Against the Dark - A Dramione Fanfiction

Forty - one

Hermione collapsed to the ground, trembling and shaking, a sheen of sweat on her face. She'd lost count of the times Bellatrix had raised her wand at her and said the word 'Crucio', that insane grin on her face. She just wanted to pass out. The dark would be a relief from the pain she was in, even after lifting the curse. Her body was twitching and spasming uncontrollably, and she was in worse agony than she'd ever endured. Even amongst the haze of the pain, her brain was burning with anger. But the Death Eaters around her seemed to be having fun.

"Now, get to work," Bellatrix said, from very far away, it seemed. She tried to clear her head and make sense of what Bellatrix was going to say. "Take her back to the cell at the Manor, and set off that explosion. Draw them here."

Somebody pulled her to her feet roughly by the back of her shirt and pushed her to a corner of the clearing, then lifted what looked like a veil of hanging bougainvillea vines that concealed a passageway completely hidden from plain sight. She was pushed into it, a wand digging into her back, but she suspected it wasn't needed. She couldn't even think straight, let alone fight with her bare hands and make a wild escape out of a dark tunnel.

The tunnel was cool and seemed to be made of mud. It was just high enough for her to walk - or rather get pushed - without bending her head. A small relief - she didn't have the physical finesse to walk while bent double.

She forced her legs to move properly, and directed all her will to the single thought. She needed her mind and body as sound as they could be since these tyrants were luring her friends into a trap with that explosion they were planning to set off. She needed to get to them, somehow alert them, stop them from going, or if that was not possible, she had to fight, and for that, she had to have her gross and fine motor skills in order. Slowly, through the excruciatingly painful walk, some control returned to her legs and hands. She flexed her fingers and toes, clearing her head. By the time they emerged from the other end of the tunnel into the basement of the Manor, she was considerably better than she'd been five minutes ago, though every cell of her body still screamed in protest when she moved.

The person who was accompanying her - Rookwood, she now saw - pushed her roughly into the same cell she'd been in before.

"All of that was for Avery," he growled. "And if by some luck I get my way, I'll give you the most agonizing and torturous death the history has ever seen."

Hermione laughed. "You don't even want to know what happens if I get my way, Rookwood."

***

Draco, Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Pansy were now on high alert. All of them knew they'd blown their cover with that explosion, and that took away the only plus they'd had - the element of surprise. Without it, they were at a distinct disadvantage. None of them knew where to find Hermione now that the whole place had been searched and accounted for. 

That was when they'd heard the blast. All of them jumped in shock, then looked around frantically for any signs of approaching fire. But the sound, of course, had come from somewhere outside the Manor.

"It sounded like somewhere to the west of the house," Draco said. "Come on, we're going."

"No, we're not, dumbo." Ron crossed his long, lanky arms. "It's a trap. Can't you tell?"

"I'd never thought I'd say the words, but he's right," Pansy said. "It's probably what they expect us to do - come searching for Granger to the source of the sound. They're relying on your heroic streak."

"And what else do you suppose we should do?" Harry asked angrily. 

"Probably search the place again, switching groups - "