Somnium Perditum - A Dream Lost

Chapter 4: Veritates et Vulnerabilitates

TW: Domestic Violence, Vivid Description of Torture, Conflict of Mind.

Chapter Text

October 7 days later (7th week of school)

Hermione

Bellatrix's skeletal face loomed over Hermione, the edges of her wild hair catching the dim light of the flickering chandelier. Her teeth gleamed unnaturally white, bared in a predatory grin that made Hermione's stomach churn. A sour, acrid stench surrounded her, a mix of sweat, decay, and something metallic—blood, Hermione thought, though she dared not dwell on whose it was.

The sound of Bellatrix's sniggering filled the room, high-pitched and deranged, echoing off the cold stone walls of Malfoy Manor. It was a sound that twisted inside Hermione's chest, making it hard to breathe, harder still to think.

"Little Mudblood," Bellatrix cooed, her voice sickly sweet, dripping with mockery. Her wand hovered inches above Hermione's chest, a cruel promise glinting in her dark, sunken eyes. "Do you feel it? The fear? It's delicious, you know. So pure."

Hermione was bound to the floor, her wrists and ankles tied with thick, magical ropes that burned against her skin whenever she struggled. Her back ached from the unforgiving stone beneath her, and her head throbbed from where Bellatrix had slammed it against the floor earlier.

Bellatrix's wand flicked, and pain erupted through Hermione's body like fire, tearing through her nerves and muscles. Her vision blurred as she let out a strangled scream, her body arching involuntarily off the ground. Every cell felt like it was being ripped apart, shredded into pieces that could never be put back together.

"Crucio!" Bellatrix hissed, her voice rising in glee.

Hermione's screams filled the room, mingling with the sound of Bellatrix's manic laughter. She bit her lip so hard it bled, the metallic tang mingling with the salt of her tears. She tried to block it out, to retreat into the farthest corner of her mind, but the pain was too consuming, too overwhelming.

"Tell me, little Mudblood," Bellatrix crooned, leaning closer, her face inches from Hermione's. "What did you take from my Vault?." Her breath was hot and foul against Hermione's skin, and she turned her head away, choking on a sob.

"I—I didn't take anything. Please." Hermione gasped, her voice barely a whisper, hoarse from screaming.

"Liar!" Bellatrix shrieked, the word slicing through the air like a whip. She stood abruptly, towering over Hermione as her wand danced above her once more. "Do you think I'm stupid, little girl? Do you think you can outsmart me?!"

The spell hit her again, and Hermione convulsed, her screams tearing through her throat. She clawed at the ropes binding her, her fingernails scraping against the stone, but there was no escape.

Bellatrix circled her like a vulture, her voice lilting with mock sympathy. "Oh, poor little Mudblood. Does it hurt? Does it feel like you're dying? Well, let me tell you a secret, darling..." She crouched again, her lips curling into a grotesque smile. "You're not. Not yet. But you will wish you were."

Hermione's vision blurred as darkness crept in at the edges. Her body was wracked with tremors, the aftermath of the curse leaving her too weak to move. She could feel the cold stone beneath her, the sticky warmth of her own sweat and blood pooling around her.

Then, Bellatrix straightened, her eyes gleaming with wicked delight as she pointed her wand at Hermione's face.

"Legilimens!"