Chapter 2

"Hurricane and Lighters"

No matter how many times that you told me you wanted to leave

No matter how many breaths that you took but still couldn't breathe

No matter how many nights that you'd lie wide awake to the sound of the poison rain

"Astoria."
His voice sent a shiver through her body. When she looked at him, it shocked her like every time she saw him; she had never seen something as cold and scary as the Dark Lord.

She felt all eyes on her when she got up, slowly, and walked through the room.

Breathe. Don't trip and fall. Breathe. Just a few more steps...breathe...

"Yes, my lord?", Astoria asked when she stood in front of him. She didn't look at him.

"Give me your arm", he said in his usual cold voice; though, she could her satisfaction in his tone.

Tell me would u kill to save a life

Tell me would u kill to prove you're right

Crash crash burn...let it all burn

Astoria looked at him. Although she didn't believe in everything probably everyone in this room believed in, she hadn't got a choice; the Dark Lord wanted her and so he got her. She wasn't even sure wether all those Death Eaters followed his orders because they trusted in his actions...no, she was pretty sure that most of them were just like her: scared like hell.

She stretched out her arm. Him catching her wrist with his left hand sent another shiver through her body; stronger this time. Astoria noticed that his skin wasn't warm; he wasn't human, actually. Damn it, control your mind, she said to herself. He's able to freaking read it.

The Dark Lord raised his wand.

This hurricane's chasing us all underground

No matter how many deaths I die, I'll never forget

No matter how many lies that I live, I will never regret

There is a fire inside of this heart and a riot about to explode in flames

Astoria had to use every bit of self-control she had got over her body when the spell hit her arm and burnt the Dark Mark into it; slowly and beyond painful. She wanted to scream out loud in pain, to pull her arm down, to run away...but she couldn't. She had no choice; he would kill her if she made any movement.

Do you really want me dead or alive

To torture for my sins?

Do you really want me dead or alive

To live a lie?

When he was done, he gave her one last cold and insane look; then he disappeared.

As soon as he was gone, her body wasn't that tensed anymore and she fell down on the floor, not able to stand there any longer.

When she sat on the floor holding her arm instively although she knew that it wouldn't reduce the pain, her back met the cold wall and she tried not to cry.

After a few moments, when she felt like she could walk again, she got up and left the room without a word. Nobody said anything. She pushed the front-doors open and ran outside.

xxx

She couldn't sleep that night. When she lay in her bed and listened to the pourring rain, her bedroom door opened slowly; it was Draco.

He stood in the doorframe for a while. Intentiously, he had come here for sex; but when he saw her lying there with an empty look in her eyes, he remembered her falling down onto the floor earlier...and somehow, he felt something like compassion for her.

He lay down in the bed behind her. "Does it hurt?", he asked quietly.

"I'm alright", whispered Astoria.

"Where have you been?"
"Grounds. I needed..air."

They remained silent for a while. Astoria winced when he put an arm around her waist.

You & I know what it's like

to be kicked down, forced to fight,

but tonight we're alright

so hold up your lights, let it shine

The following days Astoria thought a lot about the day she had recieved the Dark Mark. Fortunately, it didn't hurt that much anymore but what really bothered her was what Draco had done that night...she wouldn't have expected him to kinda cuddle with her. She wouldn't even have expected him to feel that she had been in the need of someone who would hold her that night...but he had done exactly that. He had come in her bed and had held her all night long; thanks to him, she had been able to sleep at least a few hours.

She hadn't known that he could be nice. All she had ever experienced from him was violence and contempt...

xxx

Finally, it had come: their wedding day.

It had been arranged by Lucius & Narcissa Malfoy and Astoria's parents, Mr & Mrs Greengrass. Surprise.

Astoria hadn't been asked anything; neither about the ceremony and the party nor about her own wedding dress. But actually, she hadn't expected to be asked. Traditions.

Her wedding dress wasn't like she would've picked it, at all...but it was okay. It was white, of course; and nothing special. They had given her a white stole which she was supposed to wear during the ceremony; to cover the Dark Mark on her right arm. Astoria wondered why; there would only be Death Eaters at the ceremony, anyway. Maybe for the guy who was supposed to wed them?

She had heard about Muggles who had got so-called "tattoos". She couldn't imagine that someone tortured their body like that by choice...

xxx

When she came down the stairs of the Malfoy Manor, everyone was standing in the entrance hall and looked at her; the Malfoy's, the Greengrass', Bellatrix Lestrange, Professor Snape and all the other Death Eaters she didn't know yet.

"You look beautiful, honey!", said her mother and hugged her.

Astoria faked a smile for a moment which faded when her father came towards her.

"Show me", he hissed.

Nice. Astoria lifted her stole and showed him the Dark Mark.

Her father gave her a satisfied grin. "Now you've done at least something right."

"Excuse me", said Astoria and joined the Malfoys. Better them than my father, she thought.

When the doorbell rang, Astoria knew that the guy who would wed them had arrived.

She didn't listen to the guy, at all; she looked at Draco, instead. He would be her husband in a few minutes.

Husband.

While she thought about it, she discovered that this wasn't as bad as she thought it was. In fact, it was the best thing that could've happened to her in this dark and twisted new world. Lord Voldemort ruled the world (at least the wizarding world; but also the Muggle world, in a way – although the Muggles didn't know).

As long as she was Draco Malfoy's wife and lived at the Malfoy Manor, she would be safe. Voldemort wouldn't kill her because the Malfoys were in his „inner circle" plus Astoria was a Pureblood which seemed to be damn important in this new world.

Also, living at the Malfoy Manor was better than living at home with her brutal father, her mother who wouldn't ever protect her (she never had) and her bitchy sister Daphne who was fucking jealous (she wanted to marry Draco). It was better to live here.

And Draco...he wasn't that bad either. Yeah, he was kind of an asshole and so was his father. But he could be nice whenever he wanted to; plus he was awesome in bed. Astoria smiled.

This one's for you & me

living out our dreams

we're all right where we should be

lift my arms out wide, I open my eyes

and now all I wanna see..

..is a sky full of lighters.