Why on Earth my parents decided to send me to Malfoy Manor while they were on their business trip was forever a mystery to me. They could have sent me literally anywhere else but they had to leave me locked in a house with my bloody enemy.
My parents had been friends with the Malfoy's for as long as I could remember, even attending school together when they were growing up. My mother and Narcissa had even planned their pregnancies so that Draco and I would grow up together and be in the same year at school.
What they didn't plan was that Draco and I would despise each other. Well, he decided once we reached school age he was much too cool for me and could impress his little asshole friends by tormenting me. I tried to avoid him as much as humanly possible but here I was, stuck in his house with him.
I had managed to avoid everyone for the most part so far, only socializing as often as I had to at meals or if Narcissa invited me to do something with her. She was the only one here that was actually kind to me, having basically become my second mother when I was a young child and had been babysat by her.
I was on my way to take my daily 5:00 walk through the woods to have some piece of mind. No matter if I was locked in my room or socializing with the others, I was always waiting for some sort of prank or verbal abuse from the younger Malfoy. This was my one time of the day to feel completely safe.
"Ah y/n. Just the person I wanted to see." The blonde boy had his signature smirk plastered on his face, indicating that this interaction would be just as painful as the rest.
I attempted to just walk by him with my head down, hoping I'd be ignored but no such luck. He stepped in front of me and leaned himself against the wall, looking down at me with a mischievous half smile.
"Mother needs her box of empty potion vials from the hall closet. Fetch it for her?" I could tell he was up to something but I had learned that it was easier to just comply and get it over with. I'd have more time to get over whatever new mental strain he caused me.
I didn't even speak to him, just turning and walking the few feet back down the hall and into the pitch black room. I knew the box he was talking about as I had seen it when looking for other things in here while doing Draco's chores.
I had just leaned down to pick it up when I heard the door slam, lock clicking. Really? Locking me in a dark closet? What were we, 5?
Then I heard it.
In the very back of the room behind the walls of shelves, low growling could be heard. Claws clicked on the wooden floor as it stalked towards me, slowly. I couldn't see it but I could sense exactly where it was as it weaved through the shelves towards me, knowing I could not escape it.
The animal was now directly in front of me, no longer moving towards me but just standing there. It's stare was penetrating me and I wrapped my arms around my stomach as my legs gave out and I sank to the ground, now eye level with the creature if I could actually see it in the pitch black abyss.
There were hot tears running down my cheeks but I was completely silent, body shaking and my breathing beginning to quicken as I truly comprehended my situation. Draco had sent me in here to die.
My head was beginning to spin and I could feel the animal's hot breath on my face, drool dripping from its fangs that just so happened to be millimeters away from my vulnerable jugular. I was now openly crying, no longer caring about my pride as I would surely die before anyone could see me anyways.
I never heard the commotion out in the hallway until suddenly the door swung open, illuminating the room with the hall light but I refused to open my eyes and stare into the face of death. I heard someone mumble a spell and the presence in front of me simply vanished, like it had never been there to begin with.
I was still hyperventilating and unsure of what to do or who had saved me from my nightmare, only that the bright light hurt my eyes. Suddenly there were hands on me, holding my shoulders before moving to my face to cup my cheeks.
I was still terrified that it was somehow the monster trying to force me to look at it and turned away from the soft touch with a whimper. Through the sounds of my labored breathing and the pounding in my ears, a quiet voice found its way into my head and pulled me back to reality.
"Y/n. Y/n look at me. You're alright sweetheart. You're alright." She pulled me into her side and cradled the back of my head as she pushed it into the crook of her neck, rocking back and forth.
"Shhh I've got you darling. You're going to be just fine. It was only a boggart. It was only a boggart." I heard her words but they still weren't completely penetrating my fuzzy mind. However, the motherly touch was soothing and I leaned into it, shakily wrapping my arms tightly around her waist to keep her from leaving me.
I had no clue just how long we stayed like that but eventually I was able to take back control of my breathing, suddenly feeling very drained of energy. I felt Narcissa start to pull away and I furrowed my brow, not ready to lose the comfort just yet.
I leaned back against the wall tiredly, the older woman wiping a few left over tears from my cheeks while trying to catch my eye. Remaining unsuccessful, she gently tilted my chin up herself to force me to look at her.
"What happened love?" Her voice was quiet and gentle, as if she was speaking to a small child who was scared of the monster under their bed.
"Um." I started, voice still thick with tears. "Draco told me.. you needed the box.. of potion bottles.." I was fidgeting with my fingers and glancing around, looking everywhere but at Narcissa.
"Ok." Was all she said, but I could hear a touch of irritation in that one word. She knew Draco tormented me but couldn't do much about it when she wasn't in the room and I didn't often offer up the information willingly anyways.
"I will deal with him later. Are you ok?" I nodded, maybe a bit too readily as she didn't seem to believe me. The older witch helped me to my feet and walked with me back to my bedroom, telling me I should try and take a little nap before leaving with a hardened expression on her face.
✨✨✨
I remained in my room with the door locked for the rest of the day, replaying what happened over and over in my mind. I was pissed at myself for letting Draco get to me like this but he had never gone this far before. The words I could handle, the belief that I could potentially die from my worst nightmare was a different matter.
I just wanted to sleep but I knew the nightmares would come and I didn't feel safe in my own room anymore anyways. I clutched at my pillow tightly, burying my face into the soft material and wishing it was an actual person there to dry my tears.
My wish came true when a knock came at the door, in walking Narcissa. I turned just enough to make sure it wasn't the Malfoy spawn before hiding my face again.
She sat down on the side of the bed and began to rub my back, silently willing me to turn over and face her. The feeling brought more tears into the backs of my eyes, my entire body curling tightly around the pillow as I tried not to cry.
Narcissa threaded her fingers through my hair, moving it out of my face and pressing a kiss to my temple before whispering in my ear.
"Do you want to stay with me tonight love?" My mind was instantly at war. I wanted nothing more than to curl up in her arms and feel true safety for the first time since being here but I also couldn't handle being any more of a burden on the one person here that somewhat cared about my feelings.
"I don't wanna be a problem." I whispered back, voice shaking and going up an octave.
"Y/n you couldn't be a problem if you tried." Her grip on me tightened, seemingly surprised by my admission.
"Come on. Do whatever you need to do before bed and we'll go to my room. You need to get out of this one." I accepted the offer hesitantly, getting up slowly and taking care of all of my nightly duties.
I followed Narcissa down the hallway and into her bedroom, feeling the protection spells covering the room as I entered. She ushered me over to the king sized bed, magically turning down the blankets and motioning for me to get in while walking over to her own side.
I scooted towards the center of the bed but didn't want to impose, staying on my respective side and trying to get comfortable. However, that didn't last long.
"Come here darling." Narcissa gently pulled me towards her and against her chest, encouraging me to take comfort in her embrace. I finally nuzzled my face into her chest as her fingers rubbed random patterns on my back, slowly lulling me to sleep as a few hot tears fell from my eyes onto her skin.
"I'm so sorry baby."