𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 • (𝐝.𝐦.)

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐭𝐰𝐨

♔

"LET GO OF ME!" I bellowed.  I thrashed and wriggled out of his grasp until he eventually let me go. "You can stop with the theatrics now, Magdelena, we're no longer in your beloved school," my dad said with disgust. 

I looked around, noticing that this much was true. We were in a large mansion, but to whom it belonged, I did not know. 

"Where are we?" 

"Malfoy Manor," A voice said from behind my dad and me. We both turned and saw Lucius Malfoy standing there watching us. "Ah, Lucius. We've finally made it, my apologies for the delay," He said. 

"It's good to see you, Fabian. I'm glad we sorted all of this complicated business out," He said. 

"What business?" I asked, and both men looked at me patronizingly. 

"You haven't told her?" Lucius asked, a sadistic grin on his face. "No, I decided she'd find out after leaving that school. She'd put up less of a fight that way," My dad smirked. 

"Tell me. I deserve to know, I have a right to know," I demanded. 

"Pushy, this one is," Lucius commented, and my dad merely nodded. 

"If you must know, Magdelena, I have smoothed over my wrong-doings with the Dark Lord, and he has offered a faire des compromis, so to say," He said. 

"A what?" I asked. 

"A compromise, you stupid girl. Your mother was French, you'd think you know a little," He snapped. 

"What's the compromise?" I asked, growing more nervous. 

"You will be offered to the Dark Lord. A sacrifice, really."

The blood drained from my face and I felt my heart begin to pound. "A sacrifice? Are you fucking crazy?" I shouted fearfully. 

I snapped out of my craze when my dad's cane rose and struck me across the face, however. "Watch your tongue. The Dark Lord has big plans for you, I'm sure of it," He said. 

I held my stinging cheek and tried to collect myself as tears spilled from my eyes. "Oh, get a hold of yourself," My dad responded harshly to my emotion. 

"The Dark Lord will see you now," A fourth voice said, and I turned to see that it belonged to Fenrir Greyback.

A chill ran down my spine upon seeing the infamous werewolf, but I regained my composure. I was not afraid. I could show no fear or weakness. 

I could do this. 

Without another word to my dad or Lucius, I walked past Fenrir and into the room he had come out of.

I looked around, expecting Voldemort's usual entourage to be around him, but was surprised to see just him. He sat at the far end of the table, the very head, and smiled in a sinister manner as I walked in. 

"Ah, Miss Warrington. A pleasure to see you, truly. Do shut the door behind you, this is between you and me, I think," He hissed in a tone that deeply unsettled me. 

I shut the door, per his request, only because I wanted this over with as fast as possible. "Are you going to kill me?" I asked timidly once the door was closed. 

"Kill you? Kill you? Why would I do that?" He asked menacingly. I turned to face him, confused. 

"I need you and Draco, the youth will help tremendously with my plan. What your pathetic father and I talked about was your... unfortunate condition. Being a half-breed was supposed to make you weaker, but since you are not half muggle, you are useful. Your Veela powers will prove to be quite helpful to the cause," The Dark Lord explained. 

"Helpful?" I asked, needing clarification. 

"Come to me, my child," He summoned, and I tensed. I had no desire to go any closer to this dangerous wizard but somehow felt myself moving nonetheless. 

My feet were walking forward, but my brain was telling them to stop. 

He had some sort of control over me, some sort of telekinetic impulse. 

Eventually, I was by his side, facing him directly, and he stood to tower over me. 

He was terrifying up close. His leathery-white skin was sickening to look at, so I looked at the floor. "You are going to help Draco with his task," He said. 

"No. We're just kids, we- we can't do this. He shouldn't have to give his freedom to you," I said, feeling brave. If he killed me, that was that, but if I could help Draco, I would feel at peace. 

"His freedom? Whatever do you mean?" Voldemort asked. It was not so much a questioning tone, more of a way of demanding answers. 

"The Dark Mark, you've already branded him. You can kill me, but don't hurt him," I begged. 

The Dark Lord moved now, circling me. He paced half of the room's length before stopping again in front of me. "That mark is a gift. A privilege. Being branded by Lord Voldemort himself is a treasure," He hissed angrily at me. 

"Young love may just be the death of you both," He said, quieter this time, but still audibly. 

He said nothing for a while. "What do you need me for?" I asked. "You're valuable. You'll be joining me at my side, whether you want to or not," He informed me. 

"What do you mean?" I asked, beginning to panic now. My breathing picked up, stepping back from him and trying to find a way to get out of this. 

"Immobulus," He said, using wandless magic to freeze me where I stood. I was still fully conscious, but unable to defend myself any further or speak. 

"You truly will thank me for this one day," He said, and I felt sobs trying to escape my body, but being stopped by the charm cast on me. 

Grabbing my left arm and pulling it up, he dug his wand roughly against my skin. 

"Morsmordre," He said, and a searing pain shot through my forearm. I screamed, but no noise produced itself. I felt this pain course through my entire body before he finally stepped away from me. 

"It is done," He announced, releasing me from my immobilized state. 

When I could move again, I collapsed onto the ground, screaming at the top of my lungs and holding my burning arm flush against me, trying to achieve some sort of relief. 

"I suppose it is adopting different properties with your Veela blood. Fire fighting fire, I gather. It will hurt for some time," He said casually, sitting back down in his chair as I gritted my teeth and produced guttural howls of pain. 

"GREYBACK," He shouted, summoning the werewolf. "Send in the next," He said, and soon enough, Fenrir returned with another person. 

As I was forced to my feet by Fenrir, I heard shouts of protest from the new person in the room. My ears were ringing from the pain, so I could make out no words, but when I saw the pained expression on Draco's face as he tried to get to me, I knew what had happened. 

Even worse, I knew what would happen when I was pushed out the door. 

"NO!" I screamed from the very bottom of my soul, and just as a spell was cast on Draco's pre-existing mark, making his scream and writhe in pain as well, the floor below me burst into flames and my hair turned white. 

Then, there was only darkness. 

♔

ummmmmmmm almost 30k????? thank you all sooooooooooooooo much!!!!!!!!!! this is great, i wasn't sure if people would even like this story. glad i was wrong!