A terrible scream rent the air, deep within Hogwarts castle.
"Had enough, Mr. Malfoy?"
Draco's wrists were tied together, and his legs felt like lead.
"I've told you everything I know."
"Then brace yourself," Romena warned, a malicious smile on her face.
Draco shut his eyes.
She raised her wand and there was a loud CRACK as an invisible whip struck him for the third time.
He doubled over in pain.
He would make her pay for this, he thought savagely, as blood streamed copiously down his back.
He had woken up in an unfamiliar part of the castle, in a large cavernous room that looked much like a dungeon, but Draco knew all the dungeons near the Slytherin common room, and this one...this one simply did not exist.
How long until someone noticed he was missing? Or worse, what if they assumed he'd escaped, and left the castle?
He suspected Romena had cast a powerful deception charm. For all he knew they were in an empty classroom, on one of the upper floors.
"Dumbledore won't stand for this," Draco hissed.
"Dumbledore doesn't know where you are," Romena replied. I've made sure of it." She grinned madly, turning to the guard standing behind her.
He nodded in agreement.
Malfoy subconsciously reached for his wand then remembered it was gone, most likely stolen when he'd been in the hospital wing.
Romena moved towards Draco, muttering an incantation.
He braced himself again...his whole body tensing...
There was an explosion. A large reptile-like creature erupted from her wand and flew through the air...
"Nooooooo!" Malfoy screamed, as it landed on his neck.
The reptile's fangs pierced his skin, tearing at his flesh. He reached for the animal, trying to yank it off, but its grip was unyielding.
In a matter of moments his face started to swell...his breathing slowed...his heartbeats grew more and more magnified...
He sank to the floor, and then...
Nothing.
All the pain was gone. He looked around, searching for the fanged beast, but there was nothing...all he felt was a rush of wind.
Draco dropped his hands, trembling...it had been a false spell.
Romena laughed.
She had planted all sorts of horrors and hallucinations into his mind for the past hour. Advanced confundus charms were her specialty, and she took great delight in their creation.
Draco clutched his head. He was disoriented, and it was becoming harder to distinguish what was real.
"You haven't told me everything, isn't that right, Mr. Malfoy?"
"I have," he said desperately.
It was partly true. He had given Romena the names and hideouts of numerous Death Eaters...useless information as they constantly changed locations, but still, information nonetheless.
"You've left out the most important detail," she said, her voice pouring over him like acid.
He swallowed, thinking she meant to ask about his family. He was a skilled Occlumens, and so far he had been successful in shielding his mind from her...
Without warning, she flicked her wand, levitating him high into the air.
Invisible ropes tightened around his neck, choking him.
She made another movement with her wand, and Draco rose higher still, his legs flailing.
"Surely you must know of You-Know-Who's plans?" Romena asked, her voice light and airy.
The ropes closed tighter and tighter around Draco's neck, strangling him...his eyes rolled back into his head, and just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore...
"Relashio," Romena said lazily.
Draco fell ten feet, landing on the cold, stone floor with a thunderous crash.
"Still don't remember?" she asked, stepping closer to him.
Draco looked down and saw that his leg was bent at an awkward angle, most likely broken.
"Surely, you must know more..."
He crawled away from her, gasping for air...
"Come now," said Romena, grabbing a fistful of Draco's hair and dragging him backwards. "The boy needs encouragement," she said silkily, throwing Malfoy at the guard's feet.
The guard nodded. He raised his foot and let it fall onto Draco's broken leg.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"YOU CAN MAKE IT STOP!" Romena shouted wildly, kneeling in front of him.
He turned away from her.
"You-Know-Who has discovered a new form of dark magic, has he not?"
The pain was unbearable, but Draco said nothing.
"Siccare novit potestatem," Romena whispered into his ear.
Draco felt his stomach dissolve.
"How has he done it?"
Draco shook his head. "It's a rumor—"
"SILENCE!"
Romena kicked him in the stomach.
Draco felt her invade his mind. His attempts to block her were feeble, having endured hours of torture. She easily navigated through the inner layers of his mind, bringing his deepest thoughts to the surface.
Suddenly, the dungeon became blurry....it was fading away...he was falling back...far back into a memory...
Draco was at Malfoy Manor.
He was hidden behind a large pillar, spying on Helen and Mason Mackay.
Draco suspected the Death Eater couple had returned to Voldemort's side for personal gain.
"Come now Helen, we both know the Dark Lord's return is only the beginning. His plot to kill Dumbledore and Potter...a mere first step towards greater plans."
"What do you mean?" asked his wife. "What could possibly be greater than his plan for immortality?"
Mason looked over his shoulder and took his wife by the arm.
"He has found a way to control and manipulate the magic of others."
"By means of the imperious curse?"
"No...much worse. He can take away a wizard's magic all together."
Helen looked at him darkly. "What do you mean, take it away?
"Drain you of magic until you're no more useful than a squib."
Helen clapped a hand over her mouth, but Mason pulled her forward, and they continued pacing around the garden.
"He has found a way to upset the connection of wizard and wand...wand and core, he replaces himself as the core, and the wand's loyalty is to him. It does a witch or wizard's bidding only as long as that witch or wizard is true to him. It's the only way for the Dark Lord to know his real followers. Muggleborn wizards and blood traitors will be stripped of all magic."
Helen raised an eyebrow. "But magic can be performed without a wand. And so many are against him."
Mason laughed. "A wizard's magic is not nearly as powerful without a wand. The Dark Lord trusts no one...no one living at least. His sights are set on the future. He will control and temper magic, school and instruct future generations of wizards... until they believe as he does, act as he does, and there's no need for anyone to feign loyalty..."
"But how has he done it?"
Mason looked around, sensing they were being watched.
"We can't talk now. Meet me in the—"
Draco felt the garden spin. It was the end of the memory. He shut his eyes, feeling the ground move beneath him.
"So the rumors are true," Romena said simply, as the dungeon came back into focus.
Draco looked at her resentfully. He doubted she'd let him go...even now that she'd stolen the memory she wanted.
He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're clearly not working for Dumbledore or the Order. And you're obviously not on the Dark Lord's side. What's your stake in all this?"
"I work only for myself, Mr. Malfoy. That's all you need know." Romena considered him for a moment. "You remain of use to me," she stated matter-of-factly. "When your father learns that his only son is at my mercy, he will do my bidding. I intend to learn more of You-Know-Who's plans. Although, it may be easier with you dead," she said, lifting Draco's chin with her wand. "Your parents will believe you remain under my power, regardless. There's no need to keep you alive, is there?"
Draco sneered at her. "It won't make a difference to my father if you kill me. I betrayed him...I ran away hoping for Dumbledore's protection...he already considers me dead—"
"I don't need to invade your mind again...to know that you are lying," Romena said, her voice cold, emotionless. "I'm no fool, and you are no great wizard. How old are you? Fifteen? Sixteen?"
She laughed.
The guard opened the door, and Draco caught a glimpse of two others standing outside, and a corridor beyond. Romena swept past him into the hall, passing a large painting of a golden unicorn.
As soon as the door closed behind her, the room started to shrink.
Panic rose in Draco's chest.
The room grew smaller and smaller until he thought it would suffocate him.
He shut his eyes. Even when Romena was gone, she continued to toy with him, he thought grimly.
He stretched his arms out, hoping to stop the walls from caving in. And just when he thought they would swallow him whole, they shuddered to a halt.
A few moments passed before he opened his eyes. His suspicions were correct, he was not in a dungeon but in a hidden chamber on the seventh floor. He recognized the painting in the corridor of the golden unicorn. He had explored this part of the castle once before, in his second year, when he had been trying to find the Heir of Slytherin...
He'd been beside himself with excitement, thinking he'd discovered the Chamber of Secrets.
This part of the castle had been sealed off long ago, and he'd found dust and decay everywhere he'd looked.
Draco had discovered four rooms, and soon realized they were the living quarters of the Four Founders.
They had been stripped bare of furniture centuries ago, and only the crests above each chamber told him whom they had belonged to. He had spent countless hours in Salazar's quarters, searching the place tirelessly, convinced it was the Chamber of Secrets or that it led to a secret tunnel.
But then he'd heard rumors that Potter had found the real chamber, far beneath the lake. Draco's disappointment had been tantamount and he had exploded in a fit of rage, much to Crabbe and Goyle's dismay.
The memory of this place had haunted Draco for years. Why would someone seal the Founder's Chambers if there was nothing to hide? And how had Romena discovered them?
He doubted the Gray Lady had confided in her, as she had confided in him.
Draco had seen her ghost pass through the same drab wall on the seventh floor every night. He'd followed her and heard her crying on the other side. She'd always mumble the same thing over and over, "Forgive me mother. Forgive my betrayal. I'm sorry I did not return in time to say goodbye."
She'd stay hidden every night and emerge through the wall in the morning, looking solemn.
Draco had befriended the Grey Lady, learned that she was Ravenclaw's daughter, and eventually, after he'd gained her trust, she'd told him what was behind the wall. Her mother's old chambers....
And if Ravenclaw's chambers still stood... so did Salazar's.
The Grey Lady had shown him a trap door that led to a secret passage. He'd needed Pansy and Goyle's help to get inside, but they had never found anything of value, and when he'd asked the Grey Lady why the rooms were sealed off, she refused to speak to him again.
Draco looked around, his thoughts returning to the present...
Every part of his body ached. He looked down at his leg, hoping it wasn't actually broken...maybe it had only been a hallucination.
But a quick glance told him that he hadn't imagined it.
Draco shut his eyes.
He had to find Potter. Until he did so, he and his father would be nothing more than Voldemort's lap dogs.
Over the summer he had seen things he could never unsee, things impossible to imagine even in his worst nightmares, and he knew those memories would haunt him long after the war was over.
And now Voldemort had taken his mother prisoner.
Draco refused to let her die..he could not fail her...
Granger would lead him to Potter.
She would lead him to Potter even if it meant putting her in harm's way. He had to face the prospect of her meeting a worse fate than his own. He did not let himself mull it over, it would only set him back....but the memory of her lips on his, the smell of her skin, made his blood rush.
No...he couldn't let her cloud his thinking.
He had to convince Granger that he needed her, make her believe that she was his only hope...and for that he needed to set the stage.
He knew Hermione well enough to guess that she couldn't refuse anyone who asked for help.
He had to appear desperate, at his wit's end, a drowning man...
Draco looked at the ring on his left hand, twisted it to the right three times and waited.
It sparkled and shimmered, until a flash of light erupted from its center. It illuminated the room, casting a harsh glow on Malfoy's face.
"Draco, is that you?"
Pansy's image was projected from the ring.
"Pansy," Draco whispered, his voice hoarse.
He crawled to the back of the chamber, so the guards wouldn't hear.
He breathed a sigh of relief. The charm they had practiced worked. Their house rings were now powerful tools of communication.
Pansy gasped when she saw the blood dripping down his back. "What happened to you? Where are you? I asked for you in the hospital wing—"
"Romena took me prisoner. I'm on the seventh floor...in the Founders Chambers. You have to tell Granger that I'm here."
"But I can get you out. I remember the secret passage—"
"No, it has to be Granger. You know why. And you need three people to open the entrance, remember?"
Pansy bit her lip. "I don't like this Draco. I don't trust her, and neither should you."
"I don't have a choice, do I?" Malfoy spat, losing his temper. "My fate's tied up with hers."
It was a while before Pansy spoke again. "I have a message for you, from your father. It was delivered right before Voldemort's attack on the Ministry."
She held it up so that Draco could read it. He worked out the codes in his head, until he deciphered the secret message his father had written.
What Snape told you is true. The Dark Lord has taken your mother prisoner. You must get to Potter. It is the only way. Your mother is in Edevane's keeping. You know what that means. Use any means necessary. The Granger girl knows more than she lets on. Whether Dumbledore lives or dies, she is the key. Do not leave the castle without her.
Draco shuddered. Edevane's unhealthy obsession with Narcissa Malfoy was well known to all of Voldemort's Death Eaters.
If his mother remained in Edevane's care, it would be a fate for her worse than death.
He looked at Pansy. "I'm going to need your help. We're running out of time."
***
Screams erupted in the Great Hall, and Hermione watched in horror as Blaise Zabini drew his wand.
"Crucio!" Blaise yelled. The curse hit Cormac McLaggen in the chest. He fell backwards, upending plates and goblets on the Gryffindor table.
A bowl of grapes went flying into the air, smacking Neville Longbottom squarely in the face.
Hermione backed away as McLaggen's legs flailed dangerously in her direction.
Blaise lunged at him, grabbing hold of his ankle.
"Mr. Zabini!" yelled Professor McGonagall rising from the head table.
Next to Zabini, stood his sister, Elaine, a fair-haired girl who was sobbing uncontrollably.
"She's lying to you!" McLaggen stammered.
"You'll pay for what you've done!" Blaise spat.
McLaggen was in excruciating pain, but he couldn't break free from the curse.
The Gryffindors tried to pull Zabini off, but their attempts were thwarted when several Slytherins rushed to his side.
It wasn't long before the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs joined the fight too.
Hagrid left the head table and marched towards the chaos, making the ground quake with every step.
Hermione ducked her head as a goblet went flying overhead.
"Get the headmaster, we're losing control!" McGonagall shouted to Flitwick, as one student forgot his wand altogether and started throwing punches.
"Zabini, release Mr. McLaggen at once!" she cried.
She rushed to the Gryffindor table, Professors Sprout and Snape at her heels.
A crowd had formed, and everyone was shoving each other.
Professor Sprout climbed to the top of the Hufflepuff table, calling for order.
"You've lost yer minds! Dumbledore would be o'shamed," Hagrid said gruffly, trying to restrain two sixth years from hitting each other.
Hermione glanced at Dumbledore's empty chair. She hadn't seen him all morning, only received a message from Fawkes detailing the plan for the evacuation.
She was distracted by a loud crash. In the commotion, Professor Sprout had toppled over and landed on the floor, taking a first year down with her.
Two of Romena's guards rushed forward, trying to break the students apart.
Snape approached, his black robes billowing behind him. "ZABINI!"
Hagrid was faster. He swooped down, and lifted both boys in one swift motion. He shook Zabini senseless until his wand clattered to the floor.
Professor McGonagall marched up to Snape. "You will control your house, Severus!" she shouted, tightening her grip on her wand, as if she expected him to perform an unforgivable curse on her too.
Snape raised his wand high into the air.
There was a loud CRACK, like a gunshot, and everyone screamed.
"It's not me you want," Blaise spat, trying to squirm out of Hagrid's hold.
"We'll see what Dumbledore has ter say abou' that."
Silence fell upon the Great Hall as everyone looked at Snape.
"Set them down," he commanded.
Hagrid let both boys fall to the floor.
"You have performed an unforgivable curse, Zabini."
Blaise was so angry he was shaking. "What McLaggen did to my sister is far more unforgivable than any curse." He pointed at McLaggen. "Tell them!"
Elaine's loud, racking sobs echoed in the Great Hall
"That Slytherin slag is a liar," McLaggen said fiercely. "We never—we didn't—It isn't mine!" he said quickly.
There were murmurs from the students as they whispered to each other.
"What isn't yours?" McGonagall asked, suspecting she wouldn't like the answer.
Elaine wrapped her arms protectively around her middle.
Professor McGonagall moved closer to her. "Are you..."
She paused, looking extremely uncomfortable. She chose her next words carefully. "Are you expecting?" she asked gently.
Elaine nodded slowly, her cheeks wet with tears.
"And Mr. McLaggen is responsible?"
She nodded again.
"He told her to get rid of it," said Blaise. "And when she wouldn't listen to him, he gave her a potion that nearly killed her."
"I didn't know it would be that strong!" Cormac exclaimed. "I didn't mean to hurt her."
Everyone was silent, and only Elaine's shuddering sobs could be heard.
Blaise was seething. "You told her it was a potion to calm her nerves. You lied to her and nearly ended her life."
McLaggen looked down at the floor.
It was a while before Snape spoke again. He looked at Blaise.
"While I understand your motivations, Zabini, you have attacked a fellow student. You will both leave the castle."
Blaise's eyes widened. "But professor—I—I have nowhere to go."
"You should have come to me first," Snape said sharply, turning to look at the guards standing behind him. "Now there is nothing I can do for you. The Ministry will not turn a blind eye to violence at Hogwarts."
"We will escort you outside," said one of the guards.
Blaise stood rooted to the spot.
"NOW!" Snape shouted, making him jump. "You too McLaggen."
"But—" sputtered Cormac, he turned wildly to look at Professor McGonagall. "Professor—"
"What you have done Mr. McLaggen, has deeply disgraced Gryffindor house. You will do as Professor Snape says."
A member of the Hogwarts Guard stepped forward. He had scratches on his face from trying to wrestle a third year.
"Attacks will not be tolerated," the guard said coldly. "Anyone who harms a fellow student will meet the same fate."
Everyone stood in shocked silence.
The guard spoke again. "From now on Slytherins will have separate mealtimes. Romena Wright's orders. And they'll be moved to the fourth floor where she can keep close watch on them."
Hermione's pulse quickened. She knew the move had nothing to do with the fight. That was Dumbledore's doing. They needed the dungeons and the Slytherin dormitories clear for their plan to work.
There were murmurs of dissent from the Slytherins."But the rest of us haven't done anything!" said a fifth year.
"The rest of you will go up to your dormitories," said Professor McGonagall curtly. "Prefects, take your houses in an orderly fashion at once."
***
Hermione paced her room, hardly believing what McLaggen had done. She felt terrible for Blaise and Elaine, two people she never thought she'd feel sorry for.
It was impossible to choose sides in the middle of the chaos that surrounded them.
No one knew which way the war would turn. Tomorrow anyone could be the victor, and everyone looked at each other with suspicion.
Hermione's thoughts were interrupted by Crookshanks, who had streaked past her to climb to the window ledge. She patted his head absentmindedly.
Mass hysteria had gripped the castle, and the fight today had been the worst of many that had broken out all week.
Hermione bitterly conceded that she had learned nothing of Malfoy's family or his plans. She hadn't seen him since the day they'd argued in the hospital wing. His words had stung her more than she liked to admit. He had a way of drawing her in and then throwing her off balance, just when she thought she was getting closer to him.
The only useful thing she could do now was to listen to Dumbledore, and get the younger students out of the school.
She had never felt more alone. Harry was gone. And now Ron was gone too.
Hermione shut her eyes. She had caught Fred and George before they left, and given them half the polyjuice potion she'd brewed over the summer. She had planned to give it to Ron, but he'd left ahead of his brothers before she could say goodbye. A part of her was angry at him for it. Ginny had been furious too, and she'd shut herself up in her room, refusing to speak to anyone for days.
Hermione looked out the window.
The ship from Durmstrang had arrived last night, and was sitting at the bottom of the lake, waiting for Dumbledore's signal. If all went well, she and the students would leave the castle after midnight.
But what if Voldemort attacked before then? Hermione wondered. The Order's intelligence suggested they still had time to escape, but no one had heard from the allies. And there was something that made Hermione uneasy. What would happen if the older students caught on to what she was doing? They wouldn't take well to being left behind. They could try to stop her, or take over the ship. Uncertainty and panic had already spread through the castle like a dangerous plague...
Hermione's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.
It must be Ginny, she thought, reaching for the handle. Maybe she was ready to talk...
Pansy Parkinson pushed her way into the room before Hermione could protest.
"What are you—"
"Relax, Granger. I won't stay long."
Crookshanks jumped down from the window and hissed at her, but Pansy paid him no mind.
Hermione tightened her grip on her wand. "What do you want? Who let you in?"
"Longbottom," she said, smiling. "It didn't take much to coerce the password out of him. He's locked in a broom cupboard, but I'm sure he'll find his way out eventually..."
Hermione glared at her.
Pansy spoke again. "Romena Wright is holding Draco prisoner, I thought you should know."
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "That's not surprising, seeing as he's a Death Eater."
"She's torturing him, Granger. He's newly recovered from his injuries, and she's putting him through hell. You're going to go to Dumbledore, and you're going to make it stop."
Hermione laughed. "I'm sure you're exaggerating. Dumbledore has more important things to worry about. I'm not going to—"
"She'll kill him! And Dumbledore's too distracted to notice! You're the only one who can make it stop. You have to help him. If she doesn't kill him, then they will." Pansy looked out the window, as if expecting Voldemort and his Death Eaters to materialize on the grounds at any moment. She paused, weighing her next words. "You're his only chance."
Hermione folded her arms. "The last time I saw Malfoy, he made it clear he didn't want my help."
"Forget your stupid Gryffindor pride for one second, and listen to me—"
"Why not ask his friends to break him out?" interrupted Hermione.
Pansy sighed. "Nott left the castle, and Crab and Goyle aren't up to the task. Now with Blaise gone...that only leaves you."
"And what makes you think I want to help him?"
"You know the answer to that better than anyone," said Pansy bitterly. "I saw you on the Astronomy tower...the night that he kissed you."
Hermione's face flushed. "I—I—"
"I don't want an explanation," Pansy cut in. "I just need to know if you'll talk to Dumbledore."
Hermione shook her head. "No one has seen Dumbledore today, and—"
"Then we'll have to do it ourselves. He's in the Founders Chambers."
"The what?" asked Hermione dumbfounded. She didn't remember reading anything in Hogwarts: A History about—
"They're hidden rooms," said Pansy, interrupting her thoughts. "They were sealed off after the last Founder died. There's a secret passage that leads to them, I can get us in, but we'll need at least one other person. The entrance—it takes three people to open it."
Hermione stared at Pansy, at a loss for words.
"No one in Gryffindor will help," she said truthfully.
"No one in Gryffindor," Pansy repeated.
Hermione frowned at her. What was she hinting at?
And that's when it hit her. There was one person who would help. She had seen the look of guilt on his face when Malfoy was taken to the hospital wing...
"I'll need to go to Ravenclaw Tower," Hermione said quickly. "I need to find Roman Everley."
***
"Do you think she'll come?"
"She's soft-hearted Draco. Her conscience won't let her do otherwise. And she thinks of you differently...I could see it in her face."
Draco stared into his ring, Pansy was back in the Slytherin common room, sitting in front of the fireplace.
"You think differently of her too," she said resentfully.
"I don't."
"I've seen the way you look at her, just don't get yourself killed—promise me, you won't risk your life for hers—"
Pansy stopped, suddenly alarmed. "Do you hear that?"
Draco frowned. "Hear what?"
There was a rumble and then—
BAM!
Draco fell forward. It felt like someone had hit the castle with a large battering ram.
The walls shook, and clouds of dust fell from the ceiling.
Draco looked down at his ring. Pansy had disappeared.
"Pansy—Pansy?!" he asked, hoping she could still hear him.
All the lights in the Slytherin Common room had gone out.
"I think it's him, Draco," Pansy whispered in the darkness. "It's Voldemort, he's here."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you for reading! Hope you take a sec to vote and review!