Sweetheart

My smile widened, catching sight of him. His hair was quite a state – this way and that. I laughed, as he tripped over a fellow Slytherin's bag. Said fellow glared at him. He apologised profusely and ran towards me.

"Sally," he breathlessly exclaimed, "Where have you been? Breakfast is almost over."

Teasingly, I said, "You're such a worry-wart Barty." Smile softening as he pouted, fringe falling into his eyes, I easily confessed, "I was finishing some work for Potions."

A cheeky grin spread over his visage. "Not done your homework again then." He barked out a gruff laugh, pulling away from my grasp and reaching an arm across my shoulders, "I don't know why you can't do work before bed."

He dragged me towards the tables, sat me down by his side and threw some toast at me. I stuck my tongue out playfully, earning a kiss on my cheek. His lips were light and somewhat dry. Before leaving me to eat, his tongue darted out and dragged across my cheek.

"Barty!" I shouted, scowling. I pushed him away and rubbed the slobber off. His smirk broadened and a few of our friends deafeningly cackled. My face burned and I reached for a slice of toast, gobbling it up quickly.

"Why do you embarrass me in front of them so much?" I asked, tugging on his hand.

Barty sighed and ran his free hand through his straw blond locks. I stared, watching the expressions passing over his face. I bit my lips, catching sight of the prominent deepening frown.

"I'm not sure." He said. He left it at that. I decided to leave it too. I did not want to argue again. It seemed to be all we did anymore, though it was usually about what we were planning when we graduate from Hogwarts.

He snarled at small Gryffindor that knocked my shoulder as they passed by, as we strolled towards the library. Stroking his arm soothingly, I distracted him from turning to curse the creeping first year, "What are we doing this weekend?" I asked. His eyes followed the youngster regardless. I myself was wondering why a student so new would be trailing the corridors after hours, but it wasn't our place to question it. We weren't prefects. "I was hoping you'd come to town with me this time."

He grimaced and looked away, "I told Malcolm I'd g-"

"Not another meeting!" I yelled. He released my hand, grabbed my shoulders and gripped tightly.

"Sally! Be quiet!" Barty hissed. He glanced down the hallway and tugged me closer to the sandstone wall. His gripped softened, as he noticed the nip of my teeth on my bottom lip and the lines stressed between my brows. Sighing tiredly, he apologised and hauled me into a hug.

"I don't see why you have to go to so many. They never really talk about anything that's actually happening in the world." I muttered resentfully, "You'd find more information in the newspaper, and that's nothing but tall tales!"

He tensed, gruffly purring, "I know you dislike that all they do is praise him, but you are one of us Sally – have been for years now. You should express some form of pride and joy. Besides, you and I met at those meetings." He let me go, running his hand through his scruffy hair again. His tongue ran over his lips. His palms shook. "I met you there and we're both going to join him when we get out of this obscene place; together."

As he looked into my eyes, I felt petrified. His dark eyes stared ominously into my own.

I chirped out, "You've got everything planned." His lips rose up a little, smiling slightly. I continued, "Not just when we get out… everything."

"Of course I do sweetheart," he happily admitted, "I've got our whole lives planned. We'll be unstoppable agents, committed to the cause."

I frowned, heaving my hands away as he reached for them. My back hit the wall, the cold of the stone piercing my uniform.

I gulped, crying out, "Barty!"

I choked, coughing. Lowering my eyes and looking elsewhere, I managed to continue – to confess, "I've been thinking it over for a while now."

He tried to catch my gaze, but I avoided his stare, hoarsely whispering, "I don't want to be a death eater."

He didn't reply. He didn't say anything, even after a moment of tense silence, and I looked up.

Barty stared down at me. His teeth gnashed together and then his tongue began to wildly polish his lips. He stomped a foot, shaking his head over and over again.

I attempted to step aside, but his hands struck out. He grabbed me. He drew me to him and shook my entire being. A small shriek escaped me, as his breath penetrated my own. His nose roughly squished against mine. He sneered, "Sally all those years ago not only did we agree with each other – you gave your word to him. You assured him you would follow hi-"

"I said no such thing!" I shouted, struggling against him. "You may take it all seriously, but I didn't. I was eleven for goodness sakes! We both had been!"

He giggled, replying ferociously, voice lowering further the more passionately unbelieving he became, "You gave your word Sally! You are a servant of the Dark Lord – just as I, just as they all are. We will receive our marks when we get out and we'll fight by his side."

"Barty this is stupid!" I retorted, unsuccessfully pushing against his chest for freedom.

"I can't accept this," he certified, his crazed gaze halting my struggles. His tongue slowly ran over his top lip, slightly catching my own due to the lack of personal space. He laughed madly, "I can't accept you like this!"

"What?" I incredulously bellowed.

"You, Sally. It was going to be wonderful. The two of us were going to be by his side, changing the world for the better."

"I don't care about the world Barty. I don't care about muggles or magic. I care about you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you – I really do, but being death eaters… how could we even think of having a family if we were involved in that war?"

He laughed, "We'd end up involved either way!"

"Well I suppose, what with your father's job and all, but we could run away. We could go elsewhere or you could join the Ministry like your fa-"

"Shut up! Just shut up!"

He pushed me back against the wall and his fist ploughed into the stone. The force scuffed flakes of sand away. The skin of his knuckles tore and blood speckled his milky white skin. I breathed out a held gasp and watched as he withdrew his fist. It did not unclench. It shook and I began to shake too.

"I can't do it. I can't love you when you're like this… I don't love you like this."

"Like what? I am who I am and this is what I want. I want us to live happily together. I don't want to be – that!" I boldly exclaimed. I stepped towards him, ignoring the clenched weapon and attempted to plead with my eyes. I pouted and widened my brown eyes, gazing up at him.

He ignored me, staring over my shoulder at the gaping cracks he'd imprinted upon the wall. He said, "I guess this is it then." He looked at me, stroking my jaw with his wounded hand, "I will go on to be great and you will…" He retracted his hand and leaned in again, his nose brushing mine, "You would tell them, wouldn't you? You would expose me – expose the death eaters of Hogwarts."

"How could I not? You can't be doing this!" He tried to shush me, holding a hand up to cover my mouth, but I pushed it away, forcefully saying, "They've clearly brainwashed you Barty. I can't allow others to undergo the same things we have. I still have nightmares about that awful spell. I hate that I let them push me into making that poor Hufflepuff do what they wanted." I cringed, tears threatening to accumulate in my eyes, "I hate that I made her jump from the Astronomy Tower just to prove myself to them. To join that stupid club! Her parents! I saw them before they left, all those years ago. I remember the expressions."

"She found out about us. We couldn't allow her to tell." He insisted, pushing me back into the wall again. My head cracked against it and I let out a pained 'oomph'.

I refrained from fighting against his hold and blinked away the stars before my eyes. As realisation set in, I wheezed out, "You… you won't allow me to tell."

"I would never hurt you for something as pitiful as telling sweetheart. You mean more to me than that." Hope reigned over my heart and I stepped towards him, reaching out a hand. He spoke, head bowed, staring at the ground, "No… I would not hurt you for that, but," He looked up at me and I sluggishly retracted my hand. It hung by my side, limply as he continued, "You're turning your back on me Sally." His tongue darted out from between his lips, jabbing at them. He withdrew it anxiously, viciously snarling, "Worst of all, you're turning your back on your master. For that I will kill you."

His entire body quaked, hand reaching into his robes and pulling forth his wand.

I ran.