The Mark of a Death Eater

The Meeting: Part One

The man with the cold eyes raised his wand towards me.
"Crucio!"
I fell to the hard ground, writhing and screaming in pain.
"Crucio!" he yelled again.
His face, cruel, almost unnatural, made me want to throw up. His eyes were unnerving, as if seeing into the depths of my soul. Would he not simply kill me?

"Emma," he hissed in the dark.
I shut my eyes tight, so I wouldn't have to see.
"Emma! Em! Em, wake up!"
I opened my eyes to dull morning light. Draco was standing over me, his eyes concerned. I recalled the black pits of eyes the man in my dream had and felt a surge of gratitude for Draco's light, grey-blue ones.

"You were thrashing around in the bed," he said. "And whimpering." Well that wasn't embarrassing.
"I'm sorry," I said, attempting to sit.
"Nothing to be sorry for." Draco say down next to me. "Breakfast is downstairs if you want to eat. If you don't, we'll find something else to do."
I didn't feel like breakfast.
I yawned widely. "Oh-kay." Another yawn. "I should probably get dressed first."
Draco glanced down at his clothes. "Me too, I guess." He wore the same clothes he'd worn last night.

I didn't remember too much about last night. I remember my heart hurting for Draco, watching him slowly fall asleep before shutting my own eyes. It hadn't been a very peaceful night, but at least I'd slept, which nowadays I didn't get to do very often. Draco's eyes followed me as I stood up. I wondered what went on in his head

I left Draco to take a bath and wandered over to my own room. The portrait on my wall was unoccupied, which meant the pretty woman had another one somewhere else.

I poured through the contents of my bag, rejecting everything, and groaned when I noticed the diary of Tom Riddle's. Looking at it made my heart beat a little unreasonably. It was just a book, nothing to be afraid of. But I'd began reading it again a few days back, and found it to be downright disturbing. I wondered if I'd have the courage to put it back when I got to Hogwarts.

I finally found my objective -a small bottle of peach-scented bubble bath, when right at the bottom of my bag, I found a letter. I didn't recall putting one in my bag, so I opened it and read through the all too familiar handwriting. It was from Zayn.

"Emma,
First, I hope you're having plenty of fun East. I've heard the weather is a lot better than ours.
I know I could send letters to you through an owl, but I couldn't bare you not thinking of me, so I had Daphne slip this into your bag.
In any case, two things are important.
The first: I cannot possibly forgive you for leaving me alone with all three sisters this Christmas. You currently owe me a lifetime of servitude.
Second, and what I really wanted to remind you of: I know there's something worrying you, and I know you don't want to tell me about it. But I'm reminding you that I'm still here. I was and always will be your best man.

Zayn."

I read through the letter and felt heartsick. It was so like Zayn to do this. To silently slip a letter in my bag because he knew somehow, as he always did, that my heart and mind weren't settled.

The mention of Rigel and Sophia warmed me. We always knew that they were an inevitable couple. As children, Zayn's sisters would often map the entire wedding out. Alia and Jasmine, Zayn's sisters, along with myself, would be the bridesmaids. Zayn would be the best man. None of us would cry because the wedding only meant we'd get to see more of each other for the rest of out lives.

I remembered one day perfectly. Zayn and I were sitting up in the tree outside his home, watching a slow setting sun.
"Zayn?" I'd asked.
"Mmm?"
"I don't really care who's at my wedding, s'long as you're the best man."
He grinned at me.
"Ah Emma," he'd sighed, putting his arm around my shoulders. "I'll always be your best man."

No matter how far I was, how far away my soul was from the rest, Zayn found me. And found a way back in my heart.

I found, very much against my will, my chest beginning to ache painfully. All the secrets I had hidden away were breaking me from the inside.

Snapping back to reality, I tucked the letter under my pillow and made my way to the lavish bathroom. I filled the tub with luxuriously hot water and read the label at the back of the soap's bottle. It claimed to 'revitalise and cleanse the soul.'
Cleansing my soul sounded pretty welcoming so I poured almost all the contents into the bath, making scented steam rise off the windows. I eased in, clearing my mind.

Well, trying to clear it.

It became clear to me that I wasn't going to get any peace from the bath, but I didn't expect to. It seemed inevitable that the inevitable would come back to haunt me, no matter how hard I tried to forget. I was going to be branded tonight, and it wasn't going to be pretty.

When I was dressed and finished, I went out to look for Draco. He was under the tree we sat by the day before, reading a book. A pile of books wrapped in a sheet sat next to him. His legs were crossed, and he looked peaceful.

"You seem okay," I said, walking over and sitting down next to him.
He looked up and I saw his expression."
"Oh," my voice dropped an octave. "No, you don't."
I sighed, and pulled my knees up to my chest.
"Do you feel like doing anything today?" I asked him.
He shrugged. "Not really," he answered, not taking his eyes off his book.
I exhaled loudly.
"Okay," I said.

I took the book nearest to me and began to read it. The book wasn't completely depressing. It was a biography about a witch -a Malfoy ancestor, to be exact - named Valerian. I recognized the name as a herb used in a calming potion. The book went on to describe her fame and beauty, and her plentiful contribution to the medical society.
I studied the woman's portrait of her younger years, hand-sketched on a page. She looked to be my age in the picture. Her long, pale hair was braided down her side and she smiled serenely at me.
Everyone who spoke about her praised her goodness, her chastity, her friendliness, her intelligence. I wished I was her. The people who'd speak after my death wouldn't have many nice things to say.

Draco didn't speak throughout the time we sat.

A flash caught my eye very suddenly. My head snapped up to see Narcissa Malfoy striding through the garden, her necklace catching the sunlight.
"There's an hour left," she said.

That was all she said.

My blood ran cold. I turned around, to find Draco's comfort, but he had stood already, and his back was towards me as he strode away.

Back in my room, I dressed in my Christmas dress. The black one with the lacy velvet outer from my brother. A glance in the mirror told me that my face was beyond hope of making pretty. I brushed my hair out and pinned it away from my face with silver hair pins. I wasn't going to allow myself to hide behind anything today. At the last minute, I slipped on Zayn's necklace, and one of the rings from Draco. It felt like I would have the three people I cared about with me tonight, even if they weren't really there with me.

"Good luck," the portrait from the wall called out. I took a second to look at her. The familiarity of her face surprised me.
She was pretty, with very long, very pale hair. She had grey eyes, but unlike most of the other portraits, she wasn't wearing black or green. Her robes were cream. Almost as if the painting was meant to capture her goodness and purity.
With a sudden jolt, I realized where I saw her face. She was the girl I'd read about. The girl I wished I was instead of the girl I am. Valerian.
An ingredient used in calming potions
"Thank you," I said, my voice no louder than a whisper.

Outside the room, Draco stood, waiting.
"Hey," I whispered.
"Hey," he whispered back.
He gave his arm to me, and I took it without a word.
We walked almost silently to a wall downstairs. A portrait cover most of it, but I could see signs of hinges. It was a door.
A wave of darkness and loss nearly blacked me out. I gripped Draco's hand, my fingernails digging into his skin. If he minded, he didn't say so.

"Ready?" he asked.
"No," I whispered, almost desperate.
The portrait slid open and we stepped inside.