He took the girl into the small storage room near the makeshift prison and locked the door behind them.

"Scream." He told her almost hatefully.

"Why?" she asked, her brow creased.

He huffed. "Because I'm supposed to be torturing you. If you don't want someone to come down here and help, you'd better convince them I'm nearly killing you."

He covered his ears and she complied with several blood curdling shrieks.

"Why are you supposed to torture me, Draco?" she asked softly, stepping up right in front of him.

He involuntarily took a step back. "Potter and his friends were at your father's house today, and they escaped."

"And you were ordered to torture me because my father let them get away?" she guessed. "I do appreciate the fact that you aren't torturing me, but why not, Draco?"

"Scream again." He instructed.

He kicked the door and threw his weight against the wall as she did so.

"You didn't answer me, Draco." She stood almost on top of him again.

He looked to the side, away from her intense gaze. "You can't control what your father does." He snapped.

"You've been punished for the things your father does." She nodded.

"Just shut up!" he spat. "You don't know anything about me!"

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know you're too honourable to torture an innocent person over something their father did or did not do."

He stepped back again, finding himself up against the wall. He shoved at her hand. "Get away from me, Loony."

"I know you're afraid, Draco." she dropped her hand but didn't back away.

"Leave me alone or I will torture you." he hissed.

"You don't want to." she replied matter of factly. She plopped down on the floor beside his feet, pressing her back against the wall. "Should I scream again?"

"Go ahead." He shrugged, so she did.

"Sit down and talk to me." She invited.

He eyed her suspiciously. "Why should I?"

"Because you obviously have a lot on your mind." She tilted her head, looking up at him. "Perhaps if you share your concerns with me, I can help."

He snorted, but sat down beside her. "Now I know you're insane."

"Talk to me like you would your best friend." She pulled her knees up against her chest.

"I don't have a best friend." He rolled his eyes.

"I'll be your best friend." She offered.

"I don't need a best friend." He leaned his head back against the wall.

"Well then maybe I should just talk and get your mind off things." She smiled at him.

"Good luck with that." He snapped. "You have no idea the kinds of things on my mind."

"You don't like what you've become." She said softly.

His head snapped around to look at her.

"You don't want to be a Death Eater." She continued.

"I don't have a choice." He spat.

"You always have a choice." She shrugged.

"No, because if I leave, he won't just kill me. He'll kill my family. Anyone I care about." Draco answered with resignation.

"Harry would protect you." She offered.

"You expect me to go throw myself at Potter's feet?" He snorted. "He's already nearly killed me, thank you."

"Everyone is going to die one day." She straightened her legs, turned up her foot and studied the bottom of her shoe. "It's not that you're afraid to die. I think you're more afraid that you're going to die before you have a chance to live."

His face scrunched in confusion. "What?"

"There are things you want to do before you die, and you're afraid that you won't ever get to do them. Or at least that's what I'm afraid of." She put her foot back down and looked up at him.

They sat in silence for a long moment before he spoke. "I didn't think you were afraid of anything. Nothing ever seems to bother you. My aunt comes down here to torture you and you try to make conversation."

"I keep hoping that one day she will think about what she is doing." Luna said.

"You don't want my aunt to think." He shook his head wryly. "She's even more dangerous when she thinks."

"She's not afraid to die." Luna observed. "Especially if You Know Who is by her side."

"She's lived her life." Draco huffed. "She's had the chance to do the things she wanted to do."

"What do you want to do before you die?" she asked.

"Become very old." He rolled his eyes.

"Then you should take better care of yourself." She replied. "You're not looking well lately, Draco. A little better than last year, but still too thin and too worried for someone your age."

"Wouldn't you be worried?" He nearly shouted, then lowered his voice. "My family is one step away from being annihilated by the Dark Lord. I wake up every morning not knowing if this is the day I'm going to die. How can you not worry in that situation?"

"How far am I from annihilation?" she asked calmly.

He sighed. "You're being held here in order to keep your father in line. If anything happened to your father, they would have no more use of you."

She nodded. "Should I scream again?"

"Yeah." He agreed.

She shrieked, adding "No! Please stop!" for good measure.

He cast a cushioning charm on the floor. She looked at him curiously.

"What?" he huffed. "My arse has been getting rather bony."

"Yes it has." She smiled.

"Been looking at my arse, have you?" he smirked.

"It is what is in my line of sight when you bring my food and walk away." She answered.

"What do you want to do before you die?" he rushed out, his face slightly flushed.

"I want to go back to Sweden to look for crumple horned snorkacks again." She wrapped her arms around her waist. "Daddy and I went once. We saw their tracks, but we didn't actually find any of the animals. And I want to meet Rolf Scamander and talk about magical creatures one day. I had hoped to meet his grandfather or father, but it's too late for that now."

"Don't you want to do things like normal people?" he shook his head. "I mean, like get married and have children or have a career or something?"

She tilted her head, looking up at him. "As far as a career, I'll probably work at the Quibbler. And I've already been doing that for years. I would like to get married and have children one day, but no one takes much of an interest in me. I don't know that I would ever find anyone to marry. I would like to see my friends again."

"So you just give up on the idea, and resign yourself to dying a virgin?" He scoffed.

"That's what you're afraid of. Dying a virgin." She nodded.

"That's a reasonable thing to be afraid of!" He defended.

"Yes, it is." She agreed.

"You're afraid of that too." He raised an eyebrow at her.

She shrugged.

"You are." He persisted.

"I suppose." She smoothed her jeans over her thighs.

They turned to look at each other, both opening their mouths to speak at the same time.

"I … "

"We … "

They both broke off, turning away from each other.

"Go ahead." He urged, cheeks slightly pink again.

"No, you go ahead." She shook her head, looking at the floor between them.

They were both silent for a long moment. She started to look up at him when suddenly his long fingers closed around her waist and pulled her into his lap. Her gasp of surprise was cut off as his mouth closed over hers. Her fingers slid into his hair as his hands left her waist to come up and cup the sides of her jaw. He pushed downward slightly, encouraging her mouth to open and allow his tongue inside.

He groaned deep in his throat as his hands dropped to cover her breasts through her shirt. Her back arched involuntarily, pressing more of her into his palms. His mouth released hers, and he leaned his head back against the wall. His hands dropped to her hips, shifting her slightly so that the bulge in his pants was pressed against the apex of her thighs. His questioning eyes found hers in the dim light, and he nodded ever so slightly.

In lieu of an answer, her hands gripped the hem of her shirt and quickly pulled it over her head.

He smirked at her for a heartbeat before his mouth closed over hers again and his fingers worked on the closure of her bra. Her hands tugged at the buttons on his shirt. Both garments came off almost simultaneously, and they both gasped at the first skin to skin contact.

His mouth broke from hers and dropped to take first one nipple and then the other into his mouth. She whimpered and bucked her hips against his, causing him to hiss and grab the sides of her pelvis roughly, holding her still.

Her hands fisted in his hair, pulling him against her chest again. His hands came up behind her back as he leaned forward, moving her onto the floor. As soon as she was settled, his arms slid from beneath her so he could attack his belt. She realized what he was doing, and unfastened the button and zipper of her own jeans.

He shoved down his trousers and underwear in one step, clumsily pushing them off while still on his knees, and then helped tug off her jeans. He half laid beside her, his mouth moving back to her breasts while one finger teased between her legs.

She reached down and closed her hand around his erection, stroking lightly.

"Like this." he whispered, closing his hand around hers, showing her how he wanted to be touched. Barely a minute later, he stilled her hand.

"You've got to stop." he groaned. "You're going to make me come too soon."

She nodded, reaching up to curve her hand around the back of his neck and draw him down again. He kissed her lips briefly before venturing out to her ear and then down the side of her neck toward her collarbone. His hand ghosted down over her belly, between her legs again. One finger slipped inside her, while his thumb pressed against her clit.

"Not so hard." she murmured, taking his hand. "Like this."

She showed him how to touch her gently. He slipped a second finger inside her. The two fingers found a place that made her quiver and whisper "Right there." so he concentrated on that spot internally while his thumb continued to ministrate externally.

Her whole body arched, went rigid, and then shuddered. Her muscles tightened around his hand as she gasped several times.

By the time she stilled, he had moved into position, kneeling between her legs and probing her entrance. He leaned up and covered her mouth with his, absorbing her whimpers as he surged forward, filling her completely.

He stilled, allowing both of them a moment to acclimate themselves.

"Merlin." he hissed. "Fuck."

"Yes, we are." she answered.

He laughed deep in his throat, grasping her hips with both hands as he began to move. His first stroke was smooth. The second thrust was slightly out of control. On the sixth, he was shuddering and groaning as he emptied his seed into her.

He collapsed on the floor beside her, his breathing gradually returning to normal. He propped himself on one elbow to look at her.

"I'm sorry ... " he began, but she interrupted.

"I'm not sorry." she informed him. "Thank you, Draco. That was lovely, well, until the part at the end anyway, and I do understand why it wasn't and that it will be better next time ... "

He smirked at her. "I meant I was sorry for leaving bruises." He indicated the handprints on her hips that were already starting to discolour.

"Oh." she smiled at him. "No worries, I've had worse."

"Thank you." he looked away shyly, reaching for his wand to clean both of them up. They dressed slowly, and he helped her to her feet.

"This was just so we could both get it out of the way." he said. "It's not ... it doesn't mean anything."

He unlocked the door and led her back down the hallway to the prison part of the cell. She turned to face him at the door.

"It did mean something." she tilted her head. "But I understand what you're saying."

He nodded, unlocking the cell door.

"Just in case anyone's listening." she whispered conspiratorily, then shouted "I hate you, Draco Malfoy!"

He locked her in, and slowly made his way back to the main floor.

Bellatrix waited at the top of the stairs. She cackled like a hyena when Draco reached her. "I always knew you had it in you." She smirked. "You've made Auntie Bella so proud."

"What are you on about?" he snapped.

"We sent you down to torture the girl. You came back smelling like sex and blood." She leaned in close to him, sniffing, and then twirled away. "Draco is a Death Eater!" She sang, dancing down the hall and laughing.

A/N - Coming soon - the sequel, a multi-chapter called Star Crossed Strangers.