The weeks dragged on with nothing exciting going on. I felt as if I was repeating the same day over and over again. I would wake up, have breakfast with Blaise and Draco. Then I would go to classes, have lunch with Uncle Severus. Then I would go back to classes, have dinner with Blaise and Draco and then I would go on a walk with Draco before going to bed. I wasn't complaining, since I got to spend most of my time with Draco, I just felt as if something was wrong.
And this particular morning is what proved that something definitely was wrong with me. I woke up, feeling as if my arm was heavy. I felt sick and suddenly rushed into the bathroom to throw up the contents of my empty stomach. When I was done, I rinsed my mouth and stared at myself in the mirror.
The girl I saw was not who I was used to. My eyes were a dull hazy color and my skin was pasty and pale. I was shaking from the cold sweat that drenched my body. My left arm is what did it. The veins stood out in my pale skin in a dark purple color that didn't look healthy. I closed my eyes and let my ears listen to something I could faintly hear every now and then, but I never thought anything of it. There was a faint beeping sound coming from under the infected area and I finally realized what was happening to me.
Without another thought I ran from my room, not caring that I was in a pair of pajama pants and a black tank top. My feet were bare and freezing on the stone floor, but I didn't turn back. Within seconds I burst into the Great Hall. Students fell silent in seconds as I ran to the professor's table. My Uncle, Dumbledore and several other teachers were on their feet before I made it halfway across the room, taking in my appearance.
"What happened?" Snape demanded.
"They've been tracking me!" I shrieked, not caring what the other students heard.
Snape frowned. "How do you know?" he looked down at my arm.
"I'll show you!" I looked down at the table and grabbed the first sharp knife I saw and before anyone could figure out what I was doing, I stabbed myself in the arm, ignoring the pain and the gasps behind me. The knife hit something hard and I scooped it out with the blade and threw it on the table, showering blood all around it. "This is all your fault!" I shrieked at my uncle. "You let them take me and now look what's happened!"
Dumbledore mumbled something to Professor Hagrid, who immediately walked around the table and bent in a way that made me know he was about to pick me up and carry me from the room.
"Don't touch me!" I shrieked, turning on my heels and storming back out of the Great Hall. I knew where they wanted me to go so I made my way to the headmaster's office and waited in one of the giant armchairs while they figured out who would deal with me. Ten minutes later Dumbledore, Snape, Professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey stepped into the room looking concerned.
I'd calmed down a considerable amount, but I still looked horrible. I knew my skin was still pasty and white and my left arm was covered in blood. The veins didn't stick out as much, but they were still a nasty shade of purple.
Madame Pomfrey immediately started attending to my arm. I let her, only because the pain was excruciating. The other Professor's sat in the other armchairs around me.
"What's the diagnosis, Poppy?" Dumbledore finally asked as I continued to stare at the floor.
"She's got a blood infection," she informed us. "They neglected to put it in right. Her veins are a mess." The room was silent as the nurse fixed my arm and gave me a potion to heal the infection. She wrapped the infected area in a large white bandage and stepped out of the room.
I turned to look at my uncle, who had a depressed look again. "I'm sorry," I said to him.
"For what?" he asked, startled.
"For blaming you. It wasn't your fault."
Dumbledore interrupted us. "Ivy, I believe you know that this is the reason the Death Eaters have always been able to find you?" I nodded. "I have destroyed the device so you shouldn't worry about that anymore."
"I just don't understand why they didn't just use a spell to find me," I grumbled.
"I'm sure they have, but they might have assumed you would learn how to block that kind of spell so they would need a back up plan."
The conversation was interrupted again when professor McGonagall asked, "What's that?"
I looked at her and realized she was staring at the scar on my left forearm. Everyone else's eyes looked there, too. I looked at the floor and didn't answer.
"Ivy?" Snape asked. "We need to know what that is."
I closed my eyes as I answered. "They tried to give me the Dark Mark."
The room was silent for a long time.
"And it didn't work?" Snape asked me. I shook my head.
"What's on your back?" McGonagall asked sharply.
I frowned as all three teachers rushed around behind me. Someone lifted my shirt so they could see the whole thing; the thing I hoped no one would ever see. It was a large scarred tattoo of a snake with foreign symbols around it. "It's what they gave me when the Dark Mark didn't work," I told them flatly.
"Can you read these symbols, Severus?" Dumbledore asked frantically.
Snape whispered to himself for several seconds before he groaned. "It's a curse. I heard The Dark Lord speaking once of needing to find someone that could not bare the Dark Mark. Looks like he found her. This is what is binding her to him."
I stood up quickly and spun to face them. "Binding me to him? What do you mean binding me to him?"
"Ivy, calm down," Dumbledore pleaded.
"Don't tell me to be calm!" I screamed. "How am I bound to Voldemort?"
"We think that when he had you captured and put in the dungeons of his home, he might have given you some of his blood. Then he performed a spell that could tie you together until one or both of you dies," my uncle explained to me slowly.
I glared at him. "I have Voldemort's blood inside me?" I couldn't stand it anymore. Before I realized what had happened, I was leaning over the desk, dry heaving into the trashcan. "I need to lie down," I whispered hoarsely to no one in particular.
Somehow I got back to my room and lay in bed all day. I didn't go to classes or meals at all. I didn't have the courage, let alone the motivation. I watched the sun rise to its highest peak and then drift slowly back down until it was completely dark in my room again. It was nearing ten o'clock that evening when a soft knock sounded from my door. I groaned, but slowly got up and opened the door.
Blaise and Draco were waiting patiently with a plate of food and a large goblet of what I hoped was water. My throat was dry and I need something to quench my thirst. I didn't say anything, but I did leave the door open for them as I wandered over to the lounge in front of the fireplace. I stared at the flames that erupted suddenly and realized Blaise had his wand out. Draco sat next to me and handed me the goblet. I sucked the whole thing down in seconds before handing it back to him.
"How are you feeling?" Draco asked.
"Terrible," I said in a scratchy voice.
"We brought you some food since you didn't eat all day," Blaise said, handing me the plate.
I looked at the food and almost smiled. It was waffles and bacon with syrup on the side. "You're favorite," Draco whispered.
I looked up at the two of them. "Thank you." They nodded. "Did I miss anything in classes today?"
"Not really," Blaise replied while Draco watched me carefully. "Snape assigned a three foot essay on the Unforgivables, but I'm sure he'll excuse you from that."
I nodded.
"So, what happened, exactly?" Draco asked.
I swallowed the bite of waffle I was chewing. "They put a tracker in my arm so I ripped it out."
"How long has it been there?" Blaise asked.
I shrugged. "It's probably been there since I was locked up with them, but I'm not sure when they put it there. Anywhere from two to four years, I expect."
The room was quiet while I ate and Draco suddenly placed his arm around my shoulders. He leaned closer to me and whispered, "I missed you today."
I blushed and glanced at Blaise, who smirked. "I think I know when I'm not wanted," he chuckled as he walked swiftly to the door.
"Thanks for the food, Blaise!" I called after him.
"No problem. Don't do anything I would do," he laughed again before disappearing out the door.
I set the almost empty plate on the table and turned back to Draco. "You really missed me?" I asked, still blushing. Draco nodded giving me that dazzling smile that made my heart beat faster. "What did you miss the most?"
He thought for a moment, taking my hand in his. "I can't decide."
"Top three, then?"
He thought again. "Probably your beautiful blue eyes, your cute little laugh." He leaned in closer; so close that I could feel his sweet breath on my face. "And I definitely missed those agonizingly sexy lips of yours."
I let out a quick breath just before he pressed his lips to mine. It was a soft kiss that ended too quickly. Before I could even get the feel of his lips imprinted on mine, he'd back away again, but only a few inches. I closed my eyes and tried to control my breathing. When I opened them again to look at Draco, he was studying my face very intently. Before I could control my actions, I got up and sat down on his lap, straddling my legs around his waist. I placed my forehead on his as we stared into each other's eyes before I pressed my lips to his once more.
Draco's hands slid onto my thighs as mine tangled in his soft hair, deepening the kiss. His tongue slid across my bottom lip, begging for entrance, which I granted happily. As our tongues rolled over each other I let out a soft moan, loving the way he felt against me. My hands slid down to the buttons on his pants, but his hands were suddenly on mine, stopping me from unbuttoning them.
I broke the kiss to look at him. "Don't you want to?"
He smiled up at me and kissed my forehead. "Of course I do," he said. "But I don't want us to rush into this. It will be more meaningful if we do it when we're in love. And I have every intention of falling in love with you, Ivy"
I bit my bottom lip lightly as he leaned in and kissed my neck. I gasped as I felt the heat pool between my thighs. "You should go," I whispered.
"Why?" he asked, kissing my neck again.
I moaned lightly. "Because if you keep doing that, I won't be able to wait."
He smiled up at me as I climbed off of his lap. I walked him to the door where he gave me one more goodnight kiss. I crawled into bed and fell asleep instantly, dreaming of nothing but how Draco Malfoy's lips felt on mine.
