OF FEAR AND PROTECTION
Silence.
The dead quiet in the clearing bothered her very much indeed. Even the wind seemed to be terrified of making a sound, blowing around soundlessly. A petite lifeless form was lying facedown on the forest floor, mud sticking to the dishevelled hair. She couldn't see the face, yet, the body was so badly battered and bruised, that she could imagine it being tear-streaked and grimacing even in death. Her stomach lurched and bile rose up to her mouth at that mental image.
The silence was broken when the red-eyed fiend, who stood beside her, stuck his wand in her direction. She let out a small shriek as her arm protested in pain, breaking her train of thought. "You, examine him. Tell me whether he is dead." the man said, sending a chill down her spine. She nodded and then hurried over to the assumed dead body, heart thumping loudly. Her hands trembled slightly as she searched the child for any signs of life. Long digits prodded at his chest, though more carefully than the monster would have wanted. The boy's heart was racing and he accidentally twitched a finger when her cold hands came into contact with him. Realization dawned on her then, he had staged being dead. She started to reach towards the holster for her wand and opened her mouth to warn the others, but stopped midway as another thought struck her.
The child who lay limp in the dirt was a classmate of her son had been almost of the same age. It could have been Draco, she thought, sending a prayer to the heavens, that it wasn't the case. Her son had not been seen by her for a long time, where was he? Was he safe inside the castle?
Her son, it was hard to describe the love she felt for him since the very first time she held him in her arms. Or was it since the healer had first told her the news that she was pregnant? Her world revolved around him and there wasn't anything that she wouldn't do for him, for nothing mattered more to her than her lovely child.
Being born to the aristocratic Cygnus and Drusilla and in the House of Black had guaranteed a childhood that had been riddled with the concepts of blood-purity and nobility. Naturally, she had believed everything her elders had said and hated muggles with a fervour. This resentment had only solidified when her eldest sister, Andromeda - whom she had been closest to - had abandoned her for her muggle-born, mudblood husband. She had definitely been heartbroken to lose her sibling but had agreed with her parent's decision to disown the traitorous girl.
Her cousins hadn't helped either. Sirius was a blood traitor, which didn't matter to her as a child, yet had affected her more and more as she grew up. And the early death of Regulus made for extremely lonely teenage years. Bellatrix had been a bit crazy since infancy, a downside of all the inbreeding perhaps. But in her teens, that had morphed into raving lunacy. In fact, if she were to tell the truth, her sister truly terrified her.
In her years at Hogwarts, she had been sorted to Slytherin and that had made her parents proud. By her good luck, she had also found a match in her husband Lucius Malfoy, whose belief and upbringing was identical to hers. He supported the cause of purebloods on a larger scale than she did too, as a right-hand man of the dark lord himself. Did she love him? No, she didn't and never had. But he was perfect for her according to her family - he had all, money, blood and status in society. The similarity of their beliefs was an addition to these perfections. She loved making her parents proud, and the expressions of pride on her parents' faces had quelled any disappointment she had felt on the day of her marriage.
Then within a year of her marriage, her little dragon had been born. She and Lucius had raised the boy with the same beliefs that they had been raised in. He was the only Malfoy heir after all and hence he needed to understand how superior their family standing was in society. She now regretted doing that, as these beliefs could very well put his life in jeopardy. They nearly had done so many times, the worst of all being last year when he was given the impossible task of killing the oldie, Dumbledore. She knew it was a punishment for Lucius having failed in his first task but she could not accept that nor be a silent spectator anymore. This had drawn her to seek Severus's help, even knowing he was a spy for the light. Yes, she knew, yet, it didn't bother her. She had lost interest in the cause long ago. The only motivator now was the same son whom she had yet to find the current location of.
Glancing back to the boy on the ground, she bent lower down till only he would hear her "Is Draco alive? Is he in the castle?" she asked. An almost imperceptible nod answered her question and she sighed in relief.
She knew the consequence of lying to the dark lord. It could very well be the death of her and Lucius too, but if it could save her son - the only person she cared about anymore - so be it then.
Biting the inside of her lip she composed her face into an expressionless mask. Her resolve strengthened, she stood up and faced the man, looking right into his eyes to make herself more believable.
"Dead" the lie slipped smoothly through her lips.
A/ N: Wassup dear readers.
I was so thrilled by your votes and reviews! Thank you all so much for your love. Here is your next chapter. Enjoy!
I don't own any Harry Potter characters or plots (though I wish I did :p). They belong to the genius J.K Rowling. And I do not make money by writing this story.
