Chapter Twenty Three
A/N: No reviewers.
The echo of her heels clicking against the dungeon floor made shivers run down Merida's spine, but she forced herself to continue. Her mother had offered endlessly to go and collect her Potions work for her, but the girl had refused, wanting the chance to build up the strength and confidence that seemed to have drained out of her like blood within these very walls. Of course, there was the possibility of seeing Draco, a major reason her mother had made the offer- and a major reason Merida had refused it.
The hushed sound of voices prompted Merida to stop, suddenly very conscious of the sound her shoes were making. One of the voices was deep and slow, clearly Professor Snape, while the other was a female voice she did not recognise, high-pitched and brittle with tension.
"Severus, please, you cannot just abandon him!" the woman whispered forcefully, her desperation clear even from Merida's distance. "The mission is far too dangerous, he cannot do it on his own!"
"Narcissa, you know I am doing all I can." The name caught Merida's attention. It was distinctive, musical, and although she knew she had heard it before, she could not recall where. The redhead delicately moved herself closer to the door, not quite closed, and pressed her face to the wall, trying to see through the tiny gap. The girl bit down on her lip to contain her gasp, as she recognised the pleading woman. Draco's mother.
'What is she doing here?' Merida wondered, her breath beginning to come a little faster. 'Has something happened to Draco? Is he in danger?'
She caught herself before she could wonder any further. Draco had allowed her to be attacked, perhaps even ordering it himself, he did not deserve her concern. Even if he was in danger, why should she care?
And yet Merida kept listening, pressing her ear closing to the gap between the door. The two voices were quieter now, Draco's mother having calmed a little.
"It is an impossible task for a boy and he knows it." Narcissa whispered. Merida could tell even from this distance she was fighting back tears. "The Dark Lord is punishing us for what happened with Lucius, and now even Draco knows it. He knows he's been given a task he cannot hope to accomplish."
"Are you certain?" Snape asked, his tone dripping in sarcasm. "When I last confronted him, his ego could have filled this classroom. He believes he is the greatest killer to ever walk the earth."
"He knows the consequences if he fails." the woman stated bluntly. Merida could almost have sworn she heard her shiver. "Anything is easier to think of than that, even if it isn't true."
Silence fell between them once again, a strange mixture of comfort and discomfort, like old friends who had disagreed. 'They must all have been friends once.' Merida reasoned, thinking of Slytherin House as it was now, all the Purebloods banding together. It must have been easy for the Death Eaters to flourish, in a group like that.
"Narcissa, there is nothing more I can do." Snape sighed, his tone full of regret. "I've made the Vow, I've promised to protect him as best I can. I cannot accomplish the deed for him, not until the situation is desperate enough. The Dark Lord wants Draco to kill the headmaster, it will only be worse for him if I do the deed instead."
Merida gasped quickly, clamping her palm over her mouth barely in time to conceal the sound. This was no small task they were trying to accomplish here. They were trying to assassinate Dumbledore. And Draco would be the one to cast the curse.
'He'll never do it.' Merida realised, suddenly empathetic for Narcissa's pain. 'He could never kill Dumbledore and escape. Either he'll be killed in the attempt or he'll be sent to Azkaban. And if he never even tries to kill Dumbledore, he'll have to face terrible consequences anyway? This is an awful situation, there's no way Draco can get out of this safe and well. No matter what happens, he's going to get hurt.'
Suddenly, her mother's voice came into her mind. It is only right that he should be hurt, the way he hurt you. He deserves it. But she shook the voice away. She could not think that Draco, her friend, deserved to suffer, not while his mother stood a few feet before her, running a handkerchief along the underside of her eyes to catch the tears.
"I wish I'd never let him do it." the woman sighed, collapsing into the chair beneath her and balancing her head on one delicate hand. "I should have fought back, no matter the consequences for myself. What sort of mother places her own life above that of her son?"
"No mother can overcome the Dark Lord's wishes." Snape shot back. The comment might have sounded sympathetic, had it not come from Snape. "No matter how much you had fought, or what pains you had taken upon yourself, Draco would have taken the Dark Mark and he would have been tasked with this mission. It doesn't matter…"
Merida heard nothing else, her heartbeat thundering far above the volume of the conversation in the room beyond. The Dark Mark. Draco had taken the Dark Mark. Draco was a Death Eater, a true initiated member of the Dark Lord's circle. He was doomed. There was nothing that could save him. If he was caught by the Ministry with the Dark Mark on his arm, they would lock him up and throw away the key. Just like they had done his father.
Not long ago, Merida would have been pleased at the prospect of the boy responsible for her attack facing punishment. But not now. This was not a childish grudge, held against a boy she could not know for sure had tried to hurt her. This was Draco's life and she would not allow it to be put at risk simply because she had been too petty to help him. She would find a way to make this right, she assured herself, as she headed back to her bedroom empty handed. There had to be something she could do.
A/N: Another secret revealed! Please review!