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Hours passed, and Luna and Voldemort lay in wait for Lucius Malfoy to descend. Finally, in the wee hours of the morning, the ceiling split open and Lucius descended into the chamber. As he leaned over to place the food on the ground, Voldemort swiftly rose and made his way over to the captor, careful to make no noise. Luna rose, too, and moved to position herself behind Lucius, ready to remove his wand from his possession. Voldemort dove at Lucius just as he was placing the turkey on the serving platter. Luna leapt to the wizard pile, sliding Lucius' wand from the pocket in his robes and tucking it behind her left ear for safekeeping.

"Bloody hell!" Lucius shouted, howling in pain when Voldemort's body pushed his to the ground.

Voldemort wrestled with Lucius, struggling to turn him on his back. Luna grabbed the goblet of water and forced some of the liquid down Lucius' throat. Sputtering, Lucius looked from Luna to Voldemort, terror etched across his features.

"Why did you trap us here?" Voldemort demanded of Lucius.

"I— I needed you out of the way, My Lord. I feared for my family's safety and knew that, with you in a location you could not escape, they could live in peace," Lucius rushed to deliver his answer. "I knew I couldn't kill you, no one is capable of that, so I put you someplace where magic is useless. The girl's arrival was a fluke, one I couldn't repair without risking your escape. She must've picked up one of the Portkeys you managed to avoid."

The Bertie Bott's bag, Luna thought to herself, recalling his favorite candy.

"And where are we, exactly?" Voldemort asked, barely containing the rage in his voice.

"A place where dreams are crushed and magic cannot survive, My Lord— Los Angeles, California, a city in the United States." Lucius trembled with fear, knowing his time was short.

Luna placed a hand on Voldemort's shoulder, silently pleading with him to let Lucius live. Voldemort released Lucius, getting to his feet and seizing Lucius by his upper arm.

"Luna, you climb the rope first. Lucius will go next, and I will quickly follow," Voldemort said, nodding towards the rope that dangled from the gap in the ceiling. Luna walked to the rope, grabbing it and pulling herself up. She struggled from weakness, not exercising her body in a while.

When she finally reached the top, Voldemort pushed Lucius towards the rope and directed him to begin climbing. When Lucius finished his ascent, he dashed away from the hole. Voldemort climbed the rope as quickly as he could, but by the time he reached the opening, he realized he had nothing to worry about. Luna had tackled Lucius and was currently straddling his back, pinning his arms to the ground with her knees. She smirked at Voldemort, satisfied with her accomplishment.

Voldemort pulled Luna to her feet, then the each grabbed one of Lucius' arms and heaved him to a standing position. Not knowing where they were, Voldemort asked Lucius, "Which way will take us to the border of this city?"

Lucius replied, "We're near the edge; I couldn't risk being too far from the border. Just go west about thirty yards and you'll feel the magic reenter your body." He pointed to the west, then collapsed into shivers of terror. Luna and Voldemort dragged him to the border, and they felt the magic coursing through their veins as they crossed the boundary.

"What will you do with him now?" Luna asked, looking at Voldemort with a contemplative expression.

Voldemort thought about this for a moment; normally he would torture Lucius for a time, finally granting him the mercy of death and washing his hands of the traitor. Inside the dungeon, however, Voldemort had become a completely different person. He valued death more highly than before, especially since he was now susceptible to it himself.

"I'll modify his memory; that way he can't remember this foolish plan, but he's still able to be with his family. I learned a few things about family while in that room, and I'm not soon to forget them," he replied.

Voldemort drew his wand from his pocket, thought Obliviate, and erased Lucius' memory as far back as a few months before he and Luna were transported to the room. The he implanted a memory of serving Voldemort, doing all of the menial tasks he should have been doing instead of trapping his leader. Lucius staggered off, Disapparating to Malfoy Manor so that he could perform the chores he believed needed to be executed.

"Now that that's taken care of," Voldemort said, "I believe we have unfinished business."

He turned to Luna, pulling her into his embrace and swooping down to place a lingering kiss on her lips. As he drew back, she smiled a smile that spoke volumes. There was a mixture of happiness, love, and sadness in her expression— she was very intuitive.

"You have to leave," she said. "I understand. I would do the same."

"Yes I do," Voldemort replied, "I have so many wrongs to right, and I have a lot of ground to cover if I'm going to fix everything in this lifetime. Though my soul is whole again, it doesn't feel fixed; I need to mend it if I am to die in peace."

Luna nodded, aware that their separation was necessary. "What should I call you?" she asked, wondering what alias he would adopt in this stage of his life.

"I'm not sure," he replied, pondering her question. "I'm no longer a Lord Voldemort, but Tom Riddle has never been right for me, either."

"I suppose You-Know-Who still applies," Luna said, smirking at the ridiculous nicknames the man had adopted through the ages.

"Yes, I suppose it does." He smiled at her, as a single tear traveled down his cheek.

"None of that now," Luna said dreamily, wiping the tear away with her thumb, "we had a good run, and I'll never forget the time we had together."

Voldemort's heart was breaking, ripping as surely as his soul had ripped whenever he created a Horcrux. But she had a point; he would have the memories of her and the time spent in the chamber. He pulled her in for one last hug, kissing the top of her head and reveling in her warmth one last time. He stepped back and said, "You know, I have a lot of business to take care of in Sweden, after I prepare for my journey I may make that my first stop."

Luna beamed at him, excited at the prospect of seeing him one last time. "I'm supposed to be vacationing in Sweden, as I told you before. Maybe we'll meet again."

"I do hope so," Voldemort replied.

They memorized each other's faces one last time, then turned to go in their respective directions. Voldemort watched Luna move to a spot where she could Disapparate, her tangled blonde hair shining in the bright California sun. She turned on the spot, her mane swirling about her, and she was gone. Voldemort spun, thinking of his cottage in Albania, and feeling excitement at the thought of an excursion to Sweden.