Redemption

Chapter 10

The first thing she noticed was pain. Her head, her back...actually, everything hurt. Experimentally, she tried to move, but found her muscles weren't responding. Hermione began to wonder if she really was awake or if this was a dream. She desperately hoped that it was a nightmare. At least she could wake from that. If it were real... Well, she didn't want to think about that right now.

Think. Now there was something she could do. She tried to remember what had happened, for clearly something had happened that caused her to end up unconscious. She was exploring ruins with Harry, looking for something. Horcrux, prompted a voice. Yes, that was it. They had been searching for a Horcrux. The Ravenclaw dagger. Had they found it?

Her thoughts were interrupted by sounds. The sounds were muted, indistinct, but they were there. If she was hearing things, this was not likely a nightmare; it must be reality. She was not sure she was ready to face this as a reality. It was much better to believe it was a dream.

She tried to focus back on her memories. Castle. Dungeon. Light. Dagger. It all flashed in an undecipherable blur and she felt nauseous. Concentrate on one thing. The dagger, she instructed herself. She could see the dagger, see Harry reaching for it. She remembered casting a flurry of spells so that he could grasp it. It had seemed as though the dagger was fighting their attempts to grasp it.

In time, her spells had prevailed and Harry had taken the dagger. Casting the spells had weakened her even more than she already was from making the ruins visible. Something about that place seemed to have drained her energy. Once they had the dagger, they left the ruins and moved to a small copse near the moor. She remembered instructing Harry in what he needed to do to destroy the soul within the dagger. Where she had gotten that knowledge? She could not remember. Did it work? Did we destroy the bit of soul? She couldn't remember.

The sounds were coming closer. She thought she could hear a door open and the shuffle of footsteps. Desperately, she tried to move. She didn't think she was bound, but she still could not move. After a few moments, the buzzing sound began to resolve itself into voices, and the voices were arguing. Arguing over her. Once again, she hoped it was a dream, but other memories intruded on her ability to focus on the noise.

There was a commotion. Harry had not yet finished the spell, and others had found them. From the surprise of those others, they had not been expecting to find anyone. She remembered seeing rocks in the copse. They had chosen a Druid holy place, and the Death Eaters had adopted that place. Harry had yelled for her to run and she had tried to flee, but she was too weak and they had caught her. The last thing she remembered was Harry's scream before he disappeared. She assumed that he had wisely chosen to go for help.

But that still didn't explain where she was now. Obviously, the Death Eaters had her. She could hear them debating what to do with her. She expected they would kill her for being Muggle-born. Unfortunately, that's not what they were debating. She thought she heard three or four different voices, and they seemed to be arguing over who could have her first. She was repulsed by the thought that they didn't seem to care whether she was conscious or not.

The argument was ended by an authoritative voice. "Enough. She is a gift to the Dark Lord. Don't you imbeciles recognize her? She is one of Potter's confidants and is valuable to us alive and whole." Beneath the sneering hatred, she thought she heard something else, but she couldn't place it. A small part of her mind registered that the others were filing out of the room. She dared not open her eyes in case one had remained behind.

As she had feared, someone had remained behind. She could feel warm breath on her cheek, and she tried not to react, hoping her feigned unconsciousness would make him go away.

"I know you are awake," whispered an undistinguishable voice.

She opened her eyes to see who it was, but the speaker was wearing a mask. There was nothing she could use to identify him as his voice was also masked. She felt a piece of paper getting tucked into her pocket.

"Your rescuers should be here soon. You will need this." Without saying anything more, the man walked away.

Rescuers? What could he possibly mean? How could anyone know where I am? 'He would know where you are.' She was dismayed to find the voice was back. He is as much a prisoner as I am. Besides, any attempt for him to rescue me would destroy his protection. 'Do not underestimate love.' This is not a fantasy. Lucius will not be my knight in shining armor and ride to my rescue. It's just not possible. She was pleased that seemed to quiet the voice. False hope was the last thing she needed. She needed to concentrate on finding a way out, not fantasizing about something silly and girlish.

****************

Lucius ran downstairs and paused outside the door to the kitchen. He clenched his fist and fought against the panic that was threatening to overtake him. Think, fool. If you rush in there with too much information it will raise far too many questions. You must be calm. He took a few moments and several deep breaths to compose himself, which was exceedingly difficult. There was no time to waste if the Dark Lord had summoned the faithful.

When he felt he had regained control, he knocked on the door.

The door swung open and Harry snarled, "What do you want?"

"I heard the commotion upstairs and thought you might like to know the Dark Lord has just summoned his inner circle."

"And?"

"Clearly, something has upset you. I can only assume the two are related. Generally, he only summons his followers for something important."

"Do you have a point, Malfoy?" Harry asked impatiently.

Lucius forced himself to remain calm. "I know where they are meeting. I can help you find that place."

"Harry, let him in," said Remus.

Grudgingly, Harry moved aside. Lucius saw that Tonks was the only other one present. "I assume that you have summoned the others?"

"We don't have to discuss our plans with you," Harry snapped.

"Mr. Potter, I merely wish to offer my assistance. In this case, I believe it will be invaluable since it appears you will need to infiltrate a Death Eater stronghold." He tried to maintain a neutral tone of voice, not wanting to let his anger or frustration show.

"Oh, yes. You really want to help us rescue a 'filthy little Mudblood,' don't you?" Harry spat.

Lucius could see Lupin cringe at Harry's behavior, but no one moved to restrain the emotional youth.

"Is it Miss Granger that has been captured? That's most unfortunate." He hoped the others would be convinced that he had no prior knowledge of her capture. He noticed that Arthur and Molly Weasley had now arrived and were standing on the periphery.

"Like you care."

"I do care, Mr. Potter. Miss Granger is a rather pleasant person and a valuable asset to the Order. I believe it is time we set our differences aside; this argument is accomplishing nothing. As I said, he has summoned his inner circle, and I imagine they will do some rather unpleasant things to her."

"You would know all about that," Harry retorted.

Lucius didn't try to control the pain that flashed across his expression. "Indeed I would, but that is unimportant. I have a fairly good idea of where she is being held. When the others arrive, I will need you to conduct an attack to create a diversion."

"A diversion for what?" Moody asked cautiously, magical eye swirling in its socket to assess the situation, as he clomped down the stairs.

"A diversion for me to rescue Miss Granger," Lucius announced simply.

"NO! I will not let you join back up with the Death Eaters," Harry insisted.

"Harry!" Remus cautioned.

Harry spun on Remus. "What? You mean you are actually considering this? He would love to get back with his old cronies."

Tonks was closest to Harry and placed her hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him. "Harry, please," she said quietly.

Lucius replied through gritted teeth, "Mr. Potter, I assure you, I have no interest in rejoining the Death Eaters. But the truth remains that you need me to rescue her."

"We don't need you for anything."

"Harry, listen to him," urged Remus.

Ignoring Harry's outburst, Lucius continued, "The Dark Lord generally uses protective wards that may only be crossed by someone with the Dark Mark. I am the only one here that possesses that Mark. While the rest of you are attacking outside that boundary, I can cross it, rescue her, and leave before anyone is the wiser."

"And why should we trust you?" Harry asked.

Remus placed his hand on Harry's shoulder, hoping to calm the young man. "He is correct about the protective ward. Remember what happened last summer?"

"Yes, I do. Snape betrayed us, proved he was evil, and killed Dumbledore."

"What do you lose by trusting me? I do not possess enough knowledge about the actions of the Order to provide anything useful to the Dark Lord. I cannot reveal the location of your headquarters. I would return to him with nothing to offer and he would surely kill me, thankful to finally be able to exact the revenge he took out on my son. You have Miss Granger's life to gain. Without my intervention, how were you planning on rescuing her?" He had known that Potter would be the hardest to convince, but he had no idea the young man would be so obstinate when his friend's life was in danger.

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but found he had nothing to say.

Moody was considering the information they had been presented with. He wasn't sure he trusted Malfoy, but he could see there was little choice. "Time is of the essence if the Death Eaters are gathering. What do you need?"

Lucius considered his words carefully. "I will need my wand. With it, I can transfigure a Death Eater cloak and mask. That should allow me to move unnoticed. I will also need it for defense in the event my presence does not go unnoticed. All I ask is a small head start to allow me to infiltrate the compound. Then you can begin your attack. I should need no more than five minutes to locate Miss Granger and execute our escape." He looked at the map on the table and pointed. "This is where the faithful have been summoned."

Moody considered Malfoy's plan, focusing both eyes on him, before responding. "All right. Wait upstairs. I'll bring your wand up in a few minutes." Other members of the Order had been filtering in during the discussion.

Lucius wanted to leave straight away, but he was at their mercy. He knew they would want to have a rudimentary plan of attack to reduce the chances of any of them being injured or captured.

****************

Lucius arrived where he had been summoned. Before proceeding, he once again checked his mask and cloak, ensuring his identity would remain secret. As he had expected, he had no problem getting in the building. He did not see any of the others and assumed they were with the Dark Lord. Knowing that the Order would be arriving soon, he found a secluded place to wait.

He didn't have to wait long before he heard Death Eaters yelling that they were under attack and streaming out of the room. He noticed one of the dark shapes merge with the shadows. That must be Snape.

Once he was reasonably sure the area was deserted, he headed towards the shadow. "Where is she?" he whispered.

Snape pointed to a door on the left side of the hallway. "There," he replied and slipped away.

Cautiously, Lucius moved towards the designated room. As he reached for the doorknob, he momentarily considered the possibility this could be an elaborate trap. He had trusted that Severus was still on the Order's side. If he had misplaced that trust, he realized he did not have a believable set of lies in place to explain his presence. Opening that door could seal his death, and he was sure it would be long and painful.

He had come this far and had no choice; he was committed. After one last glance down the hallway to ensure he was alone, he opened the door and quickly slipped inside, wand at the ready to deal with any adversary he might encounter.

A quick scan of the room revealed nothing suspicious. He saw Hermione lying on a table, apparently unconscious. Crossing the room, he tried to pick her up and was met with a flurry of arms and legs trying to strike him. He pulled off his mask. "Hermione, it's me. I've come to rescue you."

"Lucius?" she whispered uncertainly.

"Yes. Now, I need you to be quiet so we can leave. Pretend to be unconscious." He put his mask back in place and scooped her into his arms. After cracking the door to ensue the hall was empty, he moved as quickly as he could towards the exit.

Once outside, he could hear the sounds of magical battle, but ignored them, concentrating on finding a safe place to Disapparate. Thankfully, the Order forces had all attacked from the other side, and this side of the house was deserted.

When they arrived back at Grimmauld Place, he realized he didn't know how to unlock the door. He tried to ask Hermione, but she really was unconscious this time. Taking a chance, he rang the bell. After several of the longest seconds of his life, the door opened, he hurried inside, carried Hermione upstairs to the drawing room and placed her on the couch.

Molly followed after and carefully examined Hermione. "Dear, Merlin. What happened to her?"

Lucius shook his head. "I don't know. She was conscious, though weak, when I found her." He was only peripherally aware of the others joining them.

"Molly?" Moody asked.

She shook her head. "I don't know. I think we should get her to St. Mungo's."

Once again, Lucius could feel the tightness in his chest when he heard the desperation in Molly's voice.

"I'll take her," offered Arthur.

Lucius felt a pang of jealousy. He should be the one taking her to the hospital. He should be the one sitting by her side, waiting for news from the healers. Instead, he was being shoved aside and ignored. Without his help, they never would have rescued her. He watched Arthur carry her downstairs. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Remus said, "Thank you for your help. Without you, I'm not sure we could have got her back."

Lucius schooled his features, hoping Lupin had seen nothing. "It was the least I could do. After all, I have pledged myself to helping the Order." Deciding he didn't trust himself to be around the others right now, he headed upstairs to his room.

****************

Four days. Hermione had been at St. Mungo's for four days, and he had heard nothing. The first day, he had remained cautiously optimistic. Surely, they were only keeping her for observation, to ensure that she was well. By the end of the second day, he grew more restless. If she were still at St. Mungo's, she must have been the victim of some sort of curse.

The third day, he began to wonder how serious it was. He knew there were many Dark curses that the Healers were not likely to be aware of. He was trying to determine how to casually ask after her. He thought that Lupin would be his best bet, but the werewolf was not around since it was full moon. This left him with quite the quandary. He could wait another day or two for Lupin to return and be his advocate, or he had to devise some way to learn the information from someone else.

Deciding he needed something to do, he took his laundry downstairs. It should help take his mind off Hermione for at least a little while. While he was working, he heard voices coming down the stairs. It sounded like Potter and Weasley. He stopped work and moved closer to the door, hoping to overhear something about Hermione.

"She didn't look good did she?" Harry asked.

"No, not at all. From what Mum has said, they still don't know what's wrong with her," Ron replied.

Lucius could feel his heart pounding. He knew that the longer it took to find a cure to a serious curse, the less likely the victim would fully recover. He had to see her. Perhaps he could determine which curse had been used against her? He was about to leave the laundry room and offer his help to one of the adults when he heard someone barreling down the stairs.

"Ron, I always knew you could be a prat, but I never thought you would be that big a bastard!" Ginny shouted.

Lucius heard the sound of someone being slapped and wondered what this new turn of events was. He moved back a little from the door to ensure that he wasn't spotted.

"Of all the selfish, irresponsible things to do. I thought you learned better from Mum and Dad."

"Ginny, what on earth are you on about?" Ron asked, completely bewildered.

"Oh, don't play innocent with me. You know what I'm talking about. How could you get Hermione pregnant?"

"Pregnant?" yelled Ron and Harry in unison.

Lucius felt his knees buckle, and he slowly collapsed to the floor. Pregnant? No, she couldn't be. We were careful. The potion. The potion she got must have been ineffective. Now he knew there was no force that was going to stop him from helping her.