Third Person POV
(Y/n) sits frozen as she stares blankly at the pale grey outstretched hand, warring within herself what to do. After all, it is a matter of life or death.
"We haven't got all day, my dear," Voldemort sighs impatiently at her while reaching out to clasp her hand, forcibly pulling her up from her seat, "He should be arriving any moment now."
As the Dark Lord turns to drag her out of the room, the young witch keeps her feet planted, stopping him in his tracks. With an impatient look in his eye, he snarls at her.
"Listen to me, you inconsiderate ophidian, I will not let you-"
"No!" (Y/n) shouts, yanking her wrist out of the elder wizard's grasp. His eyes widen at her action, sending harsh chills down her spine.
"I beg your pardon?" The Dark Lord sneers, taking a dominating step towards his trembling daughter.
"I said no," she repeats, her confidence oddly growing, "I will not let you control me the way you controlled my mother. I will not be a pawn in your wicked game of chess. My whole life I have been told what to do and who to be and I have had enough!"
Voldemort takes a step back, a worried glint in his eyes as he stares at the young witch. This action only boosts (Y/n)'s confidence more, pairing with her rage.
"It isn't fair to me, or anyone else, what you're trying to pull off! When this deal is said and done, you'll discard me just like you did to her. I am sick and tired of watching the people I love get taken away from me because of you," she shouts, her voice cracking with angered sobs.
As the trembling in her body increases, the room begins to slightly rattle as well. Tears fill her eyes as paper, pens, and clocks begin levitating around her.
"Y-You, you need to calm down, my dear," Voldemort beckons shakily, gripping tightly onto his wand.
"Calm down? Calm down?! To hell with that! To hell with you! I will not bloody calm down. Not while you're still breathing. Not when you're still trying to-to control me!" (Y/n) screams, tears dripping down her face.
With one, cracked sob, she falls to her knees, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. Her flushed cheeks begin burning as they become stained with tears.
"It's all your fault! Everything is your fault! You're the reason I don't have a family. You're the reason I'm so alone. And now-now you're trying to strip me of the one of the only people that is staying by my side," she cries through shaky breaths.
Voldemort takes another step back, his lips pressed into a thin line. With no trace of sorrow or remorse on his face, he lifts his wand and aims it directly at his daughter. As he opens his mouth to utter the words of the killing curse, (Y/n) lets out a shallow plea.
"I wish- I-I wish you would just die!"
Meanwhile
"Malfoy! Are you alright?" Cedric asks frantically, staring at the groaning boy next to him.
"Does it bloody look like I'm alright, Diggory?" Draco snaps, clutching tightly onto his left arm. "Oh bloody hell, it sodding hurts."
"Here, let me-"
"Keep your filthy hands off me," Draco seethes, causing Cedric to flinch back, a pained look on his face. "Driver, speed up! We need to arrive quickly."
"Only two more minutes until arrival, Mr. Malfoy," the driver immediately replies.
"Why? What's wrong?" Cedric asks worriedly, his eyes switching from Draco to the driver as he watches him accelerate.
"If my mark is hurting me this badly," Draco pants, "Something bloody awful must be happening right now. And if I'm right, which I am almost one hundred percent certain that I am, it has something to do with (Y/n)."
Another raw, cracked scream rips out of Draco's throat, causing Cedric to flinch back harshly. His heart, oddly enough, tugs slightly at the sight of Malfoy, pale and drenched in his own sweat with tears streaming down his cheeks, sitting in the seat next to him.
Without thinking, and quite recklessly, he pulls Draco closer to him and presses his wand against the mark, trying to ease some pain. Now stunned, Draco watches intently, silently praying that they'll arrive soon.
Back at the Cabin
"Harsh words for your father, don't you think?" Voldemort gasps breathily, his eyes scanning the room for the wand that his daughter has just somehow stripped from his hand because of her outburst.
Up until this point, the Dark Lord had never seen a witch as powerful as his own daughter before, especially for her age. Not even the young Harry Potter poses him as much of a threat as she. With her easily casting spells and jinxes so unknowingly without a wand and all. Now, more than ever, he felt the need to destroy the young girl in front of him, by whatever means it took.
With his eyes frantically scanning the room, but making sure to also stay fixed on his sobbing daughter, Voldemort searches for any kind of weapon to defend himself with. He lets out a silent sigh of relief when his eyes finally land on a knife sitting on the table right next to (Y/n). Taking a slow, small step forward, he begins his descent to grab the weapon.
But that turns out to be a grave mistake.
As soon as he takes that first step the young girl's head snaps up, causing the Dark Lord's blood to run cold as his gaze meets hers. Because, burning back at him like a vicious, roaring flame, are glowing red eyes, and they are glinting murderously.
As the young witch stands up onto her feet, wiping tears away from her flushed cheeks, Voldemort takes a retreating step back. Nagini, having hidden herself up to this point, attempts to secretly slither out of the room.
(Y/n), her eyes never once leaving her father's, snaps her fingers, sending the dark serpent flying against the ceiling. Voldemort doesn't even flinch as his beloved pet falls back down limp onto the ground, no longer breathing. This carelessness for something so dear only angers the young witch more.
With new tears now running down her cheeks, she flashes a wicked smile at the evil wizard before her. A maniacal, sad chuckle slips through her lips as she shakes her head.
"You know, when I was a little girl, there was nothing I wanted more than a family, our family," she grins, turning her back on her father, "I stayed up countless nights hoping, praying, that one day we would be together again. That maybe we could be the perfect little family again."
She pauses, glancing back at the stilled, frightened man behind her, a breathy laugh passing through her lips. With a shrug she continues, her tear flow increasing.
"Then you went and murdered my mother right in front of me. Now talk about some daddy issues," (Y/n) giggles as she clenches her fists together, digging her nails into her palms. "But you didn't stop there, oh no. You wanted to kill me. And well, Father, I think you should've done it when you had the chance."
With a sad but malicious smile on her face, the young witch turns around to face the murderer. Trembling, his back pressed against the wall, he eyes her intently. Then, as if he has some sort of death wish, he begins chuckling, laughing even, at the broken-hearted girl before him.
"Oh I'm sorry, Darling. It's just, you're so precious when you're trying to be threatening, I can't seem to take you seriously," he states boldly, though his voice is still laced with slight nervousness.
"I'm precious? Well, daddy dearest, you know what I think is precious?" (Y/n) asks, the smile on her face widening. Almost on cue, the evil man in front of her falls to the ground, writhing in pain as blood begins seeping through his clothes. Tsking lightly, (Y/n) steps towards her father, crouching down beside him. "I think the way you bleed and scream is absolutely precious," she smiles, placing her finger beneath his chin.
Little did the young girl know that as she was admiring the way her father was suffering, the two wizards dearest to her had just arrived.
With one of Draco's arms draped over Cedric's shoulders for balance the unexpected duo makes their way up to the entrance. Cedric shudders slightly at the dark and gloomy appearance of the deserted cabin. He glances down to Draco before looking back up at the scene in front of him.
"You sure this is the right place?" Cedric asks nervously.
Almost as if to answer his question, a heart stopping scream sounds from inside.
It came from none other than (Y/n), who has finally dropped her brave front and collapsed in a sobbing heap on the cracked wooden floor. She clutches her knees tightly to her chest as she stares at her now deceased father, a sight that should be comforting to her.
Suddenly regaining his strength, and with a single sideways look to Cedric, Draco sprints to the entrance and through the vast cabin. He searches crazily and freezes in his tracks as he finally stumbles upon the young witch crumpled on the ground with her back towards him. As he takes a step into the room a board creaks, causing the girl to snap her head up.
"P-Princess? Are-Are you alright?" Draco asks frantically as he raises his foot to take another step.
(Y/n) turns to look to the Slytherin Prince, causing the breath to catch in his throat and his body to come to a screeching halt.
Draco Malfoy could have sworn, at least for a brief second, that it wasn't (Y/n)'s glittering eyes staring back at him, but the glowing red ones of her father's. It made the wizard absolutely speechless and terrified him more than he thought could be possible. He only found the will the move when Cedric appeared into the room, causing him to jump.
"(Y/n)! Oh, (Y/n)," Cedric cried, immediately rushing to her and scooping her into his arms. He hugged her to his chest and placed a fierce kiss to her forehead. "I'm so sorry Princess, I'm so sorry," he cooed down to her.
Draco watches the scene unfold, a sharp pain forming in the pit of his stomach. He firstly felt betrayal, watching the girl he loves being comforted by another. He then felt pain, having to see her in such a burdened state. But mostly, he felt worry, not for her, but for what she was capable of.
He gets knocked from his thoughts as Cedric stands up, (Y/n) still held tightly in his arms. He watches intently as Cedric turns to face him, agony sketched upon his face. As the Hufflepuff begins to carry the young girl to the door Draco can't seem to peel his eyes away from her. As they pass, Draco's eyes meet (Y/n)'s, and he feels his heart shatter right there.
•••
The ride back to Hogwarts was silent.
Cedric had (Y/n)'s head in his lap and her feet draped over Draco's. She wasn't really asleep, Draco could tell she wasn't. He had watched her sleep so many times it was easy to tell when she was faking. Still, Draco watched as she laid there, Cedric running a hand over her hair on the way to Hogwarts.
Cedric also knew (Y/n) wasn't asleep, but he knew she wanted to be. He could tell that she was trying to avoid her problems and he was fine with that. So, he continued to play with her hair, something that had always seemed to calm her in the past.
(Y/n) was aware that they knew she wasn't really asleep, but she didn't care. She couldn't bring herself to open her eyes anymore, not after Draco had seen her. Everything about this situation was wrong, and they were never supposed to know.
(Y/n) felt the car come to a halt, signaling their arrival, but still didn't move. She felt Draco's body shift and an arm loop under one leg before the action stopped.
"No, I've got her," Cedric said to Draco, once again scooping her up in his arms, "I need to take her to bed."
Draco let out a small sigh and nodded his head. Draco's driver opened his door and he got out, quickly walking over to open Cedric's. His heart tugged at the sight of the broken girl in his arms.
They began walking up to the building, quietly at first. Then, as they placed their foot on the first step, Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore bursted through the entrance doors.
"That poor child! Is she alright?" Professor McGonagall asked as she ran towards them.
"Yes, she's sleeping," Cedric said quietly, pulling her tighter to his chest, a sight Draco never wanted to see. He looked away in dismay.
Dumbledore took calm, slow steps towards them and stopped a few feet away. "Well, I am glad to see she is unharmed," he said and gestured to the young girl before facing Draco, "As for you, Draco, I would like to have a word later, yes?"
Draco simply nodded and did his best to hold back an agitated growl. With a courteous smile Dumbledore turned and walked back into the school, McGonagall following him. Cedric let out a deep breath before continuing his ascent up the stairs. Draco followed closely behind, not yet wanting to leave (Y/n)'s side.
The hallways were eerily empty, no doubt because of a mandatory lockdown. Every step echoed against the stone floor, only building up Draco's uneasiness.
"Diggory?" Draco asked as they walked through the deserted halls. He kept his hands in his pants pockets, trying to calm himself down.
"Yes, Malfoy?"
Draco sighed, "What do we do now? I mean, what do I do now? Granger told me before we left that after this, (Y/n) wouldn't want anything to do with me. Do you honestly think that's true?"
Cedric gave Draco a sideways glance before letting out a huff. "Honestly, I don't know," he said, immediately making Draco's shoulders slump, "But what I do know, is that (Y/n) is the most forgiving and loving person I know. It may take some time, but she always goes back for the people who care for her."
Draco smiled a little to himself and nodded. They continued the remainder of the walk in silence, both sparing glances to the young girl in Cedric's arms. Once they arrived at the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room, Draco felt his stomach churn. Cedric took a step forward but was stopped as Draco grabbed his arm. He turned to look at the Slytherin confusedly, but smiled softly as he watched him place a soft kiss to (Y/n)'s forehead.
Cedric may have hated Draco. He may have despised him with everything in his being. But, he cared about (Y/n), almost as much as Cedric himself did. And that in itself was enough to make Cedric tolerate the snake.
Draco stood and watched as Cedric and (Y/n) disappeared into the Hufflepuff quarters and stood there a few moments after. Finally, with a sharp exhale, he turned and began his descent to the Slytherin common room.
As he walked he felt his heart grow heavier and heavier and his body grow weaker and weaker. Each step felt like it could be his last and it pained him more than he thought it would. He hadn't even noticed the tears pouring down his cheeks until he finally made it into the green covered room. His entire house was positioned around the common room, and they all turned to look at him as he entered.
"Bloody hell, Draco. Are you crying?" Pansy screeched from the couch, raising herself up.
Draco ignored her and made his way slowly and silently to his room. Before entering he turned back to them with a burning scowl on his face.
"If any of you disrupt me, I will not hesitate to kill you," he sneered before entering and slamming his door. He didn't even take a single step before he collapsed onto his knees right there.
That night Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin Prince, made a mighty vow to himself, a vow, though how easily broken it could be, he would never dare break.
That night Draco Malfoy vowed that he would do everything in his power to protect (Y/n).
At all costs.
•••
um, this is kinda bad but, i hope you enjoy.