A Love Affair

Chapter 8

Evie's POV

I was right. When I said the summer would be the longest few months of my life. The minutes felt like hours, days felt like months and the weeks felt like years. I just wanted to go home. To Hogwarts. I just wanted to go see Professor Snape, who saw me as his daughter as such. I wanted to see George Weasley. I didn't even know what me and George were. We had kissed on the last day of school but nothing else, we had wrote a couple of times in the summer nothing major. Snape however was keeping in constant check with me. At least 2 letters a week. I always wrote back telling him how it was but I couldn't help but not mention how badly I wanted to go back to Hogwarts. I found out he stayed the the majority of summers, so I knew he would feel guilty and invite me back, before term ended. I kept my distance away from mother, father and Draco. When I did see them, father was constantly talking about the dark Lord and how he was going to help bring him back one day. This made me angry.

"Like I said yesterday-" Father started about the Dark Lord again, one day with about 2 weeks left of the holidays.

"How will you bring him back then, do tell us! What's your magnificent plan?" I snapped, not intentionally but I couldn't bite my tongue any longer. Father raised his eyebrows cruelly and ignored me completely. Draco glanced at me worriedly and went back to his dinner. As soon as I finished, I left the table immediately and went straight back to my room. I pulled put some parchment and ink and immediately started writing.

Dear Professor Snape,
Sorry I didn't get back to you on your last letter. I've been rather busy trying to avoid father, he keeps entering my room unexpectedly and I can not write back about him when he suddenly stalks into my room. However I can write now, I couldn't bite my tongue anymore like you told me to and I'm sorry for that. I snapped and asked how he was going to get the dark Lord back, I just don't understand why he would want to bring back such a cruel person. Very sorry if I have bothered you, and do not feel like you have to reply to this letter.
Yours sincerely,
Evie M

I finished writing, read over it once again. Nodded to myself and stood. I ran downstairs, my letter left in my room, to the owls that we had stashed away in a room out of the way to everyone else. We had around 6, and they were never let out apart from Fathers work at the ministry or when any of us had an important letter to send. I chose the snowy owl and held my arm out. The owl hooted softly and pecked my ear in affection. I was the kind person in this household. I may not have been everyone's ideal person and may still be as stubborn as any of us Malfoys, however while in the Manor, I was the kind one. I looked after the owls and would occasionally look after Dobby, before Potter freed him from us at the end of last year. I stroked the owl gently and ran back up the stairs. I entered my room and clicked my door shut gently. The owl flew off my arm onto my window ledge. I grabbed the letter and tied it gently to the owl.

"Severus Snape. He should be at Hogwarts" I told the owl, opening the window. It hooted once more and soared off into the sky. I watched as it disappeared into the clouds and snapped around when I heard my door burst open. Father again; he needed to get out of the habit of doing this.

"What are you doing?" He asked disappointingly, glaring at me with his cruel eyes. I climbed down off the window ledge and sat on my bed.

"Looking out of the window. Is that a crime?" I retorted. His eyes flared with anger.

"I didn't like your attitude at dinner. And you will have a punishment." He told me. I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "I am serious Evie. You do not treat your father like that in his own house!" He yelled. I flinched and slowly stood.

"What's my punishment then?" I asked hoarsely, a lump in the back of my throat. Father grinned spitefully.

"This could be worse." He slapped me right across the cheek, a tear falling from my eye. I felt a sharp pain through my chest just after. I bit onto my tongue so hard trying not to scream that my tongue started pouring of blood. I knew what he was doing, he was using the cruciartus curse on me. I started to silently sob as he kicked me hard in my ribs, and I felt one crack. I couldn't bite back my scream this time. I let out a scream of pain and started sobbing into my floor, clutching onto my side. "And, you will do a job for me this year at Hogwarts. If not, you will get worse than this." He spat, his voice full of venom. I nodded slowly, still sobbing and he left my room almost instantly, slamming my door hard behind him. This wasn't the first time I'd been beaten this summer, it had been done twice before where he had simply used the cruciatus  curse on me and left, but he had never broken any of my bones. I lay on my floor silently for hours, not able to move. I was crying gently on the stone when I heard a tap at my window, it was the same owl I sent to Snape, and it looked like it had a reply. I slowly stood, struggling to find my balance and made my way over to the window. I stroked the owl and took the letter. I limped over to my bed wincing in pain at every step and gently lay myself on it.