This is a story that was written for an overview (more like a fanfiction) of what happened to two people, Draco Malfoy and Anita Stevens, after the night of Dumbledore's Murder at the end of the sixth book. We are doing a side sitcom after what happens to the two after a certain part of the RP we are doing, and so, people need to know what has happened beforehand. This is what has happened. I hope you all enjoy this.
The Dranita Story
And, for all of you who want to know what has happened between our lovely Dranita couple so far, this is their story.
First off, the two of them both participated in a raid to free the imprisoned Death Eaters at Azkaban Prison.
They succeeded in their mission, with Fenrir dead, and a burn on upon young Anita's chest.
Upon arriving back, Anita had the Cruciatus Curse put on her for being foolish while Draco was praised for his accomplishment. The two were called to Voldemort's throne room later, and Anita was cursed, yet again, for a meaningless reason.
They met up in the bedding chamber a few minutes later, with Anita sitting sorely on her bunk, Draco watching silently over his unconscious mother. And now, here is a dictation of their story…
Unable to sleep, Anita watched Draco a bed or two away, sitting in a chair by his mother's bedside. At least he had a mother to watch over.
"...So, she's free...lucky you..." Anita said, reaching a hand up to wipe the rest of the smeared blood from her face, not even forcing herself to stand. "What'd you have to do to get it done?" She asked.
Draco nearly jumped out of his skin when Anita spoke up. He'd thought everyone was asleep, worn out from the exhausting prison break out. Of course, he himself was wide awake. Seeing that his mother had no intention of waking anytime soon. Draco eased over to Anita's bed.
"Whatever it took," Draco answered, quietly pulling up a chair. "The Azkaban breakout was to keep her alive, and now I'll be undertaking another mission to keep her free. But it is the Dark Lord's will," he stated forcefully, willing himself to believe what he was losing faith in.
He took a closer look at Anita. "You're a ruddy mess," he declared, pulling his wand from his pocket. "Hasn't anyone come in here to check your injuries?"
Anita let out a quiet, dry laugh when he asked her if anyone had come to check her over.
"No...what injuries?" She murmured.
"...Dharma healed the burn after the Crusio He gave me as punishment for getting hurt...and just after you left to go free your mother, He put another Crusio on me...It was the Dark Lord's will and he was right in punishing me, both times..." She said softly, looking down.
"There's nothing really to check over except a bitten tongue..." She muttered with a slightly forced chuckle as she pushed herself to sit up, biting back a groan that fought it's way up in protest to moving her sore body.
Draco trained his wand on Anita, murmuring the one diagnostic spell he knew. Several areas on her body glowed faintly red, and as he'd expected, her mouth glowed brightly, indicating a severe injury.
"Open your mouth," he commanded, nonverbally casting Lumos and shining it into her mouth. He failed at holding back a wince as he saw the raw mess her tongue was. "Sweet Merlin, Stevens. You're lucky you didn't bite it off. Next time just scream." He eased his wand into her mouth carefully and began to cast the healing spell Snape had taught him after the incident in the bathroom with Potter. Not being accustomed to healing, it took several tries before he'd healed the bites on her tongue.
"You've got several strains in your joints from the Crucio. I can't heal those because those are your punishment." Draco stood and crossed to the Potions cabinet. He searched through the depleted stock until he found a pain reliever. "But take a little bit of this to ease your pain. You're no good to the Dark Lord if you can't move."
Anita winced as he pulled out his wand and pointed it at her, but then relaxed when he didn't use anything to hurt her.
She did as she was told, sighing as he stood and went to the potions cabinet. She looked down as he came back and handed it to her.
"I did scream...hearing myself scream makes me feel weak..." She murmured as she looked down at the potion with disdain, but took it anyway.
"Thank you..." She muttered softly, looking up at him in the dark as she pulled her knees up to her chest.
Draco cleared his throat and sat down in the chair again, scooting it back from the bed a bit. "You're welcome," he said lowly. "But you didn't get that from me, got it?"
He glanced around the room, checking to make sure everyone was asleep. He leaned closer to Anita. "Out of curiosity, Stevens, what are you doing here?" Seeing the look of confusion on her face, he clarified. "I mean, how did you come to be a Death Eater?"
Anita watched him sit back down, listening.
"I know." Anita said with a nod when he said she didn't get it from him.
She sighed softly when asked how she'd become a death eater, a look of slight realization on her face once she knew what he was asking.
"My parents both died when I was around...three, I think, and I lived with my grandparents...went to Hogwarts, graduated, went home all full of Slytherin pride, and then...death eaters were killing my grandparents because they had connections to Dumbledore in some way. I demanded to be taken to him, and just when I thought he was about to kill me, he branded me with the dark mark and made me be part of his crew, because Dumbledore liked me and gave me a part-time job at Hogwarts..."
"I've been here ever since..." She said with another soft sigh, looking over at him, her arms resting on her knees. She rested her head on them, her gaze still pointed at Draco. "What about you? Forced into it?"
Draco leaned back, not prepared for the question to be directed back at him. He stalled for a moment. "So it was either join or die, for you?"
Anita rose a brow at him. He was avoiding it...
"Sort of. I ordered to be taken to him so that I could just see the thing who ordered my grandparents dead...I didn't care if I died just then, I had nothing to live for...come to think of it, I don't really have anything to live for now, either..." She gave a sigh as she looked at the dark mark on her arm, her robe sleeve having ridden up enough so she could see the tip of it.
She decided not to ask him the question again. If he avoided the question, it was probably for a reason, and she didn't want to push it.
Draco nodded pensively. "There's a new world coming," he said lowly. "You have that to live for. Once the Dark Lord is victorious, we can have anything we want as reward for being faithful."
I am faithful. I am faithful. I am faithful, Draco chanted in his head, reminding himself that the walls had ears.
"You should be proud of that mark," Draco said hurriedly, looking around the room again. "And you should be careful what you say in the manor," he whispered to her. "You never know who is listening."
Anita listened to his words, able to tell on a subconscious level that he was forcing himself to say the words aloud, forcing himself to remember something.
"I know." Anita said, looking down. "I know..."
...I am faithful to my Lord...I thought he was a thing before because he killed my family, but now, he is my Lord, and he will tell me what to do and I will listen and follow. I am a faithful follower of the Lord who will make the world ours... She thought, saying to him a moment later, "I am proud of the mark..."
...I'm just not proud of what I've become...
Her thoughts must have read on her face, because when she looked up at him again, he was staring at her.
"What?" She asked a moment later.
Draco hadn't realized he was staring, really. He hadn't meant to. It was simply...when Anita had looked down, he had recognized something on her face, a familiar expression, and he was trying to place it. With a shocking jolt back to reality, he realized the look on her face was akin to the one Snape had worn when they first returned to the Dark Lord after Dumbledore's murder.
"Do you feel up to a short walk? I want to show you something," Draco told her, holding out his hand.
Anita looked up at him, then nodded and reached over to gently take his hand, uncurling herself from her position on the bed.
She winced as she straightened one of her legs, but bit back the pain and gripped his hand a bit more as she moved to stand.
"Yeah...where to?" She asked quietly, head tilted to the side slightly in question. She didn't realize she was still holding her hand, though.
Silently, Draco led Anita out of the bedchamber and down two floors to the library, which was, as usual, empty. Only once he reached for the cabinet that contained the Pensieve did he realize that he'd been holding her hand the entire time. He dropped her hand quickly, glad that nobody had witnessed that. The last thing he needed (and by the looks of it, Anita as well) was to give Voldemort another weakness to exploit.
Before he lost his nerve, he placed his wand to his temper, feeling the odd tickling sensation as the memory passed through his brain. The silver strand hung from the tip of his wand for a moment before he shook it loosely into the silvery liquid, which began to shimmer and swirl.
He looked over at Anita, who, in spite of her resolve, was swaying woozily. "Ready?" he asked, reaching for her hand again.
Anita followed, nodding when he asked if she was ready, taking his hand again.
"Where?" She asked again head tilted to the side.
"You'll see."
Draco leaned forward, gently lowering his face into the iridescent shimmer. For a moment, he felt as though he were being dropped from a great height, and then he was standing outside of Voldemort's throne room. He glanced over; Anita was looking around, a confused look on her face.
He heard his aunt's angry voice approaching in the darkened corridor, and he shuddered. He was glad that the corridor was so dimly lit; it meant Anita would not see what was happening, just yet.
"Wipe your face, you sniveling baby," he heard his aunt say. "Crying like a sodding coward."
There was a mighty sniffle and then he heard his own voice coming out of the darkness. "I am not a coward," past-Draco snapped.
Two figures emerged from the darkness, and Draco took a deep breath, trying to prepare himself for what was to come. Her claw-like fingers wrapped tightly around past-Draco's arm, Bellatrix was forcibly propelling him along the corridor.
"Scourgify," Bella intoned, pointing her wand at past-Draco's face. "This is an honor, Draco. The Dark Lord is honoring you."
Now, as it had then, those words filled Draco with dread. If he had just grabbed his mother the moment he arrived home from Hogwarts...if they had only fled before Voldemort decided to dole out the punishment for a botched mission...
Past-Draco ripped his arm free just as the throne room doors swung open. Remembering the feeling of utter panic he had experienced in this moment, Draco took another deep breath. He shot a glance at Anita.
Anita watched and listened to all of this, looking over at Draco.
"What is this?" She asked him. "What I mean is...when is this?"
She was confused, but didn't say anything else, looking to Draco, still holding his hand. If her knees, still sore and pained from the two Crusio's she received, gave way, she didn't want to fall over and hurt something else.
Draco met Anita's gaze for a moment, and then looked forward into the throne room. "This was a year ago. It was the night I was made a Death Eater." He pressed his lips together and exhaled slowly, wondering what had possessed him to show Anita this particular memory. It was a night he would just as soon forget, if he could.
Still, he felt a compulsion to lead her into the throne room, where past-Draco was making the mistake of not bowing at once. Bellatrix quickly stepped to the side as Voldemort curled his lip in distain and raised his wand.
"Proud like your father, Draco? But you see where his pride has landed him. Crucio!"
The first Cruciatus didn't last nearly as long as it had felt it had. Draco clenched his hands into fists, squeezing Anita's hand in the process, as past-Draco collapsed on the floor, screaming in agony. A puddle spread on the ground around past-Draco and Draco closed his eyes, wishing Anita hadn't seen that.
"You bow when you come before your master, insolent boy!" Voldemort hissed.
Past-Draco was clearly trying not to sob when he answered, "But you are not my master."
Draco shook his head in wonderment at his own stupidity as the second torture curse slammed into past-Draco. This one did last every bit as long as it had seemed, and by the time Voldemort released the curse, the boy on the floor was weeping openly.
"That is to change tonight, Draco Malfoy. You are young, yes, but you have a purpose to serve, and a family name to honor, and your parents' lives to save. You will become one of mine tonight," Voldemort announced.
Draco felt a catch in his throat, and was tense, as though he were a tightly wrapped spring. He realized he was shaking slightly, and hoped Anita would not notice, as he couldn't bear to let go of her hand at the moment.
Anita watched this, listening to the happenings all around her. She didn't say anything, even after the first Crusio had been lifted or as Draco held her hand in his fist - though she did tighten her hold a bit as well - , but she did look away as Voldemort cast the second.
She knew how it felt, closing her eyes as the aches in her body reminded her she'd just endured the same thing not an hour ago. She held onto Draco's hand tighter, not letting it go.
She could tell it was shaking, and she was herself - moreso than he was - as she listened. She looked up to see the sadistic smirk on Voldemort's snakish lips, looking over at Draco, hoping to catch his eye.
She looked back to the memory before her a moment later, beginning to contemplate whether or not she should show him the night of her induction into the death eater core, as well.
Unable to tear his eyes away, Draco nonetheless felt Anita squeezing his hand in return, and he was somewhat bolstered by her support.
Past-Draco still lay in a heap on the floor of the throne room in a puddle of urine, panting. He pushed himself up enough to look at Voldemort.
"My parents' lives?" he gasped incredulously.
Voldemort's smile was positively predatory as he grabbed past-Draco's chin and hauled the shaking boy into a standing position.
"You will be mine, and you will complete the mission I am about to give you, or your mother dies. And your father, well, let's just say it's a good thing he's in Azkaban right now. Unfortunate for you, however." Voldemort turned to the gathered Death Eaters. "Don't you agree?" he prompted them. They immediately voiced their assent, several of them laughing as if Voldemort had made a funny joke.
"My mother has done nothing wrong!" past-Draco protested.
Voldemort leveled his wand at the boy before him again, and Draco took a shuddering breath, knowing what was about to happen. Past-Draco once more collapsed on the ground, his screams hoarse as he clawed at his skin as though possessed.
Draco felt himself moving closer, wanting to look at his Lord as he inflicted the torture. He'd seen it on Voldemort's face before when punishing his faithful followers, but Draco never became accustomed to the look of orgiastic glee on the Dark Lord's face.
Voldemort lifted the curse, and past-Draco did not move from his spot on the floor. Draco remembered thinking fuzzily if he pretended to be dead, maybe Voldemort would forget about him.
"Your mother married an incompetent fool who let Harry Potter and five of his little friends get the best of him. Your mother gave birth to a sniveling coward. Your mother is a failure of a woman." Voldemort motioned to two Death Eaters who stepped forward and yanked past-Draco to his feet. "Her life will be spared if you become mine and accomplish a mission of greatest honor."
He'd been too tired to argue, certain if he displeased Voldemort again, that he would be dead. He nodded his head the best he could and Voldemort motioned to the two men, who dropped past-Draco to his knees before Voldemort's throne.
"Hold out your arm, young Malfoy."
Draco sucked in air between his teeth, stepping behind his younger self as he shakily extended his arm, a resigned look on his face.
Anita went up with Draco as he went closer. She looked up at Voldemort, her gaze a bit angered and fearful, being so close to him again. He couldn't hurt her this time, though.
His red eyes gleamed with utter insanity and bliss as he brought his wand to Draco's arm.
She looked to him, her two different colored eyes watching all of this. She continued to hold his hand tightly, as she'd seen him a bit lightened as she did earlier, and also, it helped ease her shaking a bit, his hand still closed around hers.
She was silent, yet again, as she watched the proceedings. She'd felt three Crusio's in a row, as well, but Voldemort was particularly angry on the night of her arrival, though...
She still looked at Draco then, swallowing, as she knew the memory was almost at its end. What were they going to do now? Talk about it? What was there to say, really? Nothing...
Draco wanted to grab his younger self and pull him back. He wanted to take out his wand and blast Voldemort away from his younger shadow. He wanted to look away and he wanted to watch. And he wanted to cry. But instead he simply watched as Voldemort of the past dug his wand into past-Draco's arm.
Voldemort hissed the incantation and Draco watched horrified, what he had not been able to look at, in the past. Like a black bloodstain crawling just under his skin, the Dark Mark began to congeal and take shape, twisting and writhing. Draco remembered biting back yet another excruciating scream at this point, as the Mark felt as though it were being branded into his skin.
The branding complete, Voldemort stepped back and past-Draco clutched at his left arm, panting from the effort of holding in the scream.
Without realizing it, Draco gripped his left arm with his free hand, nearly able to feel that pain again.
"Your first mission," Voldemort said with a dark smile, "is to kill Albus Dumbledore by this time next year, or your mother dies. Do you understand?"
A sort of hopeless dejection crossed the kneeling boy's face but he nodded without argument.
"Then get out of my sight, and someone clean up this mess." Voldemort turned his back and waved his hand dismissively.
Draco, too, turned his back, unable to bear watching any more. Thankfully, the memory ended and he and Anita found themselves still alone in the library. For several moments, he could not bring himself to look at her.
"I think that answers your question," he said at last, still looking away.
Anita gave a soft nod. "It does." She whispered, reaching into her pocket to pull out her wand. "...and now, you will get the real answer to yours." She finished as she placed the tip of her wand to her temple and pulled, a silver whisp following it.
She placed it in the Pensieve, and still holding Draco's hand, placed her face into the swimming liquid. The falling sensation, and then they were outside of Voldemort's Manor again.
Behind her, she could hear shouts of anger and frustration, and grunts of pain.
"You, are a stupid fool, you know that, little girl?"
"Just take me to that bloody git!"
Anita closed her eyes as she heard her younger self's voice. The sound of dragging and struggling could be heard, and she forced her eyes open to watch as, from Draco's other side, two death eaters were dragging a young woman in a t-shirt and jeans towards the manors front door. Anita followed.
"He is just going to kill you. The Dark Lord is merciless." The death eater wasn't warning; he was saying it mockingly.
"I don't give a dn! I just want to see the thing that ordered members of my family dead!"
She heard a harsh slap and looked away, hearing an angered hiss, supposed to be words. A scream reached her ears, and her free hand subconsciously reached up to hold her cheek, the long scar there a reminder of that memory. She looked up at past-Anita as she clutched her bleeding cheek, while they yanked her painfully back to her feet.
"He is not a 'thing', you incompetent brat! He is a Lord!"
Anita continued to follow, gripping Draco's hand as she did.
They drug past-Anita into the Manor and into the throne room.
"My Lord, there is someone who has demanded to see your elegance." One of the death eaters said, still holding the struggling woman.
"Who isss it." Voldemort hissed, and Anita closed her eyes, gripping Draco's hand. She was beginning to shake again, more than before. Before either of the death eaters could respond, there was a deep hiss. "Crusssio!"
She heard the screams of her past self, and she still looked away, closing her two toned eyes a bit tighter as the agonized screams went on, and finally it stopped to reveal sobbing instead.
Still a bit shell-shocked from reliving his own entrance to Voldemort's group, Draco was overwhelmed by the screams which sounded so like those he had heard just hours ago. He turned to glance at Anita as the screams gave way to sobs, finding a strange comfort in the similarity of their initiations. Anita's eyes were closed tightly, and remembering how welcome her contact had been during his memory, Draco squeezed her hand firmly.
He was impressed anew at her fiery spirit, demanding to be taken to the Dark Lord and then calling him by a derogatory term to his own followers. That was either incredibly gutsy or incredibly stupid. Either way, it reminded him slightly of a Gryffindor, but he was willing to overlook that fact.
"You have wit, girl." Voldemort hissed and Anita listened as the sobs came to a slow, forced stop. She opened her eyes a bit as the hand around hers gave a firm squeeze. She turned her head to look up at him, but to was torn back to the scene as she heard her own self speaking. "What is your purpose?"
"I wanted to see the half-witted thing that ordered my grandparents dead." Past-Anita growled.
She remembered the strange sense of confidence she'd had back then. She was so scared, but had fought it back. She was probably going to die anyway, why not go all out? At least, that's what she had thought then.
"Crusio!" The second curse sent her back to the floor again screaming, writhing. She hated so dearly to hear herself scream; it gave her a sense of weakness as she did. Hearing how weak she was back then, she realized just how much she had changed in two years. As he lifted the curse from her once again weeping body, he said fiercly, "You will listen to your Master, you bloody fool!"
Anita was shaking again, holding onto Draco's hand as she watched past-Anita force her sobs to stop again. What had possessed her to show this to him? Why was she even doing it in the first place...
Past-Anita hadn't answered him or responded, and she knew now that that was harsh mistake, and that it would have been better to have done so.
"Crusio!" The third curse hit, and her own screams filled her ears again, and she swallowed, forcing herself to watch past-Anita writhe and curl up on the stone flooring. How she had managed to endure this pain, she didn't know, back then. She could barely do it now...
"You will become part of my core." Voldemort's voice filled her ears again instead of her screaming, as it died away.
She remembered wondering if she'd wet herself - which indeed she had - while looking up at him, and watched as past-Anita did so, laying in a puddle. Anita looked away, her eyes closed, and hoping that Draco wouldn't say anything of it. The foggy haze that had settled over her mind made her think that she could still resist, or that maybe he would even kill her and end this misery.
"No." She heard past-Anita growl.
"No?" Voldemort asked, looking around at the death eaters surrounding him. "No?" They all started laughing as he trained his wand, for the fourth time, at past-Anita. "You will think again. Crusio!"
Anita began shaking again. She looked away, eyes closed, and she was fighting back a few tears, her screams now hoarse and excruciating. How had she managed back then? She couldn't really seem to remember at the moment.
Feeling his stomach lurch, Draco forced himself to watch. Anita had brought him here to show him her memory, and he was going to watch. Anita seemed to be having trouble watching, though.
"Stevens," he said quietly. "We don't have to watch the rest if you don't want."
Anita shook her head as the screams died away.
"That was the last time..." She whispered to him, slowly turning her head to look up at him.
"How about now?" Voldemort asked as he motioned for two death eaters to come forward and pull her to her feet, setting her in front of his throne.
Past-Anita was too weak to argue or fight back, in too much pain to think clearly.
Anita watched as he lifted his wand and placed it onto her arm once one of the death eaters placed it within his reach, and fought back a wince as he dug his wand into the skin. With a hissed incantation, she watched as, just like it had done in Draco's, a black bloodstain seemed to crawl just under her skin, and the Dark Mark began to congeal and take shape, twisting and snaking around.
Past-Anita screamed, agonized and hoarse, panting as Voldemort took his wand away. "What is her name, again? No one told me."
"Stevens, My Lord. Anita Stevens."
"Well, Stevens. Your first mission is to kill the rest of your family, as I know they are connected to Dumbledore. No doubt they will be hearing about the most recent deaths, soon, so you must do it quickly. Do I make myself clear?"
Anita watched her past self nod numbly as she was dropped to her knees.
"Good. Someone, get her out of my sight. And if anyone so much as tries to give her anything for pain, you will die." Voldemort hissed, and the next thing Anita knew, they were back in the library, alone.
She was still shaking, and it took her a few minutes of dead silence to find her voice. "...that...that was two years ago...right after my graduation from Hogwarts..."
Draco didn't say anything. He turned numbly towards the exit to the library, pulling Anita with him. He led her back to the sleeping room and guided her to a bed. When she was seated in it, he collapsed into the bed next to hers, stretching out on his back, staring at the ceiling, and glad once more that it was too dark for her to see his tears. He reached out across the empty space and found Anita's hand in the dark. He gripped it tightly in his hand.
Still, he said nothing. He had a feeling that they understood each other perfectly.
Anita followed, laying down, and was closing her eyes to try and stop her tears when she felt a hand around hers. She opened her eyes again to see him holding it, but her eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness enough to see his face yet. She squeezed it back, tears falling down her cheeks.
She wanted to say something, but she couldn't find the words. All she could bring herself to do at the moment was hold his hand and close her eyes, and wish that this time sleep would come.
What is this feeling...? ...we understand each other, yes...but there's something more...I don't know what it is... She thought as she sleep finally claimed her sore body and mind, her hand still enclosed in his.
The next morning, Anita jerked awake as a searing pain hissed to life in her left arm and she reached over to clutch it. Her hand was being held and she almost pulled it away, but gave a breath of relief as she saw it was only Draco. Her joints whined and complained with pain as she moved them and she sighed. This was not going to be a good day.
Draco's eyes flew open, feeling the now familiar burn in his arm. For a moment he was confused, still caught in the blur of memories from the night before. He felt his hand jerk and looked over, startled. Somehow, during the night of restless sleep, he and Anita had managed to maintain their hold on each other's hands.
He sat bolt upright, let go of her hand, and clamped his hand over his arm. "We should hurry," he stated, rolling lithely out of bed. "He won't be pleased if we're late." Without waiting for a response, he shot out of the bed chamber and strode to the throne room.
Anita gave a small nod, and as he let go of her hand, she did so as well, sighing as it felt strange to do so, somehow. She forced herself to stand and go as fast as her body would take her after Draco, soon going into the throne room.
"Ah, Draco, Stevens. You're both on time today." Voldemort said as he looked to the two of them, who were bowing.
"Listen up. Weasley believes she has found the secret keeper for the Order's headquarters. Draco, I want you to find your way in. Stevens, you have not learned yet of Dumbledore's death."
Anita was about to ask 'I haven't?' but then quickly swallowed the question before she had even opened her mouth. That would surely make her day worse already.
"You will act as though you are so upset and need a place to stay now that Hogwarts is no longer 'suitable'. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, my lord." Anita said with a deep bow.
"My Lord," Draco said, "If McGonagall plans to be at the Order's headquarters for lunch, I beg of you to dispatch me at once, so that I may obtain the secret from her this morning." He clenched his teeth, hoping that his interruption wouldn't warrant punishment. He hoped his lord would understand the urgency of the situation and let him go at once.
Voldemort looked down to Draco at his sudden interruption, nodding.
"Yes, go, Draco." Voldemort said, then looked over at Dharma.
"And Weasley, you may go." He said, waving Dharma away.
"Stevens, you are to go with her. Go."
"Yes, My Lord. I live to serve." Anita said, giving a bow. As she went to follow Dharma out, looking over at Draco. She hoped to catch his eye before he left.
Without a backward glance, Draco barreled out of the throne room. He made a quick stop in the bed chamber to pick up his Invisibility Cloak and check on his STILL sleeping mother, and then he hurried out of the manor, draping the cloak around him as he went. He paused for just a moment to make sure he was completely covered and invisible, and then he turned on the spot, Disapparating.
Anita was soon to follow with Dharma, who went to the Mediwitch once Anita opened and closed the gate.
Draco followed an angry crowd of parents, who had come to talk to McGonagall about their students, and followed her back to her office, putting her under the Imperious Curse along the way.
Anita unknowingly followed, and, upon arrival at McGonagall's office, was able to help Draco obtain the address to the Order's headquarters, and as they were leaving, Anita said the wrong thing to Draco and he stormed off, leaving with Dharma instead.
When they arrived back at Voldemort's Manor, Anita quickly went to the throne room to report that she had been given the job of the new Defense Against the Dark Art's professor, but she was soon tortured with the Cruciatus Curse because she did not complete her mission.
Draco arrived to see this, and instantly his anger at Anita disappeared. She left, went to the bedding chambers, and curled up in the corner on the floor, silently crying.
Draco was soon to follow, and he sat at his mother's bedside…
He sat back in his chair, thoroughly confused and frustrated. Why hadn't he given Voldemort the secret? He could not comprehend why he would do such a dangerous thing.
A muffled noise in the corner of the room made him jump up, his wand drawn. "Who's there?" Draco said loudly, casting Lumos in the direction of the noise.
Anita jumped as he suddenly turned on her, the tears still falling down her cheeks. She had only been reaching up to try and wipe a few of her tears away when more fell. A slight fear filled her gaze as she felt a wand trained on her, then when his Lumos was cast, knew he would see her.
She didn't say anything, though, only looking up at him as her tears continued to flow steadily down her cheeks.
"Anita..." he said softly. He turned his wand away from her tear-streaked face and crossed to her. "What happened this time?" He reached down and carefully brought her to her feet. "You will just make it worse sitting on the floor." He half-carried her to the nearest bed, easing her down into it. He turned away to give her a moment to compose herself, and busied himself finding some more pain relieving potion for her. Unfortunately, the bottle was nearly empty, and if she took it, there would be none left.
Well, he'd deal with that if it came up.
As he came over to her, she was silent, wincing as he pulled her to her feet
"...I misunderstood what he wanted me to do..." Anita whispered, voice rough and raw sounding from her screaming, reaching up to wipe her tears, trying to swallow the lump in already sore throat.
"...he wanted me to somehow stay at the Order of the Phoenix headquarters...and...and I...apparently did the wrong thing..." She whispered. She didn't look up at him, but to the side. She wanted to say something about earlier, but was afraid if she did that he'd get mad again.
After a long moment, Draco turned around. He handed her the potion. "Don't worry about it, Stevens," he said at last. "You'll be of much more use at Hogwarts, and I plan to take care of their headquarters anyway."
Anita took the potion from him and drank it, putting it on the small bedside table.
"...How can I not worry about it when I accidentally do something wrong, and I'm excruciatingly punished for it...?" She murmured, then looked up at him. "And please, call me Anita, Malfoy..." She whispered.
Draco stared at his hands, thinking about the slip of paper containing the secret in his pocket. "Don't focus on it, Anita," he said after a long moment. "If you keep thinking on it, he'll keep punishing you for it. Just put it out of your head and try not to screw up again."
He glanced over at his mother. "And call me Draco," he said quietly.
Anita nodded quietly, looking up at him as he said to call him by his first name. That, she was willing to do.
"...I...I'm sorry...about earlier..." She whispered, looking to the side and away from him. "...it wasn't my place, Draco...I'm sorry..."
Draco tensed when Anita started to apologize. He remembered why he'd been mad at her in the first place. He shut his eyes, taking a deep breath. Then he shook his head in disbelief. "Being sorry is being weak, Stevens," he said coolly. "The Dark Lord does not approve of weakness among his followers. You should remember that before you apologize again."
He stood from his seat beside her bed and strode from the room, not looking back. It was a harsh lesson, yes, but one she needed to learn. Affection among Death Eaters led to weakness, and she'd just shown that to him. It could get someone killed.
At a bit of a loss of what to do next, Draco paused. He should have been sitting next to the lake with Pansy, or holding court with Crabbe and Goyle in the common room right now. Or he could be in the library of Malfoy Manor reading a book on Spanish Curses. And he should have been able to go to Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade if he so chose to do so.
But instead, he was a prisoner of sorts in the only place safe for him, right under Voldemort's nose. The only other way he was safe was if he hid under a cloak, the rest of the world unaware he was even there. Well, that was preferable to being under Voldemort's non-existent nose at the moment.
Draco swept on the cloak again, deciding to check out Grimmauld Place.
Anita listened, looking down, tears filling her eyes again as he strode out without another word.
"I know..." She whispered to the open doorway. "...but you're the only person that understands..."
Tears began to fall down her cheeks, and she wished that he'd just come back in, just come back like nothing had happened. She doubted that would happen, though. Last night was the only time she'd ever talked, or even shown, her initiation to anyone, the only time she'd felt like someone understood what she was going through.
She'd just ripped that card of life to pieces though, by apologizing. She'd been humiliated in front of him, and hated it. Why did she only seem to be needed - wait, wrong word...wanted was the one she was looking for - , really, when she was around him? She just wished he come back, and wondered, at the same time, if he felt the same way.
Meanwhile, Draco paced outside Grimmauld place, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the run down facade. He vaguely remembered the house now that he saw it. His mother had brought him here once when he was a very small child. He remembered there was a wardrobe upstairs somewhere that had tried to kill him.
He watched with mild interest as McGonagall walked briskly down the street, looking none the worse for wear from her earlier memory modification that he'd had to use while she was under the Imperious. He wondered if he should follow her in.
Deciding it was best not to enter the house until he had fully scoped it out, Draco sat down on a bench in the ratty, rubbish-strewn square across the street. McGonagall looked both ways on the front stoop before quickly stepping into the house, shutting the door softly behind her.
Draco stifled a sigh. pocketing his wand. His mind wandered back to Anita's two tone eyes, and the brief flash of hurt he'd seen in their watery depths as he'd brushed off her apology. It was for her own good, really, and his. It would do them no good to get involved with one another while they were serving Voldemort.
He blinked, suddenly realizing that if Voldemort won, then he'd always be serving Voldemort, and he'd always have to guard against partaking in a relationship that could be used against him. He hadn't even been a member of Voldemort's followers when his relationship with his mother had been used against him. Imagine if he got involved with a fellow Death Eater.
Anita's face flashed behind his eyelids as he closed them for a moment. He remembered her fierce determination from the memory she'd shown him. She was a strong woman, but her attraction to him made her weak.
Draco growled in frustration, rising to his feet and beginning to pace again. It wasn't fair. She didn't simper like Pansy, and she was certainly smart in her own right, and her fiery hair was his favorite color. He even liked her slightly off accent, one that suggested she was from somewhere else.
Blast! Draco thought, turning on the spot and Apparating back to Voldemort's manor. He couldn't leave things with her like he had. He'd have to steal her away somewhere where they could talk.
Back at Voldemort's Manor, Anita sat, sighing, and she suddenly gripped her arm as the Dark Mark sizzled into life. She groaned, forcing herself up into a standing position, and started to walk to the throne room.
Once there, she bowed. "How may I serve, my Lord?" She asked.
"I have been thinking over your accomplishment of this morning. You are now the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
"Yes, m'lord." Anita said.
"Go to Hogwarts, then, and get acquainted with your new home."
Anita blinked, looking up at Voldemort. "My Lord?"
"You're the new professor for next year, right?" He asked. "You dare defy my orders?"
Anita quickly shook her head. "No, m'lord..."
"Then go. I don't like your train of thought, either, Stevens. You are not to think of that again, do I make myself clear?"
Anita swallowed. "Y-yes, m'lord..."
"Good, then get out of my sight."
Anita quickly turned and did as she was told. But if she were to be at Hogwarts, that meant that when Draco got back from wherever he went, she wouldn't be there. Just as she was stepping out of the manor to Apparate back to Hogwarts as she'd been ordered, she saw someone else appear. A head of bright blond, and a small bit of relief filled her. At least she'd get to see him before she left.
She went over to him, sighing. "I've been ordered to Hogwarts." She told him. "I'm about to leave..."
Draco jumped, startled. He'd not realized his Invisibility Cloak had slipped from his shoulders in transit. As he bent to fetch it, he took a moment to formulate a response.
At last, he settled for the lame response: "Do you mind if I come with? I wanted to talk to you."
Anita shook her head, wondering why he wanted to talk to her.
"No, not at all...just don't get caught." She said with a small grin as she took his arm and spun, and with a loud crack the two Apparated outside of Hogwarts. She looked at him, head tilted to the side. "What did you want to talk to me about?" She asked, a bit confused.
Draco couldn't believe it. Thankfully he'd already had the Invisibility Cloak draped around him, except for his head. He scrambled to pull the hood over his head, and then he hissed, "Sweet Merlin, Stevens! Are you trying to get me killed? No better way to start your new job than to be seen in the company of a Death Eater. That won't raise suspicion!"
He tweaked his cloak angrily, then froze, realizing he'd snapped at her yet again.
Anita let out a small sigh, looking to the side.
"Is that all you wanted to say, Malfoy? Just wanted to talk to me so you could yell at me? If that's the case, then I'm going in." She told him, her tone soft and quiet, still not looking at him. After a few seconds, she said, "...if you really want to talk, I know a place..."
Biting his tongue to hold in the scathing retort that she absolutely deserved to be yelled at just now for that lapse of judgment, instead, Draco nodded, then realized Anita couldn't see him. He reached out and touched her arm.
"Fine, let's go then," he said quietly.
Anita reached out where she'd last seen him, and grabbed his arm again, and spun in place, and with a loud crack, the two of them Apparated to what looked to be green, hill filled countryside.
"There's no need to worry now; you can take off your cloak. We're in the United States, so there's no danger of being seen." She explained, going over to an old looking, two-seater tree swing at the edge of a forest to sit down, sighing as she saw old wood and burnt ground still at the bottom of that hill. It looked like there had been a large home there before
A small sadness and a sense of guilt came into her two tone eyes as she looked it over, but she quickly forced it back. Before he even asked where they were, she said, "This is where I killed the rest of my family after Voldemort ordered me to. Burnt the house, too."
"So what did you want to talk about?" She asked a few seconds later, not bothering to apologize for her stupidity a few moments ago, knowing he'd just get all pissed at her again for doing so.
Draco settled gingerly next to Anita in the wooden two-seater swing after taking off his cloak. He cleared his throat, not quite sure where to begin. He'd never been in the position to try to make things right with someone before. In the past, he'd always been right, or at least, that's what Pansy had always said. But he felt like he needed to explain why he'd been so brusque with her earlier, before he left for Grimmauld Place.
He cleared his throat again. "Listen, Stevens...Anita... I - um..." he paused, unsure what to say next.
Anita turned her gaze to him, watching as he tried to find words to put in his mouth. She waited silently, giving him time to look for the right words. He'd come back from wherever he'd gone to find her, to talk to her, gone to all that trouble. She wasn't going to push him.
She reached over, tentatively taking his hand. "Take your time." She said quietly.
Draco swallowed heavily as Anita took his hand. "We can't do this, you know," he said in a rush. "Whatever it is we're doing here. Voldemort will see this as something he can exploit, and use against us." Her hand jerked in his and he stared at it intently, unable to look into her two-toned eyes. Instead he stroked his thumb along the delicate skin on the back of her hand.
"And I don't want you to get hurt any more, especially not because of me. And I don't want you used against me, I don't - " he broke off, realizing he was saying too much.
Anita listened, looked down as he stroked the back of her hand. She slowly turned her head to look at him, seeing the truth in his words, yet she could also see him struggling to find them.
She reached over with her free hand just as he broke off midsentence, and placed her index finger gently in front of his lips, and he looked up at her, finally.
"He won't use it against us. Not if we keep it a secret." She whispered in a soft voice, looking into his eyes with her two tone ones. "He doesn't have to know."
A long moment of silence passed where Draco was fully focused on the feeling of Anita's soft finger on his lips. Then the meaning of her words sank into his brain and his eyes widened.
Slowly, he said for clarification, "Are you talking about deceiving the Dark Lord?"
Anita shook her head, removing her finger from his lips.
"Not exactly." She said. "We just won't be telling him. No deception there."
She gave a small smile, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "It could be our secret. I'm sure you've kept one before."
Draco nodded slowly. "I have," he said thoughtfully. Then he blinked, looking into her eyes again. "But can you Occlude? If you can't, then we're in trouble. He'll see this conversation if he goes looking for it, and then we're both screwed."
He couldn't believe what he was saying. He was seriously considering starting a relationship with another Death Eater, right under the Dark Lord's flat little nose. Draco couldn't quite bring himself to look away from Anita's unique eyes.
Anita nodded. "Learned to since I became a death eater. Perfected it over the past two years." She told him, giving him a small smile.
"So what do you say?" She asked, looking into his slate grey eyes. She was still smiling softly. "Give it a shot?"
She was intoxicating, Draco decided. Her eyes were nearly hypnotic, and her warm hand gave him a sense of security the likes of which he hadn't felt since before his father's arrest.
So Draco couldn't help himself when he nodded slightly and leaned forward, looking down at her lips nervously.
Anita gave a soft nod, and a gentle smile, as she leaned forward to gently press her lips against his, able to sense his nervousness beforehand. Her arms lightly moved up to rest on his shoulders around his neck, a gentle smile still on her face, closing her eyes as she did.
Draco savored the feel of Anita's lips against his, and the taste of rebellion against his Lord that it left behind after he pulled away. He put his arms around her and pulled her closer to him, resting his chin on her shoulder. Human contact felt so lovely. Anita's small frame felt so right encircled in his arms. After a long moment like so, Draco pulled away.
"You should probably go to Hogwarts before you get into any more trouble. And I should get back to the manor before Lord Voldemort notices I'm gone." He paused, suddenly troubled. "How am I supposed to see you if you're at Hogwarts?"
Anita smiled once he pulled away.
When he asked how he was supposed to see her, she bit her lip, obviously thinking hard on this.
"...floo?" She murmured after a few moments. "I'm sure all of the professors have fireplaces in their private quarters that are connected to the floo network..." She sighed. "If not, you'll see me when I report back to him..."
"It'll work out though." She smiled, her arms still around his neck. "Heh...rebellion feels good, doesn't it?" She asked, not wanting to move from the swing just yet. She did, however, move onto his lap slightly, leaning down to steal his lips for another gentle kiss.
Anita was incredible, Draco decided. He couldn't help but feel a small rush of pleasure that rippled through him when he realized she was older than he was by a few years, and obviously a pureblood, and very strong. She was everything Pansy was not.
He ended their second kiss after a moment, not wanting to keep her from her mission. "You should go," he said again, securing his arms around her before standing from the swing, bringing her with him. He placed a quick kiss on her forehead and then set her on her feet. "Really, I don't want you to be Crucio-ed anymore. I don't know if I could take it."
And as soon as he said that, he recognized once more, the dangers of being in a relationship. Oh, certainly, he could Occlude to his heart's content, but if Anita was on the floor, screaming from another Torture Curse, Draco didn't think he'd be able to keep his face from reflecting his emotions. But he would have to, he decided. He wasn't going to live in fear of Voldemort forever, servant to him or not. Or not?
Anita let out a soft sigh as he set her on her feet, then saw the look of fear once again in his grey eyes. She brought a hand up and brushed the back of her smooth fingers against his cheek.
"It won't happen." She whispered, looking straight into his gaze with her own.
"We'll be fine, Draco." She whispered assuringly. She stepped away slightly, giving a soft sigh. Before she knew what she was saying as she was about to Apparate, she whispered, "I love you."
She realized that he would be in more danger, being closer to Voldemort than she was, but she was in danger too. If Voldemort called her, and she was in a meeting, or hell, even a class, and the Dark Mark exploded in pain unexpectedly, what would she do? If she cried out, or one of the students noticed when she subconsciously reached over to grab her arm, and they found and saw her mark?
She would be in the most secure stronghold of the light side, at the complete mercy of probably eight or nine Order members. What would she do if she was caught? She could be sent to a new prison, away from Azkaban, and she could never see Draco again.
She shook off the thought quickly, though, and focused fully on Draco's gaze again as she waited for him to respond to her sudden words, if he would.
Somewhat shocked by Anita's declaration, Draco chose his next words carefully. He checked his pocket for his Invisibility Cloak to kill a moment of time. While he certainly liked Anita and cared about her, he'd not known her that long. He'd seen her from time to time, of course, when he reported to Voldemort, but he'd only had a casual conversation or two with her. The last two days were the first time he'd really gotten to know her. And he was glad he did, but he certainly couldn't say what she had said, not unless he lied.
He smiled weakly at her, taking her hand. "Save saying that to me for later," Draco said at last. "After you know me better. You might change your mind about that." He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Be careful."
With that he stepped back and Apparated home. He wasn't one for prolonged goodbyes. He hoped she'd understand.
"I doubt that. You be careful too." Anita said just before she heard the loud crack of his Apparating away. With a soft sigh, she looked down to the pile of ashes and wood at the bottom of the hill, then turned and Apparated again, now back at Hogwarts.
While Draco had been gone, his mother had created trouble once she had awoken and Alecto, being the 'fat cow' she is, told Draco that she had gone back to the Malfoy Manor.
In his haste, without thinking, Draco quickly apparated that way, and searched the house. She was gone, and Draco went back to Voldemort's Manor to nearly attack Alecto. Voldemort called the two of them, and discussed the situation, seeming amused at it. He dismissed them both, and Draco left without a word.
Anita arrived at Hogwarts, found her private quarters, and then went down to eat lunch. The students were looking at her with curiosity, mainly Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The two of them soon arrived back after leaving, and she invited them to her quarters, along with Harry Potter, to have a question and answer discussion.
The trio began meddling into things that ought not be meddled with, and they soon left once they realized they weren't going to get anything more out of the two.
A day later, the night before Voldemort was planning on taking Hogwarts, he called a meeting, and Draco arrived on time, but while Anita was at Hogwarts, in the middle of a faculty meeting no less, she was late, and was punished for it.
She quickly left after the DE meeting and went to her 'home' in the states and sat on the swing, Draco soon to follow…
It was still daytime in the states, as they were nearly ten hours behind here. Therefore, Draco had no problem making out the tracks of tears on Anita's face, in spite of her bowed head. Without a word, he sat down on the swing beside her and carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close.
Anita was forcing back a sob as she heard him Apparate there, and when he sat beside her and put his arm around her she gave off a tiny whimper, leaning her head slightly on his shoulder, forcing back the rest of her tears.
She looked up at him, finally, as she reached a hand up to wipe back a few of her tears.
"...missed you..." She whispered, leaning her forehead a bit forward to rest against his. "I'm sorry I was late...I was in the middle of a staff meeting; I couldn't just leave, or even move without drawing attention...I didn't want you to see me Crusio-ed again..."
She was still shaking slightly from being Crusio-ed, but his comforting arm around her was helping the shakes begin to slowly fade.
Draco rubbed Anita's shoulder as she sniffled, and he gave her a quick kiss. Even her lips were shaking beneath his. Draco felt a sudden surge of rage against Voldemort. Anita was a good Death Eater, and she tried her best, yet Voldemort took great pleasure in torturing her at every turn.
"What did I tell you about apologizing?" Draco said quietly, brushing a stray tear from her cheek. "I won't lie; it was awful to see you Crucio-ed again. But I survived it and so did you."
He pulled her closer, moving the swing slowly. As the swing swayed, he caught a glimpse of the burned out ruins at the bottom of the hill. He was amazed at Anita's dedication - to kill her family on Voldemort's orders - burn the home to the ground - he didn't think he could do it, even with his life on the line. He looked at the charred shell again as they swung forward, and wondered why Anita continued to come here. Surely she must have had horrible memories of what had happened here.
Her dedication shamed him. In spite of continued torture, she remained loyal to Voldemort, and yet Draco was questioning everything. Maybe it was because he'd never been loyal to begin with.
Anita's shaking finally stilled as she rested against him, feeling wanted and safe for the first time in years right there.
She looked up at him, her head still on his shoulder, to see that he was looking down at the ruins of the home. She could tell just by the look on his face what he was thinking.
"...I come here because it reminds me what I'm living for now..." She whispered, closing her eyes as the swing went back and forth. "Why I'm living now. Why he didn't kill me when the rest of my family was dead...for months, after I did it, I couldn't sleep without seeing their faces everytime I closed my eyes...the looks of horror when I lifted my wand...I still see it now, but the nightmares have slowed...I don't have them often now..."
"And I know what you said about apologizing. I try to keep it in mind." She whispered. After a moment of the two of them swinging in silence, she slowly swung her legs up a bit and scooted over, so her light frame was on his lap. Her head was still resting on his shoulder as she put her arms around him to rest there gently, the swing still swaying. "...Hogwarts professors have private quarters with floo powder...we could set up times, to see each other...I solved that problem..."
She gently breathed in as she closed her eyes, the smell of the cologne he was wearing making her smile in a soft, gentle way that she didn't even know she had. She'd remember it, too, as she leaned over to gently kiss his neck.
Draco wasn't sure how much time they spent sitting like that on the swing before he remembered he'd told his mother he'd be right back after the meeting. After a moment of brief indecision, he decided she could wait. This was more important, anyway.
But at last, his eyes began to droop and he realized though it was midday here, it was midnight back home. Anita's breathing had slowed, and he wondered if she'd fallen asleep. He brushed some of her wild red hair away from her face and saw that her eyes were open, but had a far away look in them.
"We should go get some rest," he said regretfully. "Tomorrow is a long day." A sudden thought struck him. "How are you going to be involved in this battle?" he asked. "You can't fight as a Death Eater without blowing your cover, but you also can't fight against them without angering our Lord." At once, the image of Anita being Crucio-ed yet again blasted through his brain. If that happened one more time, he thought he might just grab her and his mother, and the three of them could go on the run.
He blinked, and shook his head. Those thoughts were dangerous, and one didn't run from Voldemort and live. Look at what had happened to Karkaroff. Besides, Anita was completely loyal to the cause, which, he admitted to himself, was one thing he suddenly didn't like about her.
Anita gave a soft sigh as he said the first part, then swallowed. She shook her head, still not moving from her position on his lap.
"I don't know..." She whispered. "...if you were there, I'd ask you to stun me, so it wouldn't be my fault and I wouldn't have to do anything, but...you'll be at the Order's headquarters...I'll...I'll think of something..."
She was quickly beginning to loose her loyalty in Voldemort, though she didn't show it. She was tired of being his torture play toy, but she was afraid to tell Draco, or anyone, for fear of them turning her in only to be hurt and/or possibly killed.
She looked up at him, gaze soft and tired looking. "I should go before they lock the front doors to the castle for the night..." She whispered, but still she didn't move. She hated to leave him again. If only there were a way that the two of them could easily communicate, without getting caught. Owls were out of the question, floo was one - but hard to use - and lastly, they couldn't leave their respective duties. This could be harder than they thought, but they'd work it through. She hoped.
Before Anita stood to go, Draco said, "I have something to give you." He dug into his pocket and pulled out his charmed Galleon that he'd used to communicate with Rosmerta. "If you need me, use this to call me. I'll make myself another, that way we can talk to each other when we want."
He eased Anita off his lap and stood. Her dilemma bothered him. What was she to do? She needed to be taken out of the battle early. Draco made up his mind. "And I'll come tomorrow, under my cloak, and stun you. Just make sure you're near the gates. I'll use my coin to let you know I'm there."
Anita took the coin, looking down at it, a soft smile coming onto her face.
"Thank you." She whispered softly.
She then looked up as he picked her up enough to move her off of his lap and watched him as he stood, and then nodded.
"All right. I have to make sure the gate is open for Voldemort, anyway, and they set up his tomb near the front gate. I'll be there...and make sure it's strong, as well. I don't want to wake up in an hour, and I could use the sleep. I need to be out for more than two hours, to disprove any suspicious. If I was a death eater, my fellow groups wouldn't have stunned me that hard." She whispered, moving to stand.
She put her arms around him one last time, giving him a gentle kiss
"See you soon, hopefully." She whispered. "I have to go now." She gave a small smile then as she stepped back, removing her arms to grab her wand. "Love you." She whispered, the truth and honesty behind her words able to be heard before she apparated away.
After Anita left, Draco stayed where he was for a moment. He walked to the crest of the hill and looked down at the charred ruins below. He wondered why nobody had cleaned it up.
Shaking his head, Draco turned away. In the last three days, he'd begun a forbidden relationship under Voldemort's non-existent nose, lied to his Lord about not having the Secret written down, and now he was defying orders to ensure that his girlfriend's cover would not be blown.
Girlfriend. Draco smiled and spun away, back to Voldemort's lair. He threw up his mental shields and hurried back to the library. He had to check in with his mother one more time before he went to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.
The next day, at the funeral, Voldemort wasted no time in Apparating to Hogwarts and give an abrupt end to Dumbledore's funeral at the white tomb.
A battle broke out, but Dharma Weasley stunned Anita instead.
Draco started to run over to her, thinking that she was dead when he arrived, but was stopped by Mad Eye Moody, who could see straight through his invisibility cloak.
Dharma dragged Anita away before joining the fight again, and soon, Draco was freed from his impending duel as Voldemort Crucio-ed the man advancing on him.
Figuring the Dark Lord would keep Moody occupied for a while, Draco turned to where Anita had been, only to discover she was gone. He blinked, and swiveled his head, looking for the flash of red hair. He saw it, at last, in the shadows of a tree by the lake.
He rushed forward and dropped to his knees. He grabbed Anita's hand. Her eyes fluttered open and Draco choked out a laugh that was half sob. "You're alright!" he said. He wanted to kiss her but realized here was not the place. "You're in danger out here. We need to get you into the castle." He grabbed her and lifted her in his arms. With her help, he rearranged the Invisibility Cloak so it covered them both.
Anita was half out of it at the moment when he picked her up. She wanted to say she was sorry for worrying him, as she could sense the half sob he'd given off, but she couldn't at the moment.
"...no good..." She managed. "...Bellatrix ran in..." She murmured, leaning her head against his shoulder, taking in his cologne as she had the night before.
She was tired, and the funeral, as well as the stunning curse, along with the hex Dharma had put on her, had drained her.
Draco carried Anita into the empty Entrance Hall and heard an enormous crash coming from the Great Hall. "What the devil was that?" he asked out loud.
Anita rested her head against Draco still, giving off a soft sigh as she heard the crash, and his question.
"...Bellatrix ran inside...Potter and his friends are fighting her..." Anita murmured. "And be quiet, you're invisible remember, you don't want any of the students who are hiding in here, wherever they are, to find or hear you..."
She looked up at him. "Set me down somewhere, they'll find me, think I dragged my way in after Bellatrix left the door open...stun me, too." She told him, looking up into his eyes. "I have my coin, I'll tell you when I wake up next..." She murmured, keeping her eyes locked with his. "All right?"
Draco was in the process of depositing Anita on the floor when the Gryffindor Trio plus one burst out of the Great Hall. He watched them disappear up the stairs, and was torn by his desire to make sure that Anita was safe and that of following Potter and his cronies and making them pay. In the end, he kissed the top of Anita's head, and forgetting to stun her, turned to run up the stairs after Potter's gang.
Anita gave off a soft sigh as he ran off, cursing at the fact that he didn't stun her. She gave off a heavy sigh, knowing that she had to do it herself. She lifted her wand, pointed it at her self, and whispered strongly, "Stupefy!"
She felt herself, for the second time, collapse back and fell unconscious as the stunning curse took effect.
And from there, there's no telling what happens, because it hasn't happened yet.
Stay tuned to the RP to find out what really happens, unless you want to take a guess and read the story Penny, Narya and I are making. Have fun!