Slytherin Boys

59

She had never looked like this, I don't know this woman that stood in front of me. Her usually vibrant personality was almost faded and jagged now, like her smooth words had been torn and ripped until they were sharp.

"Are you hurt?" I reach for her and take a step in her direction but stopped as she flinched. She moved back and she covered almost double the space I did. She had retreated from me, in more ways than one.

"I'm fine, Draco" Her voice was clipped and held a roughness to it that was foreign. Her usually sweet tone was just as rough as her eyes looked.

I had done this. I did this to her and to everyone still locked inside that room. I let my eyes study her and she did the same to me. I took in her sickly pale skin and the way it hung from her bones. She was a skeleton compared to the usually full and voluptuous woman that I was used to seeing, that I held. Not only was she barely eating in the dungeon of Malfoy Manor - My Manor - But she was most likely struggling to feel hungry because of everything she had learnt recently.

"How did you get out?" I didn't move this time, but willed my sharp face to soften. My eyes never left hers.

"You spell, charm, whatever, it was easily recognisable. I just willed for the counter and my body knew how." She snapped her words out and I knew that talking to me and looking at me was most likely hard. I lowered my eyes.

"Interesting, you always held very strong magic..." I trailed off, thinking to myself. She had used a deep rooted and ancient way of decoding my charm, most great wizards of our time relied on studied information, I have no doubt she has a plethora of that at her disposal too.

"Don't patronise me, Malfoy" She spat my name like a curse and when I looked at her again, the power pulsing through her veins made them darker than normal. Her hair was standing against her skin like she was full of static energy, just ready to burst. The look in her eyes had me honestly believing that if she truly unleashed herself, she would level this house.

"I'm not." I begrudgingly dragged that stoic mask of mine back down my face and then widened my stance. "Why escape, what is your plan?"

She narrowed those Hazel eyes and pursed her lips before inhaling. "Why should I tell you?" Then she stepped towards me, only once her anger was simmering under her skin.

"Why should I tell you and trust you ever again, Malfoy" She snarled and barred her teeth like the monster she thought I was.

"I never wanted this-" She cut me off, a growl rippling through her chest, something to animal, so feral I almost didn't believe it.

"I know what you wanted. Ignorance. Agreement. Servitude." Each word that left her mouth cut my already wounded body and was punctuated with a step towards me. I noted the way her fingers curled and shoulders raised as she continued to glare and glare and glare.

Her finger tips had been stained a type of black. I wonder if they had access to clean running water int he dungeon, surely they could clean themselves.

"I have tried to kill you where you stand twice now, why leave me breathing?" She tilted her head slightly as she watched me for any type of signal that I was lying.

"I never wanted you hurt, I did- do love you Cerci" She didn't faulter in her anger, letting it boil. But she did laugh, a dark and brutal laugh left her mouth and the sound was disturbing. It made a familiar tingle run up my spine in fear. Because that is exactly what this was, I feared her.

"You're going to do something stupid aren't you?" I asked, trying to remain unmoving but she must've seen right through me as she smiled that knowing, beastly smile. She backed away a single step before ripping open the door and pushing past me as she left. Her steps were quiet as she receded and I knew that instead of following her, I would need help.

I couldn't risk the other Death Eaters finding her, especially if they knew I had and let her walk about the house. But I also knew Cerci and I knew that there was only one person that could talk her out of this very obvious and ridiculous suicide mission.

I stopped by my room for a reason that the people I had condemned to the rotting basement would, hopefully believe me. I opened the dark wood door and counted the steps to my bedside. I huffed as I sat on the dark green comforter and sighed as I thought about the repercussions of what I would do.

They had to understand, they had to know and I would have to accept anything they gave me in return. Any curse, or spell, or charm, or fist I would willingly accept if it meant that we would stop Cerci getting herself killed. Surely they would understand.

I pulled open the ornate beside draw and felt the coolness of the metal draw handle that helped calm my nerves. I pulled the proof out of the top draw and held it tightly in my palm. This would not be enough for me to see reason if the situation was reversed but Draco Malfoy was always far too stubborn for his own good, too proud. He wouldn't let that be the reason Cerci was hurt, not again.

He held the proof in one hand and his wand in the other, and apparated with a wicked crack.