Unsurprisingly, when Luna awoke, Draco was gone. He'd left her still wearing his old school jumper and cocooned in the blanket but any other sign of his presence there was gone. Hiding the gifts out of sight, Luna returned to where she had been sitting. Ollivander was still sleeping and Griphook had still not returned from where ever that galumphing death eater had taken him. There was little else for her to do but think and listen. There was more activity upstairs than there had been since she'd arrived. Luna took this as a good sign, things must be happening. Perhaps their rescue was close.

And indeed, upstairs things were happening. Voldemort had finally graced Malfoy Manor with his presence. Like royalty surveying the spoils of his kingdom's battle he had wandered through the halls, eventually stopping at one point before the entrance to the basement.

Turning to Lucius who had been following the dark lord around like a faithful Labrador for the duration of the visit, he placed a single clawed finger on his lips in mock thoughtfulness.

'Lucius, is it true that one of Draco's felllow classmates is currently residing in your home?'

'Yes My Lord, she was taken to keep her father quiet. He was quite persistent in the publishing of his little magazine'

'That same Father who most recently sent our ranks on a wild goose chase around his house?'

'My Lord, the boy was there, Yaxley himself saw him.'

'But we failed to capture him, did we not, Lucius?'

'Yes, My Lord.'

'And did we not promise Xeniphelious that should things not go the way we wished, his daughter would suffer the consequences?'

'We did, My Lord.'

'And it is important that we keep our promises, Lucius.'

Luna had been chattering to Mr O llivander for at least an hour said without him saying anything in reply. Whatever medicine those house elves had made was amazing because not once in that hour had Luna been forced to stop her stream of nonsense chatter and cough. The sound of the gate to their prison being opened distracted her attention away from her wandmaker friend and instead directed it to the growing shaft of light that was entering the room.

When Voldemort entered, Luna's first thought was not for her own safety, or even that of anyone else's. It was a lightening quick assessment of his reason for being there. She wanted to be of as much use as she could when she escaped, so she had spent her time alone, thinking and trying as best she could to get into the minds of each of the death-eaters and the Dark Lord himself. She figured that the more they knew about them as people, the easier it would be to find their weaknesses.

She knew Volemort was full of his own self importance and also very calculating. He would not have ventured down to the basement of his weakest death-eaters without a good reason. And the way he looked at Luna as he entered told her that this time, she was the reason and that meant that her father had done something they didn't like.

And that meant that perhaps the death-eaters were closer to being beaten.

But it also meant she may not live to see the morning.

So after her quick analysis, Luna allowed the fear to set in.

One of the death eaters walked over towards her and gripped her arm to pull her away from the old man she had been talking to. Weak as he was, Olivander tried faintly to push the masked assailant off Luna but received nothing but a swift kick in the jaw for his efforts.

'You leave her alone. She's just a girl. She can't hurt you.'

Blood dripping from his lip, Ollivander shouted pleas that earned him another beating.

'It's alright, Mr Ollivander. I'll be fine.'

And then Volemort waved his wand, light flooded the room and Luna thought that perhaps she had told a bigger lie than she intended to tell.

Draco had been told to wait at the top of the stairs. Whatever was about to happen, it involved Luna and as Yaxley began to march him down into the basement, a sinking feeling appeared in the pit of Draco's stomach.

As the room flooded with light with a wave of the dark lord's wand, Draco saw Luna start to blink in the bright light. He saw the confusion in her face as she tried to work out why he was there and then the realisation.

'Now then Draco, you and Miss Lovegood are acquainted, I'm sure? I believe you were at school together.'

'She was the year below me. I had nothing to do with her.'

Draco felt Voldemort's bony fingers dig into his shoulders.

'Well then that will make your task a whole lot easier then. You see her Father is not being particularly helpful in our hunt for Potter. A simple 'Crucio' will do.'

Draco nodded, his face expressionless. He raised his wand and muttered the curse but whilst Luna gasped and fell to her knees in shock, nothing more happened. No blood-curdling scream, nothing.

Voldemort looked irritated and, slithering again behind Draco he murmured into his ear.

'You have to want to cause her pain for it to work. Or is there something you're keeping from us, Draco?'

Voldemort's voice sent shivers running down Draco's spine and knowing full well that it would fail for a second time, Draco raised his wand again.

There was a look in Voldemort's eyed that told Luna he was enjoying the current situation more than he let on and that, in his eyes, this whole exercise was nothing more than a game of control. And he was about to up the stakes.

'Three strikes and you're out, Draco. I believe that's the muggle phrase. But you know how I detest muggles so let's change it shall we. How about: Three strikes and it's you.'

To most people, Draco's appearance would not have seemed to change but Luna's eyes caught every detail instantly.

Draco's grip on his wand tightened; a sure attempt to steady his hand. His feet shuffled slightly apart: to steady himself. And most obvious of all, he began to blink rapidly.

Whatever he tried to pretend, in that moment, Draco was scared.

And so when, for the third time, Draco raised his wand, Luna was half expecting to feel the pain he was meant to cause her.

But no pain came. Instead she heard a scream that she didn't even think sounded human. She wanted to stop it, wanted to reach out and at least hold his hand until it stopped but she couldn't. And sign of distress would give too much away and place them both in more danger.

Every part of her told her to look away but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the trembling body of the blonde slytherin.

As suddenly as the screaming had begun, it stopped and Voldemort swept out of the basement, turning to Lucius as they reached the steps.

'Your pathetic excuse for a son can stay down here for the night.'

And then they were gone and the basement was dark again.

So this is going to be my last update for a couple of weeks because I've got A level exams. After that though I'm free for the summer so hopefully I might get this whole story done before I swan off to University!