The Slytherin Princess

Chapter 46

ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ⁴⁶⁻ "ʸᵒᵘʳ ᶠᵃᵗʰᵉʳ ˢᵃᶜʳⁱᶠⁱᶜᵉᵈ ʰⁱˢ ᶠʳᵉᵉᵈᵒᵐ ᵃⁿᵈ ˢᵃⁿⁱᵗʸ ˢᵒ ᴵ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈⁿ'ᵗ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵗᵒ"

A few days passed and I thought of visiting Malfoy. When I flooed into the Malfoy Manor, I saw the Halls and hallways were empty. I heard some faint sounds of spells being thrown here and there and started walking towards them.

I traced them back to a spare room the Malfoys had. The door creaked open to reveal all the boys. They were being trained and were far too engrossed in it to notice me.

At the far end of the room, I saw my father instructing Malfoy. As I walked closer to the pair, I saw there was a person tied to a chair in front of them. I could tell the person had been tortured by the injuries he'd sustained.

I watched in horror as my father sent the killing spell on the person while Malfoy watched without hesitation. A small gasp escaped my lips making both of them turn to me.

"Cassiopeia, you aren't supposed to be here," my father shouted. I was too stunned to speak and hurried out of the room wordlessly.

What had Voldemort done to Draco? My Draco.

--

I flooed back home, the moment still running through my head. My father had just killed someone in the blink of an eye—a man who was probably an innocent and harmless muggle or half-blood.

Not only that, but Malfoy watched it happen. He did not try and stop my father, or even look away while it happened.

I dashed back to my room, ignoring my aunt's calls.

A few minutes later, I heard a knock on my door. I raised my head I had buried in my book and saw my aunt's head peeking from the door.

"May I come in?" the floating head asked. I nodded in response and I sat up straight in my bed as I closed the book and kept it aside.

"Darling, you really should turn on a light whilst reading or you ought to ruin your eyesight," she chastised and I rolled my eyes in response.

She sat at the edge of my bed and put her hand over mine. "How have you been, my dear?"

I shrugged in response making her purse her lips. I was annoyed now and words came out of my mouth before I could do anything about it.

"I don't know, okay? I don't know how I feel about my father being a Death Eater. I don't know how I feel about all of my friends suffering and me not being able to do anything about it. I don't know how to feel about Malfoy being a Death Eater too," I said in a loud voice and an unfriendly tone. I sighed when I realised what I had just said.

"Was I always supposed to get married to him?" I asked after a long pause. My aunt shook her head a yes in response making me groan in frustration.

"When one is part of the Dark Lord's army, we have to enlist our children as well. When they become of age, of course." She started explaining and I listened carefully.

"Your grandfather was a very powerful wizard and a part of the Dark Lord's army as well. He made a deal with him that our family would remain his loyal servants, as long as he did not force the women of the family to join him. Sweetheart, your father sacrificed his freedom and sanity so I wouldn't have to." She whispered.

I felt terrible. I thought of my father as such a horrid human being, before I even knew the whole story.

"After you were born," my aunt resumed. "Your mum could not have another child. Your parents knew they would have to enlist you into his army and they hated that. The Malfoys love you as their own daughter and so, we came to the conclusion-"

"That you would get us married so Draco would have to become a Death Eater and I would be spared," I interrupted. My aunt nodded lightly in response.

I felt even more terrible. Not only was I mean to the boy being sacrificed instead of me but also thought so badly about him. Then it hit me, does Malfoy even know about this?

"Does he know?"

My aunt smiled. "Of course, darling. We asked him if he would be okay with it and he agreed without giving it a second thought."

I went into a deep trans after learning this information. Malfoy willingly sacrificed himself for me? He did not give it a second thought.

Confused and unable to process everything, I turned to my aunt once again and noticed something peculiar.

"What happened?" I asked pointing to a scar on her arm. It seemed like it had been tried to be concealed.

She laughed it off and walked out of my room, not giving me an answer.

--

After dinner, I quietly flooed into Malfoy's room when I knew his training was over. He wasn't in the room, so I decided to wait for him.

I noticed his bookshelf and walked up to it. I'd never been in Malfoy's room before. Well, I never cared to look around his room. We would either sneak out to his balcony with our friends during the Yule Ball or use his room as an escape from the awful people we'd meet during gatherings.

Just as I was reading all the titles of his books, the door to his bathroom creaked open. I swiftly turned around to see the blond coming out of the shower in his nightclothes.

He had bruises all over his face and body. There were cuts in places one would never expect and injuries in places one does not want to be injured. He looked drained out.

He was startled to see a figure in his bedroom but calmed down when he realised it was me. "About what you saw this morning-" he began.

I walked up to him and put a hand on his face, supporting his cheek. "I don't care. I should be thanking you instead of being angry at you or, or hating you"

He seemed confused at first, but then realised what I was talking about. He walked away from me. "You know?"

"Yes," I answered. "Malfoy, tell me your mission, I know you have one. I could- I could help you. It's the least I could do-"

The blond scoffed. "This," he pointed at me as he paced across his room. "This is exactly why I did not want you to know"

"What do you mean?"

"Cassie, I am marrying you because I've always liked you and I don't anything bad to happen to you," he stated. "And I don't want you to think that I am doing you a favour. I don't want you to help me because you think you owe me. I want you to marry me for love and love only"

"No-" tears began forming in my eyes. "That isn't what-"

"Just go" he turned around, not even looking at me. I knew he was too stubborn to turn around, even if I begged him to. And the last thing I wanted was to cause him pain. So, I did what he wanted me to. I left.