Close Enough

Ch 59 The Infirmary


Severus and I hasten through the doors to the library each looking around the room quickly for the signature bushy brown haired Gryffindor. In the back of one of the rows near the restricted section, sitting at one of the numerous tables I spot my prey. I quickly catch my godfather’s attention with a small wave of my hand and a gesture toward the girl before slowly stalking toward her. Slowly I approach her from behind while Severus moves an aisle over and makes his way toward the front of her table where she can see him.
“Mrs. Granger, I have some questions for you.” I hear Severus say in a dangerously calm tone that would have told anyone that they were in trouble no matter how well they knew the famously venomous potions master.
“Professor?” Granger gasped, obviously startled.
“You shall accompany me to the hospital wing.” Severus said in the same dangerously calm tone, this time daring her to argue with him on the fact that she would most definitely be accompanying us to the hospital wing to sort out the issues as hand.
“Professor I have work to finish before….” Granger began. However Severus cut her off.

“You shall come with me now. There are things to discuss.” I can feel his power in the air, swirling and wrapping around the girl. I smirk, she doesn’t even realize that my elder Vampire is manipulating her. She stands slowly and walks to Severus’ side where he places a hand on her shoulder and guides her out of the library; looking to everyone else as though she was merely just another student that happened to get on the wrong side of the potions master.
Following mere feet behind the pair, I keep my eye out for any sign that she is fighting the control Severus has over her. As we trek back toward the hospital wing I begin to wonder why she was still in the school, surely she would not think that we wouldn’t figure things out. She could not possibly be that stupid to think that what happened would not come to light, especially after the whole school knew that Harry was found and back at the castle for treatment. I growl deep in the back of my throat as I remember the state that my mate currently is in. In front of me is the reason for my mate’s pain and suffering. She deserves no less.

“Draco…” my godfather’s voice brings me out of this thought process. As I focus on him I see that his eyes are glinting maliciously. “Do not worry, she will get hers.” He snarled, tightening his grip on Grangers shoulder. “I can practically smell what you want to do. It can wait.” The last part he whispered before turning and trudging the rest of the way toward the hospital wing. I follow still fuming, but feeling slightly placated for the moment.


************************ POV Harry**************

I watch as the doors open and Cord comes in followed closely by a small group of people, whom I recognize immediately and quickly transform back into my panther form. I hastily move back to where Cloe lay and curl up next to her, a small whimpering noise escaping me. I feel her sit up slightly at the noise I am making, if she was human her expression would have clearly said, ‘what the heck was that about?’ but being a leopard at the time she merely tilted her head and looked at her mate.

********************POV Narration************

“Wow, I didn’t know Harry could transform.” Collin said from behind Cord.
“Yea, that’s amazing. He makes a beautiful panther.” Dean commented. “Who’s that with him… the leopard?”
“That’s Cloe, my mate. Now, will you please have a seat over there…” she gestured toward one of the hospital beds near by and a few chairs. “The others should be here soon.”
“Why are we here exactly?” Justin asked.
“That will be explained as soon as…” the doors behind her opened. “In just a few moments.” Cord finished as she glared at Hermione as she was led in by her father and Draco. “I see you found her. I am surprised that she made it in one piece.”
“Cordalina you know we pride ourselves on our control.” Severus said, his hand still firmly clamped on Hermione’s shoulder. “It is part of who we are.” Glancing back at his daughter again, “Part of what we are. We know suffering can wait.” He finished with a cruel, nasty kind of smile.

“What the hell is going on?” Justin asked, looking between all the people in the room including the two large cats in the corner. “We deserve to know what is going on.”
“You deserve? You deserve?” Draco snarled. “What you deserve is to be torn limb from limb before being slowly disemboweled by hand…” he said advancing toward where Justin was sitting, however was halted by Cord’s slightly panicked voice.
“Draco… they don’t remember.” Cord said. Draco stopped in his tracks and looked at her. “She used some type of charm on them… they have no idea what happened.” she said gesturing between the group of boys and Hermione.
“You’re telling me they don’t know what they did?” Draco growled.
“What are we supposed to have done??” Seamus asked looking between his friends and Draco and Cord. “I, for one, haven’t done anything.”
“You most certainly have!!” Draco snapped.

“Draco, go to my private stores and get a vial of Veritaserum.” Severus commanded and proceeded to guide Hermione toward a nearby chair. “Once we have the answers we need we will be able to take the necessary action.”

************ POV Draco******************

When I return from Severus’ office I find the scene exactly as I have left it; I wonder briefly if time stopped in the infirmary while I was gone. Four bewildered boys still sit together around a hospital bed, Severus still stands, his hand on Granger’s shoulder, Cord is staring at Granger as though she would rather skin her alive than wait another second, and my mate still curled in the corner with his friend; half buried under her for comfort. My anger boils under my skin, I remind myself that the sooner we get our answers; the sooner revenge may be taken for my mate.
“I have it Sev.” My voice comes out tight and I hand him the small vial in my hand. “Let’s do this.”

“Open up Granger.” I almost want to laugh at the tone of Severus’ voice that he uses for this command. We both know we need her confession for anything to be valid, we need the confirmation of her part in the attack. Even if my godfather’s stance and expression are calm and collected, his voice screams of his anger and irritation.
“What are you doing to her?” I hear Collin ask standing from his seat.
“Getting our answers, Creevy. Nothing to worry about. Now sit back down.” I say in a commanding forceful voice that begs for him to argue. I watch amusedly as he sits on my command and I quickly turn my attention back to Granger in time to see her swallow the potion. Severus’ hand falls away from her shoulder as soon as the potion passes her lips, he and I share a glance, and in moments her eyes glaze over and become vacant. “Ask the questions Severus.” He nods slightly and steps back from Granger.

“State your name.” Severus asked the question in a flat tone, staring unblinkingly at his quarry.
“Hermione Elizabeth Granger.” she answered in a flat, emotionless tone.
“Are you aware that there was an attack upon Harry Potter’s person?”
“Yes.” The same tone was used, however a small smile graced her lips.
“Did you take part in it?”
“Yes.”
“What part did you play in this attack?”
“It was my plan, my idea, and I orchestrated carrying it out.”
“What did you plan to happen?”
“For him to be brought off of campus and raped by people he would consider his friends.”

“Specifically.”
“Used the Imperius curse on Dean, Seamus, Collin, and Justin. Forced them to capture Potter and help me portkey him into Hogsmead. When he woke from an unconscious state, I talked to him briefly.”
“And what did you tell him?”
“I told him that he deserved to suffer like those around him. That I made Ron go against him, and cause him harm. That Dumbledore decided that women weren’t strong enough and turned Harry into a boy before he was born, thus explaining why he makes such a good submissive.”
“And after that, what did you do then?” I could hear Severus’ voice getting rather strained the longer the questioning went on, this question in particular seemed to cause him pain.
“I cut off the necklace he was wearing knowing that he had a charm on it to help rein in his draw. Then I left, leading the boys in to do their part.”
“And what did you make them do?”
“I only had to make them enter the room with the suggestion already in their heads that they rape Potter. Once inside the draw took care of the rest. I put a spell on them so that they would act as caring lovers while they took his innocence. That way if by some chance Potter did survive it he would have an aversion to touch.” A now wicked smile graced her face.

“Did you not expect him to survive?”
“Oh no. The bleeding from forceful sex, especially with multiple partners, especially with a virgin, can cause one to bleed to death.”
“And why do the attackers not remember doing it?”
“It was part of the spell, they were to leave when finished and lock the door behind themselves. Return to Hogwarts as though nothing happened, and block out the memory of the incident all together.”
“And Potter, were he to survive, how would you have insured his silence about such an act upon his person?”
“One of the spells we did before we took him, it should not allow him to remember the act either. Except in dreams, but they would only seem like really vivid dreams; however the aversion to touch would be real. This would cause him to suffer with the lack of contact with his mate due to his own fear.”
“You were not aware that the memory spell of which you speak draws from a wizards own powers?”
“No.” the smile faded from her face.
“And you bound Potter’s powers, correct?”
“Of course, otherwise he would have been able to extremely effectively escape before we even left the grounds.”

“So you did not realize that if these spells were to contact the same person, only the strongest spell would be effective? Thus the one binding his powers working, and the one to erase his memory not?” Severus sneered. I watched his fists slowly clench and unclench at his sides.
“No I was unaware of any such interaction.”

“Cord go firecall the headmaster. We need Aurors and we need them now. Also, we need to contact Azkaban. Harry will want Weasley released as soon as possible.”
“Yes father.” I look at Cord briefly as she sweeps from the room before returning my gaze to my godfather and the frizzy haired bitch.
“Severus I want to hurt her.”
“She will get hers Draco.”
“She broke my mate, Severus. She needs to pay for that.” I growl. “Preferably in blood!”
“Draco.” Severus said warningly, shooting me a look.
“What?!?” I begin to pace slightly, glancing to where four young men had passed out in a heap. “I only have one to punish for the actions of five! And all of whom took part in taking not only something from my mate, while causing him pain, but taking something from me as well! And you know damn well how I feel about things being taken from me!!!”

“I am aware.” I hear Severus say, suddenly I stop pacing and stare at the four out cold attackers.
“Sev, how did you know that her confession would make them remember what happened?” I ask, tilting my head curiously.
“I didn’t actually, just a hunch. Most spells of the kind are broken by hearing of the event in question. I merely hoped that it was one of them.”
“And they all passed out, just like that?”
“Yes. As Cordalina said, they are no better than any other rape victim now.”
“We should tell Pomfrey.” At Severus’ nod I head toward the healers office, feeling very irritated that Sev was making me wait to exact my revenge.