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Before a single note of fear could be uttered, the Golden Trio turned and fled into the woods.

Hermione could hear nothing but her feet pounding the ground, her harsh breathing, and the spells causing trees to explode around her. Terror gripped every fiber of her being, causing her to run faster than she even thought she could. Her senses were heightened to a level she didn't think possible. Quickly she dodged around trees, avoided rocks, and jumped over logs decaying on the forest floor.

Even as petrified as she was, her eyes searched for Harry and Ron. Harry was ahead of her.

An instant later she heard someone crash to the ground behind her, and she immediately knew that Ron had fallen, but she couldn't stop herself. Harry. He needed to live. If any one of the three of them needed to live, it had to be Harry. Suddenly Harry came to a screeching halt in the middle of the forest, and Hermione instantly saw why.

They were completely surrounded.

Snatchers didn't care about her, or Ron. They needed Harry. Still slightly running, Hermione raised her wand and struck him with a Stinging Hex.

An instant later, the Snatchers descended upon them.

Hermione screamed as hands grabbed her, restraining her.

"What do we have here?" the smallest asked, looking around at the three of them.

His eyes landed on her, and he paused.

"Hello, beautiful," he purred, running a filthy finger across her jaw line.

Ron began to struggle as he watched the scene, and one of the Snatchers kicked him in the stomach.

"No!" Hermione cried, not wanting to see her best friend being hurt.

The small one seemed to be in charge, after a few minutes looking over Harry, particularly his forehead, and quiet discussion, he ordered that the three of them be taken. Hermione's eyes kept flashing between the Snatchers, afraid of what they would do next.

They suddenly Apparated and Hermione nearly collapsed upon seeing what building stood before them.

Malfoy Manor.

Instantly they were pulled to the gate, fighting the whole way there. For a few minutes, they silently struggled when a figure suddenly emerged from the house. Hermione's heart jumped into her throat. She knew that the two boys didn't have any idea of the identity of the lithe figure approaching them, but Hermione knew. She would know that crazed hair until the day she died. Bellatrix Lestrange.

Hermione viciously fought against her restraints. She needed to get away. Hermione knew that if she was left alone with Bellatrix Lestrange, without the Dark Lord there, she would not be coming out alive.

"Feisty," the skinny one said against her neck.

Suddenly, Bellatrix was there, standing before the gate.

"What do you want?" she hissed at the Snatchers, apparently disgusted by their very presence.

"I think we have something that may interest you," the skinny man said, pressing Harry against the gate and lifting his hair.

Hermione saw Bellatrix's eyes suddenly gain an insane flair to them, and her stomach dropped. It was all over for them.

"Bring him in," Bellatrix hissed.

Her demented eyes flashed to Hermione, and her lips spread into a malicious grin that showed her rotting teeth.

"What do we have here? The Mudblood without her body guard? Whatever shall you do?" she mocked, grinning wider at Hermione's frightened look. "You and I are going to have some fun,"

Hermione felt her blood pounding through her veins at an alarming rate. Bellatrix's eyes bore into hers, and Hermione felt her body freeze with fear. With another frightening grin, Bellatrix opened the gate, and the three were pulled inside.

Once they were in the house, the three silently waited for their fates. It was then that Bellatrix saw the sword.

"Where did you get this?" she roared at the three.

No one answered her. Hermione had never seen one person so wild before.

"Lock the boys in the cellar!"

The three instantly began fighting again. Hermione watched in pure horror as Ron and Harry were yanked down the flight of stairs and to the cellar, leaving her alone with Bellatrix.

"I've been waiting a very long time for this,"

Bellatrix ordered everyone from the room, leaving Hermione standing there, alone.

"Your body guard isn't here to help you now," Bellatrix growled, before casting the Crutiatus curse through her teeth.

Hermione couldn't help herself as she collapsed to the ground, screaming.

"How did you get that sword?" Bellatrix snapped, standing above her.

"I don't know," Hermione gasped out before Bellatrix attacked her again. "Please!" Hermione screamed.

After a few attempts at the Crutiatus Curse, Bellatrix was suddenly on top of Hermione with a knife in her face.

"I told Severus I would carve your skin," she hissed into her face as Hermione sobbed. "And for once, I'd like to stick to my word,"

Bellatrix began clawing at Hermione's sleeve, pulling it up and leaving the skin of her left arm bare.

"No, please," Hermione gasped, trying to fight with her.

Instantly she could feel the incredible pain as the knife began to penetrate her skin. Hermione let herself go. She screamed like she had never screamed before, with each stroke of the knife across her skin, Hermione was consumed with pain. She was screaming, sobbing, and begging, her words were becoming jumbled, sentences blurring together to form a string of incomprehensible words.

Bellatrix all the while was screaming words at her, slurs of vulgar words Hermione's ears could not pick up through the pain and her own screams.

Vaguely, Hermione thought about the end of her life. Was this it? Would she finally be killed on this dusty floor? The floor she had spent so many hours on, fighting for her life? Was this how it would end? This maniac woman crushing the breath from her body, screaming over her own screams, while carving her skin with a dull knife? Would this be the last time she would see the world? The last time she would breath? Would that moment in the graveyard be the last she would spend with Severus? Was this the end?

As these questions darted across Hermione's mind, the knife was removed from her skin, but that did not erase the pain that radiated from the wound. Bellatrix was gone, and Hermione felt numb, aside from her arm.

She allowed her mind to wander as Bellatrix was speaking with someone. Hermione would love to be sitting at Spinner's End right now, in the living room with Severus. He would be sitting on the sofa, with a large volume in his hand with his glasses perched on the edge of his nose. Hermione would watch his thin fingers flip page after page while his dark eyes darted over the words, soaking them in with a scowl on his face.

For a moment, his eyes would lift to hers, and they would flash at her in a way that would make her smile at him, a smile that would reward her with a slight lift of the corner of his mouth before his eyes once more returned to the aged pages.

Hermione was abruptly yanked back to the cold room by Bellatrix walking close to her head.

"Bring me the goblin! NOW!"

Flurry of movement. Steps on stairs. Metal door.

Hermione felt like her brain couldn't make sense of the noises surrounding her.

"Restrain yourself, Greyback. I just want a little more fun before you kill her,"

Hermione heard a growl in response. There were more footsteps. Bellatrix began yelling again, and despite the pain, Hermione began thinking of a way out. Time was ticking away, quickly, and soon Voldemort would arrive.

Hermione began taking note of the people in the room. The Malfoy family was there, Draco hiding in the corner after he was forced to stare at Harry and identify him. Of course he lied, there was no way that Hermione and Ron would be together without Harry. Lucius and his wife were standing with their son, staying out of Bellatrix's way. Most of the Snatchers ran off. Greyback was standing close by, Hermione could smell him.

Movement caught her attention. Harry and Ron were sneaking up the stairs. No matter how they got away, they needed that sword; the one Severus had risked his life to give them.

SEVERUS!

Without a second thought, Hermione subtly turned the ring on her finger, over and over again, knowing that she had surpassed the two turns needed to call him.

She could feel the tears running down her face as her mind settled on the very last hope they had. He needed to come. He had to. If he didn't, the war would end in this dingy room, with Harry lying dead in the middle of the floor, most likely the rest of them following a similar fate.

"I'm bored, Greyback, take her outside," Bellatrix snapped.

A sudden burst of movement occurred. Harry and Ron darted forward, attacking while someone was attacking back. Hermione remained still on the floor, not knowing what to do.

Suddenly she was being yanked off of the floor, and for a moment her heart jumped, until she realized she was being handled too roughly. The familiar knife was pressed into her skin, and she whimpered.

"ENOUGH!" Bellatrix screeched in her ear.

All together the fighting ended.

"Draco, take their wands,"

He immediately obeyed, leaving Harry and Ron defenseless.

"Now call him,"

No one made a move.

"NOW! We can finally redeem the family name! Imagine if we were the ones to turn in Harry Potter?"

Through her tears, Hermione watched as Lucius lifted his sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark, and just as he was about to summon their doom, a voice cut through the air.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you,"