𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐎𝐮𝐭 {𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲}

| 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐔𝐁𝐔𝐒 | 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯

"No, Angel." A sly smile crept onto his lips. "You're lying to yourself."

"What did you do to me?"

"Take a guess." He paused for my answer. "Oh, come on, darling. You might've been a Hufflepuff but you're smart. Figure it out."

I thought and thought, but it was all a black hole. My last memory was of Draco. He had stormed out of the house in a temper. I remembered watching the back of his head disappear out the door.

Codrus groaned as if I had just asked him an impossible favour. "Alright, fine, I'll tell you! See, at first I was just trying to help Mr Malfoy. The plan was simple. Become your friend, gain your trust, wait for you to become pregnant, and then his lot were going to take you and Draco back to to the Manor. But now-"

"Lucius?" I gasped. "But why?"

"To fulfil the prophecy, of course."

"What prophecy?"

He massaged his temples. "Look, it's all very complicated, but Lucius has this big plan, you see? Big plan. Basically, a prophecy has predicted that he's going to be the next Voldemort, or what-have-you."

"But what does that have to do with Draco and me?"

"Your baby." He pointed at my stomach. "It's the key to stopping the uprising. And we can't let that happen, can we? So of course, Lucius wants to kill it. But, the prophecy also says that it first has to be born, or he'll fail, so dear, old Lucy doesn't really have a choice. My job was just to infiltrate the Ministry and make sure they don't catch on. We want to take them by surprise, you see."

"They'll come for me. Rutherford would have noticed I'm missing by now, and-"

"Rutherford?" His laughter was cold and grating, metal on metal. "Darling, he was the one who supplied me with the Amortentia."

Another element to this highly-confusing situation. "What Amortentia?" I struggled.

"Merlin, do I really have to spell everything out for you! Well, see at first I only wanted to fuck you, but d'you know what? I'm beginning to think we're in love, Angel. Draco treated you like utter dogshit, but you would never have had the guts to leave him. And Lucius is practically waiting to carve you open like a fruit. How could I ever let him desecrate your soft, delicate body like that?

"So I thought it best that you stay here. We can be together forever, just you and me. That's why I gave you a big, healthy dose of Amortentia. Had you begging for me within minutes! So you were more than happy to pack your things up and come over when I told you to, although you won't really be needing much now."

There was a flash of anger within me, sharp and white-hot. "I would never."

"Of course, you wouldn't, darling," he said breezily. "That is why you will have Amortentia with every single sip of water from now on."

I had to get out. What could I do? Magic. I could do magic. I watched patiently as he waved his wand to unlock the chains on my wrists before my hands flew to my empty pocket.

"Where's my wand?"

"Oh, this old thing?" He pulled it from his belt, the unmistakable rose quartz hilt glinting in the semi-darkness. "You won't be needing it anymore. But don't worry, I'll see to it personally that you're as comfortable as possible."

He slipped it back into his jacket and patted it, smirking. Just when he had reached the door, he turned around once more. "Oh, and don't bother screaming. The whole house is cast with Muffliato." The door snicked shut, I was alone again.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

The glass of water sat on the little bedside table, untouched. At first glance, it seemed clear, but when the rays of the sun hit it just right, there was the unmistakable pearly sheen of Amortentia. It also smelled strongly of green apples, pine, and candy. It smelled like the elf wine from Sweden. It smelled like Draco.

At first, I refused. No matter how thirsty I got, I would turn away and tried to sleep instead.

Codrus was patient, biding his time as he sat in the armchair across the room. Sometimes he flipped a book, or took a bite out of an apple, or picked at the plump beads of a pomegranate. He gave me no food.

He never said anything, either. He did not have to. By the afternoon of the third day, I lay weakened and limp on the bed. My mouth was so dry I could barely open it.

"You're going to have to drink soon, darling," he said, sloshing the water around in the glass. My abdomen cried out in pain, and I knew if I did not drink, the baby would die. I would die.

Reluctantly, I took a sip. The water had a fresh, spring-like quality to it. I could not resist gulping the entire glass.

"Good girl," Codrus cooed in my ear.

I fought its effects, my mind wrestling against the building desire for him.

I curled up, touching my forehead to my knees. I thought of Draco. His blond hair that shone white-gold when the sun was at its highest, his silver eyes as he looked at me at the Thestral pond. Dancing with him at home to Michael Buble on the record, tracing the constellation freckles on his back.

But I was useless without my wand. I could not reverse the effects of the potion or conjure my own glass of water.

The memories started to get interrupted by thoughts of Codrus. The muscles that rippled under his shirt as he bent over the geraniums, his chiseled jaw as he laughed across me at our dining table, his shock-blue eyes as they crinkled with smile.

"They don't call it the strongest love potion in the world for nothing," said Codrus from the armchair. "Stop trying to fight what is only innate, Angel."

He consumed my thoughts, drowning Draco out like a wave washing over a pebble. I could not bear it any longer. I begged for him to come. He gleefully obeyed, his lips tasting better than the water.

In the coming days, Codrus would have me, over and over. And I, drunk on false love, welcomed it. Afterward, he would lie with me on the bed, arm resting heavy over my ribs as if we were a proper couple. When he left, I mewled after him like a pathetic animal yearning for its master. I was a puppet on strings, completely at his mercy.

Yet, something within me still fought; something embedded so deeply in my soul it was impossible to say what it was. Whenever I was with Codrus, there was always something missing, a niggling feeling in my heart, like being homesick for a place I'd never been.

This was what provided me with my brief moments of lucidity. In those moments, I wept. I wept for Draco and our marriage; and for me, a disgusting, dirty, cheating rat. It destroyed me, but I thought of how it would destroy Draco.

I touched my stomach. Maybe it was best Draco never found me. It would be easier on him.