Vacivitas

Chapter Eighteen

She can almost imagine that's how she got the bruises.

"We had to do that," Malfoy says when the spell is over and she's left with the aching and stinging cuts dripping with blood. He vanished the book. Hermione then watches him strengthen his Occlusion against his hunger in real-time, his eyes trained upon one of the cuts that appeared above her breast. "The bruises will be more believable."

Hermione swallows past her nausea. She knows he's right but she can't stop the feeling of terror that she has when she looks upon him. She can feel his hands, beating her and pinning her down. Whipping her and—

"Hey," he says, tone sharp. "It's okay to get lost in it for the sake of tonight, but the second we get home, I'm stuffing those memories so far back into your head that you won't be able to pull them out again without my help. Do you understand me?"

She nods, surprised at the level of vitriol in his voice. She tries to change the subject, to distract from how much pain she's in.

"How are you hiding your fangs?"

"I used a glamour," he says.

"Okay. That makes sense." She winces, holding a hand to her stomach. It hurts. "Tell me what else I need to know."

"Remember your role and who you're pretending to be. Eyes on the ground. Never speak without being directly asked to. Do everything I tell you to do, because if you don't, they'll expect me to punish you." His jaw tightens. "I don't want to do that."

"Okay." Her voice has gotten smaller.

She'll have no choice but to get lost in the false memories. If she doesn't, it won't be believable. She has to let herself be scared of him. To let herself be the false Hermione, beaten, broken, and violated.

"Flinching, whimpering, crying, pleading...It all solidifies the believability. Do not drop pretense, not even for a second. Everyone is watching me, therefore they'll be watching you. This is a room full of men who find enjoyment in the pain and violation of others–nearly all of them have a prisoner they treat like a slave. They need to believe that's how I treat you, too."

"Okay."

"When I speak to you and of you, I can't be kind. I have to say the absolute worst, most revolting things I can think of. Some of it might frighten you. Just remember I don't mean any of it."

"Okay," she says again, looking at his neck because she doesn't want to look up into the eyes of the person the false memories are telling her destroyed her.

"And Granger..." She sees his throat move. "If something happens and I'm forced to hurt you in front of them...There's nothing I can do to stop that from happening. All I can do is try to figure out ways to make it less horrible."

It's not possible for her to feel more nauseous. "You mean...A demonstration?"

"Unfortunately."

"Like what's in the false memories."

"Yes. I may have to...What I mean to say is that if they make me crucio you, or beat you, or break a bone...I'll have to do it. There won't be a way out."

"And if you have to do worse?"

She glances down and sees that his fist has clenched at his side.

"I'll do everything I can to keep you safe."

She doesn't know what that means. He doesn't have the power to do that, and he knows it. If the Dark Lord tells him to curse her, he has to do it. If the Dark Lord tells him to beat her, cut her, burn her, he has to do it.