A Lesson Learned

In the attic of a disturbingly empty manor was a radio. The radio was the only source of sound in the near empty building, but it did its job well, keeping its only occupant sane as she hung defeated from the wall on which she was chained. Her long brown hair hung in front of her face as her head lolled forward. Blood ran slowly down her arms and onto the once pristine white robe she was wearing. Her crossed legs had long ago gone numb, and a cut that ran across her left eye blurred her vision.

She was defeated. For hours she had fought against her imprisonment, screaming until her voice had given out, thrashing her arms, trying to free her wrists from the manacles, kicking anyone who came near her. All she had gained was a sore throat, cut wrists and a bruised body. She had lost hope.

A familiar song came on the radio, and the girl strained to hear it.

***

turn around

Every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you're never coming round.

turn around

Every now and then I get a little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears.

turn around

Every now and then I get a little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by.

turn around

Every now and then I get a little bit terrified and then I see the look in your eyes.

***

Hermione Granger snorted in the darkness of her cell, and stared down at the ground, her eyes finding patterns in the stone flooring. She had really screwed up big time.

For the past year and a half, ever since the beginning of her sixth year, she had undergone so many changes. She managed to fall in love with the most unlovable person in the world, and had then proceeded to do the stupidest, yet most wonderful thing she had ever done. She had joined the Death Eaters.

She hadn't done it for the fame, or the glory. She had done it because she wanted knowledge. The Dark Arts were a mysterious entity, and it was practically unheard of for a Muggle-born witch to practise them. She had wanted to know everything about the Dark Arts. On top of that, Voldemort had promised her that, as a Death Eater, she would be treated as a pureblood. He was true to his word. The moment the Dark Mark was burned into her arm, she was considered a pureblood.

For the first time in her life, Hermione was treated as an equal. To a majority of the world, she was just Hermione Granger, rather smart mudblood. To the Death Eaters, she was brilliant. She was equal. She was one of them.

She quickly grew to love the power that the Dark Arts brought her. Nothing thrilled her more than creating a deadly potion, and the power behind the Imperius Curse was so great that she found herself using it to get information out of people. She used it numerous times on Ron Weasley and his sister Ginny, knowing full well that Harry was unsusceptible to it. Draco had taught her many wonderful memory charms, and her lover had helped her to master a potion that forbade the person to whom it was administered to forget certain choice events.

Soon enough, Hermione found herself using Dark Arts in her every day life. She used it for anything from tracking Harry Potter to stealing Dark Arts books from the school library. The Dark Arts made life so much easier, and thanks to a charm that Voldemort had given her, any spell she preformed could not be tracked by any of the professors at Hogwarts, so no one knew what she was up to.

Well, her lover did. But he was one of them as well.

***

turn around

Every now and then I get a little bit restless and I dream of something wild.

turn around

Every now and then I get a little bit helpless and I'm lying like a child in your arms.

turn around

Every now and then I get a little bit angry and I know I've got to get out and cry.

turn around

Every now and then I get a little bit terrified but then I see the look in your eyes.

turn around, bright eyes

Every now and then I fall apart.

turn around, bright eyes

Every now and then I fall apart.

***

Hermione rotated her neck, hoping to relieve it of its discomfort. She dropped her shoulders and pulled her legs out from under her, wincing as her cramped calves protested at the movement. She craned her neck to look up at the small barred window, but was not surprised to see anything.

She knew they would try to save her. They wouldn't forsake one of their own. It was only a matter of time before she was rescued. She shifted slightly, closing her tired eyes.

She would give anything to be back at her lover's cozy cottage, curled up on her feather bed with him beside her. She smiled as she pictured him reading one of his books, one arm resting on the headboard as he toyed with her long hair. He loved her hair, and couldn't resist touching it.

Sadly, she recalled the way he would hold her when the pressure of her secret became too much, and she would cry for hours, lying in his arms.

***

And I need you now tonight, and I need you more than ever

And if you only hold me tight, we'll be holding on forever.

And we'll only be making it right, 'cause we'll never be wrong.

Together we can take it to the end of the line.

Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time.

I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark.

We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks.

I really need you tonight, forever's gonna start tonight,

Forever's gonna start tonight.

***

A tear trailed down her cheek and she furiously wiped it away with her shoulder as a picture of Harry and Ron came unbidden to her mind.

They had been the source of greatest stress for Hermione. She had grown distant and she had become more moody. They hadn't even noticed until one night a few months ago.

Harry had come into her room when she had been in a trance, talking to Voldemort through the Mark. Harry had not heard anything, but when she came to, he had said that she had been surrounded by black light, and the moment he had walked into the room, his scar had begun to burn like mad.

After that incident, he barely trusted her with anything. He couldn't prove she had anything to do with Voldemort. He wouldn't pull up the sleeve of her arm to check. He gave her the benefit of the doubt.

Ron was another story. He refused to talk to her anymore, and watched her every move. In the end, it was he who caught her. She had just returned from a Meeting, still in her black Death Eater robes with her mask still on when Ron burst through the door. He saw her, wearing the robes of a Death Eater, and assumed that she had been killed or kidnapped. He tackled her to the ground before she could even move and, screaming Death Eater at the top of his lungs, he pulled the mask off her face. His screams were cut short when he saw who was under the mask.

Harry had been the next to enter the room, followed by Professor McGonagall. Harry had looked at her like she had betrayed him. I guess I did betray him, Hermione had thought as McGonagall had bound her arms and legs. She didn't even fight, because she was more worried for her lover than she was for herself. If he were found to be a true Death Eater, he would go down with her.

McGonagall had marched her past all of Gryffindor and out into the hall. She went, holding her head high. She wasn't ashamed to be a Death Eater. McGonagall led her into the dungeons, past gaping students, and took her to the last place she wanted to be: Severus Snape's office.

The Transfiguration professor didn't even bother to knock, and she pushed Hermione through the door, following closely after. Severus was sitting on one of his mahogany recliners, Draco across from him on the black loveseat, and a chessboard between them. Both men saw her and stood up immediately, chess forgotten.

"She is a Death Eater, Severus." The pain in McGonagall's voice was evident, and Hermione steeled herself against it. Severus just stood, looking like his world had come crashing down around his ankles. Draco artfully slid behind a bookshelf, and Hermione willed McGonagall to have a breakdown so she could talk to him.

McGonagall seemed to take his horror for disbelief, and said, "Weasley found her, still wearing this." She held Hermione's mask between two fingers, as though it were diseased. Severus, Hermione, and Draco winced at the disrespect, but if McGonagall noticed, she hadn't shown it.

"Why don't I make you a cup of tea, Minerva?" Severus asked after a few moments of stunned silence. McGonagall nodded and conjured up a pair of manacles and secured them around Hermione's wrists, looking pained. Severus then waved his wand and the door disappeared. Assured that her captive was unable to escape, she followed Severus into the other room.

Draco slipped out from behind the bookshelf and came to her at a run, concern etched all over his face. "What happened?" he asked, grabbing her wrist.

"Ronald Weasley happened," she replied, a scowl on her face. "He burst into my room just as I came in. He must have spent all night working on the damned locking spells."

Draco nodded, looking dangerous. "I can probably get you out..."

Hermione cut him off. "No. I am not going to even chance that the blame might fall on Severus." She looked at him and smiled softly. "And I don't want you t get in trouble, either."

The blonde boy groaned. "Hermione, everyone knows I am a bloody Death Eater. It won't hurt anything. If I let her take you, Severus will never forgive me. I'll never forgive me."

The door to Severus' sitting room opened, and Draco ran a hand down the side of her face before ducking behind the bookshelf.

"I'm taking her to the Lower Chamber." Hermione winced as McGonagall said this, knowing full well that their was no way she could escape from in there. Severus appeared, followed closely by McGonagall. Both of them looked strained, though for very different reasons. "Thanks for the tea, Severus. I'll be taking her now." Severus waved his wand robotically and the door reappeared. McGonagall grabbed Hermione roughly by the shoulders and stalked out of the room. Hermione turned her head and shot her lover and her friend a look that clearly said 'don't do anything until I am gone'. They both nodded and just as the door closed, Hermione watched Severus collapse onto the couch.

***

Once upon a time I was falling in love but now I'm only falling apart.

There's nothing I can do, a total eclipse of the heart.

Once upon a time there was light in my life but now there's only love in the dark.

Nothing I can say, a total eclipse of the heart.

***

After the rather unpleasant scene in Severus' office, McGonagall had practically pushed her down the hallway and had forced her into the Lower Chamber and locked the door behind her, using magic and Muggle methods.

"I never thought I'd be bringing you here, Hermione," McGonagall said quietly, before her expression hardened and she left, leaving Hermione alone in the dark chamber.

***

turn around, bright eyes

turn around, bright eyes

***

Hermione sighed as the song droned on.

Severus had come to visit her that night, looking the worse for the wear. His face was even more sallow than usual and he had the beginnings of dark rings forming under his eyes. He held her through the bars of the cell and, for the first time, Hermione didn't cry. She had to be strong for him.

"I guess I screwed up this time, Sev," she said, holding back her tears. He didn't say anything, just kissed her hand lightly and rested his forehead against the bars in sorrow. "I'm scared, Sev." He turned to look up at her, his love apparent in his coal eyes. She gave a shaky laugh. "So much for Gryffindor bravery and courage, eh?"

"'Courage is not the absence of fear, but to do what is right in the face of it,'" he quoted softly, the torchlight playing upon his elegant cheekbones. "You are every bit of a Gryffindor. You did what was right tonight. You could have betrayed us all. You could have saved yourself, but you wouldn't let Draco take the risk of being caught." He cupped her chin in his hands and ran his thumb along her jaw. "That was noble of you, love."

***

turn around

Every now and then I know you'll never be the boy you always wanted to be.

turn around

But every now and then I know you'll always be the only boy who wanted me the way that I am.

turn around

Every now and then I know there's no one in the universe as magical and wondrous as you.

turn around

Every now and then I know there's nothing any better, there's nothing that I just wouldn't do.

turn around, bright eyes

Every now and then I fall apart.

turn around, bright eyes

Every now and then I fall apart.

***

Severus had left a few hours later, telling her to be strong, and assuring her that the Death Eater's would not just abandon her to her fate.

She had fallen asleep only to have troubled dreams, and was woken up a few hours later by the grating of the cell door against the stone floor. She looked up and saw a very sullen Headmaster and, behind him, Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Fudge was looking even more nervous than usual, and wit] good reason. He was one of Voldemort's pawns, and this put him in a very sticky situation.

"Minister Fudge is here to interrogate you, Miss Granger." His voice was cold, and his blue eyes didn't twinkle like they usually did. "You are free to plead your case of course."

"Now, Miss Granger," Fudge said, his voice trembling, "You are innocent until proven guilty, so if you would just..." he looked down at her left arm, an apologetic look on his face. Without protesting, Hermione lifted the sleeve of her left arm, and the beautiful Mark was displayed for the two men to see. Hermione felt like she was ruining something sacred. The Mark was meant to be shown only to Voldemort. Your Mark wasn't supposed to be displayed to anyone unless permission was given from Lord Voldemort. She knew it was this time, Fudge had told her as much when he asked her to do it, but it was still horrible.

"That's enough, Miss Granger." Fudge was sparing her from further pain. Her fondness of the man grew much larger as she watched him twittering nervously next to Dumbledore, who was looking grave.

Fudge coughed. "We'll be back down in a few moments with your escort." He turned to Dumbledore. "After you, Headmaster." Dumbledore turned and, before Fudge left the Chamber, he let a small piece of parchment flutter to the ground before locking the door.

Hermione fumbled to open it.

My Dearest Hermione,

Our Lord is very worked up over the current situation, and he plans to free you as soon as possible. Be strong, and don't give up hope. We won't stop until we free you. Draco sends his love.

Forever yours,

S.S.

***

And I need you now tonight, and I need you more than ever

And if you only hold me tight, we'll be holding on forever.

And we'll only be making it right, 'cause we'll never be wrong.

Together we can take it to the end of the line.

Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time.

I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark.

We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks.

I really need you tonight, forever's gonna start tonight,

Forever's gonna start tonight.

***

Fudge had come back to the Chamber with a man in a hooded cloak and he marched her out of the dungeons. Hermione was marched past hundreds of students who were in the process of switching classes, and none of them failed to gape. She caught a glimpse of Draco, standing about five meters behind Harry and Ron, looking murderous. He saw her and touched his right hand to his left forearm and then put said hand over his heart. It was the salute of the Death Eater's, and it made her smile. She passed many of her fellow Death Eater's in the hall, and every single one of them discreetly saluted her in the way of the Dark Lord.

As Fudge closed the carriage door behind her, he also saluted her, before going over to Dumbledore. The carriage started down the road, heading not for Azkaban, but for the house of one loyal to the Light.

***

Once upon a time I was falling in love but now I'm only falling apart.

There's nothing I can do, a total eclipse of the heart.

Once upon a time there was light in my life but now there's only love in the dark.

Nothing I can say, a total eclipse of the heart.

***

Hermione shuddered against the sudden chill of the dungeon. She lifted her thoughts out of her recollections and pulled herself back to the present. Someone had opened a door, or window, or something. She could feel it.

Shaking her hair out of her face, she peered through the darkness, her ears focused on picking up a sound that wasn't coming from the damned radio. Then she heard it; footsteps.

"Sev?" she called, her voice hopeful as the footsteps came nearer. "Draco?" she asked, louder.

The footsteps died away, and Hermione's heart sank as she leaned against the wall, salty tears coursing down her pale cheeks.

"Have they forgotten me?" she screamed into the darkness, knowing an answer wouldn't come.

A few minutes later, she heard the footsteps again, and Hermione didn't even raise her head when the door of the room was opened.

"Fuck off," she said, not wanting to get her hopes up.

"Is that the way you great all your saviours?" a silky voice asked. Hermione stiffened. The manacles opened with a click, and Hermione slowly looked up. Severus was standing there, in all his dark glory, his wand twirling in his fingers. Their eyes locked, black on amber, and they stayed like that for a moment, before Hermione sprung up and jumped into his waiting arms.

He held her, resting his chin atop her head, and rubbing her back soothingly as her body wracked with sobs.

"I thought you had forgotten me," she whispered. "I made myself believe Our Lord forgot about me."

Severus kissed her forehead, and hugged her closer. "Neither of us forgot you. Neither of us could forget you." He pushed her away slightly, so he could look in her eyes. "You have made to] big of an impact on us." He smirked. "You are the first of the Muggle-born Death Eater's he has let into his inner circle. He wouldn't forget you easily." He kissed her lips, tasting the salt from her tears. "And I couldn't forget you, because I love you." He folded her in his embrace once more and she smiled against his chest.

"Let's get out of here, before anyone comes around. I don't fancy killing anyone at the moment." Hermione giggled, and wiped her hand across her face, getting rid of the tears that still lingered there.

"I am sure Our Lord is waiting for our spectacular return to the court. Let us go."

Hand in hand, Hermione and Severus left her prison room, both of them hoping they would never end up there again.

***

A total eclipse of the heart, a total eclipse of the heart.

Turn around, bright eyes,

Turn around, bright eyes, turn around.

***