A/N:
Merry Crisis (or whatever you celebrate) my angels, hope y'all had a good festive season. I know what you're thinking 'two chapters in one month, is she ill?' My writer's block is hopefully gone now, touch wood, and my uni deadlines are slain. So here you are, enjoy X
The brakes on the train hiss loudly as it pulls to a stop, causing me to jolt awake suddenly. I open my eyes to the dark compartment, sitting up slowly and attempting to tidy my hair I hear quiet giggling beside me. It's Draco. I glare at him.
"What? You're such a light sleeper it's adorable" He chuckles, patting the top of my messy hair. Wait, I fell asleep on him? The last thing I remember was chatting with him about what I did in the summer. I hear students walking around in the corridor.
"We should head out" I stand up from the seat and hold my hand out for him, fully taking in his dishevelled appearance. The top few buttons of his shirt are undone and tie removed, and his suit jacket lays next to him on the bench. His usually perfectly styled blonde hair is a hot mess. Draco takes my hand and stands up quickly, buttoning his shirt with his spare hand. Swiftly, he slings on his tie and jacket whilst I quickly get changed into the rest of my uniform.
"You ready?" Draco asks, standing by the door with hand outstretched towards me. I nod, grabbing hold of his hand as he slides the door open. Throngs of Ravenclaw students are walking through the corridor, talking excitedly to their friends about their summer holidays. Draco finds a gap in the crowd and steps into it, gently pulling me with him. We've rode the train together every year since first year with exception of maybe one or two times and we've now been dating almost two years, so the sight of us together is no longer gossip fuel. However, I still hear our names whispered amongst some of the Ravenclaws as we make our way towards the exit. Once we reach the door to the platform Draco lets go of my hand and hops out first, placing his hands on my waist he carefully lifts me down.
"I can get off the train myself, ya know? I'm almost a fully grown adult" I say, sticking my tongue out at him, as he takes my hand in his. His response is simply to stick his tongue out too.
..............................
"We went to Disneyland this summer, which is this massive Muggle amusement park in California and I got to meet..." Charlotte is talking at a hundred miles per hour about what she did over the summer as we sit at the Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall. Her words fade into the background whilst I'm looking over at Draco sat at the Slytherin table. He smiles at me, and with a sly wink picks up a piece of paper he was writing on and blows on it. A paper bird soars out of his hands and flys towards me. It lands gently in my lap and I hurriedly place it in my pocket before Charlotte can steal it.
"Yes, it's from Draco and yes, we're talking again. He had some family related shít happen in the summer" I speak, preemptively answering the questions that I knew she'd ask.
"By family related shít, you know he's probably become a death eater, right?" She nudges me, as I'm back to staring at Draco. Wait, what? I give her an incredulous look, and go to speak however she cuts across me. "Hear me out, it was Voldemort and his death eaters that killed Cedric, sorry I know you don't like talking about that but it's relevant. And there's been more reported death eatery things going on. His dad was a prolific death eater back in the day and has been arrested recently pending trial based on death eater related charges. It all adds up" My heart drops at the mention of Cedric's death and the image of Potter appearing dragging his lifeless body at the end of the Triwizard tournament flashes in my head. Draco could never be a death eater, could he? He'd never agree to something like that, unless... He was forced into it. I think back to the train journey and the way he talked about his father with such disdain and disgust. His father could've forced him to take his place and Draco wanting to always please his parents would've gone along with anything they said, even if he hated it.
"You could be right..." I trail off, still deep in thought. "I've gotta go" I speak, standing from the table. The sorting had been and gone, so we're no longer required to stay in the Great Hall. "I'll see you in the common room, maybe?" I wave goodbye, as I quickly walk out of the hall, knowing full well Draco should follow me. Quickly, I find an alcove in a corridor and take out the note he sent me earlier.
Meet me at our spot after dinner so we can talk.
Love
Draco X
Maybe I could ask him about the death eater thing. But he'd tell me if he was. It could be that that's what he can only tell me in a safe place. I sink to the floor with my back against the cold brick. That's why he couldn't tell me in the train. It'd be way too dangerous if someone overheard, especially if it was one of the Golden Trio. Refolding the note and putting it in my cloak pocket, I step out of the alcove that I had been hiding in and make my way down the corridor in the direction of the transfiguration courtyard. A million thoughts whizz through my mind as I'm walking, however they all fall silent as I step into the courtyard and my eyes land on Draco.
He's nervously pacing back and forth in front of one of the stone benches. I swallow apprehensively, and slowly walk towards him. Once I reach him, I place my hand gently on his shoulder, causing him to jump slightly.
"Draco, are you okay?" I ask. His face answers my question instantly. His eyebrows are furrowed and dark circles frame his eyes. "What is it you wanted to talk about?" I question further, as he remains silent.
"We can't talk here. It's not safe, but I know a place" Draco hurriedly speaks, grabbing my hand and quickly leading me to one of the doors on the opposite end of the courtyard. Once we're in a corridor he continues to lead me through to the entrance hall and up the stairs, until we reach the 7th floor. I have to almost run to keep up with his pace. We continue to walk along the corridor until we stop in front of a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. What are we doing here? Draco lets go of my hand, and starts pacing in front of the stone wall opposite, muttering under his breath.
Out of nowhere, two massive wooden doors appear out of the stone wall. My jaw drops in awe, as Draco grabs my hand and pulls me in. We step into a massive room with a cosy looking sofa in front of a fire place.
"Nobody should be able to find us here" Draco announces proudly, taking me into his arms.
"Where exactly are we?" I ask, looking around in amazement.
"It's the room of requirement, it appears when you need something and provides you with what you need" He replies, smiling down at me.
"So we needed somewhere to talk and it gave us that?" I glance over at the sofa and the fire, which look really inviting if I'm honest with myself. "Well, let's get talking" Wriggling out of his arms, I pull Draco over to the sofa. As we sit down on the sofa, I notice him smirking slightly. I raise an eyebrow in confusion, earning a chuckle in response.
"Don't you remember what happened last time we were on a sofa alone?" He asks, pushing me down into the pillows and leaning over me. I do remember what happened last time we were on a sofa alone. My thoughts drift back to the start of the summer holidays in Draco's living room. His mother was out running errands, so we had the place to ourselves. So obviously we did what any horny teenagers home alone would do. What started out as a harmless make out session evolved into very passionate séx. The presence of Draco's lips on my neck drags me out of my thoughts. I know what he's doing. He's trying to distract me, the little ferret.
"I know what you're doing, Draco" I breathe, grabbing his shoulders and pushing him away from my neck. A pout forms on his perfectly plump lips.
"But you like it. I know you do" His voice is deep and smooth. Come on, Victoria, keep it together.
"I do, but now is not the time. We came here to talk" And with the last word, I push him away completely and sit up. Straightening my shirt, I glance over my shoulder and notice a double bed has appeared on the other side of the room. Well, this room of requirement certainly doesn't miss a beat.
"Right, where do I start?" Draco's voice drags my attention back to him. I wait patiently, as he appears to be having an internal crisis. "I know, the best way for me to tell you is to show you" He stands up, slowly removing his cloak and taking off his jumper. "Please don't hate me. I didn't choose this. I want you to know I love you. I always have and always will" His voice cracks as tears form in his eyes.
"Draco, don't be silly. I could never hate you" I speak, confused as he unbuttons the cuff of his left sleeve and steadily rolls it up. What looks like a tattoo emerges as he continues to roll the white fabric. Eventually, it's fully uncovered and a loud gasp escapes my lips whilst I stare at his left forearm in silent shock.
There, inked into his skin, writhing in a way that makes my stomach turn, is a dark mark.
Charlotte was right. He's a death eater. I feel tears glide down my cheeks, as I continue to stare silently. I try to speak, to ask him questions, but the words won't come out. I now realize that he's no longer stood where he was, but he's now on his knees in front of me and hugging me tightly.
"I'm so sorry. I should've told you sooner. But father made me swear not to tell anyone. Please don't leave me. You're the only thing worth living for at the minute" Draco sobs into my neck, probably soaking the shoulder of my jumper. Still in shock, I remain still, staring ahead, unblinking and silent. Draco pulls away from me and gazes into my eyes, taking my face in both his hands. "I'm so sorry" He cries, before placing his lips onto mine. Immediately, my body comes back to life and I find myself kissing him back with great fervour. My hands find his blonde locks, as his arms snake around my waist and pull my body flush against his.
"I love you" I whisper, breathless when we finally pull away from each other. "I always will. We can work through this together, okay?" He nods silently, burying his face in my shoulder and hugging me tightly once more.
"I don't know what I'd do without you, I really don't".