FHB: Chapter 33

“She was a student at Hogwarts,” Lucius replied.

“Someone you know?” the Dark Lord asked.

“I,” Lucius hesitated before continuing, “knew her. Yes.”

There was a short moment of silence that lasted longer than it was supposed to, before the Dark Lord spoke in a tone that was too friendly.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Lucius? We could have struck a deal.”

“I…” That was the only word that Lucius could think of at that moment. His head could not work quickly under the pressure of self-preservation. Before time could shove him into saying another word, Tanya’s voice echoed in the cold dungeon.

“I will never strike a deal with you,” Tanya spat. “You are a psychotic, cold-blooded murderer. A guiltless hypocrite who preach about blood purity but isn’t even a pure blood!”

Silence greeted them again, as though the dungeon had frozen from the cold air. No lips parted to utter a word, but all eyes were wide open.

“And what blood are you, child?” the Dark Lord asked Tanya rather calmly.

Tanya merely narrowed her eyes at him and glared boldly at the man so many people feared. The sorting hat must have placed her in the wrong house, because her bravery took Lucius by surprise.

With Tanya’s refusal to answer, the Dark Lord turned to Lucius instead. “What is her blood, Lucius?”

Lucius swallowed hard before he answered softly, “Muggle born.”

“I’m sorry, can you repeat that,” the Dark Lord said, as he and the death eaters waited for a clear answer.

“Mudblood,” Lucius quickly muttered.

The death eater Lucius loved to loath burst into a nervous laugh. “A Malfoy is friends with a mudblood? Wait till your father hears about this,” he said.

He was the only one bold enough to speak at that moment, but he immediately held his tongue when the Dark Lord surprisingly took Lucius’ side.

“We all make mistakes. I can even recall some of yours,” the Dark Lord said before turning to Lucius, “I’m sure you won’t make the same mistake again.”

Lucius was about to nod his head in reply when Tanya spoke on his behalf, “The only mistake is you, Voldemort.”

If one could die and resurrect as many times as they wished, Lucius would have done so uncountable amount of times in that very brief period. Having your heart constantly stopped by fear was the worst thing that can happen on your first day as a death eater.

“A fiery one, aren’t you?” the Dark Lord asked, still too calmly. His composure reflected a predator playing with its helpless dinner.

“I’m not afraid of you,” Tanya said with emphasis on all her words.

“You will make a great asset to my team,” the Dark Lord stated.

Tanya gave a false laughter before saying, “I would rather die.”

All Lucius could think of at that very moment was a dark hole, where he could climb into and stay hidden. He was afraid, afraid for his life and afraid for his parents’. He immediately regretted having met Tanya. The logic his brain could deduce was simple; if he had not befriended her, she would not be there, but even if she still ended up there, he would not know her. There would be no questions and death-defying answers, there would only be bodies and a warm bed to put Lucius to sleep after. Why did he choose to disobey his father? Lucius did not know. It was not intentional, but it happened anyway. Regret, that was all he had.

The Dark Lord chuckled in reply and began patting Lucius on the back. Lucius died and resurrected again as the Dark Lord reached into his coat and pulled out his wand. Everyone watched closely as the Dark Lord held Lucius’ wand in his hand.

“Lucius,” the Dark Lord said as he offered Lucius’ his wand, “it is only appropriate for you to grant your friend her final wish.”

Lucius wanted to ask if he had to, but his body worked in opposition to his want. As he took the wand, the Dark Lord gently guided his arm towards Tanya.

“Lucius, please don’t do this! This is not you!” Tanya urged.

“Go on, now,” the Dark Lord said.

There was so much hesitation, as Lucius tried to keep his arm up. He did not want to do it, but he had a feeling he had to. And when Lucius took too long to cast the curse, he heard someone shout, “Avada kedavra!”

Immediately, he turned his head to the right and saw a young auror at the end of the line slump dead to the ground. Tanya was in shock as much as Lucius was, and then it happened again. This time it was to his left, and another body fell lifelessly on the cold floor.

“It’s very easy, Malfoy,” the vocal death eater said. Lucius watched him as he did a stupid dance before shouting the killing curse at the boy right next to Tanya.

Tanya screamed in response as tears began streaming down her cheeks. “Please make this stop. Lucius, please make this stop!” Tanya pleaded.

Lucius knew he could not make it stop. He could either end her traumatizing experience or refuse to kill his only friend. The options he had were so limited, he wished his heart would stop and not beat again.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment or vote on whether Lucius should cast the curse or refuse to do so!)

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FHB: Chapter 32

“Get out of here,” Lucius whispered harshly.

Tanya simply stared at him blankly and when she made no move, he threw her his wand. Instinctively, she caught it and snapped out of her frozen state.

“Go!” Lucius urged, “now!”

Doing as she was told her, she ran. As she did, a spell shot from behind Lucius towards her. Not knowing what to do, Lucius watched as Tanya dodged, made a quick turn, and shouted, “Incarcerous!”

If Tanya had her wand, the spell would have hit the death eater square in the chest and burst into tentacle like ropes that would wrap around her assailant. Unfortunately, Lucius’ wand was more loyal than he was and the spell backfired. There was a bright spark that escaped the tip of his wand before a series of ropes slithered up her arm and bound tightly around her. Within seconds, she was on the ground, immobile.

The death eater laughed when he saw what had happened, and used his wand to drag Tanya closer to him. When she was at his feet, he snatched Lucius’ wand from her hand and threw it at him.

“Did you just hand it to her?” he asked.

Lucius was not sure if he was being sarcastic or serious, and decided not to answer him. Lucius did not want to make things worse for himself and silence was the only option.

“Come along. We’re going home,” he said.

The death eater took the lead with Tanya dragging on the ground behind him, and Lucius quietly followed. They did not need to walk for long as the other death eaters had gathered nearby with the other captives, all bound up with terrified eyes.

Lucius did not know what to do at that moment. He knew which side he was playing for, but he felt slightly sorry for the ones on the losing end. When he realized what he was feeling, it scared him. So he quickly thought about his father and reminded himself why he was there.

“Think of home Malfoy, and take one of them with you,” the death eater said.

“Home?” Lucius asked.

“Yes, home. The big, black house you grew up in. Or do you need your mummy to come get you?”

The other death eaters chuckled and Lucius snapped, “I know where home is. Show some respect to the host.”

He did not wait for a reply and reached for the body closest to him. It was not Tanya, and he was glad it wasn’t. In a quick swirling motion, he felt himself being pulled away from the forest as his bedroom materialized. Seconds after his arrival, he knew he was at the wrong location. Quickly reacting before the stranger could see where they were, Lucius apparated the two of them into the dungeon underneath his home.

“Got lost?” the death eater asked when Lucius appeared coughing, as his stomach had not gotten used to that mode of transportation yet.

Lucius rolled his eyes in response and turned his attention to a few death eaters who were lining up the captives  against a wall.

“The Dark Lord will be here soon,” another death eater announced.

“Good. Have you killed someone before, Malfoy?” the same obnoxious death eater asked.

Silence was Lucius’ best friend that day, as he chose not to entertain the death eater.

“Scared, Malfoy? You have to kill to be in. Today is a great day to do it, since we have spares,” he added.

Not wanting to deal with him any longer, Lucius decided to turn away. And when he did, he found the Dark Lord standing behind them.

“My lord,” Lucius quickly greeted, and the rest followed suit.

“What do we have here?” the Dark Lord asked.

“Ministry workers. We found them sneaking in the forest,” a female death eater replied.

“They look so young,” the Dark Lord stated as he gently placed a hand on Lucius’ shoulder. “And how was the meeting?”

“It went well, my lord. They have agreed to work with us,” she answered.

“That’s good,” the Dark Lord said, moving to stand directly behind Lucius as he placed both hands on Lucius’ shoulders.

The Dark Lord said nothing as he began ushering Lucius down the line of young aurors in training. There were ten of them in total with two looking slightly older than the rest. When they had reached the end of the line, the Dark Lord asked, “Which one do you want?”

Lucius swallowed hard as his heart continued to race madly. What was already an uncomfortable situation became unbearably uncomfortable.

“How about that one?” the death eater Lucius grew to hate suggested. “The girl that disarmed our little friend.”

“Is that true?” the Dark Lord asked in a curious tone. He then pulled out his wand and sent a spell that disintegrated the rope around Tanya’s mouth.

Lucius hesitated to answer and Tanya did not say a word either. The Dark Lord was determined to find out, so he ushered Lucius towards her and waved for the rest to take position. It was as though an execution by firing spells was about to take place.

“Answer me, girl. Did you disarm my favourite death eater?” the Dark Lord asked.

Tanya could not have made things worse for Lucius at that moment, as she began to plead; not for her life but for Lucius’ change of ways.

“Please Lucius. Don’t do this, don’t be one of them. You’re not a killer, you’re not evil.”

At the sound of her words, Lucius’ heart stopped. He had the urge to ask her to shut up, but he was too terrified to say anything.

“Is she your friend, Lucius?” the Dark Lord asked, with more curiosity than he had before.

Lucius knew he had to answer him, because if he didn’t, something would go terribly wrong.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment or vote on whether Lucius should acknowledge Tanya or deny their relationship!)

FHB: Chapter 31

As Lucius contemplated his decision, he heard it again. Polkus seemed so focused on the meeting that he did not even notice when Lucius slowly slipped away. Watching human and dementor strike a deal was no doubt educational, but Lucius did not like the idea of being watched.

Pulling out his wand, Lucius crept away and kept his eyes and ears open. If he listened closely, he could hear the sound more clearly. It was very subtle but audibly present in the still forest. Following the sound, Lucius used the little moonlight to guide his path. He was careful not to make any sound himself, but with one wrong footing, a twig snapped.

Lucius immediately stopped in his tracks and silence greeted him instantly. The subtle sound of what seemed like walking was gone. He must have alerted whoever it was he was following, and now he and the stranger were on the lookout for one another.

Not daring to take another step, Lucius looked around hoping to see an outline of a being. It was then that he realized he had gone too far, and Polkus was no longer in sight. Now worried that he might have made the wrong decision, Lucius stretched his wand hand forward as he was prepared to use it. Unfortunately, someone beat him to it. Before he could even utter a spell, a dim light whizzed in his direction and hit his wand out of his hand. Lucius watched as his wand flew from his grip and landed in a bush far from him.

Panicking, Lucius ignored the fact that his footsteps were waking the forest and dashed towards the bush. He could barely see where he was going and with another wrong footing, he found himself landing face flat on the ground. When Lucius attempted to recover from the fall, he turned on his back only to find a wand in his face.

“Lumos,” the owner of the wand said and light shone on his face, temporarily blinding him.

Lucius could not see who the stranger was but the stranger could see him clearly. If only his wildly thumping heart did not drown the voice of that stranger, he would have been able to guess who it was.

“Lucius?” the owner of the wand asked.

Not knowing if he should answer, Lucius propped himself on his arm and began shuffling backwards. The bush was within reach and when his hand found his wand, he did not hesitate to use it.

“Impedimenta!” Lucius shouted and watched, as the stranger flew backwards and landed with a thud.

Scrambling to his feet, it was now his turn to see who his enemy was and when he did, he immediately sent her wand flying in the opposite direction. She growled angrily at him as she got to her feet, but she did not make a move to retrieve her wand.

“What are you doing here?” Tanya demanded.

“What are YOU doing here?” Lucius asked in return.

“You should get out of here if you don’t want any trouble,” Tanya warned. It sounded less of a threat and more of genuine concern.

“You should get out of here too,” Lucius said.

“I’m serious.”

(“No, you’re Tanya.” Sorry, I had to)

“So am I.”

“We have aurors all over. We heard about this meeting and…” Tanya trailed off, suddenly aware that she should not be sharing too much.

“You’re lying. There is no way the ministry would send a rookie like you out on a dangerous mission,” Lucius replied.

Tanya looked slightly offended, but she wiped that expression off her face when Lucius continued, “You’re probably here on a rumour, and I doubt there are aurors all over.”

“We have called for backup,” Tanya quickly said.

“No you have not.”

And just as Lucius said so, a spell shot right past them and hit a tree directly behind Tanya. The bark of the tree snapped and both Lucius and Tanya scrambled out of the way as it came crashing down.

“I told you,” Tanya said unconvincingly.

Lucius would have laughed at her lie, but flashes of light and yells of spells distracted him. The forest was no longer dark and still, as the birds fluttered from their nests and out of harms way.

“Where’s my wand?” Tanya quickly asked.

Before Lucius could vaguely point at where her wand had flew to, a painful scream echoed throughout the forest

“Gavin?” Tanya asked softly as fear swept across her face.

There was another scream and Tanya immediately cupped her mouth. Shortly after, Lucius heard his name being hollered.

“Malfoy! Who do you have there?” the voice called out. It was one of his own, even though he did not recognize the voice.

Lucius froze at that very moment. The hand that was holding his wand began to sweat as he stared at Tanya, who was also frozen in place.

“Malfoy! You hearing me, boy?”

Lucius swallowed dryly as he raised his wand at Tanya. He was not sure on what to do. Should he cast a spell on her or tell her to run? Tanya watched Lucius with her eyes wide open, but not a word escaped her lips. Lucius only had two options at that moment; bring her in or let her go.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Lucius should bring Tanya in or let her go!)

FHB: Chapter 28

It was a letter, one he wrote and mailed out with no idea if it would reach its recipient. He had to use his own owl to play it safe but he was not even sure if his owl would be able to make the delivery. The only thing he was sure of, was that his letter was well written, if one could even consider ‘I need a favour’ as well written. At least he knew nothing could go wrong if a stranger read it.

After that night with Severus, Lucius did two things; one was the vague letter and the other was making Severus swear to secrecy. The secret was not regarding the Dark Lord but his father. Severus swore on his own father, which Lucius knew carried little weight as he did it without blinking. But Lucius decided to trust him anyway. After all, he didn’t have a choice. As for the conversation about the Dark Lord, Lucius told him to be patient. One day, Severus will get his chance to meet the Dark lord; one day when he’s older.

Lucius had took upon himself the duty of making sure Severus was far from this dark world as possible. He would hate to admit it, but he wanted to give Severus some form of childhood. Severus might think it glorious to fight for the Dark Lord, but having grown up in a family always surrounded by the ‘cause’, Lucius knew there was not a single ounce of fun or glory in it all. Sure, Lucius would continue to do the Dark Lord’s bidding and recruit children, but he would decide how much these children would be exposed to.

A whole week after those secrets were shared, Lucius did not see his feathered friend. Lucius was almost convinced that the Dark Lord could not be reached at that moment. So when his owl finally returned with a letter, Lucius assumed it was his own. It was only when he untied the letter that he realized the envelope was of different material. With scepticism, Lucius tore the envelope open and read its contents.

‘Let’s meet. Same place.’

The letter felt so familiar. Assuming that the letter was referring to Potage Cauldron Shop, was it implying that he would be meeting with his father again? Dread immediately swept over him, as he had no intentions of meeting his father. But just like the previous letter, Lucius had not choice but to go with it.

When the weekend visit to Hogsmead arrived, Lucius joined his friends before excusing himself as usual. None of his so-called friends questioned him, even though he knew they were very curious. He could only hope that none decided to follow him out of curiosity. Killing the cat would be so messy.

Just like before, the cauldron shop was empty. There was no one at the counter and the back door was slightly ajar. Lucius did not hesitate as he descended the steps leading towards the dark basement. When he was at the bottom, he pulled out his wand ready to chase the darkness away, but before he could, the basement door slammed shut. Lucius jumped at the sudden sound before the hair on his nape began to stand.

“I’ve been waiting,” a voice said, cutting through the silence.

Lucius recognized it, and it was not his father’s. There was also a soft hissing that floated around the room, and Lucius immediately knew he was in the presence of the Dark Lord.

“I came as fast as I could,” Lucius replied.

“Have you spoken to any of your friends about me?”

“One, but there will be more,” Lucius said, wishing there was a hint of light to tell him where the Dark Lord was at.

“Good. What is this favour you need, Lucius?” the Dark Lord asked in a rather friendly manner.

“My father, he has been cursed.”

“I know.”

Lucius could not help but wonder why the Dark Lord did nothing to help his father. What was the Dark Lord’s definition of loyalty?

“Can you help him?”

“I can, but it won’t be easy. The curse he acquired while he failed to do my bidding is a dark one.”

That was why the Dark Lord was not lending a helping hand. His father had failed a bidding and not helping was his punishment.

“I’ll do anything. Please help my father.”

“You’ve done a lot for me Lucius,” the Dark Lord stated.

There must have been a reason for that statement, because it made Lucius foolishly think he did not have to do anything for that favour. Just when he thought it was really a ‘favour’ as per the original definition, the Dark Lord redefined it.

“But I need you to do one extra thing, if you want me to save your father,” the Dark Lord added.

Holding back a disappointed sigh, Lucius asked, “What do I need to do?”

“I need you to join my Death Eaters on a special mission.”

“What kind of a mission?”

“A mission to strike an agreement with my hooded friends. I think you know them as Dementors.”

Lucius swallowed hard at the sound of what he needed to do. It was a special mission all right, because Dementors were not creatures to be messed with.

“I-I have school,” Lucius managed a reply.

“I know what to do. School will not be a problem, unless… you’re using it as an excuse. If so, I will not help your father.”

Lucius stood in the darkness, not sure on what to do. He wouldn’t be alone on the mission, so everything would be fine… right? It was stupid to even consider his next thought, but was his father worth it? Two things could happen with his decision, either his father looses his soul or Lucius looses his.

To Be Continue…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether should accept the mission or decline it!)

FHB: Chapter 17

“Who’s there?” Lucius asked, with his words barely escaping the dryness of his throat.

Silence remained with no response to his question. Lucius propped himself up and squinted at the figure. There was definitely something at the end of his bed, but he could not make out who or what it was.

“Mother?” Lucius asked.

When there was no reply once again, Lucius shifted under his warm blanket and slowly edged towards the dark spot. He was now fully awake and was determined to prove that no one else was in his room except him. It was something he used to do as a child whenever he woke up in the middle of the night and see a strange shadow in his room. Every time that happened, he would end up laughing at himself for being afraid of his jacket hanging on the door or the stuffed toy on the armchair. That night should be no different.

As Lucius made his way to the foot of his bed, he stretched his hand out towards the figure. When he was almost close enough to touch it, he heard a whisper saying, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Immediately, Lucius stopped in his tracks. His hand remained frozen mid-air as his eyes darted around his room. Seconds later, the fireplace lit up and the figure at the end of his bed became fully visibly. At the sight of what it was, Lucius quickly pulled his hand back just as the giant snake struck forward. Falling on his back, Lucius scrambled to the head of his bed with his eyes wide in horror.

“She doesn’t make friends easily,” a voice said.

Now that the room was brightly lit, Lucius was finally able to put a face to the voice. Sitting on the armchair beside the fireplace was the Dark Lord.

“I’ve heard a lot about you Lucius,” the Dark Lord said.

Lucius immediately stumbled off his bed and stood against the wall.

“And not from your father or the pictures on these walls,” the Dark Lord continued.

“What-what have you heard, my lord?” Lucius asked softly. Lucius tried to keep his eyes on Lord Voldemort but he found himself staring at the fireplace while taking quick glances at the snake.

“My little eyes and ears have told me you’ve accepted an internship with the Ministry of Magic.”

“Yes-yes my lord. But-but I’m not going,” Lucius replied. Lucius was beginning to hate himself for his lack of fluency in carrying his words. He sounded just like that annoying first year named Pettigrew.

“Why so?”

“I-I don’t think it’s a good idea, my lord,” Lucius said. He did not want to offend the Dark Lord over a silly internship. “My parents do not know about it either. I think, I think it’s best if I stay home.”

“Lucius, Lucius, Lucius,” the Dark Lord said.

Goosebumps immediately rose on Lucius’ arms at the sound of the Dark Lord repeating his name.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea. Don’t turn it down just because I loathe the ministry.”

Lucius swallowed hard, not sure if the Dark Lord was being honest or sarcastic.

“You should also not go back on your word once you’ve made a promise,” the Dark Lord added.

“I…” Lucius did not know what to say.

“Go. It would be good for you. It would also be good for me, once you’ve joined me. You ARE joining me aren’t you?”

“Yes, yes, of course, my lord,” Lucius quickly replied.

“Your father says you are very keen. Though, I’m starting to wonder if he’s telling the truth.”

“I’m keen my lord. It’s just that my mother, my mother thinks…” Lucius paused, suddenly unsure on how to continue.

“Your mother thinks school is more important?”

“Yes, no, I mean no, my lord. She thinks-”

“I agree with her. School is important, but one is never too young to have dreams.”

“Yes, yes, my lord. I do have dreams, I do want to join you,” Lucius replied, but there was something in his expression that betrayed him.

“But?”

Lucius never meant to show contemplation, as he had always wanted to join the Dark Lord. He had dreams of becoming powerful but he also wanted to consider his mother’s feelings. At that moment, he was forced to make a decision he had avoided the whole year. There was now no room to run away from it.

“But nothing, my lord,” Lucius replied.

The Dark Lord seemed pleased with Lucius’ response and waved his snake over to him. As he got to his feet, he said, “Good. Tomorrow at noon, I will be having a meeting with my loyal subjects. Would you be able to join me?”

The question caught Lucius off guard, and his throat began to tighten. He wanted to say ‘yes’ but something within him was saying ‘it’s too soon’. Lucius did not want the dark mark on his arm just yet nor did he want to wait any longer. What was he to say?

To Be Continued…

(Vote or leave a comment below on whether Lucius should join the Dark Lord or turn him down!)

Chapter 36

Joanna ran into the streets, right in the middle of firing spells.

Joanna concluded it was impossible to find Tom, when she saw all of those on his side. They all dressed in black with a mask over their faces. What she was told earlier, on there being only 30, Joanna knew there was a major miscalculation. The ministry and the opposing force were equally numbered, heck, they were possibly outnumbered.

How did Tom gather such an army? Joanna asked herself as she attempted to run out of the crossfire. She fired a couple of spells and defended many more as she tried looking for Tom.

It was a stupid idea to even attempt a search, but Joanna was stubborn as a mule. She was not meant to be in this fight but now she was. Soon, she found herself trying not to die, and her previous goal was abandoned. One spell after another, Joanna could not even take a breather. There were just too many of them, and a rainbow of deadly spells were constantly above her head.

Joanna was certain she couldn’t keep up and tried to flee from the angry clash of good and bad, but being right in the middle of it all, Joanna was stuck. She was physically stuck, and her position was all too familiar.

She was stuck in the middle all these years, with Tom being bad and her desire to be good. It was only then, did she realize that she was never going to be able to get out of it. Because no matter how hard she tried, every turn led her right back to the center.

I can’t do this anymore, Joanna thought. She wanted to give up, and not realizing it, she stopped firing spells.

“What are you doing?” someone shouted at her.

Among the screams and yells, Joanna wasn’t sure who that was.

“Joanna!” the same person shouted at her, before grabbing her wrists and pulling her deeper into the crowd of masked men and women.

Oddly enough, she did not even struggle. Was it at all wise to be walking towards the enemy?

By the time she realized it, she was already behind enemy lines. And then, Tom pulled off his mask and yelled, “Get out of here! Now!”

“Come with me!” Joanna replied immediately.

“No. You have to go!”

“I won’t go without you!”

“Joanna, please!”

“Tom, I can’t leave you,” Joanna said.

The enemy’s line was slowly retreating and they found themselves in the battlefield again. Joanna could see the struggle in his eyes and she was certain he would go with her. But her hope of saving him was trampled when someone called at Tom from behind her.

Joanna quickly turned to see who it was, and when she did, she did not know how to react.

Dumbledore had his wand pointed at Tom with a merciless look on his face.

“End this now, boy!” Dumbledore ordered.

Tom laughed and replied, “Make me!”

Dumbledore raised his wand above his head before bringing it forward with a spell. Joanna watched as a string of green light escaped the tip of Dumbledore’s wand. It traveled right towards Tom, and as though time had slowed down, Joanna saw how unready Tom was for the spell. Not thinking twice, Joanna pushed him out of the way and took the hit for him.

No, it was not the killing curse. It was something else. Probably Dumbledore’s very own spell. A pain shot through her body from where the spell hit her. It reminded her like the Cruciatus curse, but this one was different. Joanna screamed as she felt the pain travel through every vein in her body. It was still bearable until it shot out from every direction, like growing thorns along its branches. And those thorns felt as though they were piercing through her skin from the inside out.

In the midst of the on going chaos both externally and internally, Joanna felt someone pick her up and within a blink of an eye, the shouting of spells sounded distant. Her eyes were watering and sight of where she was, was nearly impossible. All she could think of was dying, because the pain was ripping her apart, literally.

She could feel her blood trickle down her arms and her clothes were getting damp. Those thorns really ripped through her skin as puncture wounds started forming.

Who would cast such a spell on anyone? Joanna thought.

As the thorns made their way to her chest, breathing became too difficult. She found herself suffocating on top of the agonizing pain.

“You’ll be o.k. Don’t worry,” a faint voice said.

Joanna attempted to reply but her throat had tightened up. No matter what that person said, Joanna knew she was not going to be o.k, and all she wanted was to see Tom, even if it was for the last time. But if indeed she was taken by her fellow colleagues, Joanna knew her dying wish was never coming true, and the pain in her heart became far worse than the thorns.

To Be Continued…

Not Even The Cold

It has been 3 days since they took his father. And in those 3 days his mother had never left her bedroom.

Draco had to make sure she ate during meal times and slept when she needed to. He was constantly making sure all her needs were met. And all done without a single complaint.

Draco Malfoy, a mommy’s boy? Partly true. But the reason why he was trying his best to look after his mother was because she was the only family he had left.

Was it so hard for him to have a normal family? Draco constantly thought.

That morning, he sat on his bed staring at himself in the mirror. He looked ordinary. He could easily pass off as a muggle. And as shameful as it is to admit it, it seemed like a very good idea.

Growing tired at staring at his sleep deprived eyes, he decided to check on his mother. As he entered her room, there she sat again, by the window. For the past 3 days, Narcissa Malfoy would sit and stare out the window. She wouldn’t talk if given a choice, nor would she leave.

Draco could feel her pain, her lost, her fears. Her emotions filled the room, and Draco wished he could do something about it.

Upon hearing him enter, Narcissa turned around and forced a smile.

“Mother, have you eaten?” Draco asked, worried he would lose her too.

“Would you make me a sandwich?” Narcissa asked softly.

Draco nodded and did as he was told. He headed to the kitchen and attempted at making a sandwich, which was the least he could do for his mother.

Bread. Ham. Cheese. Lettuce. What else? Draco thought to himself as he placed one on top of the other. When he finally took a step back from the sandwich, he felt disappointed. If he wouldn’t eat that thing himself, how could his mother?

Draco swept the kitchen table clean, sending the sandwich and everything else on it onto the floor.

“Elkin, clean this up!” Draco shouted at a house elf who hurried to the task given. “And make mother a sandwich,” Draco ordered.

Of all the concocted emotions that was driving him nuts, the very one that affected him that day was disappointment. Couldn’t he do anything himself? Is making a sandwich so hard? Draco felt like a disappointment.

And now that the Dark Lord had chosen him for a task, he was so afraid he would be a disappointment. Not to the Dark Lord, but to his family. Their lives were at stake. If he should fail, he might as well disown himself.

Deep in his own thoughts, Draco noticed the house elf slowly walking up to him. And as he took the plate of sandwich from it, he gave the house elf a kick, “Back to work.”

Still emotionally distraught, Draco headed to his mother’s room and placed the plate on her lap.

“Thank you dear,” Narcissa smiled as she kissed Draco on his hand.

“Do you need anything else?” Draco asked immediately.

Narcissa shook her head and Draco left her to her sandwich. He didn’t have anywhere else to go but his room, so he retreated under the messy comforter on his bed.

Though under his comforter he felt protected from the chill in his room, deep inside, ice was building. Ice was building on everything he hold dear to him, his hopes, his dreams, his future. All growing cold. All fading away with every step he took.

To think that he could actually have a normal family made Draco hate his father. How could his father drag them all into this mess? He never wanted it, and he was sure neither did his mother. Now that his father was in Azkaban, he had to fix it all.

Alone in his room, Draco held on to his tears no longer. The pain, the hurt, the fear and everything that made his mother upset, everything that tore his family apart, was finally surfacing.

He was 16. Merely 16. He didn’t deserve to go through all these.

When Draco heard his door open, he quickly wiped the tears off his cheek and sat up. He was ready to yell at the house elf for intruding his privacy. But at the door was not a house elf… it was his mother.

“How are you feeling?” Narcissa asked as she walked towards him and sat on his bed.

“Fine,” Draco answered, surprised that his mother left her room.

“You don’t look fine,” Narcissa said as she wiped a tear off his cheek.

“Mother…” Draco trailed off. He didn’t know what to say.

“I know. I know you are angry and upset. I know you’re scared,” Narcissa said as she held on to her son’s hand.

“I, I don’t think I can do it,” Draco said, holding back his tears.

“You don’t have to, if you can’t.” Narcissa never wanted this for her son, and she could feel his fear.

“But if I dont-” Draco choked on his words.

“Let me take care of this. Don’t worry about it.” Narcissa closed in and gave her son a hug.

And as though the flood gates broke open, Draco broke down. Tears fell and he couldn’t stop, even if he forced himself to.

“Hush now, everything is going to be alright.” Narcissa held on to her son tighter. He had been taking care of her for the past few days, and it was her turn now. She was his mother, and she was going to protect him.

This time, Draco felt protected. Knowing his mother will have his back, he felt secured. They may not have his father, but they had each other. And nothing was going to break them apart. Not the fear, not the anger, not the pain, not even the cold.