Caught Amongst the Damned

Disclaimer: not mine, they belong to JKR

Chapter Eight:

      Hermione lay bound to the dirt, her eyes were dry of tears and ached, the ground
beneath her was cold and scratched against her still bare skin...everything was silent
and she was alone in the circle of Death Eaters. Voldemort was speaking again, but she
was hardly listening...she still felt sick...she could hear murmurs from her former
professor and wanted to cry...but her tears were spent... She curled up so it was only
her back that was exposed and let the wind sweep her hair over her face... She closed
her eyes tightly and tried to just not think about the throbbing pain between her legs
or the sickly sticky blood that was still yet to dry...

      How could he...? A sob caught in her throat...she had been so sure... so
sure...how...how could he...it wasn’t...it wasn’t him...it wasn’t him at all...his
entire image was broken...he....he...

      Hermione clutched her arms tightly around herself and tried to hide away from
the world...what was she fated to now...? Would she become a pet to the Death
Eaters...? Would she simply be killed...? The latter would be best...the latter would
just solve all of her...everything...the world might not be right...but fuck the
world....the world was against her...the world never listened to her...she wouldn’t be
curled up like this if it had...if he had...if he had just listened to her...heard her
out....took in what she had to say....when had she ever done something without
reason...? When had she EVER been wrong about something so serious...when had she ever
not done everything in her power to help...? When did they ever, once, stop to think
and listen to her?

      ....never....

      never...

      Never.

      Hermione clawed at her own sides. A small part of her own despair turned to
anger. If they had just listened.... IF THEY HAD JUST FOR ONCE IN THEIR ENTIRE LIVES
LISTENED TO HER! ...but she had been wrong...she had been very wrong...

      Voldemort’s voice slithered to her ears now as he spoke. “...weekly reports.
Take her, then and get on with it and remember, Severus, I want the memories. That is
vital.”

      “Yes, My Lord,” answered the cold and cruel voice that had haunted her classroom
the past six years.

      “Go, then,” was all Voldemort said in reply.

      There was a flurry of robes, coming closer, then he leaned down and grabbed her
arm tightly. The air was suddenly pressing against Hermione, threatening to force her
body to implode upon itself, everything was spinning...she was pulling away from the
hand that clasped her, but the grip tightened, she could feel her arm bruising. The
lack of air made her very dizzy...very light-headed...everything was very...very
dark...

      Hermione lay curled up, her eyes tightly closed though she was slowly slipping
into consciousness...she had been having a strange dream...a disturbing dream...there
had been many skeletal people there...all dressed up in dark robes...some
laughing...some telling her it would be all right...She had recognized some of the
skeletons as people from school...Harry had been there...so had Ron and Hagrid and
Professor Lupin...Dobby’s head had been floating above them all, emanating a green
glow. The skeletons in robes had all formed a circle and Hermione, dressed up in an
elegant, sequined white dress had been dancing in the middle of the circle with
Professor Snape, who had been wearing a torn and bloody tuxedo...indeed, it had been a
strange, strange dream...

      Hermione stretched out a little, clutching her blankets to her chest and she
stopped halfway through this action. There was a strange, powerful throbbing of pain
between her legs... Her heart stopped and she opened her eyes quickly, only to scream.
She was looking at a very small room that resembled a dungeon more than a bedroom; it
was bathed in a low, green glow and was adorned with only a bed and a door. Sitting up
quickly, Hermione backed herself into the wall, noticing belatedly that she didn’t
meet the smooth brick with bare skin...she was dressed. ...dressed? In what?

      Looking down, she discovered a very old, very tattered shirt that was probably
once white at some point...he had dressed her...Hermione shivered and drew the
blankets tightly around herself, pressing as firmly into the wall as possible...she
could try to Disapparate out...she could...why didn’t she do that before?! Why didn’t
she...she probably couldn’t...even if she had tried...and if she tried now...and it
was impossible to Disapparate out....she’d alert him to the fact that she was
awake...and she’d inevitably draw his attention to her...something she dearly wanted
to avoid...but if she could leave...she should try...

      With a deep breath, Hermione slide out of bed and stood up, dropping the
blanket. Her bare feet met with a cold floor and, looking down briefly, she noticed
the shirt fell to her knees. Was he really that much bigger than she was...? Shaking
her head to clear it, she closed her eyes and focused on her bedroom, then she turned
quickly...and fell, hard.

      “Damn it...” she said as she climbed to her feet, then she froze.

      “Miss Granger?” came the flinty voice of Severus Snape. Hermione backed herself
into the wall and stared at the door in horror. She heard him sigh in an exasperated
way. “Miss Granger, I am not going to open the door. I am just going to advise that
you do not try to leave, as that is impossible. When you are ready to face me come
upstairs.”

      Hermione listened as his footsteps faded away then, shakily, she walked back to
the bed and sat on the edge of it...how could he expect her to face him after
what...happened? She stared down at the floor, then her hands. She’d have to...face
him sometime...perhaps the sooner she got it over with...the better off she’d be...as
long as she was able to keep her distance...and not look at him...and...but what if...
Hermione shrank back against the wall and brought the blankets around her...no...if
she could stay in this tiny room...but what if he came for her? Where could she go?
She clutched the blankets closer to her, then, on second thought, wrapped herself in
them completely and closed her eyes...she should sleep...she’d feel better after she
slept for a very long time...