Persephone Descending

Thanks to all who are reading the story, and I did promise they would eventually end up in the same chapter!


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Chapter 10: Phobos

By the apostle Paul, shadows to-night Have struck more terror to the soul of Richard Than can the substance of ten thousand soldiers. -King Richard III. Act v. Sc. 3.
--William Shakespeare

He knew the moment she arrived; he felt her presence like a cool wash of power over his already chilled skin. He had thought it would have taken her longer to figure out the spell, but he should have remembered how clever she was. What finally broke you, in the world above? What happened to turn you to dark magic?

He was meeting with his Inner Circle in the former Great Hall. It had amused him at first to sit at the Head Table where his hated enemy, Dumbledore, had once sat, but that had fallen out of fashion after a few months. Now, they generally convened at the former Slytherin table, with green-and-silver banners still floating in the air above. The others had been removed.

He looked around the Hall, unsure where the spell would bring her. The dark magic Malfoy had put into her wand was troublesome; it did not always work as one intended. He'd crafted it with the intent it would bring her to where he was at the exact moment she cast it; but she was here in this castle yet there was no sign of her in the Hall. Casting his mind out for a moment, he concentrated and received the answer in a flash--she was in the Chamber.

She did not know where she was, either, for the girl had never before seen Salazaar's secret lair. Hermione had no idea she was in Hogwarts.

Voldemort basked in his success for a moment before laughing out loud, halting Antonin Dolohov's report of intelligence-gathering in Brighton. The amber-eyed man stopped, staring somewhat incredulously at the Dark Lord's laughter. The entire table fell silent as Voldemort laughed, never having heard such pure mirth from him before.

Bellatrix Lestrange was the only one brave enough to inquire, in her grosgrain voice, "My lord? Is something wrong?"

"No, Bella," he said, eyes narrowed as he surveyed his Inner Circle. He did not elaborate, but unfolded his body from his chair. "I am certain you are correct, Antonin," he said, turning on his heel. "Lucius, attend me."

Malfoy was one of his more...restrained Death Eaters, someone guaranteed to think with a clear head as long as his temper was not roused overmuch. "My Lord?" Lucius asked solicitously, matching his stride as they walked towards the entrance to the Chamber. Lucius was a tall man, easily able to keep pace with him, but Voldemort refused to hurry. This was indeed a moment to savor.

"It appears my plan has been successful," Voldemort said, smug. He let Lucius precede him into Chamber, hissing for Nagini as they entered.

She is here, Nagini?

The snake appeared next to him, answering his call. She waits in the shadows and trembles.

Nagini had an elegant turn of phrase; it was a shame no one else but him could hear her speak.

Lucius must have seen her there, grasping her wand and shaking although she tried hard to hide it. He sucked in his breath and pulled his own wand, pointing it at her and sneering, "Well, well. The Mudblood has come to the heart of darkness," he said. 'The horror, the horror!" Malfoy laughed.

Voldemort said nothing, but Malfoy's words amused him. He'd not expected his senior Death Eater to be so erudite. Perhaps Nagini was not the only one among them with a hint of elegance. He'd ask Lucius later if he was aware he quoted a Muggle novel. Most of his Death Eaters were sadly lacking in knowledge of anything other than the world to which they'd been born.

Voldemort took a few moments to watch her--eyes wild as she stared at Lucius, looking around her warily.

"Where am I?" she demanded, chin tilted, one hand fisted at her side while the other grasped her wand tightly. She was clearly enraged and exhausted, but her terror was also obvious.

"Stand down, Lucius," Voldemort drawled, amused. "Miss Granger cannot hurt us here." She turned to face him, and he came face-to-face with Hermione Granger for the first time.

She looked much as she did in dreams, her curly hair wild about her drawn face. Her breathing was shallow and her eyes were dilated; Voldemort found he tasted the air just to feast on her fear. "The charm on her wand, when she cast the Nox Mundis spell? Unfortunately, it has a very interesting side effect."

Her eyes grew wide as he watched her mind attempt to figure it out. She was breathing rapidly, looking from him to Malfoy--who still stood with his wand drawn, but pointed now to the floor--trying desperately to speak.

"A--av--," she stuttered, her face screwed up in concentration as she tried to pronounce the words of the spell. It took him a moment to figure out what she was doing.

"Are you trying to kill me, Miss Granger?" He laughed, high and cold.

Lucius raised his wand again, but Voldemort put one hand on his arm and shook his head briefly. "She can't say the spell, Lucius. Not because she does not want to, because I can taste her desire to kill me in the air. You as well, Lucius, for she hates you for what you did to her friend Remus. No, she cannot kill us because of the spell." His mention of the werewolf had only heightened her beautiful, dark rage.

"Nox Mundis, Miss Granger. Dark of the world." He stepped up, watching as she trembled and shook in her desire to kill him. She was frightened, her fear was not that he would kill her, oh no, that she expected.

She was terrified he had taken her magic, that part of her that made her more than just some useless Muggle. He read the thought in her mind as she was too besieged by emotion to properly block him out.

"I've not taken your ability to do magic, girl, as that skill remains yet beyond me." He smiled a terrible, delighted smile at her and watched as her blood drained from her face. "You simply cannot harm me, or any who bear my Mark. Be my guest, continue trying if you so wish, should you not believe me."

She pointed the wand at Malfoy and tried again with similar results. Finally, she dropped the wand, her breath still coming harsh and fast even as she tried desperately to calm herself. He spent a moment watching her, letting her fear increase, and turned to Lucius. "You may leave, Lucius," Voldemort said, inclining his head. "I will call for you when I wish you to return."

Malfoy nodded, his eyes going to Hermione. "We shall meet again, Miss Granger," he drawled in that clipped, proper tone of his. "I look forward to it." Lucius Malfoy smiled; it was the kind of smile that made small children cry and run to their mothers. Hermione, far from a child, merely raised her chin an inch and said nothing. Malfoy laughed, the sound slightly irritated. "We'll see if you can manage to be quite so brave the next time I see you."

"Lucius," Voldemort said, his voice low. He need say nothing else; his senior Death Eater nodded once and strode from the room, boots clicking on the floor.

"Lucius is not my only Death Eater eager to meet you again, Miss Granger," Voldemort said, circling her. He made sure to keep himself in the shadows, as he had when she'd dreamt of him in Riddle Manor. "I believe Bella would like to...talk to you as well."

"She'd like to kill me," Hermione said, and while there was terror in her voice, he heard the edge of steel underneath it. Not many could do that in his presence; even his loyal Death Eaters feared him, even Bella. Exhaustion was thick in Hermione Granger's voice, and he wanted her to break so badly his body ached for it. His hands wrapped around his wand, pulling it slowly from his robes and hiding the dark wood in the folds of his charcoal-colored cloak.

"I must admit I am curious to know what happened to make you decide to come join us," he said smoothly.

Join you, never that, no. I'm here to kill you...

He laughed softly, noticing the slight flinch she was too tired to hide. "Are you? Well, I'm afraid I have other plans for you, Miss Granger, and those plans do not include my death, you'll be sorry to hear. Crucio."

Watching her fall to her knees and scream under the curse was the most satisfying moment in recent memory, and he laughed delightedly while he tortured her. This was almost as satisfying as killing Dumbeldore and almost as satisfying as he imagined his final victory would be.

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She'd collapsed into unconsciousness sometime during his curse; whether it was from Crucio or Submersio--a particularly nasty spell designed to simulate drowning--he was unsure. When he was finished, she was lying on her back on the floor, mouth slack and breathing shallow. A quick scan of her mind showed she was resting in oblivion and it infuriated him that she would think to escape his torment so easily. Casting a spell on her that would ensure she suffered from appropriate night terrors, he summoned Lucius back to the chamber.

As he waited, he looked down at her sprawled at his feet. Her hair was mussed and her palms bloody where she had dug her nails into her skin. "You've never felt pain like that, have you?" he whispered softly, and she moaned under the onslaught of the nightmares he'd sent for her. "Sleep well, Hermione," he said, smug.

Lucius arrived and did nothing but quirk a blond brow at the sight of Miss Granger on the floor, shaking.

"Miss Granger will no doubt be feeling quite unsettled when she awakens," Voldemort said, turning his gaze to Lucius. There must have been something in his eyes that reflected his dark satisfaction at having her here, at having tortured her. Lucius was taking particular care to keep his thoughts blocked; any other time, he would see his Death Eater suffer for such an affront.

It took him a moment to realize Malfoy was dressed for home, and that he must have been with the little Mudblood longer than he'd thought. He himself was a bit tired from the effort torturing her had taken from him, so perhaps he'd sleep this night. "Let's put her somewhere familiar, shall we? Escort her to Gryffindor Tower, see that she has her old bed." He smiled coldly. "Somewhere...like home."

Lucius nodded, going down on his knees besides the girl on the ground. He lifted her easily, and it was a comical sight to behold--Lucius Malfoy, pureblood wizard devoted to purging the Wizarding world of Mudbloods and Muggles, cradling one in his arms. To his credit, he did not look happy about it at all, but Lucius was a wise man and said not a word about the situation, only asking if someone should keep guard.

"She's bound herself to us with the spell she spoke, Lucius. She cannot leave without my permission, though she is welcome to try." He laughed, and he felt Lucius' brief flash of wariness at the sound. "I've taken her wand from her, so she cannot try anything other than physical violence, and I doubt she'll have the strength for that."

Lucius nodded and Apparated away, leaving him alone in the Chamber. He moved to the simple stone chair in the corner of the room and sat down, while Nagini glided soundlessly over to join him. The room tastes of fear, Nagini said, entwining herself around him with the familiarity of long acquaintance.

Voldemort idly stroked has familiar, the snake purring underneath his caresses. That it does, he answered, that it does. He fell silent as he contemplated Miss Granger's fate, wondering what she would think when she awoke in Gryffindor Tower. She'd probably believe that it had all been all a dream, that she had never left school, that he and his Dark Army were not poised to take over the world.

I am happy you are so joyful, master, the snake told him, lifting up to stare into his eyes, tongue flickering. If Nagini had a smile, that was it. Her entire body settled easily around him, like an embrace.

Voldemort made a sound similar to Nagini's purr. It was not one anyone save his familiar likely ever heard. So am I.

He remained still, content in the knowledge that somewhere in the castle above him, Hermione Granger tossed and turned from the nightmares he'd sent to her.