Out of the Shadows (A Harry Potter Fan Fiction)

Chapter 12- Trust and Honesty (Ava)

Chapter 12 (Ava)

"Oh, Ava Potter," Bellatrix cooed as she sat down beside me on the dining room floor, where I was curled up in agony following another interrogation using the Cruciatus curse.

"What?" I managed to spit out, glaring up at her.

"You've been such a good guest. No trouble at all! Your only issue is your lack of information." Bellatrix smiled.

I started to laugh, "A guest? You're calling me a guest? I'm a prisoner! I've been in that cell for weeks now, tortured daily for information that I don't have! If I'm supposed to be a guest here, then you're clearly not very good hosts."

She slapped me across the cheek, causing a ringing in my ears and a strange numbness to spread across my face.

I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the pain. I heard the sound of someone stepping forwards and clearing their throat.

"Aunt, may I have a word with you outside?"

I recognised Draco's voice immediately, but I didn't react. Bellatrix tutted, standing up and following Draco out of the room.

I strained my ears, trying to hear what they were saying. Draco was explaining a plan, and only a few words reached me at a time.

"... a new approach... treat her like a guest... win her over... retrieve information... get her on our side..."

Bellatrix started to protest, but Draco shushed her, explaining his plan in detail. I couldn't hear properly due to my ringing ears, and gave up trying to do so. I rolled over onto my side and took deep breaths to try and ease the pain in my bones.

About half an hour later, Bellatrix returned. She had a sickly sweet smile on her face.

"Well, well, well. Looks like your complaints have been reviewed... we will move you to a different room, Potter. But don't think that this means we will forget about the information you know. We'll get it out of you eventually, just you wait."

She stormed out of the room with a sneer on her face, muttering something to two Death Eaters who walked towards me and held me up by the arms, dragging me out of the room. I elbowed one of them in the ribs.

"I can walk by myself, thank you."

I pulled my arms out of their grip and straightened up, ignoring the leftover pain from the Cruciatus Curse as I followed the two Death Eaters along a dark corridor.

They opened the door and gestured for me to enter the room. It was twice the size of my cell, and equipped with a single bed and duvet. Beside it was a bedside table with nothing on it. I tried not to show any reaction on my face at the sight of a bed, but the moment the two men had locked the door behind me, I fell onto the bed and sighed with relief.

I felt myself sink into the soft mattress, my eyes already falling shut as I drifted into sleep.

* * *

"Enjoying the luxury?" Draco muttered, dropping down on the end of the bed with a plate in his hand. I sat up, glancing at the measly portion of food, and frowned.

"I don't even get something to eat other than bread? You call that luxury?"

Draco shrugged, glancing down at the plate and placing it by my feet, "I'm not sure how the Dark Lord would feel if we were treating you like a royal."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind if he was aware of your intentions," I muttered, staring at Draco. He frowned in confusion, and I found myself laughing.

"Did you think I couldn't hear you and Bellatrix earlier? Just because you shut the door doesn't mean that everything you said was muffled."

Draco stayed silent, staring at the floor.

"You're improving my living conditions because you want to win me over and get me on your side." I shook my head, "I thought that perhaps you were being kind to me because- for once- you wanted to! But no, as usual, you're just lying to me and using me to get what you want. How am I ever expected to trust you when you keep treating me like this?"

I studied his face, but he showed no expression. I sighed- he was never going to change, was he?

"I lied to Bellatrix," He whispered, "I lied to her in order to protect you. She thinks I'm trying to win you over, but really- really I'm just trying to protect you."

"Why would you do that?" I hissed.

"Because... I care about you, Ava. In my heart, I know I've hurt you too many times. And this time, I want to do something right."

I froze, staring into his wide, honest eyes and wondering if I could allow myself to trust him again.

"I wish you'd just switch sides, Draco. It would be so much easier- you could fight by my side and you'd be doing the right thing for everyone." I whispered.

"Wars just don't work like that, Ava. I know you can see that, but you don't want to accept it. So accept this: I want to protect you from the Death Eaters for as long as I can. Do you trust me?" Draco leant closer to me, and I watched his honest, unwavering expression. He was close enough for his breath to reach my skin, causing a shiver to run down my spine.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded, "I trust you, Draco."

His eyes seemed to soften, and he hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. I watched his lips, feeling my heart stutter in my chest. I shook my head, leaning back and reaching for my plate of food. I picked at the bread silently for a moment before glancing up, "Will you stay with me while I sleep, tonight?"

Draco nodded, "Of course." He seemed surprised by the question, and I suddenly wondered if it had been too forward.

He pulled up a chair and sat at the edge of my bed, watching silently as I finished off my pitiful meal.

Once the plate was empty, I pulled up the duvet covers and slipped underneath them, thanking Draco quietly.

It felt odd- the decision to trust him had been based purely on seeing his facial expression. But there was something on his face that I recognised- an emotion in his eyes that seemed so powerful and so honest that I had not seen a reason to decide not to trust him.

A small part of me told me to rethink my decision- to tell him to leave the room and allow me to sleep in peace. He was a Death Eater- why had I decided to trust him?

Truly, I believed that he still had some good inside him. I hoped that there was a way to make him switch sides and join the Order.

With that thought came the distant fear that Draco truly wanted me to join his side and become a Death Eater. The thought made me shiver, and I pulled my duvet more tightly around me to warm myself up.

I hoped that my choice to trust Draco was the right one.