the begging now, tears running down her face as a ridiculous burning pain erupted in her left arm. Her mind filled with sick revulsion as she realised what Bellatrix was doing. Carving letters into her arm. Finally, she relented.

"Get me the Goblin. And girl, if you have lied, I will run you through with this." Hermione stared at the glint of the knife, wondering bitterly what else would happen to her, anyway. If Bellatrix killed her, she at the very least had not told the truth about what had happened. It was all she could do. She could lie for Harry, be tortured for Harry. As she lay on the floor, numbly, her thoughts returned to Fred, absurdly, to a memory of her fourth year.

"I can't believe he's still doing those curses.. They're unforgivable for a reason!" Hermione was fuming, letting all her anger out to her boyfriend of only a few months, who put a comforting arm around her, a serious look on his face.

"He knows what he's doing, Mi', he's an auror." He gave her a gentle smile, and like always, she found her anger fizzling away, gone, replaced with the happiness that filled her when she spent time with Fred.

"The torture curse though.. It upset Neville, and I have to admit, I was terrified." Hermione's voice got rather small as she hugged her knees to her chest, and compelled to protect her, Fred hugged her form to his stomach, fitting her in between his legs so he could surround her with his arms.

"That'll never happen to you love. I'm always here." She turned round, giving him a soft smile, and placing a kiss on his lips, which he then deepened, their conversation forgotten in favour of a more.. enjoyable activity.

'Oh Fred, you couldn't protect me...' Hermione thought sadly, though neither would have said, back then, that his reassurance would ever come to light, that she'd ever be tortured. There was suddenly a ruckus opposite her, and she looked up sharply. Harry and Ron had a wand, and.. Dobby? She wondered if she was hallucinating, and blinked twice. No, the elf was really there, and Harry and Ron were both training their eyes on her... She lifted a hand, not sure whether she was letting them no she was alive, or about to attempt to, ridiculously, tidy herself up..

'Don't let them die for me'. She prayed.

Quickly she was jerked upwards, hands around her neck and she shut her eyes, feeling the cool of the dagger she'd been threatened with earlier around her neck. Hermione stilled automatically, wondering if now was when she should start talking to Fred in her head, Bellatrix would have no qualms about cutting her throat, and Hermione wanted to say.. a goodbye. If she died now she'd failed him, she'd promised to live.

She couldn't stop a yell escaping her throat as the blade pressed against her, she felt a trickle of what had to be her own blood travelling down her neck.. Was that it? No, she assessed, Bellatrix hadn't pressed hard enough just yet.

It was then that everything happened at once. Dobby was apparating, the chandelier was hurtling from the ceiling.. There were multiple screams, including her own, and a hand found hers, a glorious, warm hand, and she was apparating, or being side-along taken somewhere, the glorious feeling of leaving that Manor, the place she'd literally thought she'd die.. Ron's hand was the one in hers, it was so like Fred's, after all.. Where were they going?

"Ron! Bill, eet eez your brother, ee eez beck!" Fleur? Hermione opened her eyes, and then heard a crack in the distance, and summoned all the strength she had to turn around, see Harry appearing in the distance.. She turned back again, but realised she was only controlling her head, her entire body, completely devoid of strength, was being supported by Ron. She looked up, and incredulously, into the eyes of Bill Weasley, who was scooping her into his arms, and taking her into the cottage behind him.

That they had escaped hadn't quite computed in her mind, that they were somewhere with Weasleys, that they weren't there anymore.. She looked up at Bill, who was staring at her, concerned, as he laid her down onto his sofa. They were alone, for a few moments, and Hermione reached forward, grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer to her. He looked concerned, a little confused for a moment but then seemed to realise she needed to communicate something, and she herself was astounded by the frail whisper that emerged from her mouth.

"I need.. to see Fred..." She said, her throat raspy, and Bill made to stand, but she, with all the strength she had, gripped his shirt.

"They.. can't know.. please Bill... secret." She flopped back down again, looking up at him for confirmation, for his response to her request. He seemed to understand though, she watched understanding flow over him as he looked down at her.

"I'll do it." He said quietly, and she nodded her thanks, opening her mouth to respond verbally, but he shook his head, gesturing for her to lie back.

"Sleep, Hermione. Ron and Harry will explain to me, and i'll have Fred here when you wake up." With this reassurance, Hermione lay back, allowing her eyes to flutter closed. She had become used to trusting the word of the Weasley men.

"Fred." With the one word Fred was up, Bill's apparation having startled him, but, as all the Order members were in this perilous time, he was alert, the surprise arrival so late at night could not have come without need.

"It's Hermione. She's arrived at Shell Cottage." Fred made to move, turning and dressing as Bill continued talking.

"She asked to see you. She's said nothing, but she's very hurt, she's very weak. She insisted it be a secret, and i'm not going to ask questions..." Fred had jumped at the news that she was hurt, and was looking as if he was about to leave on the spot, but Bill placed a restraining arm on his shoulder.

"Prepare yourself, Fred. She asked Harry and Ron do not know, so i'm apparating you, with me, to our guest room. I assured her i'd have you there for when she wakes. I only left her to sleep a minute ago, so one more minute won't hurt." While Fred wanted to leave immedietely, he knew that his brother would have told him had there been immediete danger, and he saw the logic in his statement.

"Are you together?" Bill asked, a look of curiosity on his face. Fred nodded, once, wordlessly.

"Please, Bill, take me to her." With no more dicussion, Bill touched his brothers arm, and with a crack, they travelled to Shell Cottage.