Disclaimer: Everything belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling. I own nothing but the plot.

A/N: Ahh, I love you guys so much!! The reviews make me wanna cry :) And you should all worship the ground Airna walks on, cause she figured out the answer first (Aloyarc is Crayola spelled backwards), and congrats to crazyfriendsfan and Slytherin Psyche who also figured it out. Such smart reviewers...Special thanks to Mac n' Cheese for recommending my story to crazyfriendsfan!!!



The Pain Within
Chapter 5: The Dark Mark



Lucius Malfoy paced impatiently on the Persian rug in his study. He was decked out in a black hooded robe and his ghastly mask concealed his face. Draco stood off to the side, eyes on the ground and arms at this sides. He was dressed in his most formal black robes and his hair was slicked back perfectly. The fire crackled quietly to his right, while his stomach flipped nervously.

Suddenly the fire roared and changed to a bright green. Two figures emerged from it shortly thereafter. One was short and stumpy, and wore a robe and mask similar to Lucius's. He wrung his hands anxiously.

The other figure was tall and very thin. He had an ashen colored face and cold black eyes that gleamed maliciously. He wore a very expensive black robe from which his gnarly fingers protruded. He had a condescending manner about him, and held his head high. Draco immediately bowed his head. This was none other than Lord Voldemort himself.

he drawled in a raspy voice whilst nodding at the man.

Lucius dropped to his knees, hands at his sides and head bent like Draco's. My Lord, he murmured.

Voldemort turned to Draco. You must be young Draco.

Draco fell to his knees just as his father had. Yes, my Lord, he said, silently thankful his voice didn't crack.

Voldemort nodded in approval, even though neither Lucius or Draco could see.

You are fully aware that what you are about to do is extremely important, boy? he asked, slowly circling around the kneeling teen.

Yes. I do, my Lord.

And you are willing to fulfill all your duties as one of my followers?

Yes. I am, my Lord.

And you will hold whatever we discuss or plan in complete secrecy, even if your life depends on it?

Yes. I will, my Lord.

What do you expect to achieve as one of my Death Eaters?

I hope to earn your respect by doing what you wish me to, my Lord. I want to do whatever I must in order for you to gain your righteous amount of power, my Lord, Draco repeated the words his father had drilled into him.

Voldemort raised an eyebrow at the blond boy, a cold smile forming on his lips. Mmm, well done, Lucius. You have done an impressive job of training your son.

Thank you, my Lord, the elder Malfoy said, beaming under his robe and mask.

And you are sure he is ready?

Positive, my Lord.

The cold smile turned cruel. Very well then. We shall see. Hopefully I will have another worthy follower in my legion tonight. He turned to Peter. Get the ink ready, he barked.

Ye-yes, my Lord.

Voldemort sat down in Lucius's chair in front of the fireplace while Peter scurried around mixing things in a small cauldron. The Dark Lord rolled his eyes in disgust.

I don't know why I keep you around, Pettigrew. You're so clumsy. If you hadn't turned those blasted Potters into me, you would have been dead years ago.

So, so sorry, m-my Lord.

Yes. You should be.

Peter tried to quiet down, but was only louder in the process. Voldemort surveyed the hoodless figure kneeling on the ground. The way the boy spoke, with reverence and solemnity, made him a perfect candidate for a Death Eater. The Dark Lord sensed a rebellion and stubbornness in him, but those could be fixed easily. Otherwise, he was going to become a very useful follower; especially since he attended school with Potter.

Boy, stand up.

Draco did as he was told, still staring at the ground.

Come over here.

He padded over noiselessly.

See how quiet he was, Pettigrew? You should be like that.

Yes, yes, my Lord.

Lift your head, Draco.

Draco did so slowly until his cerulean eyes met black bottomless pits. They held so much malice and evil, and an acrid thirst for power. Draco pushed all emotion out of his eyes as Voldemort looked him over.

he mused,You will make a fine Death Eater. Pettigrew, is the ink ready?

Yes, my Lord.

Good. Well bring it over here, Voldemort drawled impatiently. Lucius get over here and hold his sleeve up. Pettigrew, hopefully you will be able to manage holding my book.

Both Death Eaters did as they were told. Draco continued to stare impassively, waiting for the dark wizard to tell him to do something. Voldemort pulled out his wand as Peter opened the book.

Lift up your left arm.

Draco did so and Lucius rolled his sleeve up. The Dark Lord began reading a Latin incantation. Draco tried to follow along, but couldn't translate the entire thing. As the reading came to an end, Voldemort looked up at Draco.

Do you, Draco Malfoy, solemnly swear to fulfill your duties as a Death Eater, and perform all your tasks with honor and diligence?

Draco paused for a millisecond, but the Dark Lord didn't seem to notice. But Lucius did, for his grip tightened on Draco's arm.

I do.

Now I place a symbol on your arm that represents your bond to me, Lord Voldemort, the Most Powerful Dark Wizard of all time and heir to the almighty Salazar Slytherin.

He dipped his wand into the ink Peter had mixed before and held it above Draco's upper left arm.

Vos es iam a atrum secuutus, he hissed, which translated means You are now a dark follower'.

Draco felt as if he exploded as the tip of the wand touched his skin. It sent a white hot burning sensation onto his arm, and he fought relentlessly against crying out. Waves of nausea, dizziness, and hot flashes rippled through his body as he tried to keep his face straight. His jaw was slightly clenched and his eyes were watering up. He was tempted to pass out cold on the floor right then and there. But as quickly as the pain started, it stopped.

Draco blinked once, the water in his eyes disappearing. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to look inconspicuous. It obviously worked, for the Dark Lord didn't punish or insult him.

Yes, you are going to become a great Death Eater indeed, Voldemort stated.

Draco bowed in response, finally getting a glimpse of his upper arm. There was the symbol of loyalty to Lord Voldemort, the black ink of the skull and snakes which slithered out of its mouth gleaming in the light of the fire.

Draco Malfoy was now a Death Eater.



Lord Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew departed shortly after Voldemort personally gave Draco a mask and hooded robe. Normally, the Death Eater was responsible for getting it himself. The roaring of the fire died down once they left and silence engulfed the room as Lucius removed his hood and mask and showed Draco the secret place he kept his. After he learned how to remove the certain stones in the fireplace that concealed the Death Eater garb, his father faced him with his arms crossed sternly.

You hesitated.

Draco pretended not to know what he was talking about. Ex-excuse me?

Do not play dumb. When he was swearing you in. You hesitated.

The blond didn't know what to say, so he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Which happened to be a very foolish thing to say.

The Dark Lord didn't seem to mind.

The only thing Draco saw before he was hurled into the bookshelf behind him was Lucius's eyes blaze with anger. A few books fell on top of him when his back hit a shelf and he slumped down to the ground. Only to be yanked back up by his shoulders.

HE DIDN'T SEEM TO MIND? That is the lamest bullshit I have ever heard! This is Lord Voldemort we are talking about. What did I tell you before? Nothing is minor to the Dark Lord.

Draco's head was feeling fuzzy from the heavy book that had landed there before. I-I'm sorry! he cried out meekly.

Lucius glared at him and let go of his shoulders. You should be, you little son of a bitch, he spat before punching the teen in the eye. Draco fell to the floor, his vision now becoming blurry in one eye, his hands over his head in an attempt at protection.

What did I tell you before if you made a mistake? Huh? Lucius violently kicked Draco in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to keel over.

That I...I won't see...tomorrow, he gasped, clutching his stomach trying to catch his breath.

Lucius smiled sadistically at the boy on the floor. Why, that's correct, Draco! I think you get a prize for that one.

He pulled out his wand.

Draco squeezed his eyes shut as convulsions of pain shot through his body, making him writhe around. They stopped quickly, leaving him panting on the floor.

But not for long.

Draco bit his lip as the pain overtook him again, his expression one of pure agony, and he desperately struggled against yelling out. He refused to let his father have the satisfaction of hearing him scream in pain. The convulsions subsided again, only to be thrown at him a few more times.

When Lucius finally got bored of torturing his son, Draco was left tattered and weak on the floor. He was panting heavily and his lip was bleeding tremendously from him biting it. Sweat dripped down the sides of his face and he trembled from the aftershock of the Cruciatus Curse. His mouth was parched except for the blood from his lip, and he had a few other bleeding cuts from sliding around on the floor. A large gash from the edge of the desk had formed on his right cheek, while a nail in the floor had torn his pant leg and ripped a long, but not deep, cut from his knee down to his mid-calf. Encountering the bookcase a few more times had showered him with books, which had given him a large bruise on the side of his thigh, and a few on his back. His vision was blurry and he heard a loud buzzing in his head. His father's voice cut through the fog that was developing around him.

The only reason I'm letting you live is because the Dark Lord seems to think you will be helpful to our cause, he drawled nastily. Otherwise, you would already be dead.

He walked over to his chair and sat down. Now leave. I am done with you.

Draco started to pull himself up, but his arms were wobbly and the buzzing was getting much louder. Pretty soon he thought his father would hear it. Once he managed to pull himself onto his arms, he started to crawl towards the door, knowing he was too feeble to stand. Lucius saw the injured boy dragging himself slowly and, irritated at the speed, picked up his wand.

Oh, for Merlin's sake! I wasn't that harsh on you, he smirked as he pointed the wand at his son.

Wingardium leviosa.

Draco felt a great weight lift off his shoulders as his body was raised four feet off the ground. The scenery floated by as he sailed through the door. Once out of the study, Lucius let him linger in the air before laughing cruelly and flicking his wand.

The motion slammed the door shut and dropped Draco's body into a heap on the ground. He curled up into a fetal position before slipping into unconsciousness. He was out cold.




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That hurt me to write, poor Draco :*( Thanks so much for all the reviews, really they make me feel so special. As for Chapter 6, it will be a VERY angsty and emotional chapter, it will probably be my favorite, and will include the song that I use to get me in the mood to write this story. But, I have 2 other stories I need to update before my vacation is over, and if I have time, I'll come back to this one. Once again, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS!!!!!!

For all you Life Swap fans, stay tuned for Chapter 3, for Draco enters the world of acting...dun dun dun...