Draco and Hermione

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Draco, drag this filth down to the cellar. She'll be a useful prisoner and the Dark Lord will want to see her," said Bellatrix, kicking Hermione in the stomach before swiftly leaving the room. Hermione didn't move, she just laid on the ground, muscles aching all over and constant tears running down her face which mixed with the blood on her cheek. Draco grabbed her arms and dragged her out of the room, causing her to gasp and tug away in pain.

"Lie still!" said Draco in frustration. Hermione sighed and did as she was told, allowing him to gently drag her along the ground. It felt humiliating, but she supposed that was the whole point. To them, she was a mudblood inside a house of superior Death Eater's and purebloods. Once they turned a corner and were out of sight, Draco let go of her arms and pulled out his wand. Hermione crawled into a sitting position, because her legs were too weak to walk on. Then she saw the wand and her eyes widened in fear.

"D-don't, I-" Hermione sobbed, as she tried to back away.

"Be quiet," Draco hissed, his eyes threatening her. Hermione bit her lip and shut her eyes, waiting for the curse or hex that was surely coming. "Wingardium Leviosa..."

She opened her eyes in surprise as she began to float into mid-air, realising that he was going to levitate her to the cellar.

"Thanks," Hermione muttered.

"I just don't want to touch your mudblood skin, that's all," Draco replied coldly. Hermione glared at him but there was no sympathy in his gaze. She expected some sort of proper reply, after how reluctant he acted when he was told to identify her. But of course, after thanking him, all she got in return was a snide insult and the word 'mudblood'. It was typical of Malfoy, but she was still glad that he wasn't dragging her like an animal. They began descending the stone stairs towards the door. Instead of a wooden cellar door, there was a steel-barred gate, more suited for a medieval prison than a cellar. Draco let her drop roughly to the ground as he unlocked the door and pushed it open. Hermione swore in pain.

"That's the cellar, go in," said Draco, pointing into the dark, stone walled room. Hermione held her hip where she'd hit the step in pain, purposefully taking her time. Draco tapped his foot on the ground impatiently, waiting for her to move. But she wasn't finished yet. They'd known each other for seven years and even if they were enemies, she wanted a proper explanation from him.

"For what it's worth, I want to thank you for pretending to not know who I was earlier," Hermione said without looking at him.

"Your thanks is worth nothing, get in the damn cellar," Draco growled.

"When Bellatrix started torturing me, you told her who I was to make her stop. Why?" Hermione demanded, looking him in the eyes this time. He hesitated for a second, caught off guard by the odd question.

"Because your screaming was hurting my ears, that's why. Enough questions, get in the cellar or I'll push you in," said Draco, with a hint of finality.

"Fine," said Hermione in disappointment. She slid down the last two steps and watched as the steel-barred door slammed shut. But she quickly grabbed the bars and pulled herself up.

"Wait! Are they going to kill me?" she whispered. It was such an innocent question, Draco couldn't bring himself to ignore her. He turned around slowly, looking at her desperate expression.

"Yes," he admitted.

"When? What more are they going to do to me?" Hermione asked, leaning against the bars slightly. Her entire body was still aching from the Cruciatus curse. Despite who she was and how much he hated her, Draco still felt like talking. For the past couple of months he'd been stuck in Malfoy Manor obeying Voldemort's every command, in fear of punishment if he failed. Any more failures on the Malfoy name would result in death. Lucius had already had his wand taken from him when Voldemort needed another one, though everyone knew it was a punishment. Likewise for the past couple of months Hermione, Harry and Ron had been on the run, talking to absolutely no one else but each other. The war was destroying both of their lives. But Draco had orders, and he had to carry them out.