chapter 21 NOTHING
Of course he knew. He knew everything. How could she even think she'd be able to hide anything from him?
"How long have you been able to see?"
The second Lucius asked that question, Hermione's head snapped into his direction and their glances locked. For the first time since she was captured she looked into his eyes. His icy eyes that were so cold Hermione could almost feel it. And that was all she saw in his eyes. Coldness. Nothing else. No emotion. Nothing. Not even after what happened between the two of them that night. Hermione knew there was no excuse for what she had done, but she wouldn't feel that used and disgusting if he showed it meant something to him. Anything. But he acted as if nothing had happened. And that hurt the most.
Lucius was standing next to the dressing-table, his arms crossed over his chest. He was dressed the same way as last night, but his hair wasn't in pony-tail anymore. Did she-? Hermione couldn't remember if she had done that while they were…
"Come here, so I can see you better," he said in a mock tone.
Hermione broke their eyes connection and looked at the bed.
"I'm not dressed," she admitted quietly, feeling stupid to worry about that. There were worse things she had to worry about.
"As if I didn't see everything already," Lucius said to her annoyed, "Come here, Mudblood."
Hermione wrapped the blanket around her body and slowly got up from the bed. Lucius rolled his eyes at that, but made no comment.
Hermione grimaced as her feet touched the floor again and limped her way to Lucius. He threw a glance down at her injured ankle, but he removed his gaze from it, not saying a word.
Hermione slowly approached him and nervously looked up at his face. He was much taller than her and it was terrifying to look up at him. His face was pale and his gray eyes were boring into hers, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
He was so…strong. There was nothing weak on him, his whole appearancewas surperior.
This was supposed to be her moment. She was supposed to show him she was no longer dependent on him, that he was no longer controlling every moment of her life. But as she stood there, looking up at him, she felt so small and weak. He wasn't saying anything, but it was unbelievable how he made her feel with just his look.
"How long?" he asked, still looking into her eyes.
Hermione was having trouble keeping their eyes contact. It made her feel as if he could see right into her mind, her soul. So she looked down, not able to handle the pressure of his intense look. It wasn't supposed to be like that. Lucius was the one who should be ashamed. He was the one who should be having difficulties looking into her eyes with everything he had done to her. Not the other way around.
"Since that day," Hermione answered, realizing there was no point in lying, "Since Philix came here."
Lucius nodded:"And did you think you could hide it from me? Why?"
"I…I don't know," she was looking at his robes, avoiding his eyes.
"You do know. Tell me," his voice was so demanding, that Hermione knew she had no other choice but to tell him the truth.
But the problem was that she didn't know what to say. It was unclear even to her why she tried to hide it from him.
"I wasn't trying to escape if that's what you are thinking," she explained to him, tightening the blanked around her body.
Somehow she wasn't afraid of what he will do to punish her. Standing in front of him wasn't the most comfortable feeling, but she couldn't bring herself to feel fear. She concluded she was probably loosing her mind. Every sane person would be shaking with absolute fear.
"Do not assume that you know what my thoughts are," Lucius snarled at her, "But if you were not planning your escape, than why did you hide it from me?"
"I-" she started, that spoke with stronger voice as she gathered the courage to look into his eyes again, "I didn't think it was any of your business."
She could see his lips curl into a smirk, but than he ignored what she said, "The curse that Philix used on you is called Angustus Caecus. Dark magic."
Confusion showed on Hermione's face. She remembered her first day at the Malfoy Manor. Lucius told her that he did not know the curse that was used on her or who her attacker was. She could still hear his cruel words.
"Who was it? Who spoiled my fun and made a scared little girl out of you?"
"But you said that you didn't know," she let out, surprised, "You- you lied?"
"And you're shocked?" he raised his eyebrow at her, as if he was challenging her. He was right. Why should she feel betreyed or shocked? He was evil. What did she expect from him?
"Why would you lie about it?"
What reason did he have to lie? He could simply say he would not cure her because he liked her useless and vulnerable. But… Lucius would never admit that because it would show how pathetic he was.
"I have my reasons," he said coldly, than continued, "The spell is limited. It is possible to stop it's effects, but only the person who cast the spell could do that."
Hermione had never before heard about that spell. She listened to him, but she was surprised he was even telling her this. Why was he explaining her about it? He always liked to keep her in the dark.
"The spell could also be reversed by the death of a person who cast it," Lucius said to her and at that moment Hermione understood everything.
Lucius knew she would be able to see if Philix dies. He knew she wasn't blind since Snape told him what happened. Snape! He also knew. All of the sudden Hermione understood his warning about not lying to Lucius. He was trying to… what? Protect her?
And why did Lucius play along? Why did he let her think she could fool him? Why did he come to her at night? Why did he want to…
Suddenly Hermione felt embarrassed and stupid. Since her sight returned, Hermione thought she was the one with control. But the truth couldn't be more different. He was in control. He always was.
"And why were you pretending?" Hermione asked, keeping a strong face, even though she could feel her cheeks blush.
"I wanted to see how far would you go. I gave you opportunity to tell me the truth, but you didn't."
"I just-"
"You had the whole night to tell me the truth, Mudblood," Lucius drawled and Hermione blushed even more at the mention of the previous night.
After a moment she took a deep breath and prepared herself to ask the question,"And why…why did you kiss me? Tonight when you came to me? Was that your plan as well or did it just happen?"
She forced herself to look into his eyes, feeling her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
He smirked:"I simply had to relieve some tension that I felt."
Hermione felt as if someone had stabbed her knife with a knife. At that moment she felt like a prostitute. She wasn't getting money from him, but he was allowing her to stay in his house if she lets him do those things to her. She was furious and disappointed with herself for allowing him to humiliate her over and over again.
"I-I don't believe that," she said quietly, bitting her lower lip.
Lucius laughed, than looked at her as if she was the most pathetic thing in the world:"Please, Mudblood. Do not get your hopes up. I am simply satisfying my needs with you. That's what Mudbloods are for," after a moment he added, "That's what you deserve," his voice had something dark in it and it sent shivers down Hermione's body.
She suspected he was remembering his son again. It was not a good idea to anger him when he was like that, but at that moment she didn't care.
"But why come to me?" she asked, her chest heaving with hurt, "You could have gone to other women. More experienced and more beautiful than me."
"Are you suggesting I visit whores?" he asked with interest.
Hermione nodded and spoke with anger in her voice:"Yes. What is stopping you? I am sure they would know better than me how to satisfy you."
"You do not honestly believe I would go to dirty whores when I have pure little-"
He stopped mid sentence, realizing what he had said. Hermione's mouth opened in shock at his words.
"Pure, Lucius?"
His face lost it's mask for less than a moment, something flickered in his eyes. It disappeared as soon as it showed. But Hermione noticed it. No matter how hard and emotionless his face was now, she saw that look in his eyes. She knew that the word escaped him unintentionally, because he did not want her to hear that. Why? Because he meant it. He truly believed it. Behind all his hate and disgust for her he thought she was pure.
If she was still blind he could convince her he wasn't serious. He could somehow dig his way out of it, because she wouldn't be able to see it. The look in his eyes that convinced her her meant it.
Lucius' face was tensed, but he spoke calmly, not giving away his emotions or thoughts:"I am the only man that had you. At least in that sense you are cleaner than street whores."
He was trying to insult her again, to draw her her attention away from what he had said. But Hermione wouldn't let it go.
"You didn't say cleaner. You said pure," she challenged him, "You never used that word in association with me. You always described me as dirty, filthy, unclean. Always."
She looked him straight in the eye, waiting for his reaction. Evan though it was hard to maintain eye contact, she was afraid to look away. She did not want to miss anything in his eyes, in his expression.
"You are twisting my words, using them against me," Lucius said to her completely calm.
Even though it seemed that Lucius was the one in control, Hermione felt as if she was really getting to him. Lucius was calm and reserved with a smirk on his face while Hermione was angry, confused and hurt. But she was the one in control. Lucius wasn't using his words carefully and one simple word betrayed him. Pure.
"So you don't think I'm pure?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.
His tone was harsher now:"Of course I don't."
It seemed as if he was angry because he had to talk about it and defend himself.
Hermione nodded:"For you I am nothing more than a filthy, ugly Mudblood. Trash."
The corners of Lucius' mouth twisted up in a smirk:"I couldn't have said it better myself."
Hermione lost herself for a moment in those lips. She couldn't believe she actually kissed him, his lips. The lips that were now humiliating her. She had never before in her life had a person that close to her as she let Lucius to be. If he forced her it would all be easier. But he did not. Hermione couldn't lie to herself. Not this time. Maybe the first time he…touched her wasn't consensual. If not physically, he forced her mentally. There was no doubt in that. But it wasn't like that this time.
He watched her murderous before sneering:"Pathetic, unclean. Simply a creature who does not deserve anything," Lucius added with satisfaction.
Hermione wondered if he only felt happiness when her insulted her. Did throwing insults at her make him feel better, superior?
Slowly she raised her head to look up at him. Her face was completely calm and without emotions as she said to him:"I may be filthy and unworthy, but you are the one who keeps dragging me into your bed. What does that make you, Lucius?"
She didn't even see it coming. She didn't even see him move his hand. All she registered was the pain on her cheek and the next moment she was on the floor. It happened so fast that Hermione didn't even have the time to cry out at the sudden slap.
It was a different feeling, because he was wearing gloves, but it still hurt. Her right cheek felt as if it was actually burning, but Hermione stopped herself before she could touch it. She would not show weakness in front of him. Not this time. So she just took a deep breath and looked up at him.
Lucius was standing completely still, his face hard. He didn't look as if he just slapped her. The only evidence that he was upset was his harsh breathing, but that was all. He didn't even bother to tilt his head down to look at her, he was just observing her with his eyes stuck on her.
"Get up," he said after a few moments of silence.
"No," Hermione shot back.
Lucius sent her a look that maybe would have scared her in her first days with him, but it wasn't working now. She knew him better now.
"You can stand there repeating it the whole day if you want. I am not getting up from the floor," Hermione said to him in a firm voice, challenging him.
Suddenly Lucius smiled. It wasn't a smirk or a grin, but it was far away from an innocent smile. It was as if he was trying to show her that she had no influence on his mood or emotions. And then he kneeled down next to her, with that terrifying smile on his face. Still, his eyes were completely cold and his fake smile didn't reach them. Hermione couldn't help but to lean back, away from him.
"I am a Death Eater," he drawled, "I have killed many people, tortured even more."
He was talking as if it was the most normal thing to say. Hermione felt disgusted that she actually touched that...that monster in front of her on her free will.
Lucius continued:"You know what I am and what I have done, but that didn't seem to bother you last night."
Hermione gritted her teeth together, but said nothing. What could she say to redeem herself?
"You gave yourself to me even though you know I killed that Weasley boy."
Hermione flinched at the mention of Ron. All she wanted at that moment was to hit Lucius, to throw something at him, to do something, anything to make him stop talking.
"Correct me if I'm wrong but there were rumors about the two of you. Weren't you romantically involved with him?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking.
Something was burning in Hermione's eyes and not even a moment after she felt something wet run down her cheeks.
"Please say something, Miss Granger. This conversation is a bit single-edged," Lucius' smooth voice cut through the horrible silence, "Was there something going on between you and the blood-traitor?"
"None of you business," she said through her teeth, not bothering to wipe the tears away. She was too distracted with her eye battle with Lucius.
"He is probably spinning in his grave, knowing that I got the taste first," than he narrowed his eyes, "Well, he would be spinning in his grave, if he had one."
With an evil smirk he got up, satisfied with his triumph over her. But Hermione wasn't done yet. She wouldn't say anything if he only insulted her. But this time it was Ron. She couldn't just let that pass. That would be the ultimate betrayal.
"I would imagine Draco as well would be spinning in his grave if he knew what kind of a bastard his father is."
She crossed the line.
The last thing Hermione remembered before she slipped into the darkness was fury, animalistic fury that crossed Lucius' face. She didn't even have the time to be afraid as she heard the word.
"Crucio!"
Than nothing. Darkness.
ooo
"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," Lucius said, looking at Arthur Weasley, "All those raids….I hope they're paying you overtime?"
His voice was so cold and superior. Even all those years ago when Hermione was just a little girl, Lucius was already evil, cruel and manipulative.
Lucius reached in Ginny's cauldron and extracted a very old, very battered copy of A Begginer's Guide to Transfiguration.
"Obviously not," he smirked.
His voice was so smooth and silky it was hard to believe what awful words were coming from him.
After a moment of silence he continued:"Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"
Hermione remembered how her blood boiled at that question. She knew not all people were good, but she never before actually met someone who was that openly evil. She was so innocent and naive back than. Her eyes were traveling up and down Lucius Malfoy, observing him. There was something about him. Even though he said nothing to her, Hermione had to fight the feeling to just hide before his icy eyes landed on her.
Than she saw him turn his aristocratic gaze onto her parents and her heart beat accelerated uncontrollably. She did not want her parents anywhere near him.
Than it happened. His eyes locked with hers for a second. And it was the longest second in Hermione's life. There were no words, but he was able to show her with just his look what he thought of her. His gray eyes were whispering to her that she was nothing more than a dirt on his shoes.
Do not look away. Do not look away.
She forgot to breath as their eyes connected.
Hermione Granger, don't dare to look away.
Luckily, she kept on a strong and rebellious face until he released her from his invisible grip. He raised his eyebrow in interest and than turned away from her.
Maybe their battle of wills started all that time ago in the shop, not when he captured her.
ooo
Hermione's eyes shot open, but she had to blink a few times to clear her sight. Feeling confused, she looked around and noticed she was alone in the room. The first question in her mind was 'Where is he?'.
She was on the bed, but she couldn't remember how or when she got there. Did he-? But why would he? The last thing she remembered was the pain. Why would he torture her into unconsciousness and then carry her to the bed? He could have easily left her on the floor.
Without thinking she slowly got up from the bed, wincing as the burning pain in her muscles hit her. The after effects of the Cruciatus Curse.
She noticed the robe was left for her on the bed. An ugly, gray robe. What happened to the nightgown? Lucius was so confusing that Hermione was starting to wonder if he was being like that on purpose. Was his goal in life to make her lose her mind with theories about his behaviour?
Why was she even allowed to wear a beautiful white nightgown? Hermione never before wondered whom did it belong to. Was it his wife's? No, that was a foolish thought. Lucius would never in hell give her something that belonged to his wife. One thought led to another and soon Hermione started to think about Narcissa Malfoy. What happened to her? She knew Lucius' wife was dead, but she never had the courage to ask what happened to her. Lucius would without doubt kill her if she even pronounced her name.
With those thoughts in her mind, Hermione put on the robe that was left for her. Suddenly she remembered old times. When she was allowed to wear what ever she chose. Jeans. She missed jeans and the Muggle clothes. She missed being able to wear a bra. Lucius obviously thought she didn't need one and she sure as hell was not going to ask him for one. She wasn't on holiday at the Manor. She was a….what? A reward, a slave? Probably both. Hermione realized with surprise that she kept forgetting that.
Not actually knowing why, she made her way to the dressing table and just stood there, observing herself in the mirror. Luckily, the torture with the Cruciatus didn't leave any visible evidence.
"Mirrors can't talk, lucky for you they can't laugh either."
Hermione flinched from the shock at hearing his voice. She didn't even see him open the doors. She made a mental note to herself to pay more attention to everything around her.
She quickly turned around, facing him. It surprised her that he was dressed as if he was going somewhere. There was even his snake cane in his hand.
"What-" she started, still confused, "What happened?"
"Quite a lot," Lucius informed her, "Sadly you slept through most of it."
"What did you do to me?" her voice was harsher as she demanded an answer.
"I discovered you are able to last through six doses of the Cruciatus Curse," he explained, "Quite impressive for a young girl such as yourself."
Did he just gave her a compliment?
"Cruciatus?" Hermione asked and discovered her she wasn't mistaken. She really was tortured with that Unforgivable curse. It clearly wasn't Unforgivable to Death Eaters or to him. Her whole body literally ached. Than she remembered everything. Their conversation that led to a fight and than…pain and darkness.
Was it possible that her mind somehow repressed the memory of the torture? She remembered only the pain and nothing more. Maybe she was close to going crazy and Lucius stopped just in time. Whatever it was, Hermione was grateful that she didn't remember.
She looked at Lucius, expecting to find an angry face, but he was calm again. She remembered what she said to him about Draco. She could still see his face full of pure fury in her mind. But now he was completely calm and controlled again.
"I have some bad news, Mudblood," he said to her.
Hermione immediately tensed, not knowing what to expect. Maybe he was leaving for a few days again? Maybe he is leaving her with one of his friends again because he doesn't trust her alone in the house?
"The Dark Lord wants to see us."
Shivers ran down Hermione's body at that sentence. He wasn't serious, was he?
"Us?" she repeated, hoping she heard wrong.
"Yes, us," Lucius said annoyed.
No. No. No. No.
She started panicking and her body started to tremble from fear. She did not want to see Voldemort. She would rather be left alone with any other Death Eater.
"I-I can't go there," she tried to calm her voice, but panic was evident in it.
"Sure you can," Lucius said to her, "I will help you with that."
With that he strode towards her and grabbed her arm roughly. Hermione struggled and screamed because everything hurt, but that didn't make Lucius release her arm.
"Why does he want to see us? Me?" she asked, shaking her head, "It has to be a mistake. Why would he want to see me? And besides-"
"It is not a mistake," Lucius said firmly, his face suddenly serious.
"But…but what does he want with me?"
"I-" Lucius started, but let that sentence fall.
Hermione was looking up at him, expecting answers, but he couldn't give them to her. Suddenly she realized a terrifying fact.
"You don't know what he wants," Hermione said quietly, her eyes widening in shock.
"I am to bring you to him," he simply said.
"No!" Hermione screamed, but Lucius grabbed her by her shoulders and forced her to look up at him.
"Listen to me!" he raised his voice and Hermione immediately stopped struggling.
After a second he continued,"I am in…trouble with my Master because of you."
Hermione didn't understand what he was talking about. How could he be in trouble because of her? She did nothing to put him in danger.
"I killed Antonin because of you and now Philix is dead as well," he hissed. His tone was quiet, almost whispering as if he was afraid someone might hear him, "You do understand why this may seem a bit suspicious."
"But Philix wanted to kill you. He came here uninvited-" Hermione started, but Lucius cut her off.
"I know how to defend myself against those accusations," than his voice became darker, "But Antonin's death is the one I will have trouble explaining."
Hermione did not know what to say. They were both in trouble because of it and that was why she felt she had to say something, suggest something that would save both of them.
"Why did you kill him?" she asked quietly after a few moments.
Lucius sucked in his breath and released his grip on her shoulders, taking a step away from her. Hermione hugged herself with her arms and waited. She ignored this topic ever since she heard about Antonin's death, but now she demanded an answer.
"You know why," Lucius said firmly, "I have already told you."
It didn't escape Hermione's attention that he was avoiding looking her in the eyes. It never happened before. Lucius was never before avoiding something.
She took a deep breath as she remembered:"You said that you killed him because nobody touches your possessions without your permission."
Lucius remained silent, his eyes completely emotionless. How did he manage that? Was he really completely without emotions or was he just so good at hiding them?
"But now you say that you will have trouble explaining his death. Isn't that a valuable reason? Touching your possession?" Hermione asked, trying to ignore that she was talking about herself as his possession.
"It is becoming suspicious, Mudblood," Lucius finally said to her, meeting her eyes.
She watched him in confusion, trying to understand what he wanted to tell her.
"What is? What are you not telling me?" she raised her voice, not caring about the consequences or his reaction.
She was sick of his games. She needed answers, she needed to know what was happening. He could not keep her in the dark forever.
Lucius stepped closer to her, intense look in his eyes:"I have killed too many people for you. I have saved you too many times."
Hermione's eyes softened at his statement. He was right. She was saved by him a lot of times. The irony was that she would not have to be saved if there wasn't for him. He had put her in the situations where she needed a rescue. He had taken her to Dolohov, he left her alone with his friends, he left her alone at the party with Philix.
"What's on your mind, if you allow the overstatement?" Lucius asked sarcastically when she said nothing for a few long moments.
"But you could not save me from yourself," she whispered.
Than she looked down at her body:"Take a look at your magnificent work. The bruises, the cuts….it's all you."
In a moment Lucius' quiet tone disappeared and his cold attitude returned:"So you think that I have hurt you the most? I only hope that the Dark Lord shares your opinion."
Hermione didn't have the time to react as he grabbed her shoulders again:"Be careful what you say in front of the Master. Our lives may depend on it."
With that he pressed her against his chest and they Disapparated.
ooo
The coldness. That was the first thing Hermione realized as they Apparated. She opened her eyes and fought the dizziness as she moved away from Lucius. She did not want to be that close to him. Not after she learned she really meant nothing to him. Last night meant nothing. He did not even feel compassion towards her. He didn't even feel a bit sorry for everything he put her through.
Lucius grabbed her arm and lead her through a dark narrow hallway. Hermione didn't struggle, because she knew it was pointless. She was going to see Voldemort and there was nothing she could do to prevent it. They walked slowly, because Hermione's ankle still wasn't healed completely. She almost laughed bitterly. She hurt her ankle to save him, to save both of them and he did not even acknowledge that. He could have healed it, but for some reason he didn't.
It surprised her he was considerate enough to not rush her. Hermione shivered as she heard voices coming from the room they were walking towards. People were talking. Probably Death Eaters.
She felt Lucius' grip on her arm and strangely that gave her comfort. She felt safe even though she did not have a reason for that. Lucius couldn't care less for her and even if he did, they were walking into a room filled with Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. What could Lucius possibly do to protect her or prevent anything?
Soon the hallway opened into a stone chamber. For a moment Hermione stopped, but Lucius pushed her forwards. Silence filled the room as they walked in. Hermione had a feeling as if they were waiting for them. As if they were the main event of the evening.
She ignored the person sitting on a platform, risen above the others. The sight of Voldemort would be too much for her to handle. She needed a few moments to prepare herself for it.
Instead she looked at the Death Eaters surrounding them. She could not prevent the look of hate that she sent them.
Purebloods. Thinking they are better than others just because of their blood.
She almost stopped when she saw Severus Snape standing with some Death Eater. They were talking silently, but their eyes were on her.
It shocked her slightly, seeing her former Professor there. Of course she knew he was one of them, but it was still strange to actually see him surrounded with Death Eaters, acting as if they were friends. It made everything more real.
She put on a strong face and raised her head proudly, trying to walk normally. The last thing she wanted was to show weakness in front of them.
When she least expected it, Lucius pushed her forwards and she tripped and landed on the cold ground. She almost send him man angry look, but than her eyes landed on the thing in front of her.
Voldemort.
He was casually sitting on a platform, a cruel smile on his disgusting face. He was truly disgusting. His skin was so white Hermione could see the veins through it. But what shocked her the most were his eyes. His dead eyes. Even though there was smile on his face, his eyes showed nothing more than death.
Hermione made a move to get up from the ground, but Lucius' voice stopped her:"Stay down."
She obeyed, without actually knowing why.
Than Lucius walked past her and kneeled down in front of his Master.
"My Lord, the Mudblood is here, as you requested," he said calmly.
Hermione almost rolled her eyes at that. How pathetic. He was kneeling in front of him. She never thought she would see Lucius Malfoy kneeling in front of anybody. He sold his soul, his pride and dignity. Hermione would never do that. At least in that aspect she was better and stronger than he.
Than a small voice in her head reminded her of the previous night and how she surrendered to a Death Eater. On her free will. Maybe she wasn't better than Lucius.
"Stand up, Lucius," Voldemort spoke.
Hermione realized with surprise how his voice didn't scare her as she expected it to. It wasn't inhuman. It was...normal.
Lucius obeyed his Master and stood up. Hermione's heart was beating erratically in her chest, and she could feel her hands shaking.
"Miss Granger, am I right?" Voldemort asked with silky voice.
She forgot to breath as all attention was turned to her. Everyone was looking at her, even Lucius. She dared to look up at him and saw a hard, emotionless face. How she wished she could be more like him. How she wished that nothing could affect her, that nothing could scare her or make her uncomfortable.
"Y-Yes," she hesitantly forced out.
She wasn't sure what she was expected to do. Was she allowed to talk to Voldemort? Was she even allowed to look at him?
With that thought in her mind, she took a deep breath and forced herself to look up at him. He was still smiling and it sent shivers down her body. It was an evil smile.
"I have heard a lot about you and I finally get to meet you personally," Voldemort's smile grew even bigger and Hermione wasn't sure how to react to that.
When she said nothing, Voldemort continued:"I hope Lucius isn't too rough with you. How does it feel being his… guest?"
Guest? Hermione tried to hide the anger that rose inside of her.
"I-" she started, that just blurted out,"Look at me and you'll get your answer."
Nothing changed on Voldemort's face as he said:"Well, stand up so we all can get a look."
Hermione found herself wondering if he was serious. Not knowing what to do she looked at Lucius and he nodded to her. It was hardly noticeable, but Hermione saw it. Without another thought she stood up, putting all her weight on her healthy ankle.
"I have to say you are not exactly in a good shape, but I have seen Lucius do much worse than that," Voldemort commented matter-of-factly.
Hermione said nothing. She felt the stares of the other Death Eaters on her and it wasn't a pleasant feeling.
"Miss Granger, I would like you to describe to me what happened that night when my follower died."
"Philix?" she asked, confused.
"Exactly."
Panic was slowly rising inside of her as she realized that Lucius didn't tell her what to say. She couldn't just tell Voldemort that Lucius gave her his wand. That would get them both killed. Well, Lucius would be killed and she would be handed to some other Death Eater.
What could she do? Lying was not an option either. Voldemort would know the truth. Snape probably told him everything already. Why was he even asking her about it?
Slowly she started:"Malfoy came injured that night."
She used Malfoy instead of Lucius, knowing it would seem strange to the others if she called him by his first name. That would make everything more personal.
"Go on," Voldemort said, listening in interest.
"Than we were informed that there was a man in the house and Malfoy told me that it was probably Philix," Hermione explained, thinking how to say the next part.
"We knew that his goal was to kill Malfoy and take over his place," she stopped after that sentence.
Voldemort leaned forward and listened carefully. Hermione threw a glance at Lucius and caught him looking at her. But this time there was something on his face. Something new. She never saw it on him before. Was it panic? Or fear?
Before he could confuse her even more, she looked away and took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Malfoy was very injured and I knew what would happen to me if….if he died."
"You would be given to another one of my fateful followers," Voldemort stated.
"And I didn't want that. So I-I took his wand and I…" she lied, hoping she was not digging a grave for herself. She didn't dare to look at Lucius, fearing what she would find in his eyes.
"You took his wand?" Voldemort asked with surprise and the other Death Eaters started whispering.
"He-he was almost unconscious," Hermione quickly said, "And I stole it from him."
Voldemort let that pass and than he raised an eyebrow in interest, "Why do you wish to stay with Lucius?"
Hermione knew she should not allow Voldemort to think there was something between Lucius and her. That would be the end of them.
"I-I don't wish to stay with him. I want to be free, but that's not possible," she explained, hoping she sounded convincing. By the look on Voldemort's face she wasn't exactly successful.
"But I still do not understand why are you choosing Lucius over some other? Is Lucius maybe…merciful with you?" Voldemort asked carefully, but he spat the last part with disgust.
Mercy clearly wasn't one of his favourite things.
Hermione looked down and said with in a quiet voice:"No, he is all but merciful."
"Is that so? Tell me," Voldemort demanded, "What did he do to you?"
Hermione wasn't stupid. She was slowly realizing what Voldemort was trying to achieve. He was asking her about Lucius' behavior towards her. That meant he was suspecting something.
She had to tell him everything. Every horrible thing that happened to her, that Lucius did to her.
She took a deep breath to prepare herself for all the horrible memories. Than she spoke emotionless:"He beat me, left me without food for days, locked me in the dungeons for days without any contact, he gave me to his friends for the fun of it."
Than she looked into Lucius' eyes. She needed him to hear what she had to say. She wanted him to know that she was serious:"And he forced me to…"
She could not finish the sentence, but they all knew what she was talking about.
Lucius' face hardened, but he did not look away. In the end it was Hermione who had to look away, not able to stand his intense look any longer.
"He did all those horrible things to you and you still want to stay with him?" Voldemort said with false sadness.
"Yes. With him I at least know what to expect."
She couldn't believe she was having a conversation with Voldemort. If Harry knew about that… She didn't finish that thought.
"Smart," Voldemort commented, than turned his gaze onto Lucius.
His fake nice voice disappeared and he spoke coldly:"Lucius?"
"Yes, My Lord?"
"Tell me what happened with Antonin."
Hermione's eyes widened and she looked at Lucius. She was finally going to hear what really happened.
"My Lord, I took the Mudblood to him for a few days. You sent me away to take care of some problems with the survivors," Lucius started calmly.
Voldemort nodded:"I remember."
"I gave Antonin strict orders on how he was allowed to treat the girl. I expected him to follow my orders."
"And he should have," Voldemort said and Hermione felt a bit better, knowing Voldemort wasn't upset yet. Hope formed inside of her that maybe they did have a chance of staying alive and…together.
"When I came back for the Mudblood I was enraged to see that Antonin wasn't following my orders," Lucius spoke with slight anger in his voice, "He was having his fun with the Mudblood, completely ignoring what I ordered him to do."
After a few moments he continued:"She almost died that night, not being given water of food for a couple of days. She had bruises all over her body. I do not take pleasure in satisfying my needs with a half dead skeleton."
Voldemort nodded again:"I understand your anger. But I cannot ignore the fact that you killed my follower because of a Mudblood."
Hermione's throat closed up with fear. A shiver ran down her spine and she embraced herself, trying to console herself, though she knew that there was no consolation left in this world.
All she wanted was to go home.
Home? The Manor is home now?
"You misunderstood, My Lord," Lucius drawled, "I did not kill Antonin because of the girl."
That caught Hermione's attention. Of course he killed him because of her. He himself told her that. Nobody touched his possessions without his permission.
"I and Antonin did not get along for a long time," Lucius stated, not showing fear or uncertainty in his voice, "He doubted my authority and touched my possessions. I take that as a direct offence and attack against me. I do not tolerate that kind of behavior, My Lord."
Hermione had to confess that he was convincing. His voice was so strong and the way he stood before Voldemort just showed that he was not afraid. Or maybe he was just such a good actor.
Voldemort was silent for a long time. Hermione wasn't sure if minutes have passed when he spoke again.
"Lucius, I understand and respect you and the reasons you had for doing what you did."
Hermione almost smiled from the sheer relief that filled her at that statement.
"But," than he paused and again hope disappeared as quickly as it formed, "I cannot ignore the fact that the Mudblood is complicating things more that she should."
Hermione could not breath. Something bad was about to happen... She could just feel it.
"I decided the best thing would be to kill the girl and prevent any future problems that she would cause," Voldemort said coldly, looking at Lucius.
The other Death Eaters started whispering and talking quietly.
Suddenly Hermione felt cold. Very cold. And terrified. She could not form a thought. All she could concentrate on were Voldemort's words and his cold voice.
She never imagined she would die like that. Voldemort wasn't supposed to be the one to kill her. He didn't have the right. He was nothing to her.
It was always him. Lucius. He was the one who had the right to end her life. That was what he was telling her ever since she was captured. She realized with horror that she believed him.
Oh God.
It hit her that she was about to die. Strangely she could not form tears. There was simply nothing. No sadness. Just shock. Pure shock.
"The Mudblood will die tonight, unless of course, you do not agree with it, Lucius," Voldemort asked, raising an eyebrow and daring him to say something, "Do you have something to say maybe?"
Hermione's eyes connected with Lucius'. She needed him to save her again. She begged him with his eyes. Oh God, she wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to die yet.
Panic. There was panic in his eyes.
Or maybe she was just imagining it. Maybe she just needed to believe that she meant something to him. That her death would affect him at least a bit. He lived with her for months, he knew her better that anyone, to took everything from her. He had to feel something, right?
And than he broke the connection and looked at his Master again.
Hermione felt as if someone ripped her apart from the inside as she heard his emotionless voice.
"No, My Lord, I have nothing to say."
A/N: Another chapter! Glad you still like the story. Thanks for all the reviews! They really motivate me to write and hopefully I will soon finish this story. Tell me what you think!