a rose by any other name

chapter four ❃ eight months.

I stepped off the Hogwarts express and looked around, the train ride had been long and it felt nice to be able to stretch my legs properly. Draco and I always went home together, our parents being so close would always pick us up from the station together and then we'd go back to the Malfoy Manor for dinner, it was a way for them to 'welcome us back' they'd said. Though Draco and I both knew that it was just an excuse for them to discuss Death Eater business with other actual Death Eaters. They hadn't arrived yet so Draco and I sat down on a bench in the station waiting for them. 

To my left, I saw Diggory get off the train. I was still confused and agitated by our whole encounter last night but I tried not to think about it. I saw Diggory drop his trunk and run over to his father, they shared a long embrace and his father looked ecstatic. It was quite hard to watch actually, you could almost feel the love radiating off of them. Diggory then did the same thing with his mother, who may I add looked just as happy to see him as his father did, as Amos picked up Diggory's trunk. He was smiling so widely when he pulled away that I couldn't understand how someone could be so happy just to see their parents. 

I thought about what it would be like when Draco and I's parents arrived. They would most probably say simple hello's maybe my mum would give me a quick hug before they would instantly start asking questions. No doubtably this year we would have to tell them every detail about Sirius Black and this reminded me of what i'd heard Weasley, Granger and Potter talking about in the Great Hall last night. 

I still had a feeling I should keep it to myself, if anybody knew he'd gone into hiding with that giant bloody chicken i'm sure the Death Eaters would go to the ends of the earth to find them. I almost didn't want to do that to Potter. Take away the last of his family. I stopped myself there. What was i thinking? Was i actually trying to make Potter's life easier? That is definitely not what a Death Eater would do, and if The Dark Lord ever found out i'd surely be killed. 

I need to stop being so soft I told myself as I forced myself to focus on something else and i found myself looking over at Diggory again. This time however he was already looking at me, our eyes met through the crowd and he smiled lightly at me. I scowled and hoped you couldn't tell that i was blushing, my cheeks felt like they were on fire. I looked away, mortified that my body had failed me like that.

"Oh please tell me you're not crushing on that git too are you Parisa?" I heard Draco say next to me. Shit. How had he even noticed? "Oh please, as if i would ever like anybody as boring as Diggory, let alone someone with a father like his." I looked at Draco and he just smirked "You're blushing Parisa, please do not lie to me. I wouldn't even bother if I was you, Imagine what poor old Mummy and Daddy Rosier would say about their darling daughter crushing on a Blood Traitor, Hufflepuff like Diggory." I scowled at him... he really did piss me off sometimes. 

"Well, its a good job I don't then, and i'm not blushing i'm just simply hot with all these bloody layers on, it's too hot for June." Draco sniggered and then stood up. "Well, come on then." He said as our parents walked over. I quickly stood and Draco and I walked to meet our parents. 

"Sorry we're late we had an important meeting, something about Sirius Black escaping Hogwarts tower before the dementors got to him. You wouldn't anything about that would you?" Lucius asked us looking his son up and down. Draco shifted slightly uncomfortable in his fathers obvious gaze, "No but i bet Potter had something to do with it whatever it was." Draco said and everybody then looked at me. "Uh, no. No idea." I said before i'd even decided if i wanted to tell them the truth or not. 

Obviously i was risking my life for, well, no bloody reason. What was Potter to me? Our parents didn't say anything else to me or Draco they simply went back to discussing whatever their meeting had been about. Draco and I looked at each-other and sighed before following them out of the station. 

Dinner at the Malfoy's was going smoothly until Narcissa asked Draco how him and Pansy were. "We're fine mother, just like always." Narcissa smiled and turned to me, "How about you dear? Any nice boys you have your eye on." I chuckled. 

"No, all the boys at Hogwarts are just too boring for me, no offence Draco. I prefer to be alone in that sense." Draco looked at me and smirked, "Now Parisa that's not true, what about good old Diggory?" I instantly shot Draco a glare and my mother gasped. "Parisa Rosier, Please tell me you have not been speaking to that Diggory boy again. I thought your Father and I made it clear that was unacceptable." Draco laughed this time. 

"Again? Wow Parisa i didn't know you and Diggory had history." I internally cringed, Draco was the last person in the world that needed to know about that day. "No mother, I have not been speaking to Diggory, nor do I want to. Draco is just lying. And Draco no me and that boy do not have history so i would appreciate it if that is not repeated to anybody." Draco just smirked again and went back to his dinner as my mother sent me a glare as if to say 'Don't you dare betray our family like that.' My father looked as if he hadn't even heard what Draco said he was too busy speaking with Lucius. 

We said our goodbye's to the Malfoy's and disapparated home. Our home was cold and dark, I headed to my room but before I reached the bottom of the stair case my father spoke. "Parisa, your mother and I need to speak with you, please come sit down." I gulped thinking of all the possibly directions this conversation could go. I sat down opposite my parents who looked at each-other before my mother spoke. 

"Parisa, we're worried you're heading in the.. wrong direction." I laughed "What? Because Draco lied about Diggory? That wasn't true." My father cringed at the name. "Well, not just that Parisa. You don't seem to be focusing as much on practicing to fulfil your duty as you do your schoolwork." I said nothing I just simply looked at them. She wasn't wrong, i'd been putting it off all year, i don't actually like practicing dark magic believe or not, i had been doing it since i was little, though now i'm older a little more was expected from me.

My father wanted me to start practicing The Unforgivable Curses. I'd refused at first, but they gave me no choice so i'd been lying. They'd given me small birds to practice on but i couldn't bring myself to do it. I'd just been letting them go out of my window. It was cruel and i didn't want to do it. My father cleared his throat. "Your mother and i have decided that we want you to join us on your 17th Birthday Parisa." I froze and my mouth went dry. "Y-you want me to j-join you? Already? My birthdays only in eight months?" My mother spoke now. 

"Parisa don't look so scared, you should be honoured to get your Dark Mark." I stood up suddenly feeling light headed. "Yeah...Honoured." I stumbled up the stair case to my room and collapsed onto my bed. eight months? They wanted me to surrender to The Dark Lord in eight. Months.