The Daughter of He

Chapter 10

After wallowing in from room for a few hours and feeling strangely sorry of myself, I snapped myself out of it.

Maybe Draco had a point. Maybe I didn't understand. And maybe it was kind of unreasonable to attack him when he was trying his best to help, even though his best wasn't very good, at least he tried. That was a lot for him. And, as cold as I might be, I wasn't heartless. I was manipulative, a liar, cruel, and so many other terrible things, but I wasn't heartless.

I put on a short sleeve shirt and stared down at the mark that branded my arm. It didn't define me, I wasn't a death eater, but it always reminded me of my father. It made me feel closer to him even when he was away, and that's why I learned to love it.

I waltzed out of my room, knocking on Draco's door. He swung it open, his face dropping when he saw me, "What." He snarled.

"Put on a shortsleeves shirt. We're going to Hogsmeade."

"Why?" He asked, opening the door a little further. I didn't miss how his eyes flashed down to my Dark Mark.

"To curse little kids and commit 2nd degree murder." I rolled my eyes, watching a slow scowl roll into the upward curve of his lips.

"Well if you want to be a bitch about it..." He fired back, moving to close the door. I stuck my foot between the door and its wooden frame, smiling maliciously at him.

He sighed, turning to disappear into his room. I followed him, venturing just inside of the door-but no further. Walking in beyond just a few steps felt like a commitment, as if by doing that it was making some sort of statement.

Draco vanished into what I assumed to be his closet. I looked around his bedroom, not surprised by the lack of character it had. His walls were a dreary shade of gray and there was nothing in the room that could give away that this was Draco's room. It looked more like a mediocre hotel bedroom from the muggle world than anything else. The only thing I could really pick out was his wand on his bed stand and a photograph of him and his mother in front of the train when he was a first year.

Yet I wasn't really surprised. This was his house, but I knew that this place would never be a home to him.

After a few more moments he reappeared, his arms covered by the Hogwarts robe he had draped over his shoulders. I glowered at him, shaking my head in disapproval.

"That's not going to work." I said, flicking my eyebrows at him.

"And why not?" He challenged, taking a rather large step towards me. It's as if he wanted me to punch that perfect little smirk he had painted on his face.

I sighed, "You can't just-" I sputtered frusteratedly, trying to find the words I so desperately needed. He laughed at my loss, unable to contain his arrogant little smile that I've grown to hate so, so much.

"I see I've left you speechless, Riddle. Not the first time I've left a girl at a loss for words."

"Cute excuse," I said bluntly, " I applaud you for coming up with such an unbelievable lie so quickly," He wrinkled his nose at me, not appeased by the sarcasm saturating my tone. I glared at him before continuing my original thought, "But, what I was trying to say was that you cant hide your Dark Mark under a sleeve your entire life, Draco."

His face darkened, and I watched his smirk quickly drop from his lips as his eyes fell to the floor.

"Yes I can."

"No, Draco, you can't. It's going to be with you forever, and you just have to accept it-"

"No!" He shouted, "It's not. It can't be. I just-I won't let it."

I watched as his anger and false sense of hope was replaced with desperation and sadness. The fury in his eyes slowly being replace with a hollow stare that seemed to travel into the windows of his soul.

I took a step deeper into his bedroom, now only a foot or two between us. I locked my eyes with his, the sincerity painting my gaze more effortlessly than I would have liked it to.

I took another step, than another, closing the distance between us until I was just a few inches away from his face. Guiltily, my fixed stare flickered down to his lips.

I retreated my eyes so they were focused back on his anguished features. I reached my arm to his chest, unclasping his robe so it fell off of him and onto the ground. My eyes never left his.

"This," I said, picking up his forearm, "Doesn't mean anything. I promise you, Draco, it doesn't. And I can guarantee it never will." Could I though? Was that something I could actually guarentee? I could make sure my father didn't force him to be apart of their cause, and I could keep him protected, but I couldn't control what everyone else thought of the brand on his arm.

"You can't promise something like that..." He whispered, yet his eyes betrayed him as I saw them water with newfound hope. As much as he could ever want to deny it, he was clinging onto my words like a lifeline.

"I know I can't, but here I am doing it anyways. If it really bothers you that much, I can cover it for you with makeup. But we are going to Hogsmeade, because I really need a drink." I laughed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"And you need me to go with you because I'm so irresistibley charming and you hope to get me drunk enough so I have sex with you?"

"Obviously." I scowled, "I think if I could roll my eyes any further back into my head I'd have a god damn seizure."

He chuckled, and it was only then did I realize how close we were. I suddenly felt the urge that he was suffocating me, and I took a step away from him.

"What-fucking-ever, Riddle. God, sometimes I forget how irritating you are." He huffed, but when I didn't say anything, he continued, "But I think I have something better in mind."

"I'm listening..."

"Blaise and Pansy are throwing a party tonight in the Slytherin Common Room. All the houses are invited. You wanna go?"

"How'd you know about the party?" I asked suspiciously, narrowing my eyes at him.

He laughed, "Trust issues, much?"

"Daddy issues, much?" I retorted.

"Pansy sent me an owl inviting me." He said sourly.

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh." He repeated, annoyed, "Just meet me in the kitchen at seven tonight. My mom should be asleep by then. She doesn't like to be awake longer than she has to be..."

I nodded, not bothering to say goodbye before ushering myself out of his room.