The Attack

A few more months passed without any excitement. When I told Draco about my parents being forced into being Death Eaters, he totally freaked out. He was mostly pissed off because his mother hadn't told him about it, but he was also angry for my sake. I told him that she probably had a perfectly good explanation for the secrecy, but he wouldn't listen to me. Telling him about their situation just seemed to make him more eager to get us all out of there, even though we both knew that wasn't going to happen without a miracle. It took him months to confront Narcissa about my parents, and when he did, practically fuming with anger, she sagged back into her chair with guilt. While Draco was pressuring her, I sat next to her on the arm of the chair and put my hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Narcissa. I'm not angry. You can tell us." I said in a soothing tone, giving Draco a sharp look that told him to calm down or I would make him calm down. Narcissa looked up into my eyes with gratefulness.

"When my sister and her followers brought your parents here, I could see the sorrow in their eyes. I knew that there was only one thing that could make a parent feel like that: The loss of a child. I quickly took the opportunity to secretly go to them and comfort them, and we soon became friends. For all these years I've been going to them every chance I got, bringing them good food, entertainment, and just giving them my company. I kept them up to date on the outside world." She said, and I was welling up a bit.

"I'm so glad they had you all this time." I said in a small voice, and Draco rubbed my leg from where he was sitting on the floor, listening to the story. Narcissa continued.

"When you were brought here, Talia, I immediately went to them with the news. I thought they'd be overjoyed with having you here. And they were happy that you were safe, but they were also sad that you were here with these people that would hurt and use you. They were also quite adamant that I didn't tell you exactly what they were doing here, because they thought that knowledge would hurt you even more. Also, they knew if Bellatrix knew you knew they were here, she'd do terrible things to you. So they also made me promise not to tell you they were here. It's too bad they didn't realize I have an incredibly nosy son…" She said, smiling, looking at Draco, and he blushed.

"Thank you for taking care of them, Narcissa. I just hope that we all aren't stuck here forever. No offense." I said to her, and she smiled sadly.

"None taken, my dear." Just then, we heard the front door open with a loud slam, and an even louder shout coming from the Crazy Bitch herself.

"NATALIA JACKSON!" The three of us jumped at the loud sound, and we immediately sprang up. Draco went over to the bookshelf to make himself look busy, Narcissa picked up the book she had been reading, and I grabbed the cup of tea we had interrupted her from drinking. As Bellatrix entered the room, she saw Draco and Narcissa reading, and me handing her a cup of tea.

"Do you need anything else, Mrs. Malfoy?" I asked politely, and she looked up at me with warm eyes, but spoke in a cold voice only a Malfoy could fake.

"That will be all. For now." She said, and turned her head to greet her sister. Bellatrix smiled a little, and spoke in that sickly sweet voice of hers.

"Why, Sissy, if I knew the girl was neglecting her chores because she was serving you, I wouldn't have yelled." She said, but still gave me a harsh look. "Go outside and take care of the garden like you were supposed to. It was very hard to put up that weather barrier to protect it from that harsh winter we just had, so I will be very put out if it doesn't even matter because you don't tend to it properly. Draco dear, go out and keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't try anything. Although she knows what will happen if she does…" She said, giving me an obvious look. Evil Bitch. But Draco and I walked out of the room trying to suppress our grins.

Earlier in the year, when she still suspected us of sneaking around together, we decided to do something to change her mind. So one day, when I was serving him some tea, I purposefully brought him the wrong kind. He puffed up in anger and made him face turn red, but that might have been from struggling to keep a straight face.

"How dare you bring me this? I asked for Lavender Chamomile, but this is obviously Earl Grey. This is my father's tea. Do you want me to have to explain to him why I've been drinking his tea?" He yelled at me, and I lowered my eyes and pretended to grovel.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Malfoy, I promise it won't happen again—" He cut me off with a slap across the face, right over the permanent scars left by Bellatrix earlier. This had all been part of the plan, as we had put a charm on my face to numb it up for a while.

Now, walking outside with each other, we knew that our little skit had worked. When we got outside and closed the door, we burst out laughing. Still not wanting to piss of Bellatrix, we quickly got to work on the garden, pulling weeds and such. Once we were finally completely calm, I trusted my voice to speak.

"See, I told you your mother had a good reason for not telling us. You got all mad for nothing." I said, teasing him. He was down in the dirt, working with me, helping me get everything done faster.

"Yeah, yeah, you were right." He said, a little embarrassed. "So, tell me again, why do you want to get this all done fast? I mean, it's not like we had a bedroom date planned or anything. Although, I wouldn't object to it…" He said, wagging his eye brows at me, making me laugh.

"Maybe later. Last night was the last night of the full moon, so Kayla will be getting back sometime today and we were gonna hang. Maybe do some adventurous horseback riding or something."

"Oh, I see. That sounds fun." He said.

"You could come with us, if you want. She really likes you." I said, but he shook his head.

"No way. You two don't spend enough time together. You need to get some quality sister bonding time in. I'll just sit in my room and do my usual reading." He said, and he actually sounded content with that idea. We didn't talk for a few seconds.

"Definitely plan on some sexy time later, though. That's another thing I haven't had enough of lately." I said, giving him a sexy side glance that bought me a smoldering one in return.

…

I was absolutely filthy after working in the garden, so I went upstairs to take a shower and change. It was just me and Draco in the house now, Voldemort had all of his Death Eaters out on missions. Apparently, he was after something called the Elder Wand, whatever the hell that was. But at least it bought me a day of peace! I'd spend the rest of the day with Kayla, and then come home and spend the night with Draco. Perfection. I even put on a really cute bra for later. It was purple with black lace along the bottom, and I wore the matching underwear as well. But as I looked at myself in the mirror, I changed my mind and put on the ones that were the exact color of my eyes. But then, looking at myself in the mirror still, I realized that I almost always wear things because I think Draco will like them. I needed to keep my independence sometimes. So, I once again put the purple ones on. It felt good.

As I walked down the hallway to the Never Ending Staircase, though I was excited to see my sister, I kept my head down, just in case. I knew that the only ones in the house were me, Draco, and Narcissa, but it was still good to be prepared for anything. Even my parents were out with Bellatrix today. It made me nervous, wondering what she was making them do this very moment. I wished I could get them out of here sooner. But, there was nothing to be done about it at the moment. Not being able to contain my eagerness any longer, I hopped down the stairs, a huge smile on my face. But when I was just two or three steps from the bottom, I was suddenly hit with one of the worst headaches I'd ever had. It wasn't one of those normal, stress headaches everybody got. It was one of my special, skull-splitting, mind-numbing, psychic headaches. My hands flew to my head as if to keep it in place, my legs buckled, and I fell down the last few stairs to land on my knees. Narcissa, who had been sitting in her usual spot on the couch, jumped up in alarm and ran over to me, her book lying on the floor, forgotten.

"Talia!" She cried out, and knelt down to my level. She grabbed my elbows firmly but gently, and guided me to a chair. I was still clutching my head, so she ran into another room and came back with a potion that she helped me gulp down. "Is that better?" She asked, and I nodded. The pain was still there, but it was no longer the sharp, throbbing pain from before. Now it was just a dull echo of the pain. "What on earth was that?" She asked me, and I longed to tell her the truth. I really did. But I knew that if I told her the truth, she'd get worried, and she's tell Draco, and he'd be extra worried, and they'd put me in my room and make me stay there. But, I also did not want to lie to her, so I settled for somewhere in between.

"It was just a headache. No big deal. I woke up with it, and it just throbbed a little harder just then. It surprised me, that's all. I have this terrible tendency to clench my teeth in my sleep. Must be all the stress I'm under lately." I told her, planting a smile on my face, hoping she'd buy it. And she did.

"Well, that's a relief. I was afraid it was something serious!" She said, giving a little laugh of relief. But she still seemed to look at me in a way that said she wasn't sure if she should believe me or not. I just laughed casually and stood up. It took all my willpower not to sit down again, because I suddenly felt light-headed.

"Nope, just your average headache."

"Well, I'm glad. If you're sure you're okay, I think I'll head up stairs and take a shower."

"Sounds good!" I said, and left her to go outside. The clean, fresh air was a huge help, and my head finally cleared up. I turned around to make sure Narcissa wasn't still watching me, and I took off running the rest of the way to the stables. Kayla had to hear about this. Someone was in danger. I didn't know who for sure, but I had to make sure she was okay. I burst through the door without knocking, hoping she wasn't naked or something.

"Kayla! Something just happened and I—" I stopped what I was saying, because I looked around to find Kayla not there. That was weird, she should've been back by then. I looked around the room from where I was standing again, and then I started to look behind all the horses in case she was brushing them with her headphones again and couldn't hear me. No, she wasn't here. I looked over at the corner where all of her stuff was, and felt a little relieved when I saw that she had left me a note on her pillow.

Talia

Instead of coming back home right away, I'm gonna go visit Blaise at Hogwarts. We're meeting in Hogsmeade, and then I'll be back in a couple of days. Don't worry, I won't get lost!

Kay

She knew me too well. Of course she'd tell me not to worry. And I was a little disappointed that she wasn't here, but I supposed it was okay. She and Blaise were good together, and since he was back in school, she wouldn't get to see him that much. I just hoped that she'd be careful, now that Snape and the Carrows were running things. And, this meant I'd get to spend more of the day with Draco.

I dropped the note back to the floor, and was just about to turn around and head back into the house when I felt a huge, warm, sweaty hand grab my shoulder from behind me. When I felt his hot breath in my ear, I didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. My body went rigid with terror.

"Hello, my pretty little thing. I've been waiting a long time for this. Always watching, always waiting. And finally, we are alone." His hands went to my waist, and he started to sniff my neck. I felt his mouth open as he was about to bite me, and a tear rolled down my cheek. He noticed, and it made him stop. I hoped that it was because maybe he felt a little sympathy for me, but I was wrong. He spun me around so that I was facing him, and I found myself staring into the eyes of Fenrir Greyback. He was holding me very close, much like the kind of embrace Draco and I had been in multiple times. But this one was very, very different.

"Don't cry, Little Songbird. I'm not going to kill you."

And then he went for my throat.

…

Draco POV

I was pacing in my room, a book in my hand, when my mother's soft knock pulled me out of it. I opened the door to find her there, looking normal, if a little weary.

"Is something wrong, mother? You look… worried." I asked her, and she smiled, trying to calm me down. She'd always known how to.

"No, nothing's wrong, my dear. It's just… well, I was just thinking you should keep an eye on Talia for a little while. I don't think she's feeling very well." She said, and I was a little confused.

"That's weird. She was feeling just fine an hour ago when I saw her last." I said, wondering if she was okay. I mean, she was always okay. She's Talia. But she also is the kind of person to not tell someone when something's bothering her. "Is she okay?"

"Oh, I think she'll be just fine. She just had a headache, and it made her trip down the stairs— Draco, what's the matter?" I had tensed up right when she had mentioned the headache, cutting her off.

"Where is she?" I asked quickly, already dashing out of the room.

"She was heading outside…" She might have said more, but I wasn't listening anymore. Nothing else mattered except getting to Talia now. I ran as fast as I could, but this stupid hallway was too long. As I ran past a window, something caught my eye, and I stopped and went back to it. This window overlooked the back of the house, where the stables were. And just as I ran past it, someone was stepping out the door. It was Greyback, and he was wiping something dark off his mouth. As if he could sense me watching him, he turned his head to the window I was at and smiled a huge, toothy smile, and waved at me. And then he was gone. And once again, I was running. I swear to God, if he killed her, I'd kill him, and I'd kill anyone who got in my way. Aunt Bella, My father, even Voldemort. Out of fear, I never used his name, even when me and Talia were talking about him. But if she was gone, nothing would matter to me anymore.

The Never Ending Staircase, as Talia always called it, never felt so long in all my years of living here. It was as if the farther my feet ran, the longer the staircase got. I needed to get to her before… I couldn't even think about what I would find. I was vaguely aware of my mother running after me, calling my name, but I ignored her. I had to get to Talia first.

I burst through the door to the back yard and sprinted as fast as was possible to the stables not having to open the doors, since Greyback had left them open. I swear, it was like he'd wanted me to find her like that. She was on the ground, unmoving. There was blood all over her face, neck, and shoulders, all coming from the draining wound at her neck. As I rushed over to her, praying for a miracle, I cried out with relief at the sight of her open, yet strangely cloudy, eyes. Not caring about getting her blood on me or my suit, I knelt beside her and stroked her face, feeling for a pulse. She had one, and her chest was slowly moving up and down, but she still didn't seem to notice me touching her. I turned her face toward me, and tried speaking to her.

"Tal? Can you hear me? Talia? Please, Tal, you have to say something…" I said softly, stroking her face, trying to get her to speak. She didn't speak, but I did notice when her eyes found mine. The sheer terror in her eyes sent an all to welcome wave of fury through me. My mother was now on Tal's other side, apparently having followed me all the way.

"Draco? We have to get her inside immediately. She's losing a lot of blood, dear." My mother said to me, and I nodded in agreement. I very gently picked up Talia, cradling her against me like a hurt child, and with one hand she grabbed the back of my jacket, and the other she grabbed one of my hands, and she squeezed with what felt like all the strength she had left.

"Draco…" She whispered, almost too quiet to hear, but loud enough to hear the pain.

"Shh, it's going to be okay. I've got you." I said to here, and she relaxed in my arms, passing out. My mother and I were hurrying inside, bringing Tal up to her room. My mother summoned some first aid supplies to follow her.

"What happened to her?" My mother asked, probably rhetorically, but I knew the answer.

"Greyback attacked her. I saw him leave." My mother gasped, and sped up her pace a little, to where she was actually moving faster than me. We couldn't go too fast, wanting to keep Talia as steady as possible, but I took the last few stairs a little quicker than I should have. But she still didn't wake up.

"Draco, she's going to be okay." My mother said, sensing my internal panic as only a mother could. As we got to Talia's room and laid her down on the bed, I noticed that her shirt was open, revealing a lacey, purple bra. Had he done more than drink her blood? The thought made me even more furious, and I had to jump off the bed walk around so I didn't jostle her awake. "Draco, just stay calm—" But I was too angry to listen, so I just interrupted her.

"I'm going to bloody murder him! How dare he lay a finger on my Talia? He almost killed her! And he violated her while doing it!"

"Draco—" My mother was still trying to calm me down, but it still wasn't working. I knew I wasn't in my right mind, but I didn't care. I wasn't seeing straightly.

"You know, once when we were at school, we were talking about our worst fears. And do you know what hers was? This. Werewolves. Being attacked by one. And he did it. He did this to her…" I trailed off, not wanting to continue. My mother was still saying my name, trying to get me to sit down, but I just ignored her. She even got up and left Talia to come over to me, which made me even angrier.

"Leave me alone, mother. Go make sure she's okay." I said.

"She'll be fine, Draco. You need to calm down right now before you do something that you'll regret."

"I'm not going to calm down, mother—"

"Draco…" The quiet, weak voice of Talia barely reached us, but it was enough for me. I hurried over to her, my anger forgotten for the moment. I grabbed her hand.

"How are you feeling, love?" I asked, making my voice as soft as possible.

"Like shit." She said, and to my surprise, she laughed. This made her hurt even more, so she went back to whispering. "Ow."

"Just take it easy, dear, alright?" My mother said, and Talia nodded.

"What happened, Tal? What did he do to you?" I asked her. My mother gave me a sharp look.

"Leave her alone, Draco." She said, but Talia grabbed her hand and gave both mine and hers a reassuring squeeze.

"It's okay, Narcissa." She closed her eyes for a second, and then opened them again. "I went into the stables looking for Kayla, but she wasn't there. I found a note that she left me saying that she had decided to visit Blaise at Hogwarts instead of coming home right away. That's when Greyback cornered me. He said he wasn't going to kill me, and then he attacked me. He…" She trailed off, eyeing her open shirt, and I could tell it was hard for her to remember this. "He didn't rape me, but he definitely enjoyed feeling me up." She said, and I got a little angry. I must have put a little too much pressure on her hand, because she looked at me. "Hey, I'm alive, aren't I?"

"Well, yeah, but you almost weren't. And I'm going to kill him for that." She roughly grabbed the collar of my shirt and dragged me down closer to her face, and glared at me with those beautiful eyes of hers.

"Draco Malfoy, I forbid you to say anything like that again. You're not a murderer." She said sternly.

"Tal—"

"No! I forbid it!" She said again.

"But—"

"Forbidden!" She whisper-yelled, and that made me laugh. My mother started to clean her up, dabbing at her neck and shoulders. We heard a screeching voice from downstairs that could only belong to the Crazy Bitch otherwise known as my aunt. My mother sighed.

"I suppose I should go down and talk to her. Draco, take over for me here." She said, handing me the rag. I went around to Tal's other side, squeezed the rag in the bucket of clean water, turning it from clear to pink. This bothered me, so I quickly looked away. Before my mother left, she gave a reassuring look to Talia.

"Don't worry, my dear. You'll be just fine. You'll have to stay in bed for a couple weeks, though." She said, and Talia's face turned into a cute little pout, so I couldn't resist from leaning down and lightly kissing her stuck out lip. Mother laughed. Look at it this way, Talia. No working for my sister for a few weeks." She said, and the instant change Talia's face had made me laugh out loud.

"Yes!"