Title:Game Without Tears
Disclaimer: I do not own, wish I did, but I don't. I only own my plot line. Full disclaimer, first chapter.
Author: ShaeLynn Teelle
All other information: See first chapter.
Polite constructive criticism welcome. FLAMES WILL BE FED TO THE DRAGON IN MY BED.
Chapter 10: Cage of Stainless Steel
Draco stood impassively next to Voldemort's throne. He watched the figure before him struggling not to scream under the spell Voldemort had sent at her. Incendere Inserere made the victim feel as though they were being burned from the inside out, but left no physical damage. Voldemort quickly got bored with the curse when she refused to scream and ended it. When he cast the Cruciatus on her, she couldn't keep the screams inside and Voldemort smiled. After nearly five minutes, he took the curse off. Draco glanced at the snake-like man that sat next to him and knew from Voldemort's triumphant grin that the next curse would be Hermione's last.
She had been dragged into the main room shortly after all the Death Eaters had arrived, looking none the worse for wear. Her robes were gone, leaving her in the girl's uniform she had worn to Hogsmeade that day. She had been dirty from whatever cell they had thrown her into, but didn't appear to have been damaged much from either curses or more Muggle means of torture. Now, she lay on the floor of the room shivering in the cold and in reaction to the curses Voldemort had thrown at her.
"My Lord, hold."
"Crucio!"" Voldemort screamed as he spun to face the Death Eater that stood at his right side.
The body fell to the floor, writhing and convulsing for two minutes before Voldemort finally lifted the curse. The only reason for the shortened punishment was because there was no way that Voldemort could believe his most trusted would do anything to interrupt his enjoyment without a good reason. Draco lay on the floor, panting before standing and facing a pair of red eyes that burned in hatred.
"What is the meaning of this, Dorchadais?"
"Would it not be better, my Lord, to torture the Mudblood and send her back than to kill her?" Draco asked in the cold monotone that he used only in front of Voldemort and his fellow Death Eaters.
"I want Potter in pain! I want him to hurt!"
"My Lord, to kill her would indeed cause Potter a great deal of pain, but it would be a pain that would likely fade in time. However, if she were returned after being tortured in… certain ways… and Potter learned of what had happened, would he not be in more pain knowing that he should have helped her, but could do nothing for her? If he had to see her everyday, remembering what happened, would that not cause his pain to last longer without fading?"
"Crucio!"
Draco found himself clenching his teeth again as the pain shot through his entire body as he waited for Voldemort to decide what he would do. Finally, nearly five minutes later, the curse was lifted from Draco, who had managed to not scream once through the curse. Draco stood on shaky legs and Voldemort waved his hand in the direction of the storage rooms.
He bowed to Voldemort before turning and grabbing Hermione by her disheveled bushy hair and dragging her through the crowd of Death Eaters. He threw her roughly into one of the small rooms off to the side of the audience hall. Hermione cried out as she struck the floor. Hearing the door slam behind her she turned onto her back just in time to see the Death Eater straddle her hips and his hands grab her shoulders, keeping her pinned against the floor.
"Get off me! Get off!" Hermione screamed, praying that she was wrong about what it had sounded like the Death Eater was going to do to her.
"Good, Granger," the cold voice said softly in her ear, too softly to be heard outside of the room. "Keep screaming or I'll have to hurt you."
"Get off me! No!" Hermione screamed, but she cautiously nodded to the Death Eater.
"You will return to Hogwarts and tell Madam Pomfrey that you were horribly raped. Make sure Potter does not find out the truth at first. Go to Dumbledore. Tell him what really happened. Scream again. I just raped you," the words were quick, only taking a moment or two.
Hermione took a deep breath and screamed for all she was worth. The force of it seemed to almost shock the Death Eater above her, but he masked it quickly. Draco nodded at Hermione's acting, hoping that it really was acting and that she hadn't had to go through such a thing in her past. She shook her head at Draco, having caught a glimpse of concern in his cold gray eyes.
Draco frowned at himself for revealing even that, "Half-hearted screams, Granger, while I adjust your robes, then, I will drag you out and you must make it convincing that I have just done what they will think I have or we'll both be dead."
Hermione sobbed, her eyes understanding as she forced real tears from her eyes and mumbled half-screams, half-pleads for him to stop. While she was busy making it sound believable Draco had magicked away the gray sweater and torn open the white button down shirt of the Hogwarts School uniform, showing the front of her brassiere and some creamy skin that he then magicked wet and sticky from saliva.
"Hold still, there is one more thing," and before Hermione could say anything Draco had magicked away her underpants from beneath her skirt. "Embarrassment is a small price to pay for freedom, Granger. Get it under control," He said in admonishment for the blush that was staining her cheeks and Hermione calmed the flush down, making herself seem paler than she should.
Then, Draco grabbed her by an arm and dragged her back into the room full of Death Eaters and in front of Voldemort while other Death Eaters snickered at Hermione's appearance and the fact that when she struggled against the grip on her arm many could see that there was nothing beneath her skirt except bare flesh.
"Now what?" Voldemort spat at Draco as he returned to his Lord's side, passively watching Granger lay curled up on the floor, tears running down her cheeks and hands gripping her torn shirt closed like it was the most important thing in the world.
"Do what you want with her, but do nothing irreparable. Leave nothing to mar her flesh, but Potter will know what happened to her every time he looks at her and that pain will be far greater than if she had died. All memories must be left where they are and her mind intact so she can tell Potter with her own thoughts everything that happened to her."
"You would have her remember everything, including you?"
"She hardly saw enough of me to identify and she will never have a chance to again see what small amount she saw. The slut wasn't even an innocent. A sixth year prefect and she'd already let someone into her bed, pathetic."
"Take her away. If she is harmed further or if any tamper with her, I will punish everyone! Out! Get out!"
Most of the Death Eaters bowed and disapparated as quickly as they could, not wanting to be the last to leave while the rest headed quickly towards the room where the girls were kept when they were called as they had been that night. They knew better than to linger in Voldemort's presence if they wanted to escape unharmed.
The two who had dragged Hermione before their Lord put binding charms on the girl before bodily picking her up and disapparating to wherever they would leave her to be found the next morning.
Draco followed them from the room sedately, but no slower than any others and apparated when he was beyond the gate of the decaying mansion. He appeared with a pop just beyond the apparation zone around the backside of Hogwarts. Draco heard a faint pop behind him and turned in time to see a bright red light shoot from his father's wand straight at him. Whatever curse Lucius had used knocked Draco unconscious and sent him through the invisible barrier. Then, Lucius disapparated, leaving Draco lying in the snow and the shadow of the castle. It was nearly an hour later when Draco was found.
\/\/\/\/\/
After the meeting Crabbe and Goyle had disapparated near the edge of the lake where they waited for Daphne and Pansy, knowing what always happened to them after meetings if they were called, which they had been.
It was thirty minutes later when Daphne showed up. As soon as she appeared she fell to her knees, arms wrapped about herself and shoulders shaking. Gregory knelt down next to her and through gentle words, coaxed her into his arms where he held her in comfort. It took another ten minutes for Pansy to Apparate to the lake. Vincent managed to catch her just as she fainted. Vincent and Gregory looked to each other and nodded before beginning the walk back into the castle through one of the many secret passages.
If anyone had come across the group they would have seen a very strange sight. Walking silently through the darkened hallways, Vincent carried Pansy in his arms, looking as if it took no effort on his part. Gregory had his arms wrapped about Daphne whom was not looking at anything, her face buried against his chest. It looked as though the only thing really keeping the girl up was Gregory's arms wrapped about her. The procession had the solemnity of a funeral, but the air held none of the grief induced tension of such an event.
The group came to a still portrait of a large snake asleep next to a lion. Gregory drew a line with his finger from the snake's head to the lion's and the painting silently opened. They entered the hallway beyond and walked until they reached another painting. This was one of Salazar Slytherin sitting next to Godric Gryffindor in the middle of the front yard of Hogwarts.
"Unity," Vincent said quietly and the painting swung inwards.
The group entered into the room beyond to find it empty when they had expected Draco to be there waiting for them. The two boys looked at each other, then, Vincent laid Pansy on the small bed that sat against one wall. Gregory helped Daphne get into the bed as well before walking over to a small round table, only large enough to be a nightstand, and picked up a small green orb that sat with four others in the center.
"Locate Dragon, Mitsukeru."
The orb began to glow with a soft light and Gregory turned slowly in a circle until the light grew a fraction brighter. The two walked out of the room through the passageway they had come in. Gregory turned in a circle again when they went through the second painting, looking for the slight change in light. When he saw it, he turned in that direction, Vincent following silently behind him. They continued following the orb's light, every turn rechecking which way to go.
It took them nearly ten minutes before they were outside of the castle. They looked out onto the grounds and saw the blonde figure immediately. The black Death Eater robes stood out in eye-catching contrast against the white snow. The two Slytherins ran out to the body lying in the cold and rolled Draco onto his back, checking for wounds. When they found nothing visible and they found him still breathing Vincent and Gregory picked up the body and slowly walked back to the room where the girls waited. They half-carried, half-dragged Draco's unconscious form between them.
They returned to the room to find Pansy and Daphne awake and sending basic healing spells at each other. As soon as they saw Draco the two girls stopped and pulled the blankets back from the bed. Vincent and Gregory hoisted Draco onto the bed where the girls began stripping away his black cloak, the gray one he wore underneath, Draco's shirt, and his boots, leaving him in his pants and socks that were somehow still dry. They covered him with the blankets and cast warming charms on them, not sure how long Draco had been lying in the snow.
"What happened, Vin?" Pansy asked tiredly after Draco began shivering.
"We followed the location orb outside and saw him lying in the snow. He's not physically injured as far as we could tell so it must have been a hex to just knock him unconscious or something. When he wakes up we'll have to ask him who did it if he knows."
"Lucius," Draco said quietly, his voice raspy and barely audible through chattering teeth as he sat up, pulling the blankets around himself.
Daphne waved her wand, producing a mug of hot apple cider and gave it to Draco, knowing he'd need the extra warmth. He nodded his thanks as he took the cup, holding it between his hands and sipping at the tangy beverage.
"Do you know what hex he used?" Pansy asked, sitting in one of the chairs at the table, allowing Daphne to finish sending a few more healing spells in her direction.
"It was just a basic low-level hex. I wasn't expecting it and he must have thrown it as soon as he appeared."
"I've gotten the times when we can meet in the Room set, allowing for everyone's conflicts. I think the first thing Trace and I need to teach you all is maintaining a basic shield constantly. It'll be harder to take it off after you get used to having it, but it gives you an advantage when someone tries to do what the Snake's Pet did to you, Dragon. We've arranged with Blaise to come at the same time and the Trio will keep everyone away at that time. I told them that when it's safe for everyone they could know who you are, but they won't find out until the Snake is gone and we're all free."
"So," Draco said quietly as his teeth had by then stopped chattering. "In other words they won't find out until after school is over with."
"Yes, and by then it shouldn't matter," Daphne agreed and charmed the clothes they had taken off Draco dry before handing them back to the Slytherin.
Draco dressed silently, lost in his thoughts. When he was completely clothed once more he drained the last of his cider and looked at each of the four in turn. "Has anyone learned anything new?"
Gregory and Vincent shook their heads while Pansy looked at the floor, but Daphne met his eyes.
"The Snake's Pet let loose that the Crow was most eager to prove himself."
"Crow?" Vincent asked, confused.
"Crow… raven. Ravenclaw," Pansy said.
"The spy is a male Ravenclaw. That cuts the suspects down by three-quarters, but there's still too many that we can't trust."
"I can eliminate at least a couple more people. After the next D.A. meeting I'll note the Ravenclaws that are there. Those will be the first it's safe to check and Trace and I can do that with Blaise as back up. It won't be suspicious to anyone from the other houses and Blaise can back up any story we make to keep Slytherin house off track," Daphne said, a calculating look on her face.
"The Snake wants Harry," Pansy said quietly, still looking to the floor as if it held all the answers. "He's getting restless. Dragon, watch him. The Snake's going to try something publicly at any decent chance he can get and Harry's not going to be prepared."
"I will, Pansy. The Snake's not going to get to him without going through me first, if it comes to that," Draco said quietly and knelt down in front of Pansy.
She looked up and they all could see the tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. Draco reached up and gently brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. A sob broke from Pansy at the soft touch and she fell from the chair into Draco's waiting arms. The other three gathered around the two, Vincent gently rubbing Pansy's back as she cried and Daphne and Gregory simply offering comfort with their presence.
\/\/\/\/\/
Hermione's captors had spelled her unconscious before taking her back to Hogwarts. When she awoke she found herself just beyond the apparition wards at the front of the school just as the sun began to peak over the land. She made her way up to the entrance after finding her wand still in the holder Harry had made her the previous summer.
It left no visible traces of it resting at the small of her back, but was easily accessible in the Hogwart's uniform. She had wanted to draw it as soon as she was captured, but there were too many and she knew help would never have arrived soon enough. Plus, they would have simply taken her wand and she knew that she had needed to avoid that possibility in case there had been a chance for her to get away later and she had needed it.
Knocking softly on Professor McGonagall's door, Hermione only had to wait a few moments before it opened. The Head of Gryffindor House took one look at her and helped her up to the infirmary.
"Professor McGonagall, could you please get the Headmaster? I need to tell him what happened," Hermione said quietly as Madam Pomfrey led her to a bed.
"Of course, Miss Granger. I'll fetch him immediately."
Hermione turned her attention to Pomfrey as McGonagall fled the room in search of the Headmaster. Madam Pomfrey got her settled onto a bed before sitting on the edge.
"Can you tell me what happened, Miss Granger?" Pomfrey asked her quietly.
Hermione told her what had happened after she followed Millicent and that none of the Death Eaters did much to her because Voldemort had wanted the pleasure. She finished just as Dumbledore entered through the infirmary door, McGonagall right behind him.
"Miss Granger. I need you to tell me everything that you remember about what happened after you were captured," Dumbledore spoke gently as he came to stand at the end of her bed.
"I was kept in a small cell after I was brought to wherever Voldemort was. I think I was in there for maybe six or seven hours before a Death Eater showed up at the door. He had the black robes and full white mask that most of them have. When he opened the door he cast a spell that I didn't recognize. The next I knew I was kneeling in front of Voldemort and I was surrounded by Death Eaters."
"You mentioned something about the masks. What did you mean?"
"Well, all the Death Eaters in the room had full white masks so nothing could be seen of their faces, except for Voldemort and the Death Eater that stood at the right side of his chair. Voldemort didn't have a mask at all and the one standing next to him only had a mask that covered everything except his mouth. It came down around the sides of his face, disappearing into his black robes and everything was covered except for just below his nose and down. I remember catching a glimpse through a door before it was closed of a room of Death Eaters that didn't look like Death Eaters. They all had half masks only with colored marks on them and they wore colored robes rather than black ones."
"Do you recall how many there were?"
Hermione closed her eyes for a moment as she thought, "In the room I think there were maybe a dozen that didn't wear black robes, but there were maybe two dozen Death Eaters in the room I was in besides Voldemort and I could hear more from some room nearby, but I couldn't see them. He cast something on me that I couldn't hear and then, he cast a curse that I've never heard the name of."
"Do you remember the incantation, Miss Granger?" Madam Pomfrey asked.
"Incendere Inserere. It felt like someone had lit a fire inside me. When I wouldn't scream under it, he stopped it and cast the Cruciatus on me. It seemed like it went on forever. He finally stopped it and there was this look in his eyes that I was positive meant he was going to kill me with his next curse, but the person standing to his right stopped him."
"The Death Eater with the partial mask?"
Hermione nodded, "I couldn't recognize him, even his voice." Hermione shuddered slightly as she remembered it, "His voice was so cold and hollow. There was no feeling behind it, nothing at all. Voldemort cast the Cruciatus on him at his interruption, but the man didn't even scream. Voldemort said that all he wanted was to see Harry hurt.
"The Death Eater agreed that killing me would hurt Harry, but that if they did… something else and left me alive, it would hurt Harry longer because he'd remember every time he saw me. I knew what he was implying, but I hoped I was wrong. Then, Voldemort agreed and the Death Eater dragged me into a side room and threw me on the floor. I screamed because I knew what was going to happen."
Hermione looked up to see that Poppy had her hands in front of her mouth and there were tears in her eyes. The twinkle was gone from Dumbledore's eyes and he had a white-knuckled grip on the footboard of the bed. She looked Dumbledore in the eyes without flinching as she continued.
"I thought I knew what was going to happen. He sat on my stomach, keeping me pinned down. Then, he told me to keep screaming or we'd both be killed. He did simple first level charms to make it look like he had raped me, but he didn't. He told me to tell you what had happened as soon as I got back. He said that Ron and Harry shouldn't be told the truth until later because it had to be believed.
"I was dragged back to where Voldemort was, both of us playing our roles and I was brought back to the front of the school outside the wards. I went to Professor McGonagall first and she brought me here. I don't know who he was or why, but he saved my life. I don't think that Voldemort would have accepted his suggestion if it had been anyone else."
"Miss Granger, do you still have your wand?" McGonagall asked quietly, speaking for the first time since returning with the Headmaster.
"Yes, Ma'am. Last summer, Harry had made most of those in the DA a wand holder that would help us. If we're not in classes or in the castle, we keep our wands at the small of our backs. The holder can't be seen unless you know it's there. I would never have had a chance to use it before they took it with so many around so I never pulled it out."
Then, she sat up and reached behind her back, pulling the holder and her wand from under her shirt and handed it to McGonagall who nodded and handed it to Madam Pomfrey for safe keeping as was usual for those in the infirmary.
Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment, "I believe you, Miss Granger, but, Poppy, would you please check to make sure that she wasn't harmed in that manner? I do not want the chance of a memory spell having been placed on you while you were there, Miss Granger."
"Of course, Albus," Poppy said and Hermione nodded in agreement. Madam Pomfrey waved her wand above Hermione and the expression of relief that crossed her face gave them the diagnosis, "She's right, Albus. There are outward signs that show the possibility, but it didn't occur."
Then, she turned to Hermione, "I would like to keep you here for a few days, both for appearances sake to help the story your friends will be told and because I don't want any unknown effects from the unknown curses used on you to manifest somewhere you wouldn't want them to."
Hermione nodded, "When would Harry and Ron be able to visit? I want to get the story told as soon as possible."
"Of course, Miss Granger. They may both visit tomorrow before breakfast. I think you need to rest right now and I'll give you a potion to ensure you sleep well."
Hermione took the potion as everyone else left the room. As she drifted off into an easy sleep, her last thoughts were about why the Death Eater had helped her and why he would risk his life so readily for someone he shouldn't care about.
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