A/N: I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I hope everyone likes it and thanks for the reviews!
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Trying Times
Chapter Eight
Harry woke up, feeling dazed and confused. He opened his eyes, but his vision was distorted and hazy. His head throbbed with pain. He tried to move his arm to rub the headache away, but his arm wouldn't respond.
He tried moving it again and realized that something was holding it down. His vision began to clear and he was in a room. He noticed that he was tied up to a chair. His arms were bound behind his back and his legs were strapped to the chair.
He surveyed the area and saw that he was in a small room. Something caught his eye, and he turned to see Hermione laid out on a table. Her arms and legs were bound to each corner, and there was a small table beside it, covered by a green cloth.
Concern flooded his insides as he tried to see if Hermione was ok. He could see the small rising of her chest and sighed. He felt better knowing that she was breathing.
"Hermione," Harry said, but his voice was scratchy. He cleared his throat and tried again.
"Hermione," he said in a louder whisper. He could see her stirring and he knew she could hear him.
"Hermione!" Harry said one more time with urgency. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around to see where the voice was coming from.
She saw Harry tied to a chair and fear consumed her body. She then noticed she was tied down to a table. "Harry?" Hermione asked in a weak voice.
Fear was evident in her voice and Harry just wanted to get up and hold her in his arms.
"Hermione, are you ok?" Harry asked soothingly. He didn't raise his voice, because he didn't know if anyone was beyond the door that was at the end of the room, opposite of Harry and Hermione. He didn't want to alert them that they were now awake; he needed to talk to Hermione and figure out a plan for escape.
Hermione looked up at her hands, which were bound by a strap to the table; the same thing was done to her feet. She turned back to Harry and said, "My head hurts, that's about all. What about you?"
"Same thing," Harry answered. He looked around the room, trying to see if there was anything around that could help them.
"Harry, what happened?" Hermione asked and Harry looked back over to her. Her eyes were wide and he could see tears forming in the corners. The sight of her was breaking his heart.
"I don't really know. I just remember that we went out to spy on Gregory and then someone came up behind us. They stupefied you, and I remember that Gregory was standing there, with another person. I couldn't see who it was because they were hidden behind a cloak. I think they stupefied me, too," Harry finished and he could see that Hermione was contemplating all the information he had given her.
"Harry, I'm so sorry I didn't believe you about Gregory. If I had, we wouldn't be in this mess," Hermione said and tears began running down her cheeks.
"You didn't know Hermione. Gregory fooled everyone; I was just able to see through his act. But let's not worry about that now, we need to figure out how we are going to get out of here," Harry stated, hoping his words would help calm Hermione down. He needed her to be level-headed so they could think up a strategy. "Can you wiggle your way out of those straps?"
Hermione pulled and tugged on her arms and legs, but the straps wouldn't budge. They were so tight it was almost cutting of her circulation. She gave up, knowing it was pointless, and sighed in frustration. She turned back to Harry. "They won't move, they're too tight," she said.
"Damn," Harry said aloud. He couldn't move his either, the ropes were tied to tightly.
"What are we going to do, Harry?" Hermione asked. She was beginning to panic again, but she tried to remain calm.
"I don't know, Hermione, but we have to do something. Sooner or later, our captors are going to come in here. We have to have something planned by then," Harry stated the obvious. He wiggled his hips back and forth, hoping to loosen the ropes, but to no avail. Suddenly he felt something poking him in his leg. Something was in his pocket. Yes, it was his pocketknife, but how could he reach it?
"Hermione, there is a pocketknife in my jeans, but I can't reach it," Harry said, trying with all his might to wiggle the knife up and out of his pants.
"Well, there is a hole in the back of the chair, right?" Hermione asked and Harry felt. Yes, he could feel a hole. He nodded his head. "Try and push your hands through it a little and reach inside and pull it out."
Harry tried moving his arms, but he couldn't reach it. He was so close. He tried again, but still he couldn't get his arm in long enough. He kept trying to reach it, using all his might, but he couldn't get it free. "It's not working, Hermione!" Harry said through clenched teeth.
"Keep trying," Hermione urged as she tried to loosen out of the straps.
Suddenly the doorknob began to rattle and Hermione and Harry stopped their movements. They held their breath as the door began to open. Staring at the door they awaited for whoever it was to enter.
As the door opened completely, in stepped a malicious looking Gregory. He sneered at them and made his way into the center of the room.
"Well, now, you two have a nice rest?" he mocked and Harry's anger began to rise. He stared and Gregory, hoping to pass some of his anger through his eyes.
Hermione couldn't believe that she had trusted this person, let alone kiss him. She felt disgusted, used, and stupid. Harry was right all the time, yet I refused to believe him. How could I do that?
"Not up to talking I see, well that's ok. I'll do the enough talking for all of us. You see, I guess you're both wondering what the plan was or even why you are here," Gregory said. Neither Harry nor Hermione said anything, so Gregory continued. He took out his wand from his pocket and twirled it in his hands. "The great Harry Potter is in my capture, I will certainly get praises for this. My master is very pleased with me."
"You can go to hell! I should have known you were working with Voldemort all along," Harry shouted, unable to contain his opinions any longer.
Gregory smiled and began a slight laughter. "So you think Voldemort is my master, huh? Well, it would be the obvious choice, now wouldn't it?" Gregory said and Harry and Hermione were both confused. "My master is not Voldemort. I don't want to waste time trying to rule the world or ridding the planet of muggles and mudbloods!" Gregory sneered and Hermione's face turned to one of scorn.
"No, my only goal in life is to get rid of you," Gregory said, looking vehemently at Harry. Harry wasn't surprised; it always seemed to be him. "And seeing as how Voldemort has yet to destroy you, I decided to take things into my own hands. There was only one other person who had the same objective as you, but they also had a vendetta with the little mudblood here," Gregory said, turning his attention to Hermione.
She didn't say anything, but her face was etched in hate. She narrowed her eyes at him. How could I have ever seen anything good in him?
"So it worked out perfectly. I get to kill Harry here, and my master gets to kill you," Gregory pointed his wand at Hermione and Harry fumed.
"You are not going to do anything to us! You're too much of a coward!" Harry snarled and Gregory shifted his sight to Harry. He walked closer and lowered himself so that he was eye level with Harry.
"Tsk, Tsk, Harry. Do you really think that since I now have you, tied to a chair, incapacitated, that you will be able to escape?" Gregory snarled and he leaned himself closer to Harry. He put both of his hands on chairs arms and hissed in Harry's face. "The boy-who-lived, will live no more!" He pushed Harry's chair with great force, slamming him into the back wall. Even though it hurt his head, and not including his hands, it shifted the knife further up from his jeans. It was at the tip and Harry knew he could reach it now, but he had to do it inconspicuously.
Gregory stood in front of Harry, leaning down. He was about to say something, but he was interrupted by Hermione. "Why are you doing this? How could I ever see some good in such filth as you?" Hermione shouted. Her veins were pounding with intense anger. She just couldn't believe she was so easily fooled.
Gregory laughed a bit, and turned around to face Hermione. This gave Harry a chance to reach into his pocket. He reached as far as he could and the tips of his fingers touched the top of the knife.
"I seem to think that you really liked me. You were so easily fooled," Gregory sneered, laughing at Hermione's idiocy.
"I really thought you cared," Hermione said in a voice filled with malice and contempt.
Gregory began laughing again and started to pace the room. "Did you really think someone like me would even date someone like you?" He scoffed. "Oh, that's right you did! I just don't see how the smartest girl in Hogwarts would actually believe that someone would take interest in her!"
Harry clenched his teeth together, trying to hold back himself from commenting. He hated hearing this guy put down Hermione, but he couldn't draw attention to himself, the knife was just within his reach.
"That's a lie! I may have believed you, but I deserve someone who is wonderful and good to me. You are just trash! No one wants you; that's why you have to fill yourself up with your macho ego and go around being someone you're not!" Hermione screamed with rage. She was completely livid with Gregory and she couldn't control her anger any longer.
The comment seemed to hit a nerve with Gregory because he stopped his pacing abruptly. Whipping around he charged at Hermione, wand drawn. He stuck it in her face.
Harry watched, hoping that he wouldn't do anything to her. His fingers were just clasping onto the knife and he almost had it free, but he stopped when he saw Gregory so angry.
Hermione's eyes widened at the wand in her face. She knew she struck a cord with that one.
"I would kill you right now, if I wasn't instructed to wait. No, I want you to suffer before you die. No "Avada Kedavra" tonight!" Gregory said as he ran the end of wand down Hermione's chin.
"The only thing I regret is never having my way with you before now. But no, you would only kiss, never letting me go further! You're such a prude! Are you scared for people to see how ugly you are! That's why you hide yourself behind your baggy clothes!" Gregory shouted into Hermione's face.
Hermione had to hold back the tears. What he said really hurt, but she couldn't let him see her cry, because if he did he would know he had some control over her, which was something she wasn't going to let him have.
Harry's blood was bubbling with surpassed rage. He wanted to ram his arm down Gregory's throat for saying such things to Hermione. With one stronger bout of energy, Harry reached up, clamped down on the pocketknife, and pulled it free. He clenched it into his hands, and now he was free to finally say something back to the bastard.
His face was sweating from the strength he just used to free the knife, and it was a few shades red from the fury he felt within.
"You bastard! How dare you talk to her like that! She is a beautiful and caring person, and the one person I'm in love with!" Harry shouted with passion and conviction. He looked over at Hermione and saw her smile at him as a few tears leaked from his eyes. He gave her a warm smile, but when he looked back at Gregory, the smile immediately vanished.
"So you love her, do you?" Gregory said, with a sick smile on his face. He edged closer to Harry, but still stayed close to Hermione. "Well, then it will be so much fun for us when you have to watch us torture and kill her!"
"You won't touch her!" Harry raged. He turned back to Hermione and saw the terror written all over her features. She was biting her bottom lip to keep from crying.
"Ah, but I must say that I will!" Gregory shared as he made his way back toward Hermione.
"As soon as my master gets here, we can start the fun," Gregory said.
"I think we can start now," a voice said and they all looked over to the door. They didn't even hear the door open, but the figure was standing in the doorway.
The cloak was still covering their features and the voice was a bit distorted. Hermione figured that the person had used a voice altering spell. So that means we know this person!
The figure walked in the room and shut the door behind them. "Finally you're here! I was hoping we could start soon!" Gregory said to the person.
"Yes, well I'm glad to see my prisoners are in such happy moods," the figure said sarcastically as both Harry and Hermione's faces showed their anger.
The figure walked closer and smiled at Gregory. "So Silverton, do you think it's time?" the figure asked and Gregory smiled.
"Yes," Gregory replied, simply. He took in a large breath and rubbed his hands together, eager to begin.
"Show yourself, or are you too scared to let us know who you really are?" Hermione said bravely.
Harry looked over at her and was amazed by her audacity. He was using the knife to cute the ropes, but he was barely getting anywhere. He was trying to make it look like he wasn't doing anything, which meant he had to go slow, and the ropes were huge, but he continued nonetheless.
The figure began to laugh. "I always knew you were bold, Miss Granger. I will be glad to show you my true form!" The person took out their wand and muttered an incantation, too quiet for Hermione to catch what it was. Hermione figured it was to change her voice back to its regular state.
Slowly the figure lowered their hood and Harry and Hermione both let out a gasp. They stood shocked at who the person was. Suddenly everything clicked. Why they hadn't been able to see them before, why they were able to hide without Hermione seeing them in the Astronomy Tower, why they were able to sneak into Hogwarts so easily.
Harry's anger surged as he stared at the face of the one person who had made his life hell; the one person who caused so much controversy and strife for him; one of the people Harry hated most in life.
The person laughed at the stunned expressions of the teens and smiled.
Harry and Hermione both stood staring at the eyes of, none other than…………………………….Rita Skeeter!
Another cliffhanger! Hope everyone liked this chapter. I was actually thinking of not even including the identity of the partner until next chapter, but I'm not that mean! Anyway, the next chapter should be out soon. This story maybe has two or three chapters left! Let me know what you think by REVIEWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!