The stillness of the night was broken by a loud crack as two cloaked figures appeared.

"-Understand why he wants her." the one on the left muttered, as he hurried to catch up with the one on the right.

"She's part of the 'Golden Trio' as they are apt to calling them these days. Why would he not want her captured? She's the brains of the three." The other one answered as he swept along.

"I don't understand why we are not to harm the muggles." The one on the left clarified. He was slightly out of breath from their fast pace.

"I would imagine he has some plan that involves them." the other replied. "If you would walk as much as you talk, we'd be there by now."

The one on the left ignored the insult. "Why not stun them and bring them in if that were the case?" He demanded to know.

"Look Avery. I do not pretend to know what the dark lord wants. If he wanted you to know, he would've told you."

"But Lucius." Avery whined as he hurried to catch up. "You're his right hand man, surely he trusts-"

Lucius interrupted him. "Trust? You think he trusts me?! That man trusts no one. I don't think he even trusts that bloody snake of his."

"Why didn't we apparate in?" Avery asked after a moment's silence.

"I expect Dumbledore probably put a few wards around." Lucius replied exasperated.

"Couldn't we circumvent them?" Avery questioned.

"This is Dumbledore we are talking about!" Lucius snapped. "Not some pathetic excuse for a wizard."

Avery did not reply. They walked side-by-side in silence until they reached the house in question. They stood outside for several minutes, dismantling the wards around the house. They would not have succeeded if the Dark Lord hadn't given them detailed instructions how to get past it. With a final glance they slipped inside.

They crept quietly through the house, and then they got to the stairs.

Hermione woke up, just as soft footsteps started up the stairs. Her wand was in her hand. She wasn't generally such a light sleeper, but something was off at the moment. She silently crept to her bedroom door and slid it open.

Her mind was working furiously trying to figure out what to do. If they were muggles, she could stun them, obliviate them, and send them on their way. If they were wizards, she was in trouble, She drifted into the hall before spotting them. One she could recognize immediately. Wisps of blonde hair gleamed in the darkness. Her wand was up in an instance.

"Leave, now!" She ordered.

The one she didn't recognize laughed at her. "Why on earth would we do that?" He taunted.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "Expelliarmus!" She said coolly. His wand flew into her hand, whilst he went tumbling down the stairs. He did not move once he'd landed. She could care less. "Leave, or you'll end up like him."

"I would like to think that a mere mudblood could not throw me down the stairs." Lucius said with a nasty smirk. Hermione could see where Malfoy got it from.

"I'm sure your friend thought that too." Hermione retorted angrily.

Lucius smirked humorlessly. "Stupefy." He said with a casual flick of his wand.

It bounced off her shield. "Expelliarmus." She growled.

"Protego!" He countered. "Crucio!"

Hermione ducked and it hit her wall. "Avis!"

Lucius was pelted by a small flock of birds. After several seconds of getting pecked by them, he spluttered out the counter-spell. "Finite Incantatum!"

His face was a bloody mess, and his robes were ruined. What irritated him the most were the white splatters in his hair. He looked ready to kill her.

"Locomoter Mortis." She cast as soon as the birds had disappeared.

Lucius' legs smacked together. "Crucio!. Stupefy!" He cast the two spells in quick succession so that when she dodged the Cruciatus, she went directly into the path of the Stupefy. Her eyes widened almost comically, as she realized her mistake.

With a flick of his wand, he made the stairway the way it had been before they came. He also made sure that there was no evidence whatsoever that they had ever been here. "Mobilicorpus." He muttered as he trotted down the stairs. He kicked Avery awake on his way out. Hermione's unconscious body floated out behind him.

Voldemort was pacing what was considered his office. He was situated in a medium-sized house in the countryside. This was his base - for now. At the moment, he was expecting Lucius and Avery to appear at any moment. That mudblood was extremely important, and would be used to bring Potter down a notch or two.

A loud crack sounded through his office as Lucius apparated in. behind him floated the mudblood. Voldemort allowed himself a victory smirk. Now all he had to do was discredit her, and make sure that Potter didn't find her before then.

He finally got a good look at Lucius. The man didn't look too good. Voldemort raised his eyebrows in question.

Lucius looked down embarrassed and muttered. "She set a bloody flock of birds on me."

Voldemort humorlessly chuckled. "Diffendo." He muttered. Her hair was shorn off about an inch from her skull. Without touching it, he placed it in a jar and ordered it sent down to the kitchen. It would be put in the Polyjuice Potion's bubbling merrily.

"Bring her along." Voldemort ordered as he exited the room. He walked down to the basement and opened the door. "Dump her in." He ordered. Lucius complied obediently. Voldemort went about casting anti-magic spells, anti-muggle spells, anti-apparation spells, and a warding spell around the room.

"She's yours Lucius." he remarked. "My only requirement is she must not die."

Lucius bowed slightly. "What would I do with a mudblood?" he asked.

"Torture her. Whatever it is you like to do with prisoners. She must not die."

Lucius nodded. Voldemort turned and swept out of the room.

Hermione awoke slowly. First she became aware of the smell. It had a slightly musty smell. It made her want to sneeze. She slowly sat up. It was very dark, wherever she was. She stood up and began to slowly walk around, exploring the confines of the room. Tentatively, she stretched out her fingers and walked forward, until they found the wall.

Then she began to walk along it. She tripped when her foot kicked a step. She reversed. and began following the wall in the other direction. Eventually. after what felt like hours. she fond where that wall. and the one beside it met. She continued along in a similar fashion until she found herself back at the steps. She sat down on the bottom step and stared off into the blackness.

Several minutes later. the door opened and closed. "Lumos." she recognized it as Lucius. Again. Hermione did not speak. merely continued to fix him with an unblinking stare. He looked away first. Hermione twitched. but only slightly. as he descended down the stairs.

"Why?" Hermione said coolly. breaking the silence.

"I have my reasons." Lucius replied as he walked around behind her. Hermione twisted back around and continued her unblinking glare at his back. In the light. she realized just how tiny the room was.

"That explains a whole lot." she muttered sarcastically.

"Might I remind you that you are at my mercy?" he asked a touch angrily.

"Your very presence is doing that very well." Hermione retorted.

Lucius chuckled. "I dictate when you eat, when you sleep, when you do anything." he remarked.

Hermione merely stared at him. She didn't outwardly seem to be impressed. but inwardly she was scared shitless.

"Lord Voldemort has decreed that I cannot kill you. but there are many ways of torturing without killing." He smirked evilly. "You would do well to remember that mudblood."

Hermione snorted. "Is that the only insult you can think of?" she retorted.

Lucius regarded her. "That is the only one I need." he replied. I suppose the first thing I shall have to do is teach you your place in the scheme of things."

"Hermione snorted. "Good luck with that." she muttered.

"You'll learn." he remarked. "After all, you'll have to depend upon me to feed you, clothe you, bathe you."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at that last bit. "Like hell you will." she retorted.

"Lucius chuckled mirthlessly. "Count on it."

"Any news Severus?" Dumbledore asked as the two walked along.

"None Professor." Snape replied. "The dark lord is hiding her very well. if he still has her at all."

"We shall have to tell the others." Dumbledore remarked in a weary voice.

"Doubtlessly." Severus replied. "But should we wait until we have definite news on her?"

"We must tell them soon so they can be on the lookout for her."

Severus nodded. "I must admit. Lucius has been looking happier of late."

"Whatever is making him happy can't be good." Dumbledore muttered. "Pass the word on that there will be a meeting tomorrow at seven. usual place."

Severus nodded and departed immediately.

Everyone was seated around the kitchen table. Harry and Ron along with the twins and a few other students had been invited to join for this meeting. Everyone was talking about what this could possibly be about. Only Severus, keeping to himself of course, appeared to know anything about the meeting.

Dumbledore swept in at that moment, and the noise immediately died down. "I have very bad news." he said as soon as he had sat down in a chair. Everyone stared at him with expressions varying from worried to expectant. "There was a death eater raid yesterday. Hermione was taken captive."

The room went deathly still for about ¾ of a second before the shouting began.

"What do you mean she's been captured?"

"We have to get her back!"

"Captured? Hermione captured?"

"How?

"Why aren't you rescuing her?"

"What are we going to do?"

"SILENCE!" Dumbledore thundered. "We are doing our best, but this is not easy matter. Voldemort suspects a traitor, and is being secretive about her location. It is only a matter of time before someone slips up. Until then, we can do nothing but wait."

"We have to find her!" Harry shouted. "We can't just leave her wherever she is."

"For all we know she may be dead." Snape remarked.

"We have to find her! Now!" Harry shouted again.

"Severus, you are not helping the matter. Everybody, sit down and be quiet." Dumbledore ordered. He waited until the room was quiet again before continuing. "Severus. I want you to find out what you can from the death eaters. Everyone else. keep your eyes peeled and your ears open for the slightest hint of her."

Having said that. Dumbledore walked out, followed by Severus. As soon as they'd left, the room erupted in chatter as everyone discussed this new turn of events.

Hermione screamed for all she was worth. Tears streamed down from her eyes. Her entire body felt like one giant, nerve ending on fire. She would do anything to stop it, but Lucius showed no signs of let up with the torture.

"Do you see why you must give in?" Lucius asked pleasantly as he traced her stomach with a rather sharp, and already bloody knife.

"You are no better than a muggle." Hermione wheezed, and then gasped in pain as the knife plunged into her thigh. Whimpers escaped her as more tears streamed down her face.

"One of these days you will learn." Lucius replied. "Until then. I shall just have to continue teaching you valuable life lessons."

"I'll never give up!" Hermione gasped out.

Lucius chuckled nastily. "Oh you will. By the end of our time together, you'll have learned your place. Crucio."

Hermione screamed as the spell hit her abused body. It was somewhere around this point that her body decided that it had had about enough and just shut down. Hermione felt relief as she blacked out.

"Dear, dear. We can't have this, now can we?" He cast several healing charms on her and then reawakened her. "Ready to start again?" he asked with a wicked glint in his eyes.

Hermione's face paled as she realized that he had healed her for the sole purpose of torturing her again.

"Now where were we before you so rudely fell asleep? I'll have to punish you for that you know."

Hermione began trembling slightly at this. Lucius just loved the expression on her face. It turned him on. He had a sudden inspiration as to what to do. Hermione backed away from him as he stalked her around the tiny room.

"We have to do something!" a young man said angrily as the two stared into a crystal.

"It is against the laws." the elder of the two replied sadly. She was not happy about the situation either.

"Screw the laws!" he snarled. "I can not stand her and watch my younger sister getting tortured like this!"

"We can not bring her here." the girl replied quietly. "We can not do anything. It will anger the king."

"And do you think mother will be pleased by this?" he retorted. He watched in horror as Hermione passed out.

"Mother does not know." she replied. "Mother left her in this wretched realm. She cares not about our younger sister."

"Surely she would not approve of this! Not even mother is that heartless!" he replied staring at the crystal. "Oh god! Quick, turn it off!" he said in a shrill voice as he spun away from the ball. The elder of the two only had to glance in to realize what her younger brother was about.

"Come." she murmured as she swept out. "Let us not spy on our poor sister any longer. It does her no good." He followed her out, giving the crystal ball one last glimpse, before softly shutting the door.

"I have bad news. Dumbledore." Snape remarked as he settled in his chair at yet another Order meeting. It had been three months since the disappearance of Hermione.

"What?" Dumbledore asked wearily. The ongoing search for Hermione, and dealing with the rest of the war was starting to show on his face.

"Snape did not reply, rather he flicked his wand and a glowing orb floated in the air. "This is the wizard equivalent of a camera." he replied as it started to play.

It showed a dark figure trotting up the steps to Hermione's home. Whoever it was. had not trouble getting in. The person darted up the stairs and into a room. The room was dark, but not for long. "Lumos. Crucio."

Mr. Granger shot out of bed screaming. The spell ended and he laid on the floor whimpering and twitching. "Get up." the cold but unmistakable voice of Hermione commanded. Both him and his wife slowly stood.

"Do you have any idea how long I've dreamed of doing this? I've hated you. All my life I've dreamed of doing this. I finally get my chance under the dark lord. I doubt even my 'best friends' would've seen this coming. Your deaths shall be slow and painful."

"Why?" her mother asked fearfully. "We've always supported your transition into the wizarding world. We've always helped you. "Why?"

Hermione laughed a cruel and cold laugh. "You are muggles." Hermione replied nastily. "You're non-magical status has always held me back, prevented me from going where I wanted to go! With your deaths, I shall be an honorary member of the death eaters. Crucio!"

Her mother screamed even louder than her father had. He lunged at Hermione and knocked her to the floor, ending the spell on her mother.

"Petrificus Totalus." Hermione hissed at her father. He fell back with a thud. "You dare touch me?" she snarled. "you shall suffer for that!"

With a flick of her wand, she had him shrieking and begging for mercy. "You shall get no mercy from me." she hissed, glee written all over her face. Eventually she stopped the spell. "I have not entirely given up my muggle ways." she remarked as she reached into her robes. "I find that a very sharp knife is considerably better than any spell in existence.

She approached her mother slowly, who cowered away from her. "You shall watch her suffer and die a slow and painful death, then you shall receive worse. She grinned devilishly before setting to work on Mrs. Granger, Several minutes later, much to her disappointment, her mother expired.

Her father was still lying still, but he was looking sick. Hermione grinned nastily before setting to work on him. Minutes later, she settled back to look at her handiwork. There was something to be said about skinning a person alive. Blood was splattered all over the place, but she really didn't care.

She did not bother cleaning up, but rather left things as they had been. She turned and carefully stepped over the corpse of her father, and departed the house.

Harry looked angry at this tape. "Why?" he muttered feverishly. "Why would she do this to us."

"I fear." Dumbledore said quietly. "That Hermione has gone over to the dark side."

Hermione stared listlessly at the wall. She did not know it but it had been two full years since she'd been captured. Here, day melted into night, with no sign of its passing.

The door opened and she recognized the figure entering. Who else could it be? No one else seemed to remember her very existence. She did not move an inch, instead allowing him to loom over her.

"Get up mudblood." he growled, kicking her back. Without a sound, Hermione stood up, but continued looking at the floor.

"You've been here for two years." he remarked as he circled around her, like a hawk stalking its prey. Hermione gave a noncommittal shrug. She no longer cared. "Does this not bother you?" he drawled as he caressed her cheek.

Hermione again shrugged. "I remember nothing of the time when I was not here." she intoned emotionlessly. It was true. She no longer could remember small things that she had always taken for granted. She did not remember feeling anything but fear; she remembered nothing about sleeping in an actual bed, or eating actual food, and not the rancid stuff Lucius gave her.

Lucius smirked in satisfaction. "Two years ago." he breathed into her ear. "I told you that I was going to teach you your place in life. You didn't believe me."

Hermione didn't reply. She no longer cared. Two years of almost constant torture had done that to her. Everyone whom she had held dear had abandoned her, all because of a few lies the dark lord had fed them. They believed that she had not been kidnapped, but had willingly joined the dark lord. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

"You are too…docile." Lucius remarked from behind her. "You were much better when you actually put up a fight." Lucius shook his head. "If not for the fact that we still need you alive. I would've killed you ages ago." he remarked as he circled in front of her.

Hermione displayed the fear that she felt. It was the only emotion that she still possessed.

"Pathetic." he muttered. "Still, you have been a great help to our cause. The Dark Lord is most pleased with your cooperation in the matter. Soon, very soon, you may get a chance out of here." He spat in disgust at her lack of emotion to his words. Without a word, he delivered her food that the house elves had prepared, and stormed out.

"Master?" Lucius asked as he entered the study of the dark lord. "You asked for me?"

"How is the mudblood?" Voldemort asked pleasantly as he watched one of his best death eaters.

"I think she has accepted her station in life." Lucius replied after a pause. "She no longer puts up a fight."

"So much for Gryffindor bravery." Voldemort mused as he sat deep in thought. "I don't believe she would make a useful death eater."

"You don't?" Lucius asked in puzzlement.

"No." Voldemort replied, shaking his head. "I had thought at first to perhaps force her to become one. She is much to weak."

Had Lord Voldemort been looking at Lucius, he would've noted that his right hand had paled slightly at that.

"She's is of no more use to us. Kill her."

Lucius bowed. "It shall be done my lord."

"Take the rest of her hair and her blood." Voldemort ordered.

"May I ask why?" Lucius asked as he paused at the door.

"We wouldn't want to run out of ingredients for the Polyjuice Potion, now would we?" Voldemort replied with an evil smirk. They both knew they were running out of ingredients. The charade would have to end, and soon.

"We have to do something, or he'll kill her." He muttered as he stared into the seeing globe.

"He's going to kill her?" his elder sister asked as she stepped in.

"Yes, after framing her for over two years. As if they hadn't done enough!" He snarled feverishly.

"Perhaps it would be doing her a favor." His sister murmured sadly.

"NO!" He growled angrily. "I will not allow my sister to die!"

"I'm surprised that the potion's even worked considering her ancestry." she mused as she considered their options. On one hand they could rescue her from her situation and risk expulsion from the court, or they could stand by and let their little sister die. It was not too hard to decide. "Very well." she concluded. "We shall send her elsewhere."

"Where?" he asked as he watched their sister listlessly sitting against a wall.

"Let fate decide." she replied. The two linked hands and let their will slide out to their younger sister and yank her from her current location to another.

Hermione was sitting there staring off into space when she felt a brush against her conscious. She ignored it, but the brush got more urgent. Then a tingle began in her toes and worked its way up her body. A fog swirled up around her and she felt herself floating.

Time and space held no meaning for Hermione. It felt as if she were sitting on clouds. All around her she could hear voices. Some were calm and steady others were frantic and screaming. Hermione listened to them all and tried to remember what they were saying, but she couldn't understand the language.

After what seemed like eternity. Hermione felt herself become grounded in reality. She opened her eyes and then shielded them as bright lights assaulted them. She pulled herself up to her knees and then stayed there as the room swam before her eyes.

"Where am I?" she wondered as she tried to get her eyes adjusted to light. "And how did I get here?"

Rowena Ravenclaw was sitting in her study reading. It wasn't often that she got to read. Between grading papers, watching students, and keeping Godric and Salazar from killing each other, she didn't really get much time for herself. She was halfway through the chapter when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

Rowena stopped reading immediately and just sat there trying to figure out what was wrong. Her senses hit upon something odd. Something had landed in her Great Hall. Something powerful. Something deadly.

She bookmarked her page and wandered downstairs to investigate. Before she'd even opened the door. She sensed magic. Fae magic. She was immediately on guard. When Fae got involved, something was up.

Sitting in the floor looking around him was a young boy. He didn't look very old at first glance. Fourteen or fifteen. Upon closer inspection however, Rowena realized she was wrong. The boy was not that young. He was just thin and starved looking and more importantly, he was a she. Rowena wondered where Helga was.

Godric and Salazar were in the kitchen having a drinking contest. Sure it was the middle of the school year and sure there were students around, but it required a lot of ale to get either of them drunk, and they weren't anywhere near that point. All at once, both of them stopped and looked around.

"What on earth?" Salazar muttered as he stood.

"I dunno." Godric replied. "It felt weird whatever it was."

"Of course it did." Salazar snapped. "Do you think I would be standing here if it weren't?"

"Maybe we should go find Rowena." Godric suggested.

"Good idea." Salazar agreed.

The two set off to find their good friend Rowena. She was kneeling beside a girl and talking to her quietly. Upon their entry, Rowena twisted around and glanced at them. "Could one of you go find Helga? I need her for a bit of healing."

"She's probably in the Healer's Wing." Salazar muttered. "I'll go find her." with that he turned and exited the room.

Rowena turned back to the mysterious girl.

Several minutes later, Salazar returned with Helga.

"What have we here?" Helga muttered as she knelt beside the girl. She laid her hand on the girl's head, closed her eyes, and just sat there. A moment later, she stood up. "Let's get her to the hospital wing. She needs it more than you know." she ordered.

Godric picked Hermione up and walked in the direction of the Hospital Wing. The other three founders's trailed behind him.

"So. What's wrong with her?" Rowena asked as they walked.

Helga was silent for a minute before replying. "Malnutrition, broken bones, bones that were poorly mended, cuts, scars, internal bleeding, and the effects of too many Cruciatus Curses." Helga replied

"Cruciatus Curse?" Salazar snorted. "What kind of idiot uses a Crucio?"

"I have no idea." Helga replied. "It's not that horrible of a curse, but it does have nasty side-effects when used too often. On top of all that, the poor girl's pregnant."

They arrived at the Hospital Wing and laid the girl down on one of the beds. "Everybody out." Helga ordered as soon as she was situated.

"Why?" Rowena asked with a frown.

"It's not going to be pleasant here in a minute. I'm going to have to break bones that were healed so I can set them properly among other things." Helga replied. "And I daren't knock her out for this in her condition."

"I shall be in my study should you need me." Salazar said before sweeping out the door. One by one they others left, leaving Hermione in Helga's tender care.

"Feel free to talk." Helga remarked as she bustled around getting supplies.

The only thing tat escaped her lips were screams as her bones for forcibly broken and knitted back together. Hermione slipped into the little corner of her mind and huddled there. It was her safe house from the constant pain. Nothing was hidden or anything, but it dulled her senses a bit, made her life slightly more bearable.

Helga realized pretty quickly what was happening and it made her wander just what this child had been through to have developed that sort of mental capability to retreat to in times of distress. Doing that was no easy feat and it took most wizards years to develop one and then retreat to it in a moment's notice. Yet this slip of a girl was doing it almost as a habit.

She found many more wounds to heal, though most were nowhere near as painful as the bones. Some she would have to ask the child about because they were quite strange and didn't really fit the image of the girl. Helga was trained to recognize mudbloods on sight, and this girl certainly wasn't that, so why she had it carved around her middle was a mystery to the kindly witch.

An hour later, she informed the girl, whoever she was, that she could go to sleep now, and that her child was fine before departing.

"How is she?" Godric asked as soon as she'd walked out.

"Better." Helga answered. "Yet I fear there are some wounds that only time can heal."

Godric was silent for a moment. "How bad was it?" He asked quietly as the two walked side-by-side.

"Bad." Helga said shortly. "Most of them I was able to heal, but her mind I cannot. Whatever it was that the poor child went through, it did severe damage on her mind. She'll have scarring, I suppose."

"Couldn't you get rid of that?" Godric had seen some of the wounds and scars on her face and arms, he figured the rest of her body was as bad if not worse.

"Oh yes, but I'll be getting her permission before that happens, and if her mind never heals than she'll bear them for the rest of her life." Helga murmured sadly. "I do hope her mind recovers. "T'would be a pity for such a mind to go to waste."

I know it's longer than my usual work, but it's what leads up to Hermione's stay in the past. Just in case you missed the pairing it's a Salazar/Hermione pairing. Feel free to review.