25: “I dreamt about you last night.” My urge is to ask for Bartmione but...whatever comes to your mind works for me! Thank you!
Barty carefullytreaded through the dark, dank hallways beneath Malfoy Manor, being quiet asthe mice that accompanied him. It was a habit of late: going down to thecellar. But Barty didn’t mind. Nor did he mind being quiet. There was a prizeat the end and he would pay whatever it took to get to it.
The otherprisoners were long since gone, having been transferred into the ownership of otherDeath Eaters or killed for disobedience. It had been very fast, the destructionof the Order. Resistance had always been futile of course, but nevertheless,Barty had expected more out of them. Foolish.
But not her. No,not her. She still resisted.
The Dark Lord hadkept the Mudblood as a pet for himself. She amused him, he said. Made himremember that there was still work to be done, dirt to get rid of. But Bartyknew better. He knew his Lord saw what he saw.
She had so much ofit. It had been clear to him ever since she’d bitten Dolohov’s ear off. Theblood had seeped down her mouth and she’d glared at them all with so muchferocity he was surprised they’d been left standing. Then, just as the othersraised their wands and prepared to send her to her death, their Lord hadlaughed.
‘Let her be,’ he’d said, ‘we’llcrush her spirit instead. It’ll be worse than killing her. And far more entertaining.’
But it had been ayear now and her spirit was very much intact. No matter how many Crucios theythrew her way.
Barty finally reachedher cell and took out his wand.
The girl immediatelystartled out of her sleep, her shackles rattling as she shied away from thelight. She pressed up against the wall, tucking her body close.
“It’s just me,” Bartysaid, stepping inside. The closer he got, the more she backed away, even thoughthere was no more room to escape to. She was cornered. Foolish girl.
Barty kneeleddown, taking in as much of her as he could. He observed the marks on her armsand the bruises on her face, as well as the dirty hair he remembered used to beso curly and full of life. But it was none of that that he was here to see.Gently, he moved a few locks of hair and placed them behind her ear, before steering her chin up to face him.
“Look at me,” he demanded. Hermione Granger lifted her eyes and met his gaze, her brown eyes ablazewith hatred and disgust.
“I dreamt aboutyou last night,” Barty continued, his tongue flicking out to brush the cornerof his mouth. “Again.”
He bared histeeth. “That it, is it? You still have nothing to say? After all I’m doing foryou! No one else speaks with you, no one else dares defy our Lord’s orders tosee you …” He inched closer, so close that his breath intermingled withhers. If he wanted, he could take her for himself, right here, right now. He’dthought about it. Several times. But …
Barty swallowed. “Whywon’t you look at me the way you look at him?”
Hermione’s hatefullook subsided. She scoffed. “You’re absolutely insane.”
The slap echoedand Barty scolded himself when he came to again and saw her sprawled on thefloor from the impact. He stood up and tugged at his hair.
‘Don’t break your toys if you want to keepplaying with them,’ his mother’s voice said.
Hermione rose intositting position again. She spat out some blood and wiped the rest off with theback of her hand. “That was pathetic,” she laughed. “You have nothing on him. YourLord is far more imaginative with his punishments.” She looked at him again,but this time her gaze was filled with that thing his inner demons had yearnedand pleaded for him to get, no matter the cost. But it wasn’t his. It still wasn’t his. “He took everythingaway from me. He ruined my life. Trust me when I say that there’s nothing youcould do to make me feel that way about you too.”
“Not lies,” saidHermione, matter-of-factly. “Truth. And it will be true until the day one ofyou kills me.”
“Then I won’t letthem kill you.”
Hermione blinkedand Barty could tell she was as surprised as he was by the declaration. “You don’thave that power.”
Barty recovered,pleased that something he said had got to her. “Then I’ll get it.” He left herstaring at his back, thinking about the new plan forming in his head.
He’d give HermioneGranger the world again. And then …then he’d take it away.
And then—finally—she would look at him the way he wanted her to …