"Take the prisoners to the cellar, Greyback."

"Wait," Bellatrix snapped. "All of them, except the Mudblood."

Greyback let out a growl of satisfaction.

"No!" Ron shouted. "Take me instead of her!"

Bellatrix slapped him across the face, the sound ringing through the room.

"If she dies during questioning, you'll be next. In my book, blood traitors are just a notch above Mudbloods. Take them downstairs, Greyback, and make sure they're tied up properly, but don't do anything else to them... for now."

She handed Greyback his wand and pulled a small silver knife from inside her robes. She cut the ropes binding Hermione to the other prisoners, then yanked her by the hair to the center of the room while Greyback pushed the others toward a door that opened into a dark corridor. His wand was raised, emitting an invisible force that was impossible to resist.

"Bet she'll give me a piece of the girl when she's done, huh?" Greyback sneered as he forced them down the corridor. "I'd say she's good for a few bites, wouldn't you, Weasel?"

Harry could feel Ron trembling. They were forced to descend a steep staircase, still tied back-to-back, constantly at risk of slipping and breaking their necks at any moment. At the bottom of the stairs was a heavy door. With a flick of his wand, Greyback unlocked it and shoved them into a damp, musty room, leaving them in total darkness. The echo of the cellar door slamming hadn't even faded when they heard a horrific, drawn-out scream from directly above.


Tears streamed down Hermione's face as she screamed. There came a point where the voices and sounds in the room became a blur, and everything around her lost focus. Her mind grew foggy, unable to recognize the figures looming in her vision. The pain was so unbearable that she thought she might die. She couldn't catch her breath, and her body no longer responded. Completely broken and exhausted, Hermione Granger silently gave in to death as the Cruciatus curse tore through her.

But the pain stopped.

She waited for the next wave, but it didn't come. She tried to move, but could barely feel her body against the cold floor, her mind spinning, unable to make sense of anything. Hermione only felt a cold touch on her hand before she lost consciousness.