Choice's Curse {d.m.}

Remembrance

The cold, oily feeling of dread slithered down to my stomach and curled there, heavy and nauseating as Snape's beady eyes scanned the two of us. Draco's hand gripped so tightly on his wand that I was afraid it would snap between his bony fingers. Though it was still sunny out, Snape's dark hair and robes seemed to swallow all the light around us. I felt goosebumps prick my arms as the three of us stood in silence.

"I assume you knew I was looking for Ms. Adler," Snape spoke to Draco, who gave a terse shake of his head in response. "No? Interesting," he mused, turning his eyes back to me.

"We do not have all day, Ms. Adler. Follow me," Snape commanded, his robes billowing as he turned; walking away without sparing a glance back, knowing we would follow behind.

I dared to sneak a glance at Draco, since he might've had an idea why Snape wanted to see me. Draco, though, kept his gaze pinned to the floor in front of him, his body tense. He hadn't put his wand away yet, so I didn't either. It could've been entirely unrelated to the conversation I had overheard, but I knew that my luck was not that good.

Each foot step rang in my ears like a drumbeat, counting down to the moment we stopped walking and whatever Snape wanted came to light. Each corridor we walked through seemed to get darker and darker until we reached the secluded hallway where Snape's office was. It made sense now, why he wanted so much privacy. It wouldn't really be very good if Dumbledore were to hear his prized, "changed" former Death Eater conversing with the Dark Lord, would it?

Snape reached his office before Draco and I, turning and waiting with a stony expression as we entered. My heart was like thunder in my ears. I couldn't tell if Draco not knowing anything terrified me or not.

Snape's office was filled with shelves full of jars and vials with every type of ingredient I could imagine. It was dark, eerie, as if the evil deeds of its occupant infested the lights that lined the walls and the ceiling. On Snape's desk sat a large stoppered bottle that seemed to hold a pure white lily in it suspended in mid-air.

He entered after us and locked the door behind him. The click of the bolt sent shivers down my spine, as if it were the opening score to the scene of my demise. For a moment, I chastised myself for being so dramatic, but once I spotted the chair sitting in the middle of the dimly lit room and the glass potion vile next to it, I realized perhaps my thoughts were warranted.

"Ms. Adler," Snape said, his dark eyes resting on me. "Take a seat."

I dared a glance at Draco but he was looking at the vial. Flicking my gaze back to Snape, I nodded my head minutely and did as told. The wood creaked as I sat, my hands intertwined in my lap.

"Draco, assist me with securing Ms. Adler. We wouldn't want her to run off before we've finished."

Draco only hesitated for a fraction of a second before imitating Snape by lifting his wand and mumbling a spell that I couldn't quite make out. Ropes appeared out of thin air and wrapped around my wrist and ankles so swiftly I didn't even have time to protest, snapping them to the wooden chair. The rough rope held my limbs to the arms and legs of my seat tight enough that my skin was already smarting with pain beneath it.

Betrayal and fear came at Draco's obedience. Even if I knew it shouldn't. Of course he would listen to Snape, especially when knowing what I knew. There was no choice between Snape and I; Draco would never put himself on the line like that, not for me.

I took a few breaths to calm my racing heart. I'd be damned if I let them see how scared I was. Snape picked up the bottle sitting next to me, his long, yellow fingernails softly clicking against it. The liquid inside was clear, almost akin to water, but there was something slightly off about the way it sloshed against the glass as he handled it.