A/N: Not a long update this time, but there has been quite a few long chapters the past few times, but I think I make my point :)

Enjoy
Dandylion05x

Chapter Twenty-Five

A group of quivering third years huddled together in the detention dungeon. It was getting particularly dirty in the cell, and a rank smell was steadily developing. The Carrows hadn't freed any prisoners for four days now, and neither had Breseis. She sat, now, on her chair in the corner of the cell, quill poised over a piece of parchment muttering away to herself. The third years glanced over at her fearfully. She seemed on edge, grumbling to herself while angrily and violently scoring through lines of her essay.

In the days which had passed since the Prime Minister's unexpected visit to Hogwarts Draco had watched Breseis go from tense to angry to angrier. She hadn't said anything, but Draco knew she had received a letter from her father revealing the universal Lestrange opinion that she had behaved stupidly and any other such behaviour would result in serious punishment. He knew this because he had stolen the letter from her book bag the previous evening. Furthermore, the Carrows were treating her like...well, him. If anything, he had gone up in the world. When he arrived with Breseis earlier, they had addressed orders to him and not her. To say that Breseis was displeased would be such a heinous understatement it was practically a lie.

Draco was quietly reminded of the honour and respect he had commanded when the Dark Lord had charged him to murder Professor Dumbledore. He had suffered immensely, of course, and he knew very well that he had only been chosen as punishment to his family, but the other Death Eaters were forced to treat him as if he had already succeeded. He had to admit that he had basked in the feeling. Things were different now, he reminded himself, he believed himself disenchanted. But at the same time, he liked the feeling- and the thought- of moving up within the organisation once more.

"Come on," he snapped at the third years, "Or else you'll find yourselves chained to these walls. And don't think that is an empty threat."

He could feel a strange sense of déjà vu as a shadow of the old Draco broke through. He shoved one of the third years forward. The small boy raised his wand in terror and opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He tried again, tears now streaming down his cheeks, but to no avail.

"Enjoy your fate," Draco said darkly, and shoved forward the next candidate.

Breseis watched as child after child couldn't manage more than a few red sparks escaping their quivering wands. As Draco shoved every new child forward, a madness grew inside her. Draco was supposed to be in disgrace. The Carrows were supposed to ignore him. He was supposed to stand awkwardly at the side of the dungeon and think on his many predicaments. She hadn't done anything to deserve this fate, she hadn't done anything wrong! This was Snape. This was all Snape's doing. He was malicious and spiteful and...and...Argh! She couldn't bare it.

"For heaven's sake!" she cried, unable to deal with any of it anymore, "It's-not-fucking-hard!"

She whipped her wand out from the sleeve of her loose robes and brandished it at the sixth year prisoner the third years had been trying to curse. Her upper lip curled into a grimace and there was a flash in her eyes as if she were anticipating what she was about to do with mirth. Draco had never seen her look more like Rabastan, or- and this came as a shock- Bellatrix. Yes, with her thick curls sticking out at odd angles, and her face drawn from not eating enough, she looked almost the image of Bellatrix.

"Crucio!" she screeched, turning to look at the third years, but never wavering her wand as the sixth year let out an agonising scream of pain, "See? See?" She whipped around to face the other wall and pointed her wand at a fourth year girl with a bad cut down her face, "Crucio!"

"Breseis!" Draco yelled over the screams.

"Yes, darling?" she cackled, her eyes quite manic, "Petrifius Totalus," she called, causing the fourth year to freeze, the expression of agony still twisted on her face.

"That's enough," he told her, staring at her coldly.

She turned to face him, hearing and detesting the tone of authority coating his voice. She raised an eyebrow at him and lifted her wand so it was pointing at his chest. He began to reach for his own wand but she was already lowering her own. Draco's jaw set as he watched her hand descend, watched it settle pointing at the chest of one of the third years. He couldn't get his wand in time.

"Crucio!" she cried once more, smiling wildly at him the whole time, "Crucio! Sectum-"

"STOP IT!" Draco yelled, closing the space between them and gripping hold of her arms as tightly as his strength would allow. "Do you hear me? Stop it!"

She began to laugh again, like some kind of feral beast. She threw her had back and cackled hysterically, her wand dropping away from the shaking, terrified child. Draco looked at her and didn't know who she was.

"The lesson is over," he said blankly, looking at Breseis still but addressing the third years, "And make sure she gets to the hospital wing," he added, glancing over his shoulder at the quivering little girl.

Once the third years were gone he let go of Breseis and turned out of the room without so much as glancing back at her.

Breseis couldn't stop laughing.

That Saturday it was Pansy's birthday. Turning eighteen is not quite as exciting as turning seventeen, not for a witch, anyhow. But still Pansy loved nothing more than the attention her birthday commanded. She rose early and stole the use of many of Breseis's expensive French beauty products. They're not doing her any good, she reasoned, not that she felt particularly guilty, she's been looking uglier than ever this past week. Once she was satisfied that she was beautified she dressed in her nicest robes and strode off to the Common Room, ready to be showered with gifts and attention.

She spent her day attached to Draco's side, smiling smugly and showing off. That night a private party was planned in the Common Room for Pansy and her inner circle- and Pansy and her inner circle only. She loved the sound of that. Pansy's inner circle. It made it sound like she was the one in charge, calling the shots. She was the important one. She didn't doubt the truth of it for a second.

It wasn't until late in the evening that Breseis emerged from her dormitory. Her hair was still slightly damp from her long shower and her favourite cream cotton dress was hanging limp and loose over her emaciated frame. Her long sleep had managed to eliminate the worst of the dark circles which had lingered under her eyes this past week, but her cheeks were still sunken, giving her the look of a horse at some angles. Pansy congratulated herself on looking so fantastic next to her former rival. Draco wouldn't look once, let alone twice at her now.

Breseis settled herself down in an arm chair near Crabbe and Goyle. They were arguing loudly about the best Beating technique until she threw them what could only be described as a death glare and they fell into silence. They then tried to stand up and leave, in order to continue their discussion elsewhere. Once again Breseis looked at them with an expression soaked in so much malice they didn't dare move, and instead stayed half sitting-half standing until she turned and looked into the hearth.

The Common Room was empty by eleven 'o clock. This was unusual for a Saturday, when students tended to stay up later listening to the wireless and relaxing before tackling homework the next day. Audra and Millicent started to clear everyone out at about quarter to, but most students were reluctant. Pansy started flashing evil looking grimaces at the reluctant people, but to little or no avail. She simply wasn't formidable enough. Breseis let out an irritated sigh and started to stand up, with the intention of going back to bed. It took the dawdlers about three seconds to get from their seats to the door leading to the dormitories. Word had travelled fast about Breseis's funny turn down in the dungeons the day before. She sat back down and tried not to think on this too much, but instead let herself revel in the fact that she still held some authority around here, at least.

Blaise disappeared and re-emerged with two bottles of Fire Whiskey. Audra hurried over to one of the magnificent mahogany cabinets that adorned the walls of the Slytherin Common Room. She retrieved a selection of glasses from it.

"Left over from the Christmas party," Blaise said coolly, looking at Breseis poignantly and then winking.

"Just pour the damn stuff," was her un-amused reply.

Fire Whiskey is strong, and so it didn't take long for the small group of Seventh Years to begin to feel its effects. Breseis felt the alcohol burn away the tension she had been feeling and replace it with a dopey relaxation. It felt so good to just let go, so she tipped drink after drink down her throat, relishing the burn. Blaise was leering at her and refilling her glass at an almost frightening pace. She curled her lip at him in disgust.

"Let's play a game!" Blaise suggested with enthusiasm, raising one eyebrow suggestively at Breseis.

"How about strip exploding snap?" Millicent giggled.

Breseis tipped the remaining contents of her glass down her throat and prepared herself to leave.

"I was thinking more along the lines of spin the bottle," Blaise replied, giving Millicent the once over and clearly deciding he would rather not see her with her clothes off.

"No thank you," Pansy chipped in, "They both sound far too childish. And I don't want to kiss anyone but my Draco." She giggled and stroked Draco's cheek. Breseis looked at Draco amusedly.

So he was her Draco, was he?

"Well how about 'I have never?'" Blaise asked.

"How do you play that?"

"One person starts and says, "I have never-" and then they say something they have never done, and everyone who has done it has to take a drink," he glanced wickedly at Breseis once more.

"Ooh!" Pansy exclaimed, "That sounds like fun!"

Breseis got up from the armchair where she was still sitting and began to walk, not very smoothly, to the door to the dormitories.

"Where are you going?" Blaise asked, "Don't you want to play?"

"No especially ," Breseis shot him a disgruntled look.

"Are you scared?" Blaise challenged.

"No."

"Then prove it."

Reluctantly Breseis took back her seat and held out her glass to be refilled. Her head was spinning a little and doubtless she would feel like hell tomorrow. But she would not come across as scared and pathetic. She was not weak.

"Right," Blaise smiled evilly, "I'll start. I have never... been in love."

Pansy immediately giggled and took a sip of her whiskey. Both she and Breseis looked pointedly at Draco, who likewise took a drink.

"Breseis?" Blaise asked. She took a gulp of her drink. "Interesting. It's your turn."

"Fine," she smiled spitefully at him and then turned her eyes to Draco, "I have never cheated on anybody."

Everyone's eyes were suddenly on Blaise, who was making a huge show of taking a drink for every girl he had ever cheated on. But Breseis watched Draco as he reluctantly sipped at his drink and then smiled triumphantly.

And so, with much giggling, the game went on, around and around the circle. Nearly all the Fire Whiskey was gone by the fourth time around. Breseis was wondering if it was possible to be drunk and hung-over at the same time, because she was sure she was when Pansy, sniggering in that annoying little laugh of hers, made her final contribution to the game.

"I have never, oh wow, this is embarrassing!" she teetered, throwing her hands up to her face, "I have never- had sex."

Audra nearly collapsed on hearing this, her face turning the colour of beetroot. Once she had calmed down she took a deep drink from her glass. Pansy gasped and demanded details. Blaise took a nonchalant glug of his drink and then turned to look at Breseis, who followed suit.

"Oh yeah!" Audra giggled, "Didn't you two...you know...do it?"

Breseis raised a sceptical eyebrow. "No we most certainly did not."

"We almost did," Blaise chipped in, leering once more.

"Yes, but if I remember correctly...you weren't, to put it bluntly...able," the smirk disappeared off of Blaise's face the moment the words spilled out of her mouth. She smiled cattily as the room erupted into drunken laughter.

Sliding her eyes to look at Draco once more, she saw him take advantage, again, of everyone else's distraction and take a sip of his drink. He locked eyes with Breseis and she felt a burning in her heart, a longing for him. Things had seemed so simple, so black and white at Christmas, but these past weeks they had been slipping back into the gray and murky, no longer clean cut. A heat, a fiery passion burned between them as their eyes locked. But it did not go unnoticed by all. Breseis was not the only one who saw Draco take a sip, own up to his sins. Both Blaise and Pansy had seen, and witnessed the intense look the pair shared.

The party broke up after this. Draco helped Pansy back to her dormitory. As they walked across to the dormitory entrance, Pansy kept glancing back at where Breseis sat pensively in her armchair. In her drunken state, she couldn't make proper sense of what she had just seen, but she knew that something was wrong, that her perfect little bubble was bursting, that everything was about to be spoiled.

Draco enveloped his girlfriend between the sheets of her bed and reluctantly pressed his lips to her cheek. He then made his way back to the Common Room, with the intention of having it out with Breseis once and for all. The door to the Common Room was still open, but as he made to break the threshold, the sound of voices stopped him. Instead he peered around the door and watched Blaise leaning into Breseis's seat.

"I don't know what you're hoping to achieve, Zabini," Breseis was saying with malevolence, "Do you intend to take me by force? Because I assure you that if that is your intention, you will live to regret it."

"I don't need to use force," he told her, "You know that Breseis. You're going to fuck me willingly."

"I am?" she replied, "That's news to me."

"You're going to fuck me willingly, just like you fucked Draco willingly," he whispered, his face as close to hers as it could get without actually touching her.

"Pardon me?" she managed, but she had already faltered, the damage was done.

"Don't play coy with me, Breseis," he tweaked her nose, "It will get you nowhere. Now you better hurry up and get into this, or I will make sure the entire school knows what a pathetic slut you are, as well as being a psycho-bitch."

Breseis snarled at him and narrowed her eyes menacingly. Blaise leaned in and pressed him lips against hers. With a gigantic heave she managed to shove him away from her face.

"Like it violent, do you?" he goaded, and she connected the back of her hand with his face, rings and all, with considerable force. His jaw made an ungainly crunching sound.

He growled at her with rage and made to grab her, but she issued a right hook to his eye and he stumbled backwards. She drew her wand, slicing it in an arc through the air and pointed it at him, closing the distance between them in two big strides. She pressed the tip of her wand to his throat and spoke so closely to his face that flecks of spittle hit his face.

"Don't piss me off, little boy, because I can, and I will, tear you to pieces," she pressed her wand in harder, "If you try anything like this ever again, I will tell my father and you will be condemned to a painful and torturous death. Now if you'll excuse me."

She lifted her knee violently, hitting Blaise in the groin, before striding carefully out of the room. Her mind seemed suddenly clear and sharp, as if the adrenalin pumping through her body was ridding her mind of its alcohol fuelled fog. Despising it, she turned momentarily, and beckoned the bottle of Fire Whiskey to her with her wand, shooting a disgusted momentary look at Blaise. She caught the bottle and took a glug as she made her way out of the room, completely missing Draco pressed against the wall in the darkness.

He honestly didn't know what to think of her anymore.

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