AN: More torture! Just a warning! Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.
Remus POV
"Keep Emily out of here no matter what!" I yelled pushing Fred and George out the library doors. Sirius was panting on the ground, tears on his cheeks his head in Tonks' lap.
"Sirius!" His eyes were unfocused and his face was as pale as a ghost. "what is she feeling? We can't help you unless you can tell us whats going on with her."
"I – can't –" he said between great lungfuls of air.
"Yes you can!" I said forcing him to look into my eyes.
"No – I can't – feel her –" he finally said his chest rising and falling.
"What?!" I yelped almost falling over in shock.
Sirius froze his face paling drastically. A scream tore from him and his body curled in on itself. "HERMIONE!"
She was being crucioed. Merlin they must have been caught.
Hermione POV
"CRUCIO!" I fell to the ground my muscles spasming and collapsing with liquid fire.
"Where did you get the sword?!" Bellatrix spat her eyes mad. She leaned down close to me her putrid breath hitting my face.
"We found it," I gasped out panting for breath.
"LIAR!" She yelled, "Crucio!"
My body was burning and I could barely breath. A tortured scream ripped from my body on its on accord. How could a body possibly cope with this kind of torture? A snap reverberated through my body and my scream echoed through the room. My bones were breaking. Then the fire stopped.
"I'm going to ask you again! Where did you get this sword? Where?" Bellatrix yelled as Theodore strode forward brandishing his wand like a sword.
"We found it—we found it—PLEASE!" I screamed when he yelled crucio again. My throat was burning from my screams and it was becoming too hard to breath. The pain was almost unbearable. How could a mind possibly cope with this much pain?
"HERMIONE!" Was that Ron and Harry? My mind feebly clung to them yelling my name repeatedly.
"You're lying, Mudblood Black, and I know it! You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell the truth, tell the truth!"
I feebly shook my head and sobbed brokenly.
"Mind if I have a little fun?" Theodore asked pulling a sharp knife out of his pocket.
"Be my guest." Bellatrix said with a shrug.
Draco POV
Another scream tore through the air. But this one was different than the others. The new scream was one of complete desperation.
"PLEASE!" My body shook and I peaked into the room. Hermione lay on the ground with Theodore on top of her a knife in his hand. He was carving into her arm throwing bits of skin onto the pristine marble.
I turned away and vomited onto the plush carpet.
Hermione screamed again and I looked up in time to see Theodore grope roughly at Hermione's breasts. Deep rage and hatred coursed through my body. His words echoed in my ears. Someone who love's her has to kill me.
I loved her enough for this even if it wasn't romantic. If I got the chance to kill him I would take it.
Sirius POV
The pain in my arm was almost unbearable. They were carving into my wife. Whoever had captured her was slicing into her arm repeatedly. I sobbed brokenly on the ground trying to breathe.
"Sirius!" I tried to concentrate on the voice but it was hard.
"I think he's losing consciousness!" Another voice yelled in return.
"LET ME SEE MY DADDY! DAD!"
Harry POV
"We have to help her!" I yelled. Hearing Hermione scream like that was torture. She was my sister in every way but blood.
"Call Kreacher!" Ron said his eyes gleaming with hope.
"Kreacher!" I called. A moment later there was a pop followed by another scream.
"How did you get into my vault? Did that dirty little goblin in the cellar help you?"
"We only met him tonight!" Hermione sobbed. "We've never been inside your vault. . . . It isn't the real sword! It's a copy, just a copy!"
"A copy?" screeched Bellatrix. "Oh, a likely story!"
"But we can find out easily!" came Lucius's voice. "Draco, fetch the goblin, he can tell us whether the sword is real or not!"
"Kreacher hide!" He vanished with a pop and I dashed across the cellar to where Griphook was huddled on the floor.
"Griphook," I whispered into the goblin's pointed ear, "you must tell them that sword's a fake, they mustn't know it's the real one, Griphook, please–"
I could hear someone scuttling own the cellar steps; next moment, Draco's shaking voice spoke from behind the door.
"Stand back. Line up against the back wall. Don't try anything, or I'll kill you!"
They did as they were bidden; as the lock turned, Ron clicked the Deluminator and the lights whisked back into his pocket, restoring the cellar's darkness. Ron and Luna were clutching each other and Ollivander was leaning heavily against Dean The door flew open; Malfoy marched inside, wand held out in front of him, pale and determined.
He seized the little goblin by the arm and backed out again, dragging Griphook with him. The door slammed shut and at the same moment a loud crack echoed inside the cellar.
Ron clicked the Deluminator. Three balls of light flew back into the air from his pocket. Kreacher stepped out from behind Luna his ears flapping.
"Master called?" He croaked bowing low.
"You can Disapparate out of this cellar?" I asked Kreacher, who nodded, his ears flapping.
"And you can take humans with you?"
Another nod.
"Right. Kreacher, I want you to grab Luna, Dean, and Mr. Ollivander, and take them—take them to–"
"Bill and Fleur's," Ron said quickly, "Shell Cottage on the outskirts of Tinworth!"
The elf nodded for a third time.
"And then come back," said Harry. "Can you do that, Kreacher?"
"Of course, Master," whispered the little elf. He hurried over to Mr. Ollivander, who appeared to be barely conscious. He took one of the wandmaker's hands in his own, then held out the other to Luna and Dean, neither of whom moved.
"Harry, we want to help you!" Luna whispered.
"We can't leave you here," said Dean.
"Go, both of you! We'll see you at Bill and Fleur's." As I spoke my scar seared again but as Hermione screamed and I shut it out.
"Go!" I beseeched to Luna and Dean. "Go! We'll follow, just go!"
They caught hold of the elf's outstretched fingers. There was another loud crack, and Kreacher, Luna, Dean, and Ollivander vanished.
"What was that?" shouted Lucius Malfoy from over their heads. "Did you hear that? What was that noise in the cellar?"
Sirius POV
The pain had stopped and I could barely feel Hermione. She was drifting in and out of consciousness. Tonks and Remus were speaking to me but I was too busy concentrating on Hermione to even understand what the were saying.
I closed my eyes and forced as much love through our bond as possible. No response. I rolled over and sobbed brokenly into my hands. Why couldn't I save my wife?
Ron POV
Wormtail was dead. His own silver hand had killed him. Harry and I creeped up the steps quickly and stopped outside of the drawing room. Hermione was lying broken and battered at Theodore's feet who was tapping absently at her leg which was twisted at an unnatural angle. Each time he touched it her face twisted in pain.
Harry tapped my arm and pointed at Griphook who was standing in front of Bellatrix. He had the sword of Gryffindor in his hands and was turning it over thoughtfully.
"Well?" Bellatrix said to Griphook. "Is it the true sword?"
I waited my heart pounding in my chest. I had to save her for Sirius. I had to make it up to them for the mistake I had made. For believing she could cheat on him.
"No," Griphook said. "It is a fake."
"Are you sure?" Bellatrix panted. "Quite sure?"
"Yes," said the goblin.
Relief broke across her face, all tension drained from it.
"Good," she said, and with a casual flick of her wand she slashed another deep cut into the goblin's face, and he dropped with a yell at her feet. She kicked him aside. "And now," she said in a voice that burst with triumph, "we call the Dark Lord!"
And she pushed back her sleeve and touched her forefinger to the Dark Mark. Harry clenched his eyes in pain and swayed slightly on his feet.
"And I think," Bellatrix said, "we can dispose of the Mudblood. Theodore, take her if you want her."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I yelled running out of the room brandishing my wand like a sword. He couldn't have her! Not on my life.
Bellatrix swirled around in shock.
"Expelliarmus!" I roared, pointing Wormtail's wand at Bellatrix, and hers flew into the air and was caught by Harry, who had sprinted after me. Lucius, Narcissa, Draco and Greyback wheeled about; Harry yelled, "Stupefy!" and Lucius Malfoy collapsed onto the hearth. Jets of light flew from Draco's, Narcissa's, and Greyback's wands; Harry threw himself to the floor, rolling behind a sofa to avoid them. I snapped my wand through the air and Bellatrix crumpled to the ground stunned.
"STOP OR SHE DIES!" Theodore yelled holding a knife to Hermione's throat.
Panting, I glared at Theodore with all the hatred I had for him.
"Drop your wands," he whispered. "Drop them, or we'll see exactly how filthy her blood is!"
I stood rigid, clutching Wormtail's wand. Harry straightened up, still holding Bellatrix's.
"I said, drop them!" he screeched, pressing the blade into Hermione's throat. Small beads of blood appeared there.
"All right!" Harry shouted, and he dropped Bellatrix's wand onto the floor at his feet, I did the same with Wormtail's. Both of us raised their hands to shoulder height.
"Good!" He leered. "Draco, pick them up! The Dark Lord is coming, Harry Potter! Your death approaches!"
Harry was pale and swaying on his feet.
"Now," said Theodore softly, as Draco hurried back to him with the wands. "Mrs Malfoy, I think we ought to tie these little heroes up again, while I take care of the Mudblood Black. I am sure the Dark Lord will not begrudge me the girl."
At the last word there was a peculiar grinding noise from above. All of us looked upward in time to see the crystal chandelier tremble; then, with a creak and an ominous jingling, it began to fall. Theodore was directly beneath it; dropping Hermione, he threw himself aside with a scream of rage. The chandelier crashed to the floor in an explosion of crystal and chains, falling on top of Hermione and the goblin, who still clutched the sword of Gryffindor. Kreacher laughed croakily before jumping down to help us.
Glittering shards of crystal flew in all directions; Draco doubled over, his hands covering his bloody face.
As I ran to pull Hermione out of the wreckage, Harry ran at Draco and tried to wrestle the wands away from him. Harry dropped Bellatrix's wand and Draco dove for it.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Harry dove away and the spell hit Theodore Nott directly in the face.
"NOOOOO!" Harry and I yelled at the same time as Nott slumped to the floor. I choked on a sob as Harry threw me one of the wands.
"Get her out of here!" Kreacher gripped onto my hand then grabbed Harry's hand and apparated us away. Something was wrong though. Off. It felt like Kreacher was trying to pull us in a different direction.
We landed on the beach with a thud. Harry and the goblin fell over each other trying to stay up.
"Master Potter... Good Mas-ter." I looked up in time to see Kreacher fall dead into Harry's arms a knife sticking out of his chest.
"NOOOOO!" Harry sobbed, bowing his head tears on his cheeks.
I looked down at Hermione but she had passed out sometime at the manor. She looked horrible. Blood was dripping down her arm and her face was pale. But something seemed different about her. Almost as if she wasn't as thin as she had been before we had ended up at the manor. As if she was no longer dying.
AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Love me, hate me, whatever. I think this was the easiest way to kill Nott. It had been hard trying to decide who would get the chance to kill Nott but in the end this felt the most natural for the way the fight was going.