Thanks for reading and reviewing my story! I'm really enjoying it, it isn't going to be a very long one but it will be filled with romance soon enough.
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Black Magic and Virgins
Chapter 4: To Become A Brother
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Draco felt his luna burning, his body aching, and his soul felt darker than ever before. It seemed like it had been days since he'd been forcefully thrown into these trials, his hunger tore at his stomach, his throat was dry as a desert, and he felt degraded. A dark chuckle now too familiar echoed in the cavern around him, the heat caused sweat to drip off of him constantly, he had no idea where they had taken him. Clothed only in drab robe the had provided him, he was barely able to keep his head up to stare at the chuckling man, if anything in his heart he vowed to see that man dead. Yet in his mind's secret crevice that he'd created he indulged in the thought of Hermione, sequestered off in their cell, he would persevere if only to be able to return and protect her. Dragging himself back to his feet, he awaited what ordeal they had next for him, a fire raged all around them in oil pots, and the man held a wand out towards him. "Come Master Malfoy, you have passed the last trial of the shadows…. now it is time to rest before the ritual of the marking."
With new resolve he kept himself from shuddering openly at the thought of being marked by another again, to be claimed by another dark force. Yet he was an already damaged and tainted with darkness, he could handle this, if it meant keeping her safe and pure then he'd do anything. What was another scar on his body and soul to him anyways?
Slowly they hooded him, this must be their ritual chambers kept in secret, he made sure to try and memorize his steps as they left. The walk back to his cell was winding but thankfully it gradually became cooler. He wondered at how jealous his father would be that his son was getting to have such an experience, the demented old man could rot in Azkaban for all he cared. His mother would be so upset, she'd spent so long trying to protect him from his father, he'd not even been a true Death Eater thanks to her, not been like Crabbe. Hermione…., his thoughts ket straying back to her, he was weak and had little strength to protect himself mentally against them but he managed to dodge what probing they attempted. Finally he felt the tug on his arm as they came to a stop and the familiar scraping of the cell door opening.
A push from behind sent him back painfully down onto his knees and the door slammed shut behind him, a small gasp sent relief through him, she was here. "Princess…" he couldn't cause her worry, "If you'd be so kind as to poor a gentleman a glass of water it'd much appreciated." Smoothly he pulled off the hood and smirked at her, "I do hope they kept their promise and you were treated well during my absence."
The sight of her was almost as wonderful as the sound of her small gasp, she was dressed as before in white silk, her hair had been coiled exposing the sophisticated curve of her neck. A heat filled his lower abdomen but he resisted its influence. "It's been two days…. are you alright?" She dropped down in front of him and he took the glass she offered, it coolness was a blessing and he'd gulped it down quickly. Her golden eyes shone with concern as she began mopping at him with a wet cloth, to think about it a nice hand bath from her would wonders for a man but he waved her off.
"I'm fine, princess, I'm fine… I have finished their trials at least." grunting he lifted himself off the floor, he felt like death, "How have you done, princess?"
Stumbling awkwardly with her constantly trying to help, he made it over to lie comfortably on the bed, "Other than the arrival and removal of food for meals and another bath, I haven't been in contact with anyone. Though I'm not sure I can call that woman coming in a silently doing her work as contact." she settled nervously on the edge of the mattress next to him, "Being in here alone like that, waiting to know what has happened to your if I'll see you again at all, it was nerve-wracking." He smirked as she kept a strong face even when she admitted her feelings of weakness. "Do you want to talk about it?'
His body went rigid at the thought, there was no need to put her through the horrors he'd been through or make her feel the weight of that guilt, "No, it wasn't much, I've done most of it all before." He sighed, that wasn't nearly the truth, and he wanted to tell her even as he saw the worry beginning to crease across her brow, but he only put on an arrogant grin, "Now my lovely little princess, if you'd be a dear and pamper me." She rolled her eyes and swatted him on the stomach, he wanted more than anything to grab her and pull her close. To know what it felt, just once to do the many things he imagined, but he resisted and only chuckled at her. "Oy, at least bring a man some bread would you!" He cried keeping the mood light-hearted and away from the darkness that was looking under his surface.
Testily she tossed it to him from the other side of the room, not that it was far but still very rude, and she had the audacity to stick her tongue out at him. Catching the bread, he forced himself up to sitting and looked at her aghast and dramatically upset as possible, "Oh, Malfoy get off your bloody high horse, if you spew one overdramatic sob line, I'll throw much more than bread at you!" He had to wonder what he'd done to suddenly upset her, curiously he took a bite of the bread as he studied her agitated stance and cross look. Then he began thinking through every moments since he'd fallen through the door, not a thing he could recollect that would get her dander up as such as this.
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The others were all gathered around the scrying bowl once again as Blaise concentrated, the past two days they had looked in, Hermione had been alone with no sign of Draco. She'd talked to herself and seemed to be mulling something out in her mind, ever the thinker. Yet they were all pleased when the image they saw today, found Draco though haggard back in the room. Even better to Ron's amusement they were arguing and Hermione had thrown a piece of bread at Draco. It was good to see them, and perhaps these small glimpses they got each day were all that kept them going and fighting. Still, there was still so much they didn't know. "That's all I can do for now…." Draco relaxed back against the chair, it was getting easier to find them in his mind and he could hold the image longer but it still took a toll on his body.
The door to Grimmauld suddenly slammed open and the thuds of running boots came down the hall, "Good news!" Snape called, cheerful even for the old cold potions master, "Narcissa and I were able to dig around in some of the old known places of the Death Eaters. There we overheard a young man, very upset and besotted in his drink, complaining to another young man about his recent reprimanding." Snape then sighed, using a spell he withdrew his own memory, "This will be easier." And he dropped it into the bowl in front of Blaise for all to see.
A dark bar. Shifty patrons gathered and huddled around small tables. Sitting close as to not be overheard. Yet in one corner a two young men sit, both obviously well into their drinks for the night. A snippet of conversation catches Snape's ear, "Yes, we kidnap these two from a party and I get pretty damn messy doing it, see this scar, the man gave me that trying to keep us from our little madden." The other man seemed to study a mark on the other mans arm, nodding along, "Well anyways, I hear they have the man out putting him to the tests and so I think to myself, why not go check out this lass we went to all that trouble for. So I make my way to her cell, and I make sure that I speak the command when I enter to keep her from causing any fuss. Well I'm about to check out the goods and get a little taste for myself when the bloody bitch spat on me." he cried dramatically his friend tried soothing him, "Then as I'm leaving one the others tell on me, which I know wasn't you mate, but I got a lot of heat from the upper levels. That little bitch will get what's coming to her that's for sure."
Blaise head snapped up to Snape as the memory faded away, "So?"
The potions master sighed, almost rolling his eyes, "Narcissa employed her ways, she is currently having them followed, I rushed back here with the good news, we know what organization these men are in."
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Hermione thought she could throttle him, he comes in here all beaten down, won't tell her anything, and then is cheeky to her. She'd tossed the bread at him on instinct and then the rest of the solid food on platter too. He was tossing up a fuss about something but she was so frustrated that she wasn't listening. As her hand landed on the glass, she felt herself get jerked up against his chest with a soft thud. Staring up into his eyes, she felt like breaking down, she wanted to know, she needed to know what was going on in his head, what his plan was. She'd had to stay locked up in the jail cell for two whole days alone and wondering and worrying like crazy over him. In her frustrate she began beating his chest and when he lifted her up she began kicking her legs too. He wasn't going to win just because he was stronger physically than her, she just couldn't stand the not knowing. Holding her with one arm she felt as he jerked her head back and then the slam of his mouth to her own cause a heat to sear through her. Her body went limp against his own, the fight fell out of her, and for the first time in her life she just gave in to bloody Draco Malfoy.
As she did, his arms grew tighter against her and his mouth more skilled. She clung to his shoulders and then a soft little sound, a sigh, escaped her and the moment was over in an instant as the door grated open and there was an audible shout. "Hey, no mussing up the maiden, Master Malfoy." Two men jerked him away and her body was not her own anymore. Draco looked towards her apologetically for a split second before his eyes went stony.
"Sorry, Sovereign." he spoke lowly, "The woman has wily ways, but I promise you there is nothing between us, I just wanted to shut her up."
Hermione felt stricken at his word and something felt torn inside of her, but fortunately the spell on her wouldn't let it show. "Good, but just in case, she is getting to you, we shall speed up our preparations for yours and her ritual. Tonight you will join us as a brother, and by the full moon in two nights, she will be our ritual maiden." Draco's eyes cringed and she wondered what they meant by join them as a brother. Even when she was concerned what they meant for her, she was scared for him.
"Yes, then she will come to you willingly in two days time." She wished she had the ability to look abashed by this as her eyes darted back to him, what did he mean she would come willingly. she would never dare do such a thing, especially after what she feared her earlier attacker had planned for her. Besides, even if she didn't come willingly theory could force her. She knew Draco was trying to gain trust and save her but what could he do when they had her very essence in their hands? "I am sorry for my moment of weakness, I will not let it happen again and may the dark ones punish me if it should." He bowed his head to the other robed man, the Sovereign, and the other man bowed his head too. "What has brought yourself to see us?"
The large robed man strolled over to her then, she wanted to shudder and reel away from him, "I came to see our little maiden, she is quite the specimen, perfect for our purposes. Also Master Malfoy, I wanted you to know that we found your mother snooping into our business. If you would please write her a letter reassuring her of your purposes and inform her of how you are, so that she will leave us in secrecy, it would be appreciated. We will owl it at once for you." Draco seemed stunned at the mention of his mother and Hermione wondered what the Malfoy matriarch was up to, it was obvious that she was quite overbearing and overprotective of her only child, but she wasn't usually one to get her hands dirty personally. As the man set a quill and parchment on the table, Draco was gestured to begin writing, so they wanted to watch him to be sure he didn't find a way to get any secret messages out, they didn't trust him completely then.
She watched as he lifted the quill, his eyes flitting over to her again, then he began writing. He had a concentrated look upon his face and one of the men stood next to him reading over his shoulder. So they were going to try and even detect any encryption, she wondered if the Malfoy's had any type of code for a situation like this. She thought of the many things they'd used during the war, it was assured a family like theirs would have something for such a situation like this. As she looked back towards him, she watched him drop the quill, and hand the letter over to the man next him. "That should be enough, you shouldn't have to worry over her any longer. Mother has always understood." he gave a knowing look and the man in the large robe chuckled, she wished they would show their damned faces. It was easy to get them confused as their voices didn't seem to differentiate too much, which could be an indicator of its own. This was very highly selective group of men.
"Good, we believed she would be." Then they turned to leave, "We shall see you in a couple hours then, do behave."
As the door slammed shut, she regained control of her body once more, and looked at Draco in shock. "What have you gotten yourself into?"
He winced at this, "I was figuring you'd ask that…." sighing he trotted back to the bed and took up the piece of bread he'd been snacking on before, "Hermione, this is a lot worse than Voldemort. He wasn't as organized nor as discerning about his membership. Nor did he worship any dark gods, but that had more to do with the fact that he imagined himself to be one. These men have the ability to be so much more than Voldemort ever thought he could be. That's what I assume this ritual will be for, to invoke the power to do what Voldemort couldn't, these men didn't join him, they saw his flaws, his weakness, knew he would fail. But they… " He just shook his head and she felt stunned, worse than the Dark Lord. How could anyone ever be worse than that?
"So when they said you'd be joining them tonight, they meant?" she couldn't help staring at the one wrist that was already holding a faded mark of loyalty that had bound him to what she'd thought had been the evilest force to ever exist.
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Narcissa Malfoy would never give up until she found her son and had him safely home. Never had she gotten so physically involved in something like this, of course she'd been Death Eater but when your crazy bloodthirsty sister was one and your lunatic cruel husband was one, you had little choice. Part of their punishment had been her refusal to take the mark back then, she had wanted to taint her delicate skin and Lucius had been enraged at her for it. Now she was glad, he sat in a cell in Azkaban while she'd saved Harry Potter and won her and Draco's freedom, well she had some restrictions, Draco was completely absolved legally anyways.
The most she'd really done in the war was make that unbreakable vow with Snape, which is why her son's god father was still running about trying to find him. She'd followed these drunken idiots towards an old warehouse district in muggle London. It was disgusting how juggles lived, and she felt revolted once again when another bumped into her. They kept staring at her oddly, of course she wasn't properly dressed for this excursion. Just as she was about to give up the streets became less populated, something was keeping those juggles away from this area. She saw dilapidated smokestacks rising out of a old brick factory. The two men she'd been following then disappeared from sight as they slipped through the protection spells she couldn't see. Noting where this was she began looking at her surroundings for clues as to get back here.
Just then two massive men grabbed her, "Ah, Lady Malfoy, what a pleasure." A rough voice spoke to her and she snubbed her nose in its direction, not looking its way. "I suppose you're here looking for the young Lord of the manor then." She then snapped her eyes onto a robed and disused figure just before her. "I assure you he is in the best of care and here quite willingly despite what those people at Hogwarts are trying to tell. Here is a not from him in fact." He handed her a folded piece of parchment which she snatched from him, peeking at she saw Draco's handwriting and almost cried. "Now we will have to see you off the property… I dare say, perhaps we should send an escort with you home."
Sighing, house arrest again by an evil madman, how could she get something to the others now. How could she tell them where they were?
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Draco couldn't help looking at her as she asked, but he wasn't sure how to tell her. There was no way she'd be happy about it or would want him to do it but they had little choice now. Why had he given in to his feelings, his lust? At first he had just wanted to get her to stop throwing things, then she was yelling and hitting and she just snapped, holding her close and been too much. He needed to taste her too. "What do you think it means, princess?"
She looked up at him and her eyes shone with unspilled tears, which broke something inside of him. "They are going to mark you." The brightest which of their age, of course she'd puzzled it out. "Draco!" his eyes widened at her use of his given name, she'd never used it before, "You can't! You can't let that happen to you again!"
"What choice do I have?!" he cried, "If I don't then they'll most likely kill me and do what ever sick thing they have planned for you now, without you having any control of your body or anything. I can't let you be alone, I can't let them get their hands on you, I won't let you get harmed because of me ever again!" The room grew silent and she absently rubbed where her arm had once said mudblood thanks to his aunt, and he looked away quickly. "WE don't get too make the easy choices here, somethings just have to happen."
Stillness reigned for a moment until she came over and grasped his unmarred wrist, "If you do this… If you let them bind you like this… How can.. " her voice had become so choked with emotion she wasn't able to make sense. Quietly, he drew her against him, and felt the pain as deeply as she did, the fear as fully as her, and knew this was what he had to do.
"Don't do this to yourself, princess. I told you, I'm going to protect you even if you think you don't need it, I'm going to anyways. If this is how I can then I will let them mark my whole body with their ritual mumbo jumbo." He pulled her back and looked into her face, then pushed her away, he couldn't let himself get close like that. He wouldn't be able to control himself and things would only get worse if they were caught again. "Just let me handle this, you can plot all you like, but for now trust me."
After that, he walked to the door and knocked hoping there was someone on the other side, at first there was no answer but he thought he heard his knock being carried like an echo. Then the for slid open, a man met him as he stepped out, "Master Malfoy?" the young voice asked.
"Take me to the Sovereign, tell him I am ready to become a brother in the dark shadows."
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Amatat Mercy
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