Into Your Gravity ( Luna Lovegood & Tom Riddle )

Chapter twenty-six: Prisoner

Finally, after what seemed like many twists and turns throughout numerous hallways and past infinite closed doors, the group of four, with Bellatrix following behind to apparently make sure Luna wasn't up to anything, stopped in front of a large oak door. The door was intricately carved, with snakes and serpents intertwining across the wood, and the snakes had emeralds set in for the eyes. Luna noticed there was no handle on the door. She felt briefly hypnotized by the snakes until Bellatrix began speaking quickly to her.

"You will refer to him only as 'my Lord.' You will bow when indicated. You will do as you are told. You will not speak unless directly spoken to." Before giving Luna a chance to respond, Bellatrix reached out and knocked on the door.

A chill voice that Luna knew belonged to him said, "Enter," just as the door silently swung open. All Luna could see was a high-backed chair in the center of the room, facing an empty fire grate. A large snake was resting on the hearth, hissing quietly when her silence was disturbed.

Luna's head was still reeling, and she partly didn't believe she was awake or really physically present, though she knew she was. She knew he must be sitting in the chair. She shuddered involuntarily.

"We have the prisoner, my Lord," Bellatrix said, pushing past the others. Her voice was dripping with sycophancy. It made Luna's stomach lurch.

"Leave her," came the voice from behind the chair.

Bellatrix's jaw tensed, but she nevertheless said, "Yes, my Lord." She turned and left the room.

The two Death Eaters holding Luna up let go at the same time. Luna fell forward, her face smashing in the rug. They too left the room, and the door swung shut behind them.

As if finally gaining some of her senses back, Luna instantly reached up to her ear for her wand. It, of course, was not there. She then searched through the pockets of her jumper, but it was gone.

"You will not find your wand on your person, Luna," the voice said coolly.

Luna felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Slowly wobbling to her feet, she said nothing. Out of habit, she reached up to twine her fingers in the chain of her necklace. It was then that she noticed it too was missing. She felt panic rising in her at this realization.

"Come around here. I want to see you."

Forcing her legs to move, she did as she was told, fearing only the sight of his face. And there he was, a snake-man who did not even resemble the boy she loved. He was pale and grotesque, thin and cold. His eyes were a piercing, frightening red, and his face looked like it had melted away. His eyes were locked on hers. It felt like a sock in the stomach. She couldn't possibly get enough air in her lungs, and she gasped loudly. Her legs threatened to give out on her again.

How cruel was fate that she should be allowed to see him again, and yet to make her see him like this?

His face was expressionless, but she heard him whisper, "It is you." After long moments of silence, Voldemort said loudly, "When I began to realize I could see through Potter's mind, I never expected to see you." There was the slightest smirk on his lips, one that made Luna shiver all over again.

She found she could not break their eye contact, though she was aware he probably did not like it when people looked him in the eye anymore. Not his prisoners anyway.

"Oh, little Luna," he chuckled coldly. "Little Luna, little girl."

And suddenly, Luna was filled with a quiet anger she had never known before. "I'm not a little girl," she said quietly.

His eyes flashed with curiosity and amusement, but something else was there as well, something she couldn't place. "Excuse me?" he asked.

"I'm not a little girl," she repeated, louder this time. She curtsied deeply, then added, "My Lord." The spite in her voice was evident, but she had little fear of repercussions. If he killed her now, it would probably only be a sooner-rather-than-later type of situation besides.

She felt his long, cold fingers wrap all too gently around her chin and raise her from her curtsy. She thought she might vomit. "And where did your pretty little necklace go?" he breathed.

Finding his eyes again, she said, "One of your followers took it from me, I would assume."

His anger was just barely visible below the surface. "I was not told you had it on when you were captured."

"Dissension in the ranks," Luna whispered, willing him to take his hand away from her – and yet not quite willing to move out of his touch.

He stared at her for several long moments, and Luna refused to look away. Finally, he pried his fingers off of her face. "You may not have been a little girl to me then, but now I see you certainly are. Many years have gone by. I am much wiser."

"I don't need all those years to know things you'll never know." The words escaped her lips before she could stop them. She could taste the bitterness in her own voice.

The only sign of his discontent was that he slightly pursed his lips. "You are fortunate that I have learned to control my temper," he told her.

"Even if you hadn't, a wizard's binding promise not to harm someone never wears away. Not even after decades of time," Luna replied. Her tiny hands were balled into fists, her nails digging into her palms.

Voldemort stared at her for another moment. "You will join me for dinner tomorrow evening. You have much explaining to do, and I admit, I am curious." With a snap of his fingers, the door to his chamber opened again, and immediately the two Death Eaters from before filed in. "Return her to her chambers," he told the two men. "And Bella?"

The woman had clearly been outside the door the entire time as well. She now entered eagerly.

"Bring me the necklace the prisoner was found with."

Luna watched as Bellatrix's face contorted with rage, and she wondered briefly if Bellatrix would argue. But once again, the woman said, "Yes, my Lord," and exited.

Voldemort looked back to Luna. "Do not forget you are a prisoner of mine. You are a prisoner." His eyes were cold and distant as he said this.

Luna wrinkled her nose as she always had when she was displeased. "I think you're as much of a prisoner as I am," she said quietly.

He said nothing, but he continued to stare at her. Luna wondered how it was possible for one person to have so many layers of different things in their eyes all at the same time.

The two men came over as if to grab Luna, but she said, "I can walk now. Thank you." Her thanks, in her own strange way, was genuine, and it threw the men off guard for a moment. But then they regained composure and led her back to the room she had awoken in.

On the way back, Luna tried to memorize the twists and turns they took, but she got lost after only a few.

Avery and Mulciber, the two Death Eaters, opened the door to her room and shoved her unceremoniously inside. They never said a word to her.

Finally taking the time to look around her, Luna noticed her room had a small bed in it, and a small wardrobe. But she was not curious about either. Instead, she sat down in the middle of the cold stone floor and began to shake. Without even her necklace to comfort her, Luna felt completely and utterly alone.