There was still almost two hours until Draco would arrive, so Hermione went back up to the Black library and searched for something to keep her distracted. She left her satchel in her old room, not in the mood to unpack it just yet, and made her way back downstairs to the old sitting room.

When she was startled out of her reading by a loud crack, she hastily looked around for a clock. Draco was early, but she still set aside her book and walked into the entryway to meet him. He frowned when he saw her there early as well and she shrugged.

"It's a story for another time," she said. Draco didn't need to know Kingsley had forced her out of the Order just yet. When they returned to Grimmauld Place and she didn't leave, she'd tell him then.

"Do you have the potion?" he asked. Hermione nodded and pulled one vial out of her magically enlarged pockets. "Have you taken it yet?"

"No, I was going to in just a few minutes, then you arrived," she explained. Draco shrugged and watched as she uncapped the vial and swallowed the potion in one gulp. "I have extras for the captives as well. We'll apparate out and once I've ensured they all find an Order safe house, I'll meet you back here."

"No portkey?" Draco asked. Hermione shook her head. "That's unfortunate. You're sure you'll have enough wands to apparate? You can't take all of them at once."

"I'm sure," she said, despite the fact that she wasn't. There had only been a few Death Eaters at the last place and she would need a couple more wands if everyone were to apparate, but with a little luck, a few could take more than one person when they apparated. "Any idea how many there will be this time?"

"No, but quite possibly just as many as last time," Draco told her. Hermione nodded. If that was the case, she could take four or five at once and they would be able to get out easily. "Don't plan on returning, though."

"I wasn't," she assured him. The room fell silent for a few seconds before Draco held out his hand to her. "Isn't it a little early to go?"

"The revel started over an hour ago, Granger," he said, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "I'm sure fifteen minutes ahead of schedule won't hurt us."

Hermione took his hand and he laced his fingers through hers tightly. She took another step forward and a second later, she was being pulled away by the hook in her bellybutton. When the sensation wore off and she realised they'd arrived successfully, she turned to Draco with a grin. He looked at her in amusant.

"Didn't think it would work, Granger?" he teased. Hermione rolled her eyes at him and he squeezed her hand.

"Didn't want to hope," she answered. She looked around the room they had apparated into, wondering how she'd get to the dungeons from where they were.

"Just outside the door and to the right is a stairwell. It leads right into the dungeons," he told her. He released her hand and took a step back. "I have to make my appearance. Don't take risks, Granger."

"Only the necessary ones," she said. He gave her a look and she smiled. "Go. I'll meet you at Grimmauld Place in an hour."

Draco nodded and disapparated. Hermione waited impatiently for a few minutes before taking a deep breath, pulling the hood of her cloak over her braided hair, and peering out the door. When she was met with a completely empty hallway, she slipped out and to the stairwell Draco told her about. She double checked to make sure the potion vials were in her pocket before pulling out her wand and hurrying down the stairs.

The first Death Eater she encountered was taken care of quickly. She sliced his throat before he'd even looked at her and after taking his wand, she placed a disillusionment charm on the body and continued forward. She continued down the stairs and pressed herself against the wall when she heard two pairs of footsteps coming around the corner.

"I think Lestrange is crazy for thinking there's still a spy," one Death Eater grumbled. Hermione smiled to herself. "We took care of that problem with the display we made of Severus."

"The trap was perfect though," the other one argued. Their voices were closer now and Hermione prepared to cast two curses as they rounded the corner. "If there wasn't a spy, then how—" They saw her the moment she saw them, but Hermione was more prepared.

She slit the first one's throat before he could open his mouth to yell. The second one cast a jet of green light that she barely dodged, but she returned the curse shortly after and he fell. She snatched up the two wards and raced off in the direction they'd come from, assuming that was where the dungeon cells were.

She skidded to a halt as she came face to face with a cell full of children that were clearly still in Hogwarts. For a terrible moment, Hermione worried they wouldn't be able to apparate. Her thoughts were shoved aside when one of the little girls screamed and a curse hit Hermione in the back.

The crucio tore through her body like a wolf and she bit through her lip trying not to scream. Against her will, her body collapsed and she struggled to keep a hold of her wand. The second the pain let up, she whipped around and immobilised the person who cursed her. Her muscles protested at the sudden motion, but adrenaline pushed her forward.

"Are there any others?" she asked the children. They nodded and pointed down the hall. Hermione glanced in that direction then back to the kids. "Can any of you apparate?"

Four children nodded and while Hermione wanted to ask how, she didn't have time. She tore the wand out of the hand of the Death Eater that attacked her and blasted open the cell door. Seven children ran out and she handed the wands to the four that had assured her they could apparate.

"Take this potion," she instructed them, handing out seven of the twelve vials she'd grabbed. She was suddenly very glad she'd sent a notice to McGonagall, saying to meet her at Hogwarts that evening. "It will allow you to apparate out without triggering any wards. All of you are to go to Hogwarts where a member of the Order will meet you."

"What about you, Hermione?" one of them asked.

"I have to get the others," she said, glancing again down the hall. "I'll be there soon, though."

Once all seven had drunk the potion, she watched them break off into pairs and apparate to Hogwarts. After the last kid disappeared, she ran down the hall in search of the second cell. Unlike the first cell, the second was located in the far corner and Hermione could see three Death Eaters guarding it.

The first curse she cast alerted them to her presence, but effectively killed one of them. She ducked around the corner as spells raced toward her, pressing herself against the wall and waiting for them to cease. Without looking, she pointed her wand around the corner and cast three avada curses. With a little luck, at least one of them would hit a guard.

It was silent for several seconds after, so Hermione poked her head around the corner. Immediately, the two remaining Death Eaters sent curses at her and she hid again. She cast a strong shield before peeking around again and slit the throat of one before her shield splintered. When she raised her wand to kill the second, her hand trembled and she paused. The distraction allowed the last Death Eater to get a curse eerily close to her ear and she dropped to the ground to avoid it. Raising her wand again, Hermione focused hard on keeping her hand steady even as phantom pains from her earlier crucio coursed through her fingertips. She killed the last Death Eater quickly then jumped to her feet.

Arriving in front of the cell, Hermione paused. There were only eight captives inside, but not many of them looked like they were in a condition to apparate. She also didn't have enough potions for them and as soon as they left, the wards would be triggered.

"Are you here to rescue us?" a girl asked. Hermione nodded and pushed aside her worries so she could destroy the cell door. A few of the captives screamed in surprise and Hermione cursed under her breath.

"They'll come if you don't stay quiet," she warned. She blasted the cell door again and it broke apart. Hurrying everyone through, she gathered the three wands in front of her and handed them to those who looked the strongest. "Apparate straight to Hogwarts. The other children are there too, waiting for a member of the Order."

"There are wards to prevent apparation," a young boy piped up. "I heard them talking."

"You'll be able to get out, but not back in," she corrected. She pulled out the remaining vials of potion and handed them to as many as she could. "It's so as not to trigger the wards. We'll have to move quickly though. Can anyone do side along apparation?"

A few people nodded. After making sure four were paired off, she grabbed hold of the remaining four captives. When the first pair disapparated, however, Hermione felt the wards around her ripple and her chest dropped at the sound of footsteps racing through the hallway.

"Hurry," she ordered.

Behind them, the footsteps raced forward and Hermione saw two of the captives collapse in front of her. One managed to apparate, but when Hermione tried to put up a shield and order the rest of them to go, a shout sounded behind her and two girls screamed. She turned around to face the attackers, but before she could raise her wand, two curses hit her in the chest.

Gasping at the force of a double crucio, Hermione dropped her wand and fell to her knees. Her body was still spasming from the curse she'd received earlier, but the pain was magnified as two Death Eaters kept the curse on her. Her lip was already split from biting through it before and she couldn't stop the scream that tore through her throat no matter how hard she tried.

"It's Granger!" a Death Eater yelled. The group surged forward and Hermione strained for her wand only for it to be kicked out of her reach.

"Someone call Mulciber!"

Hermione began to panic. Around her, the remaining captives were immobilised and shoved to the ground whereas Hermione was pulled to her feet. She was trembling from the after effects of the three crucio curses she'd received and her body screamed in protest when she tried to pull away from whoever had grabbed her.

"I should have known it was you, bitch," the Death Eater holding her sneered. He held her arm tightly and twisted his fingers into her braid, forcing her head back to look at him. "You'll pay for what you've done," Rookwood taunted, and while Hermione knew that was likely true, she didn't stop herself from spitting in his face.

He roared in anger and tossed her against the cold wall. His hand locked around her throat and he brought his wand up to her forehead. Without so much as muttering the word, Hermione felt yet another crucio tear through her body and she screamed.

"Rookwood!"

The curse ceased almost as suddenly as it had begun but the hand around her throat did not waver even as Rookwood turned to see who had called his name. Hermione gasped for air, clawing at Rookwood's hand and channeling all the magic she could after being crucio'd four times. Although her head pounded and her hands were shaking, Hermione stunned Rookwood and he released her throat.

Knowing she had little time before she was cursed again, she reached into her robes and grabbed the notebook Draco had given her. There was no way she was escaping now, but if they searched her and found that notebook, it would clearly reveal Draco was a spy. That was not something she was going to let happen.

She ducked a curse thrown at her and with the weak little magic she could summon, lit the notebook on fire. It incinerated quickly and Hermione let the ashes fall through her fingers and into her pocket.

Her relief at destroying the notebook was short-lived as she was promptly immobilised and pulled backward by an unknown Death Eater. She watched Mulciber remove her spell on Rookwood then turn to look at her. Behind him, the remaining captives were being shoved back into a cell and the wands they held were broken and tossed to the side. Hermione, however, was kept out and held back by a Death Eater she still hadn't been able to identify.

"You're the bitch from the Order that ruined my last sale," Mulciber sneered. Rookwood spit at her and Hermione felt it hit her shoulder.

"People aren't things to be sold," Hermione sneered in return.

"Mudbloods aren't what we would call 'people'," Mulciber replied. He reached forward and grabbed her face, encroaching on her personal space and forcing her eyes up at him. "I've done well enough with the scraps I've encountered, but how much do you think I'd get paid for Potter's Golden Girl?"

"Fuck off," Hermione said. Though her words were unclear with the way Mulciber was holding her face, she knew he understood her.

"Take her wand and put her in the cell at the very end," Mulciber instructed, releasing his hold on her. He stepped back and told the Death Eaters around her, "We'll continue with the slaves we have left and tomorrow we'll deal with this one."

Someone grabbed her arm and, without removing the immobilisation spell, started dragging her to a cell. Hermione felt her knees scrap on the ground and her jeans dug into her hip, but she didn't say anything. It wasn't until she was tossed into a cell that she was released from the spell. The cell door was locked securely before she could even attempt to escape, though, and she contented herself with glaring at the Death Eater's retreating back.