Being the Dark Lord's daughter and raised under the strict supervision of the Malfoy's is no easy life. Especially if you start crushing on your father's arch-nemesis, Harry Potter. And that while being engaged to one of his follower's sons.
As your aunt is seated in the living room in one of the leather armchairs that gives a beautiful overview of the garden, Theo and you are in the kitchen making tea.
"What is she doing here? And why now? We've been here for weeks", you whisper while putting tea cups and crumpets you made yesterday on a tray.
Theo stands next to the stove watching the water boil. "My biggest concern is how she managed to find us. I've told nobody that we would be here." When the kettle whistles, he takes it off the stove and pours the water into a teapot.
You hold the door open for Theo as he walks with the tray towards the living room, setting it on the coffee table. The two of you take place on the couch.
Her posture is rigid and her eyes flick around the room. She looks at Theo wearily while she brings the teacup to her lips.
You clear your throat. "How- how are you? And Draco? After Uncle Lucius..." You trail off, not wanting to hurt her.
She swallows, her eyes downcast. "I would wish I could say we are fine. But... with the Dark Lord residing in our home."
You nod understanding. It's no doubt that he finds the Malfoy's a failure after your uncle was unable to secure whatever the glass orb was back at the Ministry.
She puts down her cup and turns towards you with a serious expression on her face. She reaches out and takes one of your hands. Her eyes fall on the faded but still visible scar of Umbridge's detention, and frowns. She opts to say nothing about it but squeezes your hand instead.
"Tha Dark Lord he... requests your presence at home. The both of you." She glances at Theo, who raises his eyebrows suspiciously. What for could he possibly want the both of you there?
"You were so young when you received the mark, and I've seen what it has done to you. I shudder at what it will do to my son." Her eyes grow watery and she quickly pulls away. "Please, protect him. I'm not asking this because you are the daughter of the Dark Lord. I am asking this because we are family. Draco he- will crack under the pressure."
A mixture of emotions flashes through you. You feel dread for your cousin. You know he feels pressured to take the Mark if he wants or not. The Dark Lord will likely kill him and his mother if he doesn't agree to it. But you feel also enraged. Where was this... protection when you were forced to take on the Dark Mark? You weren't given the luxury of knowing beforehand.
You want to say that and much more. But instead, "I don't suppose we have a say in whether we can come or not, do we?", is what you say.
Your aunt shakes her hand sadly. And with that, it is decided that you have to go.
Having said what she needed to say, Narcissa stands up and walks towards the door. You give Theo a look and walk after her. She hugs you as the two of you stand at the door opening. "He's been watching you", she whispers in your ear.
A hot flash runs through your body. So that's how your aunt knew how to find you. And you guess you're lucky that the fireplace inside isn't connected to the Floo network. Otherwise, they would have been standing in your living room.
Once you've closed the door, you lean forwards and rest your forehead against the wood. You squeeze your eyes shut. Of course. It was all too good to be true.
A pair of arms wrap around your middle and you feel Theo's chin rest on your shoulder. Nobody says anything and you stay like that until your back starts to hurt. You push yourself off the door and turn around.
"I'm gonna take a bath", you say deflated.
Theo nods and lets you go. He watches you walk up the stairs and his chest aches. He hates that he can't do anything. He knows that he can't protect you from your family. They have a way of finding you, as proven by today.
You slide into the tub and let it fill up until it's just below your eyes. You soak until the water is cold and the bubbles have disappeared and even then you stay in the water, having no energy to climb out. A knock on the door makes your head snap towards it.
"Darling?", Theo calls out through the door, "I've something to eat. Do you want to join me or have your dinner in the bath?"
You glance at the window and see that it has been close to dusk. Have you been zoning out that long? You sit up and run a hand over your face. "No, I'm joining you. Give me a moment to get dressed."
There is a moment of silence on Theo's part before you hear his footsteps go down the creaky stairs. With a sigh, you pull the plug out of the bathtub and let the water seep into the drain.
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You stare up at the ceiling. You haven't slept a wink in the many hours you've tried. The pitter-patter of the heavy rainfall on the roof lulls you into a relaxed state while the next lightning keeps you entertained. There is this certain beauty in lightning.
Knowing you won't go to sleep anytime soon, you decide to go make yourself a mug of hot milk. Or you can look if there is a sleep potion around here somewhere.
As you pull open the door, you don't expect Theo to stand in front of it with his hand raised in a fist, ready to knock. Under his arm is his pillow. He looks like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"Are you okay?" Your eyes give him a worried once-over.
He anxiously tugs at his bottom lip, eyes darting around. "Sorry. I- I couldn't sleep..." He mumbles something and you cock your head to the side. With a sigh, he drops his hand and looks into your eyes. "I couldn't sleep because of the thunder... may I sleep with you?"
You bite your lip while trying to suppress a big smile. You hold open the door so Theo can slip into your room. He goes to sit on your bed, his fingers drum on his legs as his eyes follow you across the room.
With a small smile, you round the bed and crawl under the covers. You hold them up for Theo to do the same. At first, he lays on his back, his posture rigid and his arms next to him.
"You don't have to be so tense", you smile, facing him as you tug your hands under your pillow. He wiggles around until he's also on his side, facing you. His eyes trace over your face, taking in every detail. And you do the same.
He has two freckles on his cheek; one on his cheekbone, under his eye, and the other sideways under the other. You've taken notice of them before, but never really looked. You haven't been this close to him before.
"What?", asks Theo in a whisper as he sees you smile.
You shake your head and lean closer. "I've just noticed you've got a butt-chin." You reach out and feathery trace the dimple on his chin.
Theo rolls his eyes as a big smile creeps on his face. He wants to roll away but you pull him back by the front of his sleep shirt. "Hey! Don't go hiding now. A butt-chin is otherwise very cute!"
"What am I to do with you?" Theo lays an arm over your middle so he can pull you closer to his chest.
You shrug. You close your eyes and press your face against his chest, breathing in this natural cologne that always hangs around him. "I can think of a few things", comes out in a sleepy mumble, your heartbeat slowing down and lulling into a comfortable and peaceful slumber.
