mahogany ; d.m

60 - luna

The darkness settled for too long. She hadn't a clue how much time had passed when she next forced her eyes open.

The back of her head was throbbing, she could feel the blow to her cranium. A benign aching sensation flared through her entire body.

Her eyes wouldn't adjust and it was too difficult to keep them open. Unfocused, blurry and she could practically see the pain that her body endured. She kept them closed.

She knew she wasn't home. The hard freezing surface beneath her confirmed that. Stony flooring, and a chilling draught of air brushing against her skin. She didn't know where she was and couldn't enable herself to see just yet.

As her mind rushed a million miles per second, she considered every possibility of her location, recollecting what had happened just before she ended up in this mess, the reasons which she was all too familiar with.

This was bound to have happened eventually. She'd predicted it.

A certain rage, mixed with despair consumed her, forcing her to open her eyes once again. But as expected, there was a void of darkness above her.

She briefly considered the possibility that she had gone blind. Panicked for a moment. This was until a cloudy blur of luminescent locks wavered into view. The radiant face of Luna Lovegood materialised in front of her.

"Oh! You're awake," her voice sang. "I was growing worried."

Athena just stared up at her, looking as if she was face to face with a ghost.

"Luna?" she choked out, before she bolted upright from the floor, giving herself whiplash and an unbearable dizziness.

Her arms cascaded around Luna's petite frame and she unthinkingly squeezed her into a tight embrace.

"Missed me?" Luna whispered, sounding like her usual self. It brought slight comfort.

She rushed to gather her surroundings, an overwhelming doom impending upon her.

"What—where are we? What's—what's happening?" her words stammered out.

Luna grasped onto Athena's shoulders, attempting to calm her. "I'll explain everything, but I'll need you to calm down first."

Athena attempted a few deep breaths, clutching onto Luna's hand. Her chest was heaving, each breath felt like inhaling a flurry of dust.

Although Luna sounded like herself, when Athena really focused on her face, she realised how worn down and defeated she seemed.

"Okay?" Luna asked a few minutes later.

She nodded, bracing herself, not so sure that she actually wanted to know the answer. She controlled her breathing, to an extent.

"We've been taken as prisoners to the Death Eaters," she stated. "As for where we are—well we're—" She hesitated, an anxious expression taking over her. "We're in the cellar of Malfoy Manor."

And all at once, Athena couldn't breathe at all.

"Wha—we're—you mean—"

"And before you get your hopes up, Malfoy's not going to save us. He can't. It's pretty much impossible, even if he wants to try."

She continued to stare at her in disbelief, waiting in torturous anticipation for her to elaborate.

"When they took you here, I heard them speaking. They've enchanted this room so Draco can't get in. Even if he considered it, he would only be turned away at his own conscience, meaning there would be no suspicion on his part. It's all very methodical of them. I'm so sorry, Athena. No one's coming for us. They can't."