Seven Strong

A/N: Finally, I was beginning to loose hope, here you go guys. I've sent her all the chapters I've written including three brand spanking new ones, now I wait.

9-I’ll Bring Her Back


Hermione could feel pain pulsing through her body with every beat of her heart. She felt body parts hurt that she didn’t even know were there. She wanted to open her eyes and see the room she was sharing with Ginny back a Grimmauld Place, but the pain told her otherwise.

She blinked her eyes open a couple of times, but that alone felt like hard work. Once she had her eyes wide open, she took a good look around her, she was no longer hanging by her arms but she was still chained to the wall by her ankles.

Hermione heard the sound of footsteps descending, what she assumed to be, stone steps. She closed her eyes and relaxed her body as much as she could under the circumstances, and pretended to be asleep.

“Rise and shine mudblood,” said Lucius loudly.

She ignored him.

“Come on now, be a good pet and I might just feed you today,” he taunted.

She opened her eyes and glared at him.

“I’m going to take great pleasure in killing you,” spat Hermione.

Lucius was taken aback by her statement, hell, she didn’t even know where it had come from.

“I’m sorry to inform you mudblood, but you are going to have to take a number and wait in line,” he sneered.

“I’m sure the order’s out looking for me, they’ll find me in no time,” she said more to make herself believe than Lucius.

“Keep telling yourself that, they haven’t come in seven days. What makes you think they’ll come at all?” he laughed.

“Seven days,” she whispered. “Have I been out for seven days?” she asked.

“No, what fun would that have been?” he grinned.

“What have you done to me?” she shouted.

“You really don’t remember?” he asked, his grin turning into a frown. “I must say I'm almost hurt you don't remember our fun times together, I guess I’ll just have to enlighten you.”

He conjured a four-poster bed and a big arm chair. With a simple ‘levicorpse’ he levitated her weak body onto the bed, she had no strength to fight him so she didn’t even bother to try. He lowered her body onto the bed, and as if it had come life, ropes sprang from each of the four posters and tied her hands and feet.

He walked gracefully and sat down at the chair facing the bed.

“Now, I could sit here and tell you in great detail what I’ve done to you. But I won’t waste any more words on you than I have too, so why don’t I just share my memories with you,” he smirked.

He raised his wand to his temple and pulled a string of silvery smoke. Hermione was wondering where he was going to put that, since she noticed there was no pensive around.

Lucius moved his wand and the string of memory hovered over her face.

“What are you doing?” she voiced her concern.

“Why, Mudblood, I’m sharing,” he told her.

“You can’t, you’re not supposed to put a foreign memory into a body. The outcome is unpredictable,” she gasped, fear sounding clear in her tone.

“You’re a smart one, too bad that you are a Mudblood otherwise you’d make a fine witch,” he told her scanning her half naked body. He lowered the memory into her head and watched as her whole body went rigid, and from experience, he knew that the show was about to start.

Hermione’s eyes rolled to the back of her head and in an instant she was hanging from her arms again. Her arms numb, her underwear stuck to her butt and she was standing in a gooey puddle of her own blood.

“Ready to beg yet, or maybe some more lashings,” came the voice of Lucius Malfoy.

“Never,” she spat.

Around ten lashings later she could feel no more pain. Her vision was getting spotty and she wanted to pass out. Her wounds had to be cursed, there was no way that a person could bleed that much and still be alive and conscious.

“Someone will come, and I’m sure the Dementors are missing a plate of ‘soul’,” she told him.

“Yes I’m counting on someone coming for you. Hopefully my bastard of a son will come for his little Mudblood whore,” he sneered.

“He’s not going to risk himself for me.”

“He’ll come and when he does I’ll make him pay for disobeying our Lord,” said Lucius.

“So I’m just bait.”

“Do you think that I would waste my time on you otherwise?”

“He must know it’s a trap, he’ll never come,” she hoped.

She felt her body go limp and when she opened her eyes she was laying on the bed again, only now the sheets were damp. She had a sinking feeling that she was laying on her own blood.

“So how did you like that? Would you like some more Mudblood?”

“No, thank you.”

“I’m surprised my son hasn’t showed up yet,” Lucius said.

“I told you that he wouldn’t come.”

“Oh he’ll come; I told him that you’ll die if he doesn’t come.”

“Than you might as well kill me now,” she chuckled humorlessly.

“What? Don’t tell me that you don’t know that the fool is madly in love with you.”

~*~

Five days earlier, back at the Burrow, everyone was sitting around the dinning table. Well, everyone except Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter.

“Boys you’re going to pace a hole into the floor. Please calm yourselves,” said Tonks, but before the words left her lips she knew she had made a mistake.

“CALM OURSELVES,” bellowed the two boys together. They shared a knowing look and a short nod, Harry spoke first.

“Two days ago we were calm, we tried to go after her but Moody stopped us,” said Harry through gritted teeth.

“So how can you sit there and tell us to calm ourselves? What part of ‘My father, the evil bastard, has Hermione’ do you not understand?” said Draco waving his arms to emphasize the point.

“She’s been missing for two days, and all you want to do is sit and wait. Wait for what? For Lucius to deliver her dead body to our front door?” finished Harry.

“Where’s Weasley? He should be here with us,” said Draco to everyone’s surprise.

“We caught him trying to sneak out in the middle of the night, so he’s locked in Fred and George’s old room,” said Lupin.

“Look, if you think I’m going to join you for tea while Hermione’s out there with my father, than you’ve gone mad. If in two days you haven’t come up with a plan yet, than good bye. I’ll bring her home myself,” said Draco turning to walk out the door.

“I never thought I’d say this, but I agree with Malfoy on this one,” said Harry turning to follow Draco.

“Hey boys,” called Tonks. When they turned to face her, she pointed her wand at them and petrified them both in a wave of her wand. “I’m sorry boys, but I can’t let you commit suicide,” she smiled sweetly at their rage stricken faces.

“They’re gonna be pretty mad at you when that spell wears off,” said Lupin.

“Yeah, but at least they’ll live. And how do you think Ron’s reacting right now?” asked Tonks.

“I don’t know, I’ve silenced the room,” shrugged Mr. Weasley.

They left the three angry boys locked in Fred and George’s old room, only opening the door to slide in food.

They had been locked away for five days before someone stuck their head into the room for a peek. The boys were fast asleep, probably knocked out from exhaustion.

“Rise and shine,” called Fred Weasley.

Ron was the first on his feet.

“Merlin it stinks in here, don’t you guys shower? Buckbeak smells better than you three,” said George making faces at them.

“What’s up?” asked Harry putting on his glasses.

“George and I came to set you free,” Fred said with a mischief look on his face.

“I don’t know Fred I think mum must have them under some kind of spell,” said George.

“You must be right, look at them. I thought they would knock us over the head, steal our wands and run to save Hermione.”

“Shut it,” said Draco.

“Yeah, either tell us what you have planned or I will knock you over the head just on principle,” said Ron agitated.

“Shut up Ron, Malfoy we have this for you. It came two days ago and the adults thought you shouldn’t have it, so we ‘borrowed it’ for you,” said Fred throwing a piece of parchment at Draco.

Draco unfolded it and read it to himself only.

“Dear Son,

It seems that I have something in my possession that you care a great deal for.
Now being my son you know damn well what I’m capable of.
So if you want your Mudblood whore to go back home in one piece, you better come back home. Come back to where you belong.
The Dark Lord says that if you come back on your own, he just might be forgiving and not torture you as much.
So come as fast as you can fly and come alone, or she just might be broken and tainted.

Love Dad.”

Draco got this defeated look on his face. The note from his father fell to his feet. Harry stepped forward and picked up the note and read it.

“Merlin, I never thought your father was so caring,” he said to Draco.

Draco looked Harry in the eyes and chuckled, “He’s not Harry.”

“This note looks somewhat caring to me,” said Harry confused.

“Love in the Malfoy family is worse than a death threat,” said Draco.

“But Malfoy, your father wouldn’t kill you. He has that prophecy to fulfill with You-Know-Who,” said Ron.

“No Weasley, he wouldn’t kill me. Hurt me and make me wish to die yes. But he wouldn’t dare kill me, now Hermione on the other hand,” sighed Draco running his hand through his hair.

“Draco, what can we do?” asked Harry.

“Sorry Harry, but you read the note yourself. I have to go alone.”

“Do you think he’d…” but Harry couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“Do what? Rape? Torture? Kill her? YES,” said Draco. When he raised his head and looked up at Harry the tear running down his cheeks came as a huge shock to the other boys in the room.

“So…” said Fred uncomfortably.

“That’s why we came,” said George.

“Yeah, we made some polyjuice potion…” started Fred.

“…so that two of you can pretend to be us, so that way you can leave the house without anyone to stop you,” finished George.

“Malfoy you can be me,” suggested Fred.

“And Harry can be me,” said George.

“Hey what about me?” whined Ron.

“If you want Hermione back safe like I do, I must go by myself,” said Draco getting aggravated.

“Fine,” said Harry not wanting an argument. “I assume that he has her at Malfoy Manor.”

“Yes.”

“You have until the sun goes down, than we’ll come after you,” said Harry, his tone leaving no room for arguments.

“Thank you,” said Draco drinking the potion Fred offered him.

A couple of minutes later, Draco stood there looking at Fred as if he was looking at a mirror.

“Wicked,” said Fred and George together.

“The potion won't last as long as a normal polyjuice, we tweaked it a bit so don't stop for small talk,” Fred said to his double. With a curt nod, Draco walked out of the room.

George followed ‘Fred’ out of the room and onto the grounds where Draco disaparated away. When he appeared at the apparition point he found it weird that his father had taken down the protective wards from around the manor.

He walked in through the front door, not bothering to hide himself.

He made his way to the dungeons where he knew his father would be keeping her. When he saw her, his heart skipped a beat.

“Hermione…” he whispered.

With a wave of his hand the door opened, he stepped into the room; upon closer examination he could see her tear-blood stained face. He could also see some welts around her side which he assumed were from his father lashing her. Lashing and cursing was his father’s favorite pass time.

“Hermione,” he called, this time loud enough to awake her, she stirred a bit but did not open her eyes or respond him.

“Hermione baby, can you hear me?” he said, his voice almost at breaking point.

“I’m not… your… baby Malfoy,” she chocked.

“I see you’re okay,” he smiled.

“It’s a trap you know.”

“Yeah, I know. How are you feeling?”

She forced out a painful laughter, “just peachy.”

He wiped the dried blood from around her mouth, she welcomed the gentle touch. He removed his cloak and wrapped it around her half naked body. “Malfoy you need to go, you can’t be here,” she looked furious now, she wanted him to leave and be safe.

“I came to save you, so I’m not going anywhere without you,” he said simply.

“I don’t need saving,” she lied.

“You see, from my point of view you do, ‘Solte la’” he waved a hand and the shackles around her ankles came lose, and she was free from them.

“What did you do?” she asked bemused.

“I freed you,” he answered matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, but how?”

“Hermione, the dungeon that you are in now is located under Malfoy Manor, which means anything in here answers to me, for I have the Malfoy blood,” he said this as if she was suppose to know already.

“Thanks, but no thanks. I can’t go with you.”

“Are you daft woman, I’m not leaving this place without you. So come willingly or I’ll stupefy you and then I’ll use ‘leviosa’ to bring you back home.”

“Oh how touching, and here I thought this was your home Draco,” came the voice of Lucius Malfoy from the cell door.

“We’re leaving now.”

“I dare say NOT,” and Lucius laughed, the most deranged, maniacal, crazed laugh that Hermione had ever heard.

“Why are you doing this father? You want me, here take me. Let her go,” he said extending his wrists in a manner of surrender.

“You should have never left us, the Dark Lord is furious with you.”

“And you should never have left Azkaban, now we’re even. Let her go, as for your lord, tell him I don’t care what he feels towards me.”

“Maybe after I have my fun with her, that is if she can survive it. Maybe then but not now son.”

“If you touch her, I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”

“Don't make empty threats Draco, it's not becoming of a Malfoy,” Lucius sneered.

“I intend to fulfill it.”

“That's quite enough out of you, Crucio,” and Draco fell to his knees, grinding his teeth to keep from screaming. “Now what should I do to you, Mudblood?” he said, looking at Hermione.

“Don’t you dare touch me,” she spat.

“Oh I wasn’t planning on touching you, but they say you are very powerful. I know that you can withstand lashings, but I wonder how many ‘cruciatus’ you can handle before you end up like the Longbottoms.”

Hermione was scared; she couldn’t remember being so scared in her life. She could feel the color drain from her face. She chanced a look a Draco, who was panting and gasping for air, but was getting back on his feet.

“Crucio” Lucius said.

From Hermione’s point of view, she knew she was fucked. The curse was coming towards her and she was wandless. ‘Move’ her brain screamed at her, but for some reason her legs were planted to the ground. It was getting ever so close, she closed her eyes and prepared for the impact… but it never came.

“Stupid boy,” she heard Lucius hiss. She opened her eyes to find Draco lying at her feet; his body was convulsing as if he was having a seizure. With his back turned to where Lucius was, he dropped his wand at her feet. She took it and stunned Lucius with it, it may sound too easy, but Hermione had the element of surprise on her side. Lucius fell immobile to the ground.

“Draco…” she whispered kneeling down beside him.

“Say it again,” he said in between breaths.

“Draco, can you walk?”

“You said my name.”

“Yes I did, now come on we have to get out of here.”

“Is Lucius dead?”

“No and he’s gonna wake up soon, so can you walk or should I use a charm on you?”

“No charm, I can walk,” he said getting up. He’s legs were a bit wobbly but he managed to walk. “Reinforce you charm, I think Azkaban is missing a prisoner, and use my wand as a pointer, it will guide us out of here,” and so she did.

“Hermione, are you ever going to love me?” he whispered into her hair as they were walking, he could walk but she was supporting him up.

“I’m not that easy Draco.”

“Give me a chance to try?” he begged.

“Okay, but it’s not going to be easy,” she smiled, she knew better. The man had just stepped in the path of a curse for her, a very painful curse at that, yeah she could love him. Easily.

“I can buy you the world,” he said softly.

“But you can’t buy my love, now hush we are almost out,” they walked the rest of the way in silence, broken only by their footsteps. When they walked out the door Harry, Ron, Moody and about five other aurors Hermione did not recognize, came to meet them.

“Hermione, thank Merlin you’re okay,” said Harry taking Malfoy off her shoulders. “Thank you,” Harry said to Draco.

“What happened to him?” asked Moody.

“Lucius, in the dungeons…” she paused, her vision was getting dark fast, “He… he jumped… in front of a… cruciatus for me,” she couldn’t fight it anymore, her vision darkened and she fell to the ground.