I groggily woke up and looked at the clock, realizing I had slept for nearly twelve hours. It was three in the afternoon and I still felt exhausted. Getting up was the last thing I wanted to do, knowing that I was going to have to face everyone after yesterday. They were either going to be full on paranoid or trying to act like it didn't happen. I wasn't sure which was worse. Sluggishly I dragged myself out of bed and got ready for what was left of the day. After twenty minutes of preparing myself for a confrontation with Nott, I finally convinced myself to go downstairs. When I walked into the dining room Oliver and dad were the only ones there, much to my relief.

"Emmy," dad exclaimed. "I was starting to worry about you. You don't normally sleep later than 9am," he laughed, "Must have been a rough night."

"Sorry," I groused. "I didn't sleep very well last night." I fidgeted awkwardly in the doorway as Oliver stared down at the table, hands shaking slightly. He was definitely one of the paranoid ones. Dad seemed to be pretending nothing happened.

"Yeah, I think everyone is still on edge," dad reasoned. "Amelia took the boys over to the Greengrass manor early this morning."

"Oh," I said lamely.

"Yeah, but they should be back soon. Owen seems pretty interested in their oldest. What was her name? Daphne?"

Nodding, I sat down at the table where food magically appeared in front of me. I ate quickly to avoid anymore awkward small talk conversation. Unluckily, I wasn't fast enough. Amelia and the boys had returned and, if Nott's expression was anything to go by, I wasn't getting away without a confrontation.

"Hey Em," Owen beamed. Apparently he was also acting like everything was fine. "I thought you'd never get up!"

I smiled weakly at him. "Yeah. I was exhausted after all the excitement."

"Yeah, the Irish kicked Bulgaria around," Blaise said enthusiastically. He was trying to distract everyone. "It was no contest!"

"Krum still caught the snitch," Oliver argued, indulging him.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Small detail. Ireland still won by a landslide!"

"Yeah but Kru-" Oliver started.

"Emmeline," Nott whispered beside me, drowning out Oliver's voice. I didn't know when he got so close, but here he was. "Can I speak with you privately?"

Looking around the room for an out, I found everyone continuing their conversation. Oliver and Blaise arguing about the World Cup. Dad was listening to Amelia and Owen tell him about their time at the Greengrass manor. I sighed, resigned. "Fine." We left the dining room and walked down the hall to the lounge. "What do you want?" I snapped, ready for a fight.

"Look, Emmeline," Nott started. "I'm not trying to be mean here. But you need to realize that everything is probably going to get worse. I can't protect you if you're going to act like a blood traitor." I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off. "I don't care what you believe." His eyes flared. I couldn't tell if it was anger or fear. "I care about keeping you safe. And I can't keep you safe it you're going to shoot off at the mouth and let your half blood status show," he snarled.

"My half blood status?!" I exclaimed. "Does my blood status really matter that much?"

"Yes! Do you think everyone in Slytherin doesn't know that your father is a half blood? You're lucky your mother was a Rosier or else no one would have accepted you."

"I know that!" I screamed. "I know that I'm not like the rest of you! You have all made that clear since day one. You made sure I knew I wasn't welcome in Slytherin. I'm the defective Wood. I don't belong anywhere. So, why are you even bothering?!"

He sneered at me. "I don't know what you don't understand. You are mine. Whether you like it or not, I marked you as mine to all of Slytherin. That means you are under my protection. If you don't start acting like a Slytherin you're putting us both at risk. Do you understand?"

I stopped breathing. I should have known there was a reason everyone in Slytherin was scheming for him. Rule number 12: Never place a Slytherin claim on anything you're not sure about. If you "mark" someone, it means that you intend to keep them, forever. He basically told everyone in Slytherin that we are engaged. I felt like puking. There was no going back, which is why most people never mark someone by marrying them, not this young. Nott marking me made me off limits to everyone, Slytherin or not. But it also made a liability where the Death Eaters and the approaching war were concerned. "So we are tied together?" I asked. He nodded. "I'm stuck with you?"

He smirked. "You don't have to be happy about it. But all of Slytherin is under the impression that you will one day be a Nott. It is your protection. Do not squander that."

"Wait, so voicing my beliefs is dangerous for you?"

"For me, Blaise and Amelia, your brothers and your father. I don't want to be harsh with you, but you need to understand that this is a dangerous time. It's going to get worse and being in Slytherin we are going to be in the thick of pureblood elitism. You cannot afford to slip up. One screw up could get us all killed. Do you understand? You need to assimilate, now."

"So now I need to be a proper pureblood prat?" I asked in disbelief. He knew what he was asking. Could I do it? Could I give up everything I believe in to keep myself safe? Could I become the worst parts of society to keep those I love safe? Did I have a choice?

"No. You need to be a Rosier."

Well, that was a whole other problem.