Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter. The only character I own is Angela Barry. Everyone else belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Summary: When Angela Barry finds out Draco Malfoy is a Death Eater . . . let's just say a volcano erupting would be more passive than her that day. Set during HBP.
Fiery Red
I wasn't trying to observe Malfoy. I really wasn't. But I couldn't help but notice how he had changed since I broke up with him. He acted different. As if he were more sure of himself. He started disappearing for no apparent reason. I kept thinking he was forming secret meetings with some other kids from Slytherin. He became more aggressive as well. I heard from Cho who was told by Seamus who was told by Ron that Harry had been given a broken nose when he was caught spying on one of those meetings. I also heard that Malfoy had been the one to break it. I had never seen Malfoy lift a finger to hurt someone. I was shocked by this news.
I wondered why this change was happening. I tried to ignore it; we were barely speaking to each other anyway, except for the occasional smirking comment or taunting jibe. Pansy had her paws all over him now and he didn't seem to mind. I realized I must not have meant that much to him since he hooked up with Shrieking Parkinson just a few days after I broke up with him.
I turned my head back around to face my table. Eating slowly I tried to ignore the sound of Malfoy's laughter and Pansy's shrieking from the Slytherin table. Cho looked at me with a concerned look on her face, but she was busy listening to Luna Lovegood tell an exceedingly long and potentially baffling story. From the way Malfoy had sneered at me the brief second our eyes had met, I was sure what they were laughing at had something to do with either me or my friends. Mostly likely my friends since they didn't have much on me.
I was pureblood and they seemed to make fun of those who weren't more than those who were. I snuck a glance at the Gryffindor table. Then again, Neville Longbottom was pureblood and they taunted him mercilessly. I smiled sympathetically at Neville's plump face. Of course he did give them plenty to taunt him about.
I turned my head and studied Malfoy again. His face seemed paler than normal, his eyes looked slightly sunken. Was he ill? I noticed his hand shaking faintly as he reached for his goblet. Our eyes met suddenly and he narrowed his into light grey slits. His hand steadied and I turned away quickly. What was wrong with him?
The day's lessons seemed pointless compared to the mystery surrounding Malfoy. When I asked Harry about him, all Harry said was that he had been keeping careful watch on Malfoy but couldn't seem to figure out where he was disappearing to. When I asked Harry what he meant, Harry pulled out a blank piece of yellowed parchment and tapped it with his wand.
"I solemnly swear I'm up to no good." He murmured.
I watched, fascinated, as lines began to appear out of nowhere. It was a map. Harry looked closely at it, frowning. He swore under his breath. I refrained from admonishing him.
"He's hasn't left Hogwarts," Harry said in a frustrating tone. "He walked down this hallway and then just disappeared." He tapped the map again. "Mischief managed." He muttered angrily. The lines disappeared and the parchment became blank once more.
I ventured to ask a question. "Where did you get that map?"
A guarded look came into Harry's eyes. "Fred and George Weasley." He said.
I was about to ask about it again but he cut me off. "I gotta go find Hermione and Ron. Excuse me."
I let him pass, thinking. Where did Malfoy keep disappearing to? I roamed the hallways, avoiding Filch, and ducking under Peeves's flying inkpots, trying to find the wall into which Malfoy had vanished. I had just rounded a corner when I walked smack into someone. I backed off only to drop my jaw in surprise. Malfoy frowned at me.
"What are you doing here Barry?" He asked in a chilly tone.
I winced slightly, not forgetting the last time we had spoken together. "Looking for you actually." I said boldly.
"Why?"
"Where have you been disappearing to? What's up with missing that Quidditch match? Are you sick or something?"
My eye caught Malfoy tug slightly on his left sleeve. "Go annoy someone else with your questions, I'm busy." He tugged at the sleeve again.
"Do you have an itch?" I asked innocently.
He started, his eyes widening for a second in fear. What was he afraid of?
"No," he said, putting his left arm behind his back and trying to move past me.
I grabbed his arm, he yelped in pain, and pushed back the sleeve. I gasped in horror at what I saw. A skull as black as night was imprinted on Malfoy's forearm, a snake was curling out of its mouth. It was the Dark Mark. As soon as I saw it I knew. Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater. I looked up into his pale face.
"How could you?" I asked, my voice shaking with anger.
Malfoy snatched his arm away. "I don't know what you're talking about." He said. His voice was dangerously low.
My voice however, rose. "Don't lie to me! You're a Death Eater!"
Malfoy slammed his hand against my mouth, splitting my lip against my teeth. He did not seem to notice the blood seeping out onto his hand. He pushed me against the wall of the hallway, turning his back so no one could see us.
"Shut up will you?" He hissed, pulling his hand away to wipe it on his cloak.
"I won't! You can't serve him Malfoy!"
Seeing that I wouldn't be quiet, Malfoy drew his wand and pointed it at me, and before I could get mine out he had growled, "Silencio!" My voice was suddenly gone. I shut my mouth and glared at him.
"It's none of your business what I do with my life," he said, his eyes full of contempt. "I suppose you won't want to join up? You're pureblood and clever; the Dark Lord would like you."
Before I knew what I was doing my fist came up and punched Malfoy in the face. He backed off, holding his nose and shouting in pain. I stomped on his foot and stormed away, screaming and swearing at him in my head. I found Cho and gestured to my throat, indicating that I couldn't talk. She looked confused for a moment but then realization came to her and she lifted the curse hurriedly. I was too full of anger to speak however. Cho tentatively asked what was wrong but I just pushed by her and stormed to my next class.
I couldn't believe Malfoy had joined the Death Eaters. How could he? He was not his father. Sure he was an arrogant coward, but what had happened to that boy whom I had spoken with during the Yule Ball? Where was the boy whose note of sympathy I still had tucked away in my special box of memories? Now he would be doing You-Know-Who's special bidding. Would he start killing innocent people now too? Would he be killing people like Cedric? I shut my eyes against the horrible picture that had conjured itself in my head.
I couldn't concentrate on the lesson. Sure my lack of attention would reflect on my grade, I made a promise to myself to study extra hard over the weekend. That would mean no trips to Hogsmeade, but I really had no reason to go. I smiled wryly. It seemed my only friends now were Cho, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny. Harry seemed obsessed with finding out what was up with Malfoy, Hermione was busy with school work as usual, and Ron and Ginny were now always busy snogging their new girlfriend and boyfriend. Cho was my one constant companion now. Both of us single and more or less happy. Most of the time. Actually, most of the time we were both depressing. But who can really blame us? Her boyfriend, who was coincidentally my best friend, was murdered by You-Know-Who. And now, my ex-boyfriend of four and a half months has turned to the dark side. I don't think I've ever been so furious in my life.