Ron awoke with a start. He thought he heard something - a whimper, perhaps. Listening closely, he heard it again, followed by whispers.

"What did you think you were doing?!" came an exasperated murmur, "Coming here was a mistake."

"You are her only chance, Severus," was the hushed reply.

"You have put us all in great danger. I will do what I can, but you must leave now."

"Thank you, Severus; we are all in your debt for--"

"Silence!" he whispered. "Leave at once."

Ron heard the sound of stone scraping against metal and a dull thud, followed by Snape muttering unintelligibly. Then, again, he heard a whimper.

Slowly, Ron creeped out of his bed and slowly made his way to his cell door, careful to not make any noise. He peeked out of the small window, trying to determine where the noises were coming from. The darkness made it difficult, but he could tell that Snape was working over something on his bench.

Suddenly, the man's head turned to face the cell door. Severus met Ron's gaze, and before Ron could duck and pretend to be asleep, the door flew open.

"You," Severus whispered harshly, "come here. Quickly."

Ron was momentarily paralyzed with fear, but a second whimper from the workbench and another hushed command by Severus urged him forward. What he saw on the table caused him to yell in shock.

"Silence!" Severus whispered as he pulled Ron close by the collar of his robes. "She is in bad shape, and we don't have much time to help her. If we are discovered --"

A distant thud echoed down the damp dungeons. Severus' eyes widened.

A moment of silence passed, and both men breathed a sigh of relief. They returned their attention to the woman whimpering at the workbench.

There, covered in blood and mud, lay Luna Lovegood.

"I need to fetch things from my storage cabinet across the hall. While I'm gone, undress her and asses where the worst damage might be. Be gentle - they did their best before bringing her here, but it's likely some of her bones are still broken."

With a flash of his black cape, Severus was gone. Ron gingerly placed one hand on Luna's forehead and spoke soothingly as he picked apart her tattered robes.

"Hey Luna, it's Ron. I'm gonna take good care of you and make sure nobody can hurt you anymore, okay? Just stay with us and try to just take deep breaths. You're in good hands now."

Severus returned with a crate full of vials and began hushedly barking orders. As Ron prepared ingredients, Severus muttered enchantments over Luna. He summoned three cauldrons and instructed Ron in brewing, culminating in three potions which he carefully ladled into Luna's lips. Above them, they castle had begun to wake up.

"Shhhh," Severus muttered gently as she whimpered and coughed. "Be still. You are safe now."

With a wave of his wand he cleaned the remaining dirt and blood, and slowly levitated the girl in order to ensure he hadn't missed any additional cuts, bruises, or breaks.

"Weasley," the harsh tone returned to his voice, "Prepare a bed for Lovegood in your cell. I've summoned extra materials."

Ron returned to his room and found an additional bed with a stack of sheets and blankets. He dragged the frame to the furthest corner from the door, and as quickly as possible made the bed. Behind him, Severus brought in a still unconscious Luna and laid her gently on the bed. She looked tired and weak, but at least now she was clean and free of pain.

Ron knelt on the floor next to her as Severus sat on the edge of the bed. The older man carefully touched the tip of his wand on her temple and began quietly chanting. Ron watched silently as silvery wisps began to seemingly emerge out of thin air around it. Expertly, Severus collected them into a crystal vial. This continued for a few minutes until the container was brimming with silver light.

"When she wakes, she will not remember," he spoke quietly, "I have left her the knowledge of her experience, but I've taken away the memory of the pain and fear. She will not suffer through it again."

Ron stared wide-eyed at his professor. He knew Snape was a powerful wizard, but he had never witnessed it. To remove someone's memory alone was a powerful feat, but to remove only select components required mastery beyond that which Ron knew was possible.

"I do not need to tell you how imperative it is that she remain hidden," Severus continued, oblivious to Ron's amazement. "She will stay here until she has recovered enough to travel."

Ron nodded firmly in agreement.

"There is something I've neglected to inform you of, Weasley: the Dark Lord has commanded Lucius Malfoy to host a dinner in celebration of our victory, and he is quite insistent that you and your friends make an appearance. I was going to inform you at some later time, but now that Miss Lovegood is with us, we need to prepare."

"Are you going to help us escape?"

"No," was the cold reply. "My ability to help anyone hinges on the Dark Lord believing I am faithful. Many of his most devoted followers already harbor skepticism, and you mysteriously disappearing would not help my case.

"What we must do," Snape explained, "is ensure that you cannot give away Miss Lovegood's whereabouts. This is incredibly difficult considering the Dark Lord's skills in legilimency, but I am doubtful that he will choose to directly attack your mind.

"You must nonetheless learn how to shield your thoughts from his casual sweeps as well as his directed attention. Whenever you are engaged in action, he will be in your mind - he enjoys feeling the shame of others, so there may very well be a time when --"

Severus did not get to finish his sentence before Ron interrupted, "What do you mean by 'engaged in action'?"

Severus looked at him coldly, "You will likely be asked to perform sexual favors for the guests. The Dark Lord delights in feeling the shame of those he chooses to degrade. It is to be expected."

Ron looked horrified. "I won't --"

"You will," Severus snarled, "and you will do it with the knowledge that your survival and the survival of your friends hinges upon it. Whatever you experience, it will be nothing close to what this girl or countless others have suffered through."

"But... But I've never... I don't..." Ron stammered.

"Your experiences or lack thereof with sex interest me not at all, boy. There are lives on the line here. You will do as you are told."

The younger man stood up in disgust. His mind reeling, all he could think of was getting away. He made for the door only to discover that it had locked once more.

Ron turned to face his captor, the fear that had plagued moments before turning into anger at the man who had imprisoned him. Severus scoffed.

"You must learn to control your emotions, Weasley. It only makes it easier to enter your mind."

Ron stammered in frustration, "But I… You soggy old… Bloody fucking…" He threw his hands up and sat down on his own bed, dejected.

In the meantime, Severus stood up and summoned a tray of soup and pumpkin juice before stepping out into his office.

"When she wakes, make sure she eats," he spoke as he pointed at the tray. Severus locked the door behind him.

Ron sat back against the stone wall and reflected on what he had just learned. The weight of having to perform occlumency against You-Know-Who hung heavy over his head. If Harry hadn't been able to do it, how in Merlin's name did Severus expect Ron to succeed?

After checking on Luna one more time, he sat himself on the floor and started trying to clear his mind of emotion. Might as well try, he thought to himself.