As If In Wonderland

“You wanted me milord?”, Hermione bowed her head slightly as the dark lord barely acknowledged her. She was slightly embarrassed as she was in his bedroom, it was just odd for her and more so as he was getting changed. This was the first time she had seen him since he had returned and he looked like he was in a strange mood.

“You will be coming to the celebration, the revel tonight”, he said without looking at her, her face fell as she hoped by chance he may not have allowed her to attend.

“Severus told me I would probably have to go”, she muttered. He looked her up and down before finishing his eyes on hers.

“I will go through the rules as soon as you get changed”, he made a black dress appear in her hand, “where are you going?”, he asked as she turned to leave.

“You said I had to get changed milord?”

“Yes, but I didn’t say leave, now get too it”. she looked at him hoping he was joking, but the dark lord didn’t joke. She quickly pulled off her clothes, not looking at him but knowing he was watching her, she wanted to be ready as soon as possible and covered as much flesh as she could as she did it.

“This isn’t a dress”, she looked down once she pulled it on. It was so short it barely went lower than her underwear, the top dropped low as well showing a lot of cleavage and it was skin tight. “Why am I dress like…like a slut!”

“You are dressed to be visually pleasurable…”, he said silkily making Hermione uncomfortable.
“Do you know what you are Hermione?”

“You probably think me as many things milord”

“I of course do…but what are you to me?”

“A trophy”, she told him after a moment, remembering what Snape had said the night before. “I am just a trophy to you, you have won the war and I am living proof of that”

“Yesss…and tonight you will act as a trophy should. As I have told you before, previous rules you may need reminding about…don’t speak without being spoken to, you will use no magic and will be respectful in all situations. You will sit at my feet, a place I have generously not forced you into as I should have before. You will not react to anything you see, I don’t want to see any emotion on that face of yours”

“Anything else milord?”, she breathed making him smirk, he didn’t reply. “Who is going to be there?”

“My followers, my death eaters…a few prisoners. Why do you ask?”

“I just wanted to know how many people im going to be humiliated in front of milord”, he grinned, “May I ask something…why do you keep changing? Most of the time your horrible but sometimes your ‘nice’, I sometimes actually sort of like you on some level…but I still hate you”, he laughed before slapping her cheek causing her to cry out in pain.

“I said be respectful”, he whispered in her ear coldly as he passed. “Be grateful your not tonight’s entertainment”

*

“You’ve got to be kidding me”, she said under her breath as she entered the room where dozens of deatheaters were already revelling. Voldemort wanted a big entrance, so came in late, with a massive smirk across his face as Hermione walked behind his billowing robe. She felt a small sting and knew it was Voldemort’s way of reminding her not to speak.

She felt like screaming abuse at him and all the deatheaters who had now silenced and bowed in respect to Voldemort.
“My loyal followers, success brings celebration! And we shall celebrate”, he addressed them getting himself a cheer. He made his way to the top of the room, where a throne like chair stood boldly waiting for him on a few steps to make him higher than everyone, and so he could look down at anyone in front of him.
Voldemort sat himself proudly and nodded to show that his followers could continue whatever they were doing.
“Sit”

“Where?”, he pointed to the steps at his feet. “You were being serious?”

“When am I not serious? Sit or I shall force you, and it wont be pain free”, he threatened. She sighed in defeat and sat to the right of his feet, in a position she could easily look up at him if he were to speak to him, but also in a humiliating position. She took great care in making sure she didn’t flash her underwear, but her dress was so short it was near impossible.

“Comfortable?”

“As comfortable as cold and hard stone is milord”, she muttered, keeping her mind on her fingernails-to distract herself from what was around her.
She was well aware of the fact that the people in the room with her were torturing people, she could hear whimpers and screams and it made her feel so much hate run though her body. She didn’t look up at all, not wanting to witness what she could hear.
Was the man who was sitting behind her the same man who spoke to her civilly and ate dinner with her? Of course, she was just too foolish to think he was capable of being a ‘nice’ wizard.

“Milord, I bid a congratulations”, a sleek voice said before the dark lord, Hermione looked up where her eyes widened in surprise.

“You decided to take a moment to personally congratulate your lord? You will mature into a strong death eater someday Draco”

“Thank you milord”

“Your father is enjoying himself, why don’t you join him?”

“My father has different tastes to myself milord, he doesn’t care if his son sees him raping some one, I however prefer a willing partner…and I would never do it in front of an audience, especially family”, he added disgusted.

“Your father is allowed to have his tastes and preferences, as are you”

“I know milord”

“I trust you know who this is?”, Voldemort asked with a slight nod to Hermione, she looked away with an annoyed shake to her head but knew Malfoy was looking at her.

“She was just a mudblood in my year at Hogwarts”

“What do you think of seeing her here? At my feet, dressed like a slut, my servant?”

“She seems the same but different. She was intelligent I admit, but weak-”

“-you weren’t thinking that when I punched you Malfoy”, she cut in angrily, before Voldemort tortured her.

“She has a fiery spirit, a bit of fight in her-which I like, though she needs to be tamed”

“Of course milord, I am sure she will be soon”, Malfoy leaned down to Hermione’s level and for the first time she looked deep in his eyes. Her brown eyes met his cold grey ones, he looked exactly the same-he actually looked better than the last time she saw him, he was more groomed and seemed more smoother with his richer robes and trademark smirk.
“Hello Granger”

“Malfoy, long time no see”, she narrowed her eyes. “Isn’t it a bit late for you being out, being a school night”

“Funny. You should show some respect for your betters-”

“-I hope you don’t mean yourself!”

“Why you-”, he grabbed his wand but didn’t raise it.

“Temper Draco, I wouldn’t want to punish you now…I don’t want my possessions broken without my saying so…though if she pisses me off anymore I may be forced to have her broken…”, Hermione lowered her eyes cautiously.
“You may carry on with whatever you were doing”, Voldemort stroked Hermione’s hair as if she was a dog as she breathed heavily, trying to control her anger.
“I wouldn’t harm you for pleasure Hermione, well…most of the time”, he muttered

“I doubt that milord…I was surprised to see Malfoy here…he doesn’t exactly seem like the deatheater sort”

“you would be surprised more then if you knew how well he does his work…”

Hermione shut her mouth and decided to ignore every person who spoke to Voldemort and completely ignored him as well, until she heard a familiar voice shout nearby.
Looking up for the first time since she had arrived she saw a woman in her early twenties looking like she had just been pushed to the ground by Lucius. “You will regret laying even one little finger on me”, he laughed as he raised his wand, a small pinkness had rose on his left cheek indicating she had slapped him.

“No!”, Hermione breathed and looked up to see Voldemort not looking at her, instead his attention was on Lucius.
She grew more and more agitated, and almost screamed herself when she saw him curse the cruciatus on the woman. It was bad enough being tortured herself, but seeing other people tortured as well…it was too much for her.
“Aren’t you going to do anything!”, she frantically asked Voldemort, he just smirked and didn’t reply, but she felt yet another sting indicating her to shut up.

“You dare touch me slut? Who don’t we show everyone what all your good for?”

“Oh fuck this, Expelliarmus!”, Hermione cast wandlessly and furiously in Lucius’s direction. That followed a large bang as he was thrown backwards and hit a table causing him to growl in pail from the impact.
Hermione ignored it and rushed over to the young woman, casting a series of charms she had learnt from Voldemort’s book about healing the affects of the cruciatus.
“Are you ok?”, the woman nodded slowly.

“Who the fuck did that to me!”, Lucius growled with his wand out, lowering his eyes to see Hermione healing the muggle his own eyes burned anger.
Hermione knew she was in trouble, silently she cast a protective shield over the woman to make sure she did not get into danger-she couldn’t cast one for herself as it was only possible to have one for one person formed at any time, being Hermione, she put the innocent woman’s safety before her own.
“Another slut who thinks she can mess with me?”

“Im not a slut Malfoy, and neither is she. But a full grown wizard who has to abuse a woman to get her into a bed, is not much of a man”, she got up while making sure her dress was still covering her bum. She looked into his eyes darkly, knowing she was going to be punished anyway so she made the most of pissing him off.

“not a slut? Then why are you dressed like one?”

“Because my lord forced me to”, she spat.

“You think you are so great don’t you, you’re just a mudblood, a sad pathetic mudblood who was just lucky enough not to be forced into Azkaban for the rest of your poor little life”

“Don’t ever call me a mudblood”

“Why not mudblood?”

“Crucio-”,

“Crucio!”, her curse was cut short by Voldemort cursing her. “Enough, you two may have some issue between yourselves-but I don’t care. Lucius, punish her”, he said simply before turning away, Hermione could only look at him in disbelief.

“Do your worst”, she gritted her teeth, as a few death eaters cheered Lucius on.

*

“Fuck”, Hermione shuddered as she was pushed to Voldemorts feet, she hadn’t realised how powerful Lucius was. Luckily she had protected the muggle woman or else she would probably be dead, though she had fainted.

“Don’t ever think of attacking one of my followers or deatheaters ever again Hermione, not without my permission”

“So I cant defend myself”, she whispered with heavy breathes.

“Torturing is not defence, you are my property, and will not cast magic with no permission”, he spat. “I will not tolerate your behaviour from now, you’re going to Azkaban”

“What!”
“What?”
“Huh?”
“Finally”

That was a few of the things Hermione heard as she looked up at Voldemort with her mouthing parted slightly.

“As soon as possible, Snape, screw what I told you before. Take her to Azkaban, make sure she is in the same cell as them“

Snape nodded and made his way to Hermione, she backed away slightly as her face fill with fright. They apparated as soon as he touched her arm.

“ Now finally…back to our celebrations”, Voldemort grinned to which he got many cheers. Lowering himself to the muggle woman and making her regain conscious he turned her over, the protective spell had broken. “Now, what shall I do with you…”

*

“Why am I here!”, Hermione screamed as Snape forced her into a cell in Azkaban, he locked her in as she tried to reason with him through the bars.

“Maybe the dark lord has just grown bored of you, you were lucky enough to be kept away from here for so long”

“Please”, she cried, Snape looked down at her with a sympathetic smile.

“it’s the dark lords orders, I can not change that, I was informed to bring you here and so you shall stay here. I will tell the guards of the situation, just remember Hermione…how lucky you have been-even if you hate to think that”

“Will you visit me?”, she asked as he turned to leave,

“Why would you want me to visit you?”

“I will go mad if I don’t have someone to talk to every now and again”

“I will think about it”, and he was gone.

Hermione wiped the tears from her face, shaking from the cold, and feeling completely lost. Turning around she jumped backwards in shock to see what stood before her.

*

“Clean this mess up”, Voldemort ordered a house elf as he made his way out of his bedroom the next morning, it was routine for the house elf anyway.
Voldemort was moody to say the least, he had had a good night but waking up he didn’t feel in a good mood at all.
“Fucking hell. Avery what time is it?”, he asked while passing the lone death eater.

“Er-er, 9am milord”

“Good. Im going to Hogwarts at 10, ill be back by noon, make sure the school knows of my arrival…what are you waiting for?”, he added impatiently.

Voldemort wanted to make sure the school which was teaching the future generations of him empire was doing what he wanted, and that the students were doing as they should.

“Hermione!”, he growled as he went into her room, to see she was not there, “where is-oh yeah…”, his words drifted a he remembered sending her to Azkaban. He only did it because he was angry and he wanted to have a good night, she was ruining it.
It felt weird not having her around, even though she hadn’t been gone long, he had just got used to having her about.
“She can wait, have things to do”, he mumbled to himself.

*

The night before in Azkaban…

“Oh my god”, Hermione stuttered.

“Hermione?”, Ron gasped before running up to her to give her a hug. Hermione let out a small cry as she hugged him back, tears fell down her face as she realised she wasn’t alone.
Letting go of him, Hermione could see that Azkaban had taken its toll on Ron, his clothes were dirty and ripped-much like how she had been when she was locked in Voldemort’s dungeon.
“Your ok! We didn’t know if you was alright, we just knew Voldemort had you kept in his dungeons…”

“We?”

“Yes, the order are all in separate cells, we can talk to each other though through the bars, I think they would be asleep at the moment though, its late…why are you in my cell? Wait…why are you here?”

“I-I have no idea, I guess he got bored of me”

“What do you mean? why are you dressed like that? And you look surprisingly well for someone living with the dark lord…”, Ron eyed her suspiciously.

“I don’t know what to say…I lived in the dark lords dungeon for….well I couldn’t count the days, I was so weak and I tried to stay strong for as long as possible, I didn’t want to give in to him…but one day I collapsed after being tortured everyday and through utter exhaustion. I-I have been treated well after that, sort of…well much better than before”

“I don’t get it, why did you-know-who chuck you in his own personal dungeon but then treats you so well? I was there when he took you Hermione, I saw how brave you were, but seeing you like this…you haven’t suffered much”

“I have, more than you think, much more. Just because I am clean and not bruised up, that doesn’t mean I haven’t suffered! The only reason I look like this is because the dark lord hates dirt in his home-I know that’s hard to believe, and I don’t get bruises as the cruciatus doesn’t leave any, less than half hour ago I was tortured over and over again by Lucius Malfoy…because I stood up for a muggle girl”

“I do feel sorry for you…you must have had it hard then, and being in the home of you-know-who…I thought you were dead, the others thought you had changed sides and that’s why you were with him”

“I will be truthful with you, he made me do an unbreakable vow, and I had to promise I would never leave him without permission…meaning I can never escape him”, she breathed while yet again wiping her tears what had built up again.

“What’s that?”, his eyes lowered down

“What?”, she paled when he lifted her left arm and looked down at the dark mark, “its not how it seems, I was forced into it!”

“but only the willing can get the dark mark?”, he said confused

“I was tricked!”

“…what have you been doing since I last saw you?”

“I have just been living at the dark lords home, I am forced to serve him, it could be anything from learning the dark arts to pouring him a drink…its pathetic I know. And now im scarred for life by this stupid dark mark and I can never escape him! Maybe now he really has grown bored of me and has chucked me in here, but you have not suffered compared to me, not at all”, Hermione cried before sitting herself on the cold damp floor with her head on her knees.
“im so sorry you have been stuck in here, I tried to escape, I tried to be strong but then I had to do the unbreakable vow…please believe me, im still me!”

“You seem different though. How do I know you haven’t just been planted here as a spy to find out if the order have any plans?”

“Because its me! Please, you and the order are the only people I have left!”, she pleaded

“I don’t know, you seem so different! I love you so much, you were my best friend with Harry…I don’t know…”, Ron turned to look out his cell window, just darkness was all he saw. “Hermione, why does the dark lord keep you with him?”

“…he says I have potential, im not sure what for but that’s what he says, I have to take lessons from him when he decides-yet another unbreakable vow I had to make. He teaches me dark magic, but it has helped me…ive been able to defend myself against his followers and if I learn enough I can use his own magic against him…”, she said darkly.

“Why did you have to change, why couldn’t you have been stronger?”

“Im not weak! You don’t understand, you have just been locked up in here, all you feel is the cold…you don’t know what pain is like”

“Maybe not, but I know if I was in your position I wouldn’t back down, you’re just weak”

“Im not fucking weak! Crucio”, she cursed him for a moment out of anger but stopped as soon as she realised what she was doing. “no…im sorry, I didn’t mean…I cant help it when I lose my temper”, she stuttered while backing away into one of the, metal bar walls of Ron’s cage like cell.

“you really are one of them aren’t you”, Ron spat through tears.

“Please believe me-”, she choked as she felt a pair of hands around mouth and nose through the bars.

“Sorry miss Granger, but this is the way it has to be”, she heard the familiar voice of mad-eye moody before blacking out completely.

“what did you do that for!”, Ron muttered as he lay Hermione down on the floor peacefully, “at least you didn’t kill her…”

“It wouldn’t really matter if I had, she isn’t one of us anymore, she tortured you for Merlin’s sake! She’s changed, she may not even realise it…you don’t know, she may be here like you said, to spy…I reckon she should be interrogated in the morning”

“ok ok, its just hard to believe…she was my best friend”

“yes, was. Merlin help us…if even the brightest girl of her age has lost it, then there is not much hope for us…ill tell the others, inform me when she wakes”, moody muttered, his eye whizzing around in its socket. “But, we will see her side of the story, she has explained…but I want to know more”

*

“What else do you want to know!”, Hermione said frustrated, she had been awake for an hour or less and she was shivering from the cold and achy from sleeping on a stone floor. She couldn’t believe that she was being interrogated by people she thought were her friends, she knew they would have some questions but she thought they could trust her, like she always trusted them.

“You cant be trusted Hermione, look we have had it harsh in here, you just don’t seem like you-know-whose victory has affected you-”

“Sod it, I cant be bothered anymore! I cant believe any of you! My bloody friends, looks like I am truly alone now…you have had it easy, so im not wasting any more time convincing you im on your side!”, Hermione breathed. “I don’t care, ive been alone for Merlin know how long, I can be alone for longer, I don’t need any of you”.

“So you’re admitting you are a follower of the dark lord?”

“No I am not because im not! Look, if you don’t shut up accusing me of things I am just going to get angry again and I cant help anything when I do!”

“You never used to be like that”

“Living with the dark lord may have affected me more then”, she admitted, finally realising she had indeed changed. “I need to see him”

“What?”

“I-I need to see the dark lord, I need to see him…he has done this to me, he put so much effort into making me like this, why? Im not a bad person, im not, im not anyone special”

“Maybe you just whored yourself around to get him to keep you-”, Ron muttered

“-Levicorpus”, she walked over to Ron as he dangled upside down by his foot. “I don’t like being called weak, I don’t enjoy being called a mudblood but I wont tolerate being called a whore!”

“How the hell can you do wandless magic so well!”

“Practise”, she replied simply.

“Lower him down!”, Charlie Weasley demanded in the cell with Moody, “we get it already, we aren’t gonna get along it seems, but none of us are leaving any time soon. Just settle your differences already!”

“Im not waiting around, im going”, Hermione dropped Ron before feeling round the wall with a barred window to the outside.

“Are you mad? The only person who has escaped this place was Sirius and that’s only ‘cos he could fit through the bars when he turned into a dog! Not to mention the security has tightened since the dark lord took over, anyone who sets one foot outside this place gets taken straight to the dark lord himself-”

“Exactly”, Hermione said thoughtfully, “just need to find the weak spot-all walls in Azkaban have one in case of emergency…not many people know that. I just have to have a strong enough spell to break through”

“Hermione, seriously if it was possible don’t you think someone would have done it in the past”

“How do you think the death eaters escaped Azkaban last year?”

“Oh I forgot about that, so much has happened since then…”

“I just need the right spell, enough power behind it and the hope I will be captured by a death eater not a dementor…”, she wondered off in her own head. She just needed to see the dark lord, she had questions she needed answering and no dungeon in Azkaban was going to stop her-she didn’t care about any punishments, she didn’t even think of it.
“Its probably impossible to escape from this place, but its not impossible getting caught”

She took a deep breathe, knowing it would take a lot out of her, the death eaters had half a dozen of them escaping, but she had power, she just was afraid to admit it…now she needed it.
“Confringo!”, an explosion and the wall shuddered, a few stones fell. “Confringo! Confringo! Confringo!”

*

“Erm milord”, a worried looking Wormtail interrupted Voldemort as he sat at the head table in the great hall at Hogwarts. He was enjoying it, being back at his old school, being in a place of power there. Watching all the students before him carefully, the future generations of his empire…

“What is it?”, he asked moodily without turning round to look at him.

“Erm, well about the mudblood you chucked in Azkaban last night…she-she escaped milord”, Wormtail stuttered. Raising an eyebrow, Voldemort turned around curiously.

“How the fuck did she do that?”

“It s-seems she blasted through her cell, about a dozen guards got her outside but she was unconscious-exhaustion apparently milord”

“Where is she now?”

“W-well they didn’t know what to do with her, but because she’s a high risk they brought her to your home, Snape granted the permission for it as he thought it would be best milord. I just came to inform you as soon as I could! The other prisoners were in too much shock to do anything, but apparently H-Hermione knew what she was doing the whole time and caused some damage to them whilst there”

“Ok, this girl is really pissing me off now”, Voldemort whispered angrily before excusing himself.

Voldemort glared down at the figure of Hermione sitting on the floor in the hall of his home, waiting for him. Looking closer she saw she had a few bruises and a cut lip which was still bleeding slightly, she was visibly tired but she still managed to glare back at him with the same emotion as himself.
“Hi, how are you today?”

“Crucio”, he held in on her for a few minutes and listened to her screams, she needed a taster of what he was really about.
“I send you off to Azkaban and next thing I know you have done the impossible, you have escaped”

“Its not impossible if I actually did it”, she smirked, “I escaped so I could talk to you, I need answers, I need to know why you keep me here-and don’t say because I have potential, that means nothing to me! Many out there have potential…please milord, I apologise for causing a bit of disruption at the prison but really, I much prefer it here”

“you have gotten a bit of cheek haven’t you, and since when do you like being here?”

“Ive just realised the order are against me, they don’t trust me. So now I have nothing, now I have nothing to lose”

“You are smart, but you do have something to lose, power. I sent you to Azkaban because you weren’t disciplined and you didn’t listen to me. I thought the dementors would sort you out-”

“-They didn’t affect me, I just got sort of cold, I didn’t feel any less happy though…it was easy breaking out of Azkaban, you just need enough forced behind the confringo a few times and the wall will break. I didn’t intend to escape, I intended to get caught so I would be brought to you”

“Why?”

“Because I also realised when I was in Azkaban, that I like being here”

“What am I going to do with you? You piss me off, you have no discipline and you cause lots of trouble…”

“Im not going to beg you to not send me back to Azkaban, im not like that-and im surprising myself right now. I would have thought I would prefer being with my friends…but there not my friends anymore, they don’t act like they are, at least I can do stuff here such as read or learn things”, she said truthfully, looking up at Voldemort as he circled her while thinking.

“I think I may allow you to stay, you see im beginning to like you Hermione, I said from the start there is something about you…you are lucky I don’t send you back in Azkaban and leave you there”

“I know, thank you, I appreciate this. Sorry about the mess I caused at Azkaban, and I wont get involved with what you or your followers do anymore. But I don’t like seeing innocent people being punished, Lucius is a bastard and I wished I had gotten round to torturing him a lot for it”.
Voldemort smirked, Azkaban had done her some good then, she was there for only around 12 hours and yet he could see the change, maybe it wasn’t the prison what done it, maybe it was just seeing her old friends.
“I wanted to talk to you. I want to know why you did this to me, you made me not mind torturing some people, when I get angry I torture and I cant help it…now I want to be staying here!”

“I didn’t do anything to you, I just gave you a few lessons and you enjoyed it-its your doing. I just saw the potential you had what your precious order didn’t, you are clever and powerful-why waste that? Don’t you realise yet, you are supposed to be one of my followers, you are supposed to do my bidding…”, he whispered so she could just hear.

“No, I wont be a walk over, and I will never do what you made me do last night, dress like a slut and sit at your feet! If you want all of that then I suggest you have a word with Bellatrix, im sure she wont mind any of that!”, she spat. “I don’t support what you do milord, but I would prefer to be here than anywhere else at this moment in time”

“I should be angry with you, after causing trouble last night, destroying a wall in Azkaban and causing a full scale security check as well as interrupting me while I was at Hogwarts…but you know what…I think I can let that go this once, seeing as I may have overreacted last night and the fact you didn’t technically escape from Azkaban. Hmm, im being lenient”

“Yes but I appreciate it. I didn’t run away, you got rid of me, I just came back”

“Yes only because you wouldn’t have anywhere else to go”

“Well maybe, but I didn’t try to go anywhere else milord. Look at me, im just a teenage girl with nothing left, its ironic how the one person I have always hated is the person who seems to show the most interest in me these days, everyone else just seems to not care”, Hermione looked down sadly.
“I admit I have changed, but in no way am I like you at all! I wont give in to you…”

“you have grown up over the last 24hours…but I will not tolerate any disrespect, I am being too lenient with you-”

“-then I will make it up to you. Please don’t send me back to Azkaban, there’s no point in living if I have to just sit their being tormented by people I once knew well”

“I will think of something that considers you making it up to me…”

“Thank you milord-my, I would never have thought I would want to be here, I never thought id talk to you like this, I never thought id be like this. Nothing has changed since last night, just I have realised some things…I should hate myself, but what’s the point? I cant believe it, but you’re all I have, isn’t that ironic!”. When Voldemort didn’t reply, Hermione decided to stand and look up at him as he stood much taller in front of her.

“I like you like this”, he said affectionately while running a hand through her hair as he got closer. “I like knowing im all you can rely on”

“Because it makes you feel like such a big man?”, she laughed before lowering her eyes nervously.

“No, because it means I mean something to you-”, he cut off suddenly as he realised what he had basically implied. “Go”, he murmured almost silently, Hermione wasn’t stupid, so left quickly, giving him one last look before going completely.

“Today has just been the strangest day, and its not even afternoon…”, Hermione wondered to herself as she journeyed through the hallways.
Is that why he keeps me here?
Impossible…