Chapter 18

Hermione stayed in her room for several days, even refusing to speak with Voldemort. She felt as if a part of her had been ripped out with her exclusion from her friends. Ginny had always been her friend and now they weren't speaking. She was alone now in this cavernous mansion and it frightened her.

"Hermione?"

Hermione jumped at the soft sound of Ebony's voice. "Yes," Hermione answered in a cracked voice.

"Could you let me in? I want to speak with you?"

"Why should I? Are you going to hate me too because of one decision that I made which would ultimately protect me?"

"Hermione just let me in. Please, I'm not going to judge you."

Hermione grudgingly unlocked the charms on the door and opened it. Ebony glided in the room and looked around. It was a mess and Hermione didn't look much better. "What have you done to yourself?"

"Nothing."

Ebony grabbed Hermione's shoulders and forced her to look at her. "Look at me, Hermione, Ginny and Draco may not be speaking to you but that is no reason to fall to pieces. Remember that Lucius and Bellatrix are watching and falling to pieces will get you nowhere. It will only put ammunition to use against you into their hands."

Hermione pulled away roughly. "Have you ever had your best friend look at you like she was disgusted or had her glare at you? Do you know how much that hurts?"

"Yes, I have Hermione and although I have seen her since our misunderstanding at Hogwarts, our once close friendship will never be the same. Except my case is different from yours. Ginny will forgive you in time but she needs to time to understand why you took such a vow. It even puzzles me but if you say that you did it to protect yourself then I will accept that."

"Then why can't Ginny understand that? Or Draco? He's supposed to be a Slytherin, he's supposed to be self-serving but he doesn't even understand the need for me to protect myself."

Ebony sighed. "It's more complicated than that. He grew up surrounded by Dark magic and he always had a grasp of complicated magic. He knows what the vow involved and I think it worries him. He isn't so much angry with you as worried."

"Then why would he tell me that I shouldn't temporarily blind him anymore."

Ebony frowned. "You did that? You do know that with repeated use, it can actually turn the victim blind."

Hermione's jaw fell open. "That wasn't mentioned in the book I read about the spell!"

"Sometimes you have to tread carefully regarding some spells and it is usually best to cross-reference a dangerous spell before you use it. Why didn't you do that though, I would have thought you'd do that?"

"I found the book in Voldemort's library. I feel horrible now. I didn't realize that I could blind him permanently with that spell! What he must think of me."

"Hermione, why did you take that vow? I would have understood an Unbreakable Vow but the Eternal Vow?"

"I-"

The door opened behind them and Hermione spun to see Voldemort in the doorway. "Are you coming to dinner?"

Hermione nodded her head, resolving to put on a brave front. Voldemort observed her complete state of disarray with amusement before she shot him a dirty look. "I suppose I'll leave Ebony to help you clean up then," he said before leaving.

"You can go on Ebony, I can do it myself. It might make me feel better."

Ebony gave her a warm smile and a hug before she departed. Hermione sighed to herself and went to find some dress robes. When she stepped into her bathroom and looked in the mirror, she was horrified by the thing staring back at her. She knew that she had been neglecting herself for the last few days but that was just plain scary.

Hermione turned the shower on and stepped in. The sorrows of the last few days seemed to wash away and she was grateful for that. Hermione dried her hair with her wand and then washed her face before slipping into her blue dress robes. She contemplated her hair for a few moments and fruitlessly tried to arrange it herself. After several minutes of struggling, Hermione gave up and called for Kaly. She felt a bit guilty to make the poor thing do her hair but Hermione didn't feel like going to ask Ebony. Besides Ginny might be with Ebony and Hermione didn't want a confrontation.

"Could you do my hair?"

"Of course Mistress, anything for you," the overexcited elf clapped its hands.

Hermione sat down on her vanity stool and Kaly critically surveyed her hair. "You have beautiful hair Mistress."

"Thank you Kaly, but my hair is a monster. It was really sweet though."

Kaly snapped her fingers and Hermione hair began to arrange itself into an elaborate updo that showcased her curly hair. "I love it Kaly, thank you."

The elf beamed beneath the praise and disappeared with a crack. Hermione continued to examine her hair and failed to hear the door open. "You look beautiful," Voldemort said, placing a kiss on her neck.

Hermione turned, startled at his voice. "Thank you, you uh, look good too."

Voldemort smirked at her comment and pulled her from the stool. "Come, or we'll be late."

Hermione took the arm Voldemort offered and they walked to the Dining hall. The large din of voices abruptly stopped as they entered. Many stared in awe at the necklace crowning her neck. Hermione self-consciously touched the diamond stones against her throat almost fearing that they had disappeared and everyone could see the scar on her neck. Voldemort gracefully seated Hermione before doing the same. Everyone else took their seats and the house elves came out.

Hermione felt sorry for the poor dears. She really couldn't help it. Although she knew in her heart that SPEW would never work because the house elves somehow enjoyed what they did, she still felt that pity because they didn't know any better. Of course it didn't help, in her mind, that many of the pureblooded families abused their house elves. She smiled at the house elf who served her but they quickly scurried away.

Hermione frowned and turned to see Ginny watching her. When Ginny realized that Hermione was staring at her, she quickly glared and looked away. Hermione sighed and looked down at her plate. She tried to concentrate on her dinner but her stomach seemed to want to reject the food. Finally, she gave up and set down her fork.

Hermione lifted her head and immediately sensed eyes boring into her. She turned to the right and caught the black gaze of Bellatrix. Bellatrix raised a thin brow in mocking before blowing her a kiss. Hermione turned her face away with a gulp. Voldemort reached out and laid his hand over hers as he continued his conversation with Lucius. Strangely enough, she seemed to find comfort in his warm hand and it scared her a little.

Hermione tried to listen to the conversation that Lucius and Voldemort were conducting but she quickly gave up, realizing that neither obviously wanted her to know. She turned her face to listen to Narcissa instead. She was conveying to Mrs. Parkinson, Hermione guessed, about her new design for the Malfoy ballroom. Hermione quickly lost interest, however, when Narcissa began to describe the settee cushions and she looked around trying to find some other meaning of diverting herself.

Voldemort abruptly stood, pulling Hermione up beside him. Everyone took their cue to leave and Voldemort and Hermione were left alone. "Is something wrong?" she asked, looking at the worry lines etched on his face.

"I have to leave you Hermione. I must go to my other home and take care of some business. Will you be alright by yourself?"

"Of course, I am very capable of taking care of myself. Go, don't worry about me."

Voldemort reluctantly pulled his hand from hers and apparated away. Hermione stared at where he had been for a moment longer before she left the Dining Hall. The entrance hall was deserted but something just didn't feel right to her. Hermione quickened her steps and just as she reached for the stair railing, she heard it. It was the soft clicking of high heels on the tiled flooring. "Is the wittle mud-blood all alone?" Bellatrix's mocking voice called.

Chills ran down Hermione's skin but she turned to face Bellatrix anyways. "Was there something you wanted?"

Bellatrix contemptuously surveyed Hermione. "Why did he pick you? There is nothing even remotely wonderful about you. You're a mud blood for Merlin's sake."

"Why my husband married me is none of your business," Hermione replied coldly, trying to insert some venom into her voice.

Bellatrix was before her in a flash, her dark eyes glittering maliciously. "Why do you wear this necklace, hmm? I've never seen it before," Bellatrix fingered the necklace almost lovingly before she ripped it off Hermione's neck.

Hermione tried to cover the scar with her hands but Bellatrix was faster and grabbed Hermione's wrists painfully. She bent forward and examined the scar, before quickly dropping Hermione's hands, as if burned. Hermione looked down at her wrists, already seeing the bruises start to ring them when she heard that familiar spell Harry had told her about.

Hermione grasped the railing, feeling the blood begin to spurt from her chest. Bellatrix grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and pushed her into an alcove. "No one will see you die, mudblood."

Hermione drew her hand away from her neck and stared at the warm blood on it. She reached for her wand as she tried to take an assessment of the damage done. A large gash marred her fair chest and blood poured from the wound, staining her dress robes. Her vision began to dim as she frantically grapsed for her wand.

She heard the footsteps of someone on the stairs and she paused for a moment. But it was a moment she wasn't afforded. Hermione's vision went black and she slumped to the floor, briefly hearing her name shouted by Ginny.