"Where is Harry?!" Daphne demanded to know as her icy blue eyes bored into Hermione's. "I can sense he's still somewhere in the manor but no magic can find him. So where is he and what did you do to him?!" she asked with the usual coldness but also with a hint of desperation in her voice.
Hermione realized the cloak she had put over Harry was somehow preventing Daphne from finding him magically. Furthermore, she had positioned his unconscious body so that nobody would just accidentally come upon him, even adding a notice-me-not charm as an afterthought. An extremely thorough inch-by-inch search of the manor would probably reveal his location but with any hope Harry Potter would have died of thirst by then. But perhaps there was a different use for that traitor. Wheels started to turn in Hermione's head...
"Let us leave! Once we're gone, I'll let you know where he is," she offered, somehow managing to sound confident as she said the words. Of course, Hermione had no intention of doing that unless she really had to. She mainly wished to see whether Daphne might be desperate enough to get her pet boyfriend back to actually fall for it. Unfortunately, while the girl might indeed be desperate, she wasn't stupid.
"I don't think so... filth," Daphne hissed the insult. "Your pathetic escape attempt is over. You will tell me where Harry is and then surrender... or I'll tear the truth out of your mind before smashing your worthless muggle body into pieces!"
Hermione was about to retort she would obliviate herself of the information first. But before she could do that, Ron suddenly spoke. "Please... just let her leave, Daphne," the boy pleaded before adding. "I'll tell you where Harry is once she's left," he offered. "I'll even join her and make sure she doesn't interfere in your plans," he offered and Hermione shot him a look of betrayal before realizing it was actually a very clever ruse. And Ron looked completely honest as he spoke of it too; Hermione had no idea he was such a good actor!
Daphne turned to look at Ron and for a moment she seemed to seriously consider his offer. But eventually, she shook her head. "You know well I can't risk that, Ron," Daphne said and paused before shaking her head. "Honestly, you disappoint me. Harry is your friend... if you know where he is, you must tell me immediately!" she insisted.
"Don't listen to her!" Hermione cried out when she noticed the terrible guilty look that blossomed on Ron's face upon hearing the girl's guilt-tripping, manipulative words. But it was too late as Ron leaned towards her and whispered. "Hermione... just tell her," he begged and when she shook her head in refusal he added. "I'll tell her if you don't," he threatened before adding pleadingly, "Surely you don't want Harry to die..."
Hermione sighed inside. Of course she wanted Harry to die! He fully deserved it for his actions so far. And being totally under Daphne's control, Harry Potter would only go on to commit far worse crimes than he already had. But Hermione also knew explaining that to Ron would be a mistake. Not only it wasn't the time and the place, with dozen or so wands pointed at them, but Ron was also very naive when it came to Harry and failed to see the monster he had turned into. He would no doubt do so in time, especially after Hermione had a chance to thoroughly explain things to him without interference. But right now, admitting she wanted Harry to die would be too much for Ron and might actually drive him away from her. She knew Ron had been disturbed by what happened with Astoria. She once again bemoaned the fact the younger girl just had to be there. Everything had been going downhill since then! Even now Hermione could see doubts flickering in Ron's eyes during the few short glances she could give him.
Hermione couldn't afford that. She needed to make sure Ron was fully committed to their escape or they would surely fail...
"If I tell you where he is right now, will you then let us go free?" Hermione finally asked with a faked resignation. Against her will she flinched as Daphne once again pinned her down with her merciless, suspicious gaze. Ron's eyes flicked between the two girls as he waited for the blonde to react. At last, the pureblood girl slowly nodded, her impatience having won out. "Very well, Granger. You tell me where Harry is. Assuming he's alive and unharmed, I promise I will let you go," she told her reluctantly and Ron let out the breath he had been holding.
Daphne then raised her wand for emphasis. "Now tell me... where is Harry?!" she repeated her original question.
This time, Hermione sighed in actual resignation right before telling Daphne exactly where and how to find the traitorous bastard who used to be her best friend. After she was finished speaking Daphne stared at her for a moment longer, obviously deciding whether to trust her. In the end, she shared a look with two of her guards who immediately rushed off towards the entrance hall. Nobody could apparate inside the manor right now so they had to get there on foot. This would obviously take some time, leaving the rest of them in an uncomfortable stand-off as their two groups pointed wands at each other.
Meanwhile, the two girls engaged in an impromptu staring contest. Daphne Greengrass had an uncanny ability to convey her sense of absolute superiority with a single look. And right now, she was throwing it all at Hermione, who strongly suspected holding the most powerful wand in the world was the sole reason she hadn't already fallen apart under the scrutiny of her captor's icy blue eyes. Hermione could hardly believe how good it felt simply being able to meet the pureblood girl's eyes without breaking down in fear. She had been unable to do that since the disastrous meeting in Daphne's office which ended with Hermione kowtowing at the pureblood girl's feet in submission. She had been avoiding Daphne like a plague since then, purposefully staying away from parts of the manor where she knew the girl was found most often.
But they would still inevitably run into each other from time to time. When that happened, Hermione would immediately get out of the girl's way and meekly lower her eyes to the ground, exactly as muggleborn like her was supposed to do according to Daphne's twisted philosophy. Hermione would then hold her breath as the pureblood girl walked by, praying Daphne wouldn't decide to punish her for some imagined slight or another. At one time, when the two of them ran into each other, the blonde unexpectedly stopped in front of Hermione as she passed by. Daphne didn't say or do anything and merely stood there in silence, seemingly daring her muggleborn prisoner to look up if she could. Hermione couldn't do that, keeping her eyes downcast. Worse, she was in fact seconds away from collapsing to her knees in fright when Daphne finally walked away, sniggering to herself as she went and leaving trembling Hermione behind.
Daphne had always insisted Hermione's claims of being an equal were laughable and while she had been wrong in the beginning, she was now right... at least about the laughable part. How could Hermione possibly hope to stand as Daphne's equal when she had trouble to actually stand in her presence? When all the pureblood girl had to do to completely undone her was to stare at her in silence? They had been equal in Hogwarts but after her capture Daphne changed things... she changed Hermione.
Like all the worst bigots in history, Daphne Greengrass did not form her opinions based on reality but rather the reality based on her opinions. She was twisting up the world around her to make it correspond to her disgusting philosophy. It wasn't just about denying Hermione equal rights and making her accept her supposed inferiority. Instead, Daphne was actively moulding her into someone she could objectively categorize as inferior. And Hermione was helpless to stop it!
This was why being able to meet Daphne's gaze again, while seemingly unimportant detail, was such a huge deal for Hermione. It felt like a vindication! It also allowed Hermione to properly look at her captor for the first time in a very long time. Daphne Greengrass radiated hatred and contempt as she looked at Hermione but still somehow managed to look regal. The sky-blue dress she wore was far more conservative than what that damnable whore usually preferred... but she still looked gorgeous!
Before their capture, Hermione had never felt self-conscious about lacking the conventional attractiveness the pureblood girl seemed to possess in spades. Never before had she been envious of another's beauty. But seeing Daphne repeatedly utilize her amazing looks to trick Harry Potter into doing her bidding, and by doing so completely destroying Hermione's life, changed that. Now Hermione dearly wished Daphne Greengrass hadn't been born with such unfair advantages. As if it wasn't enough the girl was rich, pureblood and intelligent, she also had to have a supermodel level of attractiveness! Hermione wished she could just take some of it away from her... and in fact, she could! There were several spells on the tip of her tongue which would leave the blonde whore looking ugly as sin, and with no possibility for recovery. She'd like to see her manipulating men then!
Before Hermione could do something which would start a fight they might not win, one of the guards put two fingers close to his ear for a few seconds before turning to address his mistress. "They found him, my lady. It seems Lord Potter's been hit with overpowered stunner... they're bringing him to the infirmary for observation before waking him, but he should be perfectly fine."
Daphne blinked and then closed her eyes as she sighed in obvious relief. Hermione already knew the love between Harry and Daphne was genuine and it infuriated her to no end every time she witnessed it in action. Yes, Daphne was physically very attractive but that was it. The girl was completely awful in literally every other way, so how could Harry love a person like that? And how dare Daphne Greengrass have something as precious as true love in her life when she took everything from Hermione?!
"Great... let's go," Ron said and Hermione briefly glanced at her friend. Her poor naive friend who obviously expected the guards would just lower their wands and let them pass. But Hermione knew that wasn't going to happen even before Daphne opened her eyes and looked between the two of them. Finally, her eyes settled on Hermione.
"I don't think so. Drop the wand, get down on your knees and surrender," Daphne ordered before grinning evilly. "Do it, Granger... and I might just allow you to go back to your old prison cell without any other punishment lined up for you."
Hermione just stared at her without reaction. The same however couldn't be said about her friend who gaped at the pureblood girl with 'Betrayal!' written all over his face. "But- but- you promised! You promised to let us go!" Ron protested loudly in shock and Daphne turned her head and looked at him sharply.
"Have you learned nothing in your time here?" she snapped. "A promise made under duress and to a mudblood no less... a mudblood!" Daphne cried with utter disgust. "Did you seriously think I was going to honour it?" she said and snorted, leaving Ron speechless. Meanwhile, Hermione was smiling inside. She never believed Daphne was going to honour the bargain they made. She knew it and Daphne knew she knew. And yet they both went ahead with it because they were both getting what they wanted – Daphne promptly learning the location of her priced slave boyfriend and Hermione demonstrating to her friend that Daphne lacked any honour and couldn't be trusted.
In truth, this was always going to end up with a fight and she needed Ron to be on her side 100% and not showing any reluctance to go against the people he might have become friends with. It clearly worked as doubts disappeared from Ron's eyes and he gripped his wand tightly.
"Last chance, mudblood," Daphne announced. "Surrender and I shall be far more merciful than you deserve."
Instead of responding Hermione shared a brief look with Ron and watched her friend nod at her resolutely. Daphne realized they were never going to surrender and she looked at her guards, saying, "Take them alive."
And then spells started to fly between the two groups.
Hermione quickly learned two things. The first was that the Elder wand was truly powerful as she easily managed to shield against whatever the guards threw at them while they were clearly hard-pressed to avoid her own spells. It seemed to frustrate and puzzle their opponents greatly while bringing joy to Hermione. Unfortunately, the second thing she learned was that being hugely outnumbered largely nullified whatever tactical advantage the most powerful wand in the world gave her, especially given the formation their opponents assumed. Namely, five of the guards formed a close circle around Daphne but the other five soon spread out in front of them, requiring Ron and her to shield from multiple angles at all times and making going on offensive difficult. Thanks to the Elder wand, they managed to stand their ground despite the guards' overwhelming numerical superiority. But that was it.
Meanwhile, Daphne Greengrass kept hiding behind her guards like the Slytherin coward she was. She would hurl insults towards Hermione virtually non-stop, interrupted only by periods of mocking laughter whenever one of the guard's spell would come relatively close to hitting them. Knowing any distraction could cost her dearly, Hermione tried her best to ignore Daphne. At first she succeeded in tuning out the girl's vile words and focusing solely on their fight. But then Daphne did something that made ignoring her impossible – she started taking potshots at them. Daphne would wait for a perceived falter in their defence before sending a stunner at either Ron or her... although mostly her. She would then promptly hide behind her guards again, making any sort of retaliation impossible.
And yet Hermione knew she had to retaliate. Even with the Elder wand, they couldn't punch through, leading to an endless stalemate until one side makes some fatal mistake. And given the disparity in their numbers, Ron and she were far more likely to suffer for such mistake. Hermione knew it couldn't go on for much longer but so far, she could see only one way out of this situation. It was something she read about in one of the books on warding – when a person controlling an elaborate ward system (such as the one preventing them from leaving) dies, there is a momentary interruption as the control is transferred to the next person in line. The interruption isn't long but should be enough to allow them to apparate out.
In short, in order to escape, Hermione had to kill Daphne Greengrass...
It's not like she had any doubt the pureblood girl deserved to die. In fact, given her crimes against Hermione and the other muggleborns, death seemed like an insufficient punishment. How many lives and dreams had Daphne and her ancestors stomped into dust with their senseless bigotry? The girl deserved to truly suffer for what she and her family did but sadly, there was no time. Instead, Hermione patiently waited for an opening in the guard's protective circle around Daphne. It finally came when the girl giggled at one of the spells nearly hitting Hermione and decided to send another stunner towards her.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Hermione cried out. She focused all the hatred she felt against Daphne into those two words, sending not one but two consecutive killing curses towards the evil blonde in quick succession. She watched as Daphne's smile froze on her lips as the two green jets rapidly approached. But sadly, they didn't connect. In a highly professional fashion, two of Daphne's guards stepped between her and the incoming curses while two more conjured boulders in the air to intercept them. The green jets shattered both objects on impact, sending their partially molten pieces all over the room. The fight was temporarily stopped as everyone had to shield against the flying debris. And then Daphne ordered them to stop firing as both she and Ron stared at Hermione in wonder.
"I never though you had it in you, Granger," the girl eventually said with both respect and reproach in her voice while Hermione was throwing daggers at her with her eyes. Meanwhile, Hermione realized one of the guards who stepped in front of her killing curses was a muggleborn too. He was ready and willing to sacrifice his life for a woman who stole everything from him. Daphne Greengrass and her family had utterly destroyed his mind and soul... and now he was willing to die for them. The humiliation her kind suffered under the rule of purebloods couldn't be greater...
Hermione's retrospect was cut brutally short when Daphne addressed the guards again. "Take Weasley alive, if you can. Kill the mudblood."
And then it started again. But unlike before, this time the guards were holding nothing back. Daphne's original orders were to take them alive and so all their previous spells were non-lethal. But now they were hurling the darkest magic imaginable in her direction. Some of the spells she didn't even recognize. It forced them on permanent defensive... and then it became worse. Ron went down, thankfully to a stunner... or so she believed. Hermione was unable to stop and check as she now had to constantly shield against their spells, including conjuring objects to intercept killing curses. A dark spell from Daphne nearly ended her and the girl contemptuously cried at her to surrender, promising to make it quick in exchange.
In her anger, Hermione responded by sending yet another killing curse towards Daphne but it was utterly hopeless. The guards were ready for it after the first time. In addition, the momentary disruption in her shield nearly caused her everything as only a quick dodge saved her from getting hit by multiple dark spells. Even with the power of the Elder wand working in her favour, Hermione was alone and hopelessly outmatched. It was only a matter of time now. But she refused to accept this was the end! Her cause was just and there had to a way! In the end, Hermione fired off a smoke spell to cover her retreat before fleeing back towards Ron's room.
An advantage of the wards preventing her from apparating was they also prevented everyone else from apparating, meaning there shouldn't be any guards in the room they came from as there were no other exits or windows. While retreating, Hermione was casting countless impedimentas and other spells to delay her pursuers as long as possible. She knew it worked when she heard them cursing angrily behind her. Finally she reached the doors into Ron's room, quickly went through, and then slammed them shut behind her. "Colloportus!" she cried, sealing the door with the most powerful locking charm she could muster. Then she ran further into the room, laying even more magical traps between herself and the doors. She finished by casting a perimeter of defensive magic around her current position, near Ron's bed.
It might seem like Hermione was merely delaying the inevitable by trapping herself in a room with no exists. But if she was right, her way out was right in front of her...
Even stunned, Astoria Greengrass looked like an angel as she lay on Ron's bed, a pillow gently placed under her head. Hermione stared at her for a second longer before she tied the girl's hand in front of her body with a swish of her wand. "Enervate," she then incanted, waking her up. Astoria groaned as she regained consciousness but Hermione didn't give her time to regain her bearings as she was already using magic to lift the girl off the bed and to her feet.
"Herm- what's going on?" Astoria moaned the question in confusion before noticing her hands were tied.
"Shut up!" Hermione snapped impatiently while taking out the goblin dagger she still had in her robes. Astoria eyed it with absolute horror before Hermione span her around and placed the dagger against her neck. "Don't move if you want to live!" she hissed and Astoria became stiff as a board except of light trembling.
A split second later, the door into the room was smashed open and the guards poured in, with Daphne Greengrass following them once the entrance was secured. Of course, they all soon stopped dead in their tracks, partly due of the obstacles Hermione had laid in their path, but mostly because of the horrific image they saw in front of them.
"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" Hermione screamed while the guards murmured in confusion, saying how Astoria shouldn't be here right now. It seemed that just like Hermione earlier, they too were caught completely unaware by the girl's early return and her presence in this room. However, their surprise and subsequent looks of concern were nothing compared to Daphne's reaction.
"Tori... NO!" the evil blonde cried with heartbreaking anguish. In that moment, she looked more scared and vulnerable than Hermione had ever seen before. Hermione did her best to burn the image into her memory, once and for all demolishing the goddess-like image of superiority the pureblood girl had tried instilling into Hermione's mind.
"Drop the wards and let us leave..." Hermione cried and pressed the dagger to the skin of Astoria's neck. "... OR I'LL CUT YOUR SISTER'S THROAT!" she added and felt the younger girl tremble in her hold.
For once Daphne Greengrass looked completely helpless and seemingly unable to decide what to do. "If you hurt her, I'll destroy you!" Daphne finally cried out but her voice was trembling, the absolute confidence she usually spoke with completely gone.
Seeing her tactics was working, Hermione responded by tightening her hold on her hostage. "You think I'm joking? You think I won't do it! What do I have to lose?!" she ranted. "Lower your wands and disable the wards... or I'll kill her! I mean it!" she reiterated her threat.
The goblin dagger was now in direct contact with Astoria's neck and the girl winced as thin red line started to appear where it touched her skin. This latest act seemed to have finally broken Daphne. "Very well, Granger," she declared hastily with a genuinely defeated expression. She shared a look with her guards who reluctantly lowered their wands a little but still maintained the protective circle around their mistress. Too bad. Hermione would've loved to send another killing curse in her direction as a goodbye.
Daphne Greengrass closed her eyes and focused for a moment. Eventually, she opened them and said, "The anti-apparation ward is down... you may leave," Daphne told her before adding with a frown. "But mark my words, mudblood... this is far from over!" she gave Hermione the chilling promise.
"Oh, I'm counting on it!" Hermione said with a confident smile. She just tried to apparate without actually doing so and the oppressive magic she felt earlier was no longer there. Victory! There was only one thing left to do. "Revive Ron and bring him in here!" she ordered, her wand arm pointed at the group and the goblin dagger still held against Astoria's neck.
"Do as she says!" Daphne hissed impatiently and one of the guards ran out of the room while the rest of them kept watching the scene wearily. It seemed like eternity but was likely only half a minute before the man came back inside, the confused and dazed Ron Weasley walking beside him. Her friend froze at the sight before him with an open mouth.
"Hermione... NO! What're you doing?!" he cried out in horror.
"Ron, pleas-" Astoria began to whisper but Hermione tightened her hold again.
"Shut up!" she ordered the younger girl before addressing her friend, "Ron, come here, we're leaving!" she told him while simultaneously casting a spell on Ron's body, allowing him to walk through her traps unimpeded. Her friend stared at her motionless for a moment longer before a strangely determined look came over his face and he slowly walked forward. He passed Daphne and her guards and was soon beside Hermione who smiled at him kindly. Ron returned her smile, his eyes flicking between her and Astoria.
"Take my hand... we're leaving," she said and extended her right hand. Hermione planned to side-along apparate them as soon as he grabbed onto her while simultaneously letting go of her hostage at the very last moment. Once away, she would have them perform several random jumps to lose any potential pursuers. Hermione threw one last smug look of victory at the distraught Daphne even as Ron reached towards her hand.
But instead of taking her right hand as she asked him to do, Ron suddenly grabbed her other hand in which she was holding the dagger. He forcefully pulled it away from Astoria's neck before yanking down hard, making her drop the goblin weapon. "What're you doing?!" Hermione cried out in shock but Ron wasn't done as he smoothly scooped the younger girl from Hermione's hold and then pushed her away, effectively freeing her hostage.
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Ron cried in deranged voice. Quick as a lightning, the boy then smashed his elbow into her stomach before he made a grab for her wand. Hermione was literally inches from being disarmed when the silent stunner left the Elder wand, finally halting Ron's insane and inexplicable attack against her person. Hermione couldn't believe Ron would betray her. This couldn't be happening! The guard must have put him under Imperious after reviving him... yes that had to be it! Surely Ron wouldn't betray her!
In any case, Hermione couldn't afford to dwell on Ron's actions any further as she presently faced far more pressing issues. Namely, Ron's heavy body fell right upon her when she stunned him. It made her lose balance and she fell to the floor right alongside him. Even worse, Ron's unconscious body also impacted her right hand, making her drop the Elder wand which subsequently rolled away. Somewhere in the background, she could hear Daphne's voice ordering the guards to get her right now. Cold sweat covered her as Hermione realized she had to get the wand back and then get the hell out of here, with or without Ron.
She still had time! Daphne couldn't bring the wards back up that quickly right after disabling them. Meanwhile, the magical protections Hermione had cast earlier should hold the guards at bay for at least few moments. But she had to act fast. With an amazing feat of strength she pushed her friend's heavy body away and then jumped towards the Elder wand, falling short of reaching it by less than an inch. Hermione extended her left hand as far as she could and was about to grab the wand when a shadow passed over her. Hermione knew it couldn't be Daphne or the guards yet. In fact, she could hear them screaming and cursing in frustration as they still worked on dismantling her powerful magical protections, something that made her smile. In the end, Hermione decided to ignore the shadow and the shivering feeling around her spine it caused and instead focused on getting the wand back as fast as possible. The tips of her fingers touched the handle...
A split second later, Hermione realized her fatal mistake as a heeled boot landed from the above. It painfully smashed into her grasping hand, pinning it to the floor and preventing her from picking up the Elder wand. The black shoe was unmistakably female, gorgeous and elegant, with golden linings along the straps. The foot it contained was equally as beautiful with nails perfectly done and painted black. But honestly, Hermione had little time for admiration as her eyes rapidly filled with tears. The pain was unimaginable! The tip of the shoe was crushing her fingers to dust while the heel threatened to drill a hole into her wrist.
Hermione twisted her neck around to look up at her attacker and she saw Astoria Greengrass standing over her. The younger girl still had her wrists tied up in front of her body and was staring down on Hermione with supreme hatred in her grey eyes, the bloody line on her pale neck complementing her pissed off look. Hermione immediately tried to use her other hand to reach for the wand but with the way her body was positioned on the floor, she was simply too far away to do that. Not to mention Astoria noticed her brave efforts and rewarded them by transferring more of her weight onto Hermione's trapped hand until the muggleborn girl felt the bones in her hand cracking.
"Aaaaiiii! Please, don't-" Hermione pleaded for mercy, unable to take it anymore. She had a sudden random thought that this was the greatest amount of pain she felt since her imprisonment, the torture she suffered being almost entirely psychological in nature so far. After a while it looked like Astoria might've taken pity on her and listened to her pleading as she actually lifted her foot... only to bring it down again, purposefully stomping hard on Hermione's hand and wrist. Once, twice... multiple bones cracking at each time.
It was at that point Hermione abandoned all her efforts to reach for the wand and instead desperately tried to use her other hand to push Astoria's leg away. She felt a pang of sympathy for the wild animals trapped in a snare that would end up chewing their own paw to escape. Astoria hissed angrily as she felt Hermione's swinging fist connect with her ankle. She responded by grinding her heel against the brunette's hand harder than ever before. Hermione suspected Astoria had to be using wandless magic at this point to somehow increase her weight as it didn't seem possible a girl like her could exercise so much pressure. In any case, it caused Hermione to be paralysed with white hot pain, all thoughts of fighting back banished from her mind as she sobbed uncontrollably in complete defeat. Hermione looked up at the younger pureblood girl with her sight blurred with tears, pleading and begging to be let go. With desperate shaky words Hermione promised to leave and never come back, to never bother the Greengrass family again. She promised to do anything they asked of her, if only Astoria would lift her foot...
At one point, Hermione considered the younger girl a friend. Despite their shaky beginnings, Astoria had been one of the few people who would actually argue on her behalf and even go out of her way to make her situation easier. But right now, there was no more mercy for her left in those angry grey eyes. Astoria Greengrass stared at Hermione with pursed lips and cold look before she slowly shook her head. It was a simple gesture but might as well be a death sentence for Hermione.
Surely it couldn't end like this, not when she was so close to freedom! Her mangled left hand was now completely useless but Hermione made one last desperate attempt to reach for the Elder wand with her right hand... only for Astoria to finally do the sensible thing and kick it away with her other foot and squarely out of Hermione's reach. Hermione screamed at the loss like a wounded animal before slumping to the ground in defeat. She couldn't reach the wand and couldn't hope to push Astoria away. She failed. It was over. Hermione was almost relieved when she finally felt dozens of different hands on her, wrestling her body none too gently into a standing position, but finally stopping the younger girl's destruction of her hand. Not that there was anything left to save. Hermione happened to know there were 27 bones in human hand and she was absolutely certain Astoria had crushed every single one of them to dust with her foot.
Two guards pulled her arms apart as others frisked her. Then they yanked her arms behind her back and put restraints on her. The guard standing in front of her stepped away and Hermione got to see Daphne and two more guards attending to Astoria.
"Take her to the infirmary," Daphne instructed as the younger girl clutched at her bloody neck, her hands now free. It was only then Hermione considered the possible connection between that injury and her actions. 'Did I really do that?' she wondered. Astoria shot her one last hateful look before the guards took her away. Daphne then took a single look at Ron's unconscious body before addressing another guard. "Take him away but keep him asleep... I want to be there when he wakes up," she instructed and another guard proceeded to levitate Ron's body out of the room.
Finally, there was only Daphne in front of her and Hermione nearly fainted at the look the blonde was giving her. It was full of malice and haughtiness. All the awe and fearfulness Hermione had come to feel in Daphne's presence, temporarily dampened by the Elder wand, came crushing back into her mind like a tsunami. Had it not been for the guards holding her up, Hermione would've already been on her knees, crying and begging for mercy. Instead she got to watch as Daphne lifted the goblin dagger she held in her hand and examined it with her eyes. Hermione thought she was going to rush at her and bury it in her chest but instead, the pureblood girl handed it to one of the guards.
"She cut my sister with this," she told the man before ordering, "Have it analysed."
Hermione shook her head in disbelief. 'She's lying! I didn't do this... right?!' Then Daphne focused her attention on her. Hermione tried to pull back as the girl stepped towards her but the guards held her tight. Daphne stared at her for a while with unreadable expression before she glanced at the men holding her. "Take her back to her cell... " the pureblood girl ordered and Hermione was about to sigh with relieve. But Daphne's next words made her blood curdle. "... and bring a dementor."
Hermione's eyes widened and she desperately shook her head in disbelief.
"That's right, you mudblood filth," the blonde said, confirming Hermione's worst fears. "I don't even want you to exist anymore," she declared her verdict before gesturing at the guards to carry it out.
'My soul... they'll take my soul!' Hermione thought with horror incomprehensible to the human psyche. All this time she thought the worst Daphne could do to her was to take her life. But that wasn't enough for the pureblood girl. Daphne Greengrass wanted to really take everything from Hermione, even her chance for afterlife. At Daphne's orders, she was going to be completely erased from existence! It was in that moment Hermione finally broke... she surrendered. She screamed and screamed, promising to obey and loyally serve the purebloods for the rest of her life... if only they don't do this to her. But just like Astoria before her, the blonde merely shook her head with a cold look. Then she turned around and walked away, her heels clicking on the floor.
Daphne Greengrass was finally and officially done with her.
As the guards dragged her away, Hermione kept shouting at them to just kill her. She begged any deities that might exist to have mercy on her soul and just strike her dead right now! When none of them answered, Hermione thrashed her head around really hard, hoping to give herself a stroke. She even tried choking herself by purposefully holding her breath. But nothing worked and she couldn't stop the guards as they dragged her toward the dungeons and her terrible fate. Why was this happening to her? She did everything right, didn't she? Daphne Greengrass was pure evil. Surely she couldn't win! What kind of horrible world was it where monsters like that win?! Where Daphne's disgusting bigotry triumphs while Hermione loses her soul for daring to fight for justice and equality?! Her soul...
By the time they reached the dungeons, Hermione was passed out from the sheer, overwhelming terror. Her last thought before everything went dark was that she was all alone... and it was getting cold.