-1Haylie's Dark Mark looked just as it had always had, the oh so familiar skull with a snake protruding from it's mouth. She gave it a rather disdainful look, and then locked eyes with Draco once more.

"You do realise this thing is the bane of my existence right?", the sorrow was evident in her voice even as she did her best to convey what she hoped could be described as "light-hearted and breezy". Instead it came out sounding as if her voice had been drowned in tears.

Draco lifted his sleeve to reveal his own Mark, and returned her sad excuse for a smile. Haylie cursed herself as she started to cry.

"I'm getting the Dark Mark you know, father reckons I'm ready. So does the Dark Lord.", a 12 year old Draco told Haylie smugly over Christmas dinner at the Malfoy mansion, "Don't you father?"

Lucius spared Draco a smirk and then turned to Haylie, "I expect you should be receiving it as well Haylie".

Haylie's stomach tied in knots, as it did whenever anyone mentioned anything having to do with Dark Marks and Dark Lords.

"Yes sir", she squeaked.

Voldemort himself had come to visit her a couple of weeks prior at the Parkinsons' residence. He had explained to her that the previous Potter generations had all been Death Eaters. For Haylie not to receive the Dark Mark would be a travesty. Haylie was so young, and to be addressed by someone with such power had been such an honour for her, she could not help but accept. Besides, as Voldemort had said, it was her legacy.

Haylie looked over to Draco and gave him a meaningful look. Draco understood what it meant.

"Father, may we be excused?", he asked glancing at Haylie as he did so.

Lucius nodded is approval, and the two kids go up and left the dining room.

When they had made it into one of the many sitting rooms, Haylie looked around, and then unexpectedly flung herself into Draco's arms. Suffice to say Draco was a little taken aback, but wrapped his arms around her nevertheless.

"Draco…I'm scared", she whispered.

Draco pulled back and looked her in the eyes, "Haylie, we're best friends right?"

"Of course", she replied eagerly.

"So I can tell you anything and you're….forbidden! to tell anyone else…right?", he seemed a little bit uneasy.

"Forbidden", she grinned.

"Because…best friends don't tell….right?", he went on.

"Right!", she replied brightly.

"I'm scared too", Draco broke the eye contact he had been keeping with Haylie, almost as if he were ashamed.

Draco Malfoy was scared. And he had confided that bit of information to her. Haylie. His best friend. She couldn't help but feel touched. For some reason it was one of the most defining moments in Haylie's young life. To her, that sitting room was special. It was their sitting room.

"Don't worry Draco, we'll do it together"

"Don't cry Haylie", he pleaded as he pulled her into a hug.

After quite some time of sobbing onto his shoulder she looked up to him with a withering smile and said, "If you knew what I knew you'd be crying too".

"What do you know", it wasn't as much a question as it was an order. If something were causing her such pain, he wanted to share the burden with her.

"I have to kill Dumbledore…", she trailed off chocking on a sob.

"WHAT?", no need to say, Draco was shocked.

The crying escaladed in to a full on anxiety attack, "I have to kill him! I'm the only one! That's what He says! That's what He wants! I don't want to Draco, I swear I don't want to….".

Draco rocked her back and forth, trying to get her to calm down. Once the tantrum subsided, he asked her to try and explain what all of this was about. Haylie told him everything. How Voldemort had hand picked her to do this task ever since she had received her Dark Mark. How He had said, if her magic were properly developed, she could have unrivalled power. How He was going to help her reach such a goal. She told him all about the private lessons in Dark Arts she had been receiving and how Snape was her link to the Dark Lord, the one who transmitted orders onto her. Haylie told him her sole purpose in the Dark Lord's eyes was to kill Albus Dumbledore.

"…and keeping this from you has been the hardest thing I've ever done", she added softly.

Draco had stayed silent and awestruck the entire two hours it had taken for the entire story to come out.

"Haylie…", he started, looking down.

"Yes?", she couldn't seem to look at him either.

"I just want you to know that..", this was it she thought, he was going to tell her that he didn't want anything to do with her, that he was mad at her for not telling him in the first place, "..I'll do anything to help. I don't want you to go through this alone."

She snapped her head back up as soon as what he had said registered into her brain, "You're going to help me commit murder? Murder one of the most powerful wizards around ? Draco, you cant….if you got caught, if anything happened to you I couldn't…..I couldn't bear it", she said shyly, he cheeks turning a faint rouge.

He took her hands and his and scooted over so that he was closer to her than he was before, "Hails, when will you understand that I'd do anything for you?".

They locked eyes for a while.

"Listen, Draco, I-", Haylie was cut off by a loud banging at the door.

"DRACO! DRACO! ARE YOU IN THERE?"

Pansy.

"Fuck", Draco muttered.

He got up and opened the door, which revealed a rather frazzled young lady.

"Vincent said he saw you come in here….I was wondering if we could talk…..about…us? In private of course.", she narrowed her eyes at Haylie.

Haylie cleared her throat, "Uh, yeah, of course, I'll just get out of your hair".

She stood up and was out the door. Then she reappeared, "Oh..this is my room isn't it…haha…so..I'll see you later Draco", she rambled on nervously.

"Laters", he looked almost regretful.

She watched the pair walk out the room and then closed the door behind them.

"What the hell was that all about?..", she asked herself.

Would something really have happened between Draco and her had Pansy not showed up? What a cliché…

Scattered clichés