and I stand with you

ten

After a few weeks of staying in the manor, I no longer had nightmares. I wrote to Fred everyday, and he always responded.

I had also developed a new fashion sense, as Narcissa wouldn't stop buying me things.

More importantly, I had pushed down all my fear and sat in on meetings with Narcissa, Lucius, Draco, and scarier: the dark lord.

I had a first hand account of his danger, and he had murdered people in front of me. I had never spoken to him, and if I had I would probably pee myself. I faked courage, and I listened as closely as possible to his words. Often, Draco and I talked after in my room or his, discussing the tasks he had assigned to him.

I never had any tasks assigned to myself.

Until he asked me to swear my allegiance to him.

All in the room, including my aunt and Draco, and even Lucius, gasped. Snape stared from across the room with a saddened look, one you could only make out for a second before he went back to his usual scowl. My heart beat quicker than ever before as I stood in front of him with Draco by my side, as he was asked the same.

We both muttered a quiet acceptance, and Voldemort took out his wand. I kept in a scream as he pressed it to the skin of my arm and a mark appeared like a tattoo. When he was finished, both Draco and myself collapsed from exhaustion. Narcissa helped up both us as Voldemort aparated and the rest of the group disappeared.
"I'm so sorry." She choked out and Lucius scoffed at us, leaving the room. I held my tears in, knowing I would figure a way out of this. I would not be a death eater. Draco didn't speak either, and took my hand in his as we both rushed upstairs. He did however, break down crying when we entered my room. I pulled him into my arms and he fell into them, trying to pull himself together.
"It's okay, Draco." I rubbed his back, holding him as tight as possible.
"How are you okay?" He let go and sat on my bed with his head in his hands.
"I'm not." I smiled back the tears.
"Octavia..." he started, but I knew where he was going.
"Fred and I will be alright." I assured him, though my insides were breaking because I didn't know that for sure.

I didn't respond to the next letter he send.

Or the next.

I couldn't find any way to tell him what had happened, but when he had sent me an invitation to a party at the Burrow, I wrote back a simple "I will be there."

I had spent my nights sitting with Draco, as he understood what I was going through. I tried my hardest to push the thoughts of my life to the back of my head.

When I arrived at the Burrow that night, Ginny was the first to greet me, and then Hermione, and then the rest of them. They told me Fred was upstairs, so I quietly took my steps up there and opened his door.
"Fred?" I asked, and he sat up quickly from his bed.
"You're here!" He exclaimed, unable to keep the smile off his face.
"I need to talk to you. I can't stay." I deadpanned, taking a step back from him as he stood up.
"Octavia, what's going on?" He took another step closer, and I backed up again.
"Please don't come any closer." I begged, tears threatening to spill out of my eyes.
"Via, please tell me what's happening." He was almost to tears himself.
"Something happened, with me and Draco." I looked at the floor, shifting my weight between my feet. My heart beat fast, and beat even faster when I saw the look on Fred's face as he backed away from me. I wanted to reach to him, to hold him close to me, but I couldn't.
"Not like that." I shook my head. I took a step closer, and so did he, until we were an arms length apart. I slowly slid the arm of my dress up, to reveal the Dark Mark. Fred reached out to me and instinctively, I pulled away.
"Don't do this.." he whispered, reaching out to me again. This time, I let him, and he pulled me into his chest.
"We will figure this out, okay? We've got this." He held me still. I nodded, and we stayed in his room just like that for a while.
"You can still enjoy a party? Right?" He asked, pushing my hair behind my ear.
"Right." I sniffled, wiping my tears away. He smiled, taking me downstairs to the group.
"I need a drink." I sighed, and Fred handed me a cup. It burned, but not as much as the thought that I was part of the Dark Order now.

A couple of drinks later, I finally loosened up and was dancing with Fred. I was finally just enjoying the moment, right here, right now.
"I love you." Fred said over the music, pulling me into him for a kiss.
"I love you more." I told him, smiling ear to ear.

Fred didn't want me to leave the next morning, and every-time I told him I had to, he insisted it wasn't safe for me anymore. Instead of letting me leave, he took me in his arms and we aparated to my fathers house.
"Fred.. how did you know this was here?" I asked quickly as he went to the kitchen as fast as his feet would carry him down the steps.
"Fred! Slow down!" I begged, but he continued until we got to the door.
"I didn't. You thought of this. My mind was blank." He said before opening the door, and everyone sitting there stopped talking when they saw the both of us.
"Now I don't know whose idea it was to do this to Octavia, but whoever it was has me to face." He pulled my sleeve up, revealing the Dark Mark. No one spoke, and instead they stared at the table. My father stood, and walked over to Fred and me.
"We know." He pulled my sleeve back down.
"How did you know?" I asked, and watched as Snape stood from the table as well.
"He works for Voldemort! He can't be trusted!" I pleaded.
"I assure you, Mrs. Black, my loyalties do not lay with him." He walked over to me.
"Snape is going to protect you, watch over you, and make sure nothing bad happens." My dad explained.
"I want a magically binding promise." Fred finally spoke again.
"That can be arranged." Said dad.
"No." Fred said out of anger, "I want it done now, in front of me." He finished. I looked at him and saw pain in his eyes. Both my dad and Snape agreed, and Fred watched as a gold chain appeared around our wrists as he promised to keep me out of harms way.

"I'm sorry this is happening to you." Ginny said to me in the living room as we sat together later that night.
"Oh, it's alright Gin, we will figure it out-" and I motioned to Fred when he came back in, "won't we, love?"
"We certainly will." He kissed my forehead and sat on the other side of me.
"Gross" Ginny laughed "- you guys are just like mum and dad". Fred looked over at me and squeezed my thigh.
"We certainly will." He said to himself again, as if he wasn't entirely sure.

To be honest,

Neither was I.