Malfoy hadn't been present of Defence against the Dark Arts, a blessing as well as a curse. I was now jumping at every noise, the only reason I could think he would miss that class was because he was planning something horrible…

"Miss Zima?"

Shrieking I spun around, Professor Dumbledore was standing behind me. I took a quick look around before breathing a sigh of relief; no Snakes or students of any kind walking around.

"Professor?" A relieved hand over my heart, I smiled at one of the only people who ever believed in me. Even though I was equally terrible at Transfiguration as any other magical based class, Professor Dumbledore never gave up on me like the other teaches.

"I do apologise," his eyes twinkled in a unique way that always set me at ease, "I simply wished to inquire about how you are fitting in again?"

He motioned towards the library, obviously realizing where I was heading. Following next to him, it took me a second to find the right words.

"I loved Beauxbatons, the people and the classes…" I trailed off awkwardly, not wanting to seem ungrateful for the Scholarship he had given me.

"You miss it?"

Puffing out a breath I nodded, "yes. Everything about it actually, but I am glad to be back at Hogwarts." If for no other reason than I missed the scenery, nothing compared to the mountains and lakes.

We walked in silence for a few minutes, all too soon we arrived at the library and I knew I had lost my protection.

"You know, Miss Zima, you can always trust me to help you however I can." He stopped outside the giant wooden door; the low torches reflected only a glimmer of his red hair. Inside the room, we could see both Riddle and Malfoy leaning against Madam Flippand's desk. The low light that so complemented most people, made them seem all the more sinister; all sharp cheekbones and dark eyes.

"I know Professor." I gave him a sad smile, wishing I could pretend that all was well. "My mother sends her greetings."

Professor Dumbledore's lips tweaked, he and my mother shared a fondness for Muggle candy. Over Christmas she sent him some lemon drops.

"I shall endeavour to send her another book then." They had a strange friendship, candy in exchange for knowledge on the Wizarding world. "Goodnight, Antoinette."

Giving him a small wave, I walked into the large room. It wasn't so long ago that I found solace in here, now it was simply another place my tormentors could track me down to. A creak sounded from behind, the door closing magically. Riddle and Malfoy didn't move from there spot, intending for me to go to them.

Pointing my nose in the air, a weak imitation of Parkinson, I hurried past them. The scent of trees and dank forests swam through my senses.

Moving to the very back of the library, near the restricted section, I walked straight to the section on Unicorns. Unlike most mythical and magical creatures, Unicorns were found in the potions section. Their body parts had such value in potions that it basically trumped any value they might have as something one viewed as a simple but majestic magical creature.

"I wonder if your kind is in this section," Malfoy's footsteps sounded behind, "are you something we can brew up in a potion and make useful?" I didn't need to turn around to know that Riddle was close behind, as always I had the uncanny sense of wanting to run whenever he was near.

Lifting my bag onto a table, choosing at the end of the table I sat down and dragged my bag closer.

"I apologise for missing our class together, I was detained." Malfoy sounded so sincere for a moment that I actually looked up, but there was nothing about him that hinted at the actual reason. "We have been getting along so well, I always enjoy Defence against the Dark Arts now. Much more interesting than before, one feels so much safer when partnered with a duelling partner who cannot duel."

Glaring back at my bag, I furiously searched for parchment and a quill. Every embarrassing moment of being flung across the room in DADA rushed back, having the class laugh at me and the teacher furiously describe the spell for a shield again. Two chairs were pulled out either side of me; both men took their seats after dropping their bags loudly on the table.

Finding what I was looking for I made ready to write. "I thought I might write the introduction, then you two can work on the body and finally I—or one of you—will write the conclusion."

Malfoy chuckled, making no move to get out any parchment. "Riddle wrote the essay and handed it in days ago."

I froze, the quill in my hand nearly snapping. "So why am I here?" voice shaking, I looked up at them both. Malfoy had an amused smiled on his face, while Riddle's lip curling was the only warning I got.

"Confundus", the light hit me in the face. Instantly my mind became a jumbled mess, unable to even sit straight I slumped to the side. "Grab her," arms lifted me from my chair.

"Wha—tis—this?" my words barely made sense, but then I hardly knew what was going on.

Malfoy lifted me higher into his arms, tucking my head against his neck. "Just a confusion spell, little Mudblood."

Everything around me went all spinney, we were moving. Bookcases seemed to flash past me at a rate too fast to be possible; surly we were on the other side of the country now?

"Are you sure she won't be found, my Lord?" The strange blond blob holding me asked that of the black blob, a bubble of fear rose in my throat when I realized that the black blob had red eyes.

It made an annoyed noise, stopping for a moment and slamming a hand over my mouth.

"Quite, Gypsy, or I'll truly give you something to cry about." Whimpering even more I huddled close to the blond blob, "shut her up, Malfoy. And nobody will find her, of that I'm certain."

"Hush," the blob holding me tucked my head further into his neck and for some reason the smell instantly comforted me. Giving a contented mummer, I huddled closer.

We walked for what felt like some time, my vision was filled with funny looking pipes and dark smelly rooms. Finally though we seemed to stop, it took me a moment to realize we must have arrived at the strange blobs home.

"Should I use the counter-curse, my Lord?" the blond blob laid me down on something hard and concrete, I immediately missed the warmth his body provided.

"Purgare." The black blob said the words, and suddenly I recognized everything around me again.

The room they had taken me to was as dismal as I had ever imagined the Slytherin dungeon to be, but it was clearly worse than that. A medium sized room with no more than a concrete slab and an old drain in it; grime dripped from the walls and I could smell something rotting.

Then men who had taken me here wore different expressions, one cool amusement and the other distinct pleasure. The later man took a step forward; I instantly screamed and scrambled back.

"Please, somebody help me!" my captors seemed content to let me scream, meaning they had either silenced the room, or I was somewhere that nobody would dare go. I drew my wand, my hand shaking so badly that it almost dropped from it. I pointed it at Riddle, "Wh—where am I?"

He sneered, giving the room a bored glance over. "Your new home, don't worry though, it will only be for a night or two. Consider this your punishment for freeing that Unicorn, oh, and for being a disgusting Mudblood in the first place."

"You can't! Somebody will realize I am gone, and you—you will be exposed." I nervously lowered my hand, knowing I couldn't actually curse them anyway.

Malfoy stormed forward this time, snatching my wand from me and crowding me at the same time. "You don't get it, do you? Even if by some chance somebody notices you are gone, and they send out a search party and happen to find you. Nobody would believe it was us, they would all trust our belief that you must have accidentally locked yourself in here. And then if that fails, we can always threaten to tell everybody about Miss Bones's secret, I don't think they condemn women for that these days, but I'm sure a word from me would change anybody's mind…"

My body knew I was truly trapped before my mind did, tears spilling out onto my cheeks before I knew what they were for. "I'll freeze down here. Why aren't you just cursing me, isn't such a 'Muggle' method of torture beneath you?"

Warm hands cupped my cheeks and wiped away the tears, the second he touched me Malfoy's eyes seemed to calm, seeming in almost a daze he stroked his thumbs along my cheekbones. "Who says you won't be cursed, and besides, a Muggle torture for a Mudblood seemed fitting."

"Please." Voice broken I wrapped my arms around my waist, already feeling the chill in the room. Giving me a sad smile, Malfoy caressed my cheek one last time and moved away. Riddle had moved closer during my begging; probably wanting to hear the words clearer, to better get satisfaction from them.

Slowly, as though he were in no real rush, Riddle pointed his wand at me. Hair falling haphazardly over his eye, I thought for a second that he was an angel here to save me, then reality set in.

"Crucio."

One word, spoken so softly that I strained to hear it before a light hit me. Shrieking my legs collapsed out from under me and collapsed to the ground, my body contorting in unnatural ways as the sensations of being drowned, stabbed and burned alive all hit me at once. There was a faint popping sound and a tiny flash of pain in my shoulder, I hardly noticed it over the rest. My spine curled inward and the rest of me followed the movement into a foetal position

Finally though the curse was lifted, my teeth unclenched and blood spurted in my mouth, I had bitted into my tongue.

"Again?" my sobbing was the only reply I could give the evil man, "yes I think so."

I managed to scream once before the light hit me again, this time my entire body seized up, hardly moving as I was electrocuted, stretched beyond what was humanly possible and bitten by a thousand ants a million times.

When it finally let up I was silent, my throat too raw to scream and eyes almost to pain filled to hold open. Footsteps came near to me, something in me revolted and tried to move away. It was then I noticed the dislocated shoulders, both had popped from place with my movements.

"That was quite a severe reaction." Hands turned me onto my back despite my cries, both Malfoy and Riddle hunched down above me. "Should we leave her here? She might not survive the night."

Riddle's eye brow rose at Malfoy's question, "you want her to live."

The blond rolled his eyes, "You don't, My Lord?" the last was added hastily, as Riddle's eyes flashed a dangerous red.

Fingertips touched my lip, smearing the blood along them. Both men watched the movement, their eyes not leaving my face.

"Please," the word was whispered around the finger, almost kiss in blood.

"Hmm," my torturer removed his finger, apparently not bothered by my 'dirty' blood now. "You're right, she won't survive, weak thing that she is." He smiled, and a part of me wanted to slap the smile away. "Hopefully the curse won't damage her memory, and she will remember this room, for anytime she disobeys me this will be her home."

If he was waiting for assent he would never get it, my body was in too much pain to even nod or think about the future.

"We can't take her to the infirmary, even that Mediwitch isn't dumb enough to not recognize the Cruciatus curse's symptoms." Riddle made a noise of assent at Malfoy's words, "where do we hide a Mudblood Gypsy then?"

Above me the men smirked, apparently coming to the same idea.

"Hold her still for a moment," Malfoy instantly gripped my waist, "Pompo." My body bowed as both shoulder joints popped back into place, the first real scream in a while left my throat. Riddle shushed me, his hand pushing my sweaty hair back from my face. "Hush now, Gypsy, your punishment is over."

He stood and motioned to the man still kneeling; again Malfoy lifted me into his arms, my weight not even causing a grunt to pass his lips.

"Look at me," said Riddle; I refused to remove my eyes from the ceiling. "Antoinette, look at me."

It might have been the shock of him actually saying my name, or that I just didn't want any more pain, but I looked at my torturer. "Good girl, now, Imperio."

Any pain and fear that I was feeling melted away, my eyes sunk to half mask and I dazed dreamily into Riddle's eyes.

Now, you aren't going to make a noise in the corridors, are you?

No, why an earth would I want to make any noise, everything is so lovely at the moment.

Yes it is, and if anybody sees you, you will tell them that you are fine and lucky to be being looked after by such nice classmates.

Am I lucky?

Riddle's hand ran down my cheek, very lucky. Now hush, close your eyes and pretend to be asleep, we are playing a game.

Game? I love games, I'll play.

Still smiling I closed my eyes, but not before softly kissing the palm of the hand that touched me. A soft inhale of air was the only response I got, but I neither cared nor knew who it came from. I was busy playing a game, I loved games.

Phew, took me a bit to write all those chapters. Hope you enjoy them and please feel free to review with any questions, queries or complaints (constructive)

Xoxo

Future