Disclaimer: I originally came up with the idea of Harry Potter, but since nobody would publish it, I sold it to J.K. Rowling for a box of doughnuts. You can bet I've been kicking myself ever since the books came out. (P.S. I don't own anything. Dang it.)

A/N: Okay, I felt so bad that it took so long to update that I just had to write you guys a new chapter. Hopefully, this will soothe some hurt feelings (and get people to review???). This hasn't been edited or anything, but I hope you'll like it anyway.

Cambri didn't wake up from her fitful sleep until the next afternoon, nearly 24 hours later. She couldn't believe that they had let her sleep. If they were intelligent about torture at all, they should realize that you don't allow the one you're torturing to recover. But she was grateful for their stupidity all the same.

When she woke, Cambri was not sure exactly where she was. Her dreams had taken her back to the Death Eater headquarters. Looking around, though, she realized several seconds later that she was still with the Order. The fact that Remus was sitting in a chair, watching her, helped a good deal.

"Hey," she said, sitting up slowly, and pressing her head. The remains of the previous day's torture still lurked behind her eyes.

"Do you want some aspirin?" Remus asked, and she smiled, remembering their first conversation. It seemed so long ago, when really she had only been here a fortnight.

"I'd love some," she told him, about to smile again when she noticed his stern expression. "What is it?" she asked as he handed her the pills and she swallowed.

He sighed. "How long are you going to keep this up, Cambri?" he asked, and, seeing her confusion, added, "Your act. You can't really be my friend, and you can't really be George's, either, so why are you still pretending?"

Cambri drew in a pained breath. She realized, so suddenly it hurt, how stupid she'd been. Had she actually thought these people . . . were her friends. The admission of her stupidity, even if it was just to herlself,made her feel even worse. She had trusted them, liked them, even, because, because . . . because why? She really wasn't sure.

Was it because she felt like she needed a shield in this unfamiliar place, or perhaps because she had wanted a new game to play? Or maybe, possibly, it was because she had actually liked them, because she was tired of being cold and alone all of the time. Was it because she had wanted someone who would listen to her, who would talk to her, who she didn't have to be guarded around all the time?

Was it because she had wanted a friend?

Cambri realized that Remus was still looking at her, still wanting an answer and she bit her lip. She was going to have to lie. There was no way she was baring her neck again. This hurt too much. "I guess I figured life here would be easier if I had a foil to lean back on," she said casually. Remus all but winced.

"So what are you planning to do now?" he asked her. "Assuming you don't escape, that is. You're going to subject yourself to torture to protect that scum you call 'master'? Is that it?"

He was angry; he had every right to be. He believed that Cambri had used him so she would be protected. Cambri realized this, but all the same, his words enflamed her.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Lupin," she hissed.

"Maybe I don't," he said irritably. "Make me understand. You're smart, Cambri. Why would you choose to serve Voldemort?"

Cambri winced slightly, and Remus shook his head in disgust. "You want to know why?" she demanded angrily. "I'll tell you, but you still won't get it."

"Try me," he hissed, just as venomously as she had a few moments before.

"Fine," she snapped. "Serving him is like . . . it's fast and it's powerful and it's absorbing. One minute you're in his favor, the next you're in pain. It's the ultimate game, with rules that you don't know but have to figure out as you go."

"You serve him because you think it's a game?" he demanded incredulously.

"No, you misunderstand me," she said, her voice rising. "I serve him because, even when there are risks and pain involved, I still belong there, I still know the rules. I'm even protected, in a way."

"Protected?" Remus all but shouted. "What about Malfoy?"

His words hung still in the air, vibrating slightly and then crashed down on the floor. Cambri drew back into herself. She did not want to discuss this topic. Remus could lecture her all he wanted now. She would not react.

"Well?" he demanded finally, although much more quietly this time.

She exhaled slowly. "What about Malfoy?" she asked quietly.

"What about what he does to you?"

"Sometimes I break the rules," she said tonelessly. "I have to be punished then."

"And rape is Lord Voldemort's chosen form of punishment?" Remus was starting to sound dangerous again.

"Sometimes," Cambri said submissively.

Remus shook his head, realizing that he was going to get no more out of her. "Think about what you give Voldemort, and what you get in return Cambri," he said intently.

"He's my master," she replied, her lips barely moving. "He does not have to give me anything in return for my services."

"I cannot believe how stupid you're being about this!" Remus said explosively, his patience with her evaporating. "Did you just wake up one morning and decide to go serve the most evil wizard that ever lived?"

"I was recruited, actually."

"By whom?"

"Two other Death Eaters." She was answering his questions automatically, still passive.

"Who?" he demanded.

"I can't reveal that," she said.

Suddenly, Remus thought of something. With Cambri's brilliant memory, surely she must remember something about her real parents, unless . . . "Cambri," he said gently, and she looked up guardedly, suspicious of his sudden kindness, "Cambri, are there any . . . gaps in your memory? Places where you feel like there should be filled, but are holes instead?"

She stiffened, and stood. Remus didn't turn, but his eyes followed her progress over to the bookshelf, where she studied the books' titles. He was about to prompt her, when she answered his question.

"Yes. Well, sort of. I know what you mean, anyway." Her voice was barely audible and she sounded beaten. "I can remember back to when I was very young, but my memory stops when I was three. And in some conversations, it seems like words are cut out, while everything else is crystal clear."

"Those sound like erased memories, Cambri," Remus said, trying to reach her with his words. "We could help you recover them."

She turned abruptly to face him. "No," she said softly. "No. My master had a reason for erasing those memories."

Remus could see that she didn't want to think about this, that she didn't want to question her master. He could tell that it would hurt her too much, right now, to be uncertain about something that had been so constant in her life. He felt a sudden rush of pity for her, as he realized that this life had been chosen for her. She was merely trying to work through the life that had been forced on her.

"All right. I won't talk about this again, not unless you want me to," he said, standing. "But if you ever want those memories that Voldemort stole from you, talk to me."

Cambri looked at him in surprise, hearing the sympathy in his voice, then looked down, ashamed of the weakness she'd shown him. He shouldn't be able to pity her. She did not look up when he left, and she didn't move for a long time. When she did, it was only to lie down and sleep to escape her fear and the terrible, terrible sadness she felt.

A/N: Hooray!! Did you like it? Did it suck? Dish out your feelings with a well thought out (or not so well thought out) review!!