Harry Potter and the Troublesome Evie

By Trephinia Cealyn

Chapter 12 | Draco's Secret

          It hurts. Draco stood in front of a mirror, watching his Dark Mark. Ginny can't know. He traced the outline with his finger. Have to protect Ginny. Draco pulled on a shirt and his leather pants. He left the common room quickly heading for the lake, where he promised he'd meet Ginny. He sat by the lake skipping stones.

          Ginny crept up on him silently and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Hello love." Draco flinched she had grabbed his Dark Mark just a little to tightly. "What's wrong?" Ginny asked. Draco pulled away standing.

          "It's nothing." Ginny grabbed his right shoulder, and Draco didn't move, then she grabbed his left shoulder and he flinched.

          "Something's wrong with your arm." Draco brushed her hand away and moved back.

          "I told you its nothing." He insisted. She pulled on his sleeve.

          "Draco you're hurt." Ginny said in a worried voice. "Let me help you." She grabbed wrist and pushed the sleeve up. "I trusted you." She said as she stared at the Dark Mark. She let go of his wrist and backed away.

          "No Ginny it's not what you think!"

          "How could it be anything but what I think?" Ginny yelled. Then she brushed away her tears. "You bastard." She ran for the school trying not to cry.

          "Brilliant Malfoy, purely brilliant." Draco said sarcastically. Draco sat back down to stare at the lake letting the tears roll down his face.

          "Ginny what's wrong? Ginny?" Ginny ran past Hermoine either not hearing her or not caring.    "Ron what's wrong with Ginny?" Hermoine asked him later that day.

          "What do you mean what's wrong with Ginny? Isn't she with Draco?" Ron said the last part a bit sarcastically.      

          "Well it looked like she was crying." Hermoine said slowly not to set off Ron's temper.

          "Crying? Ginny?" Ron stared off down the hall. "Which way did she go?" Hermoine pointed and Ron took off at a run down the hall.

          "Stupid, stupid, stupid." Ginny yelled kicking the wall. "You're a fucking idiot Ginny." She pulled of her shoe and threw it at the wall. "A big fat idiot." She picked up her shoe and waved it around over her head. "Only an idiot could fall for him and his perfect body!!" she slammed the shoe down. "He seduced me!"

          "Maybe you should relax Ginny, that poor shoe, it's never done anything to harm you." Harry said walking down that hall.

          "Of all the idiotic and stupid tricks to fall for!" Ginny yelled brandishing the shoe like a sword.

          "Whoa, hold on Ginny." Harry said avoiding the shoe. "What's got your knickers all in bunch?"

          "MALFOY, MALFOY, MALFOY!!" Ginny said throwing down the shoe. Then she collapsed, crying, into Harry's arms. "I trusted him. No, more than that, I loved him."

          "What happened?" Harry said trying to comfort her.

          "Well he's got a Dark Mark for one thing." Ginny said looking up. Harry started to laugh. "I don't see how that's funny, Harry." Ginny said coldly.

          "Well think about it Ginny, his father is a Death Eater, it's probably required for all Death Eater's to have on their like 13 birthday or something. Maybe even when their born!" Harry was smiling. "I don't see why it's all that big of a surprise to you… you know he's not evil." Ginny's look turned to horror. Harry continued. "Maybe they forced him to do it. Maybe they threatened him."

          "He said it wasn't what I thought." Ginny said quietly picking up her shoe.

          "See then there's nothing to worry about. You should go talk to him." Harry held her back. "Wait for Ron to get through with him first though."

          "Malfoy you made my sister cry you bloody git."  Ron yelled nearing the lake. He could see the back of Malfoy's robes.

          "Thank her for me will ya?"

          "What?"

          "She returned the favor." As Ron neared he saw that someone or something had clawed Malfoy's arm.

          "What happened to you?" Ron asked staring in disgust at the bloody mass that was Draco's left arm.

          "It's this bloody mark." Draco said standing. He set his nails into his arm and dug them into his flesh. "Nothing but pain. It causes nothing but pain."

          "Well yea it's gonna hurt when you dig your nails into your flesh!" Ron said trying to stop him.

          "No Weasley it's the bloody mark." Draco said. Ron peered a little closer. In the middle of the bloody flesh there stood the Dark Mark. "Can't cut it. I've tried everything. I'll even cut off my arm."

          "No." Ron said. "Wait what am I talking about?" Ron asked himself. "Go ahead Malfoy cut off your arm."

          "Shut up Weasley." Draco said letting his hands fall. He turned his back on Ron.

          "So, why was my sister crying anyway?" Ron asked trying to change the subject.

          "Isn't it obvious! Look Weasley, look at my arm and tell me you're not disgusted!"

          "Well it is all bloody." Ron said.

          "Ever the comedian eh Weasel?" Draco sat back down staring at the lake.

          "Better than a bouncing ferret." Ron sat next to him. "Mind telling me what happened to your arm?"