A/N: This is a chapter with Hermione and her captors, so again, if it's too much, I apologize.
Disclaimer: I will only be J.K Rowling in my dreams
Hermione woke up with a huge ringing in her head, but not as much pain as she had when she last remembered begin awake. Her ankle was still hurting, but it wasn't the sharp, continuous pain like before, instead the agony came whenever she moved her leg the wrong way. She groaned as she tried to sit upward off of the cold stone floor, only to be greeted with a splitting headache. She groaned again, and laid back down, putting her head down on the cold floor, hoping to soothe her pain. Hermione remembered her cracked skull, and realized that she should probably check if it was still all gross, or if it was magically patched up by someone. Hermione raised a weak and shaky hand to the top of her head, which took more energy than it should have, and touched the place where he wound would be. The gigantic cut had been sown shut, put the stitches were done messily. Someone had used a healing charm to stitch up her wound, but it wasn't done properly, but she still mentally thanked whoever tried, making her feel just a little better.
Hermione, for the first time, looked around her dark and dreary prison. It had four walls that were made of grey limestone stone, like the hallway, with one torch lit, giving her some sort of light, but not much. Hermione shivered, realizing just how cold it was in the stone chamber. There were no windows, so Hermione didn't know if it was day or night. She hoped with all her heart that she would be able to go outside again. To feel a nice breeze, to see sunlight, to breath in fresh air and not the humid, mucky air that she breathed in. She tried to stay positive by thinking about how Ron and Harry were trying to find her, and all the Weasleys who work in the Ministry were doing all they could. Hermione knew it would take some time, but she couldn't stop the thoughts of her being stuck in the room forever from sneaking into her head.
Then, Hermione remembered her wand. She remembered that her three evil captors had dimwittedly forgotten to take the smartest-witch-of-her-age's wand. She smiled slightly as she pulled it out of her left boot, happy to see that it was still there. Hermione tried to apparate out of the dungeon, but found out that they had put up spells and charms to stop someone from apparating out of the dungeon, like Hogwarts. She tried opening the door the muggle way, even though she knew it would be locked. Then, she tried using all the unlocking spells that she knew, with no luck. Hermione tried to use difficult spells that would make the walls around her explode, like Reducto, and they didn't work. Hermione tried everything in her power to get herself out of the dungeon, but everything she tried didn't work. Whoever had made the dungeon or put the spells around it had known what they were doing, because Hermione couldn't get out.
Hermione backed up against the wall furthest from the door and slid down to the ground in defeat. She put her head in her hands, with her hands on her knees, trying to think of a way out, a way to save herself from her immoral captors who wouldn't hesitate to cause her pain, or kill her. She thought of waiting until someone came to her prison and cursing them, but realized that if overpowered one, there were probably many more Death Eaters who would be waiting to overpower her. She went over scenario after scenario in her head, trying to figure out how she could escape without getting killed, yet every single scenario that she thought of ended up with her being hurt badly in the end. Then, Hermione remembered one thing she learned in Dumbledore's Army: Patronuses. She could conjure a Patronus, then she could send a message to the Weasleys, or Kingsley, the Minister of Magic, at the Ministry.
Hermione decided to send her Patronus, first, to the Weasleys. She wanted them to know that she was alright, but injured and still in huge danger. She planned on telling them all that she knew, which, sadly, wasn't much. Then, she would send one to her parents and sister, telling them not to worry, that she would make it out alive, and that she see them again. Lastly, she would send one to Kingsley, for he was now the Minister of Magic and would know what to do.
Hermione stood up, but her knees buckled on her first attempt, and she fell to the cold, stone floor. She tried standing again, and succeeded, even though her knees were still wobbly and her legs were killing her. Hermione lifted up her arm and pointed her wand toward the metal door in front of her. . It took her a while to think of a happy enough memory, because she wasn't in the best place to be happy. Hermione thought of right after she did the spell on her parents, and she felt at home again. How she, her parents, and Hermia had all sat around, laughing and catching up, and then having dinner for the first time as a real family. She smiled, remembering how Hermia had 'accidentally' thrown some of her peas at Mr. Granger. Hermione chuckled lightly, then whispered, "Expecto Patronum ad Burrow." Hermione's smile grew even wider when she saw her small, silver otter looking up her after materializing from light, silver mist that seeped out from the tip of her wand. Hermione took a deep breath in, and spoke to her tiny otter in a small, clear voice, so the Weasleys would be able to hear her loud and clear.
"I'm going to make this quick. I'm fine, at the moment. I was captured by three Death Eaters and they are probably still here somewhere watching me. I'm in some sort of stone labyrinth with lots and lots of dungeons and hallways, and I'm in a stone chamber called the Left Dungeon. I don't know where I am, exactly, but please-"
Hermione broke off her rant when she heard the bronze door creaking as it opened to reveal one of the Death Eaters entering the dungeon. The Death Eater hesitated with surprise when he saw that Hermione had her wand, and was casting her Patronus to contact someone. "Why you dirty mudblood. CRUCIO," screamed the Death Eater. Hermione realized it was the one who had given her the massive bruise on her arm in the shape of a hand and fingers. "GO! NOW!" Hermione yelled to her Patronus, but before it could go off to the Weasleys, it picked up her tortured scream as she crumbled to the stone floor, which Hermione was sure the Weasleys would end up hearing when the patronus arrived at The Burrow.
Hermione grasped her wand and pointed it toward the man. She barely had any strength to hold up her wand, but managed to utter, "Sectumsempra!" It was the only spell she knew that would do enough damage to the murderous man in front of her. Even though it was Dark Magic, Hermione was glad she knew it, knowing that it would hurt the horrible person in front of her just as much as he had hurt her. She didn't EVER want to use ant of the Unforgivable Curses, no matter how much trouble she was in.
The Death Eater jumped out of the way of Hermione's curse, much to her dismay.
"Stupify!" Hermione screamed with more energy than she actually had. The Death Eater, not being quick enough, flew into the air and slammed into one of the four walls of Hermione's prison, and fell to the floor, stunned. She took her chance to run. She pulled herself off the ground and sprinted out of the cold, dark dungeon as fast as her aching legs would take her. Hermione felt her adrenaline kick in as she ran faster, down hallway after hallway. She tried to retrace her and the Death Eaters steps from when she was brought to the dungeon, but every hallway and door looked exactly the same. Hermione kept running, but was running out of energy. When she finally stopped running and started walking, Hermione noticed the echoing footsteps that had been fallowing her.
Hermione tried to start running again, and pushed her legs harder than ever, but it was no use. She didn't have enough energy. Her legs were aching and her throat was on fire, and she just wasn't fast enough. Whoever was running after Hermione quickly caught up to her. They grabbed her by the neck and pushed her into the wall. Then, they held her up off of the ground only by the tight grip on her neck. Hermione began to feel woozy and faint, and she clawed at the hand that was around her neck, begging to let go, begging for air. The hand around her neck grew tighter and tighter, cutting off her air more and more, until she couldn't breath at all. Hermione kept clawing at the hand, until she had no energy left in her, at all. Hermione gave up, and accepted defeat.
"You think it would be that easy? You could whip out your wand then run away?" the Death Eater taunted, his grip on Hermione began to weaken, and he threw her to the floor. "You think you could just stun me? You think I'm not a good enough wizard to get out of a silly little stun?" He grabbed Hermione by the arm and threw her against the wall with a loud thud.
Hermione groaned, and tried to lift up her arm, which held her wand, and mutter any spell that could help her. Before she could, the Death Eater kicked her hand and sent her wand soaring down the hallway. Hermione felt a stabbing pain in her hand where the Death Eater had kicked her. Then, the Death Eater kicked her stomach and abdomen, and pain seared all through her body. She felt her ribs cracking and she cringed with each kick that her attacker sent her way.
"Brightest witch of her age, huh? Not where I'm standing, you're not," he jeered as he kicked her one last time. "Get up, mudblood," he ordered as he grabbed Hermione's arm and flung her upward to her feet. Hermione's knees buckled and she fell to the floor again, landing on her knees. "I said, GET UP!" he screamed as he grabbed her and threw her down the hallway toward the way they came. Hermione fell face first into the stone floor, feeling blood pour down from her nose and cuts forming all over her face. "That's not getting up," exclaimed her assailant as he walked down the hallway to where Hermione laid on the floor. Hermione, not wanting to go through anymore pain, tried to lift herself off of the floor. It took some time, but she finally got to her feet, still groaning from pain. The Death Eater grabbed her arm, again, and violently pushed her down the hall, and back toward her prison. He pushed her into the room, and closed the door after himself.
"So, tell me, where is the Potter boy hiding?" he asked, though it didn't sound like a question, more like a demand.
"I-I d-don't k-know," Hermione stuttered out. There was no way she would tell him anything about Harry, or the Order, or the Ministry.
"That's a lie. Every time you lie, expect a little zap from my wand. Now, I'll ask you again, where is he?" He threatened, while pointing his wand into Hermione's face.
"I told you! I don't-" Hermione's answer was interrupted to getting an electric shock that soared through her body. She screamed, feeling as if she was sitting in some sort of electric chair.
"Stop lying!" He screamed, shocking her once more.
"I'm not! I-I was gone. For a m-m-month! A-a-and t-then y-you a-all came a-and t-t-took me! I didn't get to see him!" Hermione stuttered out.
"That's a damn lie and you know it!" he yelled, shocking Hermione again. Her screams echoed around the stone room.
"How 'bout you tell me about the Order? Where's the new Headquarters?" He demanded to know.
"P-Please! I don't know!" Hermione pleaded. The Death Eater placed the tip of his wand on Hermione's arm, and felt heat escape from the wand. She tried to jerk her arm away, but he grabbed her arm tightly with the hand that wasn't holding the wand, keeping her arm on the wand. Hermione felt the heat from the wand escalate, until it was unbearably hot. She felt a burn start to form on her arm, and she held back her screams by biting on her already raw lip. Then, he moved the wand down her arm, placing burn after burn on her whole arm.
"Give me names of the Order, and I'll stop," he compromised, making the wand burn even hotter.
"NEVER!" Hermione yelled with more confidence and bravery than she had. Hermione would never, ever sell out the people she though of as family, and she thought that it was funny how this evil, murderous man thought that she would.
"For the Brightest-Witch-of-Her-Age, you really are dumb." He insulted, and pressed the wand harder against her bare arm.
"And you're just a wanna-be Death Eater who will never live up to the real Death Eaters like the Malfoys," Hermione retaliated. She had no idea what made her compare her captor to the Malfoys, or call him a wanna-be Death Eater. Then, she saw a glimpse of a hand coming toward her cheek, and felt a strong force come down on her face. The loud sound of the slap echoed throughout the room, and Hermione could already feel the hand-shaped bruise forming on her face.
"The Malfoys are stupid cowards who didn't deserve the respect of the greatest wizard that there ever was," the Death Eater said coldly.
"Dumbledore was the greatest wizard there ever was! Stop trying to kid yourself with your 'Voldemort-is-amazing' crap," Hermione retaliated, not knowing what was giving her the confidence to fight back.
Hermione felt the Death Eater kick her in the stomach again, and she felt the wind get knocked out of her. She heard the Death Eater's footsteps walking toward the metal door to leave the dungeon.
"Hurting me isn't going to make Voldemort being a better wizard true!" Hermione yelled after him as the door shut, and she was left alone in the dark and eery prison.
A/N: Poor Hermione! We get to see the Weasleys next chapter! Review and all that jazz, please!