"Maia, my dear. It is my understanding that I have underestimated you. You have befriended the Potter boy, correct?" Voldemort hissed
"Yes, My Lord I have created a bond with Potter he trusts me," Maia said as calmly as she could.
Voldemort started to walk closer to her, the snake not far behind slithering her way towards Maia, he drew his wand and non-verbally cast a spell to drag her closer to him as she levitated in front of him, her feet mere inches from the ground.
"You befriended him for me? For my intentions? Tell me Miss Malfoy, what inspired this unsanctioned mission of yours?" he purred.
Maia now far closer to him, was able to see his features more clearly, his claw-like fingernails, his red eyes looking straight through her. He looked like a demon.
"If I may speak freely My Lord?" Maia remarked. He took a moment to look her up and down, Maia now levitating in front of him before sighing a deep breath and dropping her to the floor. She could feel Draco burning his eyes into the back of her head, a message 'Don't say anything stupid'.
"Thank You, My Lord," she remarked before standing up slowly. "Draco was given the task to bond with Potter in our first year, but as I mentioned Draco's skills do not lie in making friends." She took a deep breath before continuing. "After your return was confirmed, I thought this may be a second chance for the Malfoy family to prove their loyalty to you, to make up for where our father failed and give you better access to the boy." Lie Maia's occlusion was intact, but she could still feel her blood run cold at the thought of him not believing her. When the words came out of her mouth, she was shocked by how used she was to lying, she could lie without flinching, it did not bother her but talking about Harry in that way left a bitter taste in her mouth.
"Well, I have to say,Miss Malfoy, I am impressed, even though your father has failed me yet again you have proven yourself better than him. You have given me a far better prize." He hissed. "The reward for such a prize is the honour to take the mark and become one of my Death Eaters. The task I have for you, I believe you will be able to complete proficiently" He declared. Before erupting into a sinister laugh
Before Maia could even respond, before she even allowed herself to breathe, she heard him. Whatever plan he had concocted it was beginning now. Maia turned her head to see Draco, eyes still glazed, she tried to breathe but it got caught in her throat.
"My Lord" Draco pleaded.
Voldemort looked over to Draco, still on his knees, he clenched his fist before responding to him.
"Ah, the other Malfoy... I am sure we are all interested to hear what it is you have to say" Voldemort clipped.
Draco stood up slowly before opening his mouth, "My Lord, my sister has clearly proven herself to you, she has created a bond with Potter which could be beneficial to your cause but to continue to do this successfully she needs to keep up this bond... this friendship." Draco hinted. Maia could see Voldemort's face screw up, but she did her best to remain as calm as possible, she had to keep her walls up. Draco continued "This will be a lot more difficult for her to keep up this pretence if she has the mark on her arm, if she has to complete two missions at one time. I would like to be the one to take the mark, allow both the Malfoy twins to serve you, and allow me to prove myself to you as my sister has. Allow her to focus all her energy and magic on Potter" he almost pleaded.
Maia's heart stopped, the walls were slipping, not Draco, any other solution but this. Draco had protected her so much in their childhood, he had always loved her but, this time he was sacrificing a huge part of himself to protect Maia. He was sacrificing everything Maia refused to sacrifice herself in the name of Malfoy, but he was doing it for her. Maia's head was spinning, it felt like hours even though it was only minutes, a part of her was begging Voldemort not to accept his offer.
Voldemort looked Draco up and down, seeming to mull over Draco's offering before uttering "You make a good point Mr Malfoy indeed, having you both working for me would allow me to have all the pieces in place that are needed. Your sister has shown exceptional dedication to the cause, she will focus solely on Potter..." He paused a wicked smile crawling up his face before continuing slowly "And you Draco, you will remove the Order's best weapon". His wand now pointing at Draco.
Maia had never wanted more in her life for the ground to swallow her up, she wanted to be struck down by Merlin, she wanted the actual Sword of Gryffindor to split through her skull, if she was out of the equation maybe Draco would be free from this fate. Until the realisation hit her, even if she had never been born this would have happened because they are pureblood because they are Malfoy, and they would have to serve him either way. And Draco had just saved her from that fate.
"Thank you, My Lord, I am grateful for the honour that it is to serve you" Draco declared.
"It is decided, that Draco will take the mark this evening at 9 pm, and his mission will begin upon his return to Hogwarts. You will successfully kill Albus Dumbledore and find a way to allow my Death Eaters into Hogwarts" He drawled again. He walked over to Maia and stroked her cheek with the back of his finger, his fingernails almost scratching her face, she felt the bile in her throat again and almost gagged. "And you my dear, you will bring me my most important prize, you will bring me Potter" he taunted. That sinister laugh began again.
His followers who stood lined up against the wall in the drawing room began to cheer, rejoice, bowing to Voldemort. Maia had left her body, she couldn't tap into her senses, it all sounded muffled like someone had cast a 'Mufiliato" charm on her brain.
Maia couldn't wrap her head around anything that had just happened, as his hand left her face the realisation kicked in that this was happening, Draco had given everything up for her and Dumbledore would be dead within the year. She was so in her head she barely felt the grasp Draco had on her wrist before dragging her out of the room and back into her bedroom.
"How could you do that?? Why would you do that?" Maia almost shouted. "You just gave everything up, your whole life! What about Granger? You should have just let it happen to me, you don't deserve this!!" she tried to control her breathing, tried to keep the walls up but they had gone, and she was crying. Maia hated crying. Draco stood and put his arm around her muttering "Shhh" over and over until she was calm again.
"I had to Maia, it was always going to happen to one or both of us, this way you are free from it," Draco stated calmly. "And I know you Maia, I know you've been trying to find a way out of this life for both of us for a long time now, I don't doubt that you will save us both" he soothed her.
When Maia finally managed to stop the sodding tears and respond to him "What about Granger? I know how much you love her Draco. What are you going to tell her?" she wiped the tears off her face.
"If I have learnt anything in the last few years it's that you two witches will get us all out of this, that is if you can manage to stop Potter from going on bloody suicide missions" he said full of snark. "I know my witch won't be happy about this, but she will understand once it's all been explained, she would have done the same if she had a twin."
Maia lifted her head from Draco's shoulder feeling much calmer "I promise you Draco, I will save you, I'll keep Granger alive, and I'll get you your freedom." she asserted "I'm just going to need some help from our friends, but I think they will find I can be quite persuasive." She smirked.
"I know you will Maia" he gently squeezed her wrist "Don't come near the Drawing Room tonight, I don't want you to hear any of that. Promise me?" He pleaded.
Maia took a deep breath before agreeing "I promise Draco".
*
Maia had lost touch with the idea of time, she spent so much of it in her head, planning and plotting how was she going to get everyone out of this, how could she save everyone? She knew who she had to speak to but with Voldemort setting up his headquarters at the manor that would be very difficult. She laid back on her bed, the softness of the sheets keeping her grounded and she just screamed as muffled as she could into the pillows, she was pulled out of it by the sound of her door opening.
"Maia" she recognised it straightaway as her mother's voice. Maia jerked her head up and stared at her mother.
"It's beginning now..." Narcissa said sounding utterly defeated.
"I promised Draco I wouldn't go near the drawing room Mother" Maia snipped.
"You may have promised him that, but I need you there, I need you to hear it, I need you to know what's at stake" Narcissa declared. She grabbed Maia's wrist and dragged her out of her room and down the hall toward the drawing room. She kept trying to resist, smacking her mother's wrist but it was no use. Maia noticed how the manor now truly reflected the horrors of being a Malfoy, the pain, the sacrifice, the walls looked darker and damp almost, the smell of death in the air was thick as it took over Maia's nostrils.
"Get off me Mother I promised him!" Maia shouted. "Please, Mother! Please!" Maia pleaded with Narcissa, but she ignored her and continued to drag Maia down the hall to the front of the drawing room. Once they arrived, she began to speak again. Maia could hear the muffled sounds of the ceremony beginning.
"I need you to hear this, I need you to know what's at stake if you don't pull off whatever plan you have in that head of yours." Narcissa clipped, still gripping Maia's wrist. Narcissa cast a 'Muffliato" charm to keep the conversation private.
"What plan are you on about Mother?" Maia said trying to act nonchalant.
"Maia I am your mother, you may lie to them, but you can't get it past me, no matter how much you occlude! You need to know what awaits Draco if you fail" she snipped.
"Don't you think I know that! I begged him not to do this!" Maia snapped. "Of course, your main concern is about Draco, your perfect heir, doesn't matter what happens to me I'm just the spare!" The noises of the ceremony got louder, and Maia shivered at the thought of what was happening to Draco at that moment.
"It's not just about Draco Maia! This is what awaits all of us! All this world if you don't stop it! I haven't been the best mother to you, and I admit that, but I don't want to see you dead!" Narcissa snapped back.
Maia took a moment to calm down and catch her breath, she didn't have time to occlude before she was snatched from her room. Narcissa sighed deeply and placed a gentle hand on Maia's face. Maia flinched at the contact upon instinct. Displays of affection were not common in the Malfoy household.
"I love you Maia and I'm sorry, I never wanted this life for either of you, I should never have let your father treat you the way he did but this is bigger than just our family now" She took a breath before continuing "I know you want a way out for both of you, you're a brilliant witch and I don't doubt your capabilities to do that, the other day with Bella you lied didn't you? You have been working with Potter not spying on him? You saved Sirius because you wanted to?" Narcissa remarked. Maia noticed the look of regret on her mother's face at the mention of Sirius's name, she pondered for just a moment what that was about but she didn't have to think about it deeply.
Maia was lost for words, why was her mother so calm about it all? Why was she telling her everything she had wanted to hear from her mother for so many years only now? She couldn't speak.
"Your silence tells me everything Maia... do what you have to do. Stop this family from ruining more lives, save Draco and most importantly save yourself, Maia." Her mother urged. "Don't tell me any information the less I know the better –"
Narcissa was cut off by a blood-curdling scream, Maia had never heard anything like it, she recognised it straight away as Draco, it ripped her heart in half, her soul shattering. Maia tried to cover her ears to block out the sound, tears falling down her face as she slid down the wall next to the door. Her mother kneeled in front of her.
"This Maia" she pointed at the door, pointing out Draco's pain "This is what's at stake, this pain Draco is in will be inflicted upon our entire world, no one will be safe, the people you hold close will be at risk" Narcissa declared. Maia could barely hear her mother over the screams of Draco, the sound ringing in her ears.
"Save Draco, save your friends, help the Potter boy win" Narcissa insisted. "You cannot fail."
'You cannot fail'
'You cannot fail'
'You cannot fail'
The words rang through Maia's head, she swore she could feel them slice through her brain, through her mind. Still slumped against the wall she barely recognised the screaming had stopped; she opened her eyes her vision blurred she looked up at her mother still kneeling before her.
"I cannot fail" she whispered to her mother. As Narcissa heard her daughter's words, she cast a feather-weight charm before stunning Maia and levitating her back to her room away from the ceremony, away from the sound of Draco's pain. She laid Maia on her bed gently.
"I'm sorry all of this has fallen to you Maia" she whispered before stroking her head and leaving the room quietly.
Maia now stunned, stuck in her own body, trapped in her mind, Draco's scream still rattling around her head, only able to hear the words so clearly in her mind 'You cannot fail'. Maia felt a sudden fury of rage, unable to move, she felt the rage course around her body. Anger for how she's been treated her whole life, fury at the fact her family has led her and Draco down this path, rage at the fact they've never been given a choice and joy at the fact that soon they would all pay for it.
'Yes Mother, I will not fail' she thought to herself repeatedly until the spell lifted.
*
As soon as Maia was mobile again, she sprang up out of bed, threw on her robes and headed straight for Draco's room, she had to check he was alright, make sure he was okay. She reached Draco's room and opened the door, it was the dead of night now, he was lying in his bed, and she could see the fresh new mark on his arm as it hung out of bed. He was sleeping. She was grateful he managed to get some rest, it was the only time he ever looked at peace. She decided she would sleep in here on the chaise lounge opposite his bed, just in case, just to make sure he would be okay or if he woke in pain she could help. She could see the fiery marks of red all around his new mark where it had been burned onto his alabaster skin, it was a little swollen, and it looked truly painful. Maia made a mental note to get him the same potions he had gotten her after her torture session.
Maia lay on the chaise lounge and tried to fall asleep, praying to all the gods, to Merlin and Morgana, to Salazar even to bloody Godric that he would be okay. That they would get through this.
*
Maia stirred in the makeshift bed she had made for herself on the chaise lounge, her back was sore, but it didn't matter right now, she felt the sunlight beaming through the window and bouncing off her face. She looked over and checked on him, but Draco was still asleep. She quietly tiptoed past him, noticing the fiery red of the mark still flaring on his skin and sneaked back to her room.
"Mippy?" Maia called and with a 'crack' the cheerful house elf appeared in front of her.
"Mistress Maia how can Mippy be of service today?" the elf replied cheerily.
"Could you please make sure Draco receives the same potions on his bedside he left for me a few days ago?" Maia asked.
"Yes of course Mistress. Mippy is happy to help Master Draco" the elf replied, she turned to disapparate but Maia interjected "Mippy? Can you put this by the potions, please? And let me know when he is awake" Maia handed the elf a similar card to one the Draco had left her 'Drink Up – M.M'.
"Of Course, Mistress, Mippy is always happy to help the Malfoy Twins!" she replied with glee. With a 'crack' she was gone before Maia could say 'Thank You'.
Maia thought to herself that Mippy had to be one of the purest magical creatures she had ever met, she may be a slave, but she always seemed genuinely happy to see Maia and Draco. Maybe that is because they treated her kindly and with respect, Maia hoped after everything was over, she would be able to free Mippy. Free all the house elves and she knew just the witch to talk to about that.
Whilst waiting for Draco to wake up Maia moved on to the beginning of her plan, but she had to speak to a certain witch to pull it all off. She took out a piece of parchment and a quill and began writing the letter.
Granger,
Meet me in Diagon Alley at the Leaky Cauldron on August 1st at 3 pm.
Come alone.
Burn this letter after reading it, only reply if you can't meet, don't address the letter to me address it to Theodore Nott, and he will inform me.
Think of a muggle place you've always wanted to show me in London.
Yours,
M.L
Maia finished the letter and placed it in an envelope before hiding it in her robes, the last thing she needed was for this letter to end up in the wrong hands before the plan had even been formulated. Maia knew Hermione was the best person to talk to about everything, she was logical, unbiased, and bloody brilliant. Hopefully, the news about Draco's mark won't distract her. Maia decided to sign the letter as M.L. so no one would assume it was from a Malfoy and she knew Hermione was intelligent enough to work it out.
She just needed to begin phase two, which meant a meet-up with a certain pure-blood blue-eyed wizard, her, and Draco's childhood best friend Theodore Nott. Maia wondered if she would ever be able to tell Theo how she truly felt about him, how he made her feel safe, how she could talk to him in a way that she couldn't with anyone else and the fact she was definitely in love with the wizard but that may put him at risk and second to Draco, Theo was the last person Maia wanted to see dead because of her.
'Merlin Maia, focus!' she thought to herself and pushed all romantic thoughts of Theodore Nott to the back of her mind, safely locked in a file in her brain and that's where he would have to stay for now.
'crack'
"Mistress Maia, Master Draco is awake!" Mippy exclaimed.
"Mippy! Thank you so much!" Maia replied. She ran from her room and ran straight to Draco's room.
She opened the door and saw him sitting on the bed, she noticed how tired he looked, how sore the mark looked and how the devastation of this role thrust upon them both was beginning to sink in. It made her heart sad, but she would try her best to make him laugh.
She walked in and sat on the makeshift bed she had made for herself the night before.
"You look like shit," she remarked. He looked up at her before slightly chuckling.
"Oh yeah, ha-ha" he clipped and rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, it's not so great when the shoe is on the other foot is it?" she snipped back.
He looked at her confused "Salazar is that some muggle saying that my witch taught you?" he asked.
Maia just laughed and then he started laughing and for a moment just a moment, their world wasn't about to end, the war wasn't nipping at their heels, and they could just be Draco and Maia. She contained herself before asking "How are you really?" she was filled with genuine concern "It looks bloody sore; did you take the potions?" she asked again.
"Salazar witch I just woke up, and you're already asking a million bloody questions!" he clipped. "I do feel like shit, it burns like hell for the first few days and yes, I took the sodding potions!"
She chuckled at his snarky tone before responding "I'll ask Mippy to bring in some dittany, even if it just takes down some of the swelling, I know it's dark magic so it might not help but it doesn't hurt to try" she trailed off. "I have a favour to ask you..."
His head shot up and looked at her "Maia, I'm already in the middle of the last favour I did for you." He snipped at her. She lowered her head, feeling utter shame and pain, he was right, he had already done so much for her. Noticing her change in body language, he felt guilty. He spoke again but much calmer this time. 'Typical of Draco to be a complete git and then feel bad about it'. She chuckled to herself.
"What do you need Maia?"
She raised her head and looked back at him "I need you to get Theodore here."