My head pounded violently as I slowly came around, my eyes flickering open and then squeezing shut again from the harshness of the light pouring through the window. I automatically pulled the fine silk sheets up to my eyes in an attempt to block out some of the cruel light.
It was then that I thought to myself, wait, windows? Silk sheets that indubitably cost more than I had to my name?
The last thing I remembered, I'd been lying in my bunk-bed in a tent, waking up as I subconsciously remembered that I'd forgotten to place protective enchantments around the tent. Then, the Snatcher appeared, and I was knocked out.
Now, I definitely wasn't in the tent.
The walls were papered in a dark brocade, and for a foolish moment I thought that I was back at 12 Grimmauld Place, and the entire ordeal had been nothing more than a bad dream. But as I reached up and pushed my fingers to the side of my head, a sharp pain stabbed me, a lump the size of an egg protruding from my scalp. I then remembered that I'd gotten rid of all of the dark wallpaper at Grimmauld Place - wherever this was, I didn't recognise it.
I pulled myself upright, ignoring the dizzy feeling that had overcome me and looking around. I was lying in an extravagant rosewood bed, the four posters carved with ivy leaves and tiny berries. A matching wardrobe and chest of drawers could be found opposite the bed, and from my position I could see through one of the doors a bathroom with white and black tiles.
I dragged myself out of the bed, my feet shaking beneath me as I stumbled and struggled to regain my balance. I was no longer wearing my own clothes - instead somebody had dressed me in a long white nightgown, the sort of thing you'd expect to see in a Jane Austen novel. My hair had been brushed diligently, falling in soft waves at my back as I staggered towards the bathroom.
The tiles were cold beneath my feet, but I barely paid attention as I grabbed the sink to steady myself and peered into the mirror. My skin was paler than ever; seeming to have a grayish tinge, and there were purple bags beneath my eyes, my lips hauntingly dark against my almost translucent skin.
Somebody had left a toothbrush and unopened tube of toothpaste by the sink, and a neatly folded towel over the bath, where I found shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Still, taking a bath wasn't at the forefront of my mind right now, the only thing I wanted was to know where I was, and more importantly, where I could find my wand.
Heading back into the bedroom, I stumbled towards the other, closed door. Shaking the doorknob, I swore as I realised that it was locked from the outside - clearly I was someone's prisoner. Next I hobbled to the window, trying to jimmy it open but to no avail. Without my wand, it was useless.
I couldn't find my cherry wand anywhere, not on the bedside table or in the drawers, nor hidden beneath the pillows or in the bathroom. After turning the room upside down, there was nothing but an assortment of clothes in the wardrobe and a pile of books in the corner to be found.
"Where am I?" I muttered to myself, now having regained my balance. I slumped onto the bed and pulled my knees up to my chest as I leaned my back against one of the posts, running my fingers along the carvings as I tried to think of an escape plan. I hadn't tried apparition without a wand, but I understood the principal and if I could apparate to my parents house, they'd be able to help me if any splinching occurred.
I shut my eyes and concentrated hard on the place I called home, letting every memory I'd ever had there fill my mind. I'd been happy at the Burrow, sad at the Burrow, excited, angry, disappointed and a whole flurry of other emotions. As I kept that image locked in my head, I twisted my body, waiting for the familiar sensation of being pulled upwards. But it didn't come.
I stood up and tried again, but to no avail. There wasn't even a slight rush.
Wherever I was, there were anti-disapparation jinxes in place.
I swore loudly as that plan clearly was thrown out of the window. I needed to think of some other way to escape.
It was at that moment that the door began to rattle on the other side, as if somebody were inserting a key. I tensed into a defensive position, raising my fists in front of my face, knowing that it would be useless if whoever was on the other side was armed with a wand. The lock clicked ominously and I took a deep breathe, ready to fly at whoever was entering. Maybe if I took them by surprise and overpowered them, I could escape.
But as the door opened to reveal who was on the other side, my hands fell limply to my sides in shock.
There, in the doorway with a sheepish expression on his handsome features, was Draco.
"Draco?" I breathed in disbelief, staring as he shuffled into the room and shut the door behind him, flicking his wand and locking it once more. He was carrying a tray of food, setting it down on the chest of drawers before turning back to me.
He looked different to how he had been the last time I'd properly seen him. His blond hair was cropped short, slightly longer on the top than at the sides. There was no gel or wax in his hair at all, suggesting that he hardly bothered with his appearance anymore. He wore a pair of dark jeans and a black t-shirt, his dark mark clearly displayed on his forearm. Just like me, his skin was pale, but his eyes were as bright and mesmerizing as ever despite the fact that they now held a lot more pain than ever before. He turned up one corner of his mouth at me as he shoved his hands into his pockets, waiting for me to react to the fact that he was actually here.
What was I expected to do?
A part of me wanted to run at him and kiss him, it having been so long since I'd been in his arms. The kiss with Krum at Bill and Fleur's wedding had been nothing to my memories of Draco and his tender kisses, and I found myself longing to feel that again.
But then I remembered Charlie.
My brother, the only member of my family whom I could confide for so long.
Charlie was dead. And Draco killed him.
"Draco," I said again, this time a snarl. He stood still as I strode towards him, and with a movement as quick as a flash, I drew back my hand and slapped him hard across the cheek.
There was a pause. I waited for him to react, to explode with anger and start to fight back. But he didn't - Draco stood perfectly still and silent, not a hint of fury in his face. He was impassive.
That only enraged me more. Wasn't he sorry? Didn't he regret killing Charlie? He knew better than anybody how much Charlie meant to me, I'd told him countless times about how my second oldest brother had been the only one there for me for nearly five years. Before Draco, before Cedric, it was only Charlie. When I went home and Draco and Cedric weren't there, Charlie was all I had. He'd been my warrior, my protector, my saviour. He stood up for me when nobody else did.
And Draco had killed him.
Furthermore, Draco had killed him, and he didn't even care.
I punched him in the chest, slapping him again and again in a desperate effort to make him hurt as much as he had hurt me by taking my brother away. I wasn't exactly weak - hours of Quidditch and stirring cauldrons had made my biceps quite strong - but I preferred to do my fighting with a wand, and besides, I was no match for Draco's strength.
He let me hit him for a while before I started to become hysterical, tears streaming down my face. Draco grabbed my wrists easily and when I tried to wriggle away, he turned me around and hugged me to his chests, wrapping his arms around me and trapping me.
"Let me go," I sobbed, trying to prise his arms off of me. But it was no use, Draco was strong and in that moment, I was weak.
I stopped fighting, and began to sob hysterically, my knees giving way as I fell to the ground. Charlie, what would he think if he could see me now?
"Ssh, it's ok love..." Draco whispered.
I turned around to him, my eyes full of tears and rage, and managed to force him off of me, crawling away. "Don't you dare," I hissed, "I'm not your 'love.' We are nothing Draco, you saw to that."
Draco stared at me in what looked like regret, but I refused to give in. I dragged myself to my feet and turned away from him, wrapping my arms around my stomach as I took a few deep breathes.
"Juliet," Draco tried again, his voice gentle as he stepped towards me. "You know that I never wanted to leave you..."
"I gave you a choice, Draco," I snapped, turning around. "In the Room of Requirement, remember? I told you that you had to choose - me or the Dark Lord - and you chose wrong. It's too late to go back, I'm not yours anymore."
Draco nodded. "I know, but I thought that after that night, when we saw each other, that you'd forgiven me."
I sat on the bed and ran a hand through my hair. "I had forgiven you Draco, the moment I saw you I knew that I couldn't stay angry at you. But then..."
Draco sat down beside me. "What happened then?"
I looked to him and scowled. "Don't pretend to be oblivious Draco, I've been through enough pain. Denying it will only hurt me more." I turned my head away, so he couldn't see my tears. I waited for him to sigh and admit to it, to tell me that my brother had died valiantly fighting for what he believed in. But Draco didn't speak.
Not until a few moments later, when he mumbled "I really don't know what you're talking about."
I turned to look at him. "You killed him..." I stammered, tears falling freely down my face. Draco looked oblivious, a frown on his face as if he really didn't know what I was talking about. "Charlie," I elaborated, "my brother."
Draco shook his head. "No Li, I didn't do it..." he objected.
I scoffed. "Yes Draco, you did. You were there, right next to us, the last time I saw him was right before you appeared. Who else could it have been?"
Draco reached out to take my hands, and surprisingly I didn't shrug him off. "Juliet Weasley. I promise you, I swear on my life, I did not kill your brother. I didn't even know until now. Please, you have to believe me."
I stared into his eyes, as beautiful as they had always been, and wondered if he was telling the truth. Draco had lied to me before, countless times in fact, but that had always been to protect me somehow. Draco was one of the most selfless people I'd ever met - he wouldn't lie to me about something like this. It was there in his eyes, as clear as day. Draco was telling the truth. He didn't kill Charlie.
Suddenly, I found myself hugging him, his strong arms encasing me. It had been so long since we had last embraced each other, but it was as if my body remembered exactly what to do. Draco and I fitted together perfectly.
I pulled away from him before he could get the wrong idea - I was still furious at him for betraying me, and I wasn't going to forgive him. He'd chosen the Dark Lord over me. I couldn't forgive that.
His eyes seemed to be full of sadness, but I didn't relent. Instead he looked down to where the Malfoy locket hung around my neck, frowning slightly before smiling. "You still wear it..." he muttered.
I shrugged my shoulders and looked at the piece of jewellery that had once meant so much to me. "It's pretty," I justified, "and you told me once that there was incredibly strong magic in it. I've been hoping that that magic would make an appearance someday soon."
Draco smirked and ran a hand through his hair. "I think you actually have to be in love with a Malfoy for the magic to come forward..." he muttered sadly. I remained silent, unsure of whether I still loved Draco or not. I couldn't, I shouldn't.
But deep down I knew that I did.
I took it off then, holding it out to Draco with a weak smile. "Here," I said, "you can give it to your new girlfriend."
Draco raised his eyebrows but didn't take the locket. "I don't have a girlfriend," he replied, "not unless she decides to forgive me." Knowing all too well from the look he gave me that he was talking about me, I kept quiet. I couldn't let him win me back, not after what I'd been through.
"What about you?" he asked quietly, the apprehension in his voice clear, "have you got anyone else?"
I thought to Krum at the wedding, and how even when I'd been kissing him I'd been thinking of Draco. How was that fair, that after all the heartache and pain Draco had caused me, I was still unable to be happy with anybody else because I still loved him?
I shook my head after a while. "No. I've not really been in the mood for a relationship."
I found myself remembering the absence of my wand, and immediately called Draco out on it. He flushed and reached into his pocket, pulling my familiar cherry wand out and handing it to me. "You won't be able to apparate away, and the door and windows won't open by magic. I'm sorry Li, but I can't let you go."
I glowered at him, but took my wand anyway. I'd think of a way to get out of here.
Silence fell, and as I gazed around the room I realised that I hadn't yet asked the most important question of all. "What am I doing here?" I asked quietly.
Draco sighed and stood up, heading to the window. "I told the Snatchers to keep an eye open for you, and that I'd pay handsomely. They've been looking since that night we last saw each other."
Draco turned around and stared at me. "I realised the moment that I lost sight of you that there was nowhere safer for you than with me."
He stepped forward, and stared straight into my eyes as he whispered the words that I both longed and dreaded to hear.
"I will win you back, Juliet. No matter what it takes, no matter how long, you will be mine."
There was a new determination in his voice that I'd never heard before, and I didn't doubt for a second that he would try his absolute hardest to win me back. And I would try my absolute hardest to resist.
We'd just have to see who was stronger.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After Draco had gone, I ran myself a hot bath and climbed into the claw foot tub, letting the warm water and sweet smelling soaps cleanse me of the dirt from a few hours in the forest. I washed my hair clean of grease and then found myself staring out of the window just next to the bath, surveying the familiar grounds of Malfoy Manor. Once, I had been so happy here; had even allowed myself to dream that one day Draco and I might make it our own home. Nowadays, I was more of a prisoner than the guest of honour I had been.
The grounds were abandoned now, not a sign of the gardeners or Benson, the Malfoy's trusty butler and chauffeur. I wondered about Nelly, the house-elf who had been unfortunate enough as to gain Lucius Malfoy as a master.
Then, my mind drifted to Lucius and Narcissa. Did they know I was here? If Draco's aunt, and in fact his father, knew that I was under their roof, surely they'd hand me over to the Dark Lord immediately, desperate for a chance to reprieve themselves. The news must have gotten to him that Draco hadn't killed Dumbledore, and whilst Snape was now rising in the Dark Lord's trust, the Malfoy's were falling ever lower. Hanging me over would be nearly as good as handing over Harry.
Perhaps Draco had told his mother - surely he couldn't keep me a secret for long? She'd start to wonder where the books that Draco had promised from the library were going, not to mention the lavish meals Draco planned for me. I liked to hope that Narcissa wouldn't betray me to her husband - I'd saved her life once before, when she'd been drunk and in desperate need of a detoxification potion before her husband came home. Who knew what Lucius would have done had he found his wife unconscious and practically paralytic. She owed me.
But was she willing to pay that debt?
Not if it meant her entire family risked being obliterated due to her silence.
With a sigh, I flicked my wand at the water and watched as it bubbled slightly. Where were Harry, Ron and Hermione now? I prayed that they hadn't returned to 12 Grimmauld Place looking for me, the Death Eaters would have infiltrated it by now. Would they have found the tent and known who had taken me? Perhaps if they knew that I was with Draco, they wouldn't do something stupid like try to rescue me. They must know that Draco wouldn't hurt me again. Or so he said.
Eventually, the water had turned cold, and I dragged myself out of the bath and wrapped the soft white towel Draco had provided around me. My wet hair hung down my back as I undid the plug and returned to the bedroom, opening the wardrobe for something to wear. Unlike the last time I'd been kidnapped and brought here, the wardrobe didn't consist solely of black ballgowns, meaning Draco had chosen the clothes. Choosing a long-sleeved white cotton top and some jeans, I blushed as I found sets of underwear all ready for me. How on earth did he know my bra size?
I dreaded to think.
I dressed quickly, and dried my hair within a matter of seconds. After trying the door to see if Draco had accidentally left it unlocked (he hadn't), I clambered onto the bed and selected the first book from the pile Draco had left.
'Beauty and the Beast' it read on the cover, turning it over I realised that it was a muggle book, and so I wondered how Draco had managed to come by it. His family hated everything to do with muggles - they were Death Eaters for goodness sake - and yet he somehow had a stash of muggle books?
I opened the book to the first page and admired the beautiful drawing of a red rose in a glass jar. I ran my fingers over the petals, as if I could feel the silky flower beneath my fingers. But then I remembered how it was a muggle book, and muggle pictures didn't move or speak at all. They found their magic in words.
And so, I turned to the first line, and began to read.
By the time I had finished the beautiful story an hour later, I found that my heart was glowing in a way it hadn't for a long time. "And they lived happily ever after..." I read out loud, smiling as I looked at the final drawing of Belle and her prince dancing together and letting out a deep sigh. It truly was a lovely story, even though it was so foolishly muggle and would never happen in this world.
But still, one could dream.
As I fell asleep that night, exhausted somehow despite the fact I had spent the entire day reading, I found myself deep in a dream in which I was Belle, and when I kissed the Draco I had left on the Astronomy Tower that night, he transformed into the Draco I had fallen in love with, just as Belle's beast transformed into a Prince.
Perhaps it was possible, perhaps Draco could become the old him again.
At first I thought I had imagined it, that it was also a part of the dream, but as I woke up it became undeniable.
Resting against my chest, the Malfoy locket was warm. It had been stone cold for months now, and yet all of a sudden I could feel the magic inside again, I could feel the love soaking into every pore of my body.
Draco was thinking about me.
More importantly, Draco still loved me.