Chapter 8:
Eve scrubbed her hands roughly with a coarse rag, her breathing heavy and her vision slightly blurred as the tears formed in her eyes.
A tiny hysterical squeak emitted from her lips, and she quickly caught it in her throat – preventing any more noise escaping.
Holding out her shaking hands, she inspected them carefully, although now a bright pink from the excessive scrubbing, there was no longer any sign of that sickening red colour...
She tried not to flinch as she looked at the now crimson red cloth in front of her and shuddered as a flash of a huddled figure, homeless on the streets, appeared in her mind.
The sound of screaming. Someone pleading for mercy...
'Stop it' she told herself firmly, pursing her lips and closing her eyes tightly in attempt to block out the memories.
It was happening more and more, the memories, the way they came back to her in sudden bursts. For years she had had to live with the confusion, suffer with not knowing what was happening to her; what they were making her do.
She had always prayed for a recollection of what had happened all of those nights, had craved to know what she had done, yet now it was happening, now she was seeing and hearing the destruction she had caused she was finding herself growing less willing to discover the truth.
It had been happening for nearly two weeks; two weeks since she had seen that woman.
That had been when the memories had become clearer, when her vision of the events had become less blurred.
Who was that woman?
Clearly she had been trapped in the same way as herself, clearly she was being used for the same purpose; so who was she to her?
The sound of approaching footsteps made her jump with a start and she quickly wiped her eyes and stood up in preparation.
'Eve?'
At the sound of his voice Eve felt her body completely relax and unconsciously, a smile curved up her lips.
'Draco!' she called softly.
The lock of the door opened with a gentle click and the door swung upon revealing her friend.
'You haven't come in ages!' she scolded lightly, but her happiness at his visit was evident in her tone and he smiled slightly before arching an eyebrow arrogantly.
'I've been busy' he told her in a clipped tone and she chuckled lowly.
Over the last year he had tried harder and harder to mimic his father's cold airs and arrogant tone, and whilst she couldn't deny he carried it off extremely well, it amused her to no end.
'Did you bring it?' she asked excitedly, rushing as close to him as the chains that bound her allowed.
'Of course I brought it' he scoffed 'Malfoy's don't break their word'
'But I thought Slytherins pride themselves on being sly...' she mocked lightly, and grinned at the immediate scowl on his face.
'Oh shut up Eve' he grinned, his features suddenly lighting up into those of the boy she recognised as her friend before suddenly looking nervous.
'And you're going to stick to your promise?' his eyes narrowed 'if my father finds out –'
'I always keep my promises' she mimicked his arrogant tone, and raised her eyebrows 'Draco, I wouldn't do anything to get you into trouble, you know that' she added seriously.
It was true. Even if her life depended on it, even if using the wand could help her to escape, she would never do so if it hurt Draco. For seven years he had been her sole reason for survival. He had been the one good thing in her life; and still was, even if he had grown more like his father with time.
Draco was everything she had.
He had paused for a second and stared at her, his expression torn.
'I better not regret this' he muttered, before pulling two wands out of his robes and hesitatingly handing one to her.
'Now I can show you how much better at magic than you I am' she smiled happily, and Draco couldn't help the faint smile that pulled at his lips.
'You? Beat me?' he smirked 'do you have any idea what to even do with that thing?'
'Expelliarmus!' Eve called quickly, immediately disarming the boy before her and wiping the smug look off of his face.
'Wha – '
Before Draco had time to speak Eve quickly added a sweeping movement and let out a laugh of delight as he was suddenly suspended upside down in the air.
'Eve –'
She clutched her stomach and bent over, laughing even harder at his look out outrage.
'Eve put me –'
She attempted to take him seriously but as soon as she looked at him she dissolved once again into peels of laughter.'
'EVE, PUT ME DOWN!' Draco yelled.
The anger in his voice immediately broke off Eve's laughter and she stared at him in alarm.
Quickly waving the wand, she carefully lowered Draco so that he was once again on the floor, and she flinched at the look of rage on his features.
'How dare you do that to me!' he ranted angrily 'who do you think you are?'
'Who do I think I am?' Eve asked quietly, her grey eyes flashing with warning.
Choosing to ignore the signal to stop, Draco continued with his rant, his eyes glaring coldly at her.
'I won't come again if you're going to do things like – '
'Well maybe it's better if you don't come anymore, rather than just threatening not too!' Eve interrupted.
'Well fine I won't!' he retorted coldly 'But just remember Eve, I'm your only friend...'
'Not when you're acting like this you're not!' she bit back 'you're not my friend when you're trying so hard to act like your dad!'
She looked away quickly, feeling the burn of angry tears in her eyes and she attempted to blink them away.
'-and just remember Draco' she added quietly 'I'm your only friend too.'
Draco paused in the doorway at her words, frozen to the spot.
She was right.
She had been his only friend, not only growing up but even now.
She was the only one who held no prejudice or expectations of him based on his family name; and judging by the condition in which he had often found her she had more right than anyone to have prejudice against his family.
He sighed, whilst in principal he wanted to stomp away and not turn back to her, he knew from experience that he would regret that later.
Instead, he gritted his teeth and walked back over, taking a seat next to her.
'Anyway' she continued knowing she had won, a faint note of amusement in her tone 'at least I didn't turn you into a ferret...'
'I knew I shouldn't have told you about that!' he groaned, shooting her a glare to which she responded with a childlike grin.
That was the thing with Eve.
Whilst he didn't even dare to think about what she suffered down in this room; in her prison. She remained so childlike, so naive, and it was an exceptionally unusual and beautiful thing to see in Malfoy Manor.
'So...how did you learn to do –that' he indicated to the wand in her hands 'and you could not turn me into a...ferret' he hissed the word.
'There's a lot you don't know about me' she teased, and smiled warmly at him, clearly pleased they were no longer arguing 'but I've been having lessons in magic ever since you started Hogwarts...and believe me, I'm pretty sure I could' she smiled.
'You have?' Draco asked, ignoring her last comment 'who's been teaching you?'
'Your dad' she told him 'sometimes your mum' she added with a shrug.
'That's more than he's ever done for me' Draco replied bitterly 'the most he takes notice in my schooling is checking my grades at the end of the year.'
'Well I wouldn't get too jealous Draco, it's hardly fun and games.' She mumbled, her eyes darkening for a second.
He didn't reply to that.
They spent the next hour showing each other spells they had learnt, Draco's often small and childish whilst Eve's often being tricky and a little more purposeful.
'It does what?' Eve exclaimed when Malfoy explained the Bat-Bogey Hex, laughing.
'Oh come on, surely you've heard of it?'
'Can you imagine your dad teaching me that?' she gave him a sideways glance, and they both sniggered at the prospect.
'Why does he bother teaching you?' Draco asked suddenly, frowning.
'Oh, thanks!' Eve retorted sarcastically 'why does he bother? Am I that much of a lost cause?'
'Oh you know what I mean' he quickly brushed past her sarcasm 'if he's keeping you here, then why is he bothering to teach you? Have you found out anything more?'
She had been meaning to discuss all of her memories with him, but now that she was facing the conversation, her throat suddenly dried up and she stared at him nervously.
'Eve?' he asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.
'I...erm...well –'
'Eve, what do you know?' he pushed, his face open with interest.
They had discussed the possible answer to this question nearly every time they had seen each other since they had met.
Coming up with everything from the most likely, to the most ridiculous answers whilst both craving to know the truth. Draco had seen the look in Eve's eyes over and over, the way she yearned for the truth. How desperate she was for an answer. He had often felt the same way himself, perhaps not to the same magnitude but the desperation and frustration had been felt all the same.
'Eve?' he pressed again, watching as she nervously chewed on her bottom lip.
'I've been having flashbacks' she blurted 'I've been remembering –'
'-Remembering what?' he demanded quickly.
'The things that happen when they take me out.'
'When you leave this room?' he clarified, and she nodded vigorously. 'What have you been remembering?
Her head jerked up to stare into his eyes, and she felt her hands beginning to shake.
Could she tell him?
He knew that his father wasn't a nice man; but to tell truly how evil the man was...
'Eve' his voice became gentle, far more gentle than she had heard him speak in a long time and she jumped as the warm sensation of his hand resting on top of her own caused her mind to go blank.
'I think they make me do really bad things, Draco' she told him quietly.
'Like what?'
'Like...like hurt people. Like make them tell me things they want to know. Like make them forget anything we do to them –'
'Make them forget? Make them tell you things?' Draco shook his head in confusion 'how could you make them do anything Eve?
'I – I don't know! B-But I can! I do!' she replied, her voice starting to break and her eyes welling with tears 'I make them scream and they ask me to stop...and I wake up here covered in blood' she shuddered and glanced back at Draco to detect any disgust in his eyes.
She didn't find any.
'We always knew there must be something about you...that they must need you for something –'
'And I saw Him Draco' she whispered, her voice tight with fear.
'The Dark Lord?' Draco clarified, his voice also dropping to a whisper.
'It was awful, so so horrible' the tears were freely running down her cheeks now, and his hand tightened around her own 'but there was this woman...this other woman...'
'Who?' Draco asked quickly, a queasy sensation hitting his stomach at the look of unadulterated fear in her eyes.
'She was like me; a prisoner. But older than us.' She paused to take a deep breath before carrying on 'she escaped. She got away!'
He caught the hope in her voice, the longing in her tone and although he knew it was selfish he resented her for it. He didn't want her to escape or to leave the Manor.
Because it was a prison for both of them, it was only Eve that made it his home. Things were changing, he had known that since the business with Potter and Diggory at the Triwizard tournament, and he was scared.
He knew what was expected of him, he knew how he was supposed to act and the way he did in front of his school peers. But the concept of what would be asked of him was suddenly weighing on him greatly.
Eve had seen Him.
It was no longer a possibility or a what if, it was real.
'How did she escape?' he asked, his voice coming out slightly higher than normal.
'I- I don't really remember. All I remember is suddenly being outside, and she threw your mum off of me –'
'Threw? What was she a Muggle?' he asked, confused.
'No, no of course not' she shook her head 'with – with her hands' she extended her own to show him.
'Wandless magic?' he breathed and she nodded her confirmation.
'But when I saw her...it was like...like I knew her –' she placed her hand on her head and frowned as if trying to clear her thoughts 'God, I have a headache'
'Are you okay?' he asked, surprising himself at how soft his voice was.
She nodded in response, gazing into his grey eyes.
'You know when we were younger I used to pretend you were my sister...actually I used to think you might have been at first' he told her, trying to make the tone lighter. To distract her from the thoughts that were creating the mournful sadness cloud her eyes.
'Me too, same hair...eyes' she shrugged 'but I figured that wasn't possible – not with the way they would –'
'-they would what?' Draco interrupted, watching as her eyes darkened to stormy grey.
'Nothing' she muttered 'I'm just happy I have you'
His stomach gave a slight flip at her words and immediately he felt guilty for how he had spoken to her earlier.
He was finding it harder and harder to remain so open with her; to be the same boy he had been when he met her.
His father was placing more and more pressure on him to live up to the Malfoy name, and it worried him sometimes how much power she held over him.
How weak she made him.
He told himself over and over he wouldn't go to her again. That he would forget about her and continue on his expected path; to follow the Dark Lord.
But whenever he saw that bloody chain attached to her leg, whenever he saw the sadness in her eyes and the cuts and bruises on her flesh he couldn't stop the anger.
The anger at his parents; for what they were.
And it wasn't good. He couldn't live up to his father's reputation as the family heir whilst feeling sympathetic to someone who was merely a prisoner.
He shuddered at even thinking the word.
Prisoner.
It wasn't fitting. It wasn't right. However hard he tried to convince himself that she was nothing, that he could push her aside, he knew deep down he couldn't.
She was Eve.
His Eve.
'You always have me' he muttered, staring straight ahead of him, still deep in thought and his expression blank.
He felt her shift beside him, as if about to respond, when a distant sound made them both freeze.
Approaching footsteps.
He turned to her quickly, her face a mask of horror and fear, an expression he knew was mirrored in his own.
'Shit' he cursed, jumping up and clutching his hair in his fist.
His heart was thumping with panic and his eyes were wide.
'Draco' her voice trembled, but was laced with urgency.
'Draco' she repeated faster, ensuring she had his attention 'you saw the passage slightly open, you heard a noise so came down to investigate, you found me – I attacked you'
'W-What?' he stuttered in confusion 'what do you –'
'Shut up' she hissed 'we don't have time. I attacked you – now shoot a spell at me...and take this' she threw the wand he had brought her back to him.
'No – Eve I won't'
'Fine' she snapped, narrowing her eyes at him, somehow knowing that this time, for once by her own control, it would work.
'GET AWAY FROM ME!' she screamed, and flung out her arm flinching as she watched him get thrown back, letting out a yell of shock.
The footsteps increased to a run.
'I'm so sorry Draco' she whispered urgently 'but do not interfere with anything – no matter what! Promise me!' she begged him, her eyes wide and pleading.
Staring at her as if she were a complete stranger, he nodded mutely, just as the door of the room was blast open.
A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews I'm so happy that you're all enjoying the story! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter - i've left you on a bit of a cliff hanger - any guesses what might happen?
I'm already writing the next chapter so it should be up in no time! All your reviews are really keeping me motivated with writing this so I just want to thank you so much!
Also if any of you have any stories you would like to recommend I'd be greatful! I promise to review x