So this chapter is a bit painful – but don't worry, there's a reason for it; it's all going somewhere :) Thank you so much for reading – and please review! :)

The hours pass by at an agonizingly slow rate. Eventually, I stop shaking, and the pangs in my body subside. My face still feels hot from Lucius' harsh hand. With my own hands free, I am able to move about my prison. But there is nothing to see. It is completely empty save for myself and the chains that hang from the wall. Every so often I can hear the murmur of conversation coming from the room above me. I strain my ears to pick out the words being said, but it's useless. I finally give up and sit back down against the cold stone wall. Upon closing my eyes, sleep overtakes me instantly.

I wake several times, each time feeling weaker than the time before. From this, I know that the hours are passing much faster than I can keep track. I know I am dehydrated; my throat is parched, and my head is pounding. I am also suffering from frequent pangs of hunger. I have no way of knowing how many hours or days have passed since they left me here. I consider climbing the stairs and calling out, demanding a drink; but I cannot bring myself to do it; I cannot let them think I am breaking. I wait for this thought to fade in my mind, and moments later I drift once again into fitful sleep.

Twice more I wake up, and the second time, my joints ache and I can hardly move. I lie with my back against the wall, shivering, though from cold or fever I cannot tell.

After more time passes, and sleep is no longer coming to me, I hear the door open. This time I don't try to move to see who comes. I know by the sound of the footsteps that it is only one person. The door closes behind them, but I hear,

"Lumos." And light fills the cellar. I know the voice to be Lucius', and my pulse quickens. I still don't move, but lie there, shivering, and hoping that the torture does not last long.

He approaches me, and with his foot, turns me onto my back. I claw weakly at his leg, and he laughs.

"I think you're about ready to speak, are you not? But first…you look as though you need a drink…Immobilis."

I immediately feel all my movements slowed, even my breathing. He reaches down and forces my mouth open. He poises his wand over my mouth and says quietly, "Aguamenti."

A stream of water pours from the tip of his wand into my mouth. At first I welcome the feeling, but then I begin to panic. Even my swallowing is slowed, so the water flows freely down my throat. I struggle to close my throat, but I cannot do it fast enough. Lucius places his hand firmly on my chest, then removes the Immobilis spell. I turn my head and spit out the water, but then Lucius forcefully grabs my face and forces my jaws open once more, not letting go. I feel like I'm drowning, and I try desperately to shut my mouth, but Lucius' grip is too strong. Now I cannot cough out or swallow the water quickly enough to keep up with the stream flowing from his wand. I know that if I try to breathe, the water wil rush into my lungs. Panicking, I reach out and claw at Lucius face, and try to push away his wand. He responds by pinning down my arms and legs with a lock spell. In protest to the panic rising like lava in my chest, I toss my head, trying to shake his grip on my face.

By now, the floor around us is a large, muddy puddle of water. I am unable to hold out any longer; I need to breathe. I open my windpipe, and as I knew would happen, the water rushes into my lungs. Instantly, my body responds. I am overcome with violent coughing, but every time I cough, more water rushes into my lungs. It is a horrible feeling, more terrifying than anything. Finally Lucius stops the flow of water. I am still coughing, the water burning like fire as what is left of it trickles down into my lungs. My eyes had been tightly shut up to this point. Now I open them and stare up at Lucius who glares down at me with that smug expression on his face as he watches me. He releases my face, and I turn it to the side, spitting out the water that remains in my lungs. I am still unable to move my arms or my legs, and every sporadic breath I take still sears through my lungs.

But I stare up at him resolutely, reminding him that I refuse to speak. Lucius' face twists into a taunting smirk. He kneels over me and slips a knife from a sheath on the belt of his gilded black robes. He places the knife on my throat. I bite my lip to keep from making a sound as he slides it down my neck. With a flick of his wrist, he cuts the top button from my shirt. He wraps his other hand firmly around my throat as he slices off the second button. Now he presses the tip of the knife into my skin. I gasp as I feel the sting. He slowly drags the knife down, through the strings of the next two buttons, and I feel the blood gathering as he cuts my skin. I cry out, trying with all my strength to move my arms, but he closes his hand around my neck, cutting off my voice, mid-scream.

"Will you tell me where your friends are?" He hisses, not pausing as he continues to drag the knife down my skin. He releases my throat and I shake my head. I know I will never tell him anything, but I cannot control my cries any longer. He releases the spell on my arms and legs, and I immediately scramble back, out from under him. I pull my shirt closed, trying to ignore the stinging pain and the blood, and I push myself against the wall.

Lucius looks down on me as if I were the most disgusting, abhorrent thing he has ever seen. Then he turns on his heel and walks quickly up the stairs. When he closes the door behind him, I can hear the start of a conversation.

"Anything?" it is the voice of another Death Eater.

"No, she refuses to talk. We will have to go further tomorrow. Get Draco to bring her some food. We can't have her passing out during interrogations."

"Right."

"Has the Dark Lord arrived yet?"

"Not yet. But he has plans to interrogate the Mudblood himself – I am sure she will start talking then."

"Excellent."

The conversation is clearly over now, and I close my eyes, trying to relax. I feel cold all over. Voldemort is coming. I cannot imagine what he has in mind for me; but I know that I will not be able to survive it for long. I dwell on this new terror for so long I forget that there had been promise of food. The door at the top of the stairs opens, and again I hear someone approaching. A thrill of terror rushes through me, and I press myself against the wall, my heart pounding wildly. Right away I see the pale complexion and the platinum blonde hair – for an instant I think it is Lucius, and I gasp, scooting back into the furthest corner of the cellar.

A moment later, I see Draco's face, and I know I was wrong. But the fear remains.

He moves toward me. He is holding a tray of food. He stops a few feet from me, and stands there, awkwardly. He places the tray on the ground and steps back. He starts to turn away, and without thinking, I whisper,

"Draco, please…" I don't even know why I said anything. He stops mid-step and looks back over his shoulder.

"What did you say?" His voice is nearly as hoarse and rough as mine. His expression is stony as he looks at me.

I do not have the nerve to repeat my plea. He waits for me to respond, but when he sees that I am not going to, he simply motions to the tray.

"Just eat. You need it."

With that, he leaves.