Disclaimer: All Characters and things associated with Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. This writing is purely for entertainment only.

Summary: Harry died in the Forbidden Forest and Ron and Hermione must find a way to finish his mission in a world where Hermione and her blood status leaves them both in incredible danger.

Chapter 14

Hermione got dressed slowly into the clothes Draco had left for her. It was a simply grey dress with a small white collar, making her almost look like a maid.

She looked at herself in the mirror, noticing how sickly she looked. A small bruise from her time at the Ministry was forming on her cheek. She rang the water from the shower she had been ordered to take from her curls, taking a deep breath and trying to keep herself calm. She knew if she had any chance of escaping she had to keep her head on straight.

As Hermione was trying to focus the door to the lavatory opened and Draco stood their impatiently.

"You're done in here," Draco told her and didn't wait for her to respond before grabbing her and dragging her down a long hall to a small room with a small bed, a nightstand with a single lamp, and bars on the two windows.

Draco threw Hermione across the room and she landed hard on the bed. She scrambled to sit up as he closed the door behind him and turned back to her.

Immediately, Hermione felt her heart sink as she slide further up the bed, away from Draco, her mind racing as she realized the situation she was in. She was alone on a bed, locked in a room with Draco Malfoy in a scenario where he basically owned her and could use her as he pleased.

Draco took a step toward her and Hermione knew all of her concerns were written across her face. She watched him carefully wondering if he forced himself on her if she would be able to stop him. He seemed healthier then he had at Hogwarts and he was bigger and probably much stronger then her. Without her wand, she wasn't sure she could keep him at bay.

Draco moved closer to her, taking her wrist in his hand.

At his touch, Hermione's body reacted violently, overwhelmed by her own fears of what Draco planned to do with her. The tears spilled silently down her cheeks as she closed her eyes and set her jaw, realizing there was no way out of the plans Draco had for her and the thought of Draco touching her in the same places Ron had crushing her.

Draco let go of her wrist and laughed a little when he noticed her crying.

"Why the tears, Granger?" Draco taunted.

Hermione opened her eyes and glared at him with slight resilience. If he was going to have his way with her, she would make him look her in the eye.

"Just get on with it. Make it quick," Hermione surprised even herself with her own words but she knew if Draco was going to force himself on her she wanted it to be over quickly.

Draco's brow furrowed for a moment at Hermione's words, and then suddenly he realized the meaning behind them and had a hard time stiflingly a laugh which only made Hermione more confused.

"Did you think I'd actually touch you? You! A filthy little Mudblood?" Draco laughed.

Hermione lifted her nose in the air at Draco's derogatory remark, but she did have to admit she was immediately relieved that at least in that moment, he wasn't going to touch her.

As Hermione was trying to calm herself now that the immediate threat seemed over, Draco suddenly grabbed her wrist again and again she flinched, assuming he was just playing games with her now.

Hermione tried to pull away from his grasp, but he held her firm and took his wand out, pressing it against the skin of the inside of her wrist and muttering something. Immediately Hermione felt burning, and she looked down. She saw the Malfoy Crest etched into her arm.

"This proves that you belong to me now. That you are Malfoy property. It will stay on you until you die or another Pureblood family buys you up for us." Draco explained.

Hermione starred down at her wrist, the Malfoy Crest sitting neatly under the "Mudblood" scar from Bellatrix in a oddly perfect way. It was as if the Malfoy family was determined to completely disfigure her arm.

Draco stood now, motioning around the room. "These will be your living quarters. You may use the lavatory you showered in. Everything is bewitched to make sure you cannot harm yourself so don't bothering trying anything," Draco explained.

Hermione said nothing, her eyes just watching Draco moved toward the door.

"I suggest you get some rest. You belong to me but my mother's house elf has gone missing so until she can find a replacement you will wait on her hand and foot," Draco continued.

Again, Hermione just watched Draco as she tried to take in the gravity of the situation she was in. When she did not respond Draco just snarled his lip and moved out the door, slamming and locking it behind her.

The second she realized she was truly alone, she throw herself down on the bed and began sobbing uncontrollably. She realized now there was likely no way out of her predicament and this would be her life moving forward; a servant to Draco Malfoy.

Hermione curled up into a ball, hands tightly against her chest, and closed her eyes as the tears continue to flow. Try to focus on anything that would calm her down and the only image that appeared in her mind was that of a smiling Ron, a face she knew she may never see again but a face she was desperate to cling to.

It had been two long days but Neville had finally gotten clarity of his meeting with the few families who were more interested in selfishly making money and selling off their servents then keeping the muggleborn witches under their control and he was eager to share with Ron.

Neville entered the sitting room of Shell Cottage where he found Ron and George playing a nearly silent game of Wizard's Chess while Ginny sharpened a knife in the corner while gazing out the window.

Ever since Ron and Ginny had their argument about if it was worth trying to save Hermione the three siblings had hardly talked and if they had it was usually George playing the middle-man. It made for an extremely uncomfortable situation for Neville.

"Uh, Ron? Can we speak?" Neville spoke up.

Ron's eyes shifted up to Neville and instantly he was on his feet, following Neville without so much as a word into the kitchen.

"So...I've got some news..." Neville started, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

The hope glistened in Ron's eyes as he put both hands down on the table, forcing his body to tower over Neville's. "What? What is it?"

"I got confirmation of a time and place to meet next week. It will be in four days at..about twenty kilometers outside of Hogsmeade...there's a small town that can offer us some privacy," Neville explained.

"Who are we meeting?" Ron asked, wondering who would be willing to cross Voldemort.

"Theodore Nott," Neville said simply.

Ron's face immediately screwed up. He rememebred Theodore from school. He was a Slytherin and was always hanging around Draco and his friends. Sure, he had never truly associated with Draco but still, it was hard for Ron to believe Nott would actually help. "And you trust him?"

"We don't really have a choice," Neville said simply, reminding Ron of the predicament they were in.

Ron sighed, setting his jaw and silently weighing their options. He knew Neville was right, Nott was maybe his only chance at finding Hermione.

"At any rate, I do trust Theodore. He has actually helped us out quite a bit...and saved a lot of people," Neville carried on.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why is Nott helping us? Surely, that's a risk for him, no matter how much money is involved," Ron said.

"Not all the pureblood families agree with Voldemort. You know that..." Neville motioned to Ron, reminding him that the Weasley's were one of those families.

"His father is a death eater," Ron said.

"He isn't his father," Neville said simply.

Ron wanted to ask more, but Ginny and George suddenly moved into the room.

"We got word from Bill...he was able to Seamus out of a camp in Ireland along with some others..." Ginny said.

"What? How?" Neville asked.

"No idea and don't really care. Point is...we are able to get some out which means more on our side," Ginny said.

"We are going to go after the sword," George added.

"There is nothing to go after...the sword will present itself to a worthy Gryffindor but it's unpredictable when and where that will happen. McGonagall said so herself." Ron explained.

"Well, then we will have to make ourselves worthy, won't we?" Ginny said it a tone that quickly made it clear that she wasn't going to entertain a further conversation on the matter. She was going after the Sword of Gryffindor.

Hermione sat very still on the small bed in the room she now felt was her prision cell. Once she was certain Draco would not return she stood, moving quickly to the window.

There has to be a way out.

She grabbed the bars on the window, pulling on them with all her might, but they did not move, in fact they sent a small spark of electricity through her hands. Not enough to do damage, just enough for her to realize they were enchanted to cause pain if she touched them.

Realizing the window wasn't an option, she moved to the small end table that had a lamp sitting on it. She figured if she couldn't physically escape, maybe she could end her life before the torture, degradation, and misery began under Draco's thumb. She knew she would probably die either way, at least if she did it now it would be on her own terms.

Hermione tried to pick the lamp up, thinking she could shatter the glass base and use it on her wrist, but the lamp wouldn't budge. It was enchanted to stay in place.

Hermione moved to the end table itself, wondering if she could break a wooden leg off it, but the table also wouldn't move.

Hermione felt her breathing grow uneven as she realized the entire room has been enchanted to keep her in and keep her from harming herself.

There was no way out.

In panic and frustration, Hermione sank to the floor, tears forming in her eyes as she glanced down at the Malfoy family crest on her wrist; a cruel reminder of her fate.

Hermione's thoughts drifted to another pureblood family, a kinder family, as her eyes swelled with more tears. She now understood why the Weasley's would pay the ultimate price, because they would never do what the Malfoy's were doing, they would always be an outliar among the pureblood's and therefore, they would all die just as she would.

Hermione let the tears flow as she thought of Ron. She missed him so much. She wondered if his death had been quick. She hoped it had been. Surely, those who captured her wouldn't have left him alive.

Hermione cried even harder now, knowing that without Ron there was no real reason for her to carry on.

They had lost. It was over.

The memories she had shared with Ron, over their years at Hogwarts, the summers at the Burrow, on the hunt with Harry, and finally the last few months alone in the tent flooded her mind and overwhelmed her senses.

How had she not seen until only recently how perfect Ron had been for her? How much they had clearly cared for each other over the years.

They had wasted so much time dancing around their feelings and now time was the one thing they no longer had.

Hermione felt a pit rise in her stomach as she continued to cry. She rushed to the door, remembering Draco said she would have access only to the bathroom down the hall. She hoped he hadn't been lying and was grateful when the door did open and she could get to the bathroom just in time to be absolutely sick, her nerves completely shot.