"You said you would protect me…you promised me. But when you told me that…did you mean from yourself as well?"

Chapter 2

The Monster from Within and Around

I tried to move my head, anything to release my eyes from his locked stare. Ignoring his last request I closed my eyes once more. A slow click echoed from the large oak door, Lucius let my head drop from the magical grasp. But he remained in front of me, "Lucius…he will be here in a few moments…" The disheartening familiar Death Eaters voice reverberated in my ear. My heart stopped once more, He…he was coming. "Good, have Bella show him to the dining area. I shall be along in a moment, first I must deal with the mudblood." Those final words lingered in my ears, the pit of my stomach burned with rage; I held my tongue none the less. I could tell by the direction of his voice that he was still glaring at me; I dare not look up though, continuing to look down at the shaggy burgundy carpet, my hair falling into my face. The man remained still, "Keep in mind…the Dark Lord needs her healthy…" Dolohov spoke with quiet warning to Lucius. And exasperated sigh streamed from Lucius', "As I said I will be along in a moment." He spoke through gritted teeth; the door shuttered a slow creak as Dolohov left.

The eerie coldness clawed its way over my body; I could feel Lucius walking slowly around me. His slow steady breathing matched the pace of his footsteps. "So mudblood…" I jumped at the deep silky voice, "We meet again." He stopped in front of me once more; I could feel my head being lifted by the invisible force, cool breath swept over my face as he spoke. "Didn't your filthy Muggle parents ever tell you to look at your superiors when they speak!" My head snapped to the side as the stinging in my cheek worsened with each passing second. Slowly I turned my face forward once more to face the statuesque figure. His outward features remained emotionless, as I rubbed my throbbing cheek. His eyes however; those eyes…grey and cold as the winter sky continued to stare at me. Every exterior of him was covered by a shield it seemed, aside from his eyes, as I stared into them my blood ran cold. How can one's eyes…or ones soul it seemed contain that much hate, disgust, rage and sadness all at once?

His nose crumbled in disgust as he looked me over, "I knew I should have killed you that night at the Department of Mysteries…my kindness toward you cost me time in Azkaban Granger…and now my wife." Before I could even scream he had wrapped a handful of my hair in his gloved hands, pulling my head back and shoving his wand into the crevice of my neck. "Did you honestly think you could murder my wife and get away with it?" My mind was swimming, oh God. The tip of his wand grazed slowly up my neck and against my cheek, and back down again, his tongue made two low tisks as he followed his wand with his eyes. "Come now mudblood…the brightest witch of your age…" He spat the word witch out as if it was acid on his tongue. "I knew the order was pathetic, but not to the extent of keeping a mudblood under its protection." Against my better judgment I quickly spoke, "The order didn't kill Narcissa…" my body sprawled on the floor, a foot away from Lucius. The stinging of the invisible hand rested on my cheek once more; blood trickled from the inside of my cheek. "Don't you dare speak my wife's' name!" Standing shakily, I spat out blood in the direction of my capture; fury glistened as my "filthy" blood landed on his floor. "Stupid mudblood." A slight flick of his wand"Crucio!" And I was crumbled back on the floor, knives cut through my flesh, words could not express the feelings which consumed my body as the curse coursed through every inch of me. Lucius's eyes glittered as he watched me writhe in front of him, "Please! Stop!" Through my screams, a knock came at the door. Lucius's attention did not stray from me, but the pain slowly eased, (Did I finally break through to him?) Quickly I shoved the thought out of my mind and I lay on the floor; shuddering a few breaths as Draco's surprisingly tall figure entered the room. "Father…" He stopped as soon as his eyes met mine; his pale face was whiter than normal accenting the reddened areas around his eyes, unshed tears for his mother still gleamed in his eyes. Eyes that bounced from his father, to my sweat covered face, and then to his father's wand; he continued this pattern for a minute or so before Lucius asked, "What is it Draco?" Not bothering to hide is annoyance at his enjoyment being interrupted; Draco quickly shifted his attention from me to his father. "Vold…He's here. He wishes to speak to you about your capt…" He could not finish the sentence as he nodded toward me. A nod, and then a turn of his robes, Lucius made for the door; Draco cleared his throat stopping him. "He wants to see her." Both of their heads turned toward me as I continue lying on the floor, praying that if I stayed there quietly maybe I would wake up from this lurid dream.

Draco was to the right of me, the monster walked in front. He turned to look at his son, "Let me speak with him first, your Aunt will summon you when needed." Then he vanished. The silence was penetrating, Draco had no issue on ignoring the fact that I was there in his house, about to face the Dark Lord himself, although it had undoubtedly crossed his mind that once I walked into the great dining area, I might not come out again. I allowed my eyes to glance at him from the corner of my eye, his features so much like that of his father, but so unlike them as well. It never struck me until then how much he favored his mother. Guilt grasped at my gut, as much as I hated the weasel of a young man that stood next to me; I never wished for this type of thing against him. The pain that erasing my parents memory caused me made me feel oddly connected to Draco, hesitantly I raised my voice no more than a whisper, "Draco…I am so sorr…" before I could finish my sentence Bellatrix Lestrange's lanky black lace figure appeared in front of Draco and me; her black eyes that matched her black dress, (and no doubt her black heart) pierced my very soul as she stared repulsively at me, hissing.

"Draco, bring it in!" Any other time my being referred to as an it would have brought an instant verbal protest from me; but as soon as I entered the room, all hope of escaping, any fighting spirit that I had flew at the sight of those burning red eyes.

Draco had left my side and was replaced by Bellatrix, her cold hand roughly grabbing my arm and thrusting me in front of Voldemort. I stood in silence, Bellatrixs' nails now digging into my arm; "You filthy half-blood! Kneel before the Dark Lord!" Retching myself from her grasp, I moved slightly away from her; wand pointed at my face her mouth made to say something. A slender hand went up in protest, a sickening hiss like chuckle slithered through the room, "Now Bella, show our guest some hospitality…" She backed down, those black eyes however seemed to reflect a dagger; reluctantly she went and stood near Draco. "You are the famed Hermione Granger…the brightest witch of your time and best friend of Harry Potter." My skin crawled as he spoke Harrys name, I didn't like where this was going, the scarlet eyes flickered from me to Lucius,"Well Lucius." At the mention of his name upon Voldemorts lips, he came and stood a foot behind me; only fear was present in his icy eyes. "You have redeemed yourself, while the allusive nature of Potter seems inevitable; you have presented me with a very valuable asset." No one spoke as the snake like man rose from his seat, leisurely he made his way toward me; my attempts to hide my obvious shaking were pointless. "Such a beautiful young woman…" His bony fingers traced my cheek as he continued, "Potter will surely come to your aide." Tears streamed down my face as I made a feeble attempt to shake my head in objection. "No…" Voldemorts eyes lit up with clear amusement, "I won't let him…" The hissing laughter was quieter, "Bravery as well…such a pity on your blood standing. If not for your pitiful Muggle blood lingering in your veins…such a great Death Eater you would have been." The mere thought of it made my stomach lurch, Voldemorts scent enclosed me suddenly, and death….all that remained engulfed me as he whispered in my ear. "Unfortunately my dear…you have no say in the matter of your friends' decisions anymore. You will help us get him here, and tell us where he is going." Quickly he withdrew from my side and settled back into his seat, "You have your work cut out for you Lucius, you are in charge of her. See what information you can retrieve, and If she refuses…" What looked like a smile, sinister that it was, played at his lips. "Show her how persuasive you can be." I caught a quick nod from my captures head, no smile was there, his rage filled eyes flickered in my direction once, he took me roughly be the arm and pulled me toward the door. "And Lucius?" We stopped Blonde hair sweeping to the side as he turned once more, and while Lucius was being addressed, Voldemorts eyes rested on me. " I trust your emotions will not get in the way of what needs to be done…" There was silence, Lucius had stiffened and his grasp had tightened. None the less he kept a clam voice. "Of course not my Lord…" A unsure nod came from the Snake like man. "I look forward to our next meeting Ms. Granger." And with that I was pulled once more from the cold room and down the hall.

Abruptly a door was swung open, pulled violently down a flight of steps tripping as I was dragged. The light grew dim, save for a few candles that lined the wall. His grip tightened as we neared the bottom of the dungeon like room. A lone cellar stood in the middle of the dusty, gray/blue stoned room. With a quick thrust I was forced through the opened door. Tripping in my heels, I skidded along the hard cold ground, striking my head with a sickening thunk. The silence was broken only by shoes upon the ground, then a slamming of a door; Alone once more. Not bothering to move, I lie on the cold unyielding ground; blood trickling slowly from the side where my head struck. Uncontrollable sobs poured out, my tears mixing with my blood. Never in my life had I felt so much fear and hate at once; my stomach churned, burning almost. The burning crept through my body, fueling me in an odd way; I had felt this only a few times before. But new instantly what it was. Everyone had one; some just choose to show it more than others, feeding only on hate and rage. A monster…my monster; I had been told once by my father, "Darkness rests in us all. We can fight it, chooses to not be succumbed. There is a power greater than hate, and until you let go, you can never truly be free." I could no longer fight it though, it surged through me. I curled up in the cold night, surrounded by monsters; and succumbing to one within.