The boy she loved was a death eater, the epitome of darkness and bad faith. The mark of the enemy laid upon his arm, burnt into his pale and fragile skin. She somehow felt like she had nothing to be surprised by, for Draco's parents had instilled the belief that he is superior to half blood and muggleborn wizards and witches on him from the moment he was born. He held a lot of inherited resentment towards witches like herself and her best friend Hermione, and it was almost inevitable for Draco to follow in the footsteps of his father. But she believed that the boy with those mesmerizing eyes were not brought to this world to lead a life to be used as a weapon for heinous destruction. He was born to be someone, to make an impact on the world.
"Does it hurt?" she asked as she laid in his arms, letting her fingertips trail over the darkness on his left arm.
"Yes" he simply answered, nodding his head "but I deserve it"
"No one deserves this" she said, gazing away from the mark.
It was still hard for her to see him with that appalling mark upon his skin, his perfect smooth warm skin. However his skin was not as perfect these days, not like it used to be. His arm was jagged with scrapes and redness, for he scrubbed the area of the mark roughly at every chance he got, desperately trying to get it off.
But he couldn't. No matter how hard he scratched, he would never be able to get it off. No matter how much blood left his veins, pouring out over his pale skin, the mark would remain. It was now a part of him, a painful companion of reminder for his actions for the rest of his life.
"What's on your mind?" she asked him as she gazed up at him. He was looking away, concern in his icy grey eyes.
"I'm afraid Ellie" he said, pushing his lips together "I'm scared of all this and I'm afraid that when my time comes I will not have accomplished anything to be proud of, I'm afraid that I'll just be... nobody, not important to the world"
"You have plenty of time to make things right Draco"
"I don't think so Ellie, my destiny is written already, he has decided for me what my life will be and I have to follow his words" he sighed, looking down at his hands "or else he will kill me, he will kill everyone I care about"
She didn't know what to say, she didn't know how to console the poor boy. So she just held his hand, slowly rubbing circles onto his palm with her thumb.
"Your time will come Draco" she assured him, trying her hardest to believe in the words that left her lips.
"All I want to be is somebody meaningful to someone, I want a purpose in life"
"You are someone Draco" she whispered, kissing his cheek "you matter to me"
He sighed and silence engulfed the two of them, making the unsteadiness of the world catch up to them. He knew, for he had seen terror. And she knew, for she was holding terror in her arms.
"A war is coming isn't it Draco?"
"A war is coming Ellie"
....
Easter holidays came, and everyone went home. She last saw Draco with a unpleased look upon his face, and a hint of trepidity in his eyes. Harry was sat in their compartment on the train, talking about how he had found out about Malfoy using the room of requirement, but he didn't know why just yet. He wanted all of them to trail the boy as soon as they sat their feet back at the castle after their much needed break. Ron and Hermione was vaguely agreeing with him, still not fully convinced that Malfoy was a threat. She was barely listening, letting their meaningless words slip over her head as she stared out of the window of the train. She wished Harry could let it go, for Draco was already in such distress.
Easter break for her was lovely, filled with sweets and delightful moments with her large family, memories that would sustain her for the coming months. Her sister ran around the garden with her cousins, and she tried to join in on all their laughter but pieces of him kept slipping into her mind, reminding her of the fate that laid upon him. And every time she remembered, her heart broke a little more.
She didn't want him to fade away til nonexistence, she didn't want him to become another tail of a spoilt kid gone down the wrong path. She didn't want to have to forget about him.
The sun shone above the castle as she returned to Hogwarts on the sixth of April, and the warm rays danced along her skin. Spring was upon them, and the trees had regained it's vivid green leaves. Colourful flowers filled the school ground, making the grass seem a lot greener.
In the middle of April Katie Bell returned from St. Mungo's, roaming the school halls with her full health restored. She saw the dark haired girl for the first time as she sat with Hermione, Harry and Ron in the great hall, eating lunch.
"Katie's back" Hermione smiled "she looks alright"
"I'm glad she's alive and healthy again, that means we can finally kick Dean off the Quidditch team" Ron said, gazing at Dean Thomas who was sat a few seats away from them.
"Oh please" Hermione laughed, smacking Ron on the arm "get over it, Dean is your friend and besides him and Ginny broke up ages ago now"
"I know" he sighed, looking back at Hermione "but he still snogged my sister"
She sat quietly, picking at her potatoes with her fork as her eyes roamed around the great hall. She was looking for Draco, but she did not see him.
"I wonder if she remembers anything about her attack" Harry said, looking at them.
"I don't know" Hermione shrugged, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice "you should ask her"
"I will" he mumbled, setting his cutlery aside as he got up from the Gryffindor table.
She lifted her head to listen as Harry stopped Katie to talk to her.
"Katie, how are you?"
"I know you're going to ask Harry" the girl breathed "but I don't know who cursed me, I've been trying to remember, honestly, but I just can't, the last thing I remember was walking into the ladies' in the three broomsticks, well I know I pushed open the door so I suppose whoever Imperiused me was standing just behind it, after that, my memory's a blank until about two weeks ago in St Mungos"
"Imperius?" Harry asked.
"Yes" Katie said, nodding her head "listen, I'd better go, I wouldn't put it past McGonagall to give me lines even if it is my first day back"
"It's alright" Harry said politely, giving Katie a reassuring smile "I'm glad you're alright"
"Yeah me too, see you on the Quidditch pitch" Katie said, smiling at Harry before her friend pulled her away.
Suddenly she saw him, the pale boy entered the great hall alone wearing his Slytherin uniform, or well half of it at least, the black dress pants with his white collared shirt, Slytherin tie and dark grey sweater vest. His whiteish blonde hair laid flatly against his forehead and his eyes were filled with fear. She wanted to get up and run to him, embrace him in a hug but she knew she couldn't. So instead she watched, from her seat next to Hermione, as Harry turned to look at him. Something curious lingered in Harry's eyes, and Draco adjusted his tie knot around his neck, loosening like it would help him breathe easier. Then he turned on his heel, heading out of the large room.
Loud chatter filled the great hall, making it hard to think. She picked at her chicken as Harry stormed by their table, following Draco out of the great hall. Neither Ron or Hermione seemed to notice, they were too engulfed in their own conversation about something meaningless.
She stood up from the table, giving Hermione and Ron a last look.
"I'm gonna head to madam Pomfrey's for our free period" she mumbled to them as she walked away, hurrying out of the tall doors. She walked along the nearby corridors, looking for Harry and Draco. She was scheduled to go to the infirmary later on, so it wasn't a complete lie, just a variation of the truth, a slight alteration.
As she walked, she heard splashing water and crashes coming from a bathroom at the end of the stone corridor. She rushed over to the door, pushing it open to glance in, staying hidden behind it. She saw Harry and Draco stumbling around the stalls, and the floor was covered with water.
"Cruci..."
"Sectumsempra!"
Harry's voice echoed in the boys lavatory, and she gasped as she saw his curse hit Draco, causing the pale boy to fall backwards onto the waterlogged floor. Draco laid still, whimpering in agony as blood spurted from his face and chest. It looked like he had been slashed with a sword, and the water around him quickly turned bright red.
For a moment she was so stricken with horror from the sight before her, that it felt like her heart had stopped functioning. Time was frozen as the boy she loved more than life itself, laid before her, bleeding out on the cold floor.
"No" Harry gasped, staggering over to the pale boy who was slowly slipping away from life "no I didn't... I'm sorry I didn't mean to..."
Harry looked shocked, and he did nothing, for he didn't know how to save him. Harry sank down onto his knees, the water soaking his trousers. A few excruciating whimpers slipped out of Draco's pale lips, and it sounded like he was choking. His pale snowlike hands scrambled at his blood soaked chest, and she couldn't take it any longer. She needed to gather herself, she needed to do something, for she could not let him die.
She slammed the door open, her legs shaking as she rushed in, falling onto her knees next to Draco. His whole body was shaking uncontrollably as he laid in a pool of his own blood, losing his grip of reality.
"Draco" she breathed as he looked up at her with weak eyes "Draco hold on"
Her trembling hands roamed along his blood-soaked chest, and tears began to stream down her cheeks. She looked up from her bloody hands to Harry, who looked mortified.
"Harry what have you done?" she cried out, her voice desperate "he's dying, he's bleeding out, what did you do?"
"I-I..." Harry stammered, not able to answer her.
"Oh my god" she mumbled, tucking her hair behind her ears before she reached for her wand. His blood was now on her cheeks, but she barely felt it.
"Vulnera sanentur" she spoke as clearly as she could, aiming her wand at the deep wounds on his chest and face. He cried out in pain, and his gaze was going weaker and weaker.
"Ellie" he whispered, barely audible.
"Shh Draco" she hushed him, stroking his cheek with her other hand "vulnera sanentur"
Sectumsempra wasn't a spell she had ever read or heard about, however it's effect seemed to be the equivalent of an invisible sword, capable of slashing it's victim from a distance resulting in laceration of the skin and severe haemorrhaging. She knew that he was bleeding out quickly, and that he was on the brink of death. Never before had she been more thankful for her healing knowledge.
"Vulnera sanentur" she whispered a last time as the blood began to clear up, and his deep wounds started to close themselves. Never before had she been more grateful for magic, and the charm able to ease the blood flow, knit wounds together and remove the worst effects of the curse.
She dropped her wand as her shaking hands cupped Draco's lifeless face, slowly stroking his light blonde hair out of his face.
"Go get a professor, we need to get him to the hospital wing, he still needs medical treatment" she told Harry with a frantic voice "he needs to have dittany applied as soon as possible in order to avoid scarring"
Harry leapt up on his feet, but before he could rush off to find a professor someone walked into the flooded bathroom. Professor Snape walked in quickly, his long black robe whirling around him. The professor looked at Harry, and then at her holding Draco on the floor with shock and anger.
"Potter out, I'll see you in my office" he snarled, walking over to her and Draco.
Harry left, his steps quick and guilt ridden. Draco coughed, his eyes dull and anguished.
"Ellie" he breathed, not able to move "Ellie I love you"
"Shh Draco, you will be alright" she whispered into his ear as tears streamed down her cheeks "I love you too"
Professor Snape helped her to take Draco to the infirmary, and she helped madam Pomfrey to mend his wounds. She was quick, trying to ensure that all traces of this horrible curse would disappear. She did not want it to scar his beautiful skin.
Her hands were stained with his blood, and her stockings and uniform skirt were soaked in water but she did not care, all she cared about was him being alive.