Destined for Darkness (A Draco Malfoy Fic)

Inevitable

The following day I was in the library bright and early with more hope than I'd had in months. In my many visits to this room, I had spotted some texts that I doubted I'd find even in the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts library. So, if I wanted some information on dark curses—such as blood maledictions—this would be the place to find it.

If I could find a way to break or suppress the curse before Katherine could somehow get me to trigger it, I could protect myself not just for the next week but for the rest of my life.

Sitting here now, surrounded by piles of books that ranged from not helpful to even less helpful, it was safe to say that my hope had waned a bit. Even with the amazing catalog system that allowed you to sort through books based on keywords they contained, blood curses were as unique as snowflakes, and I would have to know the exact spell that created mine to have any hope of counteracting it.

However, even if I had my ancestor's journal laying open in front of me right now, I wouldn't have been able to get through a single sentence before my mind was consumed yet again by the haunting remnant from my nightmare.

Draco's platinum hair was blood-stained and splayed on the wood as he laid unmoving in the center of the table, his eyes no longer shining silver, but a dull grey as they stared back at me imploringly, as if his last thought in death was, 'Why didn't you save me?'

I slammed the book in front of me shut and rubbed my eyes, trying to banish the scene, but it seemed burned into my vision like an afterimage.

Begrudgingly accepting that I wasn't going to get any reading done, I leaned back in my chair and waved a hand through the air, banishing the stacks of books to re-shelve themselves. It was a pain in the ass to have to pull them every day, but I couldn't risk anyone discovering what I'd been researching—especially not Katherine.

I rested my elbows on the now empty table and cradled my head in my hands. Finding a way to break the curse, or at the very least some sort of loophole had been my only hope of defense other than just hiding out in Draco's room until we left for school. With the former seeming like a long shot and the latter impractical, I had to think of something else.

—————

"Eleanor?"

I jumped and sat straight up, almost falling out of my chair as I reflexively reached for my wand.

"Oh goodness, I'm so sorry, dear. I didn't mean to startle you," Narcissa's voice registered right as I met her slightly concerned gaze.

I shook my head and swallowed as my pulse raced. "No, you didn't. I guess I must have just dozed off." I slid my arm off the table, attempting to surreptitiously wipe up the small puddle of drool as I went.

The corners of her mouth turned up into a sad smile—the only kind I ever saw on her these days—and she stroked a hand down my hair in such a tender, motherly gesture that I couldn't help leaning into her touch.

"Tippy said you have been in here all day and didn't eat lunch, so I thought I'd come and check on you and see if you wanted to have an early dinner?"

Dinner? Shit, I must have been passed out for hours. At least it'll be easier to stay awake tonight if Draco isn't back.

I nodded and stood to follow Narcissa as I mentally berated myself for leaving myself vulnerable for so long.

We walked the relatively short distance to the dining room, and then both froze in the doorway when we saw the two people sitting at the table.

"Oh," Narcissa said flatly. Clearly, this was just as much of an unpleasant surprise for her as it was for me. "Bella, Katherine. I wasn't expecting you both to be back so soon."