A/N: J K Rowling owns the Harry Potter characters, I'm just bringing them out to play...

CHAPTER ONE

Lord Voldemort picked up the Quibbler that one of his Death Eaters had brought him with the expectation that Xenophilias Lovegood had heeded his warnings. He had sent more than one of his servants to inform the man that he should stop printing derogatory remarks about the activities of his organization and himself. He had no tolerance for anyone who wished to undermine his plans, even in such a small way as the printed word.

His eyes widened as he perused the front page. "Certain malicious persons who would like to see my opinions change should not hold their breath…"

Did this man have a death wish? he wondered. Perhaps he would have to visit himself to drive the message home. With a swirl of robes the snakelike man Apparated there straightaway, and stormed right into the man's home. It was, however, not the man he first encountered, but a lovely blonde he assumed must be his daughter.

"Oh, my!" she said, looking much more curious than she did frightened.

"Where is your father, girl?" Voldemort demanded hotly.

"I'm sorry, sir, he isn't here right now," she informed him. "He shouldn't be gone long if—well, if you would like to wait?"

"Wait?" he repeated incredulously.

"I could make us some tea, if you like," she offered.

"Very well," he huffed, and threw himself into a nearby chair with a somewhat sulky air. Luna cast a spell to heat the water as she sat across from him and cast him a speculative glance. Voldemort sat up straighter to look at her as well. "You're not afraid of me, are you?" he asked.

"Should I be?" she inquired, and he shook his head as if he couldn't believe she'd had to ask. "You know, you really need to learn to relax, my Lord. Your shoulders are all tensed up, and that scowl can't be very good at preventing your frequent headaches."

"What do you know about my headaches?" he wanted to know.

"I know you've got one right now," she said, and Voldemort watched incredulously as she stepped behind his chair and started to rub his shoulders. "How could you not have one with that much pent up energy? You should really find an outlet."

"Isn't that what you'd call taking over the world?" he inquired.

"Well, no, I think that may even be contributing to the problem," she said. "I'll bet you let every little setback build up inside you instead of just letting them go. Nobody can have every single thing they want—not even a great and powerful Dark Lord. I say, don't sweat the little things."

"When exactly is your father coming back?" Voldemort asked as he leaned back so she could reach his shoulders better. Luna laughed, and rubbed harder. He sighed contentedly and closed his eyes.

"Actually, I'm here now," said Xenophilius as he popped into view. "Luna, go finish making the tea. I believe the Dark Lord and I have something to talk about, or why else would he be here?"

"Yes, father," she said, and stepped into the kitchen, though she could still hear them perfectly well.

"Lovegood, you've been printing some pretty nasty things about me in that paper of yours," Voldemort said in menacing tones as he stepped up to look him right in the eye. "I thought my servants would have made it clear to you that I wish for a more favorable review, but it seems I must bring that message to you myself."

"Lord Voldemort, I am not one of your servants," Xenophilius told him. "I have always been compelled to print the truth—even if it is not a truth that He-Who-Does-Not-Like-It prefers to have revealed."

"I have given this matter a great deal of thought," said the Dark Lord as he straightened up and took a step back. "I have often found that in the absence of cooperation, coercion can just as easily create the desired effect."

"There is nothing you have that you could use to coerce me, sir," he said stoically.

"Perhaps not before," he said as Luna came into the room with the tea, and he turned to grab her arm as he added. "But I believe I'm about to have an edge over you now."

"Let go of her!" he gasped, anger springing into his eyes. Luna's eyes grew wide with surprise, and she couldn't figure out what to do with the tea tray.

"No, I think not," said Voldemort fluidly as he drew the girl against his chest. "I think instead I shall bring her along with me. Perhaps if your daughter is with me, you will curb your wayward tongue for her sake."

"I will cease my writings if you will leave her here," the man promised in a wailing tone.

"No, I do not believe it," said the Dark Lord. "Best I bring along a bit of insurance. You will do as I say from now on, will you not? I would hate to have to show this girl why it is she should fear me."

And with that, Voldemort Apparated himself and Luna away.

#

Luna glared up at Voldemort as they pieced back together in his bedroom at Riddle mansion. She hadn't even been given a chance to speak before he had just whisked her away as if he could do whatever he liked with her.

"Just what do you think you're doing, stealing me from my father over some silly little newpaper article?" she asked in an uncharacteristically sullen tone. "And here I was trying to be polite. That's not very nice, you know."

"I'm not a very nice man," Voldemort informed her as he stepped over to his couch and stretched out on it, leaving the girl to find a chair. "You'll be staying here with me, so you may as well get used to the place."

"You mean I'll be staying here, in your room?" she gasped.

"The very same," he said. "I'll want to keep a close eye on you. And besides, my shoulders get tense an awful lot."

"Oh," she said with a deep blush as she sat in one of the chairs that surrounded his dinner table and set the still hot tea upon it.

"You don't have to sit way over there, you know," he said as he looked over at her. "Come sit in the armchair by the fire."

"I'm fine here, sir, thank you," she said circumspectly.

"Luna, come sit by the fire," he said more sternly. "I don't like craning my neck to look at you."

"Then don't look," she said matter-of-factly, but when his expectant gaze did not change, she sighed and did as he asked. When she was settled comfortably he plumped up his pillow and settled his head on it before he deigned to speak again.

"Do you know that you have the name of a moon goddess?" he teased her. "Only, your last name is Lovegood too, so that must mean you are a love goddess of the moon."

"Yeah, right," she answered distractedly.

Voldemort chuckled at the face she made.

"So, what I'm wondering is—do you love good?"

Luna's eyes widened as she turned to look at the fire. Her heart started racing, and she swallowed hard. She knew he was expecting an answer, so she managed to get out, "I really wouldn't know, my Lord. I haven't ever tried to find out."

"Ah," he answered with a smile as he closed his eyes.

Luna suspected he'd been trying to find out how willing she might be to discover just how good she was when next he sat up and took ahold of her wrist to draw her onto the couch with him. "What are you doing?" she protested, though she knew better than to struggle. It wouldn't be of any use to resist the most powerful wizard alive. He would do what he wanted to do anyway.

"Nothing," he lied as he snaked his arms around her and pulled her near, burying his face in her hair. He inhaled sharply, and whispered, "Mmm, so that's what a moon goddess smells like."

"I'm not a moon goddess," she said, but still a hint of a smile crept onto her lips.

"So then you're a love goddess?" he inquired with a grin. His lips traced a path down from her ear to the base of her throat before he claimed her lips instead.

"I'm not," she was trying to say as their lips met, so her mouth was open, giving him free access to seek out her tongue with his. Luna was so surprised she pulled back and stared at him.

"Come on, Luna, I want to see how good you can kiss," he teased her as he rubbed her back soothingly.

"Shouldn't a girl want to be kissed before she'd do a good job of it?" she inquired.

"You do want to be kissed," he told her. "I can tell. If you didn't, you'd be putting up a much bigger fight."

Luna speculated on this, and came to the conclusion that he was probably right. Not that she was willing to tell him so. "Do you think you're the only one who is curious?" she asked. "You're the most powerful wizard alive, after all. Why don't you think a girl might wonder how good of a kisser you are, too?"

Voldemort laughed at this line of logic. "You've got a point there. So let's satisfy each other's curiosity, then, hmm?"

Luna blushed furiously at the idea of actually kissing him on purpose, but when his lips came down on hers again she kissed him back this time. Their tongues twined together, dancing about in their mouths with heated abandon. When she realized just how much she liked what he was doing, her immediate response was to give as good as she got, leading to a much hotter kiss than either had expected.

Breathing heavily now, Voldemort said, "Definitely a love goddess."

"My Lord," came a voice as Severus Snape stepped into his room, and then immediately pulled up short. "Oh, sorry, I didn't know—"

"What is it, Severus?" he asked as he let Luna go and she sat back in the armchair and looked into the fire.

"Lucius has just arrived to help with the interrogations," Snape informed him. "But—it can wait, if you're busy."

"No, Severus, I can come now," he said. "Luna, you are to stay here. I'll be putting a spell on the door and windows, so you may as well not try them. You may wish to get some sleep. I don't know how long I'll be gone."

"Yes, my Lord," she said softly, still gazing into the fire.

Voldemort sighed as he shut the door behind him.