Stitched Mouths

Hermione ran down the hall and skidded to a stop before straightening her skirt, running a hand through her honey silk locks. She took a deep breathe and pushed open the door to chaos. She froze, staring at the carnage around her, she pulled out her wand and started casting hex after hex, trying to find where they were coming from. She dodged forward, it was all so jumbled. She finally found Ron who was trying to protect Blaise who had been hit with a nasty hex, blood poured down his face. Hermione kept going after Ron shrugged. Soon she found the source, Draco was dragging a stunned Harry back the way all the other Deatheaters were coming from.

“Draco!” Hermione screamed, Draco looked up at her with a vacant look in his eyes, she frowned sensing that there was something wrong with him. She ran after him, just barely making the portal that had been opened up. They ended up in a cemetery much like the one Harry found himself in during the Triwizard tournament.

“Good boy,” Vanessa called, she was sitting on a stone throne with her wand in her hand as Draco threw Harry at her feet.

“Well, we see where your loyalties really lay,” Hermione growled, standing up.

“You have no idea,” Vanessa stood up.

“What the fuck is going on?” Harry growled, looking between Draco and Vanessa.

“Why did you let her get through?” Vanessa stood up, looking to Hermione. Draco just stood there, the vacant expression on his face. Vanessa sighed and walked down to look down on Harry.

“So who’s the one that put the Imperious on him? You or Voldemort?” Hermione asked, looking to Draco.

“I’m only a servant,” Vanessa shrugged, leaning down to lift Harry’s chin as a cloaked figure walked out of the darkness.

“Welcome,” Voldemort said, pulling back his hood.

“At least you’ve improved your looks,” Hermione commented.

“So now you have us here,” Harry growled.

“Yes, we have all the best players of this war here,” Voldemort looked around at everyone.

“What do you mean by that?” Hermione growled.

“Time to reveal my first part of my plan. Hermione Granger, you are my target along with Harry Potter of course. I may be the evil villain of this situation but I’m not stupid. Behind every great man is a great woman,” Voldemort smirked at Hermione.

“So this was all a great plan in getting both of us here,” Hermione growled.

“Exactly,” Voldemort replied.

“So who’s the woman in your life?” Hermione asked.

“Well that’s my problem, I don’t have a woman which is why I am the outcast of the purebloods. They constantly destroy my efforts, refuse my hand, they are a thorn in my side but I have Vanessa, she will help me destroy you for good,” Voldemort turned to Vanessa.

“Your woman,” Hermione smirked at the short brunette.

“But she answers to me, you’re loosing your touch Ms. Granger but I do admit you have Mr. Malfoy firmly under your control. After a thorough search of his brain during his initiation I found out exactly what you have done to him, twisted him to your agenda. I had to place an imperious on him, as you can see,” Voldemort gestured to Draco who was still just standing there.

“So what’s next? A huge battle where you kill both myself and Harry, victorious?” Hermione growled.

“Something like that,” Voldemort replied.

“What is it with you evil dudes and your lack of imagination,” Hermione growled. “You even brought us back to the same cemetery where you killed Cedric Diggory,” Hermione ranted.

“Then how would you do it Ms. Know it all?” Voldemort hissed.

“I would first take us to a place where you can control us, take away our weapons, take us at our weakest and then kill us,” Hermione explained.

“That sounds pretty simple,” Voldemort replied.

“Yep but you have to find out what our weakest is,” Hermione snapped back.

“I see,” Voldemort looked to Draco and smirked. “Your weakest,” gestured, Draco walked over and kneeled before Voldemort. He produced a knife and held it up to his neck.

“What are you doing?” Hermione took a step forward.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Voldemort held up his hand, Hermione froze.

“If you don’t want to lose one of your precious toys then I suggest you do exactly what I say,” Voldemort smirked.

“What do you want?” Hermione asked, glancing down on Draco.

“You are pathetic,” Vanessa spoke up. “A true goddess doesn’t rely on her worshipers. She relies on her own powers, her own abilities to rule.”

“Really?” Hermione smirked as suddenly the portal opened behind her and Ron and Blaise tumbled through.

“Now you’re out numbered,” Hermione growled, Vanessa stepped next to Voldemort. “I would leave,” Hermione hissed, putting her hand on Draco’s shoulder.

“You’ve won, this time,” Voldemort hissed, grabbing Vanessa and apparating.

~~~~~!!!~~~~~

Voldemort slammed Vanessa against the wall as he stormed past her into his favorite dungeon. She rubbed her aching shoulder, following sullenly. She looked around the dungeon as he walked towards his work table. There were sniveling muggles in some of the cells and cages plus a wizard or two strapped down in preparation for his ministrations.

“Do you know what I do with failures, Ms. Lestrange?” Voldemort asked as he rummaged through a box.

“I did everything you told me to do,” Vanessa protested, Voldemort hissed.

“Hermione Granger and Harry Potter are not in one of my cages, are they?” He stared at her until she nodded, looking away.

“This was a most disastrous evening, we lost Draco Malfoy on top of everything else. My one real chance of getting into the Elder Women’s council. I want you to get him back. Don’t you dare come back without him. If you fail this time…I will hunt you down and you won’t survive the kind of torture I will inflict on you,” Voldemort growled, a knife in one hand, his wand in the other. “Now get out.”

Vanessa stumbled to the door and ran out. She didn’t want to stick around in case he decided to start his torture on her. She hurried out to a place she could apparate and then appeared back at her home castle. She walked in and stopped, a house elf appeared and gave her a letter before popping away again. She sighed, the Elder Women Pureblood Council or simply the Pureblood Council was summoning her for tomorrow night, the night before her big graduation party. She looked up at where her mother was walking down the stairs. Her mother never talked to her anymore. She didn’t see the need to talk to a daughter that was no longer her own but part of the Council. Vanessa was a full member now and had taken her mother’s seat. It was traditional but her mother was a little more bitter about the loss of power than usual. Vanessa sighed and went to her room, she didn’t need her mother’s drama right now. She needed to figure out what to do and she needed a plan now.

~~~~~!!!~~~~~

Draco stared at his clenched hands as he sat on the bed, facing away from Hermione. She crawled forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly from behind. Images floated through Draco’s brain. Images he wished he could wipe clean off his brain. He felt dirty, horrible, unworthy.

“I want you to beat me, punish me,” Draco stood up, pulling away from her and staring down on her. He then collapsed before her, taking her hands in his.

“Please, make me feel again. That spell takes all the feeling away, I want you to help me. Do something, make me feel,” He breathed, staring into her eyes.

“Draco, I want you to understand something,” She murmured, staring right back. “You didn’t do those things,” she stated.

“It was my wand, my hand, I couldn’t stop him,” he shook his head. “Please.”

“I love you,” she breathed, running her hand down his cheek.

“Please kill me,” he replied, tears started to well up in her eyes.

“I can’t do that,” she answered, running her fingers nervously through his hair.

“Please, I’ve done such horrible things, I can’t live with what I’ve done. I’ve killed, tortured, destroyed, maimed,” He trailed off, looking down on her hands.

“You had no control over it,” she protested, he pulled away from her.

“I tried to fight him, tried to fight all of it but I’m weak, I’ve proven that,” he turned away from her.

“You are not weak,” she stood up, running her hand down his arm but he pulled farther away from her.

“I don’t deserve your love, only your hatred,” he growled, tears started flowing down his face.

“Draco, true love is about forgiveness. No matter what atrocities you’ve done, I will forgive you for them and in this instance, you didn’t really do those things. Voldemort forced you to and for that you are not guilty,” she explained stonily.

“You would never have let him do what he did to me,” he turned to glare into her eyes.

“Are you so sure about that? The imperious is a very powerful curse,” she pointed out, he shook his head, collapsing to his knees before her, spreading his arms out.

“Redeem me my goddess,” he asked, looking up at her expectantly, she finally nodded.

“I will rebuild you,” she said softly, turning to get her wand. She gestured for him to get up which he did immediately. She then summoned a long black silk cord and tied Draco to one of the posts of her bed. She then ripped his shirt from his body, conjuring a long, heavy whip.

“I will not let up until you scream, do you understand me? This punishment is entirely up to you. I will be there through it all,” she told him, he nodded, closing his eyes as the whip descended on his flesh, leaving long red welts. Soon she was slicing through his skin as he hung numbly. He finally cried out, his back a mess of blood and ripped flesh. She released him, catching him carefully as he fell. He wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his tears into her shoulder as she stared down on the gruesome sight. Finally she laid him down on his stomach, letting him fall asleep on her bed. She grabbed her healing draught she had mixed up for her last assignment of Snape’s. She thought it ironic that she would be using this same healing concoction on his most beloved godson. Hermione returned to Draco, waking him up long enough for him to down the draught. She then let him sleep, running her hand lightly through his hair as he fell back to a dreamless slumber.

She slowly got up, pulling a light robe around her as she slipped out of her room and down the stairs to where Ron and Blaise was cuddled up before the fire. Ron looked up and smiled at her as she passed, she returned the smile and walked into the kitchen. She looked through the cupboards for a tea cup and soon had a pot brewing on the stove. Harry walked in soon enough and sat down as she placed an empty cup before him, sitting down across from him.

“How’s Draco?” He asked, she shrugged.

“Resting,” she answered.

“I heard a lot of noise, is he alright?”

“He will be. He needed to get some emotions out is all,” Hermione answered, Harry nodded in return.

“I was hoping to ask you about Vanessa,” he trailed off, Hermione sighed.

“You were right about her but Draco had to find that out for himself along with Blaise. They needed to realize that she is truly dangerous,” Hermione answered, he nodded in return.

“Yeah but it could have gone a lot worse,” Harry pointed out.

“Could have gone a lot better also. You could have destroyed him right then, you had destroyed all of the horcruxes. It would have taken a simple avada kedavra,” she pointed out.

“I didn’t want any of you hurt. I didn’t want to take that chance,” Harry answered, she shook her head.

“We all put ourselves at risk everyday. It comes with the territory, trust me, we aren’t ignorant to the dangers. Plus, we were the majority right then, it would have been an easy shot,” Hermione commented.

“I had only concern for the rest of you. Want the right time to come along for me to stand alone against him,” Harry answered.

“And how many people will he kill and torture before that happens?” She asked, Harry blanched, looking down into his dark tea cup.

“I’m sorry,” he breathed.

“No, we all freeze up when the moment comes. You just have to remember that we’re here for you,” Hermione reached forward and grabbed his hand, he smiled slowly up at her.

“I think the tea’s done,” he murmured, she nodded and got up to tend to it.

~~~~~!!!~~~~~

Hermione followed Harry up the stairs, checking once on the blonde Slytherin who was still soundly asleep. She then disappeared into Harry’s room as he pulled off his shirt, letting it fly in the general direction of his hamper before sitting down on his bed to take off his shoes. Hermione pulled off her robe, crawling into his bed.

“I hope Draco will be alright, he was really guilty about all that had happened for the little time that he was under the imperious,” Hermione said as Harry stood up to unbutton his pants.

“He’ll be fine, you’ll make sure of that,” Harry smiled up at her, she nodded, reaching out for him, he grabbed her offered hand and crawled into bed after her. She met him halfway, sealing her lips over his. He lowered himself down into her arms, running his fingers through her silk honey hair. She wrapped her leg around him, lightly clawing her nails down his ivory back. He slowly pulled her nightgown up, pulling his lips away as he looked into her eyes.

“Missed you,” he breathed, she ran her fingers down his cheek.

“Missed you to,” she answered. She felt the head of his cock lightly settle at her entrance as he leaned forward, taking her lips once again. She moaned as he started pushing in, arching her back as he filled her so deliciously. She started to dig her nails in as he thrust against her, latching onto her neck. She groaned, wrapping both her legs around him as he sunk his teeth into her shoulder. She was panting, as he gave a last groan and emptied himself inside of her, trying to get as deep into her as he could. She tightly closed her eyes, tightly holding onto him. He then settled against her, nuzzling her neck as he took deep breathes.

“I’m wondering, what are you going to do about Vanessa?” He asked, she smiled, lightly running circles down his spine.

“When I get done with her, she’ll wish she had never crossed us,” she answered.

“So long as I get to help,” Harry murmured sleepily.

“Of course my love, of course,” she kissed his forehead.


TBC

Notes: Please reviews are very welcome…and thank you maizeysugah and weasleywench. You both are wonderful writers and I admire you both. Plus, you’ve kept me from abandoning this story…so thanks much! Plus all the others who reviewed so far.