Disclaimer: I own nothing.
IMPORTANT NEWS IN AUTHOR'S NOTE AT END OF CHAPTER. DO ME A SOLID AND READ IT.
Chapter Thirty-Three: Lie to Me Part Two
"And if there's anything I learned that would keep me standing,
If I take you at your word then I'm empty handed
A tongue like yours should be burned and branded,
So I can see you lie to me,
0-0-0
Look in my eyes when you say you love me
So I can see you lie to me."
Lie to Me-Sara Bareilles
The room was abound with colour-crescent shapes in every color, hanging in corners or from the ceiling. Sleeping pads lined the floor. Hammock or sleeping pad, each one hosted an exiled student, all who were currently asleep or merely pretending to be.
These were the students who had dared to speak up. Against Snape, against the others and their false teachings. When one was silenced another rose, but in the end they all ended up here. All of the DA was here, except its three founders and the three other Weaselys.
Neville didn't bother to pretend to sleep. He rarely was able to sleep anymore, anyway, so he often sat in his hammock, planned things out, and waited. There was too much on his mind for him to be able to sleep comfortably.
Someone was snoring loudly nearby. It was an annoying sound that buzzed loudly in the back of his head, scattering his thoughts frequently. Neville wished he could find the guilty party and shut them up. That required energy, though, and at the moment all of his was focused on what was on his mind. For the time being, Neville cast a Silencio around himself and peace was had at last.
Luna was sleeping somewhere off to the right, in a purple hammock she'd strung with all sorts of peculiar knick-knacks and magical plants to ward away the creatures she spoke of so often. There were similar oddities attached to his. Neville's eyes sought her out, and found her asleep with her back to him so he saw nothing but her blanket and her long hair flowing down, reaching for the space below in soft waves.
Funny, he'd never before noticed how pretty her hair was. Almost as pale as a certain Slytherin's but golden rather than silver. It reminded him of a cloud in the morning sky, soft with the glowing rays of the sun.
'The Lioness is coming back.'
There could be no doubt as to whom Zabini meant.
But how? How had this come about? Not that he wasn't happy-happy was an understatement. But what if it was a trap of some sort? Could Zabini be trusted? Or did this mean Draco Malfoy was dead at last, or taken down somehow? Surely he would never relent to letting her go. How was Zabini going to be able to rescue her?
Neville frowned. So Zabini really had known where she was all along. If he had, why could he not have helped her sooner?
He chose to ignore the anger that rose inside him.
Save it for later, now isn't the time.
They practiced every day. Come morning, the scouts would be off to get their breakfast from Aberforth in the Hog's Head and the rest would push the sleeping pads to the side and clear the rest of the space while taking turns in the bathrooms freshening up. And then came the practice. Everything Harry had taught them and more from the books the room provided them.
Outside the room the Carrows and Filch and Snape prowled around in search of them, to capture them and send them off to no one knew where, to make an example of them.
They were unwanted, yes, but they would be prepared when Harry came. They would be ready when it was time to put it all to rest.
Hermione wasn't sure when exactly she had woken. Voices had pierced through her slumber and she was conscious again though her eyes had not opened. Her mind was slowly becoming alert as the voices kept on, and she realized upon shifting her head a little that she was not in bed. Two hands combed through her long hair slowly, feeling the thick curls between cold fingers. Her hair was gently pulled back from her scalp and her head was on his lap. The tiniest frown graced her features and dimly, she heard a soft 'sshh' and fingertips smoothed her brow gently. Hermione turned her head away to the side, still reluctant to wake, and sighed.
"You're not even listening to me," she heard someone complain. In her tiredness it took her a moment to figure to whom the voice belonged but once she realized it was Blaise, Hermione was completely awake instantly. Her eyes nearly flew open but Hermione kept them shut and made sure her breathing was deep and slow. Draco's hands continued playing with her hair, and she let him. Better my hair than other parts of me. She wondered if he knew she had woken. What was she doing here?
Oh, that's right. I fell asleep here after breakfast. Draco must have moved her a little to place her head and shoulders in his lap, and Blaise must have found them like this.
"I always listen to you, Blaise," came Draco's murmur, soft and distracted. His hands remained focused in adoring her hair.
"Not right now, you're not," Blaise sounded annoyed. "Couldn't you forget about her for one minute?"
There was a long silence. Hermione could well imagine the threatening look Draco shot at Blaise. The hand was back on her cheek, the thumb grazing against her bottom lip. "Say what you came here to say, Zabini."
There was a sigh. "Longbottom is hiding out in the Room of Requirement. Only I know. Would have told Snape as well, but I don't think you'd have wanted that."
"Of course not. Longbottom is mine. Smoke him out, I don't care how. I don't care about the others, either. Let them go or capture them all. The room is of utmost importance. No one else must enter."
Hermione frowned again. Why?
Blaise asked the same. "There are other rooms we could use. Why that one in particular? It is already difficult enough to get into."
"It is the Dark Lord's wish," Draco said. "There is an item of extreme importance to him there, one he will retrieve later."
"What is it?"
"Some tiara," Draco said dismissively. Carefully, he tugged on a lock of her hair, sharper than she would have liked and Hermione struggled not to open her eyes. "A diadem, he called it."
Diadem…why does that sound so familiar? Her heart beat quickened and she knew she was onto something…If only she could remember where she had heard that word before…
They continued their conversation, moving on to another topic but Hermione didn't hear a word of it. A plan formed in her mind, and she was eager to start, but now was not the time. If she started now he would be suspicious. So Hermione cleared her mind and slowly let herself drift off into sleep again, though there was nothing more she wanted than to run to Blaise and have him take her home in that instant. But, she reasoned, if Blaise had something he wanted to tell her he would find a way how. It was simply too dangerous now, with Draco there. The voices of the two wizards faded after a time and she was asleep once more. His hands remained in her hair.
"Hogsmeade? Are you sure?" Ron asked.
"There's no other way. It's closest to Hogwarts and we need to get an idea of how bad it is over there."
Ron nodded. "When do we leave?" He didn't know why he'd bothered asking, he already knew the answer.
Harry rose from his seat and with a sense of urgency began to pack their meager belongings.
"Tomorrow."
When she awoke she was alone. This time she was awake instantly, and the first thing she did was make sure she was absolutely alone before hastening over to the library. There was an excitement in her she had not felt in a long time, and she found herself almost smiling as she pushed the doors open and made her way over to a certain shelf.
The last time Draco had had her read to him this was the shelf she'd picked a book out of, and had glimpsed a copy of Hogwarts, a History. She didn't dare go near it then, for she knew it was his way of tempting her, and she would not have it.
But it was necessary now, so with a furtive glance around the room Hermione snatched the book out of its place and made a dash for a more secluded spot in the room.
How good it felt to read something familiar again! But there was no time to go over the beautiful illustrations or the passages she liked best. There was something she was after.
It didn't take long to find it. By fortune of knowing the book nearly by heart, she opened it on the right chapter, but it took a bit of scanning around to find the picture she was looking for.
That's it.
The illustration she'd seen over a thousand times yet never really paid much attention to. A handsomely detailed diadem drawn in black ink, with the eagle of Ravenclaw made of silver on the crown.
Hermione felt almost dizzy; her mind was racing so. It had been some time since she had felt this excited, and unchecked, her thoughts sped on.
It has to be a Horcrux, it has to be. Why else would that vile snake be so interested in it? They had figured out the cup, and the locket. The diary and the ring were done with. For all she knew, so were the locket and the cup. If Harry and Ron had successfully broken in and out of Gringotts then she was willing to bet her life they had the cup.
Armed with this knowledge, Hermione rushed to return the book and exit the room. Making an effort to calm herself and conceal the memory inside her mind, Hermione began to look for Draco. It was strange indeed that he had let her alone for so long, even if she'd been asleep for most of the day. The prospect of him being away for the rest of the night cheered her, and she went down to the kitchens to get something warm to drink.
However, upon entering the kitchens she encountered just the man she'd hoped to avoid, and her cheerful mood vaporized.
As if he'd known her cravings, he smiled at her and offered her to drink from his cup. She didn't move, and he cracked a smile.
"There's nothing in it, Hermione. I promise." When she still didn't respond Draco emptied the cup into the sink, refilled it, and offered it to her once more.
Hermione took it without thanking him, and drank cautiously.
"I was wondering when you would wake," he said, taking one of her hands in both of his, drawing her closer. "You're not feeling ill, I hope?"
Hermione shook her head, holding the cup and his hand stiffly.
"Are you hungry?"
She shook her head.
His face turned serious. "You haven't eaten anything since breakfast," he said, and pushed a plate towards her, which instantly filled with food. Hermione absently thought of Bogg slaving away in the kitchen for a meal she didn't feel like eating.
Before she knew it she was sitting next to him holding a fork in her hand and he had summoned himself more tea, which he drank slowly as he watched her eat.
Hermione forced it all down though she wasn't hungry. At least, her mind thought she wasn't hungry because her stomach received the food well, and soon her plate was empty. Draco offered her more tea and she drank it, wondering what prompted this behavior. He was being kind to her, ignoring her earlier rudeness. It made her slightly uneasy.
As soon as she put down the fork her plate vanished, and Draco stretched, not bothering to stifle a yawn.
Hermione stood, not knowing what to do next. Should she thank him?
She did so, tepidly.
He nodded, and stepped towards her, assessing her carefully. His head dipped down to hers and she tried to turn away but his hands cupped her head; stopped her from denying him.
"I care about you, Hermione. I truly do."
Taken aback by this sudden confession, Hermione didn't know how to reply-she avoided his gaze.
He came closer, and held the back of her head with one hand while the other pulled her in so there was no space between them, and pressed his lips to hers.
Hermione flinched. She had not forgotten what he'd done to her the night before, and though he'd made sure she was not permanently injured by it the ghost of the terror and pain remained. Suddenly her head hurt, her skin crawled as he kissed her, and she hoped with all her might it was just a kiss he wanted and nothing more.
He pulled away and relieved, Hermione let out the breath she had been holding in.
"Let's take a walk," Draco said, and without waiting for Hermione to agree he pulled her along with him out the door, and suddenly they were in the dark.
The night was perfectly still; the snow was long gone and in its place the green of the earth had become alive again. Hermione could hear the rustling of the grass and the faint scent of the lavender was carried to her on whisper of a breeze.
They walked in the direction of the lavender field, but Hermione could barely put one foot in front of the other.
No, she thought. She was dumbfounded-could it be?
But the evidence was all around her. When she had arrived here Winter was just beginning, and now it was all green again. How had she not noticed this before, the last time he had let her out? How could she have been so stupid?
Her voice came out the opposite of how she wanted to sound-it came out weak, horrified.
"Draco-what month are we in?"
There was a pause, and she feared he would not answer her, but at last, with a tight jaw he replied, "May."
Hermione stopped walking altogether, gaping at him. "It's not possible…" was all she could say.
"But it is," he said, visibly annoyed. "You came to me towards the end of December. You've been here nearly six months."
"Oh Gods," Hermione placed her hand on her tummy. She felt sick. Her breaths were speeding up and getting more difficult to take in and for Merlin's sake, could she go one day without crying? She had never felt weaker. Six months...
"Listen to me. Hermione." He was holding her by the shoulders, giving her a small shake now and then to bring her focus back to him but it wasn't fair, all she ever thought about was him, and she was truly beginning to think she could never get away…
"It doesn't matter, okay?" he was saying. "Six months is nothing. You're with me now; I'll keep you safe from them."
What the hell is he going on about?
But instead of asking that, she gave him the most venomous look she could summon and blurted out in one breath, "You make me wish I was dead. I hate you." And then recoiled, waiting for the punishment. When nothing happened, she looked back up at him, who had not moved.
He was angry, that was clear enough. But he appeared to be more angry with himself rather than with her. In fact, he looked as if he regretted answering her question at all.
Hermione felt like shouting at him. Say something, you brute!
"We can start over," his voice was much quieter than normal. "We can go somewhere else and forget everything and start over. They'll forget about us and I can make you happy."
The sounds of the nighttime seemed amplified in the midst of their silence. Hermione felt as though she were surrounded by giant crickets.
"Why don't you understand?" Her voice was equally quiet. "You are the last man in the world who could ever make me happy."
He grabbed her then, and Hermione winced at the force of his grip but having said all she needed to say, kept quiet.
"I told you I'd try."
Hermione tried wrenching herself away. "Let me go, Draco."
His mouth was on hers again and he was pushing her down onto the ground, lifting up her skirt though she tried wrestling his arms away. Cold fingers brushed against her skin, pushing down the straps of her dress.
"Oh no you don't sweetheart, we had a deal, remember?" She heard the zip of his fly. "Or would you rather take the potion?"
"Not here," she said. It felt like tearing open a freshly healed wound for him to do this here, so near and so alike as to when he had first raped her.
But he wasn't listening. His fingers probed inside her, trying to coax her. They had little success. Hermione felt the pain but tried not to respond to it, keeping her attention focused on the stars that watched her from above as Draco's mouth and hands took from her what they could. The pain grew, she heard him voice his pleasure and she felt him inside her but refused to react.
He was close, she knew, and desperately wished it all to be over with. All she wanted to do was go to sleep and forget for a few precious hours.
"Tell me you love me. Tell me."
Hermione said nothing. She bit back a cry of pain as he thrust into her more forcefully.
His hand gripped her jaw, forcing her head up to meet his stare. The wildness was back, running rampant in those clear eyes and Hermione's jaw clamped shut in fear.
"Tell me."
"I love you." She whispered the lie but he still heard it, and satisfied, he found his release.
(When Hermione went to sleep later that night, she was kept awake by the frightening look in his eyes as she had lied to him, that he actually believed her.)
Draco had been gone for a long time before Hermione picked herself up off the ground on shaking legs, righting her clothes and brushing the dirt off her skin. Almost immediately after finishing he had been summoned by Voldemort, and he had left quickly, but not before forcing her to repeat what she had said.
She could feel the blood between her thighs as she reentered the Manor stealthily, ignoring the raw pain.
Halfway there she came to a halt. Blaise was coming out of the living room, looking worried, but the expression changed from annoyance to relief to concern at seeing her state of dishevelment.
"He's not here," she said dully, and he nodded before glancing at the stains on her skirt.
"Do you need help?"
A flash of anger tore through her. "You didn't care before. Don't pretend to care now. Why are you here?"
Blaise looked wounded at her words. "I didn't mean-"
"Get me out of here, Zabini," she ground out. "Find me my wand and get me out."
"That's why I'm here," he said quickly. "The Dark Lord is preparing a big get together with all his followers tomorrow. That includes Draco."
Her heart soared.
"Be ready tomorrow."
Another dizzying rush of excitement swept through her and Hermione had to place a hand on the wall to steady herself. Blaise came forward to help but she shook her head.
"I'm fine," she said.
"If you're sure," he gave her another worried glance. "I'll need an address or directions of some sort to plan out a safe route."
"You won't need any, I'm sure you know the way." Blaise looked at her, confused.
"I want you to take me to Hogwarts."
A/N:
Bam.
Playlist is up. Link is in profile.
Prepare thy selves for the next installment.
I guess I should have explained better about the ending. There is only one ending, one way it truly ends.
The first is for those who don't want a really bad ending. There's nothing really happy about it (sorry for the miscommunication) aside from one key thing, which you'll find out later. But it is part of the true ending, which will be revealed in the one-shot.
I've given you enough warnings. You should know what you want by now. Either keep reading, by all means, or please find something lighter to read. Don't like how dark this story has been? Don't go farther.
Thanks for reading, I appreciate feedback.
-C
