A/N: Hey everyone!! My lovely editor wrote part of the last chapter because I was so stuck on it! Shes just amazing!! (': Any who, this chapter won't focus much on school and classes, it's more of a skip on a few key things that have been happening. This chapter also jumps around like a lot I hope it isn't too confusing.
With the ball approaching, (F/N) found herself becoming more and more paranoid about her mark showing. Thank God it was winter and long sleeves were appropriate, but she worried abut the coming seasons. Hiding her mark from Pansy proved more difficult than ever. Imagine once Voldemort returned! How visible was the mark made to be? She researched different concealing charms and though some worked for a few minutes, there was no permanent solution; or at least something that lasted over a half hour. Still, (F/N) was smart and she would find a way. She just felt guilty like she was lying to those closest to her; Ali for one who had become her best and most trusted friend and her handsome brother as well.
"How do you think I should style my hair with this dress?" Alison asked as she stared at herself in the mirror.
"Hmm, I think, a regal up do would do you good! It will bring out your cheekbones," (F/n) said and with her wand, she pointed it to Alison's head and her hair was done up, letting some of her natural waves down as the rest was pinned with a gold hair clip.
"Okay, you are officially a style guru," Ali said, giggling at (F/N).
"Well, not a guru yet, anyway," (F/N) responded back. "Do you think the other Slytherins are going to make fun of you because your going with George Weasely?" (F/N) asked a bit concerned.
"Well, so what if they do?" Alison asked calmly.
"Slytherins can be mean," her friend said, pulling form personal experience.
"I can be meaner," Ali responded with a grin.
“And I'll make sure their clothes are so messed up beyond recognition." (F/N) said with a laugh.
"Are you okay?" Ali asked looking up at her friend, away from the mirror.
"Yeah, I am there's just been a lot on my mind lately." The young witch sighed and rubbed her temple.
"I can tell...Do you want to talk about it?" Ali asked her best friend.
Yes, more then anything in the world I do!” (F/N) thought to herself for a moment. "I think I'll be alright, for now. Let's just focus on finding the perfect makeup for your dress, hmm?"
(F/N) stared at Ali's face for a while and tilted her head. "I think keeping an earthy gold toned smokey eye look will bring out your eye color, and gold tones look so nice against your skin tone!"
Ali smiled. "See, style guru, called it."
(F/N) laughed and practiced the makeup look on her friend. After a while, the raven-haired girl pulled away from Ali's face and smiled; she was blown away.
"Whoa! I can barley recognize myself!” Alison looked at herself in the mirror and moved around, looking at herself in different angles. “(F/N), how did you learn this skill?" The girls laughed with each other as they sat there in the room, but there were footsteps approaching.
"Makeup is for muggles," an annoying but recognizable voice said. It was Pansy, of course.
The two witches turned to her, and Alison could barely contain her disgust. "You're just jealous," (F/N) said rolling her eyes, "even with makeup, Draco still won't love you."
Pansy's cheeks flushed red with anger and she reached for her wand. "You're still an unwanted bastard!" Pansy retorted. Ali stood up but (F/N) patted her shoulder reassuringly.
"You really want to do this now?" (F/N) asked, grabbing her wand.
"You've had this coming for a while (L/N)! You think you're so perfect all the damn time! It's time to knock you down a few pegs. I'm not the only one who thinks so either."
Those words hurt (F/N) a bit too deeply for her taste. Perfect? She am anything but perfect. She was a future Death Eater, a murderer! A girl who grew up without her father and now magically has to accept the fact that her mother chose to hide her. Someone who can't really be herself because the house she was placed in is so freaking judgmental about everything. "I don't want to duel you Pansy, you'll only end up hurt."
"Flipendo!" Pansy shouted, casting it at (F/N), causing her to fall back on her rear.
"Ali, go get some adults, right now," (F/N) said with a scowl.
Pansy laughed at the girl as she glared down at her. "Oh, you're going to go cry to your daddy? 'Oh Snape, she's bullying me,' like how you did a few weeks ago?" Pansy laughed. “Pathetic.”
....
Ali ran to Snape's office and he wasn't there, so then she then ran to Dumbledore's office and tried to summon him the best she could, but the door wouldn't open. “Where the hell are all of the bloody adults in this school?!” She groaned. Finally, she had found them all in the same room down the hall, discussing the Triwizard Tournament. "Professors! Pansy attacked us!"
All of their heads turned in confusion toward the student, and that's when Professor McGonagall spoke up. "What do you mean, Miss Flint?"
"Pansy Parkinson. She attacked (F/N) and is forcing her to duel in the girls lavatory."
Professor Flitwick straightened his posture in his seat. "We need to get to them. (F/N) is very skilled in charms too skilled. Pansy could be hurt."
"(F/N) has very good self control, she wouldn't use anything to deliberately hurt Miss Parkinson," Snape assured the others.
"Dueling is forbidden on school grounds, especially without permission. Let's go and handle this, shall we?" Dumbledore interjected. He had never met (F/N) personally yet and this could be for a very interesting first meet. Alison started to lead them back to the lake where Pansy and (F/N) were dueling.
...
"You know I was taking advanced charms at Ilvermorny. I don't want to hurt you Pansy," the young witch said with hesitation.
"Too bad, I intend to hurt you! Incendio!"
"Aqua Eructo!"
"Stupefy!"
"Protego!!" A shield covered (F/N) and she was very angry having to deal with this nonsense, but she didn't want to hurt Pansy. Not yet, at least.
"You can stay in there all you want, but I know who you are, more importantly I know who your mother is," Pansy said with a grin, "A deserter of the Death Eaters. A muggle sympathizer. Someone who brought shame not only to Slytherin house, but also to her own family. No one respects the once prestigious (L/N) name anymore! She ran out of a marriage leaving her husband-to-be on the alter! For what? To be with Severus, someone who never loved her or wanted you? I know all about you (F/N),"
The girls eyes widened and began to tear up. "How...how do you know that?"
"Take a guess," Pansy said with a sort of deranged look in her eyes. "My Father was supposed to marry your mother, originally. He told me all about her. He also told me that Thunderbirds are the Hogwarts equivalents to stupid and weak Hufflepuffs. You're not worthy to be a Slytherin, you're not worthy to be at Hogwarts, you're not worthy to be with Draco. I don't know what he sees in you."
That was it, (F/N) felt rage fill her up and the quiet beast that was dormant inside of her broke free. Pansy felt a change in the atmosphere and took a step back, taking her dueling stance. (F/N) took down her shield and elegantly without a word knocked Pansy down with flipendo. Now that her rage was fueling her, she felt no need to call out the spell names, she was playing rough.
Pansy was knocked against the wall, taking the breath right out of her lungs.
"We're going to see just how unworthy I am," (F/N) said in a dark voice. Pansy widened her eyes, completely terrified at seeing this side of her because it was a side she didn't know she had.
"P-Please, (F/N), I was only kidding. I am- I'm sorry about everything I said! You are worthy! You're not a disgrace! Please! I wont every bother you again! I swear."
"It's too late for that Pansy! Everyday for months you have tormented me, bullied me, played horrible pranks on me and I accepted it," she chuckled "I didn't say anything to anyone I kept a smile on my face. I let you bully me because I felt as if I deserved it! And well frankly, the Hogwarts bastard is tired. She is battered and bruised because of your relentlessness. I want you to beg me. Beg for mercy because I want you to feel pain. I'm not perfect, I am very flawed and you tell your friends that! I am dangerous and not to be messed with. You'll be that example."
(F/N) flicked her wand and so easily, Pansy was rendered useless, unable to move since her body was so stiff. Her bones felt like cinder blocks, and again, (F/N) lifted her wand, lifting a stiff Pansy in the air.
"Should I drop you into the lake, or should I let you hit the floor? Blink once for the lake or blink twice for the floor," (F/N) grinned. This felt good to her, sticking it to Pansy like that. "Oh right, you can't blink, can you? Then I guess it's dealers choice," she paused for a second to think of her options. "I'll let you hit the floor." She brought Pansy higher into the air before releasing the spell. She watched Pansy fall helplessly, but then cast spongefy onto the floor.
Pansy shouted for dear life and (F/N) grinned down at her. But once Pansy hit the floor, there was no splatter of blood, no crunching of bones. Pansy landed on spongy, bouncy floor tiles. (F/N) didn't want to hurt her after all, just to scare her as much as possible. It was more satisfying anyway.
Pansy panted heavily, so scared out of her mind she had wet herself. "You-You-Your a psychopath!!"
"No I'm not, you and I both know that you've had that coming for a while. Think of it as revenge for everyone you have ever bullied," she replied with a smirk.
Pansy ran off in tears while (F/N) wore a gratified smile, but it diminished once she turned and saw them all coming; Snape, Flitwick, McGonagall and Dumbledore looking at her. They had witnessed the majority of it. Ali had a shocked expression on her face.
"Oh-well. I can explain, I promise," (F/N) said with wide eyes.
"No need," Dumbledore said with a mysterious gleam in his eyes. She was powerful just as Flitwick mentioned, but Dumbledore felt it in his gut that (F/N) wasn't really going to hurt Pansy, but still, she needed to be reprimanded for dueling, even though Pansy did start the fight. "After dinner, you, Alison, and Pansy should meet me in my office."
(F/N) nodded and looked to the floor. Dumbledore, McGonagall and Flitwick walked away but Snape remained behind.
"Do you really feel that way, (F/N)? About deserving to be bullied?" Severus asked as he approached his daughter, and she nodded. Ali felt her heart break for her friend and hugged her tightly.
"Oh darling, no one deserves to be treated like how Pansy was treating you. Not even the bloody Death Eaters."
"Do you mean that?" (F/N) asked looking Alison in the eyes, "about Death Eaters not deserving to be treated like less then what they are?" Ali gave (F/N) a confused look and Snape froze up for a second.
"Alison, your friend needs some time to herself right now. You can finish your discussion with her later," Snape protested.
"But-"
"Now, Ms. Flint."
Alison sighed and hugged her friendly tightly before leaving back to her room. She was still in makeup and her hair was still done up, so people watched as she walked along, admiring her beauty. 'Wankers,' Ali thought, walking to her dorm. Once she had gotten upstairs, she gasped at the sight before her. Pansy hadn't learned her lesson after all, in fact she had gotten worse. All of (F/N)'s expensive makeup smashed to it on the floor, her comforter defaced with the words: "Muggle Loving Death Eater." Pansy was standing there, smiling proudly as she leaned against her bedpost.
"You bitch, leave (F/N) alone!"
"Make me, loser," Pansy said with an annoyed look.
Ali balled her fist and punched Pansy square in the nose. "I never thought I would ever know someone as rotten to the core as you, Pansy! Leave my friend alone! You see, unlike her, I will use my fists to do some damage.”
"Ow, my nose!" Pansy cried out, reaching up to her nose as it began to bleed.
"You'd better not go to anyone about it either, or every time I find you alone, I'll be sure to add another pretty scar to that face! Go on and get cleaned up, and when I bring a teacher here you are to fess up about your actions!"
Pansy nodded and ran off into the bathroom to clean her nose. All she thought was, 'damn that (F/N)! She gets everything she always wants; the guy, the good friends....I'll get her soon. I will.'
Alison had ran back to Professor McGongall's room, where she alerted her of the vandalism. They arrived back in the common room, where Pansy was sitting down on one of the plush chairs.
"Ms. Parkinson, what is it that makes you target (F/N) so much? It is obvious that no matter how many people step up to your bullying, you always take it a step further. I am tired of this constant complaining on behalf of your character, and the headmaster was going to tell you this in your meeting later on, but I want to see your expression when you hear it. You are no longer allowed to participate at the Yule Ball. You shall not attend nor shall you be allowed anywhere near the premises. You will also be reassigned to a new dorm room, and if there are any more complaints against you harassing (F/N) or any other student for that matter, you will be expelled." Pansy was stunned as she sat there, but Alison wore the biggest smile on her face.
...
"I know you don't really care for me at the moment, but I do have experience on dealing with bullies," Snape offered. "You could have hurt that girl, (F/N)."
"But I didn't hurt her,"
"But you could have! Holding things inside, keeping emotions to yourself is unhealthy."
"You're one to talk," (F/N) rolled her eyes and Severus sighed.
"That is different."
"How so?"
"It's different because I say it is," Severus said harshly. "I may not have been present in your upbringing, but that doesn't mean that I don't love and treasure you any less. Pansy is a menace, we know that, but you chose to keep it to yourself instead of going for help. You two are dorm mates. I can only imagine what she has done to you. But you still chose to keep it to yourself. (F/N), despite what you may feel towards me, you can trust me."
"I don't want to run to you for everything, Severus! I actually have something to prove now. Everyone thinks my good grades are only good because you're one of my professors, everyone thinks that my life is perfect, and it's not! Hell, I am lying to every single one of my friends every day, even Draco, who I think I'm in love with. So yes, I did think I deserved to be bullied because I am a filthy Death Eater, and a liar and its all-" (F/N) paused, aware of what she was going to say.
"Go ahead and say it. It's all my fault," Snape continued, "it is my fault why your life isn't perfect. But if you're going to play the blame game, you have to include your mother as well. At the ending of the day, she was the one who fled, it was not I, it was your mother. And she knew what running would do, what it would cause."
(F/N) quickly reached for her wand, ready to cast some spell to shut him up and possibly to hurt him, but before she could do anything, he snatched her hand in his and held it tightly.
"Let me go!" she said trying to wriggle free of his grasp. "Severus, let me go."
"No." Snape brought her into a forceful hug. (F/N) tried to push free but his grip was too strong on her, but feeling that embrace, it triggered something deep within her, and within seconds, she had begun to sob against him.
"I hate you,” she said in between breaths.
"I know, but that doesn't mean I wont offer parenting when I see that you need it. You're my child, (F/N), no matter who's fault it is. You will always be my daughter."
.....
With everything that had occurred over the past few days, (F/N) was unbelievably stressed. Pansy was reassigned another room, but the young witches new roommate was just as bad. Jealous of every part of (F/N)'s seemingly perfect life, she couldn't handle it anymore, so she mostly slept in the hospital wing. She was plagued by nightmares that people would find out about her affiliation with the Death Eaters. One of the worst she had was her giving birth to a baby boy. He was beautiful and perfect in every way, but everyone was afraid of him. She didn't realize that her baby boy, who had an unknown father, was in fact the Dark Lord and he ended up killing her.
(F/N)'s stress levels were so high that Madam Pomfrey had brought it up to Dumbledore. She was generally concerned for (F/N)'s well being and felt a break from academic classes may do her some good.
She had stayed in the wing for a few days, and naturally the whole school had found out. Draco immediately had to visit her once he had heard the news. "How are you holding up?" Draco asked bringing her a small velvet box. He placed the box on the foot of her bed. She smiled up at him.
"Well, besides feeling like a nut case, I suppose I am fine."
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked casually.
"Well, not really, no."
"We're going to any way"
"Pardon?"
"I think I know what is going on with you," he said sternly, so (F/N) sat up and looked at him with concern in her eyes. "Your mother," he said quietly as he took her hand in his, “you're paying for her mistake." He rolled back her sleeve to reveal her left forearm and (F/N) flinched as he looked over her insignia; it was now slightly darker. "She forced you into an unbelievably uncomfortable position." He kissed her wrist. "And the burden bares heavy on your shoulders."
"I'm sorry, but, how do you know?" she asked in a whisper.
Draco brushed some hair from the side of her face and tucked it behind her ear. He kissed her gently on said ear. "Because my parents are Death Eaters as well...which makes me one too, in the future."
(F/N) pulled away as her jaw dropped and tears streamed down her face. "Draco-I-I'm sorry to say, but I am so relieved," she sighed as she hugged him tightly. So much so that he was hunched over her bed. He embraced her as well, feeling her cry against his chest.
"Hey, hey, now. You're not alone in this, we have each other and we will always have each other. So do me a favor and stop this pity party. You're going to sleep in your own bed tonight and you'll get to eat the box of chocolates I bought you. You will get better. If we're going to get through this together, you have to get better." Draco said sternly, pulling away from her. "You have to accept that this is your fate. You also have to accept that whatever happens you wont be alone in this. Snap out of it and be the girl that I first met because this-it isn't you."
(F/N) eyes widened; he had never taken that tone with her before. She smiled up at him as she sat in silence for a moment. "Oh Draco," she said while giggling, "I think that's all I needed. Your words"
Draco smiled "Good. I missed having my girlfriend."
......
"Mm, you have to stop."
"What, why?" Draco asked with a frown.
"Because I'll be late for class and it's hard enough for me to hide my arm, but having to hide a hickey as well?"
Draco chuckled and released (F/N) from his clutches. "Alright fine, but it's not fair."
"I know, but life isn't fair now, is it?" (F/N) laughed before giving him one last kiss and hurrying to her next class, which she had with Ali. Defense Against the Dark Arts. Alison sat patiently for her friend, wearing the largest smile ever as she had her booted feet up and crossed on her chair.
"Well finally, thank you for joining us, (F/N)."
"The pleasure is all mine, but, hat smile..."
"What smile?" Ali asked innocently.
"The one you have on right now," she replied coolly.
"I don't have a smile," Ali said defensively and (F/N) giggled.
Some time ago Ali was asked by George Weasley to the Yule Ball, and it had been the talk of the school, but since then her best friend was acting strangely. Just as strange as (F/N) did when she and Draco started to see each other. She clicked it together in her head and almost let out a squeal of excitement.
"You like him"
"No I don't, (F/N)."
"Yes you do," she countered matter-of-factually.
"No I don't," she grumbled, looking away.
"George and Alison sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" (F/N) giggled and Ali blushed.
"Oh hush, what are we in grade school? If anyone has been kissing lately its been you and Malfoy."
"Have not."
"Have too," she argued.
"Have not!"
"Have too, you guys are always snogging, and besides, if you weren't kissing Malfoy, then why do you always end up with a new hickey every other day?" Alison teased back with a chuckle and (F/N) fixed the collar on her shirt, then put her hair down from is messy ponytail so no one else could see it.
"That's besides the point."
"No it actually isn't." Both the girls laughed. “By the way,” Alison smirked, “there are other places to leave those things, you know, below the neck.” Alison winked, which warranted another fit of laughter.
.....
The day had finally come; the Yule Ball. (F/N)'s mind was all over the place, she had been unbelievably nervous. She was nervous that the dress wasn't going to fit, nervous that Alison's makeup wasn't going to come out right. She was just a wreck, but it sure as hell beat the usual stress she dealt with lately.
'You tried on the dress before a million times (F/N), it's going to fit." Alison groaned.
"Are you sure? I haven't gained any weight since I've received it?"
"No," Ali scoffed and (F/N)'s hands did their thing on her face.
"Shit," (F/N) said, forcing herself away from Alison's face.
"What, what, what?" Ali asked completely frantic.
"I think I messed up your makeup!" The raven-haired witch gasped.
"What? No! Let me see!"
Alison grabbed the mirror from the table and blinked, there was nothing wrong with her makeup. In fact, it looked way better than what (F/N) originally did a month ago. "Girl, you're paranoid," Alison grumbled.
"I just want tonight to be perfect, Ali," (F/N) admitted.
Alison sighed and placed a hand on her friends' shoulder. "It's going to be, don't worry. Besides, it's just a dance."
(F/N) smiled down at her friend and nodded, taking back control. “You're right.”