Bloodlines || A Draco Malfoy Romance Fanfiction

The Turning Point - 85

Trigger Warning:
 physical abuse
 emotional abuse
attempted SA

Aphry

My mind was preoccupied while Dimitri and I danced. Despite the number of arguments I'd had in my life, I never could shake them from my mind. I wasn't sure it was something I would ever totally get over.

I wondered if it was really my place to insert myself into that argument. Maybe I should just excuse myself and apologize to the two. But then I would look at the two of them, still sulking like children, and my pride would get the better of me, telling myself they deserved the talking to I gave them.

It was obvious Dimitri was getting annoyed that my mind was elsewhere. I'll admit it wasn't the most incredibly ladylike way to behave with her date.

Things hit a tipping point when I saw, from the dance floor, Hermione in an obvious row with Ron as they walked out of the great hall. I guess since I played a part in putting them together, I desperately wanted her and Viktor to have a good night, and Ron's true feelings just happened to spring up to ruin everything.

"Sickle for your thoughts?" Dimitri said in an unpleasant tone.

I looked back at him and sighed ashamedly. "I'm sorry, I've been a terrible date."

He scoffed, looking away from me. His eyes were hard, and he scowled. "You know, you seemed to have your eyes on every other male at the ball but me."

"Excuse me!" I said, meeting his scoff with one of my own, "I do not appreciate what you are implying."

"Tell me, is Draco Malfoy a better dancer than me?" he asked. Although my feet were still moving, I felt my entire body tense in a semi-freeze and my heart pounded in my chest. Just as I had suspected, word got around.

The next thing that came out of my mouth was a series of stutters and scoffs. Finally, I spat out. "S-Snape made us. We're both p-professionally trained... we took lessons together growing up!"

"That's not what I overheard the Slytherin girls whisper about," he said. "All I heard was Draco and you had this... contented," he spat the word,  "smile. Ones they believed they'd never seen the two of you share with anyone else but each other."

I couldn't exactly deny that. "D-Dimitri, I have not..."

The hard, dark look on his face absolutely scared me. "You know, I've often wondered what the two of you do when you slink off to your dungeon common room at night."

"I beg your pardon!" I said, offence laced in my fear. "Draco and I have never been alone."

He chuckled, dangerously low. "Oh, that is not what Miss Bulstrode said. She said that she heard that you were found out of bed one night, and you and Draco were found alone in the dark, otherwise empty common room. You had nothing but a nightgown on."

"I had a robe on, too! I was properly covered!" I gasped and covered my mouth, realizing that to him I likely appeared more guilty admitting to the event.

Dimitri's scowl deepened, and he bent down, grasping my arm painfully tight and escorting me off of the dance floor to a more vacant area of the Great Hall. He turned his back to the busy dancefloor, facing me. I nervously swallowed as I watched a furious fire dance behind his eyes. "Aphrodite Cytheria, I told you that I would not be made a fool by being some... cuckold. Especially to a Malfoy." He dropped his arms. "This ends tonight. I'm writing my parents as soon as I get back to the ship." He turned and started walking away from me.

No, no, no. Tears brimmed my eyes, and reached for him and grasped his arm. "Dimitri, please," I begged. "Draco and I have done nothing to dishonour our relationship, I can assure you! Please, How can I prove it to you?"

He slowly turned back to look over his shoulder at me, and I was shaken by the devious smirk on his face. "Well, I suppose you could do one thing..."

"Yes, of course!" I said desperately, a single tear falling. "Please, let me know what is it."

"Come spend the night on the ship with me."

I froze. I knew what that implied. And despite what he thought or what I had been accused of, I was still completely innocent. Ironically, I was being asked to compromise myself to save my reputation. But all I could think about was how I did not feel ready to give up what I knew was the final piece of my childhood. How the thought terrified me more than anything.

"Dimitri, that is highly improper," I pleaded as I straightened my back in a feeble attempt to appear confident. 

He chuckled. "Milaya, I'm afraid you've already agreed." He took a slow dangerous step toward me. I took a step back. "And, seeing as I'm now afraid you'll put up a fight..." He took his wand out of his sleeve and pointed it at me. "Imperio."

Immediately, I lost control of my body. My mind floated blissfully as Dimitri, still smirking, wrapped his arm around my shoulder possessively, and guided me out of the great hall. I smiled pleasantly as my body attached to his side. 

As we left the doors to the entrance hall, though. Something clicked, and I regained control of my mind, but my mind only. I reeled with horror on the way to the ship as I thought of what was happening and what was about to happen.

On our path there, I saw Severus Snape and Igor Karkaroff. Snape faced us as he leaned against the castle walls with his usually serious expression as he spoke with the Durmstrang headmaster, whose back was turned from us.

We headed down the path, past the two, and Dimitri instructed through the Imperius curse to nod politely to the two professors. As we did so simultaneously, I caught Snape's eye and begged in mind, PLEASE, PLEASE SEVERUS. STOP US. STOP. US.

After passing the teachers, we met no one else on our path. My heart beat in my chest wildly despite my calm outward appearance, and I couldn't get enough oxygen in my lungs, as the Imperius curse would not allow my body to hyperventilate. My panic grew as the ship grew closer and closer to my field of vision, and I began to lose hope.

"Mr. Sokolov? Miss Cytheria?" Snape's drawling voice said as Dimitri and I were about to take simultaneous steps up to the gangway of the ship.

Dimitri stopped us and cursed furiously under his breath. Then he turned the both of us around. "Yes, Professor?" He said, with a charming smile that lacked the malice that it had just a moment ago.

"I am sure that your Headmaster Karkaroff told you that students outside of Durmstrang are strictly forbidden from re-entering the ship after the ball." Severus looked at me, and I begged in my mind for him to prevent Dimitri's plans from coming to fruition.

Chuckling to add levity to the situation, Dimitri then said, "Professor, please. We are arranged to be married."

Severus's eyes narrowed. "Mr. Sokolov, our rules stay the same regardless of relationship status."

Dimitri's eyes darkened a bit, and he seemed mildly defeated. "I was only saying goodnight to her." I would have laughed at how absurdly false that statement is if I weren't cursed.

My eyes connected with my godfather's again. "Well, then," he said. "You can say goodnight right now, and Miss Cytheria can make her way back to her common room."

A curt nod came from Dimitri, and he turned to me. "Goodnight." He said rigidly. Then, I assume for appearances, he bent down and placed a chaste kiss on my cheek.

When Dimitri straightened, Severus Snape said, "Miss Cytheria, do you need to be escorted to your common room?" I was forced to shake my head. "Then I suggest you return there at once."

"Yes, sir," I was forced to say, then walked away seemingly calmly.

As the distance grew, I felt the curse tug as Dimitri lost control. He was not strong enough to control it from a distance. When he lost sight of me, the curse had been lifted completely.

I ran at that point, as fast as I could, down to the dungeon. Tears spilt from me as I recovered from my fear, desperate for the safety of the Slytherin common room.

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Author's Note: I've had this part in my head for so long. What do you guys think?  What do you think will happened next?