SMILE LIKE YOU MEAN IT | james potter

xix. fallingforyou

-ˋˏ *.·:·.⟐.·:·.* ˎˊ-

"POLARIS," DIABLOS GREETS PLEASANTLY, offering his arm. Polaris accepts it without a word, still slightly stunned by the events of the last twenty four hours.

   Her left arm still twinges, and she feels a dull ache throughout her body. She'd actually done it. She was, as of now, the youngest death eater. Despite running to Andromeda's in the middle of the night, she had had to return. She'd had to come back to the pits of hell because lo and behold, she had a date.

   The idea of a date with Diablos seemed pointless, because she was literally going to marry the man whether she liked him or not.

   "How are you this fine afternoon?" Diablos asks.

   "Fine, yeah," Polaris mumbles. She feels like she's drifting through the halls, not really there. His grip tightens wordlessly on her arm, and practically dragging her down the hall.

   "Everything went well then, yesterday?" Diablos continues.

   "Yeah, fine," Polaris says. Diablos tightens his grip further on her arm until she winces slightly.

   "You don't seem very enthused?" he says, raising an eyebrow.

   "Sorry," Polaris says quickly. "I'm just tired."

   "Tiredness is not a good enough excuse," he says, forcing her chin up so she meets his eye. "Are you unhappy with your newly pledged allegiance to the Dark Lord?"

   "Of course not," Polaris says. "It hasn't quite sunk in yet, that's all."

   Diablos still doesn't seem satisfied. Throughout the summer she had learned that he had a short temper, and a rough hand. She'd accidentally upset him on more than one occasion and paid the price. It should have made her more careful, but her tiredness and overall shock were making her sloppy.

   "I'm sorry," Polaris apologises. "Of course I'm happy, it's- it's what I've always wanted."

   That seems to be enough for Diablos, and he continues their walk through Black Manor and into the garden.

   "I looked for you last night," Diablos says. "After the ceremony."

   "I went straight to bed," Polaris lies, praying he can't hear the quickening of her heartbeat. "I fell asleep quite quickly, my apologies if you came to my door."

   "See that's the thing," Diablos says, and Polaris feels her heart sink. No, no, no, he can't have come looking for her. "You weren't in your room when I checked."

"Why were you looking in my room?" Polaris asks.

"To check if you were alright," Diablos says simply. "But you weren't there."

   He's taken her to a deliberately hidden spot of the garden, because he doesn't want her parents to see them. He likes to have his control, he likes to be the one to catch her out. He likes to make it very clear that he's in charge.

   "Polaris, where were you last night?"

   "I was in my room," Polaris says. "You must've caught me at a time whilst I was in the  bathroom."

   "I don't like liars, Polaris," Diablos says, his voice dangerously quiet. "Don't lie to me."

   "Why would I lie to you?"