A Deal With The Devil

A Deal With The Devil

Chapter 3

"Thy enemy's enemy is thy friend"

"Cho Chang is a quiet girl, no one would suspect her of committing a heinous crime. Although shes the kind of girl that gets noticed wherever she goes and that might be bad for our purpose. People would notice her going into Potter's chambers," Voldemort observed. She was walking across the room and every once and a while she would admire something out loud, making Voldemort's head swell with pride. Little did she know that she was just to be a pawn in his scheme of world domination.

Ron raced back to Hogwarts at breakneck speed. He had to tell Dumbledore and the Order of what had taken place at the gathering. Hermione was the mother of the heir? That meant...that meant...Ron didn't even want to think about what that meant. The thought of Hermione and Malfoy was too gross to imagine. Especially if the slimy git had... raped her. This just made Ron ran faster, as you couldn't Apparate into Hogwarts you had to do it on a field four miles away. When he finally reached the castle he was out of breath and had to stop for air. He took of through the hall not caring about the curious looks he was getting from the students. He was stopped by Ginny, the school medi-witch in training, who asked him, "Ron what's going on?"

"Not now Ginny," he dismissed her quickly and continued running to Dumbledore's office. He finally got to the statue and whispered "Fizzing gnomes," then stood patiently fort he statue to open. When the statue finally opened he raced up the steps. "PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE!" Ron had been instructed by the great man himself to call him Albus, but Ron never could get used to it.

"What is it Ron?"

"It's Hermione, Voldemort has imprisoned her and Malfoy in the castle and he told me to tell you that the only way he'll give her back is if..."

"What Ron? What must we do?"

"Harry has to give his life for hers."

"No."

Ron nodded and then said, "I have to admit something Dumbledore."

"Quickly then, I have to alert the Order."

"I was working with him." Ron looked at his hands noticeably ashamed of himself.

"Voldemort?" Dumbledore had a severe, but at the same time soft and coaxing tone to his voice.

"Yes."

"I'm disappointed in you Ron. But at least you have seen the error in your ways. However I must do this," with a flick of his wand Dumbledore clamped a pair of handcuffs on his former student. "Don't worry Ron, it's just a technicality. I doubt that you'll spend any time in Azkaban." Dumbledore guided Ron out of the door and Ron studied his shoes as he was led through the hall in handcuffs. Ginny put a hand over her mouth, and steadied herself against a table.

"Oh Ron," Ginny murmured softly under her breath, "What have you done?"

Hermione gazed out the window for what seemed like eternity, until she turned and lay down on her bed. It had been three weeks since her night spent with Draco and she missed him deeply. She knew she was pregnant, for one thing she had missed her period and for another she could feel it. She hadn't seen anyone since Draco left, the only socializing she had in her days was with the houselves, and they weren't very good conversationalists. Hermione longed for music, spells, and above all, her friends. She hummed a song under her breath; it was a song her father had sung to her when she was little to put her to sleep, "The Red Red Robin" by Bing Crosby. She pictured herself singing it to her baby. Which brought about another question, what to name it? For a girl Hermione had always been fond of the name Philippa, "Then I can call her Pippa!" But she knew that she'd have to have her mother's name, Susanna, because it was a Granger tradition. "Hmm, Pippa Susanna Malfoy," Hermione thought dreamily, "It has a ring to it." She knew Draco would never agree to a name like Pippa though. But then again his name was Draco! Draco had often commented that he liked the name Kayla for a girl, "But who cares what Draco likes, it's primarily my baby!" But then it dawned on her that she wasn't sure whether it was a girl or boy. She didn't know many boy's names and she didn't care at the moment, she was certain she was going to have a Pippa.

Draco sat in his cell pondering about insanity. Would he know if he became insane? Was he already? His thoughts turned to Hermione. How was she? Was she pregnant? He stared around his murky cell; at least she was more comfortable than him, in her cosy wing. He knew exactly how to get to her room; a photographic memory came in handy sometimes. If only he could find a way to unlock the doors. The only time he was allowed out of his cell was when the houselves cleaned it, or rather, washed out all the blood and excrements that had accumulated, and when Voldemort led him to the torture chamber. He decided he'd take his chances with the houselves. So Draco began plotting his escape from Voldemort's castle.

Harry poured more milk into the frying pan and used the spatula to flip his eggs. Sunny side up was definitely the only good way to make eggs. His toast popped out of the toaster and he grabbed it burning his fingers. "OW!" Harry yelped dropping the toast on the floor, just then Dumbledore's head appeared in the fireplace. Dumbledore smiled, Harry was standing there in South Park boxers and a Blink 182 concert t-shirt icing his finger, completely oblivious to his presence.

"Harry?"

"Er...Hello Professor Dumbledore," Harry said awkwardly, spinning around quickly.

"Albus, Harry. Please call me Albus."

"O.K...Albus."

"There is an urgent meeting of the Order to be held at Hogwarts immediately."

"Why? What's happened?"

"You'll know soon enough."

"Wait! Is it about Hermione?" Harry shouted as Dumbledore's head disappeared. Still grumbling about having to rush out at 8:00 in the morning, Harry got dressed in a pair of Quiksilver jeans and an Atticus t-shirt, and then threw his robes on top. Hermione had always loved him in his muggle clothes. He didn't have enough time to eat his eggs before he left so he grabbed his plate and poured them on it. Then he picked up his toast from the floor and scooped up a chunk of butter. He also poured his coffee into a travel mug. Without thinking he slid his feet into his Bugs Bunny slippers and apparated. He arrived on a deserted field and then remembered he needed his broom to fly to the castle. He apparated back to his house and grabbed his broom. He then apparated back to the field, and he was still very disoriented from all the Apparating but nevertheless hopped on his Firebolt. Using one hand to steer and the other to eat his eggs he flew to the castle. When he entered the room everyone was already there. They all turned and glared at him.

"You're late Potter." The speaker was Snape, ever the chipper one.

"Sorry," Harry slid into his seat, the only empty one there. Then he made a huge crunching sound as he bit into his toast.

"Hmm," Dumbledore cleared his throat and Harry looked up ashamedly, he stopped chewing.

"The first order of business is the matter concerning Aurors Malfoy and Granger." Everyone gave Harry a sideward glance, and he pretended not to notice. "A source has informed us that they are being held captive in Voldemort's castle." Immediately a roar tore through the room as everyone began talking rapidly. "Silence, silence everyone. Now Voldemort sent us a message through one of our spies. He said that the only way to save Miss Granger's life is to exchange another life with hers."

"Whose?" Minerva McGonagall asked incredulously.

"Yeah lets give him one of his Death Eaters!" It was unmistakably Sirius' voice that rang out.

"We have to do it!" Remus' concerned plea was heard.

"Silence please! I know you're all concerned but you must listen. Voldemort didn't ask for one of his Death Eaters back. He asked for..." The whole room fell silent; everyone was hanging on his every word. "Harry."

"What?"

"No, you couldn't possibly..."

"That's outrageous!"

"Does he think were stupid?"

"Not Harry!"

"What are we going to do let her die?"

"What about Malfoy?"

Everyone was straining to get their opinion heard and Harry couldn't distinguish the voices. His head was spinning with confusion but he had already made up his mind. He would give up his life for Hermione's in an instant. But Harry wondered how they would insure Hermione's escape. Voldemort was known for playing dirty.

Cho Chang traced the pattern on the fabric of her blanket with her finger. She didn't know how long she had been locked in this room. All she could remember was drinking and then passing out. She didn't even know where she was. Then a door opened and she screamed.

Narcissa snuck down the grimy steps leading to the dungeon. She had a sandwich and a jug of water under her arm. She gasped when she saw her son lying on a soiled cot eyes downcast.

"Draco?" He looked up and met her gaze, "Oh honey. Mama's here, don't you worry." Draco nodded because he couldn't bring himself to speak. She reached into her robes and handed him the sandwich and jug. He eat and drank obediently, and Narcissa observed him. "Sweetie I smuggled the key into the bread of the sandwich. You'll digest it in a few days. Then you must escape."

"What about Hermione?" Draco choked out desperately.

"Draco since when did you care about others? She's just a stupid little mudblood. Why do you care what happens to her?"

"I love her."

Narcissa smiled, "Ah so it wasn't an act. I didn't think so. I suppose I could smuggle her a key too but I think its best that you escape without her and leave her to me."

Draco shook his head, "Im not going anywhere unless shes with me."

"Draco will you stop being so difficult? We don't have much time! Voldemort forbade me to ever come see you. He'll kill me if he finds out. Please listen to me. If she was offered a chance she'd escape without you."

"I know she would and I'd be upset if she didn't. I only care about her safety."

"Draco you really are a fool, your father was right. Well I tried to reason with you and help you escape. I've tried my best it's not longer my fault that you're imprisoned. Just so you know, your father and I are leaving tomorrow, were going back to the manor. If you stay here Voldemort will surely kill you. He has no use for you anymore; it's only the fact that he enjoys torturing you that you're still alive!"

Draco nodded and whispered, "If I never see you again Mother, just know that I love you, and tell Hermione that I love her more than anything. As a last favor to me, please help her and my child escape."

"I'll try Draco. I will. But you must escape too, what will Hermione tell little Narcissa?"

Draco smiled, so his mother wanted him to name the baby after her. "Goodbye mother."

"Goodbye Draco. Hermione is being moved to a room down the hall to the left and up those stairs. Voldemort though it would be a sick joke to put you two so close together but so far apart. Just so you know there's a corridor from Hermione's room to yours its a-" Narcissa was cut off by the sound of a door opening she nodded to her son and ran up the stairs. Unfortunately for her Voldemort was waiting at the top of the stairs. She opened her mouth to scream but Voldemort sliced out her vocal chords before she had a chance. Then he dropped her and let her bleed to death.

"Shit how will I explain this to Lucius? I accidentally slit your wife's throat? No... more like, Lucius your wife attacked me and I had to dispose of her. Yes that's better. Much better! I am Voldemort. I should be believed no matter what."

"Master have you seen my wife?" Lucius turned and yelled "NARCISSA!"

"Er, Lucius we must talk."

"What is it?"

"Something dreadful happened to Narcissa."

"Oh my god! Is she alright?"

"Im afraid not. She came upon me when I was reciting a spell and Im afraid it was a severing head charm. She couldn't be saved Im sorry."

"No. Not Narcissa. Not My love." Lucius howled and Voldemort strode out of the room with a smirk on his face.

Draco sat down in the dungeon mournfully and wiggled the key between his fingers. He had found in today while cleaning out his cell of the defecation and other excrements. Even the houselves were too repulsed to do it. He decided he would try to escape that very night. But before he could stash the key, Voldemort came downstairs.

"Give it to me now."

Draco tried to play stupid, "What do you mean?"

"They key you idiot!"

"The key to what?"

"The key to your cell. How many keys do you have you fool?"

"I don't have a key to my cell."

"Look I already killed your idiotic mother do you want to suffer the same fate?"

"You killed my mother? You Son-of-a-bitch! I hate you! I would gladly die, its not like I have anything to live for. "

"Fine. Your own fate might not matter to you anymore but I know someone's fate that does. Do you want me to kill your little mudblood whore?"

"No! Please leave Hermione alone!"

"Then hand over the key," Voldemort said putting forth a hand. Draco relented and handed them over. When he had them Voldemort turned on his heel and walked away.

Draco lay forlornly in his cell crying. His mother was dead. His only ally in the castle that wasn't imprisoned was dead. His only chance of escape was gone. He thought of Hermione. He loved her so much, too much in fact. He remembered a song that he heard that reminded him of her.

Love Her For That - Teddy Thompson

Shes a feeler and

I love her for that

No matter how long

I will always come back

There's a bond that we share

I will always be there

She may be holding but

I love her for that

There are reasons

That im out here so far

Those are weaker

From an ocean apart

And I guess I could run

From my place in the sun

She wouldn't let me and

I love her for that

And I know you steal her

You love her and deceive her

She did nothing

So wrong so wrong

Voice of angels ended quick by his knife

Bonds are broken between a man and his wife

And the songs that are there

To remind of the theme

She let you sing em

And I love her for that I love her for that

Hermione lay back on her bed and in the distance she could hear a song. It was a beautiful song and after listening to it for a while she realized it wasn't in her head. It was Draco. "Draco!" She screamed as loud as she could. But he didn't answer her. She started to follow his voice. She went a few yards out her door but the voice was growing more distant. So she backtracked and went back into her room. "I must be right on top of him," she murmured then blushed as she realized what she said could be construed another way, "I mean right on top of where he is." She tried as hard as she could but she couldn't find where a route to where Draco was.

2 months later...

Dumbledore sat at his desk contemplating. He knew he had tried his best to formulate this plan to perfection but there was still a major risk for Harry. When he went in he had to be alone. When Voldemort let down the Apparating fields then Hermione and presumably Draco could Apparate out. Then hopefully Harry could get out again before he shut it down. First Dumbledore was sending reinforcements in invisibility cloaks to survey the situation, and make sure it was genuine. But in spite of all the preparation Dumbledore was still unsure. What if Harry died? He would be held responsible, also the boy who lived would be dead, there would be a public outcry.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione spotted a flash of light. She turned her head and looked but she saw nothing. Then she looked again and saw that the flash was light reflecting off something. It was a... staircase. She hurried over to it, and at once realized why she hadn't seen it straight away. It was made of transparent glass and could only be seen when the light hit it. Her breath became more rapid and she wondered what she would find down there. It was difficult to climb because she couldn't see what she was stepping on, and also, because of the pregnancy, she could no longer see her feet. Luckily her hand grasped onto a banister and it saved her from falling more than a few times on the way to the bottom. It got darker and darker as she descended the steps but she vowed she wouldn't lose her resolve. Finally she came to a dimly lit hallway. She spotted a torch a few paces away and she began to walk toward it, and then she noticed that there was no floor. It was ground beneath her bare feet, dirt and pebbles. It felt foreign to her feet and she realized it had been over two months since she had been outside the castle. She didn't walk far before a potent stench filled her nose. She covered it quickly before her reflexes had a chance to kick in and force her to gag. She bravely walked forward, her anticipation mounting with every step. The hallway suddenly took an unexpected curve to the right and around the corner was a... dungeon. It looked like a prison right out of the pages of Hogwarts: A History. It had seventeenth century torture devices and to see them up close was shocking for Hermione. She didn't think she'd ever seen something so horrific, not even in the movies. The she heard a shuffling in one of the cells, and at first she dismissed it as rats, but as the sounds persisted, she went over to investigate. Hermione gasped as she saw it was a person hunched over with long blonde hair. At first it didn't register who it was because she was in shock.

"Oh god! Draco!" She ran to the bars of the cell and the figure looked up hesitantly, almost like he was afraid.

"Hermione," his voice was very low-pitched, probably from dehydration.

"What have they done to you?" She began to sob uncontrollably, so much for trying to be strong for him. He reached through the bars and grasped her hands.

"Hermione, I-"

"No, don't try to talk. You'll only hurt your throat." Noticing for the first time his gaunt face and bony figure, she reached into her robes and pulled out a sandwich. She handed it to him carefully through the bars. Their eyes met for an instant and then he hastily looked away. In that single second her heart broke. His once lively gray eyes were dull and lifeless. He hungrily ate the sandwich and she urged him to eat it slower. "Draco, if you eat it all at once you'll end up throwing up." She had learned in her brief medi-witch training that if someone has been starved for several weeks that if they suddenly eat a lot, they wont be able to keep it down. Draco took her advice and put down the other half of the sandwich, he gingerly tucked it in a corner so that it would he hidden from view. Hermione took this opportunity to examine the scars and welts across his body. If some of his wounds went untreated for much longer they might get infected she realized looking at a gash in his shoulder. He noticed her looking at him and he tried to cover himself. This wasn't the Draco she knew, he was a shadow of what he had once been, and he was only nineteen.

"Hermione I love you." He choked the words out and at that moment she realized she did too, in spite of his appearance she knew she had loved him for a long time, and probably always would.

"Draco I love you too."

They embraced as much as was possible through the bars and it felt good to be near him again.

He felt as if he was dreaming and he suddenly realized maybe that's all this was. He knew that being in a dark dungeon in solitary confinement affects you. He squeezed her tighter as if he was afraid she might disappear. As he held her he felt something move, something inside her. He let go and looked down at her stomach. Hermione quickly tried to rearrange her robe but it was too late, he had already seen it.

"You're-"

"Yes, I'm pregnant."

"Is it?" He gulped as if he was afraid to even hope that it was his.

"Yes Draco, you're going to be a daddy." Hermione smiled through her tears as she saw Draco's face light up, and for a few seconds his eyes sparkled again. They embraced again and Draco began to cry, slow tears trickled down his dirt-streaked face. Suddenly Draco broke loose and pushed Hermione away. He brought a finger to his lips and with a wave of his hand gestured for her to leave. He could hear the distant sounds of someone approaching, and he recognized from the sound pattern it was his mother.

Hermione didn't want to leave Draco alone; she couldn't bear the thought of him being tortured with all of those creepy devices. But she trusted him and his instincts and she knew that he wouldn't want her to leave him unless it was pertinent to her safety. She hurried down the hallway and replaced the torch into its holder. Then she hurried up the stairs. It was harder than before because she had guessed that the stairs were only visible at a certain time of day, or else she would've seen them before, and she was right. When she reached the top she lay down on her bed, and realized that she should smuggle some more food and water down to Draco, as it looked like they certainly weren't feeding him.

Cho Chang looked up at Voldemort her brown eyes brimming with tears. You know your mission.

"Yes."

"Repeat it to me."

"I am to go to Dumbledore and volunteer to escort Harry to the castle. Then I am to use the silent killing spell to kill the other escorts. Then I am to lead Harry to you."

"Good. And when is this all to take place?"

"In three weeks."

"Good girl. And what are you going to do now?"

"Seduce Harry."

"Alright when I say go Apparate"

Ron sat in his cell. "No Azkaban my ass" he muttered. He had received a two-month sentence in the infamous prison. Now this wasn't a long sentence as far as things go, but it had still been the worst month of his life and he had another month to look forward to. He tried not to think about Hermione because dementors had the power to suck all the good out of your memories. She was the only thing keeping him alive and he needed her.

"Mr. Weasley you have a visitor."

Ron nodded for them to admit whoever it was. To his surprise it was Harry.

"Ron."

"Harry."

"How er...have you been?" Harry looked around and realized he knew the answer to his question.

Ron didn't bother to answer him, "Harry cut the crap why are you here?"

"Shouldn't I be?"

"Well I did betray you and was part of a plot to kill you. I'd think you'd have some animosity."

"I do. But you're Ronald Weasley the same boy I met my first day at Hogwarts, my best friend and I've stuck by you too long to stop now."

Ron's expression lightened and he began to cry, "Im so sorry Harry. I don't know how you'll ever forgive me but I truly am sorry. You have to believe me, I- I don't know what came over me."

"Its alright Ron. I've already forgiven you. Voldemort can be very persuasive, I've learned that firsthand."

"How have you been? How's Hermione?"

"Well all things considered I'm okay. But to be honest Im not sure how Hermione is. Dumbledore has formulated a plot to save her and preparation is underway. We're going to attempt mission 587 Dracon next week."

"Dracon? Oh don't tell me were saving Malfoy too!" Ron and Harry laughed at his joke; it was the first time either of them had laughed in a while.

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