Chapter 11

Mere 2 weeks after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Draco had returned to his house to find the Azkaban Mass Breakout escapees, Bellatrix Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov, Augustus Rookwood, and the rest at his house. What was worse, the Dark Lord himself was residing in the Malfoy Manor. He had been scared out of his wit at first, and then was furious.

How could his mother let this happen? Sure, his father had completely messed up in the Ministry fiasco, but why did he need to live with Voldemort as punishment? His mother wasn't a Death Eater, why did she have to pay off his debts?

Draco had then learnt that it was not his mother who was being punished. It was him. He was required to follow in his father's footsteps and be branded with the Dark Mark against his will. He didn't have a choice, for he knew that he just had too. He had to follow Voldemort's every command to protect his mum and himself from Voldemort's wrath.

In under two days, he had been branded by the Dark Mark in the presence of all the Death Eaters. He had suppressed his screams and his cries of pain as best as he could. Upon learning what his task was, he had felt a little part of his soul break and die inside of him. He had never admitted it, but he had secretly admired his Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, all along, and now, he was supposed to murder him. He had to kill a man.

Draco had known all along that he didn't have it in himself to kill anyone. He broke down multiple times. He cried till he couldn't anymore, and he had sobbed till he couldn't breathe anymore. He had sat on the bathroom floor with Moaning Myrtle for hours on end, weeping silently. He gave up all hope at times and slipped up by sending the cursed necklace and the poisoned mead. When he had learnt about Katie touching the necklace, he froze up. He hadn't meant to do any harm to her. He had been even more terrified when he found out he poisoned Weasley.

Up in the Astronomy Tower, he had considered giving up his pretence of being a faithful Death Eater and ask Dumbledore for help; to forgive him and save him and his family from Voldemort. But he couldn't. He knew he wouldn't be able to stop Voldemort from killing his mother. And then, Snape ended it all. He had watched Dumbledore fall.

Snape had managed to help him escape from the Order and Dumbledore's army, but he had no idea what awaited him at the Manor.

Voldemort had tortured him for weeks. He had been Crucio'ed for hours on end, and he couldn't cry. He couldn't cry and show signs of weakness. That would only urge Voldemort on. He didn't cry. He didn't scream. he suffered all the pain.

After he refused to identify Harry, Ron and Hermione at the Malfoy Manor, he had been subjected to endless torture and insults from his aunt, Bellatrix, up until he had to return to Hogwarts after his Easter holidays. When Voldemort and the rest of the Death Eaters, including his parents had walked out of the Forbidden Forest and announced hat Harry Poter was dead, he had tried with all his might not to fall to his knees and cry out loud. After enduring endless pain, torture, and sorrow, all hope had been lost. He had convinced himself that he would die at the hands of Voldemort himself. But when Harry had leapt from Hagrid's arms and defeated Voldemort once and for all, he had finally realized that he might live. He might get a chance at life if he manages to stay out of Azkaban.

He dreamt about his torture every night, and he could almost feel the pain coursing through his body every time he looked at his Dark Mark.

Hey! I just thought that I really needed to write a chapter about everything that Draco had gone through after Voldemort's return and his inner turmoil. I've had a soft spot for him ever since I read Half-Blood Prince, and I imagined that it would actually be hard for him. I see him as a guy who pretends to be all tough on the outside but is dealing with some pretty serious stuff on the inside. Hope that you enjoy it. (Sorry for the short chapter, I didn't wanna add anything else to it. I really only wanted it to be about Draco)

scrappy8: Thank you so much for your constant support. And yeah, you're right, it will take some time for them to fall for each other, coz they are still trying to start a friendship.

rooske01: Thank you so much. As I said, I've thought that he probably didn't have a choice after reading Half-Blood Prince. I mean, what would you do if you had to choose between protecting your family and running away to people who absolutely hate you? And then there was the Skirmish at the Malfoy Manor where he had been reluctant to identify Harry, Ron, and Hermione. It didn't really seem like he was the same person he was when he used to torment them, right? Also, thank you so much for saying that you will try and help me reach 3000 reviews. The fact that you even considered doing it means so much.

heidi0620: Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I appreciate the fact that you reviewed too. And also, I quite like the pairing of Hermione with either one of the Weasley twins. I always thought that Romione was toxic (no offence) because he never appreciated her and her passion. Draco, on the other hand, is quite ambitious and is a pretty good student, so he would appreciate Hermione's passion for learning. I look forward to your reviews.

ScoutGinerva: Thank you, and I felt that it was time that the Gryffindors learned his side of the story.

Read and Review, My Lovelies!

Until Next Time,

Cheerio!