As I came to, I heard swift pacing back and forth. I sat up, feeling a bit ill. I looked around and found myself someplace I've never seen before. It was rather dark due to the nearly black hardwood floor, which glistened like it had just been finished. I was in an extravagantly large room on a four poster bed which had a deep plum purple quilt and canopy with what appeared to be some sort of silver embroidering. I took in my surroundings slowly and as I turned, I nearly screamed. Draco was standing before a large window, where he drew the curtains. The curtains matched the bedspread.
"You might want to lie down," he said, and I felt nauseous for a second. I settled for stumbling to the floor. I searched inside my coat for my wand. Draco began to walk around the bed, and with horror I realized that I couldn't find what I was looking for.
"Thirteen inches, mahogany, a single strand of siren's hair and a drop of nymph's blood," Draco went on. I realized he was holding my wand.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say this wand must be at least ten thousand years old. How did you keep it so nice?"
"Stay away from me," I said through gritted teeth.
Draco didn't take another step towards me. He merely looked down, pocketing my wand inside his robe.
"You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into," he said with what looked like a snarl on his face.
"Why don't you just let me go and erase my memory?" I asked somewhat cunningly. Draco cocked a brow.
"I could've killed you when I had the chance, but…I don't know…"
I looked at him, trying to read his expression.
"Your blood is pure. I think it would have been wasteful."
"What do you want?" I asked, standing up. Draco took a few more steps towards me and I kept stepping back, until I found myself in a corner.
"Okay, here's the deal; you can either join the ranks of the Death Eaters, or die. I'd have to be the one to kill you, since I didn't when I should've done. I'm already putting my credibility on the line with this, so you should really think about it," he said.
"Credibility? …What were you really doing in the United States? What were you doing under an alias?"
"Scouting new Death Eaters, of course," said Draco with a laugh.
"Believe it or not, there's been a new following after Voldemort. One that will take over the wizarding world right from underneath the Ministry's nose. You have no idea what's going on, do you?" Draco asked, seeming to take amusement in the horror that I'm sure was on my face.
"You see, after Voldemort, many witches and wizards have been taking their education to the Muggle world, believing they'll find some sort of safety away from magic. The fools, really," Draco said shaking his head.
"And there are plenty of weak-minded youth who would do just about anything to fit in. Have you any idea how vulnerable that leaves them to the sway of Dark Magic? And I wasn't the only one in on this. You wouldn't believe how many of us there are in schools all over the Muggle world scouting for willing witches and wizards. Even some of the Muggles who believe in magic, the ones Muggle societies deem as nutters are proving to be useful. I know, I know, who would dare collaborate with such filth, you ask? There's power in numbers, Johnson, and we're quickly gaining it. The Muggles, they just serve as servants, really, covering up our tracks, doing whatever we'll have them do. We can't very well have them running about thinking they're in charge of the movement."
"…If you just let me go—"
"You're incredible, Johnson. You think I'd really ruin my reputation? Most everyone thinks you're dead, already. You can thank Pansy for spreading the news," he said, pulling something out of his robes. He handed me a copy of the Daily Prophet. On the front cover was breaking news about a Knight Bus accident in which I was listed as one of the witches and wizards found dead on the scene. As I started to read it, my heart began pounding.
"It was a rather tedious task," said Draco in a bored manner.
"As I'm told, she had to miss a nice night out destroying a bus full of unsuspecting—"
"You're sick," I said, throwing the paper to the floor. Draco simply glanced at it where it landed, and then back up at me. I'd noticed that the date on the paper was from two days ago, which meant I'd already gone missing before the supposed accident had occurred.
"You have a week to decide what you want to do, and then I'll either have to kill you or…" Draco trailed off. I threw my fist and it hit him square in the nose before he could even think to say another word. Draco yelped in pain, clutching his nose which began to drip red onto the hardwood floor. I took that moment to rush out of the door, and shortly found myself in the hallway of an unfamiliar place. I tried to disapparate, but I found myself on the floor on my hands and knees as if some invisible barrier had bounced me right off the planes of the universe. I heard angry footsteps and felt something grab me at the center of my back and I was picked square up off the floor. Draco had thrown me over his shoulder. I kicked and wiggled, scratching at him to try and break free. I was curtly brought back to the room, where he threw me on the bed abruptly and I felt a freezing cold set of knuckles make contact with my cheek. No one had ever slapped me in my life and I stared up at Draco Malfoy in disbelief.
"Don't make me kill you!" he said getting right up in my face so that all I could see were his cold eyes. They stung my very soul. I felt his hands on my shoulders shake me momentarily. And then Draco pushed me down so I hit my back on the bed. He stormed out of the room, slamming the door. I waited a few seconds to make sure he was gone. And then I went to the window. I was about to try and open it when a nasty shock caused me to back away. It became clear that I wasn't going to get out of here. I kicked open a door to find a bathroom with a tub and sink and a toilet. There were windows there. I tested them first, picking up a rather expensive looking hand mirror and throwing it at the window. It was shocked right off before it shattered on the floor. I ran back to the paper and picked it up off the floor, finding a picture of myself that had been taken the day I started working at the Ministry of Magic, followed by an obituary and kind words from friends and family members. I started screaming and crying. I tried to go out the door again, but it was locked. I finally accepted that there was no way out, and that I was trapped. I proceeded to make a mess of the place, tearing the blankets off the bed, ripping the pillows open so fabric went flying, shattering the lamp and leaving myself in the light of the sun which was setting slowly. I threw a chair and made the most racket that I possibly could, but no one came to my rescue. Eventually I tired myself out until I was a weeping mess on the floor, where I fell asleep crying.
When I woke up again, I found myself in the same bed as before, except this time my shoes had been removed and I was wearing something completely different than what I'd arrived there wearing. It was a lacey white nightgown that when I got up to go to the bathroom, looked really pretty on me in the mirror. I quickly realized that the room had been fixed entirely. Everything I'd broken the day before was perfectly intact and new looking once more. Wondering how the hell I got into this outfit, not to mention I was entirely naked underneath, I stepped out of the bathroom to find what appeared to be a house elf fixing something up at a table.
"Mistress would like to eat now?" said a shy sounding house elf, bowing to me.
"Excuse me," I said. The elf looked up at me with unsure eyes.
"Where am I? Can you tell me?" I asked, stooping to her height.
"Malfoy manor, miss," said the elf. And before I could ask another question, she disapparated out of sight. I felt another jolt in my heart like I had the day before when Pansy spotted me in London. I felt like I was going to be sick but then my stomach growled and I realized that I was hungry. I went to the food on the table and started eating voraciously. It was all very savory and rich, things I'd often only eaten on occasion at the best restaurants. I knew that the house elf hadn't been lying about where I was. The Malfoys were notorious for their filthy richness. I heard the door open and turned around with my mouth half full. Draco stood in the doorway, and when he saw me standing there, immediately lowered his gaze and closed the door again. I ran to it to try and open it, but felt him holding it closed on the other side.
"Get dressed," he said. I looked down at what I was wearing. There was a set of double doors which led to the closet. I opened them and it was like some sort of magic to behold all of the clothes, which were clearly expensive. I took off what I was wearing and found that the closet contained a bureau with everything I needed in it. I got dressed and then sighed. I twisted the handle of the door but Draco pulled it closed.
"Are you decent?" he asked with some irritation.
"Yes," I answered just as ugly. The door opened and I backed away from it. And then I backed away from Draco until I considered him to be a safe enough distance away. I don't think I'd ever worn such an expensive dress, and Draco seemed to have noticed it too, looking me slowly up and down before saying a word.
"I don't know what your problem is, and I don't know what you think you've done, but I'm going to get out of here, one way or another, and you better hope—" the familiar Russian Blue cat trailed in after Draco and rushed over to me. I gasped.
"Grayson," I said, picking him up. The cat was happy about our reunion but the slight joy was short-lived.
"You went to my flat?" I asked angrily.
"How else was I to know what bloody dress size you wear?" Draco responded. I felt my face burn with some sort of embarrassment at the thought of Draco looking through my clothes and other personal things. Even the underwear I'd put on from the closet in the room fit me perfectly. I put Grayson down. I walked towards Draco without even thinking, and was right about to hit him again when he grabbed my fist, grabbing my other arm just in case.
"You think you're going to put your hands on me?" he yelled.
"I was off guard the first time but you will be sorry if you do it again," he said before throwing me back so I tripped on the dress and fell on the floor. He sighed and took a deep breath, controlling himself. He closed the door which was still open. Grayson rushed over to me, as if to check and see that I was okay.
"I thought about killing it, but then I thought you might like a companion," said Draco, eying the cat.
"I can't believe you thought about that cat," he said in some honest surprise.
"You're a monster," I said, clutching the cat to my chest. Draco laughed.
"Actually, I'm not. I didn't kill you when I had the chance. You should be thanking me, Johnson, not insulting me," he said.
"Did you put me here? Did you put me in that gown?" I asked, standing up and making my way to the other side of the room as Draco tried to approach me.
"Of course I put you here. And no, I did not undress you, if that's what you're asking," he said, cocking his brows in a manner that rather disgusted me.
"That's what house elves are for. I don't have the time for such trivialities." He looked at the table to find I'd eaten.
"And what did you do to me, that night at the Grayson's house?" I asked.
"Doesn't matter," he responded without hesitation.
"You're here now. Now I'm in complete control."
"What do you mean?"
"My father was furious with me when I told him about what happened with the Graysons. You see, Blaise and Pansy sort of blew my cover when they decided to send a newbie to come check on me in the States. He told Mrs. Grayson my real name, got her all suspicious. He was so daft he couldn't even have erased her bloody memory before running off. No matter, I've gotten rid of him since the accident. He won't be mucking up my missions again." Draco glanced out the window and went to pull the curtains open further. I went back in my mind to the accident, recalling an unfamiliar voice that Draco was speaking to.
"I hate you," I said naturally. Draco looked over at me slowly, seemingly unaffected by what I'd said.
"Remember that offer?" he asked, taking a few steps towards me.
"Never," I spat, "I'd rather die."
Draco rolled his eyes, "You're no martyr, Johnson. Don't try and act like one. You will acquiesce," he said.
"Although, the offer has kind of changed a bit; my parents are determined to gain as many followers as we possibly can before we try to take over. We all agree that it would be best to try and sway you," he said. I laughed in Draco's face and he frowned angrily.
"Sway? The only thing you could sway is my fist in your face, Malfoy."
"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you," he said threateningly.
"You see, as I'm sure you've figured out, there is no way you'll be getting out of here. You're dead, remember? Nobody's going to come looking for you, Johnson. You might as well start getting comfortable. Especially because you're going to be the newest addition to this family," said Draco.
"What?"
"So I guess I should start calling you Angelina," said Draco, taking a few more steps towards me.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked. He sighed and closed the gap between us and I dropped Grayson as Draco snatched my hand. He went into his pocket and pulled something out of it. I felt my eyes grow large as he took my hand so that the fingers were free.
"What—no!" I said in disgust, yanking my hand back. Draco grabbed my hand once more and forced a ring onto my ring finger.
"I wouldn't try to fight this," said Draco, "Do you think I want to marry you?"
"You're insane," I said, taking the ring off and throwing it back in Draco's face. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and his mouth settled into a grim straight line. He then looked down on me with a damn near demonic face. I was honestly scared in that moment.
"I can make you do things, and I really don't want it to have to come to that," he said.
"But if you make this more difficult than it has to be, I will be the reason you wish to die," he said. I felt my eyes water. I glanced at the bed where the corner of the Daily Prophet was sticking out, thinking about my family and friends, my life. Draco followed my gaze and pulled the newspaper off the bed. He glared at it and then at me, getting his wand out and causing the paper to float between us where I could clearly see the front page, my obituary staring me square in the face.
"See this? That isn't who you are anymore. That woman is dead—her life is over," he said coldly, and with a careless flick of his wand, he set the paper ablaze and I watched it fall to ashes.
"You will remain here until further notice," he said, turning and walking out of the room, closing the door and leaving Grayson and I to wonder what would become of us.