Chapter 6

His eyes were drowning in fire. The whole place was engulfed in it, everywhere painted in the dancing colors of yellow, orange and red. Draco spun around, looking for an escape, he had no clue where he was, or why he wasn't burning to death. That's when he heard the scream, the same scream that had haunted him every time he had one of his attacks. It was shrill and pain-filled, and at the moment, he couldn't think of a sadder noise than that one. The scream held so emotions, like a plea for help, a cry of anger, a whisper of defeat, a hiss of confusion. Every time he heard the scream, he wanted to run to the person, to find who it belonged to. But his legs could never move, and he would always remember, it was just a dream.

In that moment of realization, he sat up abruptly in his bed, confused where he was for a minute. It was his bedroom, but it was dark outside, so he must have been passed out for a very long time. He was sweating profusely and panting, looking down to see that he was wearing a different shirt than before, and that his body was wrapped tightly in blankets as it once was. The memories of his last attack hit him in a wave, washing over him all at once.

That's when Draco remembered about Marie. She was there, she saved him, she said his name. The fact she said his first name was the most memorable piece of the whole situation, and he couldn't place why that mattered so much to him. Just on cue, Marie walked in, her body covered in a robe, her hair damp from an apparent shower. "I see you've decided to join us," Marie taunted, delicately sitting in a seat that was placed directly by his bedside. He recognized that stool belonged in his parent's old room, and he began to worry what she saw in there. Noticing the expression on Draco's face, she reassured him, "Don't worry, I didn't look around the room. Believe me, I was in a bit of a rush trying to make sure you didn't muori."

"How long was I out?"

"I'd say a good ten hours."

"And you've stayed here the entire time?"

"For the most part, I had Jinx watch over you this last hour so I could go home quickly and get cleaned up. There's some dinner downstairs that Jinx made if you think you can walk, but if you don't, Jinx and I would be contento to help," Marie offered, feeling his forehead to check for fever. He was still on the hotter side of a normal temperature, but he thankfully wasn't burning up anymore.

Draco nodded, then mumbled, "I can make it downstairs." He sat up, and swung his legs over the side of the bed, but didn't quite stand up yet. He almost pondered the thought, perhaps considering if it was worth the trouble. Marie took note of the ghostly look of his face that the moon cast on him. He must have been eating very little in the past couple days, because he was much paler than usual, and the dark circles under his eyes seemed more prominent than before.

She stood from her chair, and said lightheartedly, "Don't be a stolto, let me help." He let out a grunt and raised his arm so she could place her arm around his back for support. They both rose up, Draco a bit wobbly, so Marie tightened her grip around him.

"I never would have imagined the Marie Benedetti bearing to touch me," Draco chuckled, letting out a shallow cough after speaking.

Marie rolled her eyes and responded, "Well, I'm not that cruel of a person." Draco grinned, catching a whiff of cinnamon as her hair brushed past his face when she turned her head. She wasn't horrible-looking, she was actually quite lovely, but he knew she would never actually like someone of his nature, if she ever found out. Sure, she knew he once sided with Voldemort, but she didn't know the extent of it. In Italy, they didn't really know of all the horrible things the Death Eaters had done, just the fact they had done horrible things. He planned to keep his past hidden from her, for their own good.

Draco knew she was only acting this way because he was hurt, and then a couple days from now, it would go back to hostility. When they made it all the way downstairs, they turned right into the dining hall, Marie gently setting Draco down in a seat.

"Thank you," Draco sighed, leaning back in his seat, gazing up at the ceiling.

"Is soup okay?" Marie asked, before heading into the kitchen.

"Yes, soup is wonderful," Draco called out, hearing Marie and Jinx chat softly between themselves. When the two came in, Jinx held a bowl of soup, and Marie carried the other. Jinx set hers down across the table from Draco, and Marie placed her bowl in front of him.

"Do you need anything else?" She questioned worriedly, as Jinx handed her a wet towel. She began to wipe Draco's face and neck off, as if he was a child.

"I'm fine, trust me, do not be so concerned," Draco promised, before grabbing his spoon and shoveling soup into his mouth. Marie gave him a tart look, and then faced toward Jinx.

"Jinx, would you like to join us for dinner?"

Jinx looked shocked at such a proposal, but shook her head and said, "No thank you, Ms. Been-detty, Jinx will go into the kitchen and clean a little, then go into her room."

"You should take a bowl of soup with you into the room with you, you worked very duro on it." Jinx glanced nervously at Draco, and he gave her a quick nod of approval. Jinx gave a little bow before hurrying off into the kitchen. Marie finally took her seat at the table, and tasted a spoonful of the soup. "Is she not allowed to eat your food?"

Draco shrugged, then stated, "She never really bothered to ask, so I just let her eat whatever she wanted to." Marie's eyes bored into him, as if she could see all his secrets right in his eyes.

"Why did you lie to me?" She finally hissed, setting her spoon down in her dish and crossing her arms. Draco didn't dare look at her, just continuing to eat his soup.

"I don't think my health conditions are really much of your business or concern, really," Draco claimed. Marie bit her lip, her nose scrunching up with slight frustration, the common facial features Draco had come accustomed to.

"Considering you almost died, I believe I have some right to know what is wrong with you," Marie expressed, her eyes softening. Draco shook his head, now setting his spoon down too.

Draco spoke lowly, "I think it is best if we move on from this topic. You saved my life, and I thank you, but that is as far as I will continue this conversation."

"No, I won't have it. You tell me what is happening with you this instant, Signore Malfoy!" Marie shouted, slamming her hand on the table, her face growing pink as it usually did when she yelled at him.

Draco just laid back calmly in his seat and uttered, "You called me by my first name earlier." Marie's mouth remained open, the color draining from her face, besides her cheeks, which were now bright red.

"Yes, so what?"

"So, you said you wouldn't call me by my first name, and that I shouldn't call you by yours. So, why did you call me by my first name?"

"I don't see how this mat-"

"It matters because despite all these angry things you yell and holler, you're the one who broke your own rule. You must have a reason."

"I was just scared, and you weren't responding to your last name," Marie grumbled, a look of defeat spreading across her face.

Draco sneered, "That's the only reason?"

Marie pushed a couple strands of her hair out of her face and sighed, "You're not a terrible person, Signore Malfoy, and I know you don't mean the things you say, you just think you do. I saw you at your weakest point, so don't think you can fool me with your false displays of disdain for me."

Draco pursed his lip, now very solemn, only giving her a nod. A chill ran down his spine, he wasn't sure how to act towards her now. But after a few seconds of sitting in his thoughts, he finally proposed an idea, "Fine, you caught me, Ms. Benedetti. How about from now on, we agree to both behave ourselves and refrain from insults. But, I would prefer this relationship be kept…professional."

Marie and him both locked eyes for the longest time, before she smiled, "I believe I can do that, Signore Malfoy,"

"As much as a professional relationship goes, I say we don't make habits of visiting each other's households," Draco warned stoically.

Marie closed her eyes slowly and took a deep breath, "I suppose so, but I will be checking in every now and then, unless you tell me what this 'sickness' is." Draco bit the inside of his cheek, keeping his mouth shut. He couldn't reveal to her what it really was, no one but Jinx knew what it really was.

But, despite his attempts to stay quiet, he suggested, "How about if you can go the next week of meetings without releasing that temper of yours, and try not to get too chummy with me, I can stop by during Christmas break and…explain a few things to you."

Marie let out a rather loud giggle in response to his deal, "Not get too amichevole? Signore Malfoy, you were the one who said we should be friends when we went to breakfast."

"Yes, well, I change my mind."

"Why?"

"This isn't really a topic of discussion, I assure you."

"Bene, then how about this, who is Abraxas?" Draco stiffened, the air chilling around them all.

"How do you know about him?" Draco growled, running his hand through his hair sharply. Marie was stuck, unsure of whether to lie to him or not, but she figured that honesty was probably the best policy in the Malfoy Manor.

"I…the Pensieve called to me and I used it, and it showed me a memory, of a boy named Abraxas."

"You used the Pensieve?" Draco asked, his voice raising.

"I didn't realize I was doing it, it was like I was in a trance, being hypnotized. I didn't see anything bad, just a boy meeting a girl named Sarah in the gardens out back," Marie expressed, trying to make her errors sound not as bad.

Draco took a couple breaths, trying to cool down, then remarked, "You said you were…in a trance. Was it speaking to you?"

"Yes, but I couldn't understand it. All I know was it was in an almost, encouraging tone."

"Are you sure you didn't perform a spell on it, allowing you to use it?"

"I'm positive I didn't…mi dispiace, I didn't mean to-"

"Come back here tomorrow, instead of me going to Italy," Draco demanded, managing to stand up, even though he was grasping the table with such intensity to prevent crumpling to the floor.

"Signore Malfoy, you really shouldn't-"

"I think it's time for you to go, Ms. Benedetti," Draco hissed, his kind eyes now replaced with the cold ones she was once so used to.

Knowing her stay was long overdue, she nodded sadly, and bid him farewell, "Have a good night, Signore Malfoy, I'll see you in the morning."

Marie exited the house, and as the door shut, Draco yelled, "Jinx! Get me the Strengthening Potion!"

As if she was waiting, she ran out of her room with the vial and handed it to him, explaining, "Master will not believe what Jinx had to go through to get a whole crate of the potion. Jinx had to tell them how important Master was, and when they heard Master's name, they immediately put the potions in the crate and sent Jinx on her way. They told Jinx it would easily last a couple months." Draco thanked her and drank the potion in one gulp. He didn't want Marie to see why he really sent Jinx out into Diagon Alley earlier, and now that she was gone, he could finally use it.

His posture straightened, and his legs stopped shaking, allowing himself to stand straight. "Jinx, I'm going into the Pensieve, don't interrupt me, no matter what you hear, do you understand?" Draco clarified, Jinx nodded worriedly, before Draco stomped into the room. The Pensieve's glow faded, now extremely dim and barely lighting the room. He remembered what his parents had told him, about the Malfoy name being tainted with rumors of being traitors, which would affect his ability to use the Pensieve.

Ever since he took ownership of the Manor, the Pensieve would never work for him, nor anyone he tried to use it. Practically every pureblood he knew lined up to use it, and it would never work. And now, Marie Benedetti, a half-blood to say the least, used it? It was impossible, she must have hexed it. "Grandfather, Grandmother, anyone, if you can hear me, please just forgive me and let me see what is inside the Pensieve!" Draco cried, grasping the Pensieve with both hands furiously. It was tradition for every Malfoy to view the memories in the Pensieve once they reached of age. It helped them make better decisions, and be the best pureblood they could be. But ever since he was cowardly and fled from the Dark Lord, the line went cold, the Pensieve refusing to answer to him.

Unable to express his anger in any other way, he dunked his head in the Pensieve, but when he opened his eyes, it was just murky water, no memories flooding him. Draco yanked his head from the Pensieve, breathing heavily. "Cursed thing!" He shouted, throwing his wand at the wall. How did Marie do it? It almost bothered him, that someone like her, someone the Malfoys' would have utterly despised and viewed unworthy, somehow let her see into the Pensieve. Coming to terms he would have to remain baffled for one night before Marie demonstrated to him how she did it, Draco trudged up to his room, ignoring Jinx's offers of help.

Hey guys, hope you liked this chapter. Just know that some of the procedures of the Malfoys and how to correct use the Pensieve may delve a little bit off of the original books, because I'm writing how I would view it to work, but I hope you guys like the storyline so far. There's many more twists and turns to be discovered, so stay tuned! Don't forget to leave me your comments/reviews, or message me. Any type of help is fantastic. And, as always, stay awesome, Gotham.

-April