Chapter 16 I've Given Up On Chapter Names. I'll Call This One Frank.
WARNINGS!
Mild violence/torture (I don't know if you should call it torture, but better safe than sorry)
Draco was walking towards the library. He had a free period, and a book he had to pick up for his DADA class.
Most students had classes, so the corridor was deserted and echoed with his lonesome footsteps.
Draco thought there was no danger in going alone, since every corridor was empty.
He couldn't have been less right.
"Obscuro," a voice whispered, as he passed and alcove. The next moment Draco couldn't see a thing.
He reached up and tried to get the blindfold of, but it didn't work. It was stuck.
"Stupefy," another voice shouted. Fortunately, Draco reacted quickly.
"Protego!" he shouted and heard the spell hit the shield.
He heard the attackers come closer. It sounded like at least three people. He was definitely at disadvantage.
He heard a murmur and realized, a moment later, that someone had sent a tripping jinx. He fell over, but clutched his wand in his hand. He wouldn't go down without a fight.
"Fumos." Draco directed his wand towards the attackers. He hoped that the smokescreen would buy him some time.
He heard someone cough, while another sounded like they tried to spell away the smoke. Draco sent a 'Everte Statum' towards the place he heard a chough from. He heard a small yelp and a thud. He guessed that he had hit his target.
Draco was just about to stand up again, when he heard a sound to his left. Someone had snuck up on him.
The next second he was hit with a Petrificus Totalus. He fell down on the floor again, unable to move.
"Silencio," he heard someone whisper. He knew that voice. It was Theo's. Of course.
In the middle of the battle he didn't have time to try and recognize the voices, but now it was easy.
He heard Daphne a few feet away, telling someone that they should've ducked. He guessed she was talking to the person his spell had hit.
"I couldn't see anything," he heard Marcus Flint's angry voice answer.
"Hey, keep quiet!" Theo snapped. "We don't want to get caught."
He heard Theo cast a feather light charm on him, and Marcus picked him up. Daphne took his wand, from the floor, and put it away somewhere.
Draco could only listen while they walked towards an unknown destination. He wished he could shout for help, or that someone would come by, but that didn't happen.
After a couple of minutes he was let down on a cold floor. He heard a door close.
Someone took off his blindfold, and he blinked towards the light.
Once he could see again he noticed they were in a unused classroom. Theo and Daphne stood in front of him while Marcus stood by the door, probably on guard.
"Hello Draco," Daphne said with a sugar sweet voice.
Draco was still paralysed, so he couldn't move. His eyes darted around the room.
"We said this wasn't over," Theo said, lifting his wand toward Draco, "but you seem to have let your guard down."
Theo crouched in front of Draco, poking his chest with his wand. He leaned in next to Draco's ear and whispered.
"Big mistake."
He leaned back again and grinned.
"What should we do to you first?" Daphne asked. "Maybe you would like to tell us yourself what you'd prefer?"
She cast a silence charm on the door, before she lifted the one placed on Draco.
"What do you want? Why are you doing this?" Draco said glaring at them.
"We want to show you what happens to traitors Draco," Theo answered. "We want to punish you."
"So you want me to stop seeing Harry?" Not that Draco planned on doing so.
"Oh no Draco. You misunderstood us. We wouldn't forgive you even if you dumped Potter in a ditch," Daphne said. "Even though that would be entertaining. You see, the harms already been done."
"So you'll just punish me, as an example for other eventual traitors?" Draco asked feeling disgusted.
"That," Theo said grinning wider, "and for pleasure."
"You're sick." Draco spat.
Theo shrugged.
"Anyway Draco," Daphne said, "do you have any requests for your… punishment?"
She made it sound as if she merely asked what he wanted for dinner.
"How about you let me go and leave me alone?" he growled.
"Tut, tut, none of that now," Daphne continued, eyes gleaming. "You know we can't do that."
Draco glared at her as she moved closer.
"Why don't we start with something simple?" she said with that sweet smile.
Draco knew what they planed was nothing sweet though.
"You seemed to like casting that Fumos charm on us earlier," Daphne continued, "Why don't we start with that?"
To Draco's surprise she cast a bubble head charm on him. First he thought she did it by mistake, until she muttered fumos and speared his bubble with her wand.
The smoke spread inside the bubble and made it hard to breathe.
He gasped and coughed, but nothing worked. His body was still bound so he could only throw his head around. This only made him more dizzy.
The smoke enveloped his mouth and nose. His lungs filled.
He saw black and white dots starting to cover his vision. His ears started ringing somewhat.
"Don't drag out on it... don't want... unconscious... Haven't even started." Draco heard a few incoherent words from, who he thought was, Theo.
The next second the bubble disappeared. He gasped for air, senses slowly coming back.
His lungs still ached, but at least he could breathe.
He saw Daphne glaring mildy at Theo, who now stood closer to him again.
"Sorry Draco," he said, not looking sorry at all. "Want some water?"
Before Draco could shake his head Theo whispered "Aguamenti", and water poured over his head.
Draco coughed and spit out the water that dripped into his mouth. It was really cold too, and now he was soaked.
"Oh, poor Draco. You look so miserable," Daphne said, fake pouting.
Draco glared back.
"You'll pay for this!" Draco said in a hoarse voice. His lungs still burned from the smoke.
Daphne's eyes flared and she sent a quick cutting charm that hit Draco's bisep.
He hissed from the pain. It didn't cut that deep, but it hurt like hell.
"Don't talk back," she snapped.
"Or you'll do what? I don't think It'll make you do something worse than you already had planned."
"We can drag it out longer," Theo said. "We have the time, trust me."
He crouched in front of Draco again.
"Do you want to die fast, or slow?" he asked.
"You won't kill me!" Draco snapped.
"We might not," Theo said, shrugging. "But this potion most certainly will."
Theo pulled out a trumpet formed vial engraved with an angel.
"Or maybe I should say poison? It's called Angel's Trumpet Draught, maybe you've heard of it?" Theo said, stroking the angel on the vial. "It's supposed to kill you half an hour after drinking it."
"We didn't want you to go to easy Draco," Daphne added. "Of course it'll be painful before you die."
Draco was honestly shocked. He knew they didn't like him. Might even hate him. He knew they wanted him to suffer.
But kill him? No, he never thought that.
Theo the gentle boy who he had played with on summer days, before Hogwarts. The little boy who had been afraid of butterflies. The boy who, once, had been a close friend. Who had helped him snatch cookies from the kitchen, by distracting the house-elves.
And Daphne, the sweet girl, who never wanted to get dirt on her summer robes. Who cried when they threw dirt at her, and laughed ten minutes later when she threw dirt back at them.
He had a hard time seeing them as murderers.
Even Marcus! He had never been close to the older boy, but he still didn't think he was capable of helping with murder.
But the betrayal from his childhood friends stung a bit more.
"You're really going to kill me?" Draco asked, almost unsure.
Daphne shrugged careless and Theo just smirked.
"Marcus come here!" Theo shouted over his shoulder.
The older boy walked over to them.
"What?" he asked, quite stupidly.
Theo rolled his eyes, "You'll hold his mouth open while I pour."
The reality of the situation started to sink in for Draco. He could be dead in half an hour. If so, the last few minutes of his life would be spent with these people.
Suddenly he missed Harry more than he ever had before. He had been the little light in Draco's, otherwise, dark life. In only a few week's he had been able to brighten up Draco's life. The little candle of light he had been at first, blossomed to a Lumos Maxima.
Draco didn't want to think of how Harry would feel if he died.
He knew Harry loved him. He didn't understand how, or why, most of the time, but he new he did.
And Draco loved Harry.
If Draco died Harry would be crushed. He would blame himself. Draco wasn't sure how Harry could handle even more hurt in his life.
After Sirius death he had been utterly crushed. Draco had a suspicion the only thing keeping him from ending it all was Draco, and his friends. But would he survive without Draco?
Not that Draco though he was worth dying for, or killing oneself for, but he knew how Harry felt.
And he hadn't taken Harry out on a real date yet! He already had most of it planned out. But Harry would never experience it.
Suddenly he was at least ten times more afraid of dying, then he already was.
Marcus walked up next to him and stood on his knees. He pried Draco's mouth opened. Draco fought against him to his best ability, but Marcus was to strong.
Theo slowly uncorked the vial with the poison and regarded it, before bringing it to Draco's lips.
He tipped the vial and ice cold liquid entered his mouth. Draco couldn't really detect a taste, only the coldness.
He tried to spit it out but Marcus held his hand over Draco's mouth, while Daphne cast a swallowing charm.
The cold, silky, liquid ran down his throat and it felt as if it froze his insides.
Except for the cold, Draco didn't feel anything else.
Authors note:
Sorry, not sorry, for the cliffhanger. Hope you liked it ;)
Next chapter will involve more torture, pain and stuff like that. No big visible injuries. But there'll be descriptions of pain and suffering. If you don't like it, don't read it. (It's not the worst torture scenes, at least according to me. They're relatively mild. But read at own risk.)
Please leave reviews!