Hermione hated the worried looks she received as soon as she stepped into the Room of Requirement. Ginny and Luna were the only ones there so far and she knew Neville was on his way, but clearly word of her upcoming detention had spread. Ginny was really the only one looking at her like someone was about to die, but Luna looked concerned as well. Not a word had to be said for her to know they wanted her to hide away until well after Amycus Carrow could drag her to detention.

"Hermione—"

"Ginny, I'm going to be fine," she said, cutting Ginny off before she could say anything more.

Ginny looked horribly distraught as she moved forward to grab Hermione's hands. Hermione sighed and pulled her into a hug. Ginny had always been very tactile and Hermione knew how much hugs helped her feel better, but if she was truly honest, the hug wasn't just for Ginny.

"My father says 'bravery in a time of trouble is the strongest kind'," Luna said, smiling warmly at Hermione. She smiled back as she let go of Ginny, choosing to ignore the way her friend wiped at her face.

"Are you sure the DA should still meet?" Ginny asked.

Hermione was and she hadn't let Ginny try and talk her out of it earlier in the week. As soon as she'd known, the youngest Weasley had asked several times if they wanted to postpone the DA's meeting, but Hermione had asked her to spread the word it would meet right after breakfast instead. She wasn't sure when Amycus would want her to report for detention, but she was worried it would be right when the DA planned to meet. After asking at breakfast and discovering she'd been correct to worry about the conflicting times, she was relieved she'd worked all week making sure everyone knew about the updated time. Now they just had to wait for the rest of the students to arrive so they could begin. In the meantime, she, Ginny, and Luna talked through what they would work on with the DA that day and prepare for it.

Hermione supposed she should have expected several of the students to ask her about her detention but after the third person, she was really rather annoyed. Somehow, Luna managed to inform everyone else not to ask her about it because after snapping at a small fourth-year, no one said anything.

They spent the first hour reviewing things Harry had taught them last year. For new students, this meant Hermione and Ginny pulled them aside to teach them some of the spells while Luna and Neville monitored the rest of the students.

By the end of the two hour meeting, most of the new students at least knew the spells, though they weren't all good at them, and the returning ones felt confident enough to offer to help teach the next week. After a quick discussion with Neville, Luna, and Ginny, they told the new students there would be extra meetings on Tuesday and Thursday just to help them get better at the spells and be more prepared for the next Saturday meeting.

"We'll figure out a better way to communicate meetings," Hermione said, remembering the coin from last year. She didn't want to do the same sort of communication method just in case someone from last year knew, but it had been a very good idea. "In case we need to plan an emergency meeting, we'll come up with a way to contact you between now and next Saturday. For now, we'll plan on Tuesday and Thursday for those of you new to the DA or those who want extra practice. Saturday's practice will be after breakfast again unless you hear otherwise."

"Also," Neville cut in, looking at Hermione for permission. She smiled and nodded, mentally reminding herself to let him know later that he had just as much control over the class as she did and he didn't need to look to her for permission. "If you know anyone else who might be interested, bring them on Saturday. Obviously, you can't tell them what we do, but let them know there's a study group that meets to learn about defense magic and if they're interested, invite them along."

Once Hermione was sure neither Luna nor Ginny had anything to add, she had the group start getting ready to leave in small groups like they had the week before. It took just as long to get everyone out and by the time Hermione and Ginny were leaving, lunch was nearly finished. They barely managed to grab a few bread rolls and a plate of food before it all disappeared and the Great Hall began emptying out.

When the clock chimed one, Hermione scrambled from the table, bread roll in hand, and hurried through the castle to Amycus Carrow's classroom. She hadn't eaten nearly as much as she'd wanted to, but her nerves made it difficult to stomach anything and the two bread rolls she'd eaten were currently more than enough.

"Welcome, Miss Granger," Amycus said as soon as she'd stepped into the classroom.

He flicked his wrist and the door slammed shut behind her. She tried to ignore the lock clicking into place, but the hungry stare Amycus was giving her wasn't helping. The urge to grab the door handle and run was almost overwhelming, but she knew she couldn't do such a thing. Instead, she took a deep breath and moved further into the classroom, smiling at him.

"Hi, Professor Carrow," she greeted. She looked around the room, trying to see if there was something she could offer to clean. Maybe if she cleaned the classroom and did his own personal chores, he would think she'd been punished enough. "What would you like me to do first? I know Headmaster Snape has been eyeing the dirty trophy rack recently if that's what you have in mind. I can also organise and sort through the old defense books."

Amycus did not look amused, but he did let her finish her rambling. She half expected him to interject or curse her for assuming what he wanted her to do, but he didn't. Instead, he let the room fall into a horrible silence as he stared at her gleefully.

"Are you familiar with much dark magic, Miss Granger?" he asked calmly. Hermione wanted to say 'no' and hope he would give her a book to read, but she also wondered if saying 'yes' could convince him she didn't need an extra lesson on it. She doubted private lessons on dark magic would be anything less than miserable.

"I've encountered it before," she said, deciding that seemed like a safe middle ground. She didn't want to elaborate, but Amycus Carrow didn't seem like the type to enjoy stories.

"You have?" he mused, looking at her doubtfully. He opened a book nearby, flipping through the pages as he stood from his desk. "I doubt it's been anything useful, hm?" He hummed, walking toward her as he continued scanning the book for whatever he was searching for. "Tell me: are you familiar with true dark magic or just the petty things you read about these days?"

Hermione was certainly not sure how to respond to that and clearly her hesitance was not appreciated. Before she could fully process what was happening, Amycus turned his wand at her and snarled, "Crucio."

Unbearable pain flooded her body.  Her skin burned and seared so painfully she struggled to contain a scream.  Her lungs seemed to be caving in as she choked on her breath and what felt like a sea urchin took up residence in her chest.  Every muscle in her body tensed and tensed until she feared she'd shrink.  It had to be impossible for her body to contract like this and still be alright.  Maybe she wasn't alright and when the pain finally stopped, she would discover she was no more than a meter tall.

It lasted forever, the pain in her body. By the time she felt like she could breathe again, she was certain hours had passed. A shrill laugh to her left made her flinch, sending her into another bout of pain as her sore muscles tensed again. She was panting and could feel tears streaming down her face, but the pain was all she could focus on. She could be in front of hundreds of thousands of people and she wouldn't care how weak she looked. She couldn't. Not with how sore her body was and how every breath she took sent knives through her lungs.

"Did you enjoy that, Mudblood?" a voice sneered above her. Everything was blurry, but she could vaguely make out the silhouette of someone looming over her.

Another sob wracked her body and she gasped in pain. She was just barely aware of the voice saying something about true dark magic before the pain started itself all over again and she was screaming louder than she'd ever screamed before. Maybe this time the pain would kill her and she could be in peace. At the very least, she longed to fall unconscious and be spared from it just long enough to catch her breath. She didn't get her wish until the third wave of crippling pain hit her and she found herself spiraling toward a black hole that promised peace and a lack of pain.