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A/N: So I'm loving the reviews I've been getting. You are all the bee's knees! Luv you all so much.

Fifth year

"Knut for your thoughts, Shadow?" I said, dropping into the chair across from Cree. "Wait . . . are you okay?"

I leaned towards her, noticing how she looked slightly clammy. She clutched her left hand in her right, sort of leaning over it. And she looked angry.

It was a rare occasion for Cree to be angry. Sure, she often got miffed by Pansy but she was never incredibly angry. But when she was, it was like a lightening storm, fast and furious.

"That woman, our Headmistress, is a toad," she said, sitting up slightly. "An absolute hideous, awful, foul, despicable, slimy –"

"I take it you don't like Umbridge," I said.

"Honestly, I think I liked Dumbledore better."

"Don't let anyone else here you say that. So why don't you like her?"

"I told you. She's an absolute hideous, awful –"

"I heard all that Cree. But why are you so angry with her?"

"Because she absolutely refuses to teach us anything. And today, she decided to patronize me for not being able to understand the basics and how I must be the slowest third year in her classes. I got so angry, so I'm not exactly sure what I said. Something along the lines of her being an absolute hideous, awful, foul, despicable, slimy toad. She gave me detention."

"Well, what did you expect her to do? Give you candy?"

She flashed me a dangerous glare. "Do you know what she does in her detentions Draco?"

"No. I've never been in her detentions."

"Well, look for yourself." She held out her left hand to me, angrily. Scratched, no, carved into her hand were the words 'I must not talk back.' Blood ran down her arm, almost dripping and soaking the napkins she had been using.

I cursed under my breath, pulling a handkerchief from my pocket and wrapping it around her hand and wiping away the blood. Her hand trembled visibly.

"She's a psychotic witch, Draco," Cree said. "And she doesn't know anything. I actually learned more from Potter in two weeks than I had ever learned from her."

I almost dropped her hand. I looked up at her, slightly mortified. "You were in that stupid Dumbledore's army?"

"So what if I was?"

"Cree, Dumbledore started that thing so they could fight the Dark Lord!"

"I wasn't thinking about fighting anyone! I just wanted to learn, okay? Because that stupid woman wasn't teaching us anything. And don't say that you liked her classes because they were hell and you know it."

We were silent for a moment. I wiped away the rest of the blood from her hand, using my wand to clean my handkerchief and wrap it around her hand again. She was still shaking so I covered her hand with both my hands. I looked up to see a stray tear slide down her cheek. I wiped it away too, letting my fingers stray across her cheek.

She looked away from me, withdrawing her hand from mine and sitting back in her chair. "I'm sorry."

"Me too." I gave her a small smile but she didn't return it. Instead, she stood, heading towards her dormitory.

"Cree?" I said.

She turned, clutching her hand to her chest. I stood and approached her. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, I said, "I'm – I'm always here to help you, Cree. You know that right? You've just . . . can't be afraid to ask for it."

She nodded, finally giving me her rare smile before heading down to her room.

I think it was then that I realized she was still a kid. Just thirteen years old and still very impressionable. But then again, I suppose you can be impressionable at any age, considering she was fifteen when she decided to betray us.

I don't think I'd ever seen her so scared before, so shaken.

Well, at least until today.

"You could have left me at the house you know," she complained, tugging on her blond hair. "It's not like I would have ran away."

"You seem to assume that I trust you," I told her.

We stood outside my old home, Malfoy Manor. Though no one lived here, it was not unusual to find the random former Death Eaters here for what they liked to call parties (which usually constituted torturing if they could get away from it).

I turned to Cree who had her arms crossed angrily. "I have to pick some things up," I said. "Listen to me, Cree. From this point on, your name is Samantha, all right? Don't speak when others are around and stay near me at all times."

I offered my arm to her. She hesitated before taking. My heart jumped unexpectedly, which made me angry. I ignored it and led her inside the Manor.

"Hey Malfoy," Theodore Nott said, grinning as he placed his feet on the living room table. I looked on in slight disgust. "Who's the new bird?"

"None of your business, Nott," I said, smirking at him. "Never will be. . . . Who've you brought in today?"

"Don't know, don't really care. Probably just another Mudblood or an unsuspecting Muggle."

Cree's arm tightened slightly on mine, most likely in anger. I smirked at Nott before I lead Cree towards the West wing were my room was located.

" 'New bird'?" Cree asked, her arm slipping from mine once we'd gotten out of sight of Nott. "How many other 'birds' have you brought here?"

"Do I detect jealousy?" I asked.

"Ugh, of course not," she said, sounding slightly distant. "I just wonder how many sluts you've had hanging around is all."

"Would it bother you if I said it was a lot?"

She didn't respond. "Samantha?" I said, turning. She wasn't there.

I heard screams and I headed towards them, having a pretty good idea where she was at the moment.

Soon I reached the stairs that led down to the basement, or as father had called it, the dungeon. I hurried down those stairs to find Cree standing at the bottom, her mouth and eyes wide with terror. In front of us, a young boy was laying on the floor, a couple of former Death Eaters were laughing and beating him. One pulled his wand from his pocket and used the Cruciatus curse on him.

I grabbed Cree's wrist, trying to pull her but she wouldn't budge.

"Get up, scum!" the Death Eater with the wand said. The boy struggled and was on his knees when the Death Eater kicked him in the stomach.

Cree rushed back up the stairs and I followed after her. I found her a little ways down the hall, her head and hands pressed up against the wall.

"Cree," I started.

"That's horrible," she said, her voice hoarse. She turned to me, looking as if she were going to be sick. "That's absolutely horrible. Don't – please, don't tell me you enjoy watching that, participating in that. You might, but I really don't want to know if you actually do. I'm asking you though to tell me that you don't, because I'm not staying with you, no matter what you say."

She stood up straight, looking dignified in a terrified sort of way. I approached her, tucking a strand of blond hair. "I don't participate and I don't like watching," I told her truthfully.

She nodded. "I don't want to be here anymore," she said.

I nodded this time, offering her my arm again. She took it, no hesitation this time, and I led her out and away from the Manor. I'd have to come back for my stuff later on.