A/N: Warning, this is a hard chapter to read. Not very pleasant things happen in this chapter, it's very dark but we don't expect sunshine and roses where Voldemort is concerned.
Chapter Seventeen: A Kingdom Lost
The carriage swayed and Hermione looked out at the passing landscape, the familiar fields of Ravenclaw that would soon give way to the fields of Slytherin.
"Are you alright?" Ron asked her as he peered into the carriage. "Do you want us to stop?"
"I'm fine," Hermione replied. "I'm just tired."
She had left Rowena yesterday morning to return to Slytherin. She had to return as Queen Regent to oversee Slytherin since James was far too young for the throne. Harry had been hesitant to let her go but she promised that she would only be there for a couple of weeks before returning to him in Rowena.
Rowena seemed to be Harry's new home. He had sent for Sirius and Dumbledore as well as the de Weasley family. James was quite content to stay with his father, although Hermione doubted that Harry was going to heed her warning about riding on Hedwig with him. Ginny and Luna were delighted to spend more time with the baby and Hermione thought that Minerva was grateful for the extra set of eyes since James had developed the wonderful skill of crawling.
Her husband had sent a garrison with her to protect her during her journey to the castle Anguin. Ron had insisted that he lead it, he too did not want to take any chances. Word of Slytherin's defeat had surely reached the False King's ears and it didn't hurt to take extra precautions.
The two riders who were the lookouts raced over the hill ahead of them, catching Ron's attentions and he rode out to meet them. The horses were breathing fast and the men hard with the fast ride.
"TURN BACK!!" they shouted to him as they approached.
"What?" Ron asked.
"Turn back now. We are being ambushed!"
Hermione moved to the window of the carriage and peered outside.
"Turn the carriage around now!" Ron ordered a group of soldiers.
"Ron, what is happening?" Hermione asked fearfully as the carriage gave a sharp jerk sideways as it turned itself back around to return to Rowena. "RONALD!!"
"Close the windows, Milady!" one of the Gryffindor soldiers ordered her. "This is for your safety."
Hermione felt trapped and helpless. Although the baby inside her was barely showing as a bump still hidden underneath her clothes, she was in too delicate a position to ride a horse without endangering herself or the child.
But if they were being ambushed, should she take the chance?
She could hear the hoof beats of the horses outside of the carriage, all around her, the shouts of men, the whiz of arrows as they flew by the carriage, a few of them landing with a thud in its side. The carriage swerved wildly as it evaded capture and Hermione clung on for dear life. Her ladies were with her, crying and hugging each other, terrified like she was inside.
But soon, the shouts began to die down and the only sound left was the sound of horses. She was safe. The carriage slowly came to a stop and the door opened revealing a person Hermione least expected to see.
Her companions bent their heads in respect.
"Your Majesty! You are alive!"
They did not bother masking their surprise. Hermione looked at Draco with wide eyes of shock.
"Draco," she whispered before all went dark.
~*~
The carriage still had its gentle swaying motion and she could hear the clopping for the horses and the laughter of the men outside the carriage. She was lying down and someone was gently stroking her face.
"Open your eyes, Hermione," Draco said quietly.
Earlier events suddenly came rushing at her and her eyes shot open. She wanted to sit up but Draco gently restrained her.
"Don't sit up so quickly, darling. You'll faint again."
"Your alive," she said breathlessly and Draco smiled, mistaking her disbelieve for relief.
"Yes, darling. I am," he said as he helped her sit up. Panic filled Hermione when she realized that they were alone. "You didn't think that a mere Rider could defeat me?"
Hermione didn't know what to say. Draco reached out and caressed her cheek.
"Tell me, sweet Hermione, did you mourn for me in my absence?" he asked as his fingers moved down to her neck. "Did you cry for me?"
"I mourned for you," Hermione controlled the level of her voice though her heart was pounding loudly in her chest.
"Did you?" Draco whispered in her ear, moving his other hand to caress the lobe of her ear. He kissed her neck and Hermione had to fight down the urge not to recoil. His hands moved around her neck. "Or did he make you spread your legs for him so he could take everything that was mine?" His voice turned dangerous.
"Of course not!" Hermione tried to sound scandalized but she was frightened out of her wits. She didn't know where she was, what was happening outside of the carriage, was Ronald still out there?
Draco's hold on her neck tightened and he shoved her against the carriage wall. Stars appeared before her eyes from the impact and Draco's finger's tightened around her neck.
"How do I know that you were faithful?" he roared in her ear and she cried out. "How do I know you didn't give yourself willingly to him to save your own neck?"
"Draco! Stop it! You're hurting me!" she cried out, grabbing at his wrists and trying to loosen the hold he had on her. Her throat was slowly being squeezed and she had to fight for every breath she took.
"How do I know? How do I know, Hermione?" he screamed at her. His face was red with anger and she began to hit at him in desperation. "How do I know that you didn't fuck him in every bed in the castle?"
"I didn't!" she gasped out with her last breath. She couldn't breath anymore and she began to hit and kick frantically.
"How do I know you didn't fuck him in my bed because, I'll tell you Hermione, he wanted to. Oh, how he wants to fuck you, he wants to know how you sound when you cry out."
He let go of her suddenly as he collapsed, kneeling in front of her, resting his head on her breasts. Hermione gasped for breath, welcoming the sweet air in her lungs. Tears of fear and hate began to leak from the corners of her eyes. She wanted to be anywhere but here.
"No, Draco," she said weakly, still dizzy from lack of air as he began to kiss her neck. "Please, stop," she cried as his hand began to lift and gather her skirts. "Please, don't."
~*~
They stopped just before nightfall and Hermione, stepping out of the carriage, was floored to see who her husband was riding with. The False King's banner, the skull with the serpent coming out of it's mouth, flew in the breeze and above the tents that were being set up. Hermione looked back at Draco, demanding an explanation but he ignored her peering looks.
As according to protocol, Draco and Hermione had separate tents, for which Hermione was grateful but as she settled into it with her ladies, Draco stepped in with a group of soldiers.
"Bind her," he said plainly.
"Bind me?" Hermione asked, bewildered and stepped backward as two soldiers stepped forward with rope in their hands. "Draco? What is going on?" she asked, struggling slightly as they bound her to the main post in the middle of the tent.
"I'm sorry, my love," Draco truly sounded remorseful. "But you are too valuable to risk escape."
"Leave us," she demanded everyone in the tent. The soldiers looked questioningly at Draco who nodded his head.
"Why are you doing this? What is going on?" Hermione asked as Draco approached her. He kissed her hands and stroked her hair.
"You have to trust me, my love. I swear I won't let any harm come to you when we see him."
Hermione's heart dropped. "You're taking me to…him?" she said hoarsely, her voice barely above a whisper.
Draco wouldn't look her in the eye. "I had no choice, Hermione."
Hermione thought of her unborn baby inside her, her and Harry's unborn child. She began to struggle and tug at the binds. "Draco, I'm begging you. Please don't do this, I'll do anything you ask of me, just please don't do this." Tears fell down her cheeks and Draco cradled her head.
"Oh love, I'm so sorry for this. I had to do this, I had to," he whispered in her ear but Hermione continued to plead and struggle against the binds. Her wrists became raw and red and Draco reached out to still her hands. "Hermione, please stop it. You're hurting yourself. Hermione, please."
"Why would you do this?" Hermione asked. "Why would you give him Slytherin, turn your back on your kingdom."
"I'm saving the kingdom," Draco replied. Hermione shook her head.
"No, you're not. Whatever he promised you, he won't keep it. He'll take Slytherin for himself."
"He's never gone back on his word before," Draco insisted. Hermione stopped struggling and looked at him.
"Before? What do you mean…before?" she asked. Draco stepped away from her.
"Nothing," he replied.
Hermione looked at him. "Draco…what have you done?" she asked softly. He couldn't meet her gaze and instead called out for the guards who would watch over her and her ladies.
~*~
Hermione had to endure one more night bound inside her tent before they finally reached the castle of the False King. As the castle loomed closer and closer, Hermione felt the instinctual reaction to flee and save her life and the life of her unborn child. Why was Draco bringing her here? What was going to happen to her? Deep down she knew she was going to die here and she closed her eyes to remember James. The last time she held his warm little body in her arms, kissed the top of his head, his smile when he looked up at her. She remembered Harry, his eyes and smile, the temporary happiness he found having the two of them with him, the tender love they made the morning she left, the feel of his rough hands so gentle on her.
She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She had to have courage. She wouldn't give Voldemort the satisfaction of having her beg for her death and she wouldn't beg for the life of her unborn child. He would kill her just for that alone. Harry and James were safe in Rowena and she would die with the satisfaction of knowing that the Gryffindor line lived on in Harry and James.
The carriage stopped and the door opened. Draco reached out to help her out but she recoiled from him.
"Don't touch me!" she spat at him. She was beyond fury with him. Draco's jaw clenched and he was shoved aside by a few guards of the False King. They reached for her and yanked her out of the carriage. Hermione nearly stumbled to the ground but their hard grasps on her arms kept her from falling. She scrambled to keep up with them as she walked between them.
"Be gentle with her," Draco admonished them. "She is the Queen of Slytherin!"
One of the guards stepped forward. "You are in the land of Lord Voldemort. Your orders are worthless here."
She felt the castle tremble as she entered. The walls were made of dark stone and lit with torches that did little to relieve the gloomy atmosphere. Thunder rumbled angrily in the sky and reverberated throughout the castle. She was led to a foyer where a statue with a lady and a lion stood in the middle. Hermione remembered the story Harry told her about how he had retrieved the sword from this very same statue.
Three figures approached her and she recognized her father's old advisor, Severus Snape, among them.
"Ravenclaw's Queen, the jewel of Slytherin," a voice hissed and Hermione knew that it was the False King. He approached her and it took all of her courage not to recoil or cry out in fright. He reached out and struck her across the face so quickly that she didn't have time to defend herself. She fell to the floor, a blinding pain flared in her cheek.
"You said you wouldn't harm her!" Draco protested and made to move to her side but he was held back by Voldemort's guards.
Voldemort reached down for her and brought her back to her feet by her hair. "That was for my concubine you beheaded," he hissed in her ear. He grabbed her jaw and turned her to face him.
"So this is the face that will bring the Gryffindor to his knees," he said as he looked over her. "This is the face that will keep Slytherin under my control." Hermione clenched her jaw and glanced at Draco who was being restrained by the guards. "Have you nothing to say to me?" he asked her. Hermione glared at him and spit in his face. The guards drew their swords and stepped forward but Voldemort held up a hand. He wiped the spit off of his face and smiled at her.
"You are full of spirit," he said softly. "I will break her of that soon enough. Be nice my little queen and I may give you an honorable place by my side as one of my concubines. You have so conveniently created an available space for yourself."
"I'd rather die," Hermione shot back.
"You know you will anyway," Voldemort shrugged indifferently. He gave a nod of his head and Hermione was dragged away.
"Where are you taking her?" Draco protested.
Voldemort held his hand out to Snape, who stepped forward holding a vial in his hands. "Bring in the slave," Voldemort said as he dropped in a few of Hermione's hairs that he held into the vial. He turned to Draco. "You are to carry out your orders as planned," he said. "I have an army waiting for you just North of Arneau Tak. You will attack and take back the fortress and hide there. Do not take down the Gryffindor banner. When you capture the Gryffindor, you will bring him directly to me."
"You told me you wouldn't harm Hermione. The deal is off," Draco said defiantly.
"Your precious little queen will be poisoned, slowly, every day that the Gryffindor is not in this castle. How many days she lives is up to you. When you bring him here I shall give you the antidote and you will save your queen." Draco glared up at him but he was distracted by the entrance of a young female slave escorted by guards.
The terrified young woman was approached by Snape who grabbed her jaw and forced her to drink the contents of the vial. She gagged and spluttered but to Draco's complete amazement, the young woman began to change into the woman he loved. His beloved Hermione was standing before him in servant's clothes. A block was brought out the woman was forced to her knees. She began to cry out and plead for her life and Draco had to turn away from her demise as an axe was brought down upon her. He nearly vomited at the sound the axe made as it cut through the flesh and the dull thud of her head hitting the floor.
"Your queen has yet to have her evening meal," Voldemort spoke. "So I suggest you make haste to the border."
~*~
"Harry! Harry come quickly!" Neville burst into the throne room, startling baby James causing him to whimper as he clung to his father.
"What is it?" Harry asked as he comforted his son. He heard Luna and Ginny's screams in the castle and Minerva ran forward to take James from him. The baby cried in protest, frightened at the sudden change of atmosphere in the room. A group of Slytherin soldiers spilled into the room, carrying someone on a litter between them. Luna was screaming and crying as Ginny held her.
"Take him out of here," he ordered Minerva, shielding his son from the horrible sight.
"Ronald!" Luna wailed.
"What happened?" Harry demanded as his Gryffindor knights surrounded the Slytherins.
"We disarmed them at the gates," Neville said.
"Please, Your Majesty," one of the Slytherins spoke up as they all fell to their knees. Ron lay bleeding on the litter. He was very pale.
"Make way, make way!" Sirius demanded, pushing his way through the crowd, Dumbledore followed closely behind him.
The venerable wizard bent over Ron, waving his wand over him then looked up at Harry, a grave expression on his face.
"I must work on him right away," he said.
"Make a room ready for him," Harry demanded. "Take who and what you must." Servants scrambled forward to carry the litter away, Ginny and Luna followed, distraught and crying.
"We waited where you asked us to meet her," the Slytherin knight spoke up. "But no one showed. We waited half a day then crossed into the border to meet her. That's where we found them. They were all slaughtered. We checked for survivors and there was only one. We brought him here right away."
Harry controlled the shaking in his voice. "The queen?"
The knight swallowed nervously and shared a look with his fellow Slytherins. "Our queen…our queen is dead."
Harry's legs wanted to give out from under him. He didn't want to believe it. He couldn't. "You…saw her body?" he closed his eyes fearing the answer. Blood pounded in his ears and everyone sounded as if he were underwater.
"There was no body," the knight answered, and Harry clung desperately to this thread of hope. "But we know she is dead. We found this note pinned to your knight's body with an arrow." He held out a piece of parchment and Harry took it with trembling hands.
You should have killed me you bastard.
Harry stared at the note, its simple sentence. It couldn't be, it couldn't. Harry threw Draco off the top of the castle, he fell to his death. Draco's dead. He had to be.
"It's from our king, isn't it?" another knight spoke up. "We know it is."
"Harry?" Remus and Sirius looked at him. Harry crumpled up the note in his hand and turned away. A million thoughts were running through his head.
"Our king that you supposedly slain," the first Slytherin knight spoke up again and Neville drew his sword.
"Hold your tongue," he said. "You are greatly outnumbered and it would not do to insult the King."
"Go ahead," the knight replied defiantly. "We have told the others where we went. We came to return your knight to you. If we are slain, the people of Slytherin will know just how merciful your king is."
"Neville," Harry said quietly, gesturing him to put down his sword. He turned back to the knight. "I do confirm that this is your king's handwriting. I recognize it."
The Slytherin knights exchanged enraged glances with each other before their leader spoke. "Then you should know that our King is a traitor and he didn't do this alone." He reached inside his tunic and pulled out a cloth, tossing it at Harry's feet. "Our queen is dead," he said harshly. "Because of you. She should've been allowed to return to Slytherin, you have our heir to the throne and our king has betrayed us. We will kill him if he sets foot inside Slytherin again but we want no part in this war with the False King. Let us mourn her loss and let us be." He turned and made to the leave the room but the Gryffindor knights blocked the way. Harry nodded, allowing them to leave and the Slytherins filed out of the room.
"Leave me," Harry said quietly and everyone began to move out of the room. "Neville, Sirius, Remus, you can stay but close the doors behind you."
The four of them waited until they were all alone before Neville spoke up. "I saw him die. He can't be alive, you killed him."
Sirius stepped forward and picked up the cloth that the knight had thrown at Harry's feet. "If he's right, the Slytherin king doesn't ride alone." He held up a tunic of the False King and Harry shut his eyes against the swelling of rage within him. He lashed out in anger, roaring angrily as he cleared off a table in front of him, smashing vases, breaking goblets and tossing chairs across the room. The three of them had to restrain him, wrestle him to the ground. Harry went limp and moaned pitifully.
"Harry, listen to me," Sirius said in his ear. "Harry, there's nothing you can do."
"He used her," Harry said quietly. "He's using her to get to me." He slowly sat up and held his head, defeated in his hands.
"Harry," Remus began but Harry cut him off.
"There's still time," he whispered. "There's still time." He scrambled to his feet. "Neville, I want you to go to Arneau Tak. Draco has to pass through Ravenclaw to get to the Shadowlands. If we hurry we can stop them in time, cut him off before he has a chance to take her to him."
"Harry, you can pull troops from Arneau Tak, you'll open up Ravenclaw to attack," Remus tried to reason with him.
"She left here four days ago Harry and it took those Slytherin knights over a day to get here. They've already crossed by now," Neville shook his head.
"He's right, Harry," Sirius agreed.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?" Harry roared. "I can't let Voldemort have her. I can't, I can't…I can't."
"He'll not harm her, Harry," Remus spoke up. "If he plans to use her as bait, he won't harm her. But Harry, you can't fall for his trap. You cannot answer his call."
Harry shook his head. "This war was going to come someday."
"But you won't win it without Slytherin," Sirius stepped forward. "Harry, you need the Slytherin army on your side, you can't win without them."
"Well, in case you didn't hear, they aren't exactly happy with me right now," Harry sneered.
"Then give them what they want," Remus said. "Return their heir to them. Return James."
"NO!!" Harry whirled on them angrily. "You know I can't do that." Remus opened his mouth to protest but he cut him off. "No, we've all been polite about this but you all know who James' father is. His real father." They shuffled uncomfortably. "The fact that Draco took Hermione and not James tells me that Draco doesn't know that. But Hermione…"
"Harry, you can't think like that. He'll keep her alive to taunt you and you cannot, you must not give in," Sirius insisted.
"Harry, you know Hermione wouldn't want you to rise to the challenge. You have both sacrificed so much so you can defeat him. Don't sacrifice the entire kingdom for her."
"I'm not just sacrificing her life," Harry slipped out and immediately regretted it.
"What did you say?" Remus asked.
"Oh, Harry," Sirius sighed.
Harry sat down on the throne. "I love her, Sirius. We were together long before she married that Slytherin, a night that resulted in James. She tried to hide him from me and from Voldemort but when she felt she couldn't anymore, she fled to Hufflepuff. I pursued her. I needed her and couldn't stay away from her."
"You seized Rowena to take her," Neville said quietly.
"You killed Draco to take his place. You were planning to make Hermione your queen," Remus said softly.
"She was never Draco's. The day you came to me about the Binding Ceremony…Hermione and I bound ourselves to each other the night James was conceived. We had no idea at the time what we had done."
"Then, Hermione is the Gryffindor Queen."
At the sound of Dumbledore's voice the men turned to face him. "Ronald will make it and is very indebted to the brave knights who brought him here. I spoke to him before he slept and he has confirmed their story. The False King's men, led by King Draco, ambushed them and took the Queen Hermione to Voldemort."
"What do we do?" Neville asked.
Dumbledore blinked as he looked at him. "We do what the King says. We go to war. Lord Voldemort has taken our Queen, he has brought this onto himself."
"But what about Slytherin?" Sirius asked.
Dumbledore sighed. "It will be difficult but everything we have sacrificed, what Hermione has sacrificed, has come to this. It ends now. The kingdom must be united."
"Hagrid has written and said the giants are on our side," Harry spoke up.
"That is good. We can continue to send diplomats to Slytherin but the only way they will cooperate is if you give them back James."
"No," Harry shook his head.
"Harry, you must understand that there is a good chance that Voldemort will discover that Hermione is with your child. He will kill her immediately and you must be prepared for that. The longer you keep James, the more he will grow suspicious. Minerva and I will return James to Anguin and watch over him. No harm will come to him under our watch. You aren't the last of the Gryffindors, Harry."
"Please don't make me choose between Hermione and James," Harry pleaded quietly.
Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder. "Being King means you sometimes have to make these decisions. Your father knew this as did his father before him."
~*~*~*~*~*~
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