If Draco had thought his life had been bad just living in the caverns, he'd been wrong. He'd thought the living conditions were bad for the prisoners and pitied them.

Draco sighed and leaned up against the cold stonewall and winced momentarily as the bruises on his back sent jolts of pain through his body.

If only he hadn't slipped, if he hadn't slipped he wouldn't of blacked out and he wouldn't have been discovered. The death eaters had found him several hours later lying unconscious in the shallows of the pool. They'd dragged him back into the caverns where the brought him to one of the higher death eaters. Draco had yelled back at them and told them his father would hear about this. That's when they'd laughed and he'd learned his father was dead. Apparently Lucius Malfoy had made a fatal mistake somewhere along his planning, Voldemort had killed him. Now that Draco's father was gone and the death eaters had their reason, they could beat him up all they liked, and beat him up they did.

He groaned again stretching out his legs in the straw that bedded the cells. He was lucky at least; he had the whole cell to himself. He guessed there'd be someone in here with him soon enough though. Most of the cells had at least two people in them.

Suddenly the row of lights in the hallway running down through the cells flickered on. Draco lifted his head and heard footsteps. He glanced at the lights, the dim ones that meant they were giving out food. When they switched on the brighter lights, it meant they were bringing someone to the chambers.

He leaned back against the wall and waited as they came and shoved some bread through the bars and dumped some water into the bucket sitting next to the bars. He waited until they passed before scooting over and splashing some water onto his face. He shook his hair out of the way then scooped some water to his mouth. Drinking his fill he moved to the bread, it was moldy, as he'd come to expect. He grimaced but ate it anyway, he learned that not eating was not the way to revolt or escape.

Finished he slumped back over to the straw and lay down trying to fall asleep amid the groans and mumbles of captured muggles and wizards.

***

Bright lights flicked on and Draco opened his eyes momentarily blinded. He heard shouts and cries of "Please no!" and "Not me!" He slouched into his straw trying to make himself look as un-noticeable as possible. The death eaters had left him alone since they'd first put him in here, he guessed they only tortured the ones who deserved it or something. If only he could get out. If there was a hell, this was it. There was always unceasing sobbing or groaning from one cell or another. Cries of pain often rang out through the hallways. At least they hadn't beaten him too badly. Except for some bruises and welts on his back he was fine, physically. He felt suddenly guilty for hating Hogwarts so much. Before when he was still at Hogwarts he'd wished he wasn't there, he'd wished to be anywhere but there. Well he'd gotten his wish, except now Draco wished he were at Hogwarts finishing his schooling rather than in this prison.

He suddenly noticed a few death eaters looking through the bars at him. He looked at them out of the corner of his eye, under their white masks they seemed to be smiling and he felt a faint rush of fear. One of them opened the door to the cell and walked over to him giving him a hard kick in the ribs. He grunted and the death eater hauled him to his feet then gave him a shove towards the door where one of the other death eaters grabbed his arm.

Draco suddenly felt a fresh surge of anger and strength. Wrenching free from their grip he aimed a punch at his captive's masked face and hit home. The death eater stumbled back and the other two lunged for Draco. He kicked out tripping the first death eater then aimed another punch at the other but missed. Suddenly he felt grinding pain in his back as another death eater seemingly came out of nowhere and punched his squarely in the back. Then he heard the word, "Crucio," and fell to the floor gasping.

The pain was unlike anything he'd felt before. He'd thought he'd felt pain when they'd given him a small beating before dumping him in his cell, it was nothing compared to this. Sharp daggers stabbed his whole body going right through him. Pain twisted at his shoulders elbows and knees feeling as though his bones were being pulled from their sockets. He bit his lip trying not to scream, and then just as soon as it came it stopped. He felt his body go limp on the ground. Then he dimly heard the word, "Imperio," and felt himself stand up and trudge after the death eaters. He tried to fight it, he knew where they were taking him, but it was too easy to just let the curse control him. He no longer felt the pain or sadness just happiness to oblige. It was so easy.

After what seemed like hours he was jerked out of his dream-like state and glanced around briefly to find himself in one of the torture chambers and a wave of fear washed over him.

He felt himself shoved towards on of the tables he struggled and stepped back but heard the crutacius curse put on him again. He collapsed. This time the pain was worse. He felt like his whole body was being torn in a billion pieces. It kept going on and on and on and it wouldn't stop. The pain got worse and he saw black.

Draco was aware of voices; high cruel voices then a blubbering voice. He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt too heavy. Then he was aware of pain throughout his whole body. He felt like he'd fallen off a cliff. Then a cool wet cloth dabbed at his bare chest. He wrenched his eyes open. He was lying on a table, chained down. He looked down at himself. He was covered in blood. A short rather plump person with white hair and skin was holding a red cloth. He turned around humming slightly and dropped the red cloth into a bucket of water then took a white cloth and wetted it then went back to Draco. He winced slightly as the person began cleaning his cuts.

"Where am I?" he managed to say.

The albino looked up and grinned, "Awake are you? Your in the torture chambers of Lord Voldemort."

Draco groaned then said, "Why are you healing me?"

"Ah, they likes them fresh," the albino said chuckling.

"So your healing me so I can be tortured," Draco asked.

The albino nodded happily.

"Wonderful," Draco said trying not to wince as soapy water touched the deeper cuts.

The albino smiled.