She would be happy here.
She had to be happy here- she had no other choice. She'd once been happy at a wizarding school back in Germany, but that was before the War. Before the darkness had come and swept across Europe from Britain. Before Death Eaters had roamed the skies and the simple sight of a snake was seen daily, spray painted on walls wherever you looked- the dark mark. But no matter how many times Alina saw the snake back when she was living in Germany, it brought terror that nipped at her spine and clawed inside her stomach- a painful reminder of what the snake symbolised… and the death it had brought to her family.
Alina stared up wide-eyed at the gigantic castle standing at the edge of the lake- Hogwarts. It looked like a happy place, with an atmosphere of warmth and joy. Perhaps she would settle here eventually. Its great stone walls seemed almost like a comforting enclosure; somewhere she could be safe for the first time in the last year.
With a sigh, Alina leaned back against the back of the carriage she was sat on. It was a dark, sleek black with simple, yet comfortable benches in the back, made for transporting hundreds of students after they'd stepped off the train from platform 9 ¾. It was being pulled by a thestral, she could barely see its dark outline against the heavy night that was encompassing her. It must be so late by now, she thought. It was mid-November at present, Aline was late leaving Germany to come to Hogwarts whilst sorting out…sorting out her parent's will. The thought brought pinprick tears to her eyes but she shook her head and wiped them away quickly. She would not be sad about them now. The time for mourning had passed, and she needed to move on.
The trees that lined the dirt track on which they were travelling were starting to thin out. The trunks becoming slimmer and further away from the trees around it, and before long they were on an open road leading directly to the school.
"How late am I?" Aline muttered to herself, seeing the lights in the towers of Hogwarts winking out one by one. Like little fireflies she could see the exceptional window still emitting light from the soft glow of a candle, but it seemed the main hall was dark.
The carriage crept closer and closer to the school, the little lamp hanging off the side swinging violently with each step the thestral took, making a small rattling sound as it went, disturbing the loud silence sweeping over the deserted road.
It was odd how the atmosphere was so…cold. Aline could see the school and how warm and inviting it looked, but out here she just didn't feel safe. Then there was a complete silence that took hold.
Aline swallowed nervously, her heart hammering against her chest, thundering harshly against the absolute quiet. Even the lantern had stopped swinging- the carriage had stopped moving. They'd almost reached the school, but Aline couldn't seem to will her feet to walk the rest of the way.
She whipped her head around to look at the thestral. It had stopped in its tracks and was sniffing the air for something. Aline's stomach began to knot itself, curling up and tightening to create a sense of dread deep, deep inside her.
Drawing on the courage she had found in the War, Aline slowly took her wand from her robes and hovered her arm mid-air, poised with the weapon, ready for an attack. Her breathing became slow and controlled, like she'd had to practice in the war- when one wrong move would mean your death.
Eyes whipping to scout every direction, Aline slowly stepped from the carriage, each step purposeful as she stood tall, her arm still outstretched. A rustle drew her gaze to the East side of the carriage, to a cluster of bushes next to a tree lining the winding road. Her eyes narrowed, squinting in the dark night until she could see a crouched figure just behind the shrubbery.
"Lumo-" Aline started to whisper, but her incantation was cut off when the figure jumped from the bushes and knocked straight into her chest, sending Aline hurdling backwards against the carriage, her back smacking against its polished wood loudly. She cried out but a gloved hand thrust out from the dark and clamped down on her throat, squeezing tightly enough to stop her screams and hurt enough to leave bruises, but not hard enough that Aline thought her assailant's aim was to kill. They wanted her alive, she thought.
"Are you Aline Valerius?" growled a voice from under the dark hood. He was a man, his voice was too deep to be a woman's, and the hoarse way he said her name, it sent shivers down Aline's spine. This man was dangerous, he had no hint of kindness in his voice, it was simply… like an animal. Hunting its prey.
How he expected her to reply, with his hand clamped round her throat, Aline didn't know. But she stared up into that black hood, searching for something that would give her attacker away.
"Shake or nod your head, girl." He spat, loosening his grip ever so slightly, but Aline stayed still, buying herself time to think. She still had her wand tightly gripped in her right hand but by the time she raised it to cast… he'd know- he may do worse to her. Think think think Aline. You didn't get through the War to be ambushed before you start your new life.
Aline dared a glance to her left, where Hogwarts lay, if she wasn't already inside the school grounds…maybe no one would hear her screams. She was on her own.
He grabbed her chin and snapped her head to face him, and Aline found great dark eyes bearing into her own. Suddenly a feeling of violation overcame her, and Aline found herself at a backseat, surfing through her own memories. A scene of Aline and her family in Berlin years ago, Aline at her first day in the German wizarding school, then fast forwarded to years later when she was learning to apparate. Disgust overwhelmed her, this was all private. She tried to shove him out, build a wall between their minds but he seemed rooted in. Continuing to search her memories. He was adept at occlumency. She was at his mercy.
A different snapshot came into view, Aline dancing under the stars with a wizard boy. She looked younger, freer. Before the War had hardened her- forced her to kill. She wanted to smile at the memory, her crimson gown flowing freely as she twirled in the arms of her past love. But this was private, one of the few happy memories she kept locked away in a deep place in her heart. She tried to scream and shove at the man invading her mind and the scene changed quickly to that same boy, only a year later with blood pouring from his eyes as he writhed in pain under the Crucio curse. His body contorting in agony and his screams… they shattered her control. They raked at her ears, how she was forced to stand there and watch.
"OUT!" Aline screamed and reached to claw at her attacker's face. Her nails ripped across his cheek and came back wet, drawing blood.
The dark-haired girl took her chance- she ran. First her feet were wonky on the ground, she feared of falling but before long Aline straightened and sprinted toward to school- sanctuary.
"Crucio!" yelled the same male voice from behind her. An instinct told Aline the curse was headed straight for the centre of her back, getting closer… she had less than seconds.
Think think think…
He had violated her mind like that, likely figuring out if she were indeed who that man wanted, but he had watched on her memories… learning to apparate…
Aline begged whatever force there was that she hadn't yet crossed into Hogwarts as she tugged on that power to apparate, feeling the sensation of being squeezed through a tube then she was flying, barrelling through the sky toward Hogwarts in a cloud of white light.
Then she was on Hogwarts grounds, the brick towers coming closer and closer as she soared over the lake with no control.
Shit, I'll crash. Aline thought, at least she wouldn't endure whatever torture that man had planned. Who even was he?
The great school of Hogwarts looked almost deserted in these early hours of the morning- all the windows dark except one, Aline noticed at the top of one of many towers. The window emitted a faint glow, as if the person inside had out a single candle but it was the only light she could see… but now she was soaring straight for it.
Still fuelled by adrenaline, Aline barely felt the impact as her side smashed against the window, shattering the glass as she tumbled into the room in a cloud of white light. She tossed and turned in the air, barrelling for what looked like a bedpost.
Not even the adrenaline could shield her from the pain of knocking against the bed though, pain sparked across her whole left side where she'd flown right into the wooden post. But as much as it pained her, Aline shakily stood to her feet, room spinning, then a flash of white light illuminated her surroundings. Someone had cast a lumos charm.
Double vision impaired her senses as she stared to the white light, and caster behind it. Perhaps the most beautiful man Aline had ever seen stood before her. His features were still blurred, but an ethereal elegance surrounded him. He had striking white hair and a sculpted chest… chest!
Aline begged her eyes not to glance downwards as she slowly realised the man here was naked. Probably sleeping before you flew in here… she thought.
"Who the fuck are you?" He questioned, but his voice sounded ragged, like she'd pulled him from sleeping. Aline squinted against the bright lumos charm, bringing up her hand to shield the light.
"Put down your wand- now!" his voice changed immediately to something stern. It was commanding, this man likely had authority here if he would speak to her like that.
She realised her shielding hand held her wand- but this was her only defence. If she dropped the wand and this man wasn't friendly… she wouldn't risk another violation like that man before.
But she had no choice. She was barely in her right mind, her head felt foggy from apparating and the occlumency. Aline dropped the wand a foot in front of the man. He cautiously stepped forward to pick it up, and Aline took another step back.
The movement caused dizziness to overcome her.
Aline swayed on the spot, vision going in and out of focus. I'm going to faint… She thought, the world turning upside down.
The white-haired boy took another step toward her, but Aline backed into a solid object, a wardrobe maybe?
"Hey, look at me." Came that voice again, but she could barely see, could barely think… she would faint… any second.
Another step.
No, not faint, bile rose to her mouth, but she willed it down. Perhaps a mixture of motion sickness, fear, and violation of her memories but Aline's stomach convulsed and she bent over to be sick over the wooden flooring.
Now ashamed, Aline wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and looked back up at the boy before her.
"Pleased to meet your acquaintance," she mumbled, gazing hazily into his eyes, not able to bring her vision into focus.
A harsh snort sounded from the boy, but he waved his wand at the pile of vomit and it disappeared into thin air. At least that embarrassment had gone.
"Now," the boy took another step to her, "would you like to tell me how you apparated into Hogwarts boundaries before, or after you faint from blood loss because that shard of glass sticking from your side does look terribly uncomfortable."
In the dim light Aline made out a faint smirk on his face. Utter disgust echoed through her. The prick- she'd flown through his window escaping what looked like a Death Eater and puked over his floor yet he had the nerve to be sarcastic.
"Perhaps you could just point me to the Headmistress' office and I'll be on my way." Aline responded, holding his gaze with the little energy she had left.
The boy sucked in a breath, "This is on my terms, considering how rudely you burst into my room when I was in such a state of undress." Aline couldn't help but look at his whole body again, but in the time between her 'rude' bursting in he'd thrown on some pyjama bottoms- likely whilst she'd hurled her guts up. "So I'll ask again- before or after you faint from blood loss will you answer my question?"
She narrowed her eyes. "After I mutter the words 'fuck you' will I not answer your question, and make my way to Professor McGonagall." Aline scanned the room, finding the door… behind the boy. "So would you mind terribly, if you moved out of the way so I can leave?"
"Yes I would mind terribly. Perhaps I will just wait until you faint, considering you're already swaying side to side and your pupils keep dilating then undulating, though that may just be due to my presence." He smirked again and Aline fought the urge to roll her eyes. She'd barely met the man and already he was insufferable.
"Perhaps… the medical room would be best?" she was already losing her ability to think clearly. Stringing sentences together seemed like such an effort- words were dangling just outside her reach, sarcastic retorts fading from memory.
"Apparition. Tell me." His words were harsh but he still said them with a cunning smile.
"One of… many… many talents of mine," Aline just managed to piece together before the ground came spinning close to her. Knees giving way, she fell to the ground but mere inches from her face hitting the ground, did it hover. "Now you're… you're levitating me…" words escaped her memory. "Hospital. Glass shard. Blood. Dizzy." She started breathing heavily, not to vomit again, but attempting to put off her inevitable fainting.
"Are you a student?" He questioned, ignoring her previous commands.
"Yes I am a bloody student look at my robes." Aline spat.
"Yet no house colour or crest embroidered?" He returned.
"I have yet to be sorted," Aline gulped down some more air, "now can we leave the… the… interrogation till l-later?" The room spun again slowly, and Aline looked to the blonde straight on- he'd flipped her the right way up using the wingardium leviosa charm.
"Appreciated," she mumbled.
"To the infirmary it is, then." He replied. "…and the interrogation can continue later."
With a flick of his wand, Aline was slowly floating through the air behind him, gradually losing consciousness, darkness creeping to the edges of her vision, but before she blacked out from exhaustion and blood loss, she briefly caught his next words:
"The name is Draco by the way. Draco Malfoy."
So in celebration of my 1 year anniversary on fanfic, I'm publishing this new story! Hope you enjoy, and reviews are always appreciated! :)