Sweet Sixteen

Chapter Four

"Good Evening, Miss Granger," smirked a malicious looking Lucius Malfoy. All Hermione could do was stand there. What was Mr. Malfoy doing here? Was he after Harry again? At that moment she felt very determined. There was no way she was going to let him hurt Harry.

"Wh... what are you doing here, Mr. Malfoy?" asked a nervous Hermione. "If you've come for Harry you better forget it, because there is no way I'm letting you through," she told him, sounding more confident than she felt. Lucius just smirked.

"Actually, we have come for you," he said. Hermione froze as he said this. Her. Why on earth would he want her? "My lord wishes to speak with you, come along - quietly." At this Lucius held out his hand to Hermione.

"Why does Voldemort want to speak with me?" asked a very confused Hermione.

"Just come with me," answered Lucius. Whether it be fear or curiosity, Hermione took Lucius's hand and he put her quite forcefully on his broom. The one hundred or so vampires jumped out of the opened window first. Hermione looked down to see them running at what had to be the speed of light - all she could see of them was gray blurs. Lucius stepped off the edge of the window.

Hermione had absolutely no idea where he was taking her. They must have been flying for three hours now, and she could smell and hear the...ocean? When Hermione looked up, she was so startled, she almost fell off the broom. It was a castle on a cliff right over the waters edge. It looked very similar to Hogwarts. Only it had a darker and more forbidding look about it. Where the hell am I? thought Hermione. Lucius had landed just outside the castles entrance; he grabbed Hermione's arm quite hard, and lead the way inside. As soon as she stepped in she got an all-to-familiar sensation that she was not loved, and every bad memory she ever had came flooding back into her brain leaving her feeling miserable, and incredibly alone.

The corridors were steep and narrow, and the only light was the moon shining through the cold steel bars over the windows. Off to the left was a single door with a plaque on it, with the words: Dungeon 1 inscribed on it. Lucius opened the door and pushed her inside.

"I will first inform the Dark Lord you are here, and then I shall come back when he wishes to see you."

With that, he slammed the door and stalked off. Hermione picked herself up. She had to find a way out of here. Her surroundings looked quite similar to that of an old jail cell; the ground was paved by old cobblestones, she figured they must have been a brown color, but decayed itself to a deep black. The walls had water dripping out of the jagged cracks. She looked on the ground to her left, to see a pile of hay, surrounded by rusty chains attached to the back of the wall. Just then the door opened to reveal Lucius.

"The Dark Lord will see you know," he said shortly. He took her by her arm and lead her through more cookie-cutter corridors, until they came to a door labeled: Torture. He opened it and they walked in. Immediately Hermione felt very sick. There were two rows of ten dungeons all filled to the rim of men and women being tortured. All around her the only sound that enveloped her were screams. Hermione looked into one of the 'rooms' and found a Death Eater hitting a young girl rapidly with a whip, while her mother was screaming frantically, trying to stop him. She looked to the next and found a women lying in chains on the ground while six or seven men dumped hot coals on her. She quickly looked away from that scene as well, and found herself staring at a man who had his wand pointed at a little boys chest, before she could even react, he uttered the Killing Curse, and a stream of green light escaped his wand. The little boy lay lifeless on the ground.

Lucius jerked Hermione forward, "Move it Mudblood," he teased. Was this what was going to happen to her? Was she going to be tortured until she could no longer carry on? Finally they reached a spiral staircase that lead to a single elegant door, which consisted of a fine furnished green oak with a silver outlining, the handle itself was a small sculpture of the Dark Mark. He turned it and Hermione entered with Lucius at her heels. She saw a hooded figure sitting on a huge chair with a snake curled up on the rug beside him, along with twenty or so men standing behind him.

Lucius threw Hermione on the ground at the man's feet. Hermione looked up and saw the most horrid face she had ever seen: the man had glowing red eyes and more scars than Mad-Eye-Moody, and trust me, that was saying something. He took off his hood and smirked at Hermione's obvious alarm.

"Hello, Miss Granger, I presume you are wondering why you are here?" asked Voldemort smoothly.

"Yes, I would, but first where exactly am I? And why are there all these people up there getting tortured?" Hermione was even impressed with how calm she sounded. Voldemort just smirked.

"Bravery will get you nowhere with me. You are at Azkaban Prison; the people being tortured are pathetic Mudbloods and Muggles. And you are here because I need you to answer a few questions for me," responded Voldemort.

"What kind of questions?" asked a confused Hermione.

"I know there is a certain map, the Maurders Map, that Potter has, I understand there are certain secret entrances to Hogwarts, and I know for a fact, you know where they are, so be a smart little girl, and tell me, now." He said this last part a bit demandingly.

Hermione was now glaring daggers at him.

"No" was all she said.

"No" he mimicked back. "Listen Mudblood, you might want to reconsider, or you your- self will be out there with your fellow trash,"

"Hell no" she spat back. "Go ahead, kill me, I'd rather die than cheat my best friend out."

Voldemort smirked again. "Draco, come here"

At that moment a young man stepped out from the group and removed his hood. Holy shit, Malfoy really is a Death Eater!

"Yes master" responded Satan's spawn.

"Take Miss Granger away, and try to knock some sense into her," said Voldemort coldly.

"Yes, Master." Before she knew it she was being seized by the arm and dragged out of the room, by Malfoy. They stopped suddenly and came to a room, he shoved her in, and quickly closed the door.

"What the hell are you doing here, Granger?" asked a surprised Draco.

"Trust me, Malfoy I take no twisted pleasure in being here. I was kidnapped by your

darling father," responded an annoyed Hermione.

"Listen, we've got to get you out of here and fast." Draco started looking frantically for something.

"Since when did you care if I died?" asked Hermione, highly curious.

"Just because I don't like you, doesn't mean I want your ass lying in a coffin."

"But aren't you a Death Eater?"

"Yes, but, I'm also a spy for Dumbledore." Whatever Draco was searching for he had not yet discovered it. There was a knock at the door.

"Are you finished yet," asked a deep voice

"Yes, almost," responded Draco. "Listen, whatever you do, don't tell them yes, and don't tell them no, until I find a way to get you out, understand?" Hermione nodded her head yes.

When they entered the room where Voldemort and his minions were, there were two more people in the room. They had tape on their mouths, and they were magically bound to the floor, There were also two men standing behind them holding knives at their throat's. Hermione could not tell who they were, that is until the Death Eaters yanked their heads back, Hermione's stomach gave a terrible lurch, and she felt her feet start to give way, and her breath was getting visibly unstable.

"What a treat it is to have Mr. and Mrs. Granger here with us this evening, isn't Hermione?" asked a devious looking Lucius.