Shattered Glass

Chapter Two: Choices
(Author's note I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters.)

It all happened very fast, one second she was preparing breakfast for Harry, Ron and herself, the next she was running for her life.

That morning had started off very normal, she awoke, first as always to the sounds of Ron's deafening snore. They had been on the run, hunting for horcruxes, and trying to survive for quite sometime now. She had no idea what could possibly had gone wrong this morning. The sun rose over the horizon lighting the clouds making them turn brilliant shades of magenta, yellow and orange as the bacon that they stole from a muggle grocery store crackled lightly on the portable stove, which they also stole,though they didn't use the propane, rather a portable fire, which Hermione conjured. Fire was something of a specialty for Hermione. Stealing was wrong, but less wrong during times of war, especially if one of the ones stealing was saving the world, so to speak.

Many things had happened over the course of the months they were fighting Voldemort. If fighting, is what you could call it. They were like a gorilla force, hiding, dodging the main problem. She flipped the bacon and sighed to herself. To her right there was a pan of maple pancakes that were making themselves. Hermione never understood how Mrs. Weasley managed to have so may things making themselves at once. In any case, Hermione had gotten stuck with making breakfast for the three of them, when she had Harry and Ron try, the results... to say the least were abysmal. “Typical woman.” she whispered to herself as she went to the cupboard and pulled out some plates. Lately, she had been the glue between the three of them, the Locket, horcrux, around Ron's neck, had made him go... funny. He had been acting different, secretive, angry, and Harry had been his target. She was doing what she could, but if they didn't fix this soon, then she didn’t know what would happen to them all.

She began to hum a tuneless song to herself, trying, and failing, to get her mind of her present situation, killed on sight if seen by a death eater. As expected, a few minutes after she placed the strips of bacon onto the pan, one of the boys began to stir. She didn't look to see who it was, she knew, Ron's snoring had ceased. Hermione heard him jump off of the top bunk and land noisily on his feet. “That smells like heaven, Hermione.” She herd him say, and felt her face get hot, of course she would blush at a simple compliment. She would never admit it but she was very much enthralled Ron.

“Its only bacon and pancakes.” She said softly smiling. Ron watched as she flipped the Bacon again, and as the grease danced around the strips. His mouth watered. He loved food. He loved how humble she was. Ron was brought out of his stupor by the sound of a bed creaking. He turned his head to look behind him, anger welling up inside him. Harry. He tried but still failed slightly to repress a scowl. He didn't care about anyone but himself, the dirt bag. Harry didn't care that Hermione and himself were helping despite the obvious danger their families were in, he didn't care that so many times Harry carelessly put them all in danger without thinking, to satisfy his need for fame. Ron turned away before he said anything and moved to the other side of the table, sitting down.

Of course Harry had noticed, Ron, was after all his best friend. He was acting strange more than strange, but he didn't dare ask why. Ron mumbled under his breath all the time, and scowled at him from across the room, for no reason. There was definitely something wrong. “Smell's good Hermione.” Harry stated in approval trying to ignore Ron's obvious anger. She nodded and smiled at him, which warranted a dirty look form Ron that Harry pretended not to see. Hermione took the bacon out of the pan piece by delicious piece and placed them on the table, then walked back to the counter and grabbed the stack of pancakes, which had successfully made themselves , along with the butter and syrup.

“Oh drat.” She muttered, her face falling looking disappointed with herself.

“What is it?” Ron was the first to ask. Looking more concerned than necessary.

“I forgot to check go barrier around us this morning.” She sighed. She knew better than that. Mentally she scolded herself. Harry was the only one who could defeat Voldemort, and here she was being careless about their safety, how stupid. Harry and Ron merely nodded digging into the simple breakfast that she had made for them all, not seeing why she had to be so worried. “Save me some bacon this time.” She said looking over her shoulder, halfway smiling. Before she walked out of the tent she grabbed her warm wool coat, hat and scarf. It was fall now and was getting to be terribly chilly in the mornings. She began walking toward the entrance, looking around cautiously before she decided to step out rubbing her hands together.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her wand. She jogged slightly toward the edge of the barrier, trying to get it done as fast as possible and stay warm. She didn't see it until after she tripped but there was root from the large tree the tent was over sticking out of the ground. She knew she tripped for sure when she felt her rib cage hit a rock sticking out of the soil, hard. “Bloody hell!” she yelled without thinking. Harry and Ron ran out of the tent to see what had happened, only she could not see them, or the tent for that matter, at least the barrier had held up. Hermione had fallen outside of the barrier. There was laughter suddenly a shiver went down her spine. Hermione's head shot up. There standing before her was Lucius Malfoy. She felt the blood drain from her face, and limbs, for some reason she could feel the cold now.

Standing behind him were four hooded figures, all of whom were getting closer to her. Lucius was standing fifteen feet away from her which gave Hermione just enough time time to quickly stand up and give a message to Harry. “Don't you dare come to help me. I can take care of myself. You're needed alive more than I am. Ron, take off the Horcrux. If you so much as put a toe out of that barrier I will, and don't put it past me, kill myself. When I tell you, gather everything you can and Apperate.” On the other side of the barrier, Harry and Ron herd her message, the seriousness in her voice was clear. They had to listen. With the wave of Harry's wand the tent collapsed and packed itself. This was going to be hard to watch

“If it isn't the Mudblood, Granger.” She herd Lucius hiss as he got closer to her, his cold eyes boring into hers.

“Mr. Malfoy.” She said raising her chin, trying to look proud, but her fear was obvious, she was trembling.

“Where is 'He'? Where is the famous Harry Potter?” Lucius hissed, his expression smug. His icy blue gray eyes looked from her face into her chocolate brown ones. Her stomach churned, Hermione was lucky she didn't have any food in her stomach.

“To whom are you referring to?” She asked calmly, her resolve dwindling visibly beneath her skin.

“I could always make you talk.” He said looking down at his wand as if he had never seen it before. Like a child who had a new toy. He looked cruel. This man clearly had not a drop of compassion in his body.

“I still wouldn't dare go telling you.” Hermione said a little more proudly than before.

“We shall see.” He stated his entire body became still as his eyes rolled up and looked at her, she could almost feel the ice. She would pay for her insolence. He raised his wand, and before she could defend herself he screamed, “Crucio!”

Hermione was about to defend herself, when what it felt like was a million needles, burning icy needles penetrated her, but not only her skin but her mind and soul. She was brought to her knees, screaming pitifully in pain, her body moving uncontrollably. Lucius smiled at the girls pain as she writhed beneath his curse. For a moment the thought crossed his mind of doing worse things to her, but it passed quickly, that would only bring shame upon him.

“Please!” She was crying over and over again, “Please stop!” she pleaded as tears ran down her cheeks, Lucius didn't care, he rather enjoyed her cries of pain and pleading. The pain felt like it had gotten worse. “I beg you!” She screamed as she began to crawl toward his feet slowly stopping every now and then. Harry and Ron on the other side of the barrier were fighting the urge to kill Lucius, to scream at him, to make him suffer, but they could not; they knew that once she was no longer under the curse she would kill herself to keep the information she had. Ron was surprised she hadn't told Lucius yet.

Just as she reached his shoes, the smile on his face was sickeningly large, like a child had just received the largest piece of candy ever. Her pleading was making her voice grow hoarse. Her body was contorting in ways ones should, and she was beginning to claw at her arms and rip out her own hair. “Will you tell me!?” He screamed at her. She nodded crying out in immense pain, seemingly unable to form words. Lucius dropped his wand to his side. Hermione took in several long breaths before she looked up at him again, she had crawled to his feet, and appeared to be be begging. She looked down at the ground, taking more deep breath's. “Well?” Lucius demanded, his tone impatient. She smiled at he ground.

Leaning back on her hands she crawled so that she was five feet or so away from the group of death eaters. “NOW!” she screeched. In the midst of confusion the death eaters had no idea what to do. Before any of the death eaters realized it, she had raised her wand and screamed at the top of her lungs with all the strength she could muster, “CONFRINGO!” from the tip of her wand came a massive force hitting a tree between her and the death eaters, it exploded, and knocked them off their feet, giving her a diversion to run. On her left she herd a small 'pop'. “Good they left.” She whispered as she began to sprint at full speed in the opposite direction.

Unfortunately it did not take very long for the Death eaters to recover from the bast that she created, and they were soon pursuing her, in their weird way of 'flying', it couldn't really be described as anything else. They were gaining; without thinking she screamed spells over her shoulder, not looking to see if any of them hit. “HELP, HELP!” Hermione's horror stricken voice screamed, she knew now that if they caught her she would be tortured, then killed, maybe worse. She didn't allow herself to think of such things. She ran faster. That would not be her fate. At least she hoped. Her legs were beginning to tire, and without food in her stomach there was little to fuel her escape. Her last resort was to scream. And scream again.

“HELP!” he herd a voice scream suddenly. Startled he looked around trying to find who had screamed it. He would have started to pack his things frantically, if he didn't have countless amounts of charms around him, and his tent, he was invisible. His ice blue eyes widened in shock, streaking through the tree's was a girl, and not to far behind her was a pack of what must have been five death eaters.

“COME BACK YOU FILTHY ANIMAL!” came a familiar voice, it was his father. Draco was not quite sure what to do, then he saw who it was running. Hermione Granger, the girl did have a knack for getting into trouble. He didn't know what to do. True that he wanted to help the three, but he didn't need his Father and all of the death eaters after him. Draco had not a clue how the 'magic trio' managed to evade them so well and for so long; one thing he was certain of was that he couldn't do it as well as they had. He looked at the ground hard. 'What do I do?' he thought. He looked back up, Bellatrix had just managed to miss her by an inch. It was clear that Hermione had been running for some time. And couldn't keep up the zig zagging motions she was taking.

“BANG!” Hermione was hit in the back and fell to the ground face first, hitting hard; her wand had fallen out of her grasp just feet in front of her. She lay still for a second before she started to crawl forward trying to reach her wand. Blood was on the side of her mouth and dripping slightly from her nose. Draco Knew what was going to happen to her now. Before she could reach her wand his father stepped next to it. Hermione watched as his legs came into view, “No, please.” She whispered feebly; to which Lucius responded with a swift kick to the side of her head. Hermione was flung onto her side, blood starting to form on the top of her head where his boot had connected with her skull.

“CRACK!” Lucius had stepped on her wand, breaking it in two. She was defenseless now; but a least Harry and Ron had escaped, that's all that mattered. Bellatrix laughed deranged, Lucius smiled along with her. Lucius took a step closer to Hermione's almost non moving form, and then without warning kicked her as hard as he could in her stomach, her body contorted into the fetal position. She hugged her knees, and then coughed blood coming out of her mouth. She didn't beg, she knew it would make things worse for her, there was no one around so she just had to accept her fate, which was death. Bellatrix hovered over the bleeding girl for a second then raised her wand. “Crucio.” She said sweetly, as if it were something comforting. An smile forming across her chapped lips.

Once again Hermione began to move in unnatural jerky movements. She rolled onto her back the middle of her raising off the ground as if possessed; she screamed in agony, and beyond agony. More blood came coughing out of her mouth, and down the side of her face. How hard had Lucius kicked her? Lucius raised his hand indicating for Bellatrix to stop, she did, after a second or two. “Now, where are they?” He asked softly, trying to lure her with his charm.

“Left. Apperated... No. Idea. Where. They. Went.” She said between gasps of air and coughs of blood. Lucius shook his head, walked around to her other side and kicked her as hard as he could in her kidney. She cried out in pain, and then Lucius waved for Bella to go again. Happily she complied. Hermione cried, screamed and pleading which warranted little notice from any of the death eaters. Draco watched horrified at the level of violence the took toward this girl. She was bleeding. Just then Lucius kicked her in the bottom of the jaw, no doubt breaking something. Her head snapped upward with his foot, and she screamed louder. And then in her back, then rib cage, and again her stomach, all at full force. “HELP ME! Somebody please....” Her voice grew quieter on the last part. She knew no one could help her. He itched to help her, but how? His father could not know that he was alive, that would jeopardize everything.

Lucius raised his hand again for Bellatrix to stop, which she did, slower than the time before. “This is your last chance you fifthly fucking animal. Where are they!?” he screamed. Beneath him Hermione curled into a ball with one arm stretched out. She didn't answer. Lucius infuriated stomped over to her and with all his strength stomped hard on her forearm. Draco could hear her arm break from all the way across the clearing. He nearly screamed as she did. Hermione clutched her broken right arm and rolled onto her back. Lucius still livid did the same to her left leg, which made even more of a crack. Draco turned away, nearly vomiting in his mouth at the sound, and the gargled yelp that escaped her mouth. She was crying hysterically now He couldn't believe he wanted to be this man. Lucius Malfoy was a monster. “Beat her.” He said simply, and within seconds the other three came down on her kicking and punching her. Without mercy, they used all of their strength, Draco could hear fists connecting with her head, face and abdomen, as well as she “Oofed” to being kicked repeatedly in the torso. “Stop.” Lucius commanded.

He had no choice he had to help her whatever the cost. But what to do? He felt his heart rate quicken and his palms go sweaty as a dose of adrenaline pumped through his veins. He had to act.

“I'll never help you, you inbred pure blooded swine.” Hermione managed out of breath, she knew she had gone to far. She was in terrible pain, but she knew she could not help them, she couldn't see out of one of her eyes; it meant little now. Either way, if she knew anything she wouldn't have, but since she didn't she couldn't help at all.

Lucius stared at her in fury. “Insolent fool.” He screeched. “Kill her.” He commanded. Voldemort would praise him for defeating one of the trio, especially since she was the brains. Just then Draco remembered something. Peruvian instant darkness powder. He had some in his bag. He, quickly as he could gathered all of his things and stuffed them into his bags. Draco grabbed his black hoodie and placed the hood over his face so they would have less of a chance of seeing him. With a wave of his wand the barriers went down. Slowly he reached into his bag pulling out the hunk of powder. He was behind them so they would not see him coming. He ran holding the powder in his hand and just before he reached them he threw it. In the darkness he shoved his father and Bellatrix out of the way and scooped Hermione's broken form in his arms. And before the darkness wore off he apperated, far away from the forest they were in prior. He had never been the hero before.It kind of felt good, but he didn't have time to pay attention to that feeling now.

“Who are you?” She asked unable to see his face her vision obscured. She was fading fast. He placed her on the ground a gave her a once over, kneeling next to her. Her injuries were far to severe for him to fix. Where to take her? He drew a blank.

“Don't worry about that now.” He said softly, panic clear in his voice. Now that she was close up and bleeding, he could clearly see her blood was not dirty; however it was staining the front side of his shirt and hoodie. “Hermione. I need you to listen, can you do that?” he asked looking her in the eye.

“You sound familiar, I, I know who you are!” She screeched, more blood coming out of her mouth in her exasperation. “You're one of them! Put me down! Put me down Malfoy!” she screamed fighting like an almost dead fish.

“Shh, Granger, calm down. I'm not here to hurt you I promise.” His voice rising. He took off his hood and looked her dead in the eye. Trying to reassure her.

Though she was fading she knew Malfoy, and this was no Malfoy. He looked sincere and he wasn't smirking like he usually did, which was highly unusual. She was getting sleepy. “What do you want Malfoy?” she managed trying to sound mean.

“Where do I take you?” He said as calm as he could. “I need to get you fixed up.”

“Saint Mungo's to risky. Grimmauld place compromised....” She grabbed on to him “Let me.” and before he could protest she had apperated them, probably with the last of her strength into a nice kitchen with white tiled floors. Which were soon contaminated with specks of blood that she coughed up. Her eye lids moved lazily. She was looking glassy eyed.

“You can't fall asleep yet.” He said firmly. He looked up walking around. “HELLO!” Draco called picking her up in his arms again standing and walking out of the kitchen into the hallway. “I need some help!” He called. There was silence, and then a voice answered.

“Who is it?” Said a familiar voice from down the hall. And soon there were foot steps to fallow. Out into the hallway stepped Remus Lupin. At first he looked angry, then he looked sacred, then confused. “Malfoy? What happened?” He asked completely lost, horrified at the pulp that was Hermione in Draco's arms.

It was Hermione who answered. “Bellatrix, Lucius, hurt, Harry got away, Draco, saved.” She wheezed, and then closed her eyes, as if to sleep. Lupin merely nodded and beckoned them down the hallway into a room, where Tonks, Draco's estranged cousin was.

Draco placed her on the bed and looked up at his former professor, he hated that man, though he wasn't quite sure why. Draco hated many people without actually knowing why. He hated Hermione, even though he helped her, Potter, Weasley. He hated the lot of them. He hated Voldemort, he knew why, he was the one who had put him in this situation. He hated his father, and all of the death eaters, it seemed the only person he didn't hate was his mother, he even hated himself. He wished his life still made sense.

“What happened?” Lupin demanded pulling out his wand, looking over her still bleeding form, she was going pale, was cold to the touch. “We're losing her...” He whispered, not bothering to look up at Draco. Tonks came to his side aiding with her recovery whispering things here and there about her injuries.

“My father, and Bellatrix and four others chased her. They kicked her... beat her, and used the Cruciatus curse on her, more than once. They snapped her wand, and I pretty sure her arm and leg are broken.” His voice sounded robotic as he said the words, remembering the sound of her shrieks and the profound “CRACK” her bones had made when they were broken. He cringed.

“That explains a lot, I can only hope if she is not lost to us that her mind had stayed intact.” Lupin said more to himself than anyone else.

True that Draco had wanted to help Potter and Weasley, and Hermione, but he had wanted to do it for selfish reasons. Draco wanted his old luxurious life back. Though he was met with conflicted feelings, he did not want his father, whom he saw for he truly was now, in his life. Draco didn't have a clue that they were that cruel. He looked down, there was blood on his hands, and all over the front half of his clothes. He felt very ill. Blood. So much blood. He ran out of the room and into the bathroom, where finally he vomited, the sound of Hermione's leg snapping playing over and over again in his mind. After leaning over the toilet he quickly ran to the sink and began to scrub his hands, and arms. The water turning red with it all. He then washed his face, not noticing that he was crying. After he was done be backed up his back hitting the wall and then slid down it, until he hit the floor where he placed his face in his hands and began to sob. “Fuck!” he screamed. Why did this all have to happen? Today had drastically changed him, he didn't know what was right anymore.


***


The black smoke cleared. Lucius's cold eyes looked around in anger, the girl was gone. It must have been that meddling Potter and Weasley. He let out a sound that could only be described as a growl.

“You let her get away!” Bellatrix teased. She was surely going to tell their master, And Lucius was going to be punished.

There was a bird call from up above, Lucius looked up. “Charlie?” it was Draco, his dead son's owl. What was she doing here? Could it be? No.