Lifeline

1. The Hidden Room

Disclaimer! You should all know which stuff belongs to the amazig J.K. Rowling, and if you don't... why are you here? But yes, all rights to respectful owners, including the few things that do belong to me :)
This goes for the entire book!

Third Person POV

Only days ago, Harry Potter had defeated Voldemort, for good this time. With no more horcruxes to protect him, he was completely, and irreversibly dead. Since then, the ministry had been rushing to capture all the Death Eaters he had left behind and bring them to justice. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy had both been arrested. Draco had been let go on account of his age... and it didn't hurt that Harry Potter claimed the boy had saved his life once, refusing to identify him when he was captured and brought to Malfoy Manner. Lucius had been sentenced to life in Azkaban. Narcissa's crimes were great, in spite of her lie to the Dark Lord about Harry Potter's death. Even then, that had only been for personal gain. She made that lie only because Harry told her that the Malfoy heir lived. Had Draco been dead, she surely would have revealed him. And again, even then, though unknown to the ministry and to Harry, and even to Draco, she had not done this as an act of motherly love. The Malfoy line was long and powerful, and Draco was the only real heir to it. Narcissa had been given the same sentence as her husband, though her cell wasn't as high security (not that it mattered much in Azkaban).

Currently, two aurors were examining Malfoy Manner. The manner, after examination, would fall to Draco, though he wasn't planning on staying there, as no memories he had there, even that of his childhood, were hardly cheerful. Besides, after Hogwarts finished with repairs (they suspect early September) he, and many others, were returning to Hogwarts to re-do their previous year. As for his current living arrangements... well, hearing that he had no place to stay, Mr. and Mrs. Tonks took him in, in spite of already taking care of their grandchild Teddy until Harry was mature enough to look after him. But, seeing as they were actually family (though they hadn't properly met until this) it wasn't all that far fetched.

The two aurors searched through the manner.

"What are we hoping to find?" Asked Evelyn Moonstone, a kind woman with dark brown hair and brown eyes in her mid-thirties, she was slightly larger than average, large enough to have stretch marks on her belly, but her beautiful face more than compensated for that. In spite of her job and how good she is at it, she had a motherly air about her, smile lines crinkling by her eyes even now as she frowned.

"Nothing specific, just anything with dark magic." Replied her partner, Jackson Firehearth. He was a bit of a trickster, which was strange with how much he cared about helping other people. His hair was naturally scarlet, contrary to accusations about hair dye. His eyes were green and amused, and he was tall and scrawny with a sharp chin. He was handsome, but his mischievous smile was off putting, making others weary around him. Both Evelyn and Jackson wore black cloaks, concealing their normal clothing.

Their small conversation was cut off by a faint scream. Both looked up, now alert. They were in a living room that didn't feel very welcoming, with a cold fireplace that clearly hadn't been used in years, stiff leather furniture, and dusty old books. The wall with the fireplace was where the noise came from. Evelyn pointed her wand at it.

"Disolvor!" The wall evaporated, and Evelyn and Jackson gaped at the sight that greeted them.

There, in a small room with no windows or doors, only a small hole to put food through, lay a shaking and sickly boy. He was maybe eighteen, though he was unnaturally pale. Clearly he hadn't been in the sun for far to long. He was clothed only in battered shorts, so skinny the outline of his rib cage was visible. There were nasty, jagged scars scattered over his body, and he slept on the cold stone floor. His thick slightly discolored blonde hair covered his head, matted and crusted in dry hair that looked as though it had been there a while. It seemed he was having a horrific nightmare, as he thrashed and screamed in his sleep. Evelyn rushed to him, Jackson soon behind her. She shook his shoulder, trying to wake him.

They didn't know what they were setting off...

Strange Boy's POV

I was cold. Not surprising, I was barely covered. But even shivering in cold, I felt someone was shaking me. I was fine. Nothing they could ever do to me would ever compare to my time there. They hadn't fed me the last few days. I was fine.

Then I wasn't. Someone was shaking me. They never hurt me physically. They never came in here. They left me in solitude, cold and hungry and alone. They never came in here.

Terror struck me. They were sending me back. Terror struck me.

And I was falling. Down, down, down... down a rabbit hole...

No!

"NO!" I screamed. My eyes snapped open. I thrashed, and someone was holding me down. "DON"T TAKE ME BACK!" I'd rather die then go back. Death. "KILL ME!" I screamed, begged. "Just kill me!" I was sobbing now, desperate. "DON'T TAKE ME BACK!" I tried fighting, but I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't see the people above me.

"Stupify!"

And then I was asleep again. And then I was falling again.

Down, down, down...