Marian slowly opened her eyes, blinking the fog from her vision. She became dizzy and promptly closed them. She didn't know how or why she'd blacked out, but she knew that she had to regain her senses before anything else happened. They'd gone over this in Auror training and she forced herself to record what was around her even if she couldn't see clearly yet.

First thing was first, what was her position? Marian mentally roamed her body. A few stiff muscles, but there wasn't anything restraining her. Maybe her kidnapper didn't think a half blood was dangerous. After that discovery put her slightly at ease, she took inventory of her surroundings with her eyes closed. She was laying on something hard, but it wasn't cold or had the feeling of stone. A wooden floor, then. A sudden breeze brushed over her body, making her shiver, despite the cloak she wore. There wasn't any sun on her face, so it was unlikely they were outside. A drafty place, then? Maybe run down. Something reached her ears and she strained them to catch the sound. Water and seagulls. Were they by the sea? Marian didn't smell any salt, so it could be fresh water.

"You might as well open your eyes and sit up," a voice said. "I know you're up."

Marian bit her lip and slowly opened her eyes, waiting for the dizzy spell to come again. It wasn't as intense as the first go around, but she still didn't move until it was safe. When the room stopped spinning, she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. She took in the small shack that she'd been kidnapped to.

The floor was rotted in places and the walls had holes in them. Marian glimpsed water and a shore line through the holes. The shack was only one room with a rusted sink next to the door, a lopsided table next to it, and a cot that had seen better days in it's prime from World War one, pushed up against a wall that had the least amount of holes. There was nothing of sentiment or monetary value that she could see.

She turned to her blind spot and felt her face pale. Her kidnapper was seated in a large green patched up wingback chair, looking like the king of his shabby domain. He looked to be 30 years old, though it was hard to tell under the coat of dirt covering his body and many times mended robes. His hair may have been blond at one time, but it was hard to tell now. It stuck up at all ends and was thinned in many spots as if having been worried and pulled at over the years. Marian looked up into his green eyes and shivered at the cold evilness he had in them as he looked her over. His rotted smile didn't help put her at ease, either.

"Did you have a nice nap?" he asked.

Marian didn't say a word.

The man looked her over and smirked. "Come, now. That's no way to treat your host."

"I don't feel much like a guest when I've been kidnapped," she said.

The man's smirk grew. "That sounds like a problem," he said.

"You've kidnapped an Auror. That definitely is a problem," Marian said. "But if you turn yourself in willingly and confess to the murders, I'll put in a good word. You'll get life imprisonment instead of the Dementor's Kiss."

Her captor threw back his head and laughed, exposing rotting and broken teeth. His laughter made Marian feel a little sick inside. "What kind of offer is that?" he asked. "Why would I ever confess to something that Lucius Malfoy so obviously did?"

Marian stiffened. "What?" she breathed.

"Come now, dear," he said. "You Ministry people are watching him, yes? Even you fools know that his tracker puts him at the crime scenes. Really, it took you enough time to connect the dots. Is 27 your lucky number or something?"

"You were there," Marian said, her eyes widening.

His smile became dark and gleeful. "Now she gets it," he said in a taunting voice. "But I have alibis for all the murders."

"Then how did-"

"You stupid girl," he snapped, getting tired of her inability to think his plan out. "I Imperioed him! Your failure of a father fell under my spell as easily as you did. I doubt he even wanted to resist killing those mudblood atrocities." His eyes unfocused slightly, as if he were recalling something. The look on his face switched between hate and a twisted sort of merriment.

"What happened to you?" Marian asked in a small voice. What could have made this man break?

His eyes snapped to hers and she gasped, sliding back a bit at the madness directed towards her. A warped smile spread across his dirty and scared face. His wand slowly pointed at her and he chuckled. "You're making the wrong sounds," he giggled. "Crucio."

AN: Hey, guys. I'm sorry that it's been so long since I updated. I wanted to put some sort of update here, so I hope you enjoyed.