Disclaimer: I wrote, invented, and own all Harry Potter related trademarks;
the moon is made of cheese, and two wrongs make a right. In other words, I
own nothing, but the plot.
The quote comes from Winston Churchill, not me.
A Death Eater's Daughter
"Choices"
Caught in the Middle:
The days until Christmas break passed quickly, too quickly for Blaise's liking and soon I noticed the grounds were dusted in snow and Professor Flitwick had decorated the Great Hall. Her Potions project was near completion and I could not wait until I no longer had to work with Harry and Neville. Both boys seemed to think I was cold and introverted, but in truth I had come to agree with the other Slytherins. Gryffindors were thick and total prats.
One day at breakfast a letter arrived for me, delivered by an eagle owl, who I recognized as Draco's owl. I looked at the return address, it came from Narcissa Black-Malfoy.
Dear Blasie, Please join us for Christmas at the Manor. Draco will bring you from the train station to our home. There will be a surprise for you once you arrive. I am sure by now you are aware of what and who you are. Do not worry about what your parents will say I have already contacted them. Aunt Narcissa
Draco glanced at me from the other side of the table, nodding signaling he too had received a similar letter. 'Meet me in the entryway,' he mouthed leaving the table. Perhaps five minutes later I left to find him.
"You got a letter from my mother as well," he said dryly.
"Yes, I guess I will be joining you for Christmas," I answered feeling as though it might not be too bad. I had come to a feeling of mutual respect with Draco, but that did not mean I wanted to marry him.
"Perhaps you would like me to spoil your surprise?" he asked drawling. My thoughts flew back to the letter. What surprise could Aunt Narcissa have for me?
"Let me guess, is it animal, vegetable, or mineral?" I asked smirking, but not nearly as large as the one that passed over Draco's face.
"Your mother and father have been released, or rescued, from Azkaban and are currently staying at our manor. That would be animal," he replied still smirking. My eyes widened and I could scarcely believe what I had heard.
"Does that mean?...Do I have to?.Do you?" I asked trailing off not wanting to voice my question out loud. Up until this moment I had been denying any thoughts of our betrothal.
"Probably," he answered simply looking anywhere, but at her.
"I am truly sorry Draco. I know you really liked Ginny-" I began.
"What about you and Potter," he cut in trying to stop the flush in his cheeks. I sighed then started to speak.
"You were right, he hates Slytherins and he called your family evil. However, we are family and I would never let anyone call me evil," I answered watching his reaction carefully.
"You did not have to stand up for me," he said slowly.
"I know, I wanted to." Draco stood there, but then another thought crossed his mind.
"Blaise, I have to show you something, but you have to promise never to make the same mistake I did," he said staring at me. What mistake could Draco have made that would be so awful? I nodded. He rolled up his left sleeve, and there on his arm was the Dark Mark. It had been burned onto his flesh.
"When?" I asked breathlessly. I could not believe he bore the mark of a Death Eater.
"This summer, my father forced me to join the ranks of the Death Eaters," he said solemnly. "I am not a good person and I can not change who I am for anyone, Ginny Weasley included."
"She saw your mark?" I asked concerned for Draco. "How?"
"We were cleaning our cauldrons and she told me to roll up my sleeves, but I could not. She decided to roll them up for me and she saw. She swore never to tell anyone, but she skirts away from me and will not even look me in the eyes," he told her in a hushed voice.
"I am so sorry," I said not knowing what else to say.
"It is not like a really had a chance anyway," he added bitterly.
"I wish that we did not have to," I said just as bitterly as he.
"If it makes you feel better my mother did offer me a choice a between you and Pansy, I choice you," he said laughing. We parted ways to go to class, but a strange new feeling had sprung inside me, dread.
I was to be kept in a cage for the rest of my life, a gilded cage, but a cage nonetheless. I would finish school, marry Draco, (who was not that horrible, but still) then raise an heir, and be condemned to live as the matriarch of the Malfoy clan until I died. I would be forced to love, honor, and worst of all obey Draco. What a wonderful life to look forward to. Perhaps worst of all, I would be married to a Death Eater, not as though that had been Draco's choice. The more I reflect on it the more I felt Draco and I had very little control over our own lives. Sometimes I wish I could just give up and not walk another step, but then a voice said, "Do not quit yet, Blaise." I whipped around to see who was speaking and saw Albus Dumbledore.
"How much do you know?" I asked feeling scared.
"Enough to know that you can not quit. Not on yourself, not on Draco malfoy, not even on Harry Potter," he said eyes twinkling.
"Yes, sir," I answered meekly.
"Remember, 'life is a test and this world is a place of trial. Always the problem- or it may be the same problem- will always be presented to every generation in different forms,'" Dumbledore said.
"What is that suppose to mean?" I asked puzzled.
"What do you think it means?" he asked.
"Our parents faced the same trial so they may understand us better than we think," I said trying to remember exactly what he had said.
"Very good, Blaise. And also their choices need not be yours," he said.
"So you are saying that we can save ourselves or at the least save our children," I said suddenly understanding. But, when I looked up at him to confirm what I had said he was gone.
A/N: I know I have not updated in forever, but I was away at school and then in Minnesota trying out for a Colorguard. I will try to update more frequently, but I can not promise anything. I still love all my reviewers and readers, though. Thanks, Love KTBallerina.
A Death Eater's Daughter
"Choices"
Caught in the Middle:
The days until Christmas break passed quickly, too quickly for Blaise's liking and soon I noticed the grounds were dusted in snow and Professor Flitwick had decorated the Great Hall. Her Potions project was near completion and I could not wait until I no longer had to work with Harry and Neville. Both boys seemed to think I was cold and introverted, but in truth I had come to agree with the other Slytherins. Gryffindors were thick and total prats.
One day at breakfast a letter arrived for me, delivered by an eagle owl, who I recognized as Draco's owl. I looked at the return address, it came from Narcissa Black-Malfoy.
Dear Blasie, Please join us for Christmas at the Manor. Draco will bring you from the train station to our home. There will be a surprise for you once you arrive. I am sure by now you are aware of what and who you are. Do not worry about what your parents will say I have already contacted them. Aunt Narcissa
Draco glanced at me from the other side of the table, nodding signaling he too had received a similar letter. 'Meet me in the entryway,' he mouthed leaving the table. Perhaps five minutes later I left to find him.
"You got a letter from my mother as well," he said dryly.
"Yes, I guess I will be joining you for Christmas," I answered feeling as though it might not be too bad. I had come to a feeling of mutual respect with Draco, but that did not mean I wanted to marry him.
"Perhaps you would like me to spoil your surprise?" he asked drawling. My thoughts flew back to the letter. What surprise could Aunt Narcissa have for me?
"Let me guess, is it animal, vegetable, or mineral?" I asked smirking, but not nearly as large as the one that passed over Draco's face.
"Your mother and father have been released, or rescued, from Azkaban and are currently staying at our manor. That would be animal," he replied still smirking. My eyes widened and I could scarcely believe what I had heard.
"Does that mean?...Do I have to?.Do you?" I asked trailing off not wanting to voice my question out loud. Up until this moment I had been denying any thoughts of our betrothal.
"Probably," he answered simply looking anywhere, but at her.
"I am truly sorry Draco. I know you really liked Ginny-" I began.
"What about you and Potter," he cut in trying to stop the flush in his cheeks. I sighed then started to speak.
"You were right, he hates Slytherins and he called your family evil. However, we are family and I would never let anyone call me evil," I answered watching his reaction carefully.
"You did not have to stand up for me," he said slowly.
"I know, I wanted to." Draco stood there, but then another thought crossed his mind.
"Blaise, I have to show you something, but you have to promise never to make the same mistake I did," he said staring at me. What mistake could Draco have made that would be so awful? I nodded. He rolled up his left sleeve, and there on his arm was the Dark Mark. It had been burned onto his flesh.
"When?" I asked breathlessly. I could not believe he bore the mark of a Death Eater.
"This summer, my father forced me to join the ranks of the Death Eaters," he said solemnly. "I am not a good person and I can not change who I am for anyone, Ginny Weasley included."
"She saw your mark?" I asked concerned for Draco. "How?"
"We were cleaning our cauldrons and she told me to roll up my sleeves, but I could not. She decided to roll them up for me and she saw. She swore never to tell anyone, but she skirts away from me and will not even look me in the eyes," he told her in a hushed voice.
"I am so sorry," I said not knowing what else to say.
"It is not like a really had a chance anyway," he added bitterly.
"I wish that we did not have to," I said just as bitterly as he.
"If it makes you feel better my mother did offer me a choice a between you and Pansy, I choice you," he said laughing. We parted ways to go to class, but a strange new feeling had sprung inside me, dread.
I was to be kept in a cage for the rest of my life, a gilded cage, but a cage nonetheless. I would finish school, marry Draco, (who was not that horrible, but still) then raise an heir, and be condemned to live as the matriarch of the Malfoy clan until I died. I would be forced to love, honor, and worst of all obey Draco. What a wonderful life to look forward to. Perhaps worst of all, I would be married to a Death Eater, not as though that had been Draco's choice. The more I reflect on it the more I felt Draco and I had very little control over our own lives. Sometimes I wish I could just give up and not walk another step, but then a voice said, "Do not quit yet, Blaise." I whipped around to see who was speaking and saw Albus Dumbledore.
"How much do you know?" I asked feeling scared.
"Enough to know that you can not quit. Not on yourself, not on Draco malfoy, not even on Harry Potter," he said eyes twinkling.
"Yes, sir," I answered meekly.
"Remember, 'life is a test and this world is a place of trial. Always the problem- or it may be the same problem- will always be presented to every generation in different forms,'" Dumbledore said.
"What is that suppose to mean?" I asked puzzled.
"What do you think it means?" he asked.
"Our parents faced the same trial so they may understand us better than we think," I said trying to remember exactly what he had said.
"Very good, Blaise. And also their choices need not be yours," he said.
"So you are saying that we can save ourselves or at the least save our children," I said suddenly understanding. But, when I looked up at him to confirm what I had said he was gone.
A/N: I know I have not updated in forever, but I was away at school and then in Minnesota trying out for a Colorguard. I will try to update more frequently, but I can not promise anything. I still love all my reviewers and readers, though. Thanks, Love KTBallerina.