THE MARKED {D.M SEQUEL}

CHAPTER 2

Everything I Wanted ~ Billie Eilish

I stood there, the warm water trickling down my body as I watched the water drip slowly off my fingertips. I had probably been in the shower for nearly an hour now, hoping that somehow the water would wash away the way I felt. That it would wash away my nightmares and the memory of him. The memory of Draco. I would be lying if I said the idea of returning to Hogwarts didn't scare me. Everything had changed so much since last year and a part of me worried about whether I belonged there anymore. I'd been through so much. I'd met and lost some of the most important people in my life and a part of me didn't know whether I was ready to return. Whether I had healed properly, but I guess some wounds never heal.

Three knocks on the bathroom door brought me out of my trance as I turned the water off, wrapping a towel around my body quickly while I wrung the water out of my hair before I flicked my wand gently to dry it.

"I'm coming!" I shouted, quickly slipping on some clothes. I sighed, unlocking the door quickly as I forced a smile, "Everything alright?"

"Yes darling, I was wondering whether we could have a chat?" Evelyn, Arabella's mother, asked her eyes full of concern although she tried to hide it with a gentle smile.

"Sure," I replied, shrugging my shoulders as I followed her into my room where she sat down on my bed looking up at me as I rested against my desk awkwardly. Still not completely used to having a motherly figure. Her eyes flicked down to the scars on my wrists momentarily. Instinctively I pulled the sleeves of my top down to make sure they covered the marks, the memories from that night still vivid in my mind every time I looked at them.

"I'm worried about you, Rose. Arabella told me about last night..." She began, her eyes looking straight at me as I found myself only being able to look at the floor, unable to look her in the eyes. I never spoke about what had happened last year, I guess I had just assumed that Dumbledore had explained to them before they took me in. But I guess there were still some things that even Dumbledore didn't know about, like how I got the scars that were now a permanent reminder on my wrists.

I stood there silently momentarily, fiddling with my hands before I looked up at her, a small smile on my lips to try and reassure her, "Honestly I'm fine. It was just another bad dream, that's all. Anyway don't worry about me, Finn comes home today and it's his birthday. I'll help you set the table so it's ready for when he comes home."

I couldn't help but notice how her smile faltered slightly. Probably because she felt like she had failed again at trying to get me to open up, but there were some things I just didn't want to burden people with and I already felt like one myself just by living under the same roof as them.

"Okay angel. I'm always here if you need someone to talk to though, remember that." Evelyn sighed, standing up and wrapping her arms around me before she planted a kiss on my forehead, the small gesture making a genuine smile appear on my face, "Now come on, let's get this little birthday party ready."

***

Soon the dining table was covered completely with all sorts of foods, ranging from tiny delicate appetisers to extravagant desserts. It looked amazing. Small ribbons and decorations hung from the ceiling with banners that said 'welcome home Finn'.

Finn was Arabella's brother and from what I'd been told, he had been away for roughly about a year with his job as an Auror. He was three years older than me, having left Hogwarts with a strong talent in defence against the dark arts. I had heard many stories about him from Arabella, about how he used to scare the monsters away which lurked under her bed at night when she was a toddler. Despite their age gap, they seemed really close and I couldn't even begin to imagine just how much Arabella must have missed him whilst he'd been away for so long.

"He's here!" Tobias, Arabella's father, said excitedly as the doorbell rang, a small squeal coming from Arabella's lips as she squeezed my hand tightly. Quickly Tobias walked down the corridor, opening the front door where he welcomed his son home, taking his trunk off him before the two of them walked into the kitchen.

"Happy birthday!" Everyone yelled as Finn stood in the doorway, his father's arm wrapped around his shoulders. A deep chuckle escaped Finn's lips as prominent dimples appeared on his cheeks, his green eyes crinkling at the corners due to the massive smile on his face. He looked more like his father, with his dark, curly raven hair and pale complexion. He was slim and tall with a smile that no doubt melted every single girl's heart when he was at Hogwarts.

Instantly Arabella let go of my hand, running towards her brother as he wrapped his arms around her, picking her up effortlessly as he spun her around resulting in her squealing. I stood there quietly arranging some flowers for the table as I watched them, allowing the family time to catch up as they laughed and spoke, their faces overcome with happiness at his return. A smile crept onto my lips as I watched, they seemed so perfect, so content and I envied the fact they had something I'd never be able to experience properly. I looked down at the floor, a heavy feeling in my chest as I thought back to my birthday last year and how much things had changed. Everything was so different now. I was so different now. I'd never felt so distant and empty as I watched the family I had been welcomed into chat happily before me. Completely unaware of the emptiness and darkness that seemed to be growing within me day by day.

"You must be Rose." I looked up quickly as Finn stood in front of me whilst Evelyn, Tobias and Arabella set about digging into the buffet. My hands clumsily setting the vase of flowers down on to the table.

"Yeah, I am. It's nice to finally meet you." I replied, my cheeks blushing slightly as he smiled at me, my eyes unable to stray away from his piercing green ones. He looked oddly familiar but I couldn't quite place where from. His stare was almost unblinking as he looked at me for what seemed like forever causing me to grow slightly uneasy.

"Come on, let's tuck into the food." He finally spoke, his hand reaching for mine as his eyes inspected my wrists for something subtly. I couldn't help but notice the small traces of red under his fingernails as his hand still gripped mine, the substance almost looked like blood causing the hairs on my body to stand on end. Something wasn't right. Slowly, I looked down at my necklace. My hand reaching to touch the crystal around my neck as it began to glow. It felt like my heart stopped in my chest as it dawned on me. My blood running cold in my veins. It only glowed when danger was near. Something was about to happen. Something bad...

A/N- Sorry for the slight filler chapter but hopefully stuff shall start getting juicy now. This took me forever to write because I'm lazy af and literally have been waking up at like one in the afternoon but hey ho hope you enjoyed. Also, this is unedited so sorry for any typos. Anyway, let me know what you think is going to happen in the next chapter with Finn in the comments ;)