Astoria's POV
It was now the beginning October of my fourth year. Only a month of school had passed and yet I was already absolutely exhausted. The weight on my shoulders was becoming unbearable. I could not stop worrying about Alex and Theo, Daphne was crying to me almost every night since she found out, since Prof. Snape had other business to attend to it was McGonagall who set up a private meeting with me – telling me that she had high expectations (prefect and head girl), and I even had stupid boyfriend drama with Michael.
Michael was a fifth year, and Prof. Flitwick had chosen him to be a prefect. It was very impressive at first but unfortunately it had made Michael's head bigger and he believed that he was the king of the world.
I was mulling this all over with my eyes closed, sitting on the common room couch. Sigh Finally some peace and quiet.
And then I felt a weight on my lap. My eyes shot open, I looked down and found Draco Malfoy's head on my lap, he was grinning. I shoved him off and crossed my arms across my chest.
"Still made at me Stori?"
I stayed silent. He sat next to me on the couch, put his arm around my shoulder, and bent his head down very close to my face.
"Stor….."
"Leave me alone, Malfoy."
"Oh, so I'm Malfoy now?" He was grinning. Why was he grinning? Does he think I'm joking? Th- That this was some sort of game? I broke free of his hold and scurried towards the girls' dormitory. A hand grabbed me, as I was about to go up the steps.
"You can't ignore me forever, you know?"
"You obviously don't know me."
"Wrong. You're my best friend. I've known you since I was born."
"Oh really? If we were best friends then why would you do that to me? Hmm, Draco? You know how I felt about Alex. You watched Daphne moan and whine about Theo joining as well. Why?"
"You don't understand you're just a child."
"I'm the smartest in my year! I know that you all are killing innocent people!"
He scoffed, "innocent people? Haven't you been taught anything Astoria? They're mud bloods, traitors, and filth. Now stop acting like this, I know you can't avoid me forever."
I slapped him. "Since you're a Death Eater now, hopefully you'll die. So that way, I wouldn't have to avoid you." I ran up the stairs, ticked off. Why must everything be so stressful?
Draco's POV:
I stood at the bottom of the steps with a hand nursing the very placed she struck me. I watched her run up the stairs, cursing me. Sigh There was a time where I would have ran up the stairs, hugged her, and apologized. I remembered us running around the Gardens at her house when we were younger, lying on the grass at night and pointing out the different constellations we saw. As I walked towards my dorm room, I thought about how different things between us were. Astoria had found out about my initiation when Daphne had cried to her about Theodore. Theo was daft for telling everything to Daph – it was dangerous. If we hadn't learned about occulumency, the Dark Lord would have killed Theodore, Daphne, and Astoria. After the revelation, Astoria had refused to speak to me. Ignoring and avoiding me at the rest of the social events, even dumping punch on me at her Father's birthday party. Stupid Girl. Why did she always have to make everything about her?
She doesn't even know what stressed is. The Dark Lord had ordered me to fix the vanishing cabinet, but a month of working on the blasted thing everyday proved no use. On top of that, the five of us – Lucas, Goyle, Theo, and Gabby – were falling to shambles at our task. During a Death Eater meeting in mid-September, Voldemort was furious that I had not already made progress with the cabinet. He yelled at Goyle for being useless, Lucas for not being as smart as his father, and Theo for not taking enough initiative. It was then that he decided he wanted Theo and I specifically, to perform the killing curse. Gabby had been angry, wanting the honor herself – she needed to be in an asylum. Since Goyle and Lucas were inadequate, they would be "guards" and assist us in our various jobs – this job would give Theo the initiative and courage that Voldemort wanted. He knew that if I failed, I'd be dead; this job was punishment for not finishing the cabinet fast enough.
I opened the door just in time to witness Gabby smacking Theo across the face. I ran and stepped between them. "OI.. The hells are you doing? Are you mad?"
I saw Lucas passed out next to Theo's feet. "Gabby, the fuck is the matter with you?! What the hell even happened."
"I'll tell ya what happened. Your cousin is a crazy bitch," spat Theo. Gabby raised her wand at him and I disarmed her.
"DRACO GIVE ME MY WAND BACK."
"No. Why are you so mad?"
"WHY AM I MAD? HAH!" I winced as she began cackling. It was really an awful sound. "Your two pathetic friends are losers and I don't know why the Dark Lord would even think to hire them. If only he knew what was going on in their minds."
I looked at Theo. "She used legilimency on us. We didn't know."
"Oh Theodore, you're complaining that I used it on you whilst you were unknowing? Do you think Voldemort is going to give you warning every time he pries into your mind? You should be prepared at all costs!"
"I AM PREPARED," roared Theo, "I just didn't think I'd have to protect my mind from your barmy arse!"
She snickered and walked towards the door. With her hand turning the knob, she looked back at us and said, "If anything, I'm trying to protect the lot of you. You are all irresponsible and inadequate. Do you want Daphne to die, Theo? Do you think Lucas wants Lucy and Amelie to die as well?" She looked at me, "And you? D'ya want little baby Astoria to be murdered because you don't know how to protect your mind? No. I didn't think so. He knows everything. So I suggest you step up, there's a war fast approaching." With those final words, she opened the door and disappeared.
For once in my life, my cousin had actually expressed worry and carefulness over other people – and especially me. That's when I knew that things really were changing. This was no longer just talk of war, this, was already war.
Theo's POV:
The dorm room was silent. It has never been this silent. After Gabby left, we revived Lucas and the three of us sat in a circle on the rug – we hadn't sat like this since were small children, when we were vulnerable and ignorant. And perhaps, we were still vulnerable and ignorant, for up until now, we hadn't realized what we had gotten ourselves into. The past month was a disarray of chaos. After Voldemorrt had told me I lacked initiative, my Father beat me as soon as we arrived home. My mother tried to defend me, but he beat her as well. After the argument, the both of us were laying in a pool of blood, crying.
I had never seen my father hit my mother. There was once a time where the both of them were madly in love with each other and I remembered yelling "Ewwwww" or begging them to stop when they showed too much affection. Oh, what I would do to see that now.
After Draco and I had been given the task, I began to feel myself fading away. I just wanted to be a wall, to be un noticed. I never liked attention, and I never really did step up to volunteer myself for anything – he was right, I lacked the balls. I can't kill Headmaster.
I looked at Lucas and Draco's faces – they couldn't do it either.
Lucas spoke up, "He told me to help you guys in any way I could, so I will. We'll have to find another way to kill Dumbledore. If he's Dead before the Death Eaters break in, then both of you don't have to do it. And he'll be off Draco's ass about the cabinet."
Although Voldy complained that Lucas wasn't as smart as his father, he was certainly smart.
"What the hell do you propose we do?"
Lucas moved over to Adrian's trunk and opened it. He pulled out a box and placed it in the center of our circle. He opened the cover to reveal an opal necklace.
"Adrian and I were strolling around Borgin & Burkes and came upon this. It was probably two weeks after we had been initiated and Lucy had been crying to Adrian everyday. On the first night of school, the gave me this box and told me he'd bought it just in case I ever needed it. Said it kills anyone who touches it, and killed 19 muggle owners previously."
I looked at him, "but how do we get it to him?"
"Well boys, it looks like our Dark Arts lessons are about to finally come in handy."
