Labelled Caustic

Chp. 11 Getting Out of The Flames.

**********

"Where are you taking me?" Ginny cried once again but her only reply was another swift blow to the face. Her eye stung bitterly now and she saw spots floating around her eyes. She squinted and closed her eyes tightly so that when she opened them it´ll be fine but when she opened them the spots were even brighter and she felt her resolve weaken.

She heard doors slam open and she bent her head back to see where she was being taken. It looked vaguely like a bedroom and her eyes widened in fear and she felt sick, trembling from head to toe.

They tied her to the bedposts face down, and took of her robe and threw it across the room. She whimpered as she saw Lucius with a whip and an evil glint in his eye,

"I don't know what my son saw in you, you're just a whore," he hissed in her ear, he turned making sure Potter and the her brother was watching closely. They were placed on her left side, made to watch as he tortured her. They were dazed and looked tired and very, very angry. Harry gave her a look of assurance and she thought that Ron must have given her one but it didn´t look like one from his banged up face. She took a deep breath to calm herself down.

Ron was pretty banged up and really couldn´t hear what the hell was going on but he didn´t like the position that Lucius had Ginny in and he wanted to beat the crap out of him at the moment but he felt so weak.

Harry on the other hand was shouting to high heaven for Lucius to just fuck off and get the hell away from Ginny but that just earned him a gag for his mouth.

Lucius watched Harry with a vindictive smirk as leather came crashing down on soft skin.

She let out a blood curdling scream as the doors closed.

**********

Hermione hid behind the bookshelf, hoping Nagini didn´t sense her. It slid around closely so she pressed herself against the shelf and stayed as still as possible. Holding her breath as Nagini slithered past her feet and towards the opposite direction. She closed her eyes and tried to think of what the hell she was trying to do.

Then Draco came crashing to her feet and she looked down at his limp figure on the floor. He was bruised and his breath came in wheezes. Cuts tainted his face and tore at his clothes drawing blood from him. His face was battered badly and she saw Narcissa being held down by the other two ladies who remained in the library. She felt a rush of anger as her eyes darted to Lavender who was grinning broadly enjoying every moment of Draco being flung around like an old toy. She was a traitor! A traitor to Gryffindor and a traitor to Dumbledore himself!

Hermione took in a sharp breath and looked down to see Draco´s eyes flutter open, gasping. His eyes burned with rage and a smirk slowly taunted on his spilt lip.

Draco wasn´t going to back down just yet. He shook his head and gave a dry laugh that chilled Hermione to the bone and she couldn´t help but reassure him.

"We´ll get out," her voice was barely a whisper and she thought that he probably couldn´t hear her but his face snapped and his smirk grew broader and he tried to help himself up.

"You´re losing strength," he said pointedly to the Dark Lord himself. Whose lip was twitching rather violently. Voldemort gave a look to Draco that looked as if he were just a mere insolent pest that refused to die or better yet a garden gnome, which refused to take a hint.

Draco slumped to the floor, weakened already from Voldemort´s frantic fascination with flinging and beating Draco to a bloody pulp as he was under his wand once more.

He let out a cry so horrible that Narcissa began to sob and she was given a slap by Mrs. Parkinson to shut up.

Then Voldemort ceased and for once Draco kept his big mouth shut. He lay there staring at the ceiling, bleeding profusely.

"Draco, you were a talented wizard. Destined for many great things. You, Draco and a Malfoy at that. You are a disgrace to your name and you have disappointed me much and now you have to die," Voldemort rambled as he stared at the dancing flames.

"What makes you think that I wanted to join you? Who gave you the right to decide my life and the way it was supposed to be led and who told you that I really wanted to be a Malfoy?" Draco said dryly. Never taking his eyes of the ceiling. He prepared his body to be flung one more time but it didn´t come. All of them just stood in silence whilst Draco lay there in a pool of blood.

"Take him to the dungeons. He will die with Potter," Voldemort said with a wave of his hand.

Mrs. Parkinson, with a smug smile grabbed Narcissa´s arm and dragged her out of the room. Mrs Brown on the other hand, took out her wand and looked at Draco with disgust. She bound him and placed a spell so that he would be dragged behind them.

Lavender was all smiles as Narcissa led the way to the dungeons, taking much pleasure at Draco who was being dragged across the floor and as his head bumped on the staircase.

Hermione followed behind them and quickened her pace before Lavender closed the door behind them.

She was about to follow them to the dungeons hoping that she would be able to steal a moment with Draco to try and formulate something. Then she heard a scream that she knew definitely belonged to Ginny´s and she looked at Draco who looked stricken at the sound and looked so angry he could actually burst out of the cords that bound him. The other women on the other hand completely ignored it and went on.

Hermione couldn´t take it; she was going to do something. She followed the shouts and whimpers that bounced off the vast corridors of Malfoy Mansion and found the room, when the doors suddenly swung open.

"Take these two to the dungeons," Lucius snapped. She pressed herself against the wall and waited until the two death eaters had left with Harry and Ron but not without placing a hand on Harry´s own. He gave a knowing glance and she saw relief spread on his face.

She had better do something fast. So taking deep breaths and uttering a quick prayer, she walked into the room quietly and stunned Macnair who fell into a heap onto the ground..

"Mudblo-" Lucius cried but before he could do anything he fell to the floor as well, with the other stunned death eater known as Mr. Parkinson.

"Hermione!" Ginny cried.

Hermione placed a sleep charm on all three of them and quickly leapt over to Ginny. Her back was bleeding and her shirt was ripped to shreds in the back. A stoic expression seemed to have settled on her face. Hermione bit her lip so as not to cry and quietly, she cut the cords away at Ginny´s hands and helped her into her robe and tightened it around her.

Ginny gripped Hermione into a bear hug and sobbed into her shoulder. Hermione held her, making sure not touch her back as it was tender and still bleeding. Hermione muttered a quick spell over Ginny and it stopped the bleeding immediately. The scars were revealed, ugly red welts that crossed all over her back, that was the best Hermione could do though. Hermione whispered reassurances and then made sure the cloak was covering both of them. Hermione never felt so useless in her life at this point of time. She should have been there earlier to help save Ginny. She shouldn´t have to have gone through what she did. Hermione shook her head and whispered to her tired companion.

"Come on, we had better get a move on, before they find out what happens. We´ll go down to the dungeons to the boys."

Ginny wiped her tears on the back of her hand and struggled to walk. She was still in pain and couldn´t move much. Hermione tried her best again to heal Ginny as possible but some of the pain she couldn´t do much about. Ginny tried to walk faster, gripping Hermione´s hand like a vice. Ginny wouldn´t let Voldemort win.

Before going down to the dungeons though, Hermione locked the room doors. Hoping that this would hold them for a while.

**********