Accidental Affection

6 - Uncomfortably Numb

Hermione groans as she begins to awaken, her head pounding something awful, causing her eyes to squeeze shut. Her body feels like it's fallen ten flights of stairs, she shifts to lift a hand to her throbbing skull before being hit with the realization that she was bound, strapped tightly in a sitting position, unable to move her arms and legs.

With this new realization, her eyes forced open, powering through the invisible hammer pounding at the base of her skull. Her eyes take in her blurry surroundings. Grey stone walls surround her, one barred door blocking the only exit to her left. She twists her head as far as she can, taking in every stone placed immaculately. Her brain's fog begins to clear, realization begins to settle in, hitting her hard in the chest. The vision of Draco, rounding about the corner of her room after causing her wand to leave her firm grasp. Then she had turned, attempting a chance to retrieve her wand, but she never made it.

She grunts angerly, the cockroach must have hexed her. Just like that coward, to hex someone whilst they were unarmed, and their back was turned. She pulls at her arms, which are bound behind the back of the chair on which she is perched on, thick wooly rope bound her wrists and ankles. She struggles, but the ropes seem to squeeze onto her wrists tighter with each movement. Of course, they would be bewitched to bond her, holding her and resisting against her attempts of breaking free. Reluctantly she quits struggling, allowing the bonds to loosen slightly leaving a red-hot burning sensation as a reminder.

Closing her eyes, she forces her lungs to suck in a large gulp of the musty cell air to help calm her nerves, if she wanted to make it out of this, she would need to keep control of her thoughts, which were currently racing about in her head, making laps about her brain, becoming nothing but a blur of incohesive confusion. The only thought that was vivid was her disgust with the man who put her in this predicament, and her ultimate desire to punch his face once again, wishing she had done it harder last time.

Her thought becomes vivid, burning bright and angry into her soul, "Ugh, Draco you loathsome..."

Her sudden outburst was interrupted by the sounds of footsteps sounding on the stone floor. She glared at the cell door, peering out glaring, making sure that the first thing that coward Draco sees was the fury in her eyes. With her head held high, and eyes narrowed just enough that she knew the unspoken threat would be imminent. 

To her surprise, it wasn't Draco who approached the cell doors, but another familiar face, one she hadn't been expecting at all. 

A long black wand points toward her, "CRUCIO!" the owner's voice rings out.

Hermione, despite herself, screamed in agony, her bound body thrashed about, the ropes tighten mercilessly around her wrists and ankles, however, this was nothing compared to the searing knives burning into her soul.

*******************

Draco stands in his lavish bedroom. His bed sits, disheveled, although he had tried to sleep, his mind raced to cause him to toss and turn, now he stands, pacing the floor trying to ease his troubled mind. His stomach churned at the thought of what he had done last night. He curses silently, this is not what he wanted, and now because of his family he was once again pulled under murky waters, no bottom in sight, but too far from the surface to be able to wish to fill his soul with peace. No, he was stuck, somewhere in between. 

After arriving with Hermione in his arms, his father had immediately cast a binding spell upon her body before sending her to the dungeon. Once returning he had clasped Draco firmly on the shoulder, obviously pleased with the accomplishment, however, as much as Draco had once craved this approval from his father, it now just filled his body with disgust. He was uncomfortably numb to the words his father had said to him.

Screams begin to fill the manor, drifting up to his bedroom. He immediately recalled those screams, the screams of Granger when she lay underneath his aunt's body as she mutated her body. Without thinking Draco bolted out of the door of his room, making his way down into the holding cell where his father had placed Hermione until his aunt had come, which they hadn't been expecting for a few days due to her having "important things to tend to."

Draco turns the last corner, his feet skidding upon the cold smooth floor, a figure appears holding a wand between the bars, a slight smile upon her face. Draco quickens his speed, reaching the figure shoving her aside, breaking her curse, causing her to fall upon the floor.

"What the hell!" 

"What are you doing?!" Draco demands through labored breaths.

"Just having some fun."

Draco's blood begins to boil. "What the hell are you thinking?! She's bound, tied... What?! Get out of here Pansy! You have no right to be here!" 

"Your aunt sent me. To make sure you followed through with kidnapping the filthy mudblood. Besides, I'm just having a little fun." Pansy pouts, approaching Draco, her left-hand rest upon his chest, her right-hand traces a finger down his chin, throat then chest. 

"Get. Out." Draco says again through clenched teeth.

"Your aunt sent me, I don't have to," Pansy's nose upturns in stubborn foolishness.

"Did she also tell you to curse the captive too?" Draco hissed.

Pansy's eyes grew slightly, before returning to normal, "Aww come on Draco, it's just a little bit of innocent fun. For revenge sake." Her finger now traces about Draco's lips. 

Draco firmly grabbed Pansy's hands, shoving them aside. "Well, you can go tell my aunt that she's here. You came to do what you were sent to do, now get out." Draco glared at Pansy unflinching. 

Pansy let out an exaggerated sigh before turning and winking back at Draco, "You know, we could be the biggest power couple." With a swish of her hips, she turns and disappears around the corner.

Draco sneers, turning and looking at the motionless Hermione who now lies still strapped to the chair that had tipped over from her struggles. "Damn Pansy, Alohomora." With a swish of his wand, the cell opens, and he enters tentatively. 

******

Hermione laid motionless on the floor, her senses disoriented. The pain had been so great that she had been in and out of consciousness. Even stranger was that she swears she had seen Draco, the man who had brought her into this, tackle Pansy as she was cursing her. Unable to hear or see, she felt her body being unbound and laid down gently upon a wooden bed. Her breathing was quick as a few tears strolled down her cheeks.

*******

Draco had unbound the ridiculous bindings around Hermione's body, all the while shaking his head. He gently picked her up, placing her upon the only bed, which was made from wood, but this had to be more comfortable than sitting strapped to a chair. 

With a shake of his head and one last glance back at her, he waves his wand over the door, "Colloportus." With an audible click, the locking spell is reactivated.