Love is a Dagger to Destroy: A Dramione Story

Chapter Eight

Hermione's POV

"No," I breathed out, stunned and scared. "You died. I saw it. Molly Weasley killed you."

Bellatrix let out a laugh. It was surprisingly childlike. "That's what we wanted you to think. Everyone's so gullible. And here I thought you were supposed to be the brightest witch of your age!"

She laughed again. I backed up against the bars as she advanced forward, like a lioness stalking her prey. She drew her wand and her smile widened. "Please don't," I choked out, really close to tears.

"It'll be okay," she said with fake sympathy before screaming, "CRUCIO!"

Pain enveloped my body. I don't think I screamed, but I couldn't really tell at the time. Bellatrix's laughter was cruel and evil. I didn't realize I was on the ground until the pain stopped and my senses returned to normal. 

I lost track of how many times she used the Cruciatus Curse on me. I was barely conscious when she finally stopped. "I'll be back, Miss Mudblood. You can count on that." She turned on her heel and left, laughing all the way.

I stayed laying down, my cheek pressed against the cold stone floor. Oh, Draco, I thought, where are you?

Draco's POV

Great. Just great. I was tied up with Potter in Hogwarts, while Hermione was in some cold place, injured or worse. No, I told myself firmly. Don't think about that.

"Any ideas?" Potter asked me while struggling against the bonds. 

"I thought you were the magnificent Potter, rescuing damsels in distress and stuff like that. Shouldn't you have an idea?"

"Quit it, Malfoy. This isn't helping us get out of here and it isn't helping us find Hermione."

He was right, but I would never admit it. "So how do we get out of here?"

We fell silent, each of us contemplating the same problem. "Maybe we could crawl to out wands," Potter suggested. I agreed to try. I'll admit, we must have looked pretty stupid, crawling across the floor. Luckily, no one was around, so our secret was safe.

I made it to the wands first. I had to turn around backwards and twist my wrist to get a hold of it, but eventually I held my wand in my hand. "C'mere, Potter, I'll cut you loose."

He gave me a doubtful look. "I'll try not to hurt you," I promised. I did my best, only cutting him twice. Finally, he was free. He picked up his wand and carefully set me free. 

We were free. Now what?

"We should go to McGonagall," Potter suggested. 

"No," I said. "They'll be expecting that. McGonagall will tell the Ministry and Hermione will disappear. We have to do this ourselves."

Potter agreed. "We'll need help though. Two barely overage wizards won't be able to fight whoever we're up against."

We talked a bit more and finally decided on who to tell. We would tell the Weasley siblings, Lovegood, Blaise, Pansy and Daphne, since they were all friends with Hermione and would want to help her.

With that out of the way, we moved to the next topic. "Do you know who took Hermione?" Potter asked me. He sat on the couch while I sat on the futon.

"I think so," I said hesitantly. "They call themselves the Followers. They're kinda like Death Eaters, except they don't worship Voldemort. Anyway, their biggest goal is to wipe out Muggleborns in any way possible. Taking Hermione is a good way to start. She's very symbolic to all the Muggleborns and to the Wizarding World. Not as great as you, but close."

"How do you know all this?" Potter sounded slightly suspicious, and considering how I'd gotten my information, it was justified.

"They tried to recruit my parents," I lied. "They said no. I heard them talking about it."

"Why didn't you report this to the Ministry?" 

I shrugged. "A lot of fanatic groups formed after the Battle of Hogwarts. None of them have done anything worth reporting. They mostly just form protests."

Just then someone knocked on the door. I sighed impatiently and heaved myself off the futon to open the door. One of the Gryffindor Prefects stood nervously on the other side.

"What?" I snapped at him. He flinched visibly.

"McGonagall requests that you and Miss Granger meet her in her office," the boy said shakily. I slammed the door shut before turning to Potter. 

"I'll go to McGonagall and tell her Hermione's sick," I told him.

"I'll find the people on our list and tell them what's going on," Potter said.

I felt much better now that we had a plan, but worry and fear still coiled in my stomach, ready to burst free at any moment. I followed after Potter and locked the door on the way out. 

Oh, Hermione, I thought, where are you?

Meanwhile....

Narcissa Malfoy paced up and down the length of the dining room. Every time she turned her gaze darted straight to the seat at the head of the table, the one the Dark Lord had sat in so long ago. 

The door that led down to the kitchens swung open. A house elf dressed in an old towel scurried into the room, carrying a tray with a teapot and cup on it over her head. 

"Tea, Mistress?" the young elf asked politely. Narcissa wordlessly accepted the cup but before she could take a sip, a scream reverberated around the room. Narcissa jumped and dropped the cup, which shattered against the ground. "Oh dear," the elf gasped. "I'll clean it up-"

"Back to the kitchens," Narcissa snapped. The elf bowed low and carried the tray away. Once certain the elf was gone, Narcissa hurried out into the hallway and into the main entryway. Her husband Lucious stood at the top of the stairs leading into the cellar, his wand out in front of him. 

He jumped when he saw Narcissa. "What are you doing here?" He asked harshly. "You were told to stay in the dining room."

"What's going on? What are you doing, Lucious?"

"I'm getting revenge on Potter. And our son. And if you get in my way, Narcissa, you'll end up just like the Mudblood."

"But Draco-" Narcissa started to protest but was cut off. 

"I won't physically hurt our son. He needs to be taught a lesson. The Malfoys are not Muggle lovers. Don't forget that, Narcissa. Now, back to the dining room."

Lucious returned his attention to the cellar. Narcissa had no choice but to return to the dining room, all the while praying for mercy on her son.