Lucius approached the cell, disgust showing on his face when he laid eyes on his traitorous, battered son.
"You three are coming with me." He said stiffly, the chains once again trapping the three wizards. The cell door swung open and they were dragged out into the hallway. As they were walking, Draco spoke up,
"What are your plans, Lucius?" He asked, venom on his tongue. Lucius spun around, cornering Draco against the wall.
"No matter what you think, or want, Draco, you will always have the guilt of the people who lost their lives because of you. You will live your last few days in agony, with nothing but the regret of betraying your family, your people and our lord, for nothing but a whore. A whore whose deed I shouldn't have ever turned to you!" Draco saw red, his face twisting in anger. He spat back angrily,
"She is not a whore! She is a virgin!" He yelled, then automatically stopped. He knew he shouldn't have said that.
"Good to know my son didn't sleep with a dirty slave, and thank you for the information. Even though you are a traitor, you still help us in our quest." He laughed darkly and shoved Draco back with the others. They were led in silence to a large room with three chairs in it. The chairs looked like a muggle electric chair, with straps on the arms and legs. Ron and Draco were shoved into two of the chairs, the straps magically strapping them down. Reina was led over to a post in the center of the room in front of the two boys. Her arms were tied above her head. Lucius motioned the other death eater in the room outside. They left and slammed the door behind them. Ron was the first to speak.
"Reina…what did Lucius mean when he called you a slave?" Reina swallowed hard and looked at her feet, ashamed.
"Well, my mother had been a maid for the Malfoy's since before I had been born. But when I was eleven my mother…passed away. Being an orphan, Lucius took me in, but I was no longer a maid, but a slave. I've done some terrible things Ron…things for…him." Ron looked at his friend, pity in his eyes.
"So, this whole time I've known you…you've worked for Lucius? But why? If he was so terrible to you, why didn't you leave? Mum wouldn't have cared if you stayed with us for the summer. Why did you stay?" He looked down and shook his head.
"Ron…I stayed…for Draco." Ron's jaw dropped. He looked over at Draco, who avoided making eye contact with him. Finally he spoke up.
"Weasley, we are both here for the same reason. " He said quietly.
"And what's that Malfoy?"
"You know how when someone talks terrible about Granger, it makes you angry? It makes you want to hurt someone or something?" Ron nodded his head. "That's why. Before this year, my father passed her 'deed' down to me, meaning I technically own her. But…" He swallowed, almost like he was holding something back, "I refuse to own another human. What he didn't know was my plans were to set her free, get her away from all of this. But I stupidly let my feelings get in the way…and it got her caught. Weasely, I love her." Reina smiled, looking Draco in the eyes.
"I love you too Draco." Just as she said that, the doors swung open and Lucius and the other death eater returned to the room. The second death eater walked up to Reina, getting too close.
"So, our task is to figure out how to make you cry. I have a few ideas…" He wrapped his fingers in her hair and yanked her head back. He pressed his dry lips to her neck, kissing up and down her neck. Draco squirmed in his restraints, Ron closing his eyes and turning his head.
"Stop!" Draco yelled. The death eater stopped and walked over to Draco.
"Does that make you angry little Draco? Well, I don't think a traitor like you deserves to deflower this goddess. " Reina gasped, trying to wriggle out of her restraints. "Don't worry my beauty, we won't do that quite yet…all you have to do is cry for me." Reina pouted her eyes, beckoning the death eater back over to her. He got close to her face, and she said with venom on her tongue,
"I would rather sleep with scum like you, than give you the key to our downfall." She spat in his face. This angered him, and he punched her in the face.
"Wretched witch!" He yelled, wiping his mouth. "Well, if torturing you directly won't get those pretty little tears rolling, maybe torturing your friend will." He untied Reina and threw her in the chair, replacing her with Ron. He took out his wand and pointed it at Ron.
"Crucio!" He yelled, a red flash of light hitting Ron in the chest. Instantly Ron began to scream and writhe around like a fish out of water. He began to sweat, his eyes watering, and his screams continued. It was the worst sound either Draco or Reina had ever heard. Draco cringed in his restraints, Reina closing her eyes and mouthing the word no over and over again. When the spell wore off, Ron slumped against the pole, motionless. The death eater walked back over to Reina. He grabbed her by the chin and forced her head up to look at him.
"Dry as a bone. Well, there is more where that came from."
The torture lasted for hours. Every pain inflicting spell had been casted on the two boys, both barley conscious. Lucius and the other death eater were exhausted.
"There is no use continuing anymore tonight. We can't kill them yet. But we will bring them to our new domain tomorrow to execute them. Let all their friends see them die." Lucius said, giving a sideways glance at his dying son. "Take them back to their cell, I am going to report to our lord." Lucius disappeared with a crack. The three were led back to their cell, thrown in harshly and left alone once again. Reina crawled over to Draco and Ron, her eyes filling with tears.
"I am so sorry…this is all my fault…maybe I should just cry for them…give them what they want. Then they will stop torturing you…" She kissed both boys on the forehead. Draco opened his eyes.
"Don't even think about giving them that power Reina. I don't care If they kill me, don't shed one tear. Be strong my love…" He whispered. Ron stirred, opened his eyes and asked,
"Why can't you cry Reina?" She looked at him and explained the whole story from the very beginning. How her tears could heal mortal wounds and bring back the dead. Ron listened quietly, and when she finished was at a loss for words.
"You can't ever cry for them Reina. We will be done for if you do." They were all silent for a while, Reina holding Draco in her arms. Finally after what seemed hours, Reina spoke.
"I know how to contact Harry and Heromine to tell them where we are, and what our plan is." Both boys sat up and looked at her. "We can astral project. The one thing divination actually taught me. Can you both do that?" Both boys shook their heads. "Then it's settled. Let's do it now." All three of them laid on their backs and closed their eyes, concentrating hard. After a couple minutes, they felt their souls depart, and the search for Hogwarts began.
Harry, Heromine and Ginny were still sitting in the common room, the rest of the students were asleep, or at least in their dorm rooms. They had dozed off on the couch when a bitter cold wind began to blow. Harry jolted awake.
"Ginny, Heromine wake up. Something is going on." Both girls jumped up, wands raised. A silvery light began to glow in front of them. The longer they looked, the more the silver lights looked like human shapes. After a moment, the figures of Reina, Ron and Draco formed in front of them.
"Can you hear us?" Reina said to Harry as he gawked in shock at the figures in front of them.
"Reina?" He said, "is that…"
"Ron! It is so good to see you!" Ginny yelled, running up to her brother. "How are you here?"
"We are astral projecting Ginny. We don't have much time, but so much to explain." He walked over to Heromine, who had tears in her eyes.
"Heromine…I promise we will be back. They are bringing us here tomorrow…for public execution." Heromine moaned in agony as tears began to flow down her cheeks. He put his hand to her cheek. "I promise, we won't let that happen, we have a plan." He looked over to Draco.
"Malfoy? Someone please, explain what the hell is going on here!" Harry said, making eye contact with Draco's soul.
"Ok Potter, I will explain everything. Tomorrow, they are going to bring us back here, as Weasley said. They plan on giving us a public execution, to make us an example."
"Ok hold on. You are one of them." Ginny said, holding on to Harry's arm. "Why would they kill you?"
"Because…he's a traitor. He turned his back on the death eaters. He wants to help us defeat them. Even Lucius has turned his back on him." Reina said, lacing her fingers with Draco's. Harry nodded his head.
"But go on with your plan." He said, looking at Draco.
"Well tomorrow when they bring us here, I already know they are going to drag the execution as long as they can, so make sure you are as close to us as possible. I am going to send you a signal, and when I send that signal, run as quick as you can and grab onto me so I can aparate us out of here. I am not sure where I'll teleport us, but it will be somewhere secluded, where they can't find us until we figure out a battle plan." Harry nodded his head.
"Not a bad plan at all Malfoy. So, Ginny, Harry and I will go with you. What about the rest of our army here?" Heromine said, looking over at Ginny, who nodded her head at her.
"That's easy." Reina said, "We can do what us three are doing now. Fill them in. Make battle strategies. Try to inform as many people in our army as you can of our return, and our plan. Our time is almost up though. We must part now, but we will be back tomorrow. Whatever they do to us, no matter how awful, do not try to stop them." Heromine swallowed hard.
"We must say goodbye for now, but only for a little while." Ron hugged his sister tightly. "stay strong Ginny, for me. Promise?" She shook her head up and down. He then walked over to Heromine, grabbing her hands.
"I know this is going to sound crazy, but this is the best time to tell you. Malfoy did help me realize something." Heromine smiled through her tears.
"And what is that Ronald?"
"Well, people do crazy things when they are in love." He got down on one knee, her hands still in his. "If I survive this…Heromine, will you marry me?" Heromine gasped, the tears rolling faster down her face. She bent down, touching her forehead to his.
"Yes Ronald, I'll marry you." He bent down and kissed her softly on the lips before disappearing. The three sat back down on the couch and looked at each other.
"Do you think we can trust Malfoy?" Harry said, running his fingers through Ginny's hair. Heromine nodded.
"He seems…different. His face is a lot softer. I think he is telling the truth." All three of them nodded in agreement.
"We should start telling the army." Ginny said, standing up and pulling on a jacket. "it's going to be a long night and a long day tomorrow."