Chapter 4 – Truth
The world around me shifts. Walls rise, surrounding me, tall, looming, tingling with something; a power.
I recognize the room and a shiver runs up my spine.
Malfoy Manor.
Bellatrix Lestrange.
She tortured me here during the war.
But not now. Now, I watch the scene unfold in front of me.
Malfoy is there, but no longer with me.
He is standing near the centre of the room, wand raised towards a cowering victim, pleading on the floor at his feet.
I don't want to watch this. I don't. But I can't seem to pry my eyes away.
Voldemort himself is there, watching, pacing around the pair; an observational dance. He waves his wand and the man on the floor shrieks.
"Now do it yourself," he tells Malfoy in his frighteningly calm and almost soothing tone.
He is instructing; teaching Malfoy how to torture.
And I stand there; I watch.
Bellatrix is there, standing beside Malfoy, a proud grin etched on her face. She whispers something in his ear. I don't know what she told him, but he begins to shake.
I want to call out, tell him not to do it, but I can't.
I'm stuck.
I'm frozen to the spot. Unable to move, unable to speak.
"Come on, boy," the snake-like man prompts. "Now is your chance to prove to me your worth."
Malfoy seems just as frozen as I am.
He's afraid.
He is lost. He's lost himself, his hope, his will.
It's like I can feel it in myself.
He doesn't know what to do.
"I . . ." he begins to speak but cannot finish. His wand is shaking; a tear runs down his face.
And I know, he doesn't have it in him.
He can't torture a helpless man, begging at his feet.
"Do it!"
The words are harsher. Voldemort is losing patience.
Malfoy turns his face to Bellatrix, pleading for her to help him. Because he can't do it. He can't do what Voldemort wants him to, and he is terrified.
She is disgusted by his weakness; disappointed in his lack of sadistic tendencies. She won't help him. No one can.
I see him mouth the word, please, but I already know, nothing will become of it.
Malfoy has lost hope in the cruel woman beside him and his wand drops to his side.
"Insolent boy! When your Lord tells you to do something, you do it!" Voldemort scolds, and he flicks his wand towards Malfoy.
He is on the floor, screaming in agony until the curse is lifted.
"Now watch." Voldemort's wand is turned towards his previous victim, and once again he is thrashing against the tiled floor, shrieking until his screams become raspy cries, until he can no longer remain conscious. "It seems as though the fun is over." He turns to Bellatrix. "Kill him."
With a green flash, the man's pain is no more.
Attention is turned back to Malfoy and I can feel his fear. He knows it's his turn to experience the full wrath of Lord Voldemort.
He is writhing, screaming, and I want it to stop. I want it to stop!
The scene evaporates before my eyes. The walls, the people, they become smoke and lift towards the sun and I am left, too stunned to speak.
I hear the water, the rhythmic crashing of the waves, feel the warm sand between my toes, and know I am back at the beach.
Malfoy appears beside me, sitting in the sand, arms draped loosely over his knees.
This time, I sit beside him.
"What was that?" I finally find the words to ask.
"The truth," he replies, jaw tight.
I take a deep breath. "Did you show me that?"
He isn't looking at me, his eyes are turned towards the water, and stays silent.
"Is that a yes, then?"
"In a way, I guess," he answers vaguely.
I think for a moment; the image of Malfoy being tortured by Voldemort while his own aunt watched smugly, is running on repeat through my mind.
"Why?" I ask.
He shrugs. "I guess . . . I guess I want you to trust me." He looks at me. "I need you to trust me."
Can I do that? Can I trust someone who lived that life, who was a part of the terrible things that happened?
It seems as though there may be more to the story than we thought. Maybe things weren't so clear cut between sides.
But can I trust him?
I look around myself.
Nothing makes any sense. I have no idea how any of this could possibly happen, no idea what is going on, and he is the only clue.
But he's Malfoy; the bully, the cruel boy who picked on me for things that I could never change, the one who made me feel like I would never belong to any world.
I look back to him, back to the pleading face of a scared and lonely boy.
"Why? Why do you need me to trust you?" I ask softly.
"Because," he takes a breath. "Because it's the only way I survive."
Author's Note:
Hello my lovely readers! I hope you've all had a good week. Mine was a little crazy, but isn't it always lol.
Thank-you so much those of you who reviewed chapter 3, I absolutely love hearing your thoughts! I would like to hear from some more of you on this story as it is different from my other ones. The chapters are much shorter, kind of choppy and mysterious (at least that's what I'm going for) but it would be so amazing to get some more feedback. Things don't necessarily come across how I think they read lol.
Thanks for reading!
I hope you have a wonderful week!
