As soon as my father leaves the Ministry Draco quickly walks away from me, he heads straight towards his mother and father who are stood embracing tightly, the three of them seem to have a silent conversation as they nod and walk to the closest fireplace disappearing from sight.
I turn to Theo who is staring at his wand in his hand.
"Hey" I catch his attention and gesture with my head to Pansy who is walking towards us "we are going to head to the Manor. Are you going to stay to say hi to your dad?"
Theo shakes his head his mouth in a straight line "no. Not yet, I need to work up the energy."
I don't ask any follow up questions as I can see the closed expression on his face. Instead I merely nod my head as the three of us walk to the fireplace together.
We land back in the Malfoy's fireplace and step out looking around.
"What happened?" Blaise walks into the room and looks at the three of us "the Malfoy's just arrived home and walked straight to Lucius' study. Lucius is back and didn't even seem to notice myself and Xavier."
I shrug "my father announced that he had released all death eaters from Azkaban. Plus Snape is the new headmaster of Hogwarts."
We walk together to the drawing room with Theo and Pansy walking behind.
"Seriously?" Blaise laughs "Snape is headmaster?"
"Everything's going to be different this year." I say as we enter the drawing room. Dark expensive panelling lines the four walls and the carpet is a dark shade of grey with intricate patterns on it. Lush furniture is placed around the room. Portraits of Malfoy family members hang from the walls and the people inside stand watching us as we walk to the two large sofas.
I sit down and Theo sits beside me stretching out his legs in front of me. Blaise sits in the small loveseat besides Xavier and rests his head on his boyfriends shoulder. Pansy curls up in one of the arm chairs and wraps a blanket around herself.
Blaise whispers in Xavier's ear catching him up before the room falls into a heavy silence.
"So your father is back then?" Xavier looks across at Nott with his eyebrows raised "how you feeling?"
Theo shrugs "it should be fine." He looks down at his feet and lets out a long sigh.
Xavier stays watching Theo his face worried "I can come with you, that way you won't be alone there? You and I could spend the rest of summer there? Or why don't you just stay here."
"I need to go back, I need to get my things and at least see him." He offers Xavier a tight smile "thanks though mate."
Draco walks into the drawing room his face in a deep frown, he sits down heavily in the armchair besides Pansy and lets out a deep sigh.
"What's wrong?" I ask as I stare at the tightness of his jaw.
Draco shakes his head "nothing." His voice is gruff and he crosses his arms over his chest as he stares angrily at the floor in front of him. We all fall into a stiff and awkward silence as Draco's anger passes around the room.
Theo stands up and walks to the large globe pulling it open to reveal bottles of alcohol inside. He pulls out a bottle of firewhiskey and pours a large portion into a crystal tumbler.
"Here" Theo walks to Draco and places the drink into his hand, Theo pours himself a glass and the boys cheers silently before taking a sip.
"Thanks" Draco offers Theo a flicker of a smile. The tension lifts slightly and Theo comes to sit back besides me.
"Ang" Pansy catches my attention and I turn my head to her "what were you and your father speaking about."
I shrug "he asked what my relationship status was."
Blaise laughs "awkward." Xavier smirks and looks at Theo with his eyebrows raised "sounds like the Dark Lord is wanting you to propose mate."
I roll my eyes "no. It was nothing like that." I avoid looking at Draco as I continue on "he also wanted something from all of us."
"What do mean?" Pansy asks as she sits up straighter.
"He told me that he wants us to be seen." I cross my legs "he wants us to be seen as a group going out, having our pictures taken. Going to clubs, parties and restaurants. He wants people to see us and be jealous of our lives, we are the poster children for how good life can be when you submit to the Dark Lord."
"Shit" Pansy nods her head "I mean it makes sense, it's a clever idea."
Xavier shrugs "it could be a lot worse. I mean we basically have permission to go out, party and get fucked."
"Whilst being photographed" Blaise sighs "we are all going to need a whole new wardrobe."
A ripple of quiet laughter passes around the room, this time we fall into a comfortable silence all of us imaging our new version of life.
"It's nice us all being back together" Pansy smiles around "I like when we are all here."
"Even nicer because fucking Rosier isn't here" Xavier mutters.
Everyone laughs loudly and Draco just rolls his eyes.
"Oh fuck off" he points at Xavier and Theo "you both want to fuck her and you know it. We had bets on it for Merlin sake."
Xavier laughs "yeah mate but my priorities have changed a bit now." He smiles down at Blaise and kisses him gently.
Theo laughs loudly "and she may be fit but fuck is she boring."
"She is literally dead inside" Pansy scoffs as she crosses her arms.
We all laugh as Draco tuts annoyed.
"Oh good you're all here" Narcissa walks into the room smiling. Her eyes are red however and it is clear she has been crying. She stands besides Draco's chair and rests her hand on his shoulder.
"Xavier dear Oceané thought you would like to spend the rest of the summer here with Blaise and your friends. We have made a space for you in his wardrobe." Narcissa turns to Pansy "and darling we have made up the guest room besides Angelica's for you if your parents say it is okay."
"Oh thank you Mrs Malfoy" Pansy smiles widely "my parents will actually prefer that as they are going to Spain for the rest of the summer."
Xavier stands up "come on then Pans, we can go get our things and come back."
Pansy stands up and they both walk from the room linking arms.
Narcissa turns to Theo "you know dear, you are welcome to stay also?" She offers him a sad look full of love and empathy "I can have Lucius go get your belongings and you can just stay with us."
Theo shakes his head "thank you but I really should go home. If not he will just show up here."
Narcissa nods "okay dear well make sure you keep in contact and check in with us okay. I will send Draco and Xavier over on Friday to invite you to dinner."
"Thank you" Theo stands up "I should be going anyway."
"Wait" I stand up "I'll walk with you to the fireplace."
We walk from the room together as the other's watch us silently. As we reach the door of the drawing room Theo takes a hold of my hand squeezing it slightly before holding onto it.
"It's nice to be back" Theo smiles down at me as we approach the large floo fireplace.
"Good. We all missed you a lot you know." We stop walking and I stand across from him studying his face.
Theo smiles as he brushes my hair away from my eyes, his hand wraps into my hair and he pulls me forwards into him. Our lips press against each other and I wrap my arms around his neck as we press closer together. Our lips move in sync and Theo's tongue flicks out to meet my tongue.
He lets out a moan as he slowly pulls away from me. He rests his forehead against mine and closes his eyes, his chest rises and falls quickly as though he is out of breath.
"I'll see you later okay?" Theo steps back into the fireplace and gives me a small smile. He grabs a handful of powder throwing it at his feet.
"The Willow's" he says loudly and clearly before the green flames take him away.
"Fuck" I wake up suddenly my heart racing and look around the dark room with my eyes wide. The nightmare I had been having had felt so real but now as I lay awake I can not even remember what it was about. My heart continues to pound in my chest as I kick away the sheet from my sweaty legs.
"Lumos" I mutter as I reach for my wand, it lights up and I grab it sitting up in bed. I rub my eyes and look at my watch on the bedside table.
Three am, it seems to be the time I always wake up after a nightmare. I get out of bed and walk across to my window opening it even wider than before. The night is hot and sticky and my bedroom feels hotter than I ever thought was possible. This is England for Merlin sake, we aren't equipped for thirty degrees weather.
I run a hand over my sweaty forehead and think of the cool kitchen tiles and the fridge full of fresh food that Narcissa and Mrs Zabini bought yesterday. Slowly I open my bedroom door attempting to avoid all of the creaking floorboards in the hallway. After walking like a cartoon for over five minutes I finally make it to the kitchen and let out a sigh of relief as my feet hit the cool tiles. I am in a tiny pair of pyjama shorts and a vest top that only reaches halfway down my torso and yet I am still boiling hot.
"Yes, that is what I need" I laugh to myself as I open the fridge to see punnets of fresh strawberries inside. I grab one of them and walk it to the sink running the water over the red fruits.
I push myself up so I am sat on the kitchen counter my legs swinging in front of me and start to eat the strawberries. As my teeth dig into the firm flesh I let out a moan of satisfaction. Sweetness fills my mouth and a bit of the juice dribbles down my chin as I close my eyes in ecstasy.
I open my eyes and as I do I see the tail end of a body staggering past the kitchen doorway. The house is in darkness and the only light comes from the end of my wand which is laying on the side next to me.
I freeze and stay silent as I listen for footsteps or any kind of noise. My heart beats quickly and I stare around with my eyes wide. As the seconds pass I feel more ridiculous and laugh to myself, it's an old house of course things are going to go bump in the night right?
"I'm being ridiculous" I talk out loud to break the silence. I jump down from the counter and point my wand at the candles on the side lighting them. A warm glow floods the kitchen and I feel my heart returning to normal as I place the strawberries back where they were.
I walk back to the sink and pour a glass of water, as I do I look up and out of the window above the sink. The kitchen connects, to the scullery which leads out to the terrace which the house elves and human staff would use as their area away from the Malfoy's. The sink overlooks this terrace which has been empty for a long time now, tonight however a figure is moving around it slowly. The figure sticks to the shadows and looks around quickly before taking a seat on the stone bench.
"The hell?" I whisper as I lower my glass instead taking my wand and walking through the scullery. I try to remain as quiet as possible as I cross the small and cluttered space, the old wooden door to the terrace remains open and from here I can see more clearly. The moon thankfully shines brightly allowing me to see the outline.
"Lumos" my wand illuminates and I hold it high pointing it to the figure as my heart races faster than ever. "Oh for Merlin sake" I lower my wand annoyed as Theo looks up at me.
"Sorry" Theo turns slightly away from me "I came to this terrace to try not to disturb anyone. Did I wake you?"
"No" I lean back against the brick wall "it was too hot to sleep so I came down to the kitchen. I saw you through the window." I try to catch his eyeline but Theo has turned his head so he is facing the other way completely. "Why did you come back? I thought you were staying at home?"
He shakes his head "it's not my home." His voice is low and I can hear the anger as he stays looking away from me.
"Theo" I walk over to him and stand in front of him "look at me."
He sighs loudly before slowly turning his head to face me.
I let out a gasp and drop to my knees as I take him in. His eyes are bruised and swollen, his right side of his face is covered in blood. His lip is sliced open and swelling up by the second.
"Theo, what the hell happened?" I feel my chest grow tight as I stare across at him.
"My father" he attempts a sarcastic smile but winces "he always was a drunk and violent but tonight was something else. That place seriously messed him up."
"What Azkaban?" I stare at him with wide eyes as I realise what has happened.
He nods "he was shouting shit that didn't make sense and was talking to people who weren't there. It was insane." He swallows "it was fucking terrifying."
I run my finger gently over his bruised face, "I am so sorry." I meet his eyes and sigh "come on lets go inside and I'll get you fixed up."
Theo stands up silently, he moves awkwardly and winces occasionally. We walk together in silence to my bedroom and I guide him in to the adjoining bathroom.
"Sit on the side of the bath" I point to it with my wand before turning to the bathroom cupboard.
"Ang" Theo sits down and reaches for my wrist, he turns me towards him "don't heal me."
"What?" I furrow my eyebrows "what are you talking about?"
"If my father knows I've been healed he will only hurt me again, I need the bruises and cuts because it keeps him away from me."
I feel an overwhelming feeling of anger take over me as I imagine Theo as a child discovering that if he remains bruised his father won't beat him again. I shake my head "I need to heal your shoulder and I can reduce the swelling on your eyes. I will keep the bruises and the cuts but I will clear the blood."
Theo opens his mouth to respond but I stop him.
"No Theo" I place my hand gently on his shoulder which is clearly dislocated "if this isn't fixed properly it could really mess with you in the future."
"Ang you don't understand" he sounds defeated as he looks down at his feet.
"I know, I know" I get down on my knees and take a hold of his hands "I don't understand Theo but I need to heal you." I grow silent as I think "how about I just heal you slightly? I can put your shoulder back into place and give you a muggle sling? That way you won't be in as much pain but your dad will still see you haven't fixed it fully with magic."
"Okay" Theo nods and sits up straighter.
I stand up and begin to busy myself with wiping away the blood from his face and reducing the swelling in certain areas. After I fix his shoulder I reach into the bathroom cupboard pulling out some ordinary plain cloth. I transfigure it into a more sling like shape and gently manoeuvre Theo's arm into it.
I step back and smile at him "how you feeling."
He raises his cut eyebrow and offers me a weak smile "oh yeah, feeling fantastic."
I laugh at his sarcasm and offer him my arm "come on, you might feel a bit better in the morning." I guide him over to my bed and help him take off his shoes and jeans. He lets out a pained groan as he lays back on the pillows.
"Want me to get you some sleeping draught?" I ask as I lay down besides him making sure not to hit his shoulder.
"No its fine." He closes his eyes and lets out a long sigh "I'm glad I am here now."
I roll to my side so I am facing him, I take his hand in mine and kiss his shoulder gently. I whisper quietly "I'm glad you're here as well" as Theo's breathing gets slower and his body relaxes.
I stir awake and as I do I feel a weight on my chest, I open my eyes and rub the sleep away as I look down to see Theo's head on my chest. The sun shines through the gap in the curtain and I lay my head back down, I run my hand through his thick curls and enjoy the soft feeling of his hair. He stirs slightly and lets out a gentle sigh.
"Morning" he whispers his voice croaky and thick with sleep.
"Morning" I whisper back. "How you feeling?"
"Better" Theo wraps his arm around my waist with his good side and holds me tightly "just glad to be here and not there."
I nod and run my hand over his hair "me too. We should go downstairs and eat breakfast, you need a proper meal."
Theo laughs and sits up "is breakfast a meal?"
I roll my eyes "you know what I mean." I look over at his t-shirt covered in blood and his ruined jeans as they lay on the floor. "Give me a second." I cross the room and wave my wand at his t-shirt and jeans. The blood and dirt disappears and they look fresher and neater.
"Thanks" Theo pulls on his jeans with one hand his sling still in place.
Theo squeezes my hand as we walk into the morning room together. A small table has been placed in the middle of the all glass room, it is an extension to the manor which is usually used as a breakfast room. When it was just myself and Draco eating the table was only a two seater table and there were sofa's lining the space. Now though it is much more comfortable looking. The table is round and has a white table cloth on it. Six chairs surround the table and cosy arm chairs are placed in the corners. There are no portrait's in this room which is rare for the manor as Malfoy family members line every wall in the place.
On the table is every breakfast food imaginable as well as juices and pitchers of water with lemons in. I frown and wonder where this food came from if all of the house elves have left. Before I can ask however I meet eyes with Blaise who is sat at the table besides Xavier and Pansy. Draco stands staring out of the floor to ceiling windows his hands in his pockets and his back to us.
"You're here!" Pansy cheers happily before she freezes her eyes taking in Theo's bruised face and his sling. "Oh Merlin" she stands up and rushes to us, I release Theo's hand and step to the side as Pansy wraps her arms around his neck. "Teddy I am so sorry" her voice is quiet and her eyes fill with tears as she softly kisses his cheek.
Theo nods his eyes fixed on the ground, his jaw is clenched as he sits down at the table avoiding everyone's eyes. The room grows silent as Pansy sits back in her seat her eyes fixed on Theo, Blaise stands up and takes Theo's plate piling it up with food. He places it back down in front of Theo before placing his hand on his shoulder.
Blaise stays silent as he takes his seat again his eyes meeting mine. Xavier is clenching his jaw looking at the wall his face furious. Draco turns around slowly his eyes landing on Theo and he lets out a sigh, he shakes his head and walks to the table.
"Why did you go home Nott?" Draco takes the seat between Xavier and I, he leans back into it crossing his arms over his chest.
"Don't start acting like this is his fault!" Pansy yells angrily as she glares over at Draco.
Draco rolls his eyes "stop fucking shouting Parkinson, it's too early." He looks at Theo who is know meeting Draco's gaze "you know he's a drunk. You should never have gone home."
"If I didn't he would have just come here" Theo shrugs "you know I'm right about that."
Xavier finally looks away from the wall and frowns at Theo "so fucking what? You should have let him come here."
"Can you all stop!" Pansy slams her hand down on the table as she glares around the room "this isn't Theo's fault."
I shake my head "Pans no one is saying it's Theo's fault." I take Theo's hand "we are all just worried about him, but I do agree with the boys." I look at Theo "you shouldn't have gone home."
"What was I supposed to do?" Theo furrows his eyebrows now clearly annoyed.
"You could have stayed here. In fact you should have stayed here, you knew your dad was gonna be awful, I don't understand why you didn't just stay here with me?" I look down at the empty plate in front of me "finding you the way I did last night will stay with me forever. It could have been so easily avoided."
"What do you mean last night?" Pansy's voice is sharp as she glares across at me "he came back in this state last night and you kept it to yourself?"
I look at her confused "what?"
"You heard me!" She stands up pushing her chair away from the table loudly "he came back bloody and bruised last night and you did nothing about it and kept it a secret?"
I shake my head completely bemused by her reaction "I mean it wasn't a secret?"
Theo releases my hand and he looks at Pansy with wide eyes "I came back and hid from everyone Pans. Ang only found me because she was in the kitchen, she then took me to her room and cleaned me up."
Pansy tuts loudly "but why didn't she come tell us!" She turns to me "you realise you're not the only one who cares about him right?"
I feel my cheeks grow pink as I stare at her.
Blaise lets out an annoyed huff "don't be an idiot Pansy, Angelica took care of Theo as she needed to do. How would it have helped if we had all been woken up?"
Pansy shakes her head "it isn't fair." She glares around at our friends "are you telling me you're all okay always being left out of the loop?"
Xavier raises an eyebrow "what the hell are you even talking about?" His voice is low and calm in comparison to Pansy's. "Pansy no one here cares that Angelica healed Theo, we all care that Theo was hurt in the first place."
"Really?" Pansy scoffs sarcastically and looks at Draco "you don't care that Angelica healed him?" She throws her hands in the air "you're telling me you don't care that the girl you're clearly in love with healed your bestfriend and then dragged him into bed with her when he was most likely drugged up."
"What?" I glare at Pansy as my cheeks burn "what are you saying?"
"You aren't even one of us!" She screams out her eyes watering "you weren't there for our childhoods, you just came along and forced your way into the group. You have no idea what his father is like, so who the hell are you to tell him off for going home!"
I stare at her my eyes wide and my body tense. Pansy has never before acted like this or even spoken to me like this. I look at her as I find myself truly at a loss for words.
I look around and see all of the boys are staring at her in the same way, their faces full of confusion and surprise.
"Pansy?" I make to stand up but she stops me with a glare.
"Don't come near me, I need to be alone." She steps away from the table before quickly walking from the room the wooden door slamming shut behind her.
A heavy silence falls over the room, I meet Blaise's eyes and shake my head at him.
"What the hell was that all about?" Blaise's asks his eyes dragging away from mine to Theo's.
Theo merely sighs and stands up slowly "I'll go find out."
He leaves the room and I feel my cheeks burn as Pansy's words echo in my head again.
"Did she just accuse me of drugging Theo and taking advantage of him?" I look up at Xavier and Blaise purposely avoiding Draco's gaze.
"Sounded like it" Xavier mumbles as he looks up at the ceiling clearly as uncomfortable as I am.
"It's bullshit Angelica" Blaise tuts "Parkinson has always been weird about Nott. When we were kids it was her job to take care of him and keep him safe from his family. She's just being jealous and weird about it now being you."
Xavier nods "he's right." He looks between Draco and I before clearing his throat. "Blaise we should go make sure she's okay anyway."
Blaise rolls his eyes dramatically and sits further back in his chair "like fuck am I chasing after her. She needs a serious attitude change and a personality transplant."
I let out a small laugh as Blaise and I lock eyes once again, he tilts his head and empathy pours out of his brown eyes.
"Are you okay Angelica?" His voice is soft and he watches me carefully as I offer him a smile.
"Yeah" I nod my head and look at Xavier "I'm fine really. You guys should go make sure she's okay, as well as Theo. He needs you guys as well."
Xavier stands up and holds his hand out to Blaise who watches me for several seconds before standing up and walking from the room with his boyfriend.
The door shuts behind them and I let out a long sigh leaning forward to rest my head on the table.
"Well that was intense" Draco mutters from besides me making me jump.
"Merlin!" I sit up quickly my hand on my heart "you scared the crap out of me, I forgot you were even there."
Draco raises an eyebrow at me "you forgot I was here?" He smirks sarcastically "charming."
"Sorry" I reach forward for the coffee jug and pour myself a large mug "it's been a rough morning."
Draco hums as he turns his head to look out of the window "understatement really." He stands up and walks over to the windows taking the position he had when I first came into the room that morning.
I push away from the table and walk up to stand besides him "are you angry at me?"
Draco scoffs "don't be stupid." He turns to me "I'm pissed at Parkinson for starting on you and I'm pissed at Nott for going home to his father. I'm not pissed at you."
"Was I wrong?" I lean against the wall and look at Draco scared of his answer "was it selfish to not tell anyone about Theo last night?"
"Angelica never in the time I have known you have you been selfish" Draco smiles softly at me "we all know you act on everyone else's best interests." He gestures with his head to the table "you need to eat."
"I can't" I shake my head "I need to find Pansy and talk to her."
"Fine, let's find her together." Draco walks out of the room and I follow him my body feeling tired and drained.
We find the others sat on the patio in the garden. Theo is stood up with his good hand in his pocket, he is frowning at Pansy who is sat with her arms wrapped around her knees. Blaise and Xavier are sat on one of the garden sofas together their hands entwined as they both watch Pansy carefully.
Draco walks over to them casually and he sits down in a chair opposite Pansy, he narrows his eyes as he watches her wipe away her tears. I stand awkwardly unsure if I should sit down besides Draco or go to where Theo is standing.
Unable to make a decision I stay standing twisting my wand in my hands nervously as I look over at Pansy.
"So Parkinson" Draco breaks the silence his voice unamused "what the hell was that?"
Pansy lets out a small sniff and stays looking at her lap.
Theo steps forward "leave it Malfoy."
Draco lets out a loud laugh "seriously? You're defending her but not your girlfriend?"
Theo glares at Draco his eyes full of anger "seriously Malfoy, shut it."
"Oh this is all pathetic" Blaise stands up annoyed "Pansy you need to sort your shit out and not take it out on your only female friend." He points at Theo "and you need to learn to be as loyal and caring to Angelica as she is to you." He walks over to me throwing his arm around my neck "I am fed up of all of this, and its boring."
I smile slightly at his French ways and lean into my best friends side grateful for his unwavering love.
Theo sighs and clenches his jaw "fine whatever. I need to go get my stuff anyway."
"What?" We all turn to look at him in shock. I step forward out of Blaise's arm "what the hell are you talking about?"
Theo shrugs "well I'm obviously going to stay here for the rest of summer."
"Right?" Xavier asks as he stares at Theo.
"Well if I am staying here then I need my things don't I?"
We all watch Theo in silence, even Pansy looks up her eyes red.
"Don't go back" Pansy looks at Theo her eyes wide "we can buy you new things."
"I don't want new things" Theo glares around at us all "I want my things. I am going back for them."
"No you're not" Xavier stands up now "I'll go."
Blaise shakes his head "as if, we will both go."
"No" Theo walks forward so he is in a circle with us "my father won't care if its you or me he will hurt you just the same. I am not letting you go through that for me."
Theo and Xavier start to argue as Blaise joins in, their voices overlap and their shouts grow louder. Pansy stands up and takes hold of Theo's arm begging him not to go back.
Draco stays seated and rolls his eyes as he watches his friends shouting at each other, he looks over at me and raises his eyebrows.
"He isn't scared of any of us!" Theo yells out angrily as he pulls his arm out of Pany's grip "the only person he is scared of is The Dark Lord!"
A heavy silence falls over the group as the reality of his words set in.
I step forward "well then I need to go."
Blaise whips his head to me "what?"
I shrug and meet Theo's eyes "if he's scared of my father he should be scared of me. I am the only one here who can go."
"No" Theo shakes his head "no way am I letting you go there."
"It's the only option" I look at Xavier and Blaise "you both know I'm right."
"You are not right" Blaise crosses his arm "no way am I letting you go there."
"She is right" Xavier takes his boyfriends hand "it's shit but she is right. Ang is The Dark Lord's daughter and his second in command. By proxy she is protected in that sense." Xavier smiles at me "plus she is the best at magic lets be honest."
Blaise scowls at his boyfriend "I don't want her to go alone."
Xavier shrugs "I know, neither do I."
I smile at them both "it makes sense for me to go."
Pansy sniffs "it does."
Blaise flicks his eyes to her and glares at her "you don't get an opinion."
Pansy rolls her eyes but looks down at the ground as her cheeks go pink.
I look at Theo "so it's agreed? I'll go?"
Xavier, Blaise and Pansy all nod silently. Theo stays still for several seconds before nodding "okay, you go. I'll draw up a floorplan of the house for you."
"Come on, I'll help you get changed" Blaise reaches his hand out to me which I take allowing him to drag me to my room.
"Leave the bag" Blaise points to the rucksack in my hand "you're going to need to carry his school trunk so there's no need for it."
"Right." I drop the rucksack and adjust my shoulder straps "and do we really think a dress is the best choice?" I take the hem of the white short sundress in my fingers "it feels stupid to go into a dangerous situation in a dress."
Blaise nods "I know, but it makes you look younger and more innocent than you are. It will make him underestimate you."
"Okay" I pull on my converse and my wand strap for my arm "I'm ready lets go downstairs."
We walk side by side in silence, I twist my hands together as we walk down the staircase and head to the floo fireplace. The others are stood besides it in silence, they are all now dressed and changed out of their pyjamas.
I look around and see Draco isn't in the room, Xavier seems to understand what I am thinking and he shrugs.
"No idea where he is" he says before offering me a smile "you okay?"
I nod "yeah fine." I look to Theo "you got the floorplan?" I step back into the fireplace and grab a handful of floo powder.
"Yeah here" Theo hands me a piece of rolled up parchment "as soon as you get into the house find the hidden staircase and head straight to my bedroom." He offers me a very tight smile "thank you for doing this, it means a lot."
I nod my head at him my heart now in my throat "happy to do it."
I raise my hand with the floo powder in it as I prepare myself, as I do the large door behind my friends swings open and it hits the wall behind it causing a loud bang.
Draco walks in wearing black loose jeans and a white t-shirt, his hair is slicked back and he holds his wand in his hand loosely.
"What took you so long? I'm about to leave?" I watch Draco cross the room and he smirks at me.
"I'm coming with you" he steps into the fireplace grabbing a handful of powder "I'm not letting you go alone and Nott doesn't scare me. He never has."
I roll my eyes but don't bother arguing as I know its a waste of breath.
"Fine" I take Draco's hand and we both prepare to throw the powder at our feet.
"Say The Willows okay?" Draco looks at me "it's the proper name for it."
I nod and look back at the group, Theo is watching me as he bites his swollen lip. Worry crosses his face before he catches my eyes. He smiles weakly before stepping backwards.
"The Willows!" Draco and I yell at the same time as we throw the powder at our feet.
My friends worried faces are the last thing I see as I get pulled backwards and upwards by an invisible force, Malfoy Manor disappears from view and instead we land in another large fireplace. This room is much like the one we just left, ornate bookcases line the walls however the books lay on the floor. Some are ripped and broken and some lay open as though a storm has blown through.
Draco sighs as he steps out of the fireplace, he releases my hand and raises his wand. He drags it through the air and the books fly back into their place. I notice broken glasses fixing themselves and resting back onto the side table.
"Does it always look like this?" I ask as I look around, even after the room is tidied it still looks aged and uncared for. The chairs are old and sagging and the room just has a very cold feel to it.
"Yeah" Draco waves me forward "Theo hates it here for a reason. Since his mum died its just not a home anymore."
We walk from the room slowly and carefully the both of us looking around and listening for any sign of noise. Draco raises his finger to his lips and points at a wall besides us, he presses his hands flat against the wall and pushes it slowly, the wall begins to slide backwards letting out a low scraping noise.
I raise my wand looking around the hallway as Draco finishes pushing the door, he ignites the end of his wand and gestures for me to follow him. I do as he says and we walk up on old wooden staircase which is so steep and narrow I have to use my hands to help me climb a few of the last ones.
Draco stands at the top of the staircase, he helps me up into the little square of space and I look around. There are two doors on either side of us both made of the same aged wood, Draco pushes open the one on our left. He walks in with his wand raised pointing it around the room before igniting the candles in the light above us. As the room lights up I look around seeing that we are in a bedroom, Draco walks to the bed and pulls out a large trunk from beneath it. He begins to pile in clothes moving quickly.
I stand frozen staring at the bedroom door as my heart drops.
"This is Theo's bedroom?"
Draco nods "yeah" he grabs a broomstick shoving it into the trunk.
"What are all those locks for?" my voice shakes as I stare at the sight in front of me. The wooden door across from the one we came through has splinters hanging off it, attached to it are over ten different padlocks and bolts which look as though they have been magically fused to the door.
"Huh?" Draco stands up and walks to stand besides me "what do you think they're for? Theo put them there to keep his father out. They're hexed so that alohamora won't work on them."
"That is the saddest thing I have ever heard."
"Yeah" Draco points to the nearly full trunk "come on, start packing his stuff away in a bag."
I look around and see just how empty the room is, no posters line the walls and everything looks extremely old and unloved. I see a black gym bag at the end of the bed which I pick up, I walk to the adjoining bathroom and pick up his toothbrush, hair products and his aftershave putting them all in the bag. I look up and see a door on the other side of the bathroom which is half open. I walk through it slowly looking around to see a bedroom covered in a layer of dust. The bedroom is empty except for a bed and a few pieces of furniture, the wardrobe doors hang open and there are no clothes left inside. It has a feel that whoever had lived here left in a hurry. I look to the bedroom door and see no locks on it unlike Theo's.
"Angelica" Draco walks in the room dragging the trunk "come on we need to go, this isn't a tour of Nott's tortured childhood." He scowls at me "have you actually even packed anything?"
I roll my eyes "shut up, I mean I was here before for a party but it just seems so much darker now."
"Well his brother fucked off during the school year, he sent a letter to Theo saying that with his dad in prison and Theo at school there isn't much point him hanging around in this house alone. He took off to somewhere in Europe and Theo hasn't heard from him since."
"Did Theo tell him his dad had returned?"
Draco shakes his head "nope, pretty sure he hasn't. His brother was never amazing but I know he would be back here in seconds if he knew Theo was here with their father alone."
I nod my head and look around one last time, I notice that the bedside table has two picture frames on it. I walk over and see a moving picture of a young woman, she is on a beach and smiles whilst waving at the camera. The second is of Theo in his first year of Hogwarts, he is wearing his Slytherin Uniform and his brothers arm is around his shoulder. His brother looks to be able five or six years older than Theo and he is smirking at the camera. I grab both of them and put them in the bag before throwing it over my shoulder.
"Ready" I nod my head at Draco who turns from the room leading us back to the staircase, we walk down it quickly our wands out. The wood creaks loudly beneath our feet and with every step I feel more and more on edge.
Draco leads us back out into the hallway, I turn around to close the hidden entry behind us but Draco stops me.
"No don't" he whispers and takes a hold of my wrist "it's too loud and we need to get the fuck out of here."
I nod my head and allow him to guide me back to the fireplace.
"Why don't we just apperate away?" I whisper as I think about all the rooms we need to make our way back through safely.
"Nott blocks apperation in and out of his house, same as Malfoy Manor is blocked. Floo will be the only way other than sharing Theo's one broomstick which can't take both of our weight."
I sigh "fine."
We walk along the corridor as quickly as we can without actually running, Draco is a step ahead of me and he takes a sharp left disappearing from view. I follow after him and turn the corner my legs burning, I collide into a hard and solid back before falling backwards onto the floor.
"Ouch!" I groan as I push myself up into a sitting position, I look up to see Draco standing above me with his back to me. "Draco?"
He stays standing as he is his wand raised and pointed at something in front of him, I lean slightly and look around him to see a man stood by the large front door.
"Stand up Angelica" Draco mutters it quietly under his breath his eyes never leaving the man in front of us.
I do as he says and stand besides him my wand raised and ready.
"So my pathetic wimp of a son couldn't even come back to collect his own things?" The man snarls, his lip curling in disgust.
I take him in looking for any similarities in Theo but this man looks nothing like him. Instead of being tall and broad like Theo he is short, thin and stooped over from age. His hair is wispy and greying on his head and his face is lined with wrinkles and scars.
"Move out of the way" Draco scowls at the man "we have his things and now we are leaving."
The man laughs menacingly as he looks at Draco, his eyes are cold and he make my skin crawl. "I don't think you will be leaving, especially without returning my son."
"Theo doesn't want to come back here ever again" I stare daggers at the man as I feel anger remembering the locks on Theo's bedroom door.
The man flicks his eyes to me and they seem to widen slightly as he finally registers who I am. I meet his gaze and don't look away as he smiles coldly at me.
"So he sent the Dark Lord's daughter to do his dirty work then? The boy was too much of a coward to face me himself?" The man raises his wand pointing it at Draco "take me to him."
"No." Draco's voice is strong as he glares at the man "you are not going to go near him, you don't even know where he is."
"Aha!" The man lets out a loud cackle "of course I know where he is. He' where he always ran away to since he was a child."
Draco drops Theo's trunk by his feet and steps forward but as he does Nott lets out a snarl and shoots a spell right at Draco's chest.
"No!" I wave my wand blocking the spell instead it lands on the wall besides us, the wall seems to corrode away as we watch and the liquid bubbles and hisses before leaving a large hole in the wall.
Draco raises his wand and shoots a spell back at Nott, this is easily blocked and Nott retaliates quickly aiming for me. I block his spell and attempt to shoot another back at him but Nott jumps out of the way.
Draco and I both shoot a spell at the same time, Nott blocks these both and stumbles back. Its clear that if Draco and I work together we may be able to beat him and obviously Nott senses this to. He looks around quickly before raising his wand pointing it at the ceiling above Draco and I.
"EXPULSO!" Nott yells out.
"Ang!" Draco pushes me in the chest before jumping forward himself, the last thing I see is Nott running from the foyer whilst Draco lays down shielding himself from falling brick. I stumble backwards and as I do a large chunk of stone falls at my feet.
"Shit" I curse and raise my wand above my head "protego!" A shield appears above my head and I drop to the floor holding my wand with both hands, large chunks of stone and brick fall down causing dust to fill the air. I press my feet into the floor as I lay on my back with my legs bent, my arms strain and shake as I continue to hold my wand up. My shield is now the only thing stopping me from being crushed by about ten tons of brick.
"DRACO!" I yell out gritting my teeth as the weight of the stone presses against my shield, I stare determinedly at my wand pushing every ounce of effort and strength I have into stopping the ever growing weight of the bricks from crushing my body.
"Ang!" I hear Draco yell through the groaning and creaking of the stone around us "stay where you are I'm going to try to shift the rubble."
"Okay" I barely manage to get the words past my lips as I struggle to breathe. Although the shield is bearing the weight I can still feel the heaviness as though it is pressed against my chest. The world is going dark and more and more dust is filling the air, I feel as though my throat is being crushed by a boulder as my eyes begin to water and my body shakes more and more. My arms are bending and getting closer and closer to my chest as the weight becomes too much, I let out a strangled sob as reality begins to sit in and I close my eyes tight.
Suddenly the weight lifts off of me and a strong sense of relief washes over me. I open my eyes wide to see light above me and the stone that was there has gone, I let out a relieved laugh as I lower my shield. I stand up quickly looking around to see Draco standing with his wand raised, he is moving and shifting large chunks of stone making a clear path for me.
"Draco" I let out a long breath I didn't realise I was holding.
He lowers the brick and turns to me, his hair is messy and his clothes are torn and ripped. He is covered in a layer of dust and I imagine I look the same.
"Are you okay?" he rushes towards me and I do the same.
As we reach each other I throw my arms around his neck and breathe him in "thank you" my words come out quiet as I hold him tightly.
"It's okay" he whispers as he wraps his arms around my waist, he runs his hand down my back stroking me comfortingly "you're okay. We are okay." He whispers these words over and over again for several seconds and I feel my heart slowing down and my body relaxing.
"We need to go" I whisper into the comfortable silence.
Draco lets go of me slowly his hands lingering on my waist, he nods once and looks away at the trunk and bag we both left by the doorway.
"You're right, Nott ran away and I have no idea where he has gone" Draco picks up the trunk and looks around "we probably should get out of here before this whole place collapses."
I pick up the bag once again placing it over my shoulder "Nott said he know's where Theo is, that its the place he always runs to." We step into the large fireplace and I look at Draco "what does that mean?"
Draco grabs a handful of floo powder and passes me some, he thinks silently for a second before his eyes widen "fuck. I didn't even think, of course he knows Theo is at The Manor. It's where he always came when it got too bad when he was a kid."
We both stare at each other before throwing down the powder quickly yelling out "Malfoy Manor!"
As my feet land back in the familiar fireplace a cold wave of dread passes over me, Draco seems to sense the same as he steps out of the fireplace throwing the trunk down besides him.
"Your parents, they will be here right?" I look at Draco my heart once again racing.
"No, they're at the minsitry, and Mrs Zabini went out to meet a friend in Oxford." He opens the door and as he does a blood curdling scream fills the air.
Draco slams the door into the wall, he runs out in the corridor without a second of hesitation heading towards the scream.
I throw Theo's bag down besides his trunk and run after Draco as another scream sounds from within the manor. I force my feet to run as fast as they can feeling like my legs are burning from the sheer speed that I am running at. The walls and portraits around me turn to a blur as I continue to run my wand at the ready. A yell sounds out again and my heart twists as I imagine one of my friends in pain. Images and memories of Theo, Blaise, Xavier and Pansy fill my head as I hear the scream once again. This time the scream is closer and I realise its a female scream. I turn a corner and enter into the large formal dining room, I come to a sudden halt as I look around the once ornate and refined room.
"Holy shit" I whisper as my eyes widen in shock and fear.