✓ WE NEVER SLEEP, draco malfoy

F O R T Y - S E V E N

"I miss you more than I remember you."

— Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

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December, cold and unforgiving, came nearly without notice.

It came to no surprise that Rowan hadn't received any owls from the trio. It was getting more and more difficult for people to go unnoticed as Death Eaters took over control. Rowan couldn't even get word from Ginny from Hogwarts or the Weasley's in the Burrow.

She'd tried to contact them but it was becoming more dangerous. It started in December twentieth when Luna Lovegood was kidnapped and brought to the Manor. She had a bruise spreading across her bottom lip where it was split and she has a nasty cut on her forehead. 

Rowan could only stand and watch as she was brought down to the dungeons. December twentieth was bad but so was everything in December. It was cold, barren, empty, and hostile. There was no peace or happiness here.

Rowan crept through the Manor, careful to avoid the casual Death Eaters prowling the halls. She continued down the stairs, turning the sharp corner to take herself into the basement where the dungeons were located. Luna was not the only captive being held here but the dungeons had become home to Ollivander, the wandmaker who had given Rowan her wand as a child, and Griphook, a goblin who worked at Gringotts. Voldemort had been busy, having his Snatches capture as many traitors as he could. 

Ollivander was kidnapped because of Voldemort's obsession with the relationship between his wand and Harry's as they're 'twins' and Griphook was captured when he went on the run after the fall of the Ministry. The Ministry put all wizards in charge of the goblins and since Griphook refused to acknowledge such, he went on the run which lead him to the Manor. Rowan wouldn't have bowed easily to that new either if she were a goblin, even if the new living quarters she'd be forced to stay in was a dungeon.

The dungeon was horribly quiet when Rowan arrived at the little door. She wrapped her hand around the door and looked between the bars into the dark as she whispered, "Luna?"

She waited a moment before the girl appeared behind one of the pillars. She looked better than she had four days before when she was brought here but that wasn't saying much still. Rowan tried her best to sneak down with proper food but it was hard when you were always being watched. It was Christmas Eve and Rowan and had brought with her a small bundle of seasoned meat, pastries, and meat pies. 

"Rowan," said Luna in a soft voice, "you didn't need to bring me anything."

"Of course I did," she whispered back as she passed the food through the bars. "It's Christmas Eve, you deserve something tasty." She looked behind Luna at the old man who was slowly approaching for the food and Rowan added, "You all do."

Rowan and skillfully told Luna of her true allegiance through Legitimacy so no one would overhear her truth. It wasn't hard to get on Luna's good side, they'd always been friends. 

"Have you heard from Harry?" Luna asked and Rowan shook her head. 

"There's rumors he'll go to Godric's Hollow soon," she told the girl. "It's the only place we know he'll return to."

"Will he be safe?"

Rowan shook her head. "Has he ever been truly safe?"

Footsteps on the staircase behind her made her heart drop into her stomach. As she turned to face whatever monster she'd have to talk her way out of, she let out a small sigh of relief as Draco appeared at the top of the stairs.