Hermione couldn’t breathe.

She was tearing at the collar of her robes, her breaths coming in short gasps that made her head spin. Her pulse thrummed through the crooks of her arms and there was a roaring in her ears.

Someone vanished the sick from the floor. A pair of hands pushed her fallen hair from her face. Another hauled her back onto their chest. Wide, strong arms banded around her waist as she heaved, but nothing came out.

“Breathe, darling,” Narcissa tried to soothe, her face swimming in and out of Hermione’s vision.

Hermione was clawing at her throat, at the high collar of the robes.

“I can’t… I can’t! ” She gasped through gritted teeth.

Somewhere close was the sound of the doors clicking open.

Tears streamed down Hermione’s cheeks and she felt one of Lucius’ hands rubbing her back as the other stayed firmly wrapped around her middle – holding her up.

“ Hermione! ” Draco cried, running into the room. “I heard someone scream. What happened? What’s wrong?”

Her whole body trembled, spasms shooting through her legs and arms – fingers twitching uncontrollably.

“Humph,” Lucius said in a firm voice. There was a small pop as the old house elf appeared in the room.

“Father, what’s happened ,” Draco demanded, but Lucius ignored his son.

“Humph, please fetch a calming draft as well as a muscle relaxant potion,” Lucius said in what was supposed to be a calm voice, but the urgency of his words betrayed his true emotions. The house elf bowed before disappearing again.

“I can’t… I can’t breathe,” Hermione gritted out again through shallow gasps, her fingertips digging into the skin of her neck..

Narcissa’s hands closed over her wrists, pulling her hands from her throat.

“Lucius let her go, I’ll need to vanish her robes.”

Carefully, Lucius set Hermione on the floor and stood to his full height, taking Draco by the arm and drawing him to a corner of the room so the women could have some privacy. Narcissa took no time vanishing the robes off Hermione who took a deep, grateful breath in relief. Her whole body continued to tremor as Narcissa summoned a nearby blanket and transfigured it into a soft slip, similar to Hermione’s nightgown that covered her completely, but left her throat bare.

“Father, tell me what’s happened. I’m not a child,” Draco pleaded, his hands gripping the front of Lucius’ black robes.

Lucius covered his son’s hands with his own.

“The Dark Lord was here to meet Hermione. It went well all things considered and he has given her a task.” Lucius’ eyes flicked back to where his wife now cradled the girl in her arms, Hermione’s knees drawn up to her chest. “However, he used the cruciatus curse to test her resolve.”

Draco’s eyes widened.

“I should have been there.”

Lucius’s gaze snapped back to his son.

“No, you should not have. It would have been even more dangerous for her if you had, as he would have enjoyed watching you suffer and therefore would have tortured her for longer.”

Draco shook his head then slowly released the front of his father’s robes.

“I don’t like this,” he muttered, his eyes moving to his mother and intended.

“There will be many things you will not like in the coming months, Draco. It is high time you let go of your childish need to always be in control and instead focus on the matter at hand. Hermione did very well – your mother and I are indescribably proud of how she handled herself – and with enough luck she will impress the Dark Lord on his next visit.”

Draco did not look away from Hermione as he took a deep breath, and nodded.

“What will she need to do?”

Lucius placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and began to push him back towards Narcissa and Hermione.

“I will allow her to tell you of her task when she is ready,” he replied in a tone that gave no room for argument.

Draco didn’t respond, instead moved quickly to kneel beside his mother. His hands smoothed back Hermione’s hair, his thumb brushing the space between her eyebrows.

“Give her to me, mother,” Draco said quietly, then without waiting for Narcissa's consent, drew Hermione into his arms.

She was still tremoring, but at the sight of Draco her lips twitched into the best approximation of a smile she could muster. Tears continued to track over her temples, wetting the sides of her hair. Draco wiped at her face, then slid his thumb over her jaw, massaging one side of the joint to try to help release the tension she held on it.

“Why is she like this?” Draco asked Narcissa, barely taking his eyes off Hermione.

“It’s the curse, it attacks the nervous system. From the look of it, he cast a particularly strong crucio, though not for long – maybe thirty seconds or less – but it will take time for her body to recover.”

With a pop Humph appeared in the room once more holding two small phials of potion.

“Humph has the potions Master requested,” the small house elf said, approaching Hermione.

“Thank you, Humph,” Lucius said while Draco took the phials from the elf. “That will be all.”

The elf bowed low and then disappeared with another pop! Draco removed the cork from the first potion with his teeth and brought it to her lips.

“Open up for me, love. You need to take this,” he said in a gentle voice.

She tried to open her mouth, but her jaw felt stuck. Her eyes were wide in panic as Draco and Narcissa exchanged a look, the older woman shuffling until she was on the other side of Hermione and her knees touched Draco’s. With soft fingertips, she began to massage Hermione’s jaw and temples until Hermione was able to open her mouth enough for the potion to slide through.

Her body convulsed as she coughed, but she managed to get the first potion down before Draco fed her the second. Almost immediately she felt her body begin to relax, encouraged by Draco’s soft whispers and the steady working hands of Narcissa, who began to massage her hands.

“You’re okay, love. You’re safe. We have you, we are so proud of you. You did so well, Hermione,” Draco crooned over and over.

“Let’s get her back to her room so she may rest more comfortably,” Lucius said quietly, stepping forward to take her.

But Draco only nodded, tightening his grip on Hermione and slowly getting to his feet. Her head rested against his chest and she pressed her face closer to his shirt, breathing in the comforting scent of him.

“You can’t apparate her, she’s too delicate in her current state.” Lucius' cool hand pressed against her forehead.

“I wasn’t planning on it,” Draco grumbled. “I can take her.”

As a unit they moved from the drawing room, through the darkened hallways, that to Hermione seemed strangely brighter than when she’d first arrived, and back up to her bedchamber. At her door, however, stood Theo knotting and unknotting his fingers.

“The cruciatus curse?” he asked in a shaky voice.

“Yes, dear,” Narcissa said kindly, placing a comforting hand on his arm. “Come help us get her settled.”

Theo nodded, his curls bouncing with the movement as he hastened to open the door to let Draco carry Hermione in. Running ahead, he smoothed the mussed bedsheets and pulled them down so Draco could deposit her, but instead Draco slid into the bed, keeping Hermione tight to his chest. Theo helped him move her legs down and then drew the covers over both of them before sitting on the edge.

“Let me have her hands, Drake,” Theo said quietly.

Draco shifted slightly so Theo could grab Hermione’s right hand. He began to press firmly into her inner elbow.

“What are you doing?” Draco asked, watching in fascination as Hermione’s tremors began to subside in that arm, helped along by the potions.

Theo’s brows furrowed in concentration as he slid his thumb down to her wrist and pressed again.

“Pressure points to help release tension on her nerves. Your mum’s had me studying the effects of the curse for a few weeks now.”

Narcissa swept an affectionate hand through Theo’s curls, having stepped up to watch him.

“Very good, Theo,” she said with approval.

“Once you’re done, you’ll both leave her and let her rest for the night,” Lucius said firmly, standing beside the door.

“I’m not leaving her,” Draco said, smoothing a hand over Hermione’s hair.

Now that the potions were taking effect, Hermione felt like she could breathe again, but she worried that if Draco left, she would succumb once more to the panic that had overwhelmed her. Theo had moved to her hand now, pressing his thumbs into the center of her palm and moving outward.

Narcissa stepped closer, brushing her lips against Hermione’s forehead.

“You did so well tonight, darling,” she said softly.

Hermione’s heart gave a squeeze and she couldn’t help the pride that bubbled to the surface at her words. Narcissa gave the same treatment to Draco and Theo before moving to her husband.

“Fimsy will keep an eye out, Lucius,” Narcissa said softly, placing a hand on Lucius’ arm.

He nodded once before moving forward while Narcissa opened the bedroom door. Lucius stood beside the bed for a long moment looking at his son and Hermione before finally leaning down and pressing his lips to her forehead as well.

“You were magnificent, absolutely perfect,” Lucius said with feeling she had never heard before. “We are so proud of you.”

Hermione couldn’t stop her smile – didn’t want to stop it – as Lucius stepped back, giving his son’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze and patting Theo on the back.

She had done it. She had faced the Dark Lord and proven herself worthy enough to receive her first task. And though her body was sore and her mind felt ragged, she knew it was only the beginning.

“What is your task, love? How can we help?” Draco murmured into her hair.

Theo’s hands stilled on her other arm for a moment before picking up again.

Hermione sighed deeply, her eyes fluttering closed.

“Legilimency… I have to learn legilimency.”

Theo cursed softly and she could feel Draco tense around her. They exchanged a long look with one another before Draco replied in a confident voice.

“Then we’ll learn legilimency.”