A Snake's Secrets ~Draco&Hermione FF~

Chapter 12 ~ The Bitter Truth

A.N. ~ There's a bit of a time lapse here... This chapter begins when Harry, Ron, and Hermione have been captured by the Death Eaters. The events in Malfoy Manor are a bit different than how things originally played out in The Deathly Hallows :)

Hermione’s POV

               My heart pounded painfully against my chest as we were forced down the steps to the cellar of the Malfoy manor. I couldn’t believe we had been caught. We were most likely about to die. My thoughts went to Draco, and my chest constricted with pain as my hands skimmed over my stomach.

               The metal door clanged shut behind us, and we were left in darkness. I felt the tension in both Harry and Ron’s bodies that were still close to mine. Clearly they were having similar thoughts.

               “What are we going to do now?” Harry asked.

               A small voice spoke up out of the darkness. “Harry? Is that you?”

               There was a small click, and a few balls of light flew out from Ron’s Deluminator. They lit the cellar enough for us to see a dirty but seemingly unharmed Luna standing in front of us. Griphook the goblin looked up at us with beady, narrowed eyes. Ollivander was sitting on the floor against the wall, looking very frail.

               “Don’t bother,” Luna said as Ron began to pull at the door. “We’ve tried everything and there’s no way out.”

               I looked to Harry, but he didn’t seem to have any ideas since he was only looking into his fragment of glass again. I wracked my brain for anything that could help us escape, but came up blank.

               Then Ollivander opened his eyes and looked right at me. He raised his hand and pointed into one of the still dark parts of the room. Luna noticed as well, and her face softened with sympathy.

               “I’m sorry, Hermione,” she whispered. “He wouldn’t let me near him.”

               I looked at them both in confusion before I walked cautiously toward where Ollivander had pointed. A ball of light soon floated to that area so that I could see, and it felt like my heart stopped for a moment.

               Draco was a crumpled heap on the floor. He was chained to the wall by his wrists. His hair was longer and dirty, and the rest of him was in even worse shape. Blood stained his torn clothing and was matted in his hair. His chest rose and fell slowly, but his breaths sounded almost painful.

               I dropped to his side and carefully turned him over. His head lulled to the side, but his hands still jerked against his restraints. He must have been doing that a lot since his wrists were bruised and bloody. I brushed his hair out of his face as tears blurred my vision.

               “Draco, what have they done to you?” I whispered.

               Ron pulled at the chains where they connected to the wall, but they wouldn’t budge. I closed my eyes and tried to get control of myself. Harry squeezed my shoulder comfortingly.

               There was a small popping noise behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder. Dobby the house elf stood in the middle of the room with a big smile on his face.

               “Dobby, what are you doing here?” Harry asked in shock.

               “Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and his friends of course,” the little elf said cheerfully.