A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters.
This story takes place after the war and after Luna is an adult.
Word Count: 1102
Luna held her head up high as she walked into the front door of Azkaban Prison. Despite the fact the dementors were now gone, the place was still dark, damp, and overly creepy. When she had volunteered to help run the pen pal program for the inmates, she hadn't realized how bad the prison had remained.
"You must be Miss Lovegood. I am John Beal. I'm in charge of Azkaban."
"It's very..." she tried to find a way to say horrible nicely, but failed.
"It's better to keep it this way. The people in here are the worst of the wizarding world, they don't deserve better."
Luna nodded, not agreeing in the slightest.
"I'm here to meet with Mr. Lucius Malfoy? His pen pal is worried about him, says he's lost his mind?" Luna asked. She neglected to mention she was the one currently writing to Mr. Malfoy. The fact this place hadn't changed, no wonder the man was losing his mind.
"There is nothing for you to worry about, Miss Lovegood. Mr. Malfoy just had a set back, he's currently resting in the infirmary," Mr. Beal stated. Luna could hear the smolder in his voice, the voice that most witches would fall over themselves to believe. She wanted nothing more than to hit him with her fist. She hated people like that, people who could manipulate someone with just their voice. She had a feeling there was siren blood in Mr. Beal's family.
"I would still like to see him, I came all this way, sir," she said, keeping her tone neutral.
"If you insist, Miss Lovegood, right this way," he said, leading her down a dark hallway. Luna wondered why the prison wasn't lit, what were they hiding in these dark shadows. She could think of several creatures, each more horrible than the last. The walls were damp, she could smell the mold and mildew. No wonder people ended up sick and dying in here. She nearly cast a bubble head charm, but didn't want Mr. Beal to notice.
"Here we are, Miss Lovegood. This is our hospital wing," Mr. Beal said, swinging open a heavy metal door. Luna shuddered as it scraped against the wall. The infirmary was only slightly better lit than the rest of the prison. She wondered how anyone could recover in here. She spotted a man laying on a bed against the far wall. He was thin, too thin. She felt her heart pounding.
"Madame Rackett, Miss Lovegood is here to see Mr. Malfoy."
"He's on the end, be careful, he's dangerous. Here, sign this please."
A sheet of parchment was shoved into Luna's hands. She glanced at it, knowing it would resolve the prison of any responsibility should anything happen to her. She signed. She didn't plan to let anything happen, but she had a feeling her plans had already gone awry.
Slowly, she approached Lucius' bed. He stirred slightly at her footsteps.
"Lucius, it's me, Luna. Remember, we've been writing?" she asked, knowing Mr. Beal and Madame Rackett were watching her. She had surrendered her wand upon entering the prison, but she knew a few spells she could do wandlessly. Being friends with Hermione did have some benefits.
"Luna? You came," Lucius' voice rasped. He rolled over and Luna could see the bruises on his face. She moved only her eyes toward Mr. Beal and Madame Rackett. Lucius nodded slightly.
"As you can see, Miss Lovegood, Mr. Malfoy is perfectly fine," Mr. Beal stated.
"Really? You call being malnourished and tortured fine? I would love to hear your definition of not fine," Luna stated, twirling on her heel. Lucius tried to sit up in bed behind her.
"When Lucius wrote that he was being tortured, I had to investigate. Imagine my surprise when I found out other inmates were saying the same."
"That's not possible."
"Them being tortured or me finding out?"Luna asked, her magic crackling around her a little. Lucius reached a hand up and a silvery white tendril of magic snaked around it.
"We read every single letter in and out of this prison!"
"Really? Then whoever is reading them obviously couldn't break our code, good to know," Luna said, with a shrug.
"They're not even people. They're dark, twisted beyond all redemption."
"Really? I would ask who made you judge, jury and executioner, but I have a feeling you appointed yourself that position," Luna stated, noticing Madame Rackett moving towards her slowly.
"I've heard the horrors that go on in the prison, and those who die here in the infirmary," Luna said, her voice steady. She raised a hand and a jolt of magic shot through her fingers knocking Madame Rackett to the ground.
"They're not people!" Mr. Beal screamed. "They're monsters!"
"I only see one monster here, and that's you," Luna whispered, her voice somehow carrying. "Lucius, we are leaving. Go free everyone else. This is over. We are going to the Ministry, letting them know how inhumanely this place is being run. If they don't care, then we'll keep going until we find someone who will," she stated. Lucius nodded, standing slowly. He walked a few steps, limping badly. Mr. Beal moved to stop him and found himself frozen in place.
"I said we were leaving, you're not in charge anymore, Mr. Beal. Accio Lucius' cane," Luna yelled, the snake headed cane flying to her free hand. She handed it to Lucius.
"The spell will wear off in an hour, maybe two. Hopefully by then the aurors will be here to investigate our claims and you'll find yourself in one of these lovely moldy, dirty, disease infested cells," Luna stated as she followed Lucius out of the infirmary.
There had only been two other prisoners left alive; Roman Nott and Corban Yaxley. They were more than eager to follow Lucius and Luna from the prison. Luna knew Nott hadn't been given a fair trial, and Yaxley had been coerced by Lord Voldemort. Neither man deserved this torture.
"Luna, I still can't believe you came. I thought I was a dead man," Lucius stated as they boarded the boat.
"As if I would ever leave you?" Luna asked. "After all those letters, those words between us? Lucius, I would go to the ends of the Earth it meant you got what you deserve. Being locked up in those conditions, treated like a monster, that is not what you deserve. You are a man and you will be treated as such," Luna stated, her eyes narrowing. Lucius smiled, looking out at the horizon, glad this witch had decided to fight for him.