Who: Lucius and Hermione What: Breaking Hermione's Mind Where: Malfoy Manor When: Sunday, after the journal conversations Status: logged, complete
Still smarting from his conversation with Rabastan, Lucius had begun to realize that if he wanted to achieve his goals, he would need to stop being quite so careful. The rebels were becoming more and more of a nuisance, one which his partner seemed happy to ignore. Lucius blamed the Weasley girl, but he knew better than to push Rabastan on that. The girl had clearly gotten to him, worming her way under his skin and making his best friend soft.
If Rabastan was willing to soften himself, to care about the people they controlled, that was his own business. Lucius had other plans. And his plans came at the hands of one very special young woman.
Hermione was, for the most part, under his complete control. But she had an annoying habit of holding onto the image of Ron Weasley. Lucius had convinced her the name was something to be hateful, but her feelings for the person weren't so easy to corrupt. And today it seemed she was slipping back into old memories. He needed to change his approach and while laying in bed one night, the idea came to him in a rather brilliant fashion.
A few glamour spells were all it took before Lucius resembled the idiotic wizard. His grey hair had become a brilliant red, and his body stretched out a big, skin palled, and his nose quite longer. Lucius shuddered at his own reflection, detesting his appearance, but it was vital to his plan.
He paused outside Hermione's door before taking a deep breath and bursting into the room, his face set in anger.
"You fucking bitch," Lucius roared at her.
***
Hermione sat huddled on her bed, her journal clutched in her arms. She remembered, didn't she? She remembered Ron, and Harry, and Remus and Fred and everyone... But it all felt like it was underwater and she kept slipping in and out of the dream. What was real? What wasn't? She needed to know, but everything hurt so badly and she was so confused. But Ron. Rob was real. He promised he was. He was the Boy in her Dreams. He wouldn't lie to her...
"You fucking bitch!"
Hermione jerked upright with a scream, feeling disoriented and lost. The image of the Boy in her Dreams screaming and swearing at her was so at odds with what she'd just been thinking that she couldn't make any sense of it at all.
"I... What?"
***
The Ron faced Lucius stomped over to Hermione and put his wand in her face. "Did you think I wouldn't find out? You've been here, this whole time with him. You could've come find me, but you chose to stay here with your precious Master, didn't you? While I've been waiting for you this whole time." Lifting his hand, Lucius brought it down hard against Hermione's cheek, the sound of it nearly as intense as the feel.
His wand pressed into her throat, and Lucius snarled. "I would have never come back to find you if I knew what you'd been doing with him, you fucking whore." And then, Lucius muttered a spell, tossing Hermione out of her bed and against the wall. He would break her if it was the last thing he did.
***
Hermione let out a sob, huddling in the corner as she tried to get away from him. Why was he doing this? It wasn't right...
"I'm Sorry!" She cowered back, trying to make herself small. "I'm sorry! I thought, at the fair you said..." she couldn't pull her thoughts together. Her head hurt, her cheek hurt, everything felt fuzzy and underwater...
***
"You're sorry?! SORRY?!?" Lucius advanced on Hermione, catching his reflection in a mirror. He looked disgusting, all gingery and freckled. He'd need a shower after this, just to wash off the spots.
"Did you fuck him," Lucius yelled at her. "Did you fuck your precious Master?! YOU DID. I KNOW YOU DID." Grabbing her arm, Lucius hauled Hermione back up. He tangled his fingers into her hair and pulled her head back before slamming it against the wall.
"I hope you die here," he said and tossed her onto the bed. "I never fucking wanted you. I used you. Laughed at you behind your back. I just wanted your brain, but you're nothing more than a whore now, aren't you?"
***
Hermione felt sick. Her mind was spinning, hundreds of memories all screaming in pain as they thrashed just under the surface, trying to reconcile the man in front of her with the pain she felt. She could feel blood trickling down the back of her head and her eyes couldn't focus.
"I didn't want to," she whispered. "I didn't, I, I did, I love my, my Master, I wanted, I didn't want, it was, it hurt, I hated, I needed..."
She couldn't think. Her nose began to bleed and her stomach churned. She couldn't remember what was real.
"Ron." She whispered, seeing him clearly for the first time in months. "Why..."
***
Laughing cruelty down at her, Lucius stood over Hermione and saw the blood trickle from her nose. "Why?" Slowly he leaned over her, her mouth just inches from hers.
"Because you're a bossy, know it all, ugly, Muggle loving bitch," he told her. "Do you know why I pretended to care? Because you did my homework. That's why. Because I could get things from you. My homework. Then..." his hand moved between her legs and Lucius roughly groped her. "I could get you to give me anything and you were stupid enough to think I loved you."
Lucius pulled away from her and turned towards her books, aiming his wand at them and setting them all on fire. The smell of burning paper soon filled the room and Lucius laughed again.
"How many times do you have to suck him off to get those presents," he asked. "You love him? Then stay with him forever."
***
"No!"
The scream ripped itself out of Hermione's throat, not over the books but over his words. She stumbled forward, listing and dizzy but desperate.
"Ron! Ron, I love you, I love you only you never him it was never him I was forced please don't do this I know you loved me I know you did please please,"
She reached out and weakly gripped his shoulders, not caring if he hurt her again. She didn't understand. She needed to understand.
***
With all of his strength, Lucius turned and smacked Hermione across the mouth. The crack of his hand connecting to her face echoed in the room. "I hate you, you stupid whore. I never wanted you. You were just so desperate for friends that you believed it all. Neither of us wanted you. We used you and you're of no more use to me now." He slapped her again, even harder this time. Lucius advanced on Hermione until he had pinned against the wall and his hands came up to wrap around her slender throat.
"I hate you," he said again. "Beg Malloy to keep you. Beg him to protect you. Because the next time I see you I'm going to kill you. I'm going to slit your worthless thread and laugh as you beg me to save you. Do you get it yet? You're nothing to me."
***
She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, she couldn't understand what was going on. Ron, the Boy in her Dreams, he hated her. He had used her. Everyone in her life had hated and used her. There was no love. There was no happiness, no friendship. Nothing meant anything.
Her vision began to blur as the boy she loved killed her. She stopped fighting, happy to let her life trickle through his fingers. She didn't want it anymore.
***
Just moments before she would slip away from him, Lucius subtly caused a crash to sound outside Hermione's door. Growling, he apparated away, letting her fall to the floor. Lucius appeared in the hallway and waved his wand over himself, removing the charms that had altered his appearance. Quickly, he rushed into the room as himself and over to Hermione.
"My darling girl," he said softly. "What has he done to you?"
***
Hermione barely clung to consciousness, but reached a hand out to her Master ad he ran in to rescue her.
"Master..." Her voice was thin and ready. "Lies. It was, all, lies..."
Her eyes fluttered closed as she breathed shallowly.
***
Scooping Hermione up into his arms, Lucius put out the fire with nothing more than a thought. He carried her to her soft bed and laid her down gently. The next few minutes were filled with his gentle touch and spellwork, healing all the damage he'd just caused her.
"I'm so sorry, my darling. I thought you'd be safe here from him. I only ever wanted to protect you." Lucius leaned over and pressed a kiss to Hermione's forehead. "Can you ever forgive me for failing you?"
***
Hermione went limp in his arms and let him care for her, the tender sweetness completely at odds with the fear and pain that came before it.
"Forgive you," she whispered, half asleep and malleable. "Only one who, ever, loved me..."
***
Lucius couldn't believe his luck. It had been too easy. She was so ready to break, to totally possess. He would continue to test her, but not yet. No, he would bide his time.
Instead he pressed gentle kisses to her neck and cheek, lips brushing against hers. "Of course I love you," he promised her. "I will always love you, my darling. My smart, beautiful darling." Lucius laid down next to her and pulled Hermione into his arms, cradling her to his chest.
"He won't hurt you again," Lucius promised her. "I'd do anything to protect you, Hermione. I'll give my life for yours. I'll always love you."
***
Hermione nodded, knowing her Master was right. He was the only one she could trust...
No!! It's not real, it can't be real! Ron wouldn't do this! Fight him, Lucius is evil fight him don't just accept these lies it wasn't Ron or couldn't be Ron fight him fight this FIGHT!
The voice in her head kept screaming, but Hermione was just so tired. So tired....