So, it's been more than a month since I've posted anything (shameful!) but I did come up with this over my break. I thought I ought to try out the present tense, and then I got hungry, and this happened.

Enjoy!

Bellatrix Lestrange sits at her sister's table, tapping her nails on the varnished wood. Nails that look as though they haven't been cut since Azkaban, Narcissa thinks, though she knows better. Bellatrix picks up an apple from a basket of fruit and examines it critically before replacing it and saying, "I've been thinking, Cissy."

Her sister looks up from her copy of the Daily Prophet and sets her cup of tea down. "Hm?"

"Now that I'm staying here indefinitely, there's some things that I'd like." She says.

Narcissa does nothing to hide her fleeting expression of shock. She's done nothing but give her sister everything she's wanted.

"What do you mean?" She asks cautiously.

Bellatrix regards her sister, "I want a house elf," She says, and, noting the fleeting look of horror on her sister's face, hastens to continue, "I know how Lucius is with them," The words 'since the Dobby incident' don't need to be spoken – her tone implies it heavily, "And since I have none of my own," Narcissa's mouth tightens at the accusatory tone her sister's voice takes. It's not her fault her house elves were taken away when she was sent to Azkaban. "I'd like one of the prisoners."

Narcissa nearly chokes on her tea. "What? But Bella, you –!"

"And I already have one in mind."

Of course Narcissa knows, she's always known, that she's powerless against her sister when she wants something. And in a moment she is watching her sister's back as she leaves the room to take what she wants.

The room the prisoners are kept in is dark and dank and smells of sweat and urine. Bellatrix, who knows full well what a room like that feels like, and who never wants to be in one again, covers her nose with a handkerchief and opens the door only a crack.

The light that falls through like a yellow rod is enough to illuminate a sliver of the floor and a bit of the wall, but nothing more. The rest of the room remains in darkness, as if the air itself doesn't want to allow any more light to pass through.

But what light falls through is more than enough for Bellatrix to see what she wants. In a corner of the room sit two figures, one old, wrinkled and in effect useless, the other much younger. The young one's head it topped with gold and her eyes seem to glow like a cat's in the darkness. Bellatrix wants that one, and she will have her.

"You." Bellatrix says, "Come."

Somehow, Luna seems to know instinctively that she means her and not Ollivander. But she doesn't move. She can't decide whether she ought to go to Bellatrix or not, but even if she could, she doubts that her legs would hold.

Bellatrix does not want to go into the room, so she says again, harsher this time, "Come." It's an order that must be obeyed.

Ollivander tries to hold her back, but Luna knows that she must do as she's told. Only worse things will come of disobedience. She's not a Gryffindor – what use would it be to stay where she is? She's a Ravenclaw for a reason – she knows what the more intelligent option is.

She wobbles as she stands. It's been too long since her last meal, since the last time she's slept, but her legs, weak as they feel, still hold her up as she walks.

Bellatrix knows Ollivander won't follow, but she hisses "Crucio" anyway, just to be sure. Luna turns when she hears it, and is about to rush back to his side, but she's close enough to the door that Bellatrix grabs her arm and drags her out. Luna is too weak to fight it.

When Bellatrix returns to the dining room with the girl who half falls at every step, Narcissa puts down the paper and turns to them.

She regards the two for a moment, then says, "Bella, if you're not going to clean that girl, then at least get her off my carpet."

Bellatrix grins at this, and says to Luna, "You heard her. Off."

Luna does as she's told and moves from the carpet to the granite floors. The stone is cold under her bare feet, but she barely notices it. She's too busy looking at the contents of the room to notice even that she's being discussed.

"You're going to have to clean that girl at some point you know, Bella. I really can't have her tracking dirt all over the house. Lucius would kill me."

"I'll deal with Lucius." Bellatrix says coldly.

"No, you won't." Is the firm reply, "You'll have that girl washed."

Bellatrix's lips tighten into a thin, hard line, but after looking at Luna for a time, she consents. She's so dirty that there are two stains on the carpet where she stood, and the smell of her has begun to waft over.

"Fine." Bellatrix says.

Narcissa nods and calls for a house elf. She tells it first to clean the carpet, then to take 'the girl', wash her, and give her clean clothes to wear.

The elf bows and does as it's told, disappearing with Luna in tow.

Bellatrix returns to her seat and picks up another apple from the bowl. She turns it over in her hands and makes a noise of annoyance before putting it back.

Somehow, neither sister can think of anything to say. The silence is strained and awkward until the elf and Luna reappear half an hour later.

Luna is clean now, and has been dressed in the same rags the house elves wear. She stands off the carpet still, and doesn't move until Bellatrix speaks.

"Come here." Luna does. "You're my property now. You come with me everywhere, you do exactly as I say. Nothing more, nothing less. You disobey, you're punished. You take too long, you're punished. You do something wrong, you're punished. Now, I want you to go to the kitchen and bring me a tea. Understand? Go."

Luna hesitates. She doesn't know where the kitchen is. She opens her mouth to speak, but Bellatrix says "Go." There's danger in her voice, so she does.

Luna leaves the room quickly and tries to locate a house elf she can ask, but she finds no one. She wanders the halls frantically, desperately searching, but she finds only empty rooms. Tears start to fall. She's going to be punished, she knows it. Bellatrix is going to hurt her and hurt her and hurt her until she can't walk, can't talk, can't breathe. Tears keep falling, and she tries to ask the paintings for help.

"Please!" she begs, "Please, please help me!" Her voice breaks even though she tries to keep it even, but the portraits turn their heads.

Eventually, there's nothing she can do. A great emptiness gapes inside her, and she gives herself up to tears. It's no use, she knows, whether she finds the kitchens or not now. She's taken too long, and Bellatrix is going to kill her.

Part of her wonders why it is she's so distraught over dying. Part of her reasons that living is probably worse than death – and anyway, she'd get to see her mother again. But the reasonable part is overruled and she can't stop crying.

She hears the pop of apparation and looks up. Draco Malfoy is in the hall, and coming towards her. He looks at her, and finally says, "What are you doing?"

This jerks Luna from her crying, and she looks up at him. Although her voice wavers a bit, she says matter-of-factly, "I'm crying. Or, at least, I was a moment ago. Now I'm just on the floor."

Draco sneers, "Yes, I see that. I mean what are you doing here. Out of the cell."

"Your aunt Bellatrix took me out. She wants me to be her slave."

Draco takes a breath, grits his teeth, and says, "That doesn't explain why you're in the hallway."

"She wanted me to make her tea." Luna says.

Draco grabs her arm and lifts her up, pushing her roughly into the wall. "What are you doing in this hallway you fucking idiot?"

Luna sighs, as if it were obvious, "Your aunt sent me to make tea but I didn't know where the kitchen was."

Draco lets go of her, and it takes a great deal of effort for her to remain standing.

"Come." He says shortly.

Luna follows him as he walks briskly. In a minute they are standing in front of a plain white door.

"This is the kitchen. My aunt takes her tea black, with a shot of brandy. Where is she?"

"The dining room." Luna says.

Draco gives her directions back before leaving.

Luna returns to the dining room, carrying a cup and saucer in shaking hands, trying very, very hard not to drop them. She places the cup before Bellatrix, gives a sort of half bow, half curtsey, and moves away, hoping that perhaps Bellatrix won't realize she was gone for so long.

She turns to Luna, wand in her hand, "What exactly took you so long?" Her voice is ice.

Luna opens her mouth to respond, but Draco enters before she can.

"I knew she was lying." Is all he says.

Bellatrix turns to him, "What do you mean?"

Draco sneers, "I found her going to the kitchen, saying she had to make you tea or some shit like that." Narcissa opens her mouth to protest against her son's language, but he continues before she has a chance. "So I took her down to the dungeons."

"And how did she get back here with tea?" Bellatrix says coldly.

Draco speaks flippantly, "I was halfway back when I figured it'd be better if she actually made you a tea and brought it. That way you could punish her better than just locking her back up."

Bellatrix's mouth becomes a thin line, and she says, "You idiot, she was telling the truth."

"Oh." Is all he says, and sits himself at the table, taking an orange from the bowl of fruit.

Bellatrix snaps a quick spell that makes Luna's face feel like it's on fire, but the pain dies away quickly. "Over there." Bellatrix says, pointing to a corner of the room.

Luna moves there, not sure if she's allowed to sit, and not brave enough to ask. She remains standing.

Draco pierces the skin of the orange, and from the hole bursts forth a vaporous mist of juice. Luna can smell it all the way from her corner, and the sweetness of it makes her mouth water, and she feels faint.

Draco peels the orange efficiently, dextrously, as if it's something he's quite used to doing. The skin comes off in one unbroken piece. Luna watches him eat it, imagining that his mouth is hers, and she is tasting the acidly sweet fruit, she is feeling the juice being squeezed out from between her tongue and teeth, she is feeling the cool, tangy liquid running through her mouth, a drop of it seeping out of a corner of her lips, staining her mouth orange, burning on its way down through her dry throat, searing her empty stomach.

She licks her lips absentmindedly and is halfway shocked to realize that she tastes only her skin, and the bitterness of soap that wasn't entirely cleaned away. Her stomach growls loudly but if any of them hear it, they ignore it.

Finally, Draco speaks. "Luna, throw this away." He says, holding out the orange peel that he has sealed back together with a spell that makes the seams glow a ghastly green.

Bellatrix's head snaps up, and her eyes narrow at her nephew. "You have house elves, don't you?"

Draco seems unfazed, and arches an eyebrow at his aunt. He doesn't seem to notice his aunt's rising temper, or that her hand is reaching for her wand.

"Bella -" Narcissa says, trying to placate her sister.

Bellatrix redirects her attention to her sister, regarding her coolly. But something of the desperate weakness in her sister's eyes softens her.

Her lips tighten, and there is a tense pause before she says to Luna, "Do what he says, then meet me in the library." Bellatrix gets up to leave, and doesn't tuck in her chair, even though Narcissa has always asked for her to.

Luna leaves her corner on wobbly legs, and takes the orange peel, still glowing faintly at the seams. But she doesn't leave immediately. She hesitates, not knowing where the garbage is, nor where to find the library.

Draco snaps at her, "The kitchen, you idiot."

Luna, hearing his tone, leaves at once.

As she hurries through the halls to the kitchen, the orange peel that had been sealed together falls apart in her hands. She looks down at it in shock. A sliver of untouched orange sits within the palm of her hands. The Ravenclaw in her warns her not to be so trusting – it could be poisoned – but she's too hungry to listen to it. With a furtive look around, she shoves it hastily into her mouth.

She planned to go after that, but the wave of intense pleasure stops her dead. The orange bursts in her mouth, bathing her tongue in sharp, sweet juice as she chews. She feels the thin casing being rolled between tongue and teeth, and the soft, tasteless pith being crushed. The acidic liquid burns as it trickles down her throat. A drop of juice squeezes out from the corner of her mouth, and her tongue moves deftly to catch it. Feeling the sweet, tangy drop on the tip of her tongue, she closes her eyes. She swallows.

When she opens her eyes again, she's still in the hallway, empty peel in her hands. She takes a step towards the kitchen, but stops again, eyeing the peel. She's eaten them before, on a dare from a mischievous pixie. They had a bitter taste that wasn't as unpleasant as most people thought.

This she eats more quickly, not savouring the hardness of it between her teeth. She tries to think where the library is, but she doesn't know. She can feel tears prickling behind her eyes again. She tries to ask the paintings, but they're as unhelpful as ever.

She stands where she is for a time, trying to map out the house in her head, until she hears footsteps. They're too heavy to belong to either Bellatrix or Narcissa. Luna half hopes that it's Draco, but she barely has time to register these thoughts before a man rounds a corner towards her. He stops when he sees her, and she notices with growing horror that it is not Draco, though the man looks remarkably like him.

His father. She thinks.

He doesn't come any closer to her, instead speaking to her from a distance, as if he's afraid that by coming too close, he'll catch a disease. "What are you doing out?" He says in a strong, authoritative voice.

Luna is shocked by how weak her voice sounds as she says, "Bellatrix…Bellatrix took me as her servant."

His face hardens. "Is that so?" He says, his voice dangerously smooth.

"Yes." She says, then on instinct adds, "Sir."

He looks her up and down, and Luna is shocked by how much that gaze makes her feel naked.

"And where is my dear sister-in-law now?" He sneers.

"The…the library, sir."

His lips tighten into a hard line, and before turning majestically he says, "Follow me."

She obeys him on instinct. His back is turned to her, and she could easily slip away now, but she finds herself obeying before she even has time to register that she could do otherwise.

He sweeps through the halls as regally as a king, and a short time later they are standing before a heavy wooden door. He pushes it open without knocking, and finds Bellatrix sitting in a plush leather armchair, an apple in one hand, her wand in the other.

"Bellatrix." He says.

"Lucius." She returns, unsmiling.

"What exactly are you doing with my prisoner, sitting in my library?" He asks coldly, skipping formalities.

Bellatrix leaps to her feet. "Your prisoners?" She half screeches, "The Dark Lord -"

But he cuts her off before she can continue, "Charming as I'm sure your story would be, this is my house, and you are a guest here. To whom the prisoners belong is secondary to the fact that you have no authority over anything in my house."

Bellatrix's eyes glow dangerously, and no doubt she would have used her wand had Narcissa not appeared behind her husband.

"Lucius!" She says in surprise, "I hadn't realized you were home -"

But he cuts her off as well, "And it's a damn good thing I am, you spineless thing. How many times have I told you about your sister -"

"Don't you dare talk to her like that!" Bellatrix really does screech this time, brandishing her wand.

"Bella – please!" Narcissa says, "Lucius, I'm sorry, but…" she lowers her voice, so that what she says next is heard only by her husband, whose face softens as she speaks.

Lucius looks between his wife, her sister, and Luna for a time, contemplating. Finally, he says, "The girl sleeps down there at night. She doesn't get any of our food, and Bellatrix," he says sharply, "You cannot kill her."

Bellatrix looks distinctly annoyed at being given these instructions, but even she sees that they're reasonable, so she says, tightly, "Fine."

Lucius gives one authoritative nod before taking his wife and leading her out of the room by her shoulder. Bellatrix, now alone with Luna, settles herself into the chair.

"Come here." She says to Luna, who has been standing silently by the door.

Luna obeys, and in a moment is standing by Bellatrix's chair. She is ignored for a time, Bellatrix levitating the apple and turning it slowly in the air to inspect it.

Finally, the apple dropped into her expectant palm, she speaks, "Bring me that book." She says, indicating a red tome with her wand.

Luna crosses the room to the bookshelves and reaches for it.

A scream tears the air in two. The book sends lightning bolts of pain along Luna's bones. She tries to put it down, but her fingers remain stubbornly curled around the spine. The harder she struggles against it, the harder her fingers clasp it, and the more painful it becomes.

Her screams are backed by Bellatrix's shrieking laughter, as if she's just played a brilliant trick.

After what feels like years, Bellatrix waves her wand lazily, and the book falls to the floor. Still chuckling, she levitates it, and puts it back on the shelf.

Luna is shaking, and she sees that her fingers are bleeding where they'd touched the book. As she looks down at them, a drop falls onto her outstretched hand. The salty liquid sears her cuts. She hadn't realized she'd been crying.

Bellatrix motions for her to come back, and for the first time, Luna disobeys. She remains where she is.

"Come here." Bellatrix says. "Or would you like more of that?"

With mounting horror, Luna moves slowly towards the chair, steeling herself for another bout of pain. But once she's standing by the chair, Bellatrix ignores her again. She taps her apple twice with her wand, and it falls into six slices. Waving a circle around the slices, a thin line of purple appears in the air, and when it fades, the apple has been cored.

Bellatrix admires her handiwork for a moment, before murmuring 'finally' and taking a bite of one of the slices. Luna can hear Bellatrix crunching it. A shudder runs through her as she imagines the way the apples would be crushed mercilessly between her teeth, tearing the skin, breaking the crisp fruit into unrecognizable mush. Unconsciously, a tiny moan escapes Luna's mouth.

Bellatrix's head snaps round to survey her. She sees Luna staring at the remaining pieces of apple in her hand, and chuckles. "Poor widdle girw is hungwy?" She mocks in her baby voice.

Luna drops her gaze.

"That really is too bad," Bellatrix switches back to her normal voice, but Luna can't decide if that's any less frightening, "I would have fed you, you know. But you heard what Lucius said – no food for you!" And she emitted a horrid laugh.

Bellatrix plucks another slice of apple from her hand, but before she has a chance to bite it, Narcissa enters the room.

"Bella – Bella!" She says breathlessly, "It's Rodolphus, he's here."

Luna doesn't know who Rodolphus is, but by the way Bellatrix's mouth twists unpleasantly, she assumes he isn't well-liked.

"Oh Cissy, you didn't tell him I was here, did you?"

Narcissa shakes her head, "But he wants to see it."

Luna's frown goes unnoticed by both women. What is 'it'? She wonders.

Bellatrix makes a noise of displeasure, and turns to Luna. "You stay here. Don't touch anything, and don't even think of escaping." She says.

Narcissa looks at Bellatrix. "Don't bring that with you." She says, motioning to the pieces of apple in her sister's hand.

Rolling her eyes, Bellatrix transfigures a decorative figurine into a plate. She puts the apple pieces there, and places the newly created plate on the arm of the chair.

With that, the sisters sweep out of the room, Bellatrix sending a warning look to Luna as she does.

Luna stands in silence for a time after the women leave. She briefly considers trying the door, but she decides that Bellatrix likely cursed it, and she doesn't think she'd be able to handle any more pain. She turns slowly, taking in the room as she does. It's big and the walls are lined with books and figurines. Slowly, her eyes come to rest on the plate with the apple. She stares at it for a time, desperately hungry but terrified of eating. She wonders if Bellatrix would even notice if a slice were missing. But she doesn't seem to be able to make a decision for a long time.

Finally, on shaky legs, she approaches the chair and sits down. It's soft and plush and Luna feels as though she could fall asleep there. She closes her eyes, afraid of what would happen if she actually fell asleep, but even more afraid of what might happen if she keeps seeing the apple.

Luna is awaked some time later by the sound of footsteps and loud voices in the hall. In fear, she jumps up from the chair. In her haste, the plate sitting on the arm falls to the floor and shatters. She barely has time to register this fact before the door swings open to reveal Bellatrix and Narcissa in the midst of conversation.

"…hardly Rodolphus' fault that Travers couldn't –"

"Oh please, Cissy. I'm sick of everyone always making excuses for him. I don't care if he's my –" Bellatrix stopps short, taking in the scene before her. When she speaks again, her voice is dangerously low. "What is this?"

Luna, cowering by the chair, doesn't answer.

"I thought I told you not to touch anything, you idiot girl!" Bellatrix snarls, her wand pointed at Luna. "Didn't I tell you?"

Luna nods weakly.

"But you did! You disobeyed me! How dare you disobey me?"

Narcissa reaches a hand towards her sister's shoulder, "Bella –" she begins soothingly.

But Bellatrix slaps the hand away, "Don't touch me." She snaps.

Narcissa's eyes go wide, and she hurries out of the room.

Bellatrix, wand still pointed at Luna, speaks lowly, "You idiot, idiot girl." Then, with a dark smirk, she murmurs, "Crucio."

Luna's eyes roll to the back of her head, and her legs buckle under her as she screams. She screams until her throat is raw. She screams until screaming makes the pain even worse. She screams until she isn't sure if she's even making noise anymore. She thinks she'll scream until she dies.

"Bellatrix!" A man's voice interrupts her screaming. Luna can't see who it is, because her eyes won't open. All she knows is that the man must be her hero, because he's stopped the pain. She wants to say 'thank you', but her voice doesn't work, and she falls out of consciousness.

"I don't care what you do with that…girl, but I will not have you hitting my wife." Lucius says coldly.

Bellatrix's laugh is chilling, "Your wife? Your wife? I'm sorry, Lucius but you seem to be forgetting that your wife was my sister first. And you can't tell me how to treat my sister."

Bellatrix levitates the apple pieces into her hand and repairs the plate before transfiguring it back.

"Isn't that right, Cissy-darling?"

Narcissa can't seem to find words, but Bellatrix doesn't seem to notice. Stepping over Luna, she settles herself into the chair and continues eating her apple as if nothing has happened.

So, what do you think? Reviews make lovely presents.