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Necessary Sacrifices	By : magentasouth Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Hermione/Voldemort Views: 31230 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I neither own nor profit from any part of the Harry Potter universe

Chapter List
- 1-Ch 1
- 2-Ch 2
- 3-Ch 3
- 4-Ch 4
- 5-Ch 5
- 6-Ch 6
- 7-Ch 7
- 8-Ch 8
- 9-Ch 9
- 10-Ch 10
- 11-Ch 11
- 12-Ch 12
- 13-Ch 13
- 14-Ch 14
- 15-Ch 15
- 16-Ch 16
- 17-Ch 17
- 18-Ch 18
- 19-Ch 19
- 20-Ch 19b
- 21-Ch 20
- 22-Ch 22
- 23-Ch 23
- 24-Ch 24
- 17
- 18
- 19
�Answer the question you son of a
whore!��
Antonin
looked up at the irate auror with calm eyes. ��Inside he was panicking and barely keeping
control.� The veritaserum rushing through
his brain was making him tense and uncomfortable.� Every time they asked a question and he
remained silent it increased.�

Aurors were stupid.�
The Dark Lord would tell them that to make veritaserum truly effective
it had to be applied with a babbling draught to force the victim to be unable
to remain silent.� He had trained on the Death
Eaters veritaserum mix.� It was much more
potent.� But they had given him a lot
here now � they kept giving him more when he didn�t respond � with luck he�d
overdose soon.�

It was only the painful burning of his mark that was keeping him fully lucid
now.� If he didn�t have that he�d be in a
stupor.�
He didn�t even dare to shake his
head at them, just looked at the red face balefully.� �The
man ranting at him was a lumberjack of an auror.� Tall and strong with sandy brown hair cut
short and pale blue eyes.� Had to be in
his fifties but he was still someone Antonin would be
wary of in a fight.� The other auror
leaning on the back wall glaring at him was a shorter man with curly blonde
hair and grey eyes.� Maybe
in his forties.� He wasn�t as fit
looking but for that, he looked a bit smarter.�
The two were taking turns talking with him.� It was literally the oldest trick in the
book.� This old monster yelled at him for
a bit and then the other one tried to reason with him about how much better off
he�d be if he just answered the questions.�
Stupid bastards.� He wouldn�t be better off if he answered �
these filth sacks would dump him in Azkaban and the Dark Lord would find a way to
kill him slowly for his betrayal.�
Distracting himself from the
spittle that the older auror was spraying across his face in his frustrated
yelling from an inch away, he wondered what was going to happen to him.� Would he be rescued?� Probably not before he got to Azkaban, like
last time.�

He couldn�t hold up that long.� They�d
break him long before then.�

Would they give him a trial?� Would they
give him the kiss this time?��
His arm hurt like a bastard.� The auror shouted something else in his
face.� He blinked at the stinking breath,
trying to continue ignoring it.� Garlic and picadilly sauce.� Disgusting.� The time dragged on.
�Who are the other Death Eaters?� What are their names?��
He ignored the jolt inside as the
serum forced the answers to the front of his mind.�� He knew a lot of names.� If they had a
legilimens..�
But then he didn�t know whether this sweating blond pig in front of him
was a legilimens.� He lowered his eyes to
the table and kept his mouth clamped shut.�
��He tried to move as little as possible.�
�Look at me, you dementor-snack� the blonde demanded.�
Fuck.� That wasn�t good.� He might not be but..� it wasn�t good.� The fucker could be a legilmens.� What had he been thinking when the shorter
man was talking to him before?!�

He thought that his main occlumentic walls might be
ok but it was always hard to protect the front of your mind..
the thoughts happening.. and
under this bloody serum.. Shit. Shit shit.. what had he given away
already?!�

He couldn�t remember.�� He kept his eyes
fixed on the table.�

A sudden blow across his cheekbone threw his face to the left, wrenching his
neck.� He hadn�t seen it coming.� So they were moving on to this now.�

�Look at me when i talk to you, scum.��

He pulled his face back and continued to look at the table.�� Seconds later another hard blow tossed his
head back and dizzied him.� He closed his
eyes and straightened his head.� This
seemed to set both men off and in short order he found himself on the floor
being kicked.� He felt his ribs crack as
one of their boots connected.� They were
reserving their blows for his body.� A
boot to his kidneys forced an inarticulate cry from him and he was hauled up
roughly and thrown back into the chair.

�Open your eyes� the voice of the shorter blonde instructed him from a few
inches away.� �open
them or I�ll pin them open.�� He� felt a wand tease
over his left eyelid. �I could cut them off..easily reattached before trial.��

He snorted internally.� Who was this
guy?!� Yaxley
should recruit him.� He heard the word and
panicked, his mind was too fuzzy to focus right now.�
�Imperio..�
�The fuzziness was deepening and he
couldn�t fight it.� �He tried to collect all his strength to throw
it off but it wasn�t happening.� The
horrible familiar pleasure softened him and then he heard the voice in his
mind.

�open your eyes��

Yes.. it was a good idea.� He should.�
He opened his eyes and looked at the tabletop.�

�Look at me� the voice said softly and he raised his eyes up to see a pale
serious face and a mass of blonde curls.�
�Answer our questions��
came next and he agreed internally � that would be the best
course of action.� He waited patiently
for the question.�

�What are the names and ranks of every Death Eater you know?� The blonde asked
quietly.�
He struggled to think.� It was a big question.� He had a strange feeling about it � like he
didn�t want to answer � but that wasn�t true.. he really did want to answer, didn�t he.� It would feel good to answer.�� Paltis, Regent, Galfphrey, Odiun, Randorf, Precton, Prentis, Ashford, Gosprey, Gillycuttis, Frewit, Sandgage�
�Stop� the blonde instructed.� �What is the rank of these Death Eaters��
He responded immediately �novice
initiate.��
The blond exchanged a look with his
colleague and turned back to him.� �How
many Death Eaters do you know the names of in total?��
It took a while for Antonin to answer as he calculated slowly and sedately
internally.� �one
hundred and twenty three� ��
The men looked at each other again
with dawning grins of realisation.� �What
is your rank, Dolohov?��
He stared at them muzzily.� �Inner
circle��
The two aurors
moved quickly to the side and spoke too softly to each other to be heard.� Antonin sat
placidly but inside he struggled to think.�
It was so hard to think.� Felt
like being smothered with cotton candy.. He needed to
think.��

He registered that one of the aurors had sent off a patronus.� It was a
dog of some kind.� One
of the spotty ones.�� The blonde
was returning to him and moved close to lean on the table beside him
casually.� The man opened his mouth to
ask another question and suddenly a deafening noise drowned him out.�

He tried to lift his hands to cover his ears as the two aurors
were doing but they were fixed to the chair again.� The sound was horrible.� A metallic caterwauling.� Some kind of alarm somewhere.� It cut through the fuzz or else the blonde
auror lost his grip on his imperius.
Dolohov
kept his face blank, with difficulty.�
The aurors were yelling at each other but he
could hear anything over the noise.� The
tall one went to the door and left in a hurry.�
Antonin thanked whatever might be responsible
for this reprieve.� He�d been on the edge
of revealing anything they wanted.�

The tiny flicker of hope inside that this alarm might be due to a Death Eater
attack was suppressed.� It didn�t do to
get your hopes up like that.� Last time
he�d been taken he�d hoped like that and he�d ended up in Azkaban for three
months.�
A sudden unexpected sensation
jolted him out of his thoughts.�
Something had touched his boot.�
He frowned at the blonde auror with his hands over his ears several
metres away.�

The thing touching his boot moved over the boot and into his trouser leg.�

His blood turned to ice.� A snake.� There was a
snake in the room somehow.� He hadn�t
seen it come in.� This must be the Dark Lord�s
play.�

But what was it going to do?!�

His mind reeled mazedly.� It was a snake � it was probably
poisonous.� It was here to kill him. �The Dark Lord was getting rid of him before he
could spill his secrets. �

He whimpered inaudibly under the klaxons.�

The snake was still threadling its way up his
leg.� He could feel it wrapping its body
around his calf. �
He realised, quite suddenly, that
he did not want to die.� Not even to protect his brothers in
arms.� He wanted to live.. even if
only a little while longer.� There was
still hope while he lived.� �

He made frantic motions to the blonde auror with his head.� The man furrowed his brow at him,
confused.� He tried to shout and that
brought the man over, his hands over his ears.��

He screamed at him and the man just frowned, not understanding.� Finally he opened his eyes wide and the man,
proving he was a legilimens, focused on him.�
�There is a snake on my leg� he
thought as clearly as he could.�
The widening of the eyes was
gratifying and the man took his hands off his ears, drawing his wand.�� A few seconds later it got very breezy as
his trousers disappeared.�

There was no snake.�

But he could feel it.� �its there!!� he tried to yell.
The auror scowled at him
disgustedly but didn�t try to speak.��

He made desperate motions toward his leg and the man�s expression wavered
momentarily.� Tilting his head up again
with wide eyes he screamed internally �it�s there! It�s there! I can feel
it.� I swear it.� There is a snake.� Its head is near the top of my knee. �Get it off!��

The Auror looked unsure and peered at his knee, his wand pointed.�� The man�s hand was just within reach and Antonin grabbed his wrist with his own bound hand to stop
him from leaving him.

The auror reacted aggressively trying to peel his hand off and that was when
the snake struck, burying fangs into the muscle above his knee.�
He screamed inaudibly through the
alarms, his hand clenching on the auror and then suddenly he could hear the scream and it was deathly
silent apart from the scream.�� He opened
his eyes.�
�Fuck..�
the blond said, with feeling, from beside him.��
He was now bound to the chair in
the centre of a large ring of black hooded and masked figures, in some shady firelit warehouse.� The
floor was for some reason coated in a thick layer of soft white sand. �His knee hurt a bit, but not much.
�For fucks sake � get me off this
thing!� he bawled, relieved and afraid at the same time.� The snake...hadnt
been sent to kill him.. it
was some kind of portkey.� The Dark Lord probably would kill him when he saw his traitorous reaction to the thought
of impending death by poisonous snake.��

In the next second he had the auror�s wand at his
neck. �Leave or I�ll kill him� the man threatened and crumpled to the floor a
moment later as one of the Death Eaters behind his back shot off a silent
stunner.�
Then his arm stopped burning.�
His fear climbed like a rocket
making for the outer atmosphere.� The Dark
Lord was here.�� They hadn�t released him
from the chair.� This wasn�t good. ��

He felt the cold reptile presence on his leg uncurl itself and slip away.�
�Thank you for saving me, my Lord�
he said uneasily.��
Movement behind him alerted him to
the Dark Lord�s presence at his back.� A
cold hand brushed over his shoulder.� �I
would see your memory, Antonin.� Lower your defences.��
He swallowed and nodded in the
silent flicker dimness.� He would have to
pay for his weakness, he was sure.�
Hopefully not with his life... but there was nothing else he could do
now.� Refusing the Dark Lord would
definitely condemn him.�

He looked up as the strange serpentine figure glided gracefully around to face
him.� Then he felt the presence in his
mind.�

It was less brutal than usual somehow perhaps.�
It barely hurt until he got to the end and then it felt like ice needles
in his head as the Dark Lord withdrew.��
The crimson eyes narrowed and he hissed softly. �I will speak with you later about that, Antonin.� Your life will not be forfeit, however.�� And your reaction has brought me this..interesting.. fellow.� He may be of use.��
A very soft siff
noise caused the Dark Lord to look up surprised.�� He turned and walked a few metres away
before bending and picking up..nothing..� He looked
at the nothing in his hand for a moment smiling.�

�It seems that this fellow became trapped in a cell with the wrong man and bit
himself to leave.�� Clever
Ssarka!��

He stroked at what Antonin realised must be an
invisible snake, before draping it around his neck.��
Looking at the ranks of pitiless
white masks, the Dark Lord pointed to two.�
�You � take the auror to the dungeons and see that he is..comfortable..� You � Escort Antonin to the great hall
and wait for me.��
He felt the bindings on his ankles and
wrists evaporate and again relief showered him in equal measure with fear.� He wouldn�t die.. but he would be punished.�

..on the other hand - �he had
been saved.�

The Dark Lord had saved him.� He deserved
to be punished for doubting his master.� No
doubt he would be punished severely for his betrayal in thought.� �

He pulled himself together.� He would
take whatever punishment the Dark Lord foresaw for him and then he would return
to serving his master with pride restored.�
He would not doubt him again.�
The masked Death Eater took him by
the shoulder and the pinch of apparition dragged him away.

Voldemort� watched them go.�� Two more soft gritty impacts informed him
that two more of his little servants had made the decision to return.� He moved to collect them, hissing soft praise
for them before adding them to the three he already had.�

So far, his snakes had returned to him unharmed - even Ashossstral,
who had with great difficulty carried in the dangerous spell in a time release
container to the research division.� She
had landed in the soft sand he�d laid even before he�d received the word that
the alarms had gone off, locking down the ministry of magic.� He was eminently pleased.� For a moment he had thought that the adder
had failed.�
He waited patiently and four more
snakes returned over the next few minutes.�
�He waited for another five minutes,
slowly losing hope that Shhestral would be returning
when an auror fell to the sand yelling and clutching his leg.� He could hear the snake cursing and hissing
angrily.

::Stupid human!�
How dare you kick me!� Master �
this human attacked me!� The bad noise
has stopped in the place. I could not find the marked one::
��
He stunned the auror who had, it
seemed, received a venomous bite. He had instructed his pets to restrain their
venom from �the marked one� � this man was not so lucky.�� Their bite was not fatal but it was painful
and could be disabling.�

He indicated to one of the Death Eaters to take the man to the dungeon and
picked up his last snake, checking her over for injury.� Aside from indignation, she was perfectly
healthy and hissed devoted little snake flirtation at him as he stroked her
bullet head.�
::You have
done very well my sweet:: he informed her.�
::I am grateful.� You shall have many fat white mice for your discomfort.::�
His thoughts shifted to the girl..his little apprentice.�

Her idea had been ingenious and perfectly executed.� It was a good decision to invite her to the
crisis planning.� He doubted that he
would have received this measure of near effortless success from Lucius, Rodolphus or Yaxley.�
�Lucius..burn the evidence after we have departed� he instructed
absently, still stroking the massive weight of invisible adders on his
shoulders now.� Snakes were fairly dense
and ten of them constituted a considerable weight.� He could levitate them but he knew they
preferred to be close to his body and he wished to reward them for their
trouble.�
Turning to the Death Eaters arrayed
around him he smiled triumphantly.�

�We have had a great success tonight.� A Death
Eater was reclaimed from under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement�s
nose, from inside the most heavily guarded cells in the Ministry of Magic. With
bare hours of planning and no losses whatsoever!� We have illustrated their incompetence.�

I will call for a revel to celebrate our victory, my faithful servants.� Tomorrow night you shall take your pleasure
as you please!� .. I will join you in the
great hall.� You are dismissed.��
He turned on the spot and
reappeared inside the massive reptile environment he had created for his
pets.� The hot humid air immediately
relieved him.� He wondered sometimes
whether he should not create this atmosphere inside his private rooms.� It was always so cold and dry there.� Better when he had the warm body of the girl
slung around him.. better
still in the shower.. but in here it was almost as
pleasant as the shower.� When he came in
here his skin felt wonderful.�
Lowering himself to his knees he
let the snakes slip off him, murmuring his thanks.� He was greatly relieved that they had all
returned safely.� He felt a closer bond
with these creatures than with his own men.�
Perhaps it was always so.� He
remembered pushing Billy Grimes over and kicking him in the throat because he�d
stabbed a grass snake with a sharpened stick.�
He�d only been seven or eight.�

When Hermione had suggested her plan he had seen it was the best option but it
had not pleased him as he�d come in here to explain to his protectorate what he
desired of them.�

Every snake he had selected had willingly volunteered to help.�

Still.. it had
succeeded.� His snakes were quite
well.� He would reward them all
generously�
::You will
have a buffet the like of which have never been seen, my allies.� �I
shall bring you tender newborn mice and challenging jumping mice and young
voles and.. would you like
bats?� I shall render them flightless.. I know that they are usually difficult for you to obtain::��
There was a chorus of excited
hisses.� He stroked different snakes in
turn.�

::Tomorrow night you shall feast, my friends.::� They understood and assented; dispersing
themselves quickly through the thick grass.�
This area of the environment was
arranged in a continental herbological style,
although the temperature was Mediterranean.�
Further into the massive enlarged room there were jungle and desert
environments.�� He even had an artificial
salt water lake in which several species lived.�� This was his favourite place in the
castle.� He had modelled the charms on
the room on his experience in Hogwarts.�
The ceiling was modelled on the great hall and showed the weather in
different world regions.� The enlargement
charm had been loosely based upon the room of requirement.��

He had been fascinated as a student by the way the room could contain an entire
forest.. could have a night
sky and a moon when required.��

Knowing it was possible, he had extended the limits of this small room beyond
anything seen before.� It was a realm in
this room.� A vast
reptile sanctuary.� Few species
were not represented somewhere.�
Climbing to his feet and sighing,
he breathed in the vert air.� He had to join the others in the great
hall.� It was expected.� He would prefer it if he could lie down here
in this grassy meadow in the warmth and relax but there would be time for that
later, he supposed.� Another
time.��

He would perhaps bring the girl here.�
She had seemed uneasy about the snakes earlier.�� Although... she did express an interest in
the basilisk..�
He narrowed his eyes, looking around the night meadow.� He could
create a cave system for the basilisk here.. theoretically.� He had
entombed it when he was younger, having no other safe
place for the poor thing, but that was not the case anymore.�

The basilisk would probably be safer here than in the Gadfried
canyon system and it would receive many tasty humans in the wake of the revels.
�

Perhaps he should.. �

He sighed, remembering Dolohov again suddenly.� He needed to go and settle the matter.�� The basilisk was fine where it was for the
moment.� Turning on the
spot, he disapparated.
�
Hermione sat uncertainly opposite Rodolphus.� After Tom
had come and gotten the other man, who had told her his name was Iago (actually losing points with her for being named after
a despicable Shakespearean character, even though the man himself seemed nice
enough.� Certainly nicer than Rodolphus Lestrange), she had
been left with Rodolphus.�

It was patently clear to her that the man didn�t like her.� He sprawled in the chair opposite, his arms
folded, glaring at her.��
At first she had avoided his gaze
but after minutes of silence ticked on she looked back at him and tried to
maintain a neutral mien.� He was a large
man � his build was much thicker than Tom�s.�
He had thick dark brown hair curling down to his shoulders and piercing
dark blue eyes.�� His face was square with
a roman nose and rather rugged looking jaw although he
was clean shaven.��

She couldn�t put her finger on what it was about him that looked a bit
pirate-like.. there was
nothing in particular.� He was dressed in
expensive black robes � which seemed to be something of a uniform here.� Yaxley and even Lucius Malfoy had worn them too.�
�How long have you been here?� he
demanded suddenly in a soft voice.�
She didn�t reply immediately.�
�Answer, mudblood!� he barked,
making her flinch.�
She had heard the word before.� Malfoy had used it on her enough to
desensitise her, she�d thought.. but
the way this man used it, she felt
like something he�d scrape off a shoe.. no.. like something he�d have a house elf scrape off a shoe
actually.� It took all her will to remain
calm.�

�It�s not my place to tell you.� She said softly.��

The man sprang to his feet and stalked around the table to� loom over her, bending down till his
furious snarl was in her face. �It is your place to tell me anything I wish to
know.� You are a mudblood.� You are
being addressed by a pureblood of one of the twelve noble houses.� You.� Will. Answer!��
She leaned away from him
slightly.� �No.� I won�t.�
�I haven�t been given permission
to tell you anything.� But you can ask
the Dark Lord when he comes back.� If he
wants you to know, I�m sure he�ll tell you.��
The man..the
Death Eater, her mind reminded her.. drew his wand slowly and leaned in closer.

�Little girl.. you are far
too sure of yourself� he growled� �Don�t
you know where you are?� Who
you�re dealing with?� I think you should
show more respect to your betters.��
Hermione shivered.� The look in his eyes was more than
threatening, it was promising.� This man was going to hurt her.� Very soon.� Probably whether she
answered his questions or not.�

She remembered the way he and the man next to him had almost vibrated in fury
and shock after she�d performed fellatio on the Dark Lord the very first time
she had met him in the empty warehouse..�

She wasn�t sure whether he remembered it.�

Possibly not � he�d have behaved differently if he had.��

She needed to act here before she lost the power to.� He already had his wand out!� He could bind her before she even got a spell
off.��
As if on cue, at that moment he
said softly, almost seductively �Which pocket is your wand in?� Point to it.�
Slowly now.��
She froze and looked up at him
fearfully.� What was he going to do when
he had her disarmed?!�� The cruel
pleasure in his eyes didn�t really make it clear.�� She swallowed and pointed slowly to the
pocket with her sphinx wand in it. �He�d
have to reach across her body.� She was
using it as her secondary wand at the moment due to all the dark spells she was
casting earlier today.�
Smiling like a shark he leaned
close and brushed his fingertips over her thigh and up to her pocket.� Well.�
That certainly suggested the direction of his intentions after disarming
her, she thought even as her other hand moved
surreptitiously to her other pocket, grasping the end of her handle firmly
between thumb and forefinger.� She�d seen
Tom cast with only two fingers on the wand many times when teaching her.� It was obviously quite possible.�

It was also a lot more effort, she
found as she threw the spell silently and the large man collapsed to the ground
smothered in ropes.� A second later he
cried out in pain as they started tightening.�

She shook her head, smirking.�

�Tried to free yourself, huh?� Stay still or you�ll end up in slices.��
Surprisingly Rodolphus
froze immediately and looked up at her with a pained expression.� �Can�t.. breathe..� he choked out.�
The ropes were already cutting into his arms.� He was lucky he didn�t have any loops around
his neck, she thought to herself.�

She cast Tom�s obedience spell silently and then moved to crouch over Rodolphus, pressing her wand to his temple and silently
incanting the countercharm.� The ropes
dissolved into vapour and the man panted in relief.� His arms were quite bloody,� thick lines gouged into them.� She was about to offer to heal him when he
raised his wand and pain flooded through her.�
She collapsed to the floor whimpering and curling into a ball.�
�Disgusting little animal!� Rodolphus hissed. �casting on
me!� Deceitful bitch.� Do you like the cruciatus?� You obviously haven�t had enough of it if you�re
behaving like you do.�
She managed to stammer out �Stop!�
and the pain dissipated immediately.��
Rodolphus
looked astounded, himself and raised his wand once again.
�Put your wand down� she quavered,
trying to recover from the shudders and cramping muscles.�
There was a click that she imagined
was the sound of Rodolphus putting his wand on the
table.�
�What have you done?!� the man
yelled at her.� A moment later he was on
his knees leaning over her as she lay on her back panting, with a face more
venomous than anything she�d ever seen.�

He had a knife in his hand and pressed it to her throat.

�You�re going to tell me how to take off whatever little curse you just put on
me and then we�re going to discuss
your actions toward me...at length.�

She felt the blade of the knife slide against her skin gently and there was a
sharp bite and a warm feeling.�

�Don�t worry, little mudslut..
If I�d cut your throat I�d be bathing in your blood right now..
Just an incentive.�
Tell me the countercurse.��
She looked up from her back into
the deep blue eyes.� This man was an
animal.� Barely
restrained.� It would be nothing
for him to slice her open.�� She nodded
carefully, warily.�

He smiled, tensing his hand on the knife at her throat.�

She swallowed and then whispered �dontmove!��
The shock in his eyes shifted to
rage immediately and he roared in frustration.��
She crawled out from under the knife, sliding herself away with some
difficulty.� Her entire body ached.�� He�d held the cruciatus on her for quite a
while then.� It didn�t feel that
long.� Pain was timeless, maybe.�

Climbing to her feet she paged through the dark healing spells she�d already
practiced.�� Selecting the one she wanted
she moved to Rodolphus and whispered the incantation,
feeling her throat heal even as a red bleeding line appeared on his
throat.�

Unable to move, he could only growl inarticulately, recognising what she�d
done.�

Moving back she sat down in one of the swivel chairs and considered what to do
with him.� Clearly he was going to attack
her at some point for this no matter what she did now.�

She could obliviate him.. but then he�d probably realise he was missing time and
besides � he�d just approach her the same way another time.�

Making her choice she smiled.�

�Do not feel compelled to obey anyone else except myself and the Dark Lord!� Obey him as you�ve always obeyed him!� Never ever
betray him!� Do not ever tell anyone
of this curse!� Never attack me or try to
hurt me again!��

She piled orders upon orders, knowing they would all be followed.� It was actually quite satisfying.� She ended it with �Be polite to me when no
one else is around!� Find yourself
capable of movement again now!��
Freed, Rodolphus
looked up at her with low burning hate in his eyes.

�That was..clever..of you..girl.� he managed, looking as if he wanted to
vomit.�
�Thank you� she said
respectfully.� �You left me little
choice.��
The man nodded grudgingly and
climbed to his feet, walking angrily to the chair next to her and sitting
down.� He seemed to be engaged in some
kind of internal argument.�

After a while he looked up at her and his eyes were clearer.� There was less fury in their depths.� She wasn�t sure whether he was hiding it or
whether he�d resigned himself to the situation.�
�Will you ever release the curse?�
he asked quietly.�
After thinking about it she sighed.

�Probably not � I think you would just kill me if I did.� You seem like the kind of person to hold
grudges.��

She caught the dark smirk on the man�s face and added� �..But I won�t order you about with
it.� So long as you don�t betray the Dark
Lord and you don�t hurt me, I don�t care what you do.�
Rodolphus
looked relieved.�

They sat in almost comfortable silence for a while.�
Hermione looked at the man, who was
staring introspectively at the water jug on the table.

After a minute or so, biting her lip nervously she started..
�I..really can�t tell you anything until the Dark Lord
says it�s ok.� If I did and he decided he
didn�t want you to know � he�d obliviate you and I�m
sure you�d rather not have that.� But.. you could tell me about
yourself?� And then I promise I�ll try to
convince him to let me answer all the questions you have.� Is that fair?��
The dark man looked at her with a
small smirk.� �Your promises are
worthless to me in light of your betrayal of your allies.� Offer me something assured.� Something solid.��
She frowned �My promises are not worthless and I don�t have anything
to offer you except information � which I can�t give you until I check with
t-the Dark Lord. Take it or leave it.��
The blue eyes sharpened and he
leaned closer.

�Of course you do... You have your body.�
...but I find� I�m
more interested right now in that strange speech impediment you seem to have
when mentioning the Dark Lord.�

You did it earlier too I think.. It wasn�t so
noticeable � I thought you were merely nervous.�

But you�re not.� You are the most calm
and collected little mudblood, if you�ll
pardon the term, I have ever seen in the Dark Lord�s domain.�

In his presence you were unafraid..no.. more than that.. you were pleased.. his
nearness comforted you.� You were more frightened of me than of him.�

In light of your little slip.. I think you might call
him something else normally.� What might
that be?��
She shook her head numbly,
panicking and trying to think of something believable that started with a
t.� She couldn�t think of any good
excuses.�

�It was just a slip of the tongue, my mind was
wandering onto something else.��
Abruptly the man�s manner changed
completely.� �Alright.
I�ll tell you anything you�d like to know about myself and I�ll take your word
that you will try to convince the Dark Lord to let you answer all my questions.��
Hermione tried not to display the
almost painful relief she felt.�

�Ok.� Um.. how old are you.� When
did you join the Death Eaters?� Why?� What do you do here?� What do you do when you�re not here?� Do you have family?��
The man held up a hand with a slightly
startled expression.� �Slowly,
girl.� You really do not have much
experience in interrogation, do you?��
She bristled. �I�m not
interrogating you.. I�m just curious.��
He snorted.

�you want information.�
You are interrogating me.� You
need to go about it in a different manner but for a start you should work with
only one question.. only one
area.. at a time.�

You asked what I do here?� I do many things here.� I am among the best of our Lord�s
interrogators and sometimes train novices in this practice if I feel they are
worth my time.

I prepare theatre strategy for the Dark Lord�s campaign. I take part in the
standard events that all Death Eaters enjoy here: Revels, Dinners, Balls and
the like.�

Sometimes I participate in the highest level missions.� I saw
you in the ministry of magic, although I doubt you recognise me from there.. although you do recognise me I think. ��You were lucky with Antonin�s
curse.� A few inches and you would have
been feeding worms now.�

Outside of this domain, I oversee the training of the Dark Lord�s army.� I travel between the various divisions and
camps.��
Hermione interrupted �How big is
his army?��
The other man smiled and nodded
approvingly. �Around 3000 soldiers, perhaps just under
two thousand battle ready.��
Hermione�s eyes widened
automatically �So many?!� That�s
amazing.� How many does the ministry
have?��
The other man lounged deeper in his
chair.� �Slightly more.� They have ten thousand troops scattered
across the entire British isles but only around two
thousand of them are adequately trained and motivated to fight.��
�But they have more overall..� How much would it
take to make the others ready?� At what
rate are they each growing?!��
Rodolphus
grinned.� �Too many questions at once
again.. and you have veered off the topic you initially seemed to
want to know more about.. It is easy to do that when the information provided
is interesting.�

It would take a lot of effort to make the ministry forces capable of effective defense.� Most of
their troops are ill equipped and badly organised from a central point.� They don�t have enough trainers and the
public decries the funds allocated to defense
already.��

The Auror ranks are a greater threat than the ministry defense
force.� The ministry army grows at an
average rate of 1-3 recruits per fortnight while ours at a rate of several per
week.��
Hermione smiled, surprised that the
Dark Lord was doing so well.� The general
impression presented in the papers and in gossip was that the ministry was
strong and would prevail.�

�How did you become an interrogator and a.. um.. general?� Commander?��
The man rolled his eyes.� �The Dark Lord instructed me to.��
�Why did he choose you?� she
responded�
�I was in his good favour, was
logical, unmoved by suffering and had battle experience.��
She frowned.� This wasn�t what she wanted to get at.� She struggled to think of a way to phrase her
question.� The man was just being
difficult now.��

Huffing she started again.� �How old are
you now?��
�Thirty seven�� he responded, leaning his head back
against the chair and watching her with half lidded eyes.�
�How old were you when you first
heard of the Dark Lord?��
He smirked. �I don�t remember.� Young.� You are doing better, by the way.��
�Um..ok.. thanks?� How old were you when you decided to join the
Death Eaters?��
He looked away and seemed to be
indecisive.� �Nine.� He responded
finally.�
�Nine?!� How is that even possible?!� You were a child � how did you even know
about any of this!?��
The other man scoffed at her. �I
told you I heard of the Dark Lord at a young age. That is the first time i can consciously remember desiring to become a Death Eater.� No doubt there were earlier moments.��
Hermione frowned and then Malfoy
drifted into her mind suddenly.� �Your
parents were Death Eaters?� she asked, sure now that it was so.�
He nodded. �My father was.��
Blinking she tried to back up a
bit.�

�How old were you when you first met the Dark Lord?�
�Nine.� Rodolphus
replied smiling.� And then, as if taking
pity on her, added� �He
came to dinner. �I was allowed to meet
him.� I was a little awestruck by him so
he transfigured the candlesticks into purple and green fire-breathing fighting
dragons.� I was extremely impressed.�

He was very nice..he asked me what I thought about
this and that.� I don�t remember anymore
what the topic was � it was more the fact that he was interested in what I thought, that remained.��

Later on, after I had been sent to bed, I decided I wanted to be a Death Eater
when I was older.��
Hermione felt more than a little
surprised.� She�d never thought of Tom as
taking time with children.� She wondered
yet again how brilliant a teacher he might have been if Dumbledore hadn�t been
such a bastard.� Everything might have
been so different.�

�When did you take the mark?� she asked absently, her mind still on the image
of the small Rodolphus delighted over dragons
fighting on the dinner table.�
�You don�t really want to know
that� Rodolphus said amusedly. �You want me to tell
you more anecdotes like the one that has you nearly mesmerised at present.�
Hermione shifted her eyes to him,
and blushed. �Yes.� Is that wrong?�
He laughed loudly.� �You�re asking me if you�re questioning me wrongly?� Yes.� Entirely.� But you�re not boring me.� I�ll tell you the story then.. just
for that expression you wore a moment ago.��

He looked at her with strangely soft eyes.�
�

�I took the mark when I was sixteen.� The
Dark Lord refuses to mark any of his servants before that age.� I had already asked him three times so when I
finally received an invitation I was overjoyed.�� Lucius, Avery and Mulciber were also going to be taking the mark.� They were in my year..
in my house.. We were perhaps friends.��
�Perhaps?� she interjected
curiously.�
The man nodded. �Slytherins don�t really have friends..we
have allies.� They were somewhat more
than allies, slightly less than what you might consider friends.� So it was even better to be taking the mark
together with them than it otherwise might have been.� We wouldn�t be facing the trials alone, as it
were.�
Seeing the confused look on her
face he stopped and smirked again.�

�You have no idea what�s involved in becoming a Death Eater, do you?� he asked
in a low smug voice.�
She shook her head, slightly
worried by the implications of �trials�.. did he mean trials as in.. like.. witch trials or court trials.. or
did he mean like..tasks..missions..quests..�
�Perhaps I should not tell you.. after all � if the Dark Lord
wished you to know, I�m sure he would
have told you..�� He sneered slightly at
her scowl and continued ��Besides..no muggleborn has ever been invited to take
the mark.� So it�s something you are
unlikely to face.��
She looked away, telling herself
not to be so offended all the time.� It
just seemed worse when he was being relatively nice and then he came out with
some slur.�

�Fine.� She said shortly. �it
doesn�t matter anyway.� I�ll ask him
later.��
Rodolphus
looked at her, an unreadable expression on his face. �You actually will, won�t
you?!� And you�re so certain you�ll see him later...��

His eyes widened slightly and he swallowed, sitting up straight suddenly.� �It�s not possible.�� He wouldn�t!�� Not with...someone like you.. It can�t be!�� Tell
me why you are so certain you will see him later?� Where do you stay in the castle?� What have you been doing since you arrived here?��
She glanced at him blankly and responded ��Far too
many questions at once.. You�re going about it all wrong!� Besides.. I�ve
already told you I can�t tell you anything without his permission.� I am quite certain I will see him later �
obviously � because I can�t get out of this room without him.�� She turned away again, rocking back in the
chair.�

�I�m not sulking�� she
told herself unconvincingly.��

She couldn�t resist a final jab.� �You
know that I could just order you to tell me. �I�m not going to, of course � I said I
wouldn�t.� I could also torture it out of
you since you can�t fight back any more � I expect it would probably take a
really..really long time to get anything out of you
that way anyway, but even if that weren�t the case,� I wouldn�t�
do that either.� All I�m saying is
� you don�t have to be an arse when I�m
deliberately not being one to you.��

She heard herself huff sulkily and cringed.��
There was an irritated exhalation
on her left.

�The initiation.. is � I�m
assuming you want to hear this so you might at least pay attention � is a large
scale ceremony��
She turned her chair back to him,
looking sheepish and risked a glance at his face.� He didn�t look too annoyed,
she decided and tentatively returned to watching him speak with full
attention.� The dark blue eyes glinted
like sapphire chips.

�It is attended by the inner and outer circles and may be attended by
supporters or other lower ranks depending upon just who is being
initiated.�

As three noble families and four great families were to be embraced into the
fold, it was a massive ceremony on that day. �I entered the amphitheatre with only Lucius and Bella � the noble families were to initiate
first.�

Bella was two years older than Lucius and I.� Her initiation had only been approved by her
family after Lucius had become engaged with Narcissa. Abraxas Malfoy bought the Black family�s official
support for the Dark Lord with the offer of marriage alignment between the Malfoys and Blacks.�
So Bella was able to have what she wanted most and her youngest sister
was virtually disowned for her opposition.�

I don�t think Narcissa cared one way or the other
about the Dark Lord.� Perhaps she still
doesn�t.� She wanted Lucius;
his blood, his power � he essentially ruled
while we were at Hogwarts.�

She was only fifteen but their parents signed a contract promising them to one
another.�

Lucius..obeyed his father.� I don�t know if he cared either way.� He was always very
closed mouth about it.��
Hermione listened fascinated.� It was funny � Rodolphus
was extremely easy to listen to.� She
wondered if it was his voice.� Professor Snape
had always been so good to listen to.

No.. it wasn�t his voice
exactly.� Maybe his
eyes.� His dark, dark, blue eyes
were sharp and bright.�

That could be it.� She nodded,
eager for him to go on.�
�Tell me why you chose to leave
your friends..� Rodolphus
commanded softly. �I won�t speak of it.. I simply want
to understand.��
She swallowed.� �The trials.. ��
He spoke even more gently. �In a moment.�� But
tell me why first, Hermione..��
She looked away and sighed,
wavering indecisively.� What would it
matter if she just told him that?!� It
wasn�t as if it mattered really why she had left.� She hesitated.� The memory of Tom flickered through her mind.. holding her.. �i find.. i do not wish to hurt you�... he�d been so tender
after that.� What had hurt the first time
had felt so good by the time he was done.. but she kept coming back to his words.. �i do not wish to hurt you�.. and
the surprise he had shown as he�d said them.�

�No.� I don�t need to know then� she said
decisively.� �I�m not going to tell you
anything unless he allows me to. � �She
stood up from the chair and paced off to the end of the room. ��
Pulling one of the chairs away from
the table, she transfigured it, with a little difficulty, into a lazyboy, seating herself and stretching it out so that she
could curl up in it.� Tempus showed that
it was getting on for one am.� Where was
Tom?� Had something happened?� Had he forgotten her?�

He wouldn�t forget her.�

Probably.��

She wrapped her head in her arms, curled into a little ball and tried to ignore
Rodolphus and go to sleep. ��

Antonin
lay in a puddle of his own blood before Voldemort felt satisfied.�

He had had no doubt that the man would never waver in his faith again, but it
was important to dispense appropriate punishment so that his servant would
understand that the matter was settled.�
Then there was the girl..
Nott�s son had proven himself
capable and a blonde waif was levitated into the grand hall and enervated at
his feet.�

She didn�t seem at all surprised, which was troubling..

She didn�t seem at all bothered which
was downright peculiar.�

�Oh hello.�
You�re Lord Voldemort!� she�d said with an asylum smile.� He had not known quite what to do with
that.� What did one say.� �Yes.�?!�
He�d asked whether she knew why she
was here and she�d told him that it was so that Harry would feel alone and her
daddy would stop fighting.�

She informed him that Harry wasn�t alone though and that her daddy wouldn�t
stop fighting either, but that she found it very interesting to be here anyway.
��

He�d been surprised.�

Upon asking what she thought might happen to her now, she had promptly
responded that she�d be sent to a nice room overnight.�
He�d nearly fallen over.�
When he queried
�not the dungeons, then?� Why not?�� She�d explained
with a vaguely spaced out expression as she craned her neck looking all around
at the grand hall, that he would put her in a room because he didn�t know
whether she could be useful yet and the dungeon was dangerous for young girls
and besides � he wanted her to think
well of him.�

She�d said that.� Her.��

She hadn�t needed to say the name - He�d immediately thought of Hermione and it
infuriated him to realise she was right.�

He�d obliviated the other three people remaining in
the room (the Death Eaters had been dismissed before Antonin�s
punishment) and had banished her to an empty bedroom.� He�d deal with the issue of how she had known
the things she had stated so matter of factly
tomorrow.� It was late. Almost three am� He wanted to go
and retrieve Hermione and go to bed.� Rodolphus had better have looked after her well.� He had specifically instructed at the meeting
that no one was to touch the girl.� If he
found anything untoward he would not bother with reprimands.�
Apparating into the room he found a
strange sight.�� Hermione was sleeping on
an extending lounger of some kind and Rodolphus was
sitting by her side, seemingly watching her.�

He cast a silencing spell around the girl and stalked over to the pair.

�You have a cut on your neck, Rodolphus.� He observed
with narrowed eyes.� �You did not have it
earlier.� What exactly went on here?� I expected you to refrain from attacking the
girl but it does surprise me to find you watching over her as she sleeps.��
The dark haired man looked up to
him and he sensed the sudden spike of fear from him.�
�I..did
attack her, my Lord.� She bested me.� I tried to get information out of her.� She refused.�
She seems..very loyal to you��
Rage and pride swelled in Voldemort.� �You disobeyed an order I gave you only this
evening..�� What
did you do?� No.� I will see for myself.��

He cast an impedimenta upon Rodolphus and forced his way through the occlumentic barriers, digging out the memory of the evening.��

When he had finished watching it he found that pride and satisfaction had
overwhelmed most of his rage.� His little
apprentice had defeated one of the strongest among his Death Eaters.� He pulled out of the mans mind, smirking down at him.

�You realise she owns you now?!�� At a
word she could have you slit your own throat...�
Rodolphus
looked pained. �Yes.� I...know.� My Lord.. what..�� He trailed
off, obviously thinking better of the question he had been about to impudently
ask.�
Voldemort had observed the man�s
distress in the memory at the thought that Voldemort himself could be even
remotely physically involved with Hermione.��
He narrowed his eyes.�

�Tell me your impressions of the girl, Rodolphus� ��
The other man turned away to look
at the sleeping girl.� Curls spilled over
her shoulders and her face was so much younger in sleep.� A child almost.�
�She is clever..even
a little cunning.� Idealistic
- terribly Gryffindor.� Determined.� Strong
and magically highly capable.. but
very innocent.� It is a shame about her
blood status.��
Voldemort snorted, amused.�

�I believe you forgot �attractive, alluring and forbidden� in your little
list.� I have seen your memory.� I am aware of your reaction to her.. and your resentment of her for
it.� I doubt she even realised.� She is indeed very innocent yet.� She killed Gorlich
this morning.��
His servant�s head shot up in
surprise, a questioning expression on his face.
�Strangulation
hex.� She has practiced it since then.� I assume that the problem is solved now. ��She is my apprentice, Rodolphus.� She came desperately yearning to learn from
me, or to serve me in any way possible if I would not have her.�

I found myself amenable to..having her.� She learns more rapidly than any I have
met.� I am teaching her dark magic..among other things.�
Admire her innocence while it lasts.��
The other wizard turned back to Hermione,
tilting his head slightly to watch her.�

�She is..your concubine..then,
my Lord?��
Voldemort tilted his head
similarly, looking down at her.� Minutes
passed in which he considered the question.�

Was that what Hermione was?�

Clearly.� How
could she be more?� She was an amusement,
nothing more.�

It felt wrong nonetheless.�

Finally he sighed.� �I am yet undecided
what she is.� You will not speak of this
to any other.� Particularly
Bella.��
�No my Lord.�
Rodolphus said quietly.�� He hesitated for a moment and then spoke uneasily.
�You mentioned she had brought you a powerful gift..�
Voldemort smiled wanly. �The sword of Gryffindor.��
Rodolphus
whistled low in surprise.

�No way back after that then..�
Voldemort snorted slightly. �I sent
her back.� To spy.� The manner in which she had stolen it led me
to believe that she might not be suspected.�
However mere days later, Dumbledore abducted, tortured and nearly killed
her.� Retrieving her was difficult.��

Rodolphus said nothing.��

After a minute, Voldemort moved past him and leaned down, sliding his arms
beneath the girl to lift her up.� She
half woke and smiled sleepily, wrapping her own arms around his neck.

�You�re ok.� I was worried.� She yawned
as she was lifted.� He was surprised
again how little she weighed.�
�I am well.� I was in no danger.� Antonin was
retrieved successfully.� You did very
well, Hermione.� You pleased me today.��

He glanced at Rodolphus who was wearing a strange
expression watching them.
�The snakes?� she mumbled, resting
her head on his shoulder.
�Are all well also� he told her,
and watched a relieved little smile light her face even as she drifted off to
sleep again in his arms.�

She had been concerned about his pets, even if she had feared them..� He wanted to kiss
her but was uncomfortable showing that much affection in front of the wizard
currently scrutinizing him.�

�Did you have a pleasant conversation with Rodolphus,
Hermione?� he enquired, curious how she would respond.� She nodded weakly and then mumbled something
ending in trials.

He smirked. �I will tell you when you wake.�
If you remember.��
At that she picked her head up and
blinked hard, cracking her eyes open and struggling to focus.� �M�awake.� What are the trials?� she managed, her eyes
dropping closed every few seconds and her head nodding.�

He heard Rodolphus snigger and looked down at the
man, seeing the grin fade slowly off his face into a troubled expression.�

�My Lord.. are you going to
initiate her?� he asked in a low whisper, so as not to wake the girl
again.�
He looked down at the pale soft
creature in his arms and experienced a tug in both directions.� �I have not decided.� Not soon if at all.� It will depend upon many factors, not least
of which - how she develops.� She has
proven herself valuable today.� But I
think it will take considerably more to persuade most of my servants to ignore
her blood status.� Time will tell.��
He paused for a moment, examining
the dark eyes and thoughtful expression of the other man.

�Come speak with me before the revel tonight, my servant.� I see that there is much on your mind.. Much you need to think about before you are ready to
discuss your concerns.�
Rodolphus
looked startled and then pleased �There will be a revel tonight? You are
generous my Lord.� I look forward to
it.��

His eyes slid then, seemingly against his will back down to the sleeping girl
cradled in his master�s arms.� �Will..�
He cut him off. �Probably
not.� In addition to the obvious
problems associated,� I
rather doubt she would be at all eager to attend, given the choice.�� He thought he detected a faint note of
disappointment flit through the other man�s eyes and made a note to keep an eye
on Rodolphus around Hermione. The man could no longer
attack or harm her but he might be inclined to try to seduce her when he
resolved his internal conflict over her blood impurity.�

That would not be tolerated. ��
With a final glance Voldemort
turned on the spot, apparating with the girl through the wards back to his
bedroom, divestoing their clothing almost without
thinking and placing her gently into the bed.�

She immediately turned toward him and as soon as he had climbed beneath the
sheets and pulled the covers up, she was pressed against him, her warm body
heating his own.�

He let his eyes fall closed in pleasure, enjoying the way she gravitated toward
him, her leg and arm wrapped around his body.�
�He pressed a soft kiss to her
forehead, enfolding his arm around her and murmured against her hair.� �You pleased me greatly, Hermione.� I was ..proud..of you today.��

The girl emitted a soft mmmm and snuggled against him
slightly.� Smiling, he let himself relax
and followed her into sleep.

Author note.
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Necessary Sacrifices