To Thwart The Darkness {Book 3}

Awkward Conversation

Malfoy Manner

Her hair was done up out of her face with only a few golden ringlets falling past her ears. Her dress was made from layers of silk and she held a bouquet of red flowers in her hands.

She smiled up at him, gentle and beautiful. But the words that came out of her mouth were anything but.

"Where are you Percy? Why did you leave me?"

The flowers turned blue. Then green. Her dress swirled around her as if it were floating in water.

"We were supposed to get married, Percy. This was supposed to be the best day of my life."

It all shifted. She wore a black dress now. Her hair fell down, down, down.

"But you didn't come back."

His friends all wore black.

"You didn't come back for me. You gave up on me."

His mum. His mum was there, crying into Paul's shoulder. And Estelle. Little Estelle, dressed in a lacy black dress. She tugged on one of the folds of Sally's skirt.

"Why are you crying, Mommy? Why are they burning the blanket?"

"Where are you, Percy?"

---

His eyes flew open but it was still dark. Still dark. Where was the light?

Light, where was the light?

He couldn't move his body. Why not? Just move.

"Percy?"

The voice was soft. Not a Death Eater. Friendly.

"Percy, deep breaths."

A warm hand on his shoulder. A shadow in front of him. His eyes were open. It was just a dark room. It was okay. There was a floor beneath him and a jacket underneath his head. He could feel the zipper pressed against his temple. It was okay.

"I want to go home," he sobbed. The warm, delicate hand moved up and down his shoulder.

"I know," Luna said.

---

The barred door shocked Percy out of his sleep. Moaning, he rolled over. It was too early in the morning for this. Every muscle in his body contracted at the thought of going through whatever the Death Eater's had in store for him before he ate breakfast.

"Hello Draco," Luna said softly. Percy opened his eyes in surprise and sure enough, Draco Malfoy stood in the doorway, shifting his feet. Percy pulled himself up, trying not to groan. Everything hurt.

"What are you doing here?" Percy asked. He tried not to make it sound harsh, but that didn't work. Draco moved to leave, but Luke materialised behind him and crossed his arms.

"No."

Sighing, Draco turned back around and shuffled into the dungeon.

"Just so you know," he said to Percy and Luna, "Luke forced me into this."

Luke shrugged before teleporting over to Percy and sitting across from him. "I just think you guys could use some more company."

Percy rubbed the remaining sleep out from his eyes. "What day is it?"

"Sunday," Draco replied, sitting next to Luke.

"I've been here for three weeks?" Percy asked.

"Four," Luke corrected. A whole month.

"Wow. Okay." Percy rubbed his fingers around in the dust covering the concrete floor. "Great." It felt like years since he'd seen Annabeth. He wondered how their quest was going, if they'd found other horcruxes.

It was awkward to sit across from Draco. Awkward wasn't a strong enough word. Sitting across from Nagini would be more comfortable. Percy had no idea what to say. He really didn't know anything about this kid, and what he did know was probably not an appropriate topic to cover. 

How do you even bring up 'hey, I know you're a werewolf' into a conversation?

"Have you heard anything?" He finally asked. "From anyone?"

"No." Draco said. Luke glared at him.

"They're wanting to put you under the imperius curse. We heard them discussing it."

It was like being hit with a ton of bricks, then thrown into the river Archeon. The imperius curse meant he wouldn't be in control. Voldemort could ask him to kill someone and he'd do it.

"Why?" Percy managed to choke out.

"Because he wants to use your demigod powers," Luke said but then shot a look at Luna, realising that he'd just spilled the secret (again).

Luna shrugged, like this wasn't a big surprise.

"Chiron was right," Percy whispered. The warning they'd gotten at the beginning of this quest — which could have been centuries ago — to not reveal who they are lest Voldemort use them... Chiron had been right to be cautious. This was what he'd warned them about.

And there was nothing that Percy could do about it.

They only gave him one glass of water a day. And even then, he was too thirsty to even consider using it as a means of escape. And no one - unless it was Draco or Voldemort himself - came near him, as if they knew he could potentially twist and control their blood. Percy had thought about resorting to blood-bending, but that was as far as the plan would work. He was too weak to run out of the mansion, let alone even find the exit.

He'd be caught and dragged back before he even made it out of the building.

There was nothing he could do.