a n c h o r

f i v e

Alexandra's fears heightened significantly when Draco returned to Hogwarts. He initially refused, but he didn't have a choice.

His classmates noticed he was dissociative, which was a new normal for him, but many noticed he had gotten worse. He refused to eat, stayed up all night, skipped classes all while avoiding detentions and won't speak more than a few words to even his closest friends. He's seen his professor being murdered, his classmates being hunted, and Alexandra being tortured day after day all while he sat and did nothing to help them.

"Where is she?" Ginny yelled, finally being able to catch Malfoy alone after weeks of attempts. She pulled her wand out and pointed it directly at his chest, refusing to stand down as she repeated herself. "Where is she?"

"She's still alive," he told her, hoping that information alone would be enough to calm her down. It did for a moment, but then she began to cry. She still held her ground, however, keeping her chin up and continuing to hold her want to his chest.

"You've got to help her," Ginny demanded. "She's all alone."

"I'm fully aware of her current situation," Draco stated angrily.

"I know you love her, and I know she loves you," Ginny responded bluntly. Draco kept a straight face. "The longer she's there, the faster she'll begin to lose hope. You need to give her a reason to fight; a reason to survive until Harry and the others can get to her. That's all I ask."

"I'm afraid there is nothing I can do until I return home for the holidays."

"She's at the Manor, isn't she?" Ginny asked. Draco didn't say a word, and Ginny took that as a confirmation. Lowering her wand, she walked right past her classmate and towards the Gryffindor common room where she would tell Neville the new information.

Back at the Manor, Alexandra found herself staring blankly at the wall ahead of her as she waited for Bellatrix to pick her up off of the ground and drag her back to the cellar. It became an almost daily routine of Voldemort cursing her until she could no longer scream. It was his way of showing her how he felt when she first left him; the constant longing to be free from the unbearable sensation he compared to torture. His plan was not to kill her, but to torture her to the point where she begged for death. At that moment, he decided, he would happily fulfill her wishes.

"It's been months, Ron still hasn't returned, and we still haven't got a plan to rescue Alexandra that won't get her killed," Hermione panicked, pacing back and forth inside of the tent her and Harry were currently sleeping in. "We don't even know if she's alive."

"She's alive," Harry assured. "He wouldn't capture her if he only wanted her dead."

"Harry, you don't know-"

"I do know, Hermione," Harry argued. "Trust me."

"You let him in, didn't you?" She asked, knowing he wouldn't have been so sure if he hadn't seen her himself. Harry nodded.

"It's the only way we would've known where she is, and if she's still alive," Harry defended. Hermione crossed her arms, angry but hopeful.

"And?"

"She's at Malfoy Manor. She described it to me once, so it was easy to recognize. I didn't see Malfoy, so he must be at Hogwarts," Harry explained, leaving out the part where he saw his friend being tortured only moments ago.

"We've got to come up with a plan. Quickly."

Alexandra wasn't tortured for two days after that night, but that didn't stop her from being constantly terrified. Every sound she heard sent her heart racing, and every time she was brought food she would be too afraid to walk towards the gate and retrieve it. Knowing he couldn't do much else to help her, Ollivander brought the food over to her so she wouldn't starve. He wanted her to stay alive, and he could tell she was reaching the point where death seemed like the best option for her. He's reached that point quite a few times, but the thought of being reunited with his wife and son one day gave him a sense of hope that kept him alive.

"Thinking of my family helps me get through the bad days. My wife and son," he told her. "When I don't want to survive for myself, I survive for them."

"They haven't come for me," she said softly, her throat in pain from her constant screams and cries. "My friends."

"Have you thought that maybe they haven't come because they simply don't know where you are?" He asked. "Harry Potter is the most wanted wizard in the world. You must understand his caution. Have faith."

Ollivander watched as Alexandra's eyes slowly closed, and she nodded off once again. He wasn't sure if she was falling in and out of consciousness or just constantly falling asleep, but he hoped it was the latter.

Suddenly, Ollivander heard commotion coming from upstairs. He tried waking the girl up, but he was unsuccessful. He looked towards the gate, horrified for the both of them as footsteps quickly approached. It was Draco, dragging Luna Lovegood into the cellar. The second he saw Alexandra, he let go of his classmate and shut the gate behind him. He knew he didn't have long, but he needed to see that she was alive.

"Alex," he whispered, taking Ollivander's spot in front of her. He pressed his forehead against hers, holding his breath as he listened for hers. It was faint, but it was there. He let out a shaky sigh of relief.

"Draco," Bellatrix sang, sending Draco to his feet. Suddenly, Ollivander started screaming as he threw himself on the floor.

"Point your wand at him," Luna whispered. Draco did as she said just before Bellatrix arrived at the cellar. Draco lowered his wand, and Ollivander's yelling stopped. He was confused as to why they would help him, but didn't ask questions.

"He tried to escape," Draco told his aunt, refusing to look her in the eyes.

"Good boy," Bellatrix smiled, shifting her sight towards Alexandra. "She dead?"

"No," Draco responded.

"Good. He's not finished with her yet," she smirked. "Let's go, then. He's waiting."

"You heard her," he said, looking between Luna and Ollivander. "Keep the girl alive, or you'll die with her. Understand?"

Luna and Ollivander nodded, looking at each other as Draco retreated.

"They were friends back at school, you know," Luna explained, walking over to Alexandra and sitting beside her. "They tried to hide it, but I thought it was quite obvious."

At first, Ollivander thought Luna was being ridiculous, but then he remembered the day Draco and Alexandra both got their wands. They had arrived and left together, joking around like the innocent children they once were. They had both received unicorn hair cores, and Draco had complained about how he thought his wand was girly.

"The have the potential to be a very powerful pair," Ollivander thought out loud. "If only fear didn't stand in their way."