It was so dark. The blackness overwhelmed everything and seemed to choke the very life out of the air. A grunt and muffled "ow" sounded from in the midst of the silence, and Astoria Greengrass opened her brown eyes. She could hardly tell the difference between having her eyes open and closed. Her head hurt, but when she tried reaching up to her temple, she found that her hands were bound. The smell of the air around her was musty, with a hint of death. Tori shivered and tried to recall anything she could, reaching into her memory for a reason that she might be imprisoned and tied up. 

Nothing. Why couldn't she seem to remember how she got here? She knew that she had flown here, to England, with her family. She remembered her best friend from Ilvermorny, and how hard it had been to say goodbye after the announcement of her transfer to the wizarding school of Hogwarts. She even remembered walking into a strange shop in Diagon Alley; but when she strained her mind to focus on the events leading up to this blackness, all seemed hazy. 

-No.

 Wait. One thing was still there, and she focused on that with all her mental strength. It was a face, the face of a boy about her own age. He was holding a wand pointed at her head, whispering something, when her memory and vision had failed her.

Now she was in this icy nothing- waiting for something, anything to show itself. She pulled herself back to the present, and the pain in her wrists and the stiffness in her back reminded her that there were more pressing items to attend to. So she was tied up. Well, that could be easily remedied. Tori moved her bound hands toward her back pocket, but her searching fingers found nothing. Whoever had her had also taken her only weapon. Smart move, Tori thought, giving her captors a mental point. She would have done the same had she been kidnapping someone. Still wondering where on earth she was, she twisted around, trying to see anything in this overwhelming ebony.

Hang on—what was that? A rat? Tori detested rats. She wriggled franticly, pushing with all her 15-year-old strength, and was rewarded with a sharp pain behind her right ear. A gravelly voice sounded menacingly behind her. How long had he been there?

"You move, missy, and the master's pet will have an extra treat with her meal." Tori immediately stilled. She had no idea what this pet was, but all the same it didn't sound inviting. A rough shove on her right shoulder pushed her to her feet as a light appeared on the tip of a wand, shining on the walls around them. Looking around curiously, despite her situation, she realized that her prison chamber was not the simple room she would have suspected. She was in a very old dungeon. As she was hustled up a flight of stairs, the light drifted over some ancient torture devices; their shadows eerily slithering across the walls. Tori shuddered and decided that maybe curiosity was not the best idea right now.

At the top of the stairs, Tori was crudely shoved through a door into a chair and left alone. A single torch illuminated the stone prison, and as Tori looked around, she realized that there seemed to be no way of getting in and out, or a place she could be watched from. Of course, she reasoned, I doubt that I'm really alone. There were always charms or hexes that could be used to spy on her, and it would be idiotic to not watch her if they really wanted to keep her here. No. They want to see what I will do. Well, that was the question, wasn't it. What could she do? Trapped who-knows-where, by magic-wielders she didn't know, for a reason she couldn't decipher, and with no cell phone or wand. It would be extremely dumb to try and make a run for it. Tori shrugged to herself. If she couldn't leave, she could at least take this moment to review her situation.

She was in an unknown place, her guess was an old mansion, run by a "master" who had a creepy pet he used to threaten people. So far, so bad. Her hands were tied, her only real weapon was taken, and she was most likely being watched very closely. At least she was alive. Tori wrinkled her nose. Don't jinx it! she told herself. Ha- Jinx it! This was pitiful. 

She wondered- there had been rumors in Illinois about You-know-who returning. Of course, he had never been such a threat in America, but still everyone knew his name. Like another Hitler- only worse. Could it be that he was the master? But then why was she still alive? Bargaining chip? She guessed. But it's not like I'm rich or anything. Do I know any information that they want? Did I witness something I shouldn't have? Her guess was the latter. She couldn't remember what had happened -probably obliviate- but that didn't mean she was safe. Any evil overlord who knew his stuff would still kill her just to make sure all loose ends where tied up. She swallowed. Hopefully this 'Master'- You-know-who or not- was really bad at his job. With any real luck, maybe it was all a mistake and she could go home with only some sore wrists as a reminder.

Ha. I wish.

There came a noise from the stone wall to her left. Tori turned toward it quickly, and she saw a crack growing vertically along it. A hidden door. Nice. The crack was opened wider and a tall woman came in. She was a pale blond, and her face might have been pretty had the eyes not been so tortured. There was something familiar about the hair and cheekbones of the woman that Tori couldn't quite place. The lady was not looking at her. Instead, her eyes were fixed on someone standing outside the door.

"No, Greyback." She said. Her voice was soft and almost whimpering, although some semblance of effort was made to sound authoritative. "You are not to touch the prisoner until the Master arrives. Inform my husband about the proceedings." The words were voiced as more of a plea.

The person, still out of Tori's field of vision, now replied. "Oh, I will, Mistress Malfoy. Fear not. But do remember to present her to him as mine, or your beloved boy may wake one day with a lust for human blood." This voice was harsh and mocking. Tori straightened. A boy? Her son? Now the faces clicked. This must be the mother of the green-eyed wonder who probably cast obliviate on me. Great. The lady, or Mrs. Malfoy, shuddered and quickly shut the door. Turning to Tori, she attempted to straighten and look haughty, as if that could restore her pride. Tori squinted. "Uh, ma'am, if I may ask, why am I here?"

Hesitating slightly and wringing her hands, the lady replied. "You are being held on suspicion of disloyalty to The Master. He will come soon and will pronounce judgement on your case." Tori would have rolled her eyes, but she decided her remark would be snarky enough. No point in aggravating anyone too much until she knew what she was getting into. "OK, two questions. One: How can I be disloyal to The Master when I don't know who that is? Two: I am an American citizen. On whose authority am I being held? And don't say The Master." Mrs. Malfoy's countenance grew even paler at the tone. I didn't know it was possible to be that gray in the face. "I- I am not under the liberty to inform you of these things. You will know soon enough."

Suddenly the door opened again to reveal a vicious-looking man, whose short stature and large front teeth reminded Tori unpleasantly of a rather large rat. His eyes twitched back and forth from Mrs. Malfoy to Tori and he grinned, though it felt more like a grimace. "Lord Voldemort will see the prisoner in the dining hall. She had best be taken there immediately if you know what's good for you, Narcissa." Mrs. Malfoy straightened and shot a glare at the rat-man. "How dare you address me by my given name, you filthy creature! Were it not for your master, you would soon be out of this house and in Azkaban where you belong!" Tori smirked. Good for her, who knew she had any backbone at all. 

Then the name hit home. So she had been right about You-know-who. Well, dang it. This might be really, really bad.

The man shrunk back, but his eyes held a malicious glare. "Perhaps I should inform Lord Voldemort that you intend to murder his most faithful servant." At this, Narcissa scowled. "No! I- I only meant that my lord might have chosen a less groveling person for his attendant."

The man bared his stained teeth again and left. Narcissa turned to Tori. "Come." Tori looked quickly around, thinking fast. "Wait! I could help you- they treat you so badly. If you help me escape, perhaps I could get you out of here." Narcissa shook her head "Don't talk so loud! If he hears you and me talking... Maybe you could help my son. Draco Malfoy." Aha. So that was the name of the kid who had been waving a wand in her face. Slim chance of Tori helping him since he was the one who captured her. "-But not now. First we'll see if you survive the interrogation."

 Grimacing as she stood up and wiggling her bound hands, Tori met the woman's gaze. "What are my chances?" Narcissa squeezed her lips into a thin line and brought her brows together. "Are you pure-blood?" "No; muggle-born."

"You won't last the night." 

A/N

Hope you enjoyed that! I originally meant this to be a full book, but this was all that I squeezed out of the idea. I do not intend to write any more of it. 

None of the characters are mine.

Thanks for reading! Constructive criticism is welcome, but please be polite.