Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to the wonderful J.K.R...not me.
Black is Our World
Remembering the Past
Hermione's voice, singing softly sounded above me accompanied with the tapping of her foot. The strong scent of tomato sauce wafted into my nose and I took a deep breath, trying to remember the wonderful smell. What it resulted in was a deep cough rising in my throat before it wracked my body, each jar causing numerous amounts of pain.
"Draco!" exclaimed Hermione, her hands gripping my shoulders tightly to keep me still on the bed. "Don't move," she cautioned, turning me gently onto my stomach. Her hands began to rub my back in hopes to help the coughs subside.
"Thanks," I muttered once a small amount of air had been returned to my lungs.
I was flipped gently back over once more to see Hermione smiling down at me. "Still a slight fever," she said with a frown, drawing her hand away from my forehead. "How do you feel?" she asked, concern shining in her honey brown eyes.
"A bit sore," I answered truthfully. "My right leg hurts the most though...and everything is kind of fuzzy looking..."
"A bit sore for you is blinding pain for everyone else," she remarked sarcastically. "No need to be a man about everything, Draco," she uttered softly. "If something hurts please let us know. We're here to help."
"Okay," I whispered, my strength ebbing away from me like the tide from the beach. "How long have we been here for?" I asked weakly, closing my eyes against the harsh glare of the single candle sitting on the nightstand.
"Not even a day. It's about ten at night though right now...you've been asleep for most of the time we've been here. After your 'surgery' you developed a pretty bad fever and you've been in bed rest all day. I'm just thankful it started to go down."
"Mione?" I questioned softly, my eyes still closed. "Tell me honestly...how bad is my leg?" I knew it was in pretty bad condition from just the way everyone was treating it. I'd heard what Tonks said about she stitched the skin…did that mean it was completely healed or just fixed?
"Umm..." She turned her back to me, hands clasped in front of her. When she turned back around her eyes were filled with tears, the droplets clinging to her dark lashes. "Tonks s-said th-that y-you m-might never b-be able t-to w-walk a-again."
"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice slightly choked. If I couldn't walk that would mean I would be a cripple...a handicap. I needed to be able to walk! In these times if you weren't able to move from place to place quickly you'd die if Voldemort and his Death Eaters caught you.
"Oh, Draco!" she cried, throwing her arms around my neck and burying her face in my pillow. Inching over, I allowed her to pull her rather slender body up onto the bed next to me. Her arms wrapped tighter around me, her shoulders shaking with sobs. "It's not fair," she mumbled into the cloth. "You don't deserve this."
Hesitantly, I moved one of my arms and began to gently play with her long brown locks, needing to keep my mind focused on something besides the pain while I waited for Hermione to compose herself and tell me what was wrong.
Gradually her body relaxed next to mine, her breath hot on my cheek. "I'm sorry," she whispered, rising back to a sitting position. "I had no right to do that...you're the one with the injury..." Bending down, she placed a gentle kiss on my forehead, her lips leaving a brush of coolness to my burning head.
"What's wrong with me?" I questioned, trying desperately to keep the fear out of my voice. Hermione must have heard it though because she gave me a watery smile and took my hand in her own.
"The muscle in your leg was ruined," she said gently, "and we couldn't fix it...we sewed the skin back together to prevent blood loss. But without magic we can't do much and unfortunately that's what we have to work with. No muggle medicine and no magic...just the bare necessities."
"So I'm never going to be able to walk again?" A single tear trickled down my cheek, stinging the small cuts, but I made no move to brush it away.
"I'm not sure," she admitted. "Chances are you won't be able too...but maybe you can. I want you to be able to walk," she said softly, tears streaming down her face once more. "You're such a strong person...not being able to move around will just break you, I know it."
I slowly nodded, more tears flowing down my cheeks now. "Why?" I whispered, staring up at Hermione. "Why does everything bad always seem to happen to me? Sometimes I wish I had been in Ron or George's place...then nothing would ever hurt me."
"Don't you dare even think of suicide," hissed Hermione, glaring at me almost angrily. "We've gotten this far Draco. We're still alive! That's more then what others can say, isn't it? And we're not going to back out now!"
"You're right," I answered meekly, turning my head so I didn't have to see the disappointed expression on her face. "We are alive...but is that even enough? Who else is out there to help us? You, Remus, Tonks, and me. We're four against thousands, Hermione," I said softly, "and I can't even do anything. We're all just going to die."
"Then the least you can do is have hope," she responded determinedly, her hands turning my head back so I was looking at her trustful face. "We can do this if we have hope, Draco," she said firmly, eyes seeming to pierce inside of me. "Don't you dare ever lose that faith...it's Voldemort's greatest weakness and our greatest weapon."
"You sound like Dumbledore," I chuckled softly, "saying all that smart stuff in riddles." It was then the conversation I'd overheard between Father and Voldemort came back full force. "We need to find Dumbledore!" I gasped, sitting up and waving my arms wildly. "It's important!"
"Calm down," she shushed, pushing me back onto the bed. "What about Dumbledore?"
"I need to speak to Remus and Tonks," I said urgently. "I heard Father and Voldemort talking about a prophecy that only Dumbledore had. They're looking for him, Hermione...that's why they kept asking us. Father was going to give me veritaserum and that's why I ran. They didn't know I'd been awake and heard the conversation."
"I'll go get them," she said, leaping lightly off the bed. "Don't move, Draco," she cautioned before running out the door, her footfalls fading as she moved down the stairs. I didn't dare move any part of me, afraid of triggering new amounts of pain.
Out of all of my injuries I could tell my leg was the most serious. Next to that I determined was the stab wound in my side that throbbed constantly. Fortunately, unlike the calf injury, I wouldn't have problems with that one later.
The lacerations on my back bothered me to no end, my ripped flesh hurting with every brush against the cotton sheets. Sure, bandages were wrapped tightly around them to prevent the whip marks from being touched directly but it still hurt.
A rough ache filled my entire body, the results of my father's brutal raping sessions with me. Tears welled up once more in my eyes at the mere thought of being violated by him and I turned my head away from the door so no one would see when they came in.
Because of him I'm not sure I'll ever trust any male completely again. Remus I had a general amount of respect for. I'd made fun of him my whole third year about the state of his robes and his sick days and then when I'd learned he was a werewolf. But besides all of that, he'd taken me here with open arms and had helped me to the extent of his abilities. For that, he earned some of my trust.
"We're all here, Draco," said Tonks cheerfully, the sound of a chair being dragged across the floor reaching my ears. "Mind turning to look at us?" I felt arms lift my up beneath my shoulders until I was leaning comfortably against my pillows.
I gave a shaky smile of thanks to Remus who smiled back in return and sat down next to Tonks on his own wooden chair. Hermione clambered back on the bed next to me, her hand taking mine beneath the covers.
"Why don't we start from the beginning," suggested Remus wisely, brown eyes full of warmth and understanding for the tear tracks he must have seen on my face. "What happened after the battle at Hogwarts?"
"We were taken to Voldemort's castle," said Hermione thoughtfully, trying to recall the exact event. "All of us were put in cells, Draco and...Harry each got their own. Voldemort was afraid if they were able to converse with the rest of us we'd figure out a way to escape. And we did," she added softly, tears coming to her eyes at the memory.
"What happened?" Tonks asked gently, noticing Hermione's reaction to the escape.
"George died," she said simply, taking a deep breath before going on. "From what I heard, Marlin, one of the higher Death Eaters, was about to kill Fred when George took the blow. Ron got injured in the fighting..."
"Is he all right?" asked Remus, brown eyes mirroring Tonks' for concern.
"He's dead," she muttered, staring down at the bed. "Marlin used him as an example to the rest of us...he burned him at the stake and we all had to watch." She clenched her right hand into a fist, lower lip trembling.
"Merlin," breathed Tonks, her eyes widening in horror. That was the only thing anyone said for a time, the only sounds now the rustling of the bed covers or the squeak of a chair whenever anyone moved.
"There is nothing we can do now," said Remus said a few moments later. "The best thing is to keep going forward and save those that are still able to be saved. Can you tell us what happened next?"
"Voldemort dueled Harry," I said, taking over for Hermione. "Voldemort won."
"So Harry is...dead?" I gave a short nod, the movement jarring my back injuries and I let out a low hiss of pain. Next to me, Hermione shuddered and buried her face in her free hand.
"Don't move, Draco," scolded Tonks gently, her heart not really behind the words, the drawn expression on her face making her seem years older.
"Then what?" asked Remus, voice wavering slightly.
Once more I took over, knowing fully well that Hermione was much too upset to talk. "Father took me away after a little while," I said, a sudden shiver racing down my spine. "Voldemort came in and said he had something important to discuss with him. Father gave me a sleeping draught but I didn't drink it all. They were talking about a prophecy," I murmured, turning my silver eyes to look at Remus and Tonks. "Something about how Dumbledore knew the other one...it told of somebody who also posed as a threat to Voldemort. They're looking for him," I whispered. "Hermione got hurt because of it..." I gave her hand a gentle squeeze, now time for her to be comforted.
"They tried to give me veritaserum thinking I was still asleep. I managed to get Father's wand and ran for it," I said, eyes glimmering a small victory. "Hermione and I both escaped and almost got out of the grounds."
"Almost?" questioned Tonks, confusion on her face. "But you're here now."
"Rest, Draco," said Hermione with a sniffle. "I'll take it from here." I gave her the smallest of nods and let my eyes close tiredly, my whole body screaming for sleep. "We tried to sneak out as Death Eaters," she explained, "and got caught. Marlin said he was going to teach us a lesson for trying to escape...I asked that he give me the entire sentence. Draco was in no condition to be being beaten...he came back half dead the night before. Marlin, being the bastard he is," she snarled, "decided he'd give Draco the entire punishment. That's how he got his leg injury," she said softly, voice dropping in pitch. "We were both brought back up to the castle and put in our cells.
"While we were there Draco transformed into his animagus form, the stronger half taking over for a little while. I managed to change into mine and we both left to get help. Draco collapsed a few hours after we'd escaped and we settled down for the night. Then we found you, Remus, when we were walking."
"I too have heard about the prophecy," said Remus. "That's the whole reason I was out in the first place; I was looking for Dumbledore. He'd hinted at the last Order meeting that a greater secret was being withheld and only he had the answer, but he didn't want to tell as not even he knew the answer yet. Of course, it didn't mean much to us at the time but now I realize it must be the secret to defeat Voldemort."
"But where is Dumbledore?" asked Hermione, throwing my bed covers over her legs to keep warm. "I thought he might have been here but it appears he isn't..."
"I know for a fact he's weak," said Remus, a frown forming on his tan features. "Prior to the attack he gave me this." The werewolf reached into his pocket and came out with a bright red phoenix feather. "He enchanted it so we could communicate. But it won't work anymore...it's because the spell feeds off of his energy...if he doesn't have much to spare it will stop working. As we speak Dumbledore might be dying...we must find him as soon as possible."
"But we don't even know where to look!" Hermione exclaimed, "how are we ever going to find him?"
"No clue," said Remus with a shrug of his shoulders. "We'll just have to pick a random direction and head off. Dumbledore may have left clues to his whereabouts with refugees like us or with animals of some sort."
"We can worry about this all later," said Tonks firmly, standing up. "It's almost eleven...Draco needs his rest and so do you Hermione. You've both had a very long day."
Remus came around the bed and gently eased me down back onto the pillow, a soft sigh of relief escaping me. The pressure of holding myself up against the bed was beginning to take its toll and lying still relieved most of it.
"Someone should stay with Draco," said Tonks, "he might need help during the night."
"I'll stay," volunteered Hermione, sliding her entire body next to me. "That is, if Draco doesn't mind." I gave a slow shake of my head, inching it over to give the girl some of my pillow.
"All right Hermione. But don't catch any of my cousin's sick germs," warned Tonks, pushing her chair back against the wall. "Sweet dreams to both of you." Bending over, she gave Hermione a kiss on her forehead and me one on my cheek, her hands brushing my bangs out of my face. "You're safe here...don't worry. Good night." Blowing out the candle she exited the room, Remus having already left after a wave. Darkness surrounded us save the pale strip of moonlight streaming through the curtains, the beam falling across the foot of the bed.
"Are we really safe here, Mione?" I asked, turning my head to face her. Flipping over, she came nose to nose with me, brown eyes looking like dark pools in the half-light.
One of her hands came out from beneath the covers and gently cupped my cheek, her thumb caressing it softly.
"Nothing is going to happen to us," she whispered. "Tonks and Remus will protect us. And I'll protect you."
I opened my mouth to protest but she shook her head, brown hair fanning out like a halo behind her head.
"You're always trying to be the defender Draco, the one who watches out for everyone. It's time you let someone protect you."
Giving her a small smile I closed my eyes once more, seeking reassurance from her. Hermione's hand left my cheek and once more took my own hand beneath the blankets, offering comfort in the simplest of ways.
"Good night, Draco," she murmured, placing a chaste kiss on my cheek, hot breath tickling my face. I didn't answer, sleep already claiming me as its own.
xxx
My body slowly came to, silence reigning around me. "Mione?" I whispered, squeezing her limp hand. The lack of response let me know that the Gryffindor was still sound asleep, locked in her world of dreams.
"I wonder if it's true," I whispered to myself, as carefully as possible attempting to sit up on my own. I needed to feel some sort of achievement on my own. Sitting up is a hard task but one I attempt to accomplish.
Concentrating fully on my set mission, I pushed my hands against the mattress, attempting to give me some lift off of the bed. Panting heavily, I managed to lean weakly against the headboard several minutes later, my energy almost completely spent. But there was still something I had to do.
Taking a calming breath I swung my left leg over bed, followed quickly by the right. A sharp intake of air was the only noise I made to show that I was in pain, not wanting to wake anyone in this early morning.
Gingerly, my left foot touched the wooden floorboards and then my right. Nothing bad happened. Forcefully, I shoved off of the bed and loud out a loud cry of pain as flames seemed to race up my right leg and I crumpled to the floor, blinking the tears that had formed away furiously.
Hermione slept through my attempt but it appeared someone else didn't as footsteps sounded running down the hall. Tonks threw open the door, a candle clutched in her hand. She was clad in a simple pair of blue, drawstring pants and an overlarge white tee shirt, orange hair glowing in the weak light.
"Draco," she gasped, and quickly crossed over to me. Setting the candle carefully on the nightstand she knelt down on the floor, and scooped me into her arms, myself letting out another hiss of pain as my body was jarred.
"That hurts," I whimpered as she stood up and began to walk towards the open door, each step banging my injured body around.
She remained silent as she went into another bedroom, the covers hastily thrown off the bed and piled on the floor. Gently she set me down on the bed, still not saying a word and lit another candle, the light illuminating a clock on her dresser saying it was about five in the morning.
Just as quietly, Tonks picked up the blanket and placed it over me, tucking it in firmly on the edges. I sat up once more, feeling vulnerable just lying there. She placed a glass of water to my lips and with an unspoken command I took a small sip.
The auror climbed into the bed on the other side and leaned against the headboard as well, eyes raking over my body for any sign of drastic injury. I shivered beneath her gaze and opted to look down at my clasped hands instead.
"What do you think you were doing?" she asked suddenly, the silence broken.
"I...nothing important," I muttered, not wanting to face the truth. I couldn't walk, I couldn't even stand for Merlin's sake!
"You tell me right now, Draco Malfoy," said Tonks, shaking a finger in my face. "You got hurt because of whatever it was and I want to help," she added gently.
"I was trying to walk," I said softly, a tear trickling down my cheek. "And I found out I can't even stand up. I'm useless Tonks!" I cried, voice growing louder with my despair. "What's the point of even being alive?"
"Keep it down," she shushed, "we don't want to wake anyone else up." I looked down once more at the bed, not wanting my cousin to see the tears continually leaking out of my eyes. "And you're not useless," she said softly, drawing my gently into her warm embrace. "You're the best cousin I could ever wish for."
"And why's that?" I sniffled, my emotions getting the better me. "Who would ever even want to look at me? I'm tainted and no good...I'll I've ever done is cause other people pain. And all I'll ever be good for is a toy whenever someone wants to play with me."
I was roughly pulled all the way to my older cousin, my face pressing against her chest as she rocked slightly back and forth, her arms tightening their grip. "Damn Lucius," she snarled beneath her breath, nails digging into my arms without her realization for her anger at Father. "I'll kill him with my bare hands," she growled, rage clear in her voice.
"You're hurting me, Tonks," I whispered, wincing as I felt wet blood trickle down my arms, staining the bandages there red. "Please stop." I'm not sure if Tonks didn't hear me or if she chose not to listen. Her nails continued to sink into my flesh and I desperately tried to escape her iron like grip. "Let me go," I whimpered, pressing my back against her arms to try and free myself.
"Dirty bastard. Deserves a nice long trip to hell," she hissed, voice venomous. If Father had been in her sight I'm quite sure he would have died from just the look she would have given him. "Doing that to his own son..."
"Please, Tonks," I begged, "let go." I knew I had to make her drop her arms or she would soon cause serious damage to my arms. With my luck I'd probably have scars. Biting back the howl of pain that rose in my throat, I maneuvered my right leg until I was kneeling on both of them.
Letting the right leg take all of the weight, I kneed up with my left, catching Tonks hard in the stomach. Abruptly, her arms loosened and dropped to clutch her stomach, me taking the chance to back away from her, falling off the bed in the process.
Crimson liquid flowed freely down my abused arms, the blood dropping to the floor as I backed away, wanting to get as far away from Tonks as possible. I knew that she was a kind and caring person but she had just hurt me. Not intentionally of course, but I don't want to be near her while she's in this state incase she does it again.
Seconds later, after I 'd backed myself into a corner, Tonks looked up, her amethyst eyes sparkling with tears. "I am so sorry, Draco," she said softly, sliding off the bed and approaching me. Her finger tips were all bright red, my blood leaving its mark. "I'm sorry," she repeated, the tears now trickling down her cheeks.
I gave a soft moan and tried to back farther into the corner when her hand lightly touched my shoulder. Her arms wrapped once more around me, this time in a gentle embrace, her chin resting atop my head. "You gave me your trust and I lost it," she murmured, "I just let my feelings take control. I never meant to hurt you Draco, you have to understand."
"I forgive you," I whispered, "you didn't mean to hurt me." Her hand tilted my chin up, forcing my silver eyes to look into her purple. In the shining orbs I could clearly see love and guilt floating in the whirl of emotions. It was then I truly forgave Tonks. Unlike Father, she did feel bad that she'd hurt me and that earned her back some of my trust.
"Let's get you back to bed," she said, cradling me securely in her arms once more before placing me gently on the bed. "And let me bandage these up," she said, taking a roll of bandages from her dresser.
"Tonks?" I asked as the witch wrapped my arms. "Am I really never going to be able to walk again?"
She looked up at me, a sad smile on her face. "Chances are yes," she said, "but I'll still have you do some leg therapy. In the least it will at least help strengthen them so they won't hurt as much when you move them. Would you like to start that after breakfast?"
"Yes, please," I answered politely, trying to keep my voice from wavering.
"It'll be all right, Draco," she said comfortingly, placing her hand on my knee. "You'll see, everything will turn out in the end." I nodded, not daring to speak least my voice actually crack. Tears were rapidly filling my eyes as the truth slammed against me, leaving me helpless to do anything about it.
'I'll try,' I vowed. 'I'm going to walk again no matter what everyone says. Like Hermione said, I have to have hope. She wasn't speaking about my leg but the concept is still the same. I will walk again...I know it.'
"Why don't you go back to sleep for a little while?" suggested Tonks, pulling the blankets over me. "I'll be right here," she said, climbing into her bed with a book in hand. "I'll wake you up for breakfast, sound good?"
I nodded again and closed my eyes, tired by the events that had just occurred. I fell asleep to the sound of pages turning, the soft melody lulling me back to the void of blackness that suddenly wasn't so black anymore.
xxx
"Wake up, little cousin," called Tonks gently, her voice rousing me from my slumber. "I have breakfast for you to eat and then we'll get started on some therapy. Open your eyes so I know you're awake," she ordered.
Blearily I cracked one vibrant silver orb open and Tonks chuckled. "I don't get it," she laughed. "You can wake up at five and try to walk but at nine you can't even open both eyes!"
"They're both open," I grumbled, both eyes narrowed in a mock glare at the auror. "But I don't want breakfast."
"I know your stomach still isn't accepting food," she said calmly, "so I prepared the lightest meal I could. Do you want to sit up or me to raise you?" My pride, despite how much it hurt, wouldn't allow me to take assistance and I shifted myself until I was leaning against the headboard once more.
"Where's Hermione and Remus?" I asked, trying to divert Tonks' mind from my breakfast.
"You scared Hermione quite a bit," chuckled the witch, "when she realized you weren't with her anymore. Thought you'd been stolen. But I told her you bunked with me last night and she calmed down quite well. But as for your question, both she and Remus are searching the cellar for any type of potions that might be down there. We're incredibly low on supplies and scouring the house is our best bet."
"How long can we stay here?" I asked. "Why haven't the Death Eaters found it yet?"
"It's hidden by magic," Tonks said brightly. "Unfortunately, we will have to leave soon. With magic shutting off all over the area we'll stick out like a sore thumb. I give it less then a week before the Death Eaters find us. We must leave before then. Now time for breakfast!"
"Tonks!" I groaned, turning my head away from the bowl the auror pulled off of the tray. "I don't want anything!"
"You're weak and underfed," she said sternly, "and to regain some of your strength you need to eat. Nothing is too hard on your stomach so you should be fine. Now open up."
Reluctantly I allowed Tonks to feed me a watered down oatmeal and give me more water. "Am I done now?"
"Yes," she said with a smile, surveying the empty bowl with pleasure. "I just want you to relax for now, okay? I'm going to massage your muscle to try to loosen it up. It's going to hurt so be prepared. But if it starts getting beyond your control tell me to stop, understand? I don't want to hurt you if you're in immense pain."
"All right," I said softly, a wave of self-doubt washing over me. Was getting this treatment really the best decision? 'Of course it is,' I chided myself. 'If you ever even want a chance of walking again I have to deal with this.'
Tonks stripped the blanket off of me and rolled up the right leg of my pants, the bandages wrapped firmly around my calf now visible. "Remember, if it hurts too much tell me," she warned.
Her finger tips closed on each side of the wound and began to massage it as gently as she could although ribbons of pain still shot up my leg and through my body. I let out a soft groan and tried to relax my body more to relieve the tension.
For the next hour Tonks continuously kneaded the injured spot, leaving me feeling even worse then when she'd begun. "I thought you said this was going to help," I managed to choke out, voice thick with tears.
"It will in time," she said gently, pulling the blanket back over me. "You just lie here and rest, okay Draco? We need you to heal enough so you can be moved without being in major pain."
I knew what she meant. She didn't think I'd be able to walk within the week and Remus would have to carry me. Then again, I don't think I'll be walking in that short time either. I gave Tonks a forced smile as she left the room to go help Remus and Hermione.
"I still feel worthless," I muttered once the witch was out of earshot. "I can't do anything and am only taking up their time. Time they need for more important things...and I want to help but as soon as I move everything hurts. And I don't feel good at all...guess I should be glad the fever disappeared though. That's a plus."
Lucius' POV
"What do you mean?" I snapped, throwing an angry glare at the messenger in the doorway. The lower Death Eater trembled beneath my gaze and I smirked in satisfaction, glad to have that kind of intimidation over others.
"Just like what I said Lucius," he quaked, blue eyes wide in fear of my wand that I twirled idly between my fingers. "A large amount of energy was spotted about forty miles from here but then it just disappeared."
"Get out of my sight," I snarled, raising the wand suggestively. The younger member fled, boots clacking loudly down the stone corridor. "This is definitely an interesting sighting," I mused to myself, once more twirling my wand. "Was it a mistake on the scanner's part of was it real? Perhaps a group of refugees. But even they know not to use their wands with the tracking devices everywhere..."
With a sigh I picked up the wine glass sitting by my elbow and took a long, slow sip, eyes staring into the dancing flames in my fireplace. Without Draco around life had gotten quite dull. None of the other captives offered the same intriguing qualities that my son had.
When I'd heard about Draco's escaped I'd been furious. He'd been an animagus and had never told me? That was unacceptable! And because I didn't know his one secret I had lost him and the Granger girl. Hopefully both would perish outside with nowhere to go. After all, Draco was severely injured due to Marlin's punishment. But the thing is...I want him alive. My hand tightened around the wine glass, knuckles turning white with pressure. I had become addicted to him like a drug...I needed more...more of his screams and pleading. More of the utter helplessness he felt while I reigned supreme power. More of the look of fear in his eyes whenever he looked at me. To see his body curl in fright when I touched him, to hear his soft moans of pain and resentment. I realized I was panting, the wine glass now broken on the thin handle, blood red liquid staining the carpeting.
"You're coming back Draco," I hissed, ignoring the mess I'd made. "You're mine."
Another knock sounded on the door to my private chambers and another Death Eater strolled in, this one being Marlin himself. "Tut tut, such a mess you've made," he said with a smirk, wrinkling his nose at the spilled wine. "Whatever happened?"
"Nothing," I said curtly. "What is it you want Marlin? I'm quite busy."
"Really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "I came to inform you that our Lord wishes for us to check on some of the newer camps. Deal out some punishments if need be."
"That sounds like an excellent idea. I think some blood would ease my mind. Shall we go?"
The camps were set up by my Lord and operated by captured wizards, witches, and muggles. There was no point in us having to grow food and raise cattle, servant's things. So all of the strong and able bodied people who had been smart enough to not defy us had been spared, the rest of their pitiful lives dedicated to working for us.
But after a time prisoners would rile up and then examples would have to be made. With the promise of a good kill on my hands, I walked from the room, broken glass shards glittering in the firelight.
xxx
"You have to hold on," the young man cried, clutching the frail woman's hand within his callused one. "Don't you dare die on me, Sibyll Trelawney...don't you dare die."
"My time draws near," she rasped, blue eyes shimmering with tears, the large glasses she normally wore now gone. "I was not meant to live here William...as a slave. It is you who must escape...you can and you will."
"You can't go," the red haired man sobbed, pulling the Divination against his chest. "Fight it, Sibyll...fight it."
Earlier that day the woman had been force fed a poison by one of the many guards on their camp. She had been slowing down work, the sheer labor not meant for one as flimsy as herself.
Instead of giving her a quick Avada Kervada or pulling out the death in torturous ways, the Death Eaters had decided to test a new poison they had brewed, supposed to kill the victim within four hours.
The two figures were lying off in the forest, hidden from view of the other slaves and the guard. It was here the long time teacher planned to die, surrounded by the trees she had come to love so much. They were the only things that still had beauty she always said, the one treasure left.
"You must flee William..." she gasped, the poison almost finished with its work. "Remember that I care about you...go on your strengths, fight them...you must...get...away..."
Her pulse flickered beneath his touch before it suddenly started to beat out of control. Opening her mouth, eyes wide but blank, Trelawney murmured:
"Crystal lights line the way,
Shimmering softly, gone by day.
From the first battle ground,
Follow the trail up, then around.
Down the copper snake you shall go,
Heed your step or you'll face woe.
Through the moonlight bathed pond and towards the trees
Let yourself blow in the midnight breeze.
Behind a shower, made of rainbows,
Is a hole, only a stone's throw.
This is where the old one lies,
Out of sight of prying eyes."
"Sibyll?" the man asked, confusion etched on his freckled face. "Sibyll?" His hands repeatedly checked for her pulse once more, the stringy blonde hair blowing gently in the wind. A faint beat met his fingers and he smiled in relief.
The smile quickly changed when he felt it slow, the woman seeming to be slumbering. Tears gathered in his sapphire eyes as he pressed his hand to her wrist, looking desperately for a pulse.
There was none.
xxx
xxx
Author's Notes:
There ya go! And a new character! Yay!
Reviews feed the authoress, since the muse doesn't need any. :P
