Evangeline Blackwood and the Lost Letter - draco malfoy

thirteen.

Two weeks later, Evan's life hung in the balance once again.

The tremors in her hand had subsided considerably. Draco no longer came into her bedroom every hour. In fact, he only healed her once or twice a day. She was growing steadily stronger, physically and magically.

Practicing was no longer a chore but an exciting part of Evan's days. Ever since she was given her wand, she hardly let go of it. It was taken from her when she was not in training but even this rule was broken a few times, when Draco had ignored it in her hand as she walked back into the manor, unaccompanied and unchained. Sometimes she slept with it still clutched in her hand, as it made her feel safe and protected, knowing that she could use it if need be. Two weeks was not a long time to learn complicated magic, but she was seasoning her skills and could soon run through every spell in her arsenal without any difficulty.

One day, she was practicing confrigo on the practice dummy, trying to perfect her ability to control the flames. Draco's presence was barely known, as he was standing behind her and watching quietly while she rehearsed the same spells over and over again. The sky was a bright blue and spring had erupted in the trees and the hedges, sprinkling little white flowers in the green leaves. She paused in between two repetitions of the spell and in this pause, Draco's voice crossed the space between them, bringing terror to her ears.

"Tomorrow you will see the Dark Lord."

She spun around immediately.

"What?" she asked in horror. She almost dropped her wand in surprise.

"Its an evaluation. So prepare yourself."

"Prepare myself. . .how?" Evan asked, her eyes wide and boring into his. He was silent, unwilling or unable to give her any more information about the impending visit.

Evan had been enjoying the past two weeks, against her will. Her power was growing at almost an alarming rate and her and Draco had reached something of an understanding. She was allowed to speak to him, to ask questions, and she was able to choose the course of her training, at least a little. It was not to the point where she could wander the grounds of the Manor at her leisure, or even have any entertainment in her room, but things were better now. They did not have any means of friendship but rather a kind of acceptance of each other. At the very least, they did not thirst for each other's death.

But at the mention of the Dark Lord's name, it was if the last two weeks did not matter. She wanted to slit Draco's throat and run. She was going back to the throne room, she was sure of it.

"Will it be like last time?" she asked cautiously, dropping her wand to her side. She remembered the black hooded figures on the sidelines. The red-cloaked Recruits. The pile of dead bodies and a quivering, teenage boy enchained at her feet. She built up her walls with a vengeance, closing her eyes in concentration. She may have to face that demon someday, but today was not that day.

"No. Just us and him."

If anything, this was worse. Evan turned to the dummy again, scowling, taking out her anger at it with a particularly aggressive stunner that almost knocked it to the ground. She threw three more stunners at it, seething with angry stress. She didn't want to imagine how returning to that room would make her feel, nor how the Dark Lord's red eyes would inspect hers.

"You've been performing well. I can only imagine that the Dark Lord will be pleased," Draco said. This felt like high praise from him but Evan didn't care. She was going back.

Suddenly she wished she had made a different decision, the day she had gotten her wand. She might have been free, or at least dead, which may have been a relief.